#warren's such an. interesting guy i just can't hate him

[longmaxsilvarg]

"or whatever" i just know he was shitting bricks when max didn't immediately agree to dinner

[kalinara]

So there's this interpretation that I have, I'm not sure how common it is, that when it comes to the X-Dream, the person who tends to embody it the most is Scott Summers, rather than Charles Xavier.

For once, this isn't meant to be a Charles Xavier hate post. Because I do think the mutant dream is important. And while I definitely have my share of "Magneto was Right" moments, especially with the world as it is right now, I do think that the dream of co-existence is, at heart, a good one.

Mutants and humans are not a separate species. While the "mutant gene" has a clear genetic component, something that's come up more and more often. The vast majority of mutants are born in human families. They have human lives. They belong to human countries. They have human racial identities and sexualities. They belong to human religions and subcultures. I don't think it's wrong to want acceptance, even given everything stacked against them.

Magneto's right. Sometimes. But Charles Xavier isn't wrong.

That said though, I don't think Charles himself really serves as an example of the Dream. For one thing, for the vast majority of X-Men canon history, Charles Xavier kept his mutation a secret. To the broader Marvel world, Professor Charles Xavier was just a very mutant-friendly rich, brilliant baseline human guy.

I'm not saying this as a criticism to Charles. I think that pretending to be a baseline human for so long is what allowed him to be able to raise, train and protect mutants in relative safety. It does, however, mean that he isn't an example of what he preaches.

Scott Summers, on the other hand...

One element from the original X-Men run that gets a bit lost nowadays, I think, is that (since it's before Hank turned blue), the two characters who really didn't pass as humans were Scott and Warren.

Don't get me wrong, they don't have the same difficulty as Kurt or Beak or Glob Herman. They have ways to mask as human in a pinch. But it doesn't take much to blow their cover. Warren can strap down his wings, but he can't get rid of them. And Scott's glasses fall off so often that it became his iconic image in the animated show's opening theme.

So that means, ultimately, that Scott really doesn't have a choice about it. He's pretty much got to live publicly as a mutant - with all that entails.

The funny thing about Xavier's Dream, I've always thought, is the best examples of it actually working aren't actually the X-Men. Something about the fact of a uniformed child army appearing out of nowhere to fight bad guys and then disappear after proving they can cause massive amounts of damage (...mostly Scott, admittedly, but sometimes Bobby too) tends to make people more freaked out rather than less.

Whereas Pietro and Wanda lived fairly openly as mutants in the Avengers and were actually pretty beloved. And during their respective stints on the Avengers, Hank, Storm, even LOGAN, tend to get positive press and reception. A lot of that, I suspect, is because the Avengers is a different kind of entity and folks didn't so much accept those mutant characters as just not think of them AS mutants. But it does indicate both that Xavier's onto something with positioning his students as heroes, and fucking up the execution somehow.

It does get interesting to see how other teams and characters tackle the idea. The Original X-Factor concept was fascinating. An obviously absurd and terrible idea that was as counterproductive as it was well-meaning, but also fascinating. Secretly training mutants while publicly acting like "mutant hunters".

Most of the time though, the X-Men basically followed the Xavier formula, even when Xavier was in space or otherwise on the outs. But it gets kind of interesting in the mid 00s, when we go through that spat of Xavier's the Worst (which I enjoy but also think gets a little over the top even for my Xavier-hating taste.) When he gets booted off and Scott (and Emma, but she's more in charge of the school side of things) takes over completely, we see a shift.

Whedon's Astonishing X-Men is really interesting in this context. I've seen folks dismiss it as some kind of "conservative" attempt to go back to a status quo that never really existed. (And honestly, I wish we'd stop calling story arcs that we don't like "conservative". It's always a story about a oppressed minority trying to exist in a world that despises them, even if we don't necessarily agree with the way they do it.) I don't see it that way. Whedon's X-Men is specifically presented as a strategic attempt, by Cyclops, to present a specific superheroic face to the world.

It's basically the same as the later X-Tinction Team, but in the opposite direction. And this isn't me putting my meta hat on, this is expressly the reason given for the team in the first couple of issues.

It does get a little funny then that half the run involves internal X-Men issues and then adventures on another planet, but there you go.

Then of course, we get the Decimation. We get the move to San Francisco, where, even then, Scott Summers's primary strategy is to make friends with the Mayor and try to have them live openly as part of the community. And it seems to even be working, to an extent, until Civil War and Dark Reign put the kibosh on that. Then we get Utopia, and the mutants under attack.

We do tend to lose the co-existence thread at this point, understandably. Though you could make the argument that Logan's team going back to the Mansion was an attempt to return to the Xavier-style status quo. While Scott's X-Tinction team was meant as a return to the Astonishing style superhero team, only this time scary and a clear lightning rod distraction from the Mansion folks.

Post AvX gets interesting, because you have Logan's team openly working with the Avengers. Scott's team is of course hunted, but somehow the guy still manages to be on every college dorm wall and get a cover of Rolling Stone. The Mutant Revolution at this point is oddly friendlier than Utopia when you get right down to it, and more about trying to set up a place where OTHER mutants get to live in their homes, with their own lives, even if Scott and his team get to live in a Weapon X facility. Even when he abandons the Dream, he really doesn't.

As much as I dislike Death of X and Inhumans vs. X-Men, the Xavier-hater in me gets unpleasantly smug by the idea that the "X" in Death of X does NOT refer to Xavier. Because Xavier is the dreamer, not the dream.

