#this is just my opinion so it is okay if you don't agree with them 🥹🫶🏻

[burning2know]

Since people seem to be interested in inferring the real political opinions of the devs (or whoever's vision was realized in these games), here are some shower thoughts.

disclaimer: just some personal observation, i'm pretty ignorant about history and politics.

So imo, Anders follows very much the cultural narrative of a post 9/11 world (at least in my bubble). Violence is bad (especially terrorism), and we're meant to not fall prey to its tantalizing justifications because that's a slippery slope to war, genocide, the whole nine yards and then some. (We had to allow some time to mske it okay to even talk about capital T terror and sympathizing with perps).

DAI sets Solas up to redeem the writers for Anders, potentially. And given recent events in the past, idk, few months, year, I've seen that north american society no longer thinks about violence the way I thought it did (yes social media has a big role to play in that). Considering this background, da4 seems weirdly regressive and also on trend, all things considered. Opinions on the quality of the game notwithstanding.

Now I feel like the expressed-in-public sentiment is that violence is okay depending on which side you agree with because peaceful protests don't do fuck all, whereas some 10 odd years ago, it was that we like the change but not the violence to bring them about... Because change without violence is possible. But we've proven to ourselves time and again that the chsnge that happens without violence is overwhelmingly one-sidedly benefitting the powerful. There are through-lines over time, for sure, but things were indeed not always like this. The narrative of who is allowed to be sympathetic used to be controlled by keeping us ignorant, whereas now, it's being controlled by moral imperatives. Because it's gotten a lot easier to know.

Judging by what made it into the artbook, they were never going go where I hoped. But I think the da4 libs aren't quite the same flavour as the DA2/DAI libs. And that's... Something (neutral). Whether that reflects a single perspn on the team's views or the company's, I can't say. But it tracks with what I think is the zeitgeist.

However. I think it'd be remiss to not account for the change in leadership and vision of the world of thedas between dai and da4. To argue that the writers had always been like this is to ignore a major part of the problem. I felt that something had fundamentally shifted between dai and da4. The op's critique not withstanding (and I think you're right). The characterizations in dai were a hell of a lot more progressive than in da4, if only by virtue of da4 being extremely regressive through its bare-faced simplicity. In a nut shell, I just don't believe that the people who created Mythal and Flemeth and Morrigan would write the characters in da4. And it aggrieves me to have them lumped together with the likes of miserable little epler... They are not the same. This was not always the world view of DA.

Lastly, and this point is inane af, but I offer a more mechanistic explanation of the grace offered to blackwall. blackwall killed a single noble family, you can count that on one, mayhe two hands. Servants do not count as real people (I come back to this later, bear with me). anders and solas sought to destroy institutions forming the very fabric of society. The latter is much more visibly destructive, obviously, since such visible destruction is the ultimate goal. Whereas the violence perpetrated by the accepted authorities and instutions are so mundane as to be invisible or inevitable or "do not count" just as the servants thom rainier killed did not count. It's seemingly worse on an utilitarian scale. this often is used as justification against non-sanctioned violence and progressive ideas in general.

genuinely curious how the writers and larger dragon age audience would treat thom rainier if instead of being appropriately* repentant and putting himself in prison he blew up a major orlesian government building to instigate a chevalier rebellion or tried to have someone do some necromantic blood magic ritual involving uncertain danger and possible sacrifices to bring the innocent children he ordered killed back to life

[loquaciousquark]

okay okay okay so the top comment on this reel is living rent free in my brain

they point out that astarion doesn't proposition you unless your approval is a certain level. hes like "oh im so manipulative, im seducing them for protection" but he literally will not sleep with you if he doesn't like you. he likes you but he is just really not getting it. he cannot differentiate liking someone and using someone. he thinks liking someone IS using them, because anyone he ever liked was also a target.

I'm freaking out over this just wanted to share ✌️

Yes, absolutely! I fully believe he's mad with freedom through Act 1; if he doesn't like the PC, I think there's an almost crazed novelty to him turning them down because for the first time in his memory, he doesn't have to do anything else.

And it's not even prompted by the player, he just brings it up on his own! (It's not you, it's me. I have standards.) He doesn't like you, he doesn't want to sleep with you, he doesn't have to sleep with you, and he really, really, really wants you to know it.

I wonder if he's more giddy or more afraid when he says that.

And then on the flip side, if he likes you, he does want to sleep with you. Want, of course, being as loaded a word as possible--but regardless, he likes you, he wants to have sex with you, and his romance literally stalls out and ends if you don't agree.

I don't think it's possible in his mind to separate the one from the other. To be safe requires obedience; his obedience is sex. Landing a target is the only way to stay alive; landing the target is getting the target into his bed.

He likes Tav. He thinks Tav can keep him safe. He must snare Tav in the only way he knows.

(This is also why I personally don't vibe with Tavs that refuse to sleep with him in Act One; I find his arc of growth so much more meaningful when it runs the full course of reverse intimacy. To force him to a more "normal" courtship where the emotions come before the sex seems the fastest way to make him feel completely off-balance and unsafe, especially in those early weeks. Even in Karlach's version of the scene, where the only reason they don't sleep together is that she will literally fry him, is fraught with his sarcasm and disdain.

