#we see them about to talk for the first time in 2 years but then don’t actually….see that talk?

[black-crested-jaybird]

Thank you, @prodigalwitch, for including the bill-tracking link.

Some comments & talking points:

You can see the full text of the bill at the link by choosing "bill details" > "text"

You can track the bill's progress in the same way. Currently (Feb. 15, 2025), it's been referred to its first committee, the House Committee on House Administration. (I can't find any information on which committee, if any, it would be sent to next. Additions are welcome.)

You can also see the list of co-sponsors, of which there are currently 80; about half that number were original co-sponsors (when the bill was introduced).

The GovTrack.us site (the link goes to the page on this specific bill) also provides text, sponsor, and tracking information, in a more easily accessed (but ad-supported) format. The GovTrack site also makes it easy to find out who is on the committee currently considering the bill, which the Congress.gov site does not.

In addition, GovTrack gives an estimate of the bill's likelihood of being enacted, and explains the rationale for this estimate. Currently they estimate that the bill has a 6% chance of becoming law (most bills never make it out of committee to a vote on the House floor; those that pass a vote still have to get through the same process in the Senate. "Dying in committee" is a common saying for a reason).

The TL:DR: While this bill is an unjustifiable attempt to make it harder for people to vote and should be opposed, it is not something to panic over. It should be monitored, and if and when it heads to the House floor for a vote, that will be the time for a concerted effort in opposition.

If you want to take action on something that is directly harming people now, I suggest finding your local ACLU affiliate and looking up resources on immigrant rights.

That said, if you are particularly passionate about voting rights and access and/or have the resources to do so, opposing this bill while it's still in committee is a great idea. I have been a voter registrar for years and I want EXPANDED voter access, not more restrictions on who gets to vote, so I will be contacting my Congressional representative and voicing my opposition. Here are my intended talking points:

This bill is unnecessary and wasteful. Almost nobody votes unlawfully, and those who do often do so because they were mistakenly told they could vote legally. (You can read more about that in this NPR news article). The main outcome of this bill will be increased time and money spent by state government employees who have to take extra steps to verify people's citizenship records to process their registrations (a waste of state funds) and increased time and effort for people registering to vote (creating a chilling effect on registration numbers).

We need more voters, not fewer. Voter registration and turnout in the U.S. is already abysmally low. According to recent census data, just under 70% of eligible citizens are registered to vote at all, and only about 52% of registered voters cast ballots in the most recent midterm election (2022). Presidential elections tend to have higher turnout; in the 2024 election just under 64% of the eligible population (registered or not) cast ballots. That means a majority of registered voters cast ballots, but over a third of eligible U.S. citizens did not vote at all in 2024.

Lastly, and most personal to me as a volunteer voter registrar, this bill extends the penalties for unlawfully registering to vote from the voter to also include the person who registered them (towards the bottom of section 2, (i) Private right of action.—Section 11(b)(1) of the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (52 U.S.C. 20510(b)(1)) is amended by striking “a violation of this Act” and inserting “a violation of this Act, including the act of an election official who registers an applicant to vote in an election for Federal office who fails to present documentary proof of United States citizenship,”., bolding mine). There are already severe penalties for voting illegally, but this makes anyone who processes voting registration paperwork criminally liable for any errors they might make in verifying voter eligibility. It adds a chilling effect that would essentially eliminate volunteer voter registrars (too risky!) and would make it much easier and personally safer for elections employees to err on the side of denying voter registration applications.

Heads up, American women. They are trying to take our vote.

The bill H.R.22 has been introduced and it is currently being fast-tracked. The Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act will require you to register in person from now on and with proof of citizenship documentation. You will now be required to provide your Driver's License and your Passport or Birth Certificate. The gotcha here is that you cannot register to vote if the documentation doesn't match- so, for example, if your birth certificate has your maiden name but your driver's license shows a married name, you'll not be able to register to vote without jumping through additional hoops (as to be determined by each state).

This will add significant barriers to voting for women, especially married women, poor women, rural women, disabled women and WOC, as updating/acquiring this type of paperwork costs money and time and is more accessible in some areas than others. They are using anti-immigration sentiments as a smokescreen for this legislation. Make no mistake, the only people who will be affected by this are American citizens. Non-citizens can't vote anyway. This only affects people who were able to vote before.