(That may also be why people tend to react really badly when Scott falls off his pedestal. Milquetoast Revolutionary Scott didn't really say anything all that different from his Claremont era characterization, but they act like he's a monster because his edgelord presentation is not the Dream they signed on for.)

It does make Krakoa even more interesting though, because we've got Xavier back. He's back being the architect and the Dreamer. But Krakoa is, when you think about it, the complete antithesis of his own dream!

There are definite good parts to it. Safety, resurrection, the chance for mutants to develop their own individual culture and identity. But it's not an idea that works for everyone. Not everyone WANTS to be separate from human society. And we see that, I think, in Scott Summers.

The Summer House is the gift that keeps on giving in terms of sparking meta. This time though, I think about its location. And where it is NOT. It's cool, it's fancy, it's built with Krakoan plant technology on the moon. But it's not on Krakoa itself, and the more I think about it, the more I think that's significant. During a time that the Council wouldn't even let Scott bring the Champions - superhero CHILDREN to Krakoa for safety, he's having his very human dad for family visits. (I wonder, if Kitty and the Marauders weren't available, would a space ship have been plan B?)

Later, we have the X-Men back in the Treehouse in the middle of New York City, helping the mayor and engaging in all kinds of outreach. Xavier's got his Camelot, so Scott gets to indulge in his own version of the Dream once more.

It's interesting actually, how the From the Ashes version seems to be an interesting amalgamation of vision. In many ways, it's like post-Schism Utopia or even the Revolutionary era - a repurposed base that once belonged to the enemy. A stripped down team focused on tactics and missions. No students at all, this time, except maybe the new mutants they've accumulated accidently.

(I realize it's funny to call the Adjectiveless Team "stripped down" when it's probably got the biggest cast of the X-books so far. But it definitely feels like Rogue's team is the catch all, for any former X-Men to just drift in and out as the writers see fit, while Emma's is basically Generation X, anew. It definitely reads like each member of the Adjectiveless team was chosen for a purpose)

At the same time though, they're not as isolated as Utopia. They're working with the locals. I know some folks were pretty bitter about the idea of Scott courting the local police chief, and I get that, but I also think it's completely in character. They're making a presence for themselves in the town rather than isolated from it, and it'll be interesting to see how that all works together.

[backgroundagent3]

hey!! hope you're doing well!!

i know you're reading funny story right now (ahhh) and probably have a long tbr so there's no pressure to read this but i just read the ex vows by jessica joyce and i think you might like it!!!

it reminded me a lot of happy place in that it focused on a found family of friends and how they changed over the years, and it was a second chance romance, and there's a wedding they're prepping for, but it also felt completely like its own new and different thing! i think it's one of the best non-emily henry romances i've ever read and it's the kind of romance that emily henry writes, where it's more emotional and focuses a lot on the character journey.

anyways, since happy place is your favorite emily henry i thought i'd let you know about it!!

Hii! I'm doing good! Thank you so much for the recommendation, I always struggle a lot finding new books to read. I've got a couple of books I'd like to read first, but it sounds so good, I'm so excited!! I just loved the whole vibe of Happy Place, and I love reading about found families, so I'll add it to my tbr.

I'm almost done with Funny Story and on the one hand I can't wait to finish it and tell you about it, but I also never want it to end!

Also I forgot to tell you I finally finished Daisy Jones & The Six!! It's the book that's taken me the longest to read, which is weird cause it's so good! I guess I was really busy but anyways. I loved the format so much, it's so unique, and it also makes it so easy to read! I have a really short attention span, so a book that's basically all dialogue is perfect for me. Some spoilers ahead!

The characters were so funny to me. I went in thinking it was gonna be a found family but then it turns out they all kind of hate each other. They're all so unique and fun to read about. Camila and Karen are so cool, and Warren's the comedic relief, and Pete's just some guy, and Billy's insufferable, and Daisy's also kind of insufferable, but I still loved her. I've seen a lot of people hating on Eddie, and I genuinely don't understand it?? Yes he had a short fuse, but also yes he was justified (at least in my opinion. I hated how Billy kept screwing him over).

I also loved the "where are they now bit", because here I am thinking Pete is dead throughout the whole book, and then it turns out he just had no interest in being part of the interview (which is very cool of him, I too would try to forget about my incredibly dysfunctional found family). The Julia plot twist was so cool, and I couldn't believe Camila was dead all along! I loved her so much. It was so satisfying seeing what their lives look like today, and every ending was very fitting for each character too.

Also loved reading about Karen and Graham, and even though I knew they wouldn't stay together, I was so invested, and I cried my eyes out at their ending. It's so heartbreaking, and you kind of see both POVs, which makes it even sadder.

I think it's just one of these books that leave you staring off into the distance for a while. Just seeing the lives they lead, and knowing that this is how rockstars' lives were actually like feels so special and sad and exciting, and I don't even know where I'm going with this but yeah. 10/10.

Thanks again for the recommendation, and I'd love to hear your thoughts on this book! I'll try to finish Funny Story asap (I'm almost done, for real this time). <3

[positivelybeastly]

Do you think Xavier is a bad influence on beast and the X-Men as a whole?

"That is - that is pure - pure poppycock and balderdash! That is ludicrous! That is absolutely - how would you - "

And then Hank stops for a moment.

And thinks about it.

"I don't - think he's a bad influence, no. That's a ridiculous question."

*

So, I think it's important for me to state that I think Professor X as the secret bad guy/villain of the X-Men story is just. Dumb. The X-Men story falls apart if he is just evil, there's clearly enough good about him to justify why everyone believes in him and follows him and puts stock in his dream (and no, it isn't fuckin' telepathic control).