So Tav, rejecting him not because he'll die but just because they don't want to? I just can't see him taking it well, no matter how excellent or personal their reasons might be. He's too afraid, he's too wounded from two hundred years' compelled torture, and he's far too tied to the idea of sex equaling safety to believe anything else is worth his time.

To undermine that is to contort his character, in my opinion, and while I'm super glad other people enjoy writing it and I hope they continue to have a great time, it's not the version of the character for me.)

[messrsrarchives]

Hello! I adore your blog and your yaps so much I’ve been following you for a few months now and I first wanted to tell you that you do so much good! So, a huge thanks to you for using your platform for trans topics/Palestine/as well as fandom etiquette/awareness and for just being amazing!

All things aside though, I do have a question! I was wondering what your opinion on @the-dead-gay-oscars was. I stumbled upon it recently and felt kind of an icky feeling about it, because it just feels like another way of comparing fanfic to mainstream media when fanfic isn’t really meant to be like that? It’s also putting a bunch of fanfic out there for people to vote on/critique publicly, and I cant find whether or not the fanfic writers are asked for permission for their fics to be included in such an event- especially when I know a lot of people have boundaries over that kind of thing. I just wonder if it brings back that almost expectation for fanfiction to be like published modern literature/movies. I doubt anyone had the intention for it to be like that but I just don’t really like it?

Idk, it just left me feeling weird about the whole thing, but maybe I’m being over dramatic and critical over something meant to be fun, which could totally be the case. 😅

Anyways, thank you so much for what you do! Have a nice day!

hiii !! first of all!!! thank youuu 😖😖🫂🫂

and yeah,,, not a fan. idk if this mention tags them and if it does, sorry!!! just some gentle opinions 😖

idk like,, "best" categories in fandom really ick me out. and i think it can be very discouraging to others? like how does the voting work? do they select nominations and then others vote?

oh you've said they do! so yes, then it turns into "oh my work wasnt as good as the one that won" etc etc - i just think there's better ways to show appreciation than creating more pedestals in a fandom that already has a massive issue with idolisation, imposter syndrome, etc etc

and whether the authors are asked permission or not is irrelevant to me (actually,, probably worse if they are and agree in my mind)

idk. good concept, poor execution that i personally think is just discouraging and competitive when this space is for everyyyyyyone to create and enjoy without worrying whether you're better than someone else or the "best" etc etc. and yes, 100% brings expectations.

i get it was for appreciation, but i dislike the notion when really you could just comment on a fic and say you liked it, and then make a post recommending it, or rec it to your friends etc etc. you know??

we don't need awards and competition, we need community and an encouraging space where everyone feels confident to engage and write and draw and edit and do whatever it is that they do without worrying about whether they're the best at it or if they're as good as someone else

unless i get best rant poster. then it's okay. (I'M KIDDING THAT WAS A /J. THAT WAS A JOKE.)

[the-fyre-flie]

So... people hating on Justice League × RWBY, the two cross-over movies for DC and RWBY, has to be blown out of proportions or a joke... right? Cuz these movies are great. At least, in my opinion. They're fun and a bit stupid and incredibly entertaining for me, who's a fan of both DC (my current biggest fixation) and RWBY (my friend likes it so I must like it too) (Link to the movies at the bottom btw!)

Sure, I'll relent they're a little boring at times, and they completely butcher both DC and RWBY characters sometimes, but like... I finished watching a review by The Judgemental Critter (who I love btw and I think their opinions are pretty agreeable most of the time! No hate to them at all!) but a lot of the points just... don't make sense to me?

More Yappage Below

The animation and models being bad was said a lot, and while I can agree in some places like Weiss' weird skirt, saying the hands and faces look weird just... doesn't feel right? They look fine to me? I'm a 3D artist, I make thumbnails and promotional art for youtubers as a job and animate as a hobby, and the models look more than okay. The proportions are a bit wonky, but RWBYs animation has always been wonky. Calling the lowered framerate lazy and ugly also bugged me, cuz like... lowering the framerate to showcase sudden motions or lame actions is REALLY common. It isn't lazy, it's saving resources for moments you care about... like the fights. RWBY and DC both love their big flashy fights. Why would they waste time animating Blake picking a lock? RWBY itself is 90% fightscenes, so on top of that, why are you against big drawn-out fights?

I do agree that some of the designs suck specifically the heroes... I really really hate Bruce's Remnant costume being all black and gray. It's a personal pet peeve of mine when Batman isn't allowed color because I feel like it's antithetical to his entire character if he's all dark. Bruce needs to have some color, some light, or else he risks slipping right into the darkness that is Gotham. The same reason Robin is so brightly colored. It represents his hope for the city. So seeing all black/grey Batman with no color AND no cowl shape language bugged me. Anyways, here's my redesign, lol. Includes real bat ears, a half mask, and blue and yellow splashes! Nothing major!