The main barriers here that will primarily affect women, especially already marginalized women:

Name matching: women who are married/divorced or who have changed their name for any reason

In-person meeting: Poor people, elderly, disabled, rural, isolated/abused women

Requiring Driver's License: Poor people, elderly, disabled

In general, requiring poll workers/DMV staff to check extra documents on or before election day will have a significant impact on poor and marginalized communities that are understaffed/under-resourced to fulfill these requests.

TDLR; the gov is attempting to make it significantly more difficult to vote if you are not a rich, white male. Bill H.R.22 will add significant barriers to voting for women, especially marginalized women. Please contact your House Representative and tell them that this bill cannot pass.

[taylorklosscomeout138]

I HAVE FULL CHILLS.

(Performance art explained!!!)

Everything Taylor has been doing since the release of the I Can See You MV which premiered in Kansas City just ONE day before Travis attended Eras Tour for the first time has all been in reference to the plot of "Valentine's Day" - a movie she starred in with Taylor Lautner, who was also in the I Can See You MV.

The film released in 2010, Speak Now era, and the I Can See You MV reveals that the Taylor from this film has been locked away ever since. In "Valentine's Day", Taylor's character notably has a big 13 written on her hand, just like the Taylor in the vault.

We missed all of the signs and never put the pieces together but it was never just a MV. Speak Now Taylor was broken out for the purpose of fulfilling 1 last acting role, an acting role she was already familiar with, the role she played in "Valentine's Day" with Taylor Lautner.

In the film, Taylor has an athlete boyfriend, played by Taylor Lautner, and the two of them are high school sweethearts. Hence, the intention behind So High School.

But here is where it becomes clear this is not just her own story she is trying to tell, because to break the blender, the singer needs the football player, Travis Kelce.

In "Valentine's Day" there is a subplot about a closeted gay professional football player that decides to publicily come out on national TV and retire to choose his male partner over his career.

(AND TRULY HEAR WHEN I SAY THIS BECAUSE I AM IN DISBELEF)

After the closeted football player comes out, he goes home to be with his lover who greets him with a GOLD ROSE.

No you were not crazy to think Ross Travis was soft launching him and Travis with this. That is EXACTLY what is happening here. This isn't an original plot, this is a live remake

Immediately after the Super Bowl, teammates of Travis already begun spreading that Travis may retire. Right on cue. Following the script to a T.

The evidence that Taylor has been publicily playing the role of "Valentine's Day" Speak Now Taylor since July 8th 2023 does not end there though.

Besides Taylor Lautner, SEVERAL other actors/actresses that starred in "Valentine's Day" attended the Eras Tour, which could be a coincidence until we look at when they did.

Jennifer Garner who played Julia in "Valentine's Day" attended the Eras Tour on, you guessed it, July 7th 2023 in Kansas City the day I Can See You MV premiered, 1 day before Travis attended.

Bradley Cooper who played the love interest of the closeted football player attended the Eras Tour WITH Travis Kelce on May 12th 2024, the 87th show. IMDB promoted this article which notably points out Travis being there and how Taylor and Bradley both starred in "Valentine's Day".

Ashton Kutcher who played the character Reed in "Valentine's Day" attended the Eras Tour on June 22nd 2024 while Travis was there, just 1 day before Travis was on stage taking up an acting role for the peformance of I Can Do It With a Broken Heart.

Anne Hathaway also attended 1 day after Travis did. Jessica Alba attended during Karlie's birthday shows in LA August 2023. Emma Roberts went to one of the first shows of the Tour. In which all of the following people played the major roles in "Valentine's Day".

We are still not done.

In the main scene of Taylor and her athlete boyfriend Taylor Lautner, Taylor's character is wearing PLAID, this is why Taylor has excessively been wearing plaid for the past 2 years to the point people started believing it was an album era clue. Nope, she has just been in character, and giving us so many signs to lead back to the film for so long.

And finally, in the ending scene for Taylor's character, she says goodbye to her athlete boyfriend and is seen in an ELEVATOR wearing a RED DRESS. The same color dress Taylor chose to wear to the Grammy's, the main event right before the Super Bowl. Where she wore a T chain that got everyone talking that it was for Travis, it was a farewell.

If you have been following, for the Super Bowl Taylor brought everything full circle with Bejeweled. From the Bejeweled MV release date to the Super Bowl, it was exactly 838 days. She filmed it August 3rd on Karlie's birthday. And the Haim sisters from the Bejeweled MV accompanied her at the game. She also bookended her first Chiefs football game attendance outfit by wearing the same one, except she Bejeweled the shorts. And then just as the prophecy foretold in Bejeweled, she ghosted, leaving the stadium early.