But.

. . . Okay, this is going to take some set-up and context, so bear with me.

I find that if you take just the original 60s run as fully, unaltered canon, which . . . some people do, then you're gonna end up hating Xavier because he is just such a massive piece of shit. But pretty much any characterisation past that point, especially Claremont's, takes much more care to depict him as still very much an authority figure, but with a strong caring, paternalistic (for good or for ill) side to him that's shot through with a strong, burning tendency towards manipulation.

I think a delineation does have to be drawn here, though, that Charles being manipulative is (usually) different to someone like Mr. Sinister being manipulative, because Charles I think genuinely does have people's best interests at heart, but he's got a tendency to believe that that means his idea of their best outcome is the correct one. And. It isn't.

You can see it with Scott most acutely, where he tried to give him something that would best utilise his talents and give him what he was missing from life, but he didn't realise (and I do think it's a case of realisation, rather than not caring) what that was going to do to him in the long run. Scott doesn't have anything other than the X-Men because Xavier didn't think to really give him anything other than the X-Men.

You can also see it with Hank, where he really should have realised that Hank was in the middle of a really bad behavioural spiral pre-Krakoa, and pushed him to be closer with his actual friends or get off the damn island, but because he was preoccupied with Krakoa and probably thought, well, Hank's one of us, we should try and help steer him back, he gave him X-Force.

Which was precisely the wrong thing to do. You don't give an emotionally compromised wreck of a man control over your intelligence agency. But I choose to think Charles tried to do it out of love, not wanting Hank to feel cast aside or useless in the new status quo.

Bobby, Warren and Jean don't have it quite as bad, mostly because I never got the impression Xavier connected with Bobby or Warren as closely, and Jean is so absurdly powerful that their relationship has been one of equals for a long time now rather than outright teacher and pupil, which was what Scott and him were for the longest time, and which Hank and him arguably still are.

I always liked the version of Xavier you see in Parker's First Class, which is a version that makes the O5 and the X-Men at large's loyalty to him make sense, but you can't ignore the paternalism and manipulative streak that really does run through his character. Even before a lot of the damaging retcons to his character like Deadly Genesis or Danger, he was still doing fucked up shit like erasing Hank from his parents' minds because it was 'safer.'

So, is he a bad influence on Hank and the X-Men? Yeah, kind of? But I don't think he intended to be. I think he genuinely had the best intentions for all of them, they just . . . didn't pan out, and he went about trying to actualise those intentions the wrong way.

I feel like that's a more compelling characterisation for him, to be the man who loves his children but who can't stop fucking up their lives, or turning them into (in a roundabout way) weapons in his fight for mutant rights. The good man who can't stop doing bad things because he can't just let go.

[warrenwilkinson]

Texts: Erik & Warren

@erikdragon

Erik: there's someone like you in my town

Erik: I feel it

Erik: please don't tell me it's a fucking family reunion

Erik: I have a wedding to plan man, no time to deal with the apocalypse now

Warren: He's not like me

Warren: It wasn't my idea ok? And it's not a reunion per se... my older sibling decided they had enough one our younger brother and sent him my way

Warren: You can blame Death for it, he gave him my address

Warren: There won't be an apocalypse. I'll make sure of it. Your angel can help. He has an angelical blade right? that would be enough for Freddie to stay put

Erik: I'm not letting Seth get involved in your family mess, man, it's his wedding too

Erik: I don't follow your family tree, you know

Erik: who even is that? Pestilence?

Erik: damn you want Seth to kill your brother????

Erik: you guys should go to therapy

Erik: I've heard family therapy does wonders

Warren: I promise nothing will interfere with your wedding

Warren: It's literally common knowledge

Warren: Pestilence is the eldest, I'm the second Eldest, Famine is younger and believe it or not, Death is the baby

Warren: Freddie is Famine

Warren: I can't kill him myself so it would be much appreciated 😄

Warren: We're too fucked up for therapy

Erik: you forget dragons are not really well seen in church, bud, I'm not religious

Erik: Famine???? What the fun does he want here????

Erik: I'm a harvest and abundance dragon, he CAN'T be working here

Warren: still. You don't have to be religious to know about us

Warren: apparently he wants to learn to live among humans and other beings

Warren: I warned him about it. No causing shortages in town. He said he'd behave. I'll take care of him if he tries something

Erik: you're not THAT famous, you know?

Erik: at least not enough for me to know the order of the kids, like you're a Kardashian or something

Erik: you all seem to have that in common huh

Erik: good

Erik: I do have an angelic blade you know

Warren: are we gonna have this argument again?

Warren: something like that but prettier and with more power

Warren: well this is new for him. He never showed interest in this until now

Warren: feel free to. I can't say in super fond of him

Warren: tho he's the calmer of us all and he's not violent at all. He never attacks first and believe it or not he's not fond of suffering

Warren: He just does what he was created for. I used to be like that too a very long time ago

Erik: you're stupidly handsome but you're no Kardashian, man

Erik: he's your brother, why don't you get along?

Erik: wait, how come he's not fond of suffering when he's LITERALLY FAMINE??

Warren: I'm richer than the Kardashians, Erik. Probably  richer than you. And prettier too 😘

Warren: because he's an annoying little shit. He's the only one who takes being a horsemen seriously and he has a very intense sense of duty

Warren: his power doesn't really consist on making people starve to death. He makes them hungry enough to start wars. That's where I come in. Pestilence makes them sick. Famine destroys the crops and then Gilmore comes pick up the pieces. That's exactly how we all should work together

Warren: we haven't done that in a very very long time

Erik: not prettier

Erik: besides, I doubt Maia would call you pretty 😉

Erik: oh so you hate your bro bc he makes you do your actual work?