The way they didn't really include Cyborg, Vixen, or Flash in the story for 70% of it bugged me too, but trying to say the Teen Titans would be better irked me slightly Sure, they might relate better as teens, but a major part of the story's conflict is Ruby being young and struggling to control her team because it's easy for people to overlook her or ignore what she has to say while Clark feels all that confidance from normally being an adult dude running an adult team. The JL being adults turned into teens puts them into a unique position where, unlike with the Teen Titans or Young Justice back home, they they have no real power or leverage over RWBY or JNPR. This is a conflict for both sets of people, and simply wanting "better character moments" feels like a cheap way to just nitpick. Especially when you also claim you dislike how much standing around and exposition there is. If Raven of all people showed up to brood, she would have to explain why she's so broody, which is just more loredumps you stated you didn't like. The movies over explaining of Semblance and Dust would have been way worse they were also forced to explain every DC heros past. This movie is very clearly targeting DC fans who have some knowledge on RWBY but are not super into the series. Note how the movies never once explain Batman, Superman, Vixen, Flash, or Cyborgs powers, and the time they spent vaugly talking about Wonder Womans it's turned into a trauma dump between Blake and Diana? They expect you to already know their stories. They way Clark and Bruce talk about their parents but not his planet is simplified down for RWBY fans because DC fans are expected to know this stuff.

On that note... Bruce was never debating leaving Gotham behind. It's pretty obvious in the movies. When Weiss offers for him to stay, he never responded. When Diana brought it up to him, his top priority is helping more, but he doesn't specify if he means Remnant or Gotham. As dumb as someone might think "they've been turned into teens" is as a point, it's very much an important plot point for Bruce. When he was a teen, he was the only man of the Wayne household, training to be Batman, still dealing with his grief over his parents. He truly never got to be a real teen. This is also the first time he's had real actual powers (at least in this very messy canon), and it's important to him, and it's clouding some of his judgment as a teen. But him liking having powers is not him willing to ditch Gotham. As soon as he was back on Earth, he was in Gotham, helping. There was never a debate. It was him dealing with the fact that he felt inferior. Literally, it's hormones and anxiety about not doing enough as Batman without powers. Is it a little goofy that Batman is insecure? Yes. Is it him abandoning his code? No.

Tho I do hate how he pretends his father literally didn't become batman in an alternate reality. Like Come on Bruce, Thomas was willing to throw down the same way you are, you did not "let go of their expectations".

More Bruce rant, his Semblance is very clearly not heat vision. It's Detective Vision (as named by the wiki). In the first showcase of his Semblance, he's not seeing the heat off Weiss or the electrical wire. It's noting the most important features of the room and how to escape. This is showcased more in the fight with Kilg%re!Barry, where his Semblance specifically notes the Morse Code and translated it. It's just super investigation powers. Which is lame... but it's not heat vision. I felt like I had to correct that.

I'd like to end this rant here even tho I said a lot more in dms to my friend... I feel bad just... 'responding' to someone who will never see it or care about my opinions. I really do like Judgmentals judgments (lol) 90% of the time, but I also feel really passionately about these particular movies, seeing as it combine me and my friends' two favorite things. It feels very close to home in a way, I guess. I hope people go and watch the movies and enjoy them!

I've linked both parts here to Internet Archive! The rips are a little weird in quality (very dark for some reason?) But they are the full movies!

Part 1

Part 2

[werewolfarthurmorganenjoyer]

Most people who are discussing Mary as of recently haven't complained about people who love her nor act like people cant 'love women despite their faults' and a lot of the time people are defending.

And it's ehhh a bit weird to assume that someone doesn't love her or are taking Arthur's side because they simply point out her flaws as a way of discussing characters the way fandoms do.

1. Anon, you clearly did not read the post I read so I can understand how my post can be taken out of context. But there had been people criticizing Mary which I personally find unfair because they solely focus on Arthur's hurt and that person openly stated that they hate Mary. So I am not assuming anything.

There was someone who did say people who love Mary "pretend she's an angel and fail to see her complexities", implying that people who love her insist that she is perfect, etc. My post was a response to that.

It's not about Arthur deserving better than Mary because Mary is 'bad' or something, it's about them both deserving happiness, which is what people often preach.

2. Well, I have seen posts or comments/reblog (here and on Reddit) actually saying "Arthur deserves better than this woman who uses him and doesn't give anything back in return (hinting at sex), etc." So yeah! Exactly! It is not about Arthur deserving better than Mary, but some people definitely think that way! And if you don't think like this and never have said something like that, maybe it's because my post isn't about you!

If you want fandom discussions then you should not be all snarky when it happens. You don't have to agree and ofc you can make some post talking about how you feel different, but having some of my mutuals recieve hate for just talking about Mary for one second, even if they had been defending her, they get sent hate.

3. Well, yeah, you are right, I can make post about how I feel different. So I did. Maybe I was being too sarcastic about it and offended you? But what do you mean by your mutuals receiving hate? Did you or your mutual interpret my posts as hate towards you? Or were there people in your ask box or DMs sending you hate?