What else happened in Bejeweled though? The elevator scene. Which is EXACTLY how she chose to tease Speak Now TV. The album that gave us I Can See You. And the way she revealed this was by making Speak Now TV the 13th floor (refer back to 13 written on her hand in Valentine's Day)

I am just absolutely floored. This has all been here the whole time right in front of us and it is MASTERFUL planning. Down to the full circle moment that has been going viral with Taylor presenting the award to Beyoncè referring back to when Beyoncè presented to Taylor at the 2009 MTV Awards while Taylor was writing Speak Now. It was yet another clue that Taylor is currently playing the role of Speak Now Taylor from the Valentine's Day film, and she would have already been filming for the movie at this time.

I will not be recovering from this information I truly cannot believe that this is real

[imaginespazzi]

GUYS GUYS GUYS I FINALLY GET TO GIVE Y'ALL THOUGHTS AND HAVE THE YELLING BE OUT OF LOVE AND HYPE AND EXCITEMENT (should tell you in advance that a lot of this might be in cap because I'm so fucking happy)

AZZI FUDD

OH MY GOODNESS AZZI FUDD

LIKE BABYGIRL YOU HAD ME WORRIED A LITTLE BIT IN THE FIRST I CANNOT LIE LIKE I WAS GONNA HAVE TO MUTE YOU ON TWITTER AND SHIT

BUT THAT'S MY BAD CAUSE AZZI FUDD 3RD QUARTERS??? INSANE SHIT

Like honestly she was just....wow. Brilliant, spectacular, amazing. And I have to just point out what a testament this is to the growth in her mentality because there's a version of Azzi who would've gone 2-10 and then just stopped shooting. But not this one and man oh man was it freaking awesome. Also the 5 rebounds? Means the world to me actually. And what's being talked about less is that she played hella good defense today and kept Pao Pao from ever getting into a rhythm.

POINT GUARD PAIGE BUECKERS

WELCOME HOME SWEEHEART WE HAVE MISSED YOU SO MUCH

MY GOAT FINALLY GOT HER DOUBLE DOUBLE ALMOST A TRUPLE

You know what it didn't matter that, that basket coulda been the size of an ocean and Paige still might not able to get a ball through it because Paige was the heart of the offense. THAT'S MY LEADER. MY PG. MY OFFENSE MOVER. And she did it beautifully, all while occasionally having to defensively play PF.

SARAH MF-ING STRONG AMAZING AS PER ALWAYS. Like truly what is there to say about Sarah because she's just always so consistently good and that one half-court steal? OH I STOOD UP AND EVERYTHING

OH AND OF COURSE ANOTHER DOUBLE DOUBLE FOR MY NFOY

JANA EL ALFY BEST GAME OF THE SEASON AND OH MY GOD THAT HUSTLE??? Y'ALL SEE THAT HUSTLE? IT'S BEEN THERE ALL SEASON TBH BUT IT REALLY SHONE THROUGH TODAY AND THAT FIRST MOVE WHEN SHE CROSSED THAT GIRL OVER? OH THAT'S WHEN I REALLY STARTED TO BELIEVED. Just amazing work from MY center and miss girl didn't even miss a layup today I think (even if she did we didn't see it okay?)

ASHLYNN YEEHAW SHADE GIRL I HAVE YELLED AT YOU (and I still side-eye the hell out of you off the court for that follow) BUT M'AM YOU SHOWED UP! Those 3 threes really set the tone for the whole game and like she has all season, Ash hustled on the glass constantly and she saved some really important posessions.

KK GIRL THAT ENERGY BEEN CONSISTENT EVERY BIG MATCHUP AND YOUR TEAM FINALLY MATCHED IT! And those two fouls on Milaysia that she drew? Crucial shit forreal. Defense was great, made the right moves offensively AND DIDN'T GET BLOCKED ON A DRIVE!!

KC HAD A SOLID GAME!! Quiet 10 tbh I barely realized she'd gotten double digits but I did notice every basket and you could see her being aggressive about it and that's so important.

AUBREY BBG GOT SOME GOOD MINUTES TOO!!! Hard to say if she should've gotten more after such a dominant performance by but her presence is always great and I think really deflated SC, seeing her come off the bench in the 2nd half when we were already demolishing.