Erik: so lazyyyy lol

Erik: or you mean like

Erik: summon you?

Warren: I am pretty in a very manly way. She'd agree

Warren: Do you really want us all to keep on doing our job?

Warren: not quite like the big summon we were created for but yeah something like that

Erik: I'm gonna ask you to read that sentence you just typed TO HER.

Erik: nope

Erik: y'all should quit

Erik: that sucks man ._. being controlled like that is never fun

Warren: I already told her that. She says she agrees 😉

Warren: That's what I thought so you should actually feel calmer to know the bossy committed brother is on a sabbatical… here in town unfortunately

Warren: it's not but it is what it is

Erik: she's biased.

Erik: and you sound like you have a praise kink

Erik: which

Erik: you know

Erik: not judging :p

Erik: welp let's see if dear ol’ bro and his eons of years on earth still remembers the old customs and comes pay tribute to the dragon of the land

Erik: back in the day we used to judge the dangerousness of a visitor by their fruit basket

Erik: ah simpler times

Warren: I know but still

Warren: Maybe I do but so do you

Warren: he probably won't but you should take his calmness as a tribute because he was very serious about behaving and even got himself a job in town

Warren: I'm not gonna lie and say he's not dangerous. But we all are. The thing is that he's trying not to be

Warren: simple times indeed but won't deny I'm happier now with everything as it is

Erik: it's not a praise kink it's called being a dragon bud

Erik: oh wow

Erik: please tell me he's working at subway

Erik: got it

Erik: air conditioner and internet  is nice and all, but I miss the fruit baskets

Erik: and the dragon festivals

Erik: they always had such good wine

Warren: same thing

Warren: close... the blood bar. He can use his little talent there to make vampires pay more

Warren: ha ha really  funny

Warren: I still don't understand why you're not planning festivals again

Warren: you can still find that awesome wine if you know where to look or how to pay for it

Erik: one is being called a good boy, the other is being worshiped as a god

Erik: oooh that's smart, was it your suggestion?

Erik: bc people don't really believe in dragons anymore ):

Erik: I used to have my own priestesses, man

Erik: you'd have loved them

Erik: oh really?

Warren: I know  I'm not a good boy

Warren: why are we going at this again? I'm a god. There are millions  of statues dedicated to me in different centuries and civilizations

Warren: not really. He's very smart so he probably  figured that out for himself

Warren: well but now you have a former angel of the lord worshiping you? What else do you want?

Warren: tell me which wine is you favorite and I'll make it your wedding present

Erik: because you're a god and a good boy for Maia :p

Erik: now -I- get to worship an angel of the lord, man (:

Erik: I guess I just want more noise around the house. it's too much space for two people and a cat, it was made to accommodate at least 15 priestesses, there's a whole wing we never use

Erik: awww you're such a softie :3 thanks man

Warren: I'm not gonna get into details here but the praises aren't for me in this household

Warren: true, that's true

Warren: have you ever thought about children? You And Seth would be good parents

Warren: if you tell anyone I'll kill you

Erik: oh so she's the

Erik: you know what

Erik: I don't wanna know

Erik: how's basically-married life treating you btw?

Erik: you think so?

Erik: I mean he's great with children, that's for sure

Erik: I'm afraid they're too breakable to be around me tbh

Erik: have you?

Warren: exactly, don't ask

Warren: fantastic. I never thought things could be this perfect

Warren: I think it's the next step so why not?

Warren: you have a cat and you're careful with it. They're breakable too so why a kid would be different?

Warren: I can't bear children and Maya is worried she's too fucked up for kids

Warren: they aren't in the cards for us but if she ever changes her mind I'm open to foster or adopt

Erik: I don't wanna say I told you so

Erik: but I did lol

Erik: I suppose so

Erik: I don't even know how to go about it

Erik: but do you want them?

Erik: that's the thing

Erik: me and Seth, I have no idea what kind of parents we'd be

Erik: I was HATCHED, he was made by God himself

Warren: and you were right, and this is the only time you'll hear this words from me so enjoy it

Warren: you could just ask him how he feels about kids maybe?

Warren: I've wanted kids since Barachiel. We even tried but that's when I learned I'm barren

Warren: both of you are kind and that says a lot about the good type of parents you'd be

Warren: I was created too but still. It doesn't matter where we come from

Erik: (:

Erik: sometimes it's hard to ask these kinds of things of Seth. I worry he'll think I'm starting my needs instead of asking his opinion and he'd give in to make me happy

Erik: he's already given up too much bc of us

Erik: oh

Erik: welp maybe it's just not supposed to work between you and angels? maybe witches are another thing

Erik: thanks man

Warren: He loves you so I'm sure he would do it for your happiness but for his own too. Do you really think he wouldn't want kids around?

Warren: do you think ids would be giving up on something?

Warren: yeah it's not working, you don't need to know but if I was able to give her children, we would have a football team so no, no biological kids for me

Warren: anytime

Erik: kids would be giving up on his freedom, he'd be stuck to people he'd never met

Erik: oh god

Erik: how's she even still BREATHING

Warren: if that's what you think about kids then maybe kids are not really what you want

Warren: and that's ok, kids aren't for everyone

Warren: you say it as if sex with me was so terrible 🙄

Erik: I want them

Erik: but I want him to want him, I don't want him to agree to it, you know?