But I must emphasize that, with the way you're phrasing this, you are making it seem like I am sending you or someone else hate, rather by private means or by my post. But the truth is I didn't tag anyone or reference anyone in specifics in my post, nor have I DMed anyone recently. You come into someone else's ask box, call me a hypocrite, and then accuse me of spreading hate I never did!

People from all sides should be allowed to discussing a character without having their opinion tossed aside as stupid because some people can't understand that you can love a character and talk about their flaws, which in many cases, people love.

4. Yeah, exactly, I 100% agree with that. I am not talking about people who love Mary but can still see her flaws, I am talking about people who are genuinely misogynistic about her (or other women characters) but passive aggressive about it, or people who are afraid to face their own misogyny. And also, valid criticism of women is definitely okay, but double standards in criticising male and female characters isn't okay. That's the entire point of my post. And you seem to be missing it.

@tacitusk1llwhore made an excellent post about how misogyny affects criticism of female characters, which I can't agree with more. In a way it was what inspired me to write my post, because it reminded me of the posts I saw some time ago. "It makes reading valid criticisms of these characters weird and makes you look for underlying messages of tones of misogyny." They wrote. And they are absolutely right about that! Sometimes you get used to seeing misogyny so much, you start finding it in places it never had been in. However, it also reminded me that, in contrast to its more blatant forms, sometimes misogyny comes up in more subtle ways that are harder to identify and we doubt ourselves. And this was what my posts was about.

My post was about people whose criticism of Mary entirely stems from the fact that they are jealous of her because they want to fuck Arthur. So, if you aren't those kind of people, if you are not openly being misogynistic about her, then I am NOT TALKING ABOUT YOU! (Or your mutuals)

It seems that you are projecting your own fear of being criticized for your opinions onto my words, and apparently, you and your mutuals' past experience of being hated on, which ISN'T. RELATED. TO. ME!

5. Were you talking about me again in another person's ask box as an anon? This is just flat out creepy. Please stop this kind of behavior. It is very weird. I would have apologized for being too sarcastic in my post, but you were going around quoting my post, speaking ill of me behind my back instead of directly confronting me. So no.

This will be my one and only response to you anon. The only reason I am letting you take my time is because you decided to bother my friend with this bizarre ask.

I love Mary, it’s just weird that some people won’t let us discuss her actions like we do with the men.

“Y'all fall to your knees when your uwu baby sons commit literal murder, but the VERY SECOND a woman does something that is not 100% morally correct you'll go "oh she's a morally gray character... I don't hate her but I wish the people who love her will see what a complex and nuanced character she is..." AS IF the people who love her cannot see the fact that the women have their faults. As if people cannot love women DESPITE their faults!!!!”

— Most people who are discussing Mary as of recently haven’t complained about people who love her nor act like people cant ‘love women despite their faults’ and a lot of the time people are defending. And it’s ehhh a bit weird to assume that someone doesn’t love her or are taking Arthur’s side because they simply point out her flaws as a way of discussing characters the way fandoms do.

“It's one thing to be neutral about a female character, it's another thing to go "I don't hate her...but he deserves better". I've heard this sentence from IRL boy moms countless times. People will be like "they both have their faults..." and then side with the men unconditionally, which is honestly hilarious to me.”

— It’s not about Arthur deserving better than Mary because Mary is ‘bad’ or something, it’s about them both deserving happiness, which is what people often preach. I haven’t discussed Mary openly because even though she’s literally my favorite character and I love their disfunctional relationship, and I can relate because I have even been in Mary’s shoes before. It’s weird to jump to the conclusion that someone is defending or taking Arthur’s side when it isn’t even really about him, it just seems like projection.

“(And then, if a female character has no visible vices, she is usually seen as boring and flat and tossed aside in fandom discussions. But that's another story.)”

— This is just hypocritical because whenever someone discusses Mary openly, they get hate and snide remarks. If you want fandom discussions then you should not be all snarky when it happens. You don’t have to agree and ofc you can make some post talking about how you feel different, but having some of my mutuals recieve hate for just talking about Mary for one second, even if they had been defending her, they get sent hate. People from all sides should be allowed to discussing a character without having their opinion tossed aside as stupid because some people can’t understand that you can love a character and talk about their flaws, which in many cases, people love.

Firstly, why is this in my asks? This isn't about my post, this is werewolfarthurmorganenjoyers's post you are quoting. I didn't even know there was beef before this.

But either way, they still did not send hate to anyone:

Yes they made a post about a specific comment under some post your moot apparently made, but they haven't sent hate to anyone.

Also, just a tip, DM's is the best place to solve these kinda things. Not because 'ohhh I don't want people to see' but because it is easier to talk through there rather than asks.

[ellavei]

Interestingly enough I do think Antonio's rage is also quite bad. Laughs.

So, what is Antonio's bad side?

Now I'm curious if you have one for other characters like Austria or England.