REBOUNDING REBOUNDING REBOUNDING. I been yelling all season and then we play the best rebounding team in the country an out-rebound them? SHUT ME UP UCONN

DEFENSE IN GENERAL? SO FUCKING GOOD. They couldn't get nothing going and we didn't do any of that overhelping shit (again mayhaps that's the adrenaline but even if we did, I didn't see it) and it was just lockdown at all time JUST AMAZING

And finally, no one I have yelled at more than Geno fucking Auriemma. AND THIS IS WHY. BECAUSE GRANDPA IS THE BEST COACH IN THE WORLD AND HAS BEEN FOR YEARS. AND WHEN HE REMEMBERS THAT AND COACHES LIKE IT, LOOK AT WHAT WE CAN DO. Like this man did everything right today. He gave the ball to Paige, he called the right timeouts, he ran the right plays at the right time, subbed the right people in and out the same time AND LIKE THIS IS MY FUCKING HALL OF FAME CAOCH. DO THIS EVERY GAME GODDAMN ION LIKE YELLING AT YOU EITHER GRANDPA.

MAN OH MAN I AM SO FREAKING PROUD OF THIS TEAM LIKE I CANNOT EVEN EXPLAIN TO Y'ALL JUST HOW PROUD I AM. THIS IS THE POTENTIAL THAT HAS BEEN THERE THE WHOLE TIME AND THEY JUST HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO SHOW AND LOOK AT THAT THEY FINALLY DID. AND MORE THAN ANYTHING ALL I WANTED FROM THIS TEAM IS TO JUST COME OUT AND LOOK LIKE THEY FUCKING WANTED IT AND THEY DID AND THEY GOT WHAT THEY WANTED JUST LIKE I KNEW THEY WOULD IF THEY JUST PLAYED TO WIN!!

[harmless-variety-of-garden-snake]

Tommy's introduced as a bigot in season 2 and often shown taking initiative in starting the bullying of Hen and Chim vs. waiting for Gerrard to do something and just not standing up for them. There's even a scene in "Chimney Begins" where no one else is even in the room to overhear and Tommy still chooses to be nasty to Chimney instead of a bare minimum of civil. Even after the "resolution" of the episode and his 'apology' (not for racism, but for making Chim prove himself at work), he's still shown to have spent years not learning his lesson, becuase he goes back to the same behaviors with Hen and Chimnney even mentions that "the Asian guy" still isn't invited out by the team for drinks or BBQ.

Then when it's "addressed" in season 7, we see remarkably little growth from Tommy, where he's blaming "the environment" and Gerrard for his choices and actions as a grown man. And in season 8, we get a healthy dose of misogyny in ageism with how he speaks of Abby, while casually acknowledging he also screwed up her life.

It's not just that he was afraid to stand up against bigotry in the face of an evil boss. He could've taken Eli's route, and just be silent. But no, Tommy is someone who chose to actively participate in workplace bigotry and bullying, and then almost 20 years removed, shrugs it off as everyone else's fault.

let’s not forget his very recent comments about Abby that were reeking of misogyny. Talking about her dating some “himbo” younger than her (as if he wasn’t actively doing the same thing) and admitting he was lying the whole relationship (not just about his sexuality).

Word for word that man said, “Heard she went a little nuts after that” as if her entire world wasn’t flipped upside down with her engagement ending and having to take care of her sick mother. The only tiny bit of understanding he showed was him saying she deserved better, which duh. 

One time when I was five I put a bead in my nose and it went all the way up to the bridge and I had to push down on it from the top until I could get it out because I was scared it would go to my brain and kill me.

That has nothing to do with any of what you said, but I just thought I'd put that out there because you're doing some dumb shit and I wanted you to know we've all done dumb shit. This is a safe space.

Anyway, I don't think you've ever been a closeted queer person who's said and done some at times questionable or outright fucked up things to keep yourself safe from scrutiny.* I grew up seeing people like me getting murdered and heard people explain why it would've been avoidable if they hadn't been so obvious or if they'd just chosen to be normal. I also grew up with a lot of bullies who were only bullying me because it put them in the protected group. It kept them from having people look at whether or not they were actually a good target for bullying. I'm actually friends with a couple of those people now. Not close, but we're cordial and we'll talk when we bump into each other at the store. That has more to do with us being in our thirties and living our own lives. There's a couple who had no excuse whatsoever other than being actual homophobes, I don't talk to them.