Erik: Seth is too giving for his good, it needs to come from him

Erik: WE BROKE DOWN A BUILDING, WARREN

Erik: and I'm a fucking dragon

Erik: she's HUMAN

Warren: then just ask someone to ask him maybe?

Warren: the little wolf is his best friend right? He could help

Warren: yeah and I'm not a monster! I treat her delicately!

Erik: like a fucking middle schooler?

Erik: Chris is a) dead scared of me and b) a fucking excitable puppy. I talk about kids he'll go to Seth with fucking baby shoes in his pocket.

Erik: sorry, people don't usually think of DELICATE when they think about WAR behaving, you know

Erik: nor pretty

Erik: but what do I know

Erik: look at you being out of the box lol

Warren: well I'm sure he wouldn't lie to his friend, and he wouldn't feel pressured to say yes if he doesn't want to

Warren: Christopher is a lot more serious and mature than you think

Warren: well that's cause you never got to see this side of me, this side is reserved just for her

Warren: I'm surprising, I know

Erik: you call him Christopher? I didn't realize you both had met

Erik: SUCH A SOFTIE

Erik: look at you

Erik: :³

Warren: The wolf and the hunter are Maya's close friends, of course I know him

Warren: I'm gonna ignore you now

Erik: you only ignores me when I'm right, you know (;

Warren: or when you're stupidly annoying

Erik: which I get when I'm right~

Warren: Also when you're stupidly stubborn

Warren: lemme ask you something: What would you do if Seth says no to having kids with you?

Erik: not have kids with him

Erik: and then bury myself in a deep hole

Erik: for at least a couple of years

Erik: why?

Warren: this is exactly the reaction he might fear and why he would say yes even if he doesn't want to

Warren: which won't happen if someone else asks him about it

Warren: intermediaries aren't a bad thing

Erik: so you see how I can't just ask him about it right?

Erik: I'll think about talking with Chris

Warren: yes but I also know you want to know

Warren: and the idea won't vanish from that stubborn head of yours until you have your answer

Warren: good! It'll help

[15 min later]

Erik: he said yes

Warren: Who said yes?

Erik: Chris

Erik: what, did you think I just went over to ask Seth to have my babies? come on man get on with the program

Warren: I told you he was a good ally

Warren: you're unpredictable like that

Erik: he did send me an audio reply SQUEALING tho

Erik: heh I like to keep ya on your toes

Erik: are you ready to become uncle war?

Warren: A very Christopher like response

Warren: Are you gonna le me spoil that kid rotten?

Erik: good luck out-spoiling me, man

Warren: it's not a competition, we both can spoil them

[fizzingwizard]

more my dad and makey amurrica grrrrrr8 agen...

Today he posted a video that he said was "like the opening to Watergate." Last time he posted something similar, it was a huge nothingburger. It's tough to click these things - even tougher to sit through them - because I don't want to give any patronage to the video creators. I watched it via Google, which used to mean no compensation went to the creator, but I can't remember whether that was overhauled. But, anyway, "know your enemy."

The video was very obviously AI. Very. Obviously. Not just the voice over but also the writing itself, which is super repetitive and clearly just trying to pad out a nothingburger to fit the 30 MINUTE VIDEO LENGTH. Yes this was 30 min long. I played it on 1.5x speed lol and it was excruciating.

After every "bombshell" from the Republicans in the video, the AI wrote that "there were a few gasps" or "there were a few chuckles." Politicans involved constantly had "unreadable" expressions and reporters kept "suddenly scribbling furiously." Also the Democrats gasped at the same "bombshell" twice... because it was repeated twice. I think this was an AI error. But it was very funny.

Lit it was written like a fiction novel! (And a bad one!) How could anyone believe this is an accurate portrayal of events??

As for the actual bombshells. And, shocker, it was indeed a nothingburger. The typical MAGA nonsense. They referenced a video with the Rwanda president saying he agrees with Trump about USAID cuts as if it is this big surprise. It was aired on CNN lol. The video also gave no context for it, didn't talk about what aid Rwanda actually gets, and certainly didn't talk about what the Rwandan president's plan to become self-sufficient could be. It was just "Hey, this one guy who's country is a recipient of USAID says he doesn't want it, so that proves that all USAID is fraud."

And the OTHER big bomb was that... at least one part of Trump's tax plan might no benefit the rich! Specifically that he wants to close the carried interest tax loophole. According to the video this proves definitely that Trump has only the best interests of the American people at heart and that he loves the working class. You know, they are so right! If Trump does one thing that everyone thinks is good, that means it's impossible for him to ever do anything bad. Lol.

Also from Politico:

"Trump’s latest attempt comes as more Republicans are echoing what has typically been Democratic talking points about the industry’s profits. Progressives like Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) have long maintained that carried interest collected by fund managers should be taxed at ordinary income rates as high as 37 percent, rather than the 20 percent rate applied to long-term capital gains... Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) praised Jayapal for 'being in complete agreement with Donald Trump in wanting to remove the carried interest loophole.'"

See this is why I'm not MAGA. Because I don't just flat out hate someone regardless of what they do that lines up with my values. I'm not enough of a hypocrite for MAGA lol. My reasons for not supporting Trump are not "because because!" - they are legitimate reasons that concern his judgment, his perspective, and his values. That doesn't mean I think he's a cartoon villain.