On the outside, we already know that Spain is a bubbly and sociable person. But on the very inside, Spain has many aspects that he doesn't like to show. Especially when it comes to... rage.

It would be very debatable on this topic but my view concluded that Spain is quite a judgemental person 😂 When he judges, he judges hard and this even applies to himself. I believe sometimes Spain is more honest with his feelings when he lets out his anger.

But... Spain really knew how bad he was when he got into that state (Hima even drew the ''caution keep out'' tape 😂). If that rage gets him some benefits (e.g.: showing his enemies that he is not the easy guy for them to deal with), the situation would be more convenient for his emotions. But life is more complicated. Most of his rage I think comes from possessiveness and jealousy.

So is there any reason why Spain tried to cover up his rage?

Funny how Spain loves to know that people really like him and will be very proud if they praise something like ''Oh, Spain is such a nice man to talk with'' or ''I love spending time in/with Spain''. So most of the time, he likes to keep that beautiful image. It became more evident when he joined the EU and more people started to get to know about him.

Our Spain really surfing the Internet to read how much people like him and save it.

Like it or not, people would die to have such a good impression on people like the way Spain is doing right now. It is even more enviable when Spain actually feels comfortable being that kind of person most of the time. He is like a magnet that attracts people from the beginning.

I think Spain has the behaviour of someone who finds it hard to deal with anger and frustration in a good way. He can get extremely violent when he gets angry and he really knows it. But he also deeply cares about how people think of him, it is even crazier if it is a person that he likes.

So if he still had a little bit of composure, one of the ways he does is hiding the ''not so beautiful'' part. And that attitude has had a huge impact on his personality.

I feel like many people judge Spain as a bland and shallow character. But if you read more of the manga of Hetalia (I highly recommend some of the old chapters), you will find more interesting canon about him. So... let's have ''a buono mood'' Spain to chill this post 🧊

...

(if I can summarize my thoughts and have time I would love to write about Austria and England. Thank you for sending a question and reading this <3)

[the-way-astray]

alright everybody can we please stop tagging me/talking about me in the notes of pro keefe/sokeefe posts. i know strieefe has made it so that it's really funny to talk about how much i love him and how much i'm in denial when i say negative things about him under those posts (and that's all in good fun and not the problem), but we have to think about the fact that the ops are just trying to make a positive post and probably don't want a keefe hater in their notes /srs

[kisskissgotohell]

i just wanna point out that, like. it's okay to disagree with the main character. just because they're the pov of the story doesn't mean they're infallible or that their word is law? you can like that character that tried to kill the mc. you can think the mc made the wrong choice. you can forgive things that the mc would never forgive, or choose not to forgive things that the mc does, because you're not the main character. you are the reader of the story, and just because you can't change it (and it's not the author's responsibility to capitulate to fans) doesn't mean you can't form your own opinions about it. it's fictional! that's the point! have fun with it!!

[welcometogrouchland]

I am going to try and rewatch thanks to them 😎 (<- unaware of the horrors)

[borderlinereminders]

It is okay and normal to be mad at people you love sometimes. It's normal for them to be mad at you sometimes. What I think really matters, is how people treat each other when they're mad.

My partner was mad at me yesterday. I was supposed to book his ferry last week but I forgot and when I went to yesterday, the reservations were sold out. (He has really busy work days and that's why I was booking it - before anyone says he could have just booked it himself. I have a lot more spare time than he does and had agreed to do it when he asked.)

He was genuinely mad at me. He expressed feeling frustrated, but he never once yelled at me. He never once insulted me. He never once threw a past mistake in my face because he was upset.

He told me that he still loved me when he was mad at me, but he took some time to calm down. And then he came back and told me that he loved me again. I gave him a sincere apology. And we came up with an alternate solution, and we moved on.

I made plans for how I can not get so distracted in the future - because I did mess up, and part of apologizing in my opinion is aiming to do better next time.

But the point is that while he was mad at me, he never treated me poorly. He was never cruel or mean. He understood mistakes happened, but he still needed a minute to sort through his feelings. And that was okay. He was allowed that. I was genuinely upset, and I felt terrible. But he was allowed the space to be mad, and I was comforted by knowing he still loved me even if I had messed up. I used my own coping methods to deal with my feelings.

It's okay to be mad, even angry. It's okay to need space. It's just important to be mindful of how we handle our feelings, and we need to know that we don't deserve someone to be mean to us, even if they're angry.

[asmileforyourscrapbooks]

OMFG THIS COMMENT. GUISE. THAT LAST SENTENCE IS SO FUCKING RAW

edit: i see a lot of people arguing over the 'eat the rich' thing and i'd like to clear up my standing currently! i know they aren't the same kind of fancy multi-million corporation that our beloved phrase talks about, and the reason i agree to a point with this comment is that watcher is evidently trying to become that. they're doing some shitty things in regards do disregarding poorer fans, and are seemingly blatantly ignoring the economic crisis by saying 'everyone can afford that!', all in direct contrast to their entire branding of being leftist and openly supporting things like eat the rich.