I dated in high school, I was engaged but I was 18 so I don't know how much that counts, but then I came out when I was in my early twenties. I knew I wasn't actually interested the entire time I was with those people, either. At first I just thought the relationship wasn't right for me, then I started to realize what was actually going on. I still dated, I still asked someone to marry me because I thought I could be happy with them. I did love and care about them, just not the way you should if you're going to marry them. I also didn't tell anyone I was non-binary until two months ago, even though I figured it out about fifteen years ago. A trans person hiding their identity to protect themselves from danger or rejection is nothing new, but it's kind of a shitty feeling to know you've been lying to every ex you've ever had about something like that. I don't like that feeling, and it's going to take a while for me to shake that. I don't know that I ever will.

So all of that is to say that a character like Tommy is actually kind of important to those of us who also weren't perfect at being queer, especially those of us who grew up during a specific time. I was actually pleasantly surprised that a basic network show would have someone like that, but times they are a-changing. So onto your last point:

Abby Clark is played by a now 57 year old Connie Britton (drop the skincare routine, girl), Lou Ferrigno Jr is 40, and Oliver Stark is 33. When you're an actual grown person, a seven or eight year age difference is kind of nothing. One of you might be a little more ready for things like kids or marriage, but that's not a guarantee. But hearing that your ex started dating a 26 year old when she's about 50, whether or not he knows that she actually pulled Buck's info in a very questionable way (I love that no one going after Tommy ever seems to care about the massive ethical breach from Abby), is kind of...wild. And he presumably heard about this from a mutual friend of some kind, who likely gave him this information colored by their own perception of the situation. This is where critical thinking skills become important. Based on context clues, I can safely guess that Tommy asked someone how Abby was doing or ran into someone who knows her, too, and they said "Hey, did you hear about Abby's new guy?" Otherwise he would've said "I saw that she was dating...." or "She told me she was dating..." So this could've been secondhand bitchiness, it could've been that her behavior was being framed as extremely not okay by someone they knew. We'll never know, the show doesn't have the strongest writing all the time. I'm not touching the thing about her mother, because a very close family member of mine has Alzheimer's, a good friend just lost a parent to it, and I do not want to examine the behavior of a person who's dealing with that or that of the people in their lives.

Could he have said "But I get it, she would've been going through a lot because of her mom and then our breakup"? Yeah. Would it have been nice if they wrote any scenes between Tommy, Hen, and Chimney that bridged the gap between when they weren't close and when they actually celebrated him and his accomplishments when he left the 118 to show why he would be someone Chimney would call on in two major emergencies? Yeah. I think I would've liked to see them talk things out onscreen and to show any apologies. Mostly because it would keep people from dropping an essay in my ask box when I feel like my sinuses and temples are filled with hot needles. I don't actually need to see it other than liking the three of them together, because I figured that they would've shown some hesitation before Chimney would reach out to him or he would've pulled Buck aside to warn him to be careful with Tommy. Or Hen and Karen wouldn't have been so thrilled when they realized what had gone down before Buck and Tommy came into the hospital room. There's a lot of stuff they don't show on this show, but they'd at least make a point to do or not do certain things if a character hated or disliked a character.

*I believe a certain dispatcher even did a whole big speech about this on the very show you apparently watch. I didn't like the Glee part, because I don't like Glee after season one. But the rest of it was good.

[raptinsound]

Just professing my love for Stolitz <3

What better time than Valentine’s Day to admit outwardly how absolutely SMITTEN I am with Stolitz!! AACK.

A ramble under the cut, just because.

I’ve been watching Helluva Boss off and on from the sidelines since the release of the pilot back in 2019… Blitz and Stolas always captured my attention, but I was never captivated enough to watch the show devotedly. That is…until the second half of season 2 HIT ME LIKE A FREIGHT TRAIN OF EMOTION. The advancing storyline between Blitz and Stolas became too irresistible and has now completely drawn me in. I’ve been in a spiral of hyper-fixation since November, and I officially can’t get enough of them! I haven’t fallen this hard for a ship since Killugon (from HxH), which is saying A LOT considering I’ve been loving those two endlessly since 2014 without much reprieve. Needless to say, I don’t wear my shipping heart on my sleeve. It really takes a special pairing to make me SWOON this much. And HERE WE ARE with Stolitz. These two wonderfully complicated men!! I just can’t even. I’ve been eating up all the wonderful fan content and even coming out of video editing-retirement to work on my own Stolitz video that I hope to finish by the end of the month. I just couldn’t stay idle on the sidelines a moment longer. These demons have taken over my life in the best way!!