The way this move was portrayed as a "gotcha!" moment in the video was so absurd. That's like choosing any one objectively good thing Biden did and presenting it to MAGA like "Well you can't hate him now, can you!" I promise you they can and do. These tactics wouldn't work on them, but they think it will work on us???

And there's the rub! This video isn't meant to convince anyone but MAGA. Who are already convinced. It's made with AI. There are a zillion ad breaks. It's there to make money off MAGA believers for the creator. Like duh. It has no bearing on reality - it's not real news just because it references a couple things that are!!

The comments were wild - supportive viewers asked "Hey, where's the video of this so I can watch it??" Newsflash baby: there ain't no video. This didn't happen. Again, a couple things it mentioned happened, but that's just to lend legitimacy to the performance. It's fiction. No one gasps that much lol.

It is very interesting how, after I watch some of the MGA garbage my dad posts, I end up feeling better! Because it's so bizarre that my alarm bells just refuse to go off. The more the title of an article or video sounds anything like "BREAKING NEWS IT'S THE END FOR THE DEMS!!!" the more likely it is that there is no news involved and you just wasted 30 min of your life.

for heaven's sake WHYYY did it have to be 30 fucking minutesssss

[silvvermst]

SWEATER WEATHER

SYNOPSIS :: the night where things get messy with feelings and mutual pining.

NOTE :: all characters are 18 and above

TYPE :: fluff / smut

WARNING :: dorks in love, aftercare, foreplay !!

I haven't even begun how the fuck he was able to climb up to my room, in a middle of a storm.

“Now, explain, what are you doing here?” I asked him with my arms twisted in front of my chest. Instead of answering, he let out a weak chuckle. Seriously! This guy!

“Alright, alright, before you throw me out of your window. I was, just, I was missing you. I get it, you were busy given that this is your last semester. I even texted you a bunch of times but you weren't picking up, I got worried and shit, I ended up here.” He continues his reasons, but I was already at my limit from laughing my ass off. “Hey! Stop laughing.”

I immediately wrapped my hands in his mouth, “Remember, you're not supposed to be here.” His shock was evident by how fast I have closed the gap between us. Yet he still nodded, and it was my cue to let him go.

“You busy?” He asked in a more shushed voice, with his hand scratching his nape.

“Obviously, but since you're here might as well just take a break. Want to pop a movie? I have a subscription with Netflix... I think, check it out if I still have it.” I told him, while I prepared a snack. A bucket of popcorn and two bottles of beer I snuck in last night.

I sat the popcorn and beer down at a small table and hopped on my bed, while Warren fixed my projector. “Come on, it's already good.”

He looked at the projector one final time, before plopping down on the floor. “What are you doing there?”

Surely enough a blush appeared on his cheeks, staining it like a fairy dust. “You're gonna let me sit at your bed?”

“I don't see why not.” I answered and didn't wait for him to move his ass because I was already pulling his arms towards me.

The beginning of the movie in which I picked out–because he was too flustered by the fact he is just realising he was in a girl's room, even though he's the one who barged in– a rom-com movie, 10 Things I Hate About You.

“Are you uncomfortable?” He asked, his body was as stiff as a board sitting on my bed which is opposite from me as I'm laying while munching down on the popcorn.

“Warren, stop worrying about me, in fact I feel the exact opposite. So, I'd feel even better if you start getting comfortable as well.” I informed him, patting the space he's not occupying that's next to me.

He grunted but obliged, laying down with his back pressed against a ton of soft pillows. “I might be stuck in your bed forever, how come ours was never this soft and fluffy.”

I chuckled at his reaction, “That's because I always make sure to at least clean it from time to time.” Then, all I heard from him was a small ‘Hmm’.

The movie was halfway towards the end and I can feel him get closer with occasional comments about how cliché and predictable the scenes are. Of course, I have to defend my favourite movie.

“But isn't it romantic?” I dejected when the next scene was the characters kissing in the car.

I waited for his answer but he's gone quiet by how he keeps watching the scene. “Have you even got your first kiss?” God, my mouth won't shut up today.

In an instance, his head snapped back to me. It was a long second before he answered I added immediately, “I was kidding, you don't have to answer that.”

“No..” He answered, cutting off my initial plan to back out from my question. But the way he said it makes it sound like he's not even sure.

“Seriously? Come on, you can't be that much of a virgin loser.” I joked, but he smacked my arm lightly yet he's still laughing.

“I don't, I don't think anyone is interested in dating me, let alone kiss me.” He said, but I can hear the melancholy in his voice.

I sat up and got closer to him, "Hey, Warren, anyone will be lucky to have you. Jesus, you're a joy to be with. I know that since you've been my best friend ever since.”

He smiled, but I don't think he meant it, “Yeah, friends. Are we really just friends?”

The moment the words left his mouth, I felt uneasiness. I'm not oblivious with the fact how there were lingering glances when he thought I wasn't aware, or how his hands softly touched mine and wouldn't let go when I let him. Fuck! This was dangerous to play.

“Don't you consider us friends?” Pretend, that's what I've been doing ever since I found out about his feelings. If I do this, surely, his feelings would go, right? Wrong!

Instead his hand touched one of mine, “Do best friends go around kissing when they're drunk in a party?”

My body felt like it's been dumped with water that's filled with ice. Fuck! He remembers that? It was that stupid party by the Vortex Club, I was too fuck out of my head that the moment I saw him at that party I didn't get to control myself and just kissed him.

I was speechless, where do I even begin with. I looked at his features, the laughter we had together, his quip comments, all of it was gone, just his stoic eyes staring right at me.