"You said 'eat the rich' then handed us the forks, laid on the plate, and expected us to spare you?" at least from my understanding isn't flat-out saying watcher are now the rich we eat, but are well on the track to becoming so, and are quickly developing the same ego.

BUT!! don't like people directly hating on steven like that!! they're all grown men who can make their own decisions, and pretending like shane and ryan are out little baby beans and then calling steven evil and whatnot isn't okay. they can all be held equally accountable. though i do somewhat understand being the most disappointed in shane, as he's the one who speaks on shit like eating the rich the most, and is generally more outward with his ideals, so it's perfectly reasonable to feel betrayed more deeply. but bottom line is they're all equally accountable for this decision.

some shit we can't take back. i probably got pissed and said some weird/uncool shit initially because of the intense emotions i was dealing with, which other people amplified. i do regret some of the things i've said to a point when it comes to being hateful, but i can't just un-say it all, so i'm not even going to try. i'm going to leave everything be and allow it to serve as something to look back on for what not to do in future circumstances. while this new path for watcher is, in my opinion, not the smartest and generally really shitty, they're human beings who make mistakes, and they deserve our acknowledgement of that.

in short, i don't like it but i'll stop being a bitch about it because they don't deserve that. also sorry for the wall of (probably incoherent lmao) text i got passionate <3

edit 2: guys. im screaming. the apology was amazing imo and i genuinely think they really mean it, like it doesn't seem bullshitted. i think they realized they fucked up for reals and feel bad. im so happy for them, but also for us as fans. yay :D

[psychoticallykind]

Break

'Break' - Jegulus Microfic - @into-the-jeggyverse - 637 words

--------------------------------------------------------------

"Need a break?"

James shook his head with a quiet hum. "No, I'm - Reg?"

Regulus smiled his usual half-smile, settling in the chair next to him. "I haven't seen you all day."

"I'm sorry," James said softly. He kissed his boyfriend's cheek. "I get kind of caught up in all of this."

Regulus nodded. "You're good, Jamie. What are you reading?" His eyes scanned the open pages. "Mind healing?"

"Yeah." James shrugged, a little embarrassed. "I, er. Thought maybe I could try doing it."

"For a career?" Regulus asked.

James nodded silently. He really hoped Regulus didn't think it was a bad idea - he was kind of low on confidence about it right now, and he hadn't even told Sirius or his parents yet.

"That sounds perfect for you."

James looked up in shock. "Really?"

Regulus tilted his head, searching James's expression. "You sound surprised."

"What? No, I'm not - well, yeah," James admitted. "I kind of - everyone sort of already...they have these opinions? About what I should do. And they're all so convinced that they're right, and I don't want to disappoint anyone but they keep telling me that I should do Quidditch professionally or be a teacher or work in the ministry and I just -" James stopped, shrugging. "They're all weirdly passionate about what I'm going to choose."

Regulus nodded. "But this is what you want?" He nodded at the open book. "To be a mind healer?"

"Yes." James bit his lip. "Is that stupid?"

"Did someone tell you it was stupid?" Regulus asked, though from his tone James knew he'd already figured it out.

"Not exactly," James fidgeted with his quill. "It's just - Dumbledore asked me, you know. What I wanted to do."

Regulus took his hand, smoothing his fingers down. "Okay."

"Yeah. And he -" James winced. "Well, he said that he thought being a mind healer might be a waste of my talents."

He'd been sort of devastated to hear that, actually.

"Dumbledore is a narcissistic fool."

James let out a shocked laugh. "Reg!"

"It's true," Regulus insisted. "I bet he told you to be an auror." He met James's eyes, clever blue against messy hazel. "Right?"

"Well, yeah." James frowned. "He told me that my parents would be proud of me and gave me an application."

"James," Regulus leaned forward, lowering his voice. "Do you want to be an auror?"

James bit his lip. "I would still sort of be able to help people."

Regulus raised a brow. "James."

James took a deep breath. "No," he admitted. "I don't - I think the aurors are harsh and they hurt just as many people as they help."

"Mmhm," Regulus agreed. "So what do you want to do, then?"

"I want to help people," James told him. He was a little nervous - he wasn't really used to saying what he wanted. Everyone liked to do that for him, and James generally just let them. "I want to help people learn how to accept themselves and heal from abusive families and anxiety and trauma. I want to help people grow into who they want to be."

When James finally managed to look back at Regulus, his boyfriend was grinning.

James couldn't help returning the grin. "What?"

"Nothing," Regulus replied, shaking his head. He leaned closer, closing the small bit of space between them and giving James a quick kiss. "I just love you. And I think that if you decide to be a mind healer, you would be absolutely brilliant."

James laughed in relief. "Really?"

"Really," Regulus confirmed. "You're the most compassionate person I have ever met. This -" he nodded to the book. "-makes so much sense, James, you can't possibly imagine."

"Thank you," James said sincerely. He leaned into the other boy, relieved. "Want to read with me?"

Regulus kissed the top of his head. "Absolutely."