Here's a random list of things I’m hoping to see in the upcoming shorts/seasons:

-A love confession (obvs) (From Blitz FIRST!) -Seeing Blitz, Stolas, Loona, and Via as a happy family (hopefully the end game scenario...) -Via finally learning about/understanding the marital abuse her father suffered over the years and realizing that Stolas loving Blitz has never/will never reduce his love for her as her father. Also, Via learning that Blitz truly cares about Stolas and wants the best for her too.

-Blitz going to GREAT LENGTHS to get on Via’s good side and get her to finally talk with her father. -Stolas finding out about all of Blitz’s trauma and providing comfort/reassurance (making Blitz realize that he deserves love). -Stolas realizing that he DID belittle Blitz on multiple occasions in the past and apologizing for it.

-Stolas coming to terms with the fact that he was living in a fantasy before his banishment, but after experiencing the real world and seeing Blitz for who he truly is, finds himself falling even harder for the unromanticized, tangible version of him.

-Blitz having a run in with his dad and finally standing up to him. Maybe have Stolas tell him off? -More flashbacks of Blitz’s mom. -Maybe learn about Stolas’s mom? Who was she? Where did she go?

-More scenes with Barbie! -Blitz getting Stolas some plants, or Stolas just having plants around Blitz’s apartment. -More Stolas laughing at Blitz’s jokes.

-Blitz and Stolas doing more mundanely cute, domestic shit as “roommates,” not realizing how they’ve somehow bypassed several steps in their relationship and moved right along to long term, live-in boyfriends.

Some of these might be unrealistic, but a girl can dream, right?

[rat-n-atty]

The last gift 🎁

Animation and some soppy rambling from yours truly!

( featuring in order, @stillnothereforanyrealreason @hyperbaguette @chaosisunderratedd @fandomgoesahhhhhhhhh @echostarsys @livzees (Hi wife!) @sakuwura-meow-meow @xcoffeebomb @cookiepopcat @axelcx11z @coralalala64 @tiredsmashbros @its-a-me-mango @libbytwq @bear-boi-5 @bluestrawberrybunny @briandraws )

BOOM!

REDESIGNS ONCE AGAIN ONLY THIS TIME ATTY APPARENTLY HAS LOST HER WRISTS (jk, but now her hands float for some reason, not Rats tho...)

Okay now it's time for me to rant about all the wonderful people I have made in the animation :D

@stillnothereforanyrealreason , @hyperbaguette and @chaosisunderratedd y'all are...the best friends I had ever got the chance of meeting. We have been through the deepest shit ever in our life and yet we all still managed to still be friends and that really surprises me. You guys are my truest friends that I don't mind rambling about redeemable villains with or maybe even share some shitty humor or go to y'all for some art inspiration but overall just have a really fun time.

I want to thank you for all these crazy 2 years we have been friends for and hopefully we still continue that crazy questionable bond 💜💜💜

@fandomgoesahhhhhhhhh and @echostarsys y'all are a bunch of freaks tbh /silly but you're bestest mates that I could ever ask for! I love hanging out with you guys and yapping about who knows what whether it be Smg4 or it be your Aus! I love how passionate you two are and I love how you guys support my own small projects as well! You guys have made me feel comfortable talking about my interests in a really long time and I just want to thank you for that 💜💜💜

You guys are amazing and I hope you two never stop being you (except maybe Tari...stop being rude /silly/j)

@livzees HI WIFE YOU LOVABLE BEST PERSON I HAVE EVER MET YOU!!!!!! You are the best person I have ever had the chance to meet and get to know! You're super funny and your art is really cool and I love all that you do and create including your Rivalry Au! You don't mind if I yap too much or send you the dumbest things, you make me feel seen and noticed and I am so happy I can be silly with you (considering I proposed with an onion ring)

Seeing you pop up on my screen makes my day and being with you in VC trying to make you laugh at my dumb jokes makes me happy! I love you sm (/p) and always keep being your amazing lovable you ❤️❤️❤️❤️

@sakuwura-meow-meow , @cookiepopcat and @xcoffeebomb YOU GUYSSSSSS UGHHH WHERE DO I EVEN BEGIN?????? You 3 are the coolest people ever in my eyes, even though I tend to make fun of you a lot...you mean a lot to me. You listened, you laughed, and you supported me when I felt like no was. You made me feel like I belong and that I mattered.