The credits of the movie faded into black, making his features blurry and only a silhouette was what I saw. “Warren, I–”

My words and breath were knocked out of my mouth and instead, replaced it with his lips. I feel my body paralyzed for a minute and all my senses were blocked from his kiss.

He's kissing me? Oh, shit. Goddammit, kiss back!

The minute has already passed by but his left hand was already on my waist pushing me down the bed and got on top of me, his lips never once leaving mine and only urging me on for more.

I have to stop this, it won't end well. Things will get much weirder between us, I'll lose him if it doesn't work.

“Warren..” I breathed out when I slightly pushed him away, giving time to breathe. Yet he didn't stop, his lips were tracing my jaw leaving small kisses. I almost moaned his name when he kept going further. “We have to stop.”

“One more minute, please. Then, I'll go.” He begged, his hands roaming my body. I didn't even stop it, one of my hands was on his head patting his hair almost as if encouraging him to continue.

Fuck, please, give me strength to resist him.

“W, we really have to stop.” I breathed out, but my words fell deaf on his ears, instead he sucked a spot where my jaw connects to my earlobe. This time, I didn't get to stop moaning his name out loud.

My noise was enough for him to stop from what he was doing and looked at my face, it was only this time I got to see his eyes that was full of desire and almost as if he was going to cry.

“Do you really want me to stop? If you mean it, then I'll leave.” His voice was filled with desperation.

I looked at the rain, how hard it was pouring. “Don't look at anything else, look at me.” His hand softly touched my jaw guiding me to look at him face to face.

The truth dawned on me, I really can't resist him from the very start so why even bother. I closed my eyes and instead pulled him closer to me, this time, I'm the one who initiated the kiss. Only this was much more passionate. When two parties both want the same thing it usually ends where their clothes are disposed of and left on the ground.

The soft touches turned into harsh grips on my waist as his lips press small bites on my neck that will surely leave red bruises for the majority of the next day. Do I even care if it means he's the one who's doing it?

My hands started fidgeting and he took it as a sign to take my hands and make it wrapped around his torso. “You don't have to do anything, I'll do it for you.” He gently says near my ear before kissing my cheeks and pulling away to look at the state he put me in. My ears were ringing and all I hear is the sound of our pants and moans, did the rain already stop?

He mumbled with his words but I got to hear some of it, “I don't think I'll be able to let you go after this.”

Then he proceeded to finish his work, but this time, his hand slides dangerously from my waist to hips, fiddling with the fabric of my panties. If only I could read his thoughts, I wonder how much self control he has to stop himself from pulling it off of me. His lips found the curves of my collarbones and he didn't wait a second when my hands pushed him further into my chest. The warmth of his mouth filled my senses, the nudge of his tongue on my nipples is enough to send shivers to every part of me.

“Warren...” I softly called out to him and of course, as a gentleman he immediately stopped.

In return, he looked at me with the softest eyes I have ever seen that was almost filled with worry. “Did I do something?”

“No!” I replied, softly brushing his hair out of his flushed face. “I, I don't think I'm ready yet... for what's to happen next.”

“Oh.” Here we go, he's gonna get mad that I just led him on. But instead he smiled and kissed me on the forehead. “It's alright, we'll do whatever you want.”

“You're not mad?” I perked up, surely he might get angry.

We both sit up on the bed, he and I were already shirtless but the difference is he still has his jeans on. “Why should I? I'm in my happiest state right now. I just kissed you, and you kissed me back! Hey, I'm not mad at you for taking things slow. I'm respecting your decision, sunshine.”

Right, this is Warren. He's not the guys I've dated before. “Here, you can wear mine.” He told me, picking up his sweater from my floor and dusting it off before handing it to me.

I thanked him and the moment I wore his sweater his scent that filled my nostrils earlier came back. I couldn't resist hugging myself to feel his clothes on my body.

“You know, when you asked me earlier about my first kiss I was contemplating whether or not I should even consider our kiss from that night on the club.” He says with his hand behind his neck.

Of course, I remembered it. How could I not? It was one slip up, I had to pretend it never happened or he might be weirded out from my behaviour. It was better to blame the alcohol rather than my feelings.

“I'd prefer if you didn't regret it.” His eyes were the one thing that kept me grounded, I couldn't even look away from shame. “I knew you remembered it too, I just don't know why you have to hide it.”

“It would be better for the both of us if none of it happened. Warren, if this doesn't work out, I might lose...”

“Would you rather want to lose me now?” His question left me stunned. “Or don't you at least want to try and see what it's like to be with me? I love you, for such a long time. I was just afraid you didn't feel the same.” He paused, his voice trembling with anticipation. “But tonight, my perception changed. Give me a chance, please. If you think it won't work out in the end, at least we had the chance to love each other.”

I thought about the endless possibilities, considering the consequences, but none of it mattered the moment he kissed me tonight. All I wanted was to kiss him back, to feel more of his warmth. So in the end, all the worries and doubts turned my feelings around.

I was speechless, but I mustered my strength to look him in the eyes before kissing him again. With the same passion as earlier. He's right, he always has been right. It didn't take him too long to wrap his arms around me and kiss me back.

The moment we pulled away I could see from his eyes how happy he was, even though his smile was evident from his cheeks.

“I love you.” There, I finally said it. Caressing his cheeks.

Then a knock interrupted both of us, “Hey, lovebirds at least keep it down. We have a test tomorrow.” Juliet's voice echoed throughout my room that we have to prevent ourselves from laughing out loud.

“We should get some sleep, or they'll definitely report us.” I said, scooting over to give him some space on my bed for him to lay on.