[helloidkwhatimdoing-0]

Mmmmmmm i am thinking

[nerdygirlramblings]

omegaverse 141

a/n part of this once again inspired by @dragonnarrative-writes and their comment on a previous chapter. also, if you have ideas for a title, that'd be great 😂

cw: a/b/o dynamics and typical omegaverse breeding (m! and f! omegas can get pregnant) mentioned

previous

In the interim between your meeting with Captain Price and dinner with the task force you call your family pack. You know your moms and dad will give you their honest opinions, and right now you want that more than anything.

"Hey pretty girl," Dad says when he picks up the video call. "Everything okay? You usually don't call on a weekday unless we've planned it." For a moment you simply take in his smile and the way he's trying to reassure you.

You deflect. "How are you feeling, Dad?" He's carrying another litter, and after losing the last two, you know how important it is to everyone that this one is successful.

"Your moms have pretty much put me on bed rest," he says, rolling his eyes. "But you called us, honey, what's going on?"

You sigh. This is what you called them for. "Well, I wanted your opinion on something," you tell him.

"Just my opinion, or do you want the moms' too?"

You tell him you want everyone's opinion, so he moves through your childhood home to where your moms are, each room he passes drawing forth another bittersweet memory that has you missing him and your pack even more.

He finds your moms in your childhood bedroom, being transformed into a nursery, again. He sits on the rocking chair you remember, the one that floated between the three kids' bedrooms each time there was a new litter. Once your moms are standing behind Dad, you tell everyone about the offer to join Price's task force, and by extension his pack.

The more you tell them, the more your mind snags on how appealing being part of a pack is. But you can't help but be scared of the implications of that desire. Despite how Price laid things out, it's going to be hard enough to prove you're worthy of being on the 141, and if you become part of their pack, you'll never escape the talk about sleeping your way on the task force.

Your parents can tell your mind is somewhere else when you hear Mum insert your name into Bowie's "Space Oddity."

"Sorry, Mum. Wha' was i'?"

"I was just saying this - the task force, I mean - sounds like a great career opportunity. But I can't abide how much more danger this puts you in."

Mama adds, "Sounds like this alpha knew how to broach this. Didn't cock it up. And I agree with Mum, this is much more dangerous than what yer doing now. But sweetie, ya didn't see yerself when ya talked about what this would mean ta ya. And what doors it might open for other omegas like your brother."

You tear up. Both your moms see this for the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity it is. You notice no one's mentioned the other half of Price's offer. "Dad?" you prompt, "Wha' da you think?"

Dad watches you for a few minutes, smiling but sad: you can see it in his eyes. "I think you need to say yes, honey. Even if it scares us more, i's the right thing fer you." Your moms don't chime in; they don't need to. But you need want their thoughts on becoming a pack omega, Dad's in particular.

"And the other part?" you ask quietly, looking away.

"Honey, becoming pack omega fer yor moms was one of the hardest and easiest decisions I ever made. I love yer moms," you watch their faces through his declaration, both putting a comforting hand somewhere on him, "and they gave me all of you pups. If Price is as good an alpha as he is a Captain, if 'e's a guiding hand for his pack, then you couldn't have a better mate. In the end, trust your omega."

And that's the crux of the matter isn't it. Your omega has been scratching at your hind brain all afternoon because she wants to take Price up on both offers as soon as possible, but you need to be smart about optics and your career.

You tell your parents you love them and thank them for their honesty, promising to tell them what you decide before the ink dries. You end the call with a few minutes to spare before dinner and take that time to pull your emotions together.

next

[kiefbowl]

wait ok genuinely kind of interested in your opinion on porn now......... if only because those big 3 you mentioned are always the reasons i see people throwing out so id love to hear a deeper take than that

I'm genuinely surprised anyone could follow me and not know my stance on porn, but that's okay. simplified and in no particular order and in no means exhaustive:

porn creates perverse incentives

porn normalizes the purchase of women as sexual objects for men to use

porn is often called "rape on tape" by feminists, which I mostly agree with in the sense that if a woman would otherwise not have had sex except that she is being paid, then she is not consenting. you cannot purchase consent, the consent is not meaningful then.

additionally, you can not verify if you are watching people be raped in any other way. porn sites are filled with stolen videos, coerced videos, actual minors, aggressive rape that was filmed with or without the victim's knowledge, and other videos of this nature. there is no way to verify this at all from videos that are somehow not these things. things like "amateur" are often just marketing by the porn company or pimp, or they're stolen videos.

porn creates a social script for sex. this social script is least of all - boring and predictable. it also reinforces the long standing conservative gender understanding (see 2). porn also reinforces ideas of homophobia and racism under the guise of "taboo." porn is literally so conservative, but because it's considered "shocking" to "puritans" (religious men watch porn all the time), people talk like it's this liberal fantasy. porn is constantly reestablishing the status quo in the most perverse ways.

it's been demonstrated that people who are porn addicts very quickly escalate to more violent porn, and that this plays out in their sex lives with their (often vulnerable) sex partners.

the violence that happens in porn is real. the idea that it's a "fantasy" is marketing by porn website and pimps. if a man slaps a woman across the face, that really happened. why does it matter if she says "yes" to it - that's her "job" so how can she say no? (see 3 and also 4).

there is so much evidence and testimony by porn stars of the absolutely awful and terrifying conditions in which they work, even in the quote unquote "real" industry. drugs, alcohol, violence, coercion, exposure to STIs, homelessness, pimping, prostitution, mental illness, suicide, lack of benefits. It's bananas that anyone would be surprised by this when it's pointed out, we're talking about an industry that films sex on video. The majority of people in the sex industry want out. It ruins their lives, and once in it's very hard to leave and lead a normal life. The idea that the industry needs regulation to be "fixed" is bizarre and just seems like pimp and porn industry marketing to get people to look the other way.