You all helped me get out of my shell which I am grateful for (but you should also be terrified about too, I have breeched containment and cannot be held for much longer /hj) I hope you 3 never stop being your amazing selves and I hope you know that you all hold a very special place in my half dead bitchy heart ❤️❤️❤️

@axelcx11z and @coralalala64 YOUUUU!!!! THE SILLIES!!!! YES YOU!!! YOU GUYS ARE AWESOME!!!! I'll have to admit...talking to you guys at first was so nerve-racking for me because I look up to y'all but after some chats...I realize y'all are just a bunch of the silliest people ever lol but I love that about yous.

Cora, you are the first person I saw on my page and instantly had to follow because I thought your art style was so cool and I think your Aus and your own characters and creatures (as deadly as they can be, one of them gave me rabies /hj) is the wonderful silly aspect about you that I love 🫴👑✨

Axel, you're the chilliest guy I have ever had the pleasure of meeting and I love how you even consider me your doppelganger considering how little we interact lol (sorry, I'm just too shy) . I still totally love all that you do tho no matter what fandom you're in; I fell in love with your style when I first saw it so never stop creating dude 🫴👑✨

@tiredsmashbros , @its-a-me-mango and @libbytwq or as I call you, the holy Smg4 Trinity /silly. It was such an honor to finally meet you all in the TSB server but to be honest I was also on the verge of having a panic attack because I was overwhelmed being surrounded by a bunch of people I look up to the most. I know I'm not active much and I barely have anything to say (unless it's about AJR or my cursed hear me outs) But I absolutely enjoyed any interaction I got.

You guys are the biggest inspirations in my life and I hope that one day I'll be able to achieve what you do (but not today lol) you guys are awesome, I love your rants and your complicated lore and most of all, I love your art and I hope you never stop doing what you love 🫴👑👑👑✨✨✨

@bear-boi-5 HI! HELLO! IT'S ME! YOU ARE ONE OF THE FIRST PEOPLE I LOOKED UP TO! When I first joined Tumblr, I remember your pretty little masked face /silly showing up on my screen and I immediately saw and loved it! You are such a master at traditional art and I love how detailed it is and how cool it looks!

When you first made fanart of my Smg5 I was absolutely shook considering at the time I was still a fairly small creator with only like 50 followers lmao but I want to thank you, if you didn't draw my Smg5 I probably wouldn't have drawn her much either assuming that people just hated her.

Meeting you in the TSB server was the coolest thing in my life because you're one chill dude and I hope that maybe when I overcome my overbearing shyness we could get to know each other better lol

🫴👑✨

@bluestrawberrybunny and @briandraws Brian, you're a freak /pos like HOW???? HOW DO YOU HAVE THE TIME, AND THE PASSION AND THE ENERGY FOR WHAT YOU DO???? Honestly if I ever had the amount of energy you have, I would be in a bloody coma. You are the first person I ever had the chance of actually connecting with a Tumblr moot (and realizing how unhinged they are /hj) but I just wanted to say thank you for tolerating me this long lol. Your an amazing artist and even an amazing author (even though I think you should be sentenced to a mental hospital for flooding the server about your Marware obsession /j )

And you! Blue! I love all your work as well! I love apprenticeship and I love your tangents! Having you and meeting you in the server has been a treat but it's also nerve racking because I'm still shy lol. I think your art is so cute and I hope you never stop!

🫴👑👑✨✨

Because of the song I couldn't add as many people as I wanted but here are some honorable mentions!

@deltaruinedcoco37 @purpdrawsthings @hamlos @chaoticlad @bow-and-aro-child @theartistisme43 @b-r-i-n-g-x @grinnames @strange0-0storm @goofy-goobers-things @arco-doodles @artist-heart83 @sspacesillyy @hi-imlooneybirdie @pisschxn @rainstormsart and PLENTY MORE BUT TUMBLR FUCKING HATES ME SO IF YOU SEE THIS THEN I LIKE YOU TOO

I love all that you guys do wether that be art or writing or theories or ANYTHING ELSE just know that you'll always have a supporter 🫴👑✨

Now this brings me to the end of my birthday party sadly, I hope y'all liked it and I hope y'all didn't eat all of my birthday cake and thank you for all the birthday art and wishes but before y'all go...

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!!

The many joys of sharing your birthday with a holiday, it's often overlooked lol but I hope you guys enjoy it whether you're alone or you have a partner. Practice self love too because you're also important ❤️❤️❤️

Okay that's it

BI Y'ALL!

[ribbonsfallaway]

I keep making post after post venting about how this show, especially this last part of the show was handled, and I want to make one from maybe a more rationally explained side.

Look I get the argument, "the show started with Johnny and Miguel, so it should end with them." As much as it makes me roll my eyes into the back of my head I do understand. However that doesn't mean Robby isn't important. Despite what some fans and the writers want us to believe.