“You want me to stay?” He asked when he realized what I was doing.

“Why? You want to go back with how hard it is raining outside? Absolutely not!” I said with my hands settled on my hips, “So please, come and sleep with me for tonight. Then, I'll throw you out my window tomorrow.”

He chuckled before bending over to me, “Thanks, sunshine. That's so sweet of you.” He said with sarcasm and sweetness in his tone.

The night ended with both of us cuddling together as I'm wearing his sweater, while his hands kept stroking my hair. As the storm outside brewed, my thoughts wandered, if ever I would have to sacrifice anything, it would be for this boy.

[itstheheebiejeebies]

I'm reading this interview Buck Compton did in '07 about his life after the war especially in relation to his time as a prosecutor and judge and lemme tell you this, I have a lot of respect for the guy, but I hate his feelings on a lot of important things. Like his opinions on the Miranda warnings that because mandatory in the late 60s 😬😬

Just no. Like no thanks my dude. They're so important and to paraphrase Chief Justice Earl Warren, if you can't make a case with a Miranda warning in place you never really had one.

Also he got into law school before the LSATs because a thing, he just had to take a small aptitude test that was a sorta precursor to them and I'm honestly jealous because they suck super hard and I have to study for it and retake it.

Also he apparently got the job on the California Court of Appeals because he was friends with a guy who was close to Reagan when he was governor and he was also a strict constructionist of the Constitution. And personally I hate strict constructionism, like there's no way to be a faithful one, and often the Constitution is so vague, which is intentional, that you can't get more than a gist of how it applies to a case

We were lied to! He only had 3 holes in his ass not 4 from that bullet!

It was an interesting interview for sure and I recommend reading it if you're interested in more about him, it's 64 pages, but a lot of each page isn't used because of the way the transcript is set up.

[the-robot-bracket]

Okay, I'm going to make sections. Please note that these are my opinions, and I'm not insulting your grandma here.

Gravity Falls:

I enjoyed watching Ducktales (2017) a lot more than watching Gravity Falls.

Gravity Falls isn't actually written very consistently. It has some flaws that many people would rather not admit. The hate Mabel gets comes from a lot of that inconsistent writing in her character development that repeats (not saying all of it comes from that, but a lot) and some people would rather call her a bad person than admit the writing isn't as stellar as they make it out to be.

Danganronpa:

Many people kill Sonia off to give Kazuichi character development in their fanfics. Kazuichi should not get character development from that. You don't need to make him a better character by killing her off just because the writers could not develop the Simp #let Sonia kick Kazuichi

Dr2 Chapter 3 would have been a whole lot better if Mikan got cured along the others and just tried to cover up the murder with no idea why she did it

Undertale:

The concept of the Amalgamates is way more interesting than what most of the community made Sans out to be. There are monsters who were supposed to have died who now share a body and can't separate.

Don't Hug Me I'm Scared:

The Friendship episode with Warren the Eagle was my favorite of the new series. I loved how they kept insulting him. In fact, I have no least favorite episode

FNaF:

The plot would have been a lot better if Purple Guy and William Afton were different people. Purple Guy is obviously still the Serial Killer while William Afton is just a business man trying to make profit out of the whole 'remnant' thing while not actually understanding anything only for it to backfire. (Also have Vanny be a Copycat Killer)

Fazbear Frights Into The Flesh and its metaphor (i think that was one) could have been saved if they had just turned Matt into Springtrap

I really don't like Gregory (or his writing). The way the main game endings present him feel off from his characterization while you play him. I don't know how to describe it

Anyone want to hear some of my Fandom Hot Takes?

[goldenheart-supremacy]

Right? Some people just look for flights and I don't even know why.

Pfft, yeah, I would just redeem Todd 'a little bit' for the sake of comical scenes. He's not 100% redeemed unless they make a sequel and they actually do something remarkable with him, like say, what writers did with Nebula from the MCU. I'm trying to think of a bully character that got redeemed and all I'm coming up with is the guy from 'Cloudy with a chance of Meatballs' 😅 Bullies are pretty hard to redeem. Does Warren Peace count in Sky High? Don't really think so, cause he wasn't actively bullying them and just had some anger issues to work with.

As a reply to the tags, yeah I get that

Like, I also get why some people like the comic version better? Also, since it was the way the original creator originally wrote them, I can't hate on it too much and it gives a different perspective to relationships and how they're complicated and I'm actually still pretty interested to read about it, especially to get more Goldenheart content.

However, I do prefer the movie's take on Goldenheart. You could also assume that maybe Ambrosius was jealous of Ballister for being better when he was younger since it could be possible for a child to think that way, but this Ambrosius clearly wised up and matured faster and chose friendship (then love) than letting it get the best of him.

Goldenheart rules, otherwise, DNI

1. Goldenheart is not toxic. If you think they are, did you watch the movie?

2. Nimona is like their daughter, the original creator even makes some drawings showing that. DON'T ship Ballister x Nimona, or even Ambrosius x Nimona. That's also a no for Ballister x Nimona x Ambrosius.

3. Todd is their bully. I don't mind some content of him getting "redeemed" or whatever, maybe even some weird unlikely friends thing or just camaraderie at best, but I also don't want to see content of him being shipped with Ballister or Ambrosius [cause now, THAT'S toxic] unless it's, like, crack of how it wouldn't happen. You can if you want, just don't tell me about it. Find other birds to flock with, yeah?

I don't wanna start a fight, and these things might so just an FYI ✌️