Poverty creates porn. Social welfare for the poorest of our women would prevent them from entering the industry in the first place. Women go into porn out of need, not desire. social media pushes that porn stars loooove their jobs is 1. porn site and pimp propaganda 2. literally marketing because men want to believe this.

I am not religious, I don't believe in god. I love sex and masturbation. it's the most natural thing in the world and people don't actually need to "learn" how to do it - it's innate within us. Porn is just one more way to humiliate women in a misogynist society that requires women to be fearful of sex and rape constantly, and uneducated in their own sexual desires and boundaries.

[mxrcurysb1tch]

🦎˙݁⛧°. ⋆ Astrology observations pt 2 . °⛧🦎

Disclaimer: these are my observations based on people I know irl and resources I have found. If you don’t agree you’re entitled to that opinion but don’t come at me xo

𝟷𝟷:𝟷𝟷

☿ In my experience, there are 2 kinds of libra moons. The kind that is kind of cartoon character-ish. Bubbly, fun, very sociable. Kind of exaggerated in their expressiveness. The kind that is bubbling with positive energy and could not hide their emotions if they tried. Then there is the other kind that is not talked about so much. These are much more introverted and harmonious. I would say they are equally likeable as the typical presentation of libra moons but they either don't care to have as many friends or just keep to themselves more. They have a much softer, sensual vibe kind of like taurus or cancer in a way. They are fairly in-tune with their emotions, albeit in a pretty detached, intellectual way. They tend to be quieter but still have a very pleasing aura to be around. One thing I will say that is pretty common with all Libra moons is that although they are pretty romantic, they are rarely satisfied with committing to one partner and will have many relationships or flings throughout their young adulthood as they want to experience the many facets that the dating world has to offer.

☿ An Aries/libra interception in the placidus chart can create great struggles with the self and relating to others. They struggle to express and assert themselves, and with having clearly defined boundaries between themselves and others. Usually, in childhood they struggle most in relationships with other people and may be unintuitive with social cues even if they desperately want to be accepted and have friends. This is not as apparent into adulthood as they have likely learnt, through trial and error, how to make friends and be liked. Although this is not usually through conventional means of intuition and more through an intellectual stance. Whereas in childhood they may have had a stronger sense of self, in adulthood this starts to suffer more. I think a desperate questioning of the self in an attempt to find what distinguishes them from other people and makes them uniquely "themselves" is common. These individuals can be susceptible to people pleasing tendencies as they can sometimes feel like whenever they try to assert themselves it is taken the wrong way and so they have to appease everyone and say exactly what others want to hear in order to be accepted. It is a delicate balance between selfishness and selflessness that they have to achieve.

☿ Pisces moons are a lot more grounded than people give them credit for. They usually have pretty solid ambitions and they don’t waste time striving for them. They are full of optimistic energy so they don’t have a problem with believing they are capable of achieving whatever it is they want. They approach life with a very “go with the flow” attitude. And it is precisely this attitude that allows them to easily succeed as they are pretty much okay with anything that comes along in the material world. They are also usually pretty good at a lot of different things.

☿ Venus retrograde in the natal chart can struggle with self-care and believing they are worth being cared for. They may either be less interested in romantic relationships or they can have tumultuous love lives, unless venus is well aspected. This is because they might believe they should just put up with unkind behaviour simply because they love someone. They tend to either have many different romantic relationships or stay in the same one for years and years even at a very young age. They can be pretty messy even dirty sometimes and have a boring or unconventional aesthetic style. They may be less adventurous in artistic pursuits than most people. They can be prone to copying others aesthetically as they are unsure how to express this part of themselves externally.

☿ Virgo mercuries are usually very direct and even a bit bossy in communication but even so, it is usually well received by other people as they do it in a way that is inoffensive and kind of playful. This kind of approach may not be pulled off so well by other mercury signs.

☿ Sagittarius moons and mercuries are great conversationalists. They are very funny and can strike up a conversation with anyone about anything. Sag moons especially appreciate a good sense of humor and can bring out the funny side of people. They can seem a bit tiresome at times as their propensity to debate from even sides they don’t even necessarily agree with can be grating. They don’t do this to be annoying though, they’re simply interested in finding out about how people think and stretching an argument to its limits in order to confirm or deny its validity.

Merry Christmas! X