I'd get if they had Miguel win at the end cause he's this gen's "Karate Kid", that's fine. My issue lies in the fact that Robby isn't allowed one win. Not just in a tournament sense, but in a personal sense. The show starts off with Johnny being a deadbeat loser father and Robby being the victim of him being a drunken deadbeat loser father. I'm sorry if that sounds harsh, but it's the truth. And the thing is to me Johnny didn't really try with Robby to be a better father. Sure you can spin he "tried", and Robby was "stubborn" but every time he did try and Robby fought him on it, Johnny fought back, and didn't actually allow his son to be angry. At least not to him. Sure he'd cry to Carmen, Miguel, etc., about how much of a screw up he was. Still somehow painting himself as a victim in all of this. But he never stated how much he messed up really with the one person who deserved it the most, and needed it the most. Robby. His son. Because I feel as much as Robby gave Johnny shit, the moments he had the door open for him… He just fucked up. Like I do feel like there was a doorway after the s1 tournament in early-s2. Robby very much expressed how you know he is trying, but it's going to take time. Instead of respecting this and instead of Johnny saying he'd try and gets it, he fights back that "he gets he screwed up" but he doesn't have to hang with Daniel. Daniel by the way being the one at this time to actually try and be there for Robby, and be a father figure to him. So Robby snaps back. That for some reason is the only thing people can focus on, and "poor Johnny!" for how "Robby speaks to him." Which… Whatever.

In season 3, there are a couple doors open for Johnny. That once more he messes up. When he's supposed to visit Robby at juvie after the school fight, and once more chooses Miguel over him. Just as he had been the first 2 seasons. Even after that when Johnny does go visit him Robby once more actually has some leeway with him here, he's upset at first but when he sees a somewhat efford on Johnny's end he relents and is accepting. It isn't until Robby finds out Johnny once more ditched him for Miguel that things blow up. And Johnny doesn't try to apologize on this end, he just pretty much places all blame on Robby for that, and yeah Robby fucked up badly during the school fight but really isn't rewarded the nuance of it I feel? And all the elements that went into that day, and fight. Except from Kreese really, and that's a whole other thing. That will just make this post longer.

And Johnny sure as shit didn't try in season 4 after Robby joined Cobra Kai. The scene at his apartment does not count at all because it was Robby who went there, and Johnny just tried to lecture him instead of inviting him in to talk things out. But whatever, and somehow at the end of the season somehow Johnny is miraculously forgiven despite doing not a thing to earn it. And see this is what bugged me here that it was Robby the child who had to let go of the anger, and not Johnny the 50-something year old adult man who had to earn it. And after that their relationship is all healed and after this Robby is never allowed to complain again because when he was justifiably angry the show punished him for it, and made it his problem. Not Johnny's.

So we have this aspect of it all of Robby not being chosen first ever by Johnny or anyone in his life frankly, because yeah Shannon went to rehab for him, and got better but we're not allowed to really see that. Hell maybe that would have made things a bit better. That we saw Robby had Shannon on his side, and would start choosing him.

We didn't get his relationship with Daniel really repaired. Yes they're on good terms but God I would have really loved to see them make up. The show loves to harp on how important Johnny and Miguel are, but frankly IMHO I feel Johnny and Daniel are just as important, and while I never truly was able to be on board with Johnny and Miguel I loved Daniel and Robby because Daniel for a time gave Robby what he needed until that blew to hell and the writers just brushed over them as if they weren't important.

We have this personal part of Robby's life to where he's never chosen once by anyone, and some I get, but others I can not accept. But it's Miguel who Johnny always picks over him. And in part 2 of this season a scene that also should have happened with Johnny and Robby only was reserved for Johnny and Miguel. Hell what I find worse is we never once see Johnny apologize to Robby and explain it was never him that was the problem, it was Johnny and he regrets how much he hurt him. What we do get is somehow Robby in this part of the season happy karate came into his life cause it gave him Johnny. Despite you know Johnny not doing a thing to earn it. Sorry I will die on this hill.

And I think this is what makes Robby fans upset about him losing at the end. Because maybe if in the past he was allowed one win, or if the writers spent half as much time on Johnny and Robby as they did Johnny and Miguel and validated Robby's feelings it would be OK. If the show showed us how important Robby was to the people in his iife and valued for that it would be OK. But we don't even get that. Not really.

And sure Robby gets a "good ending" but it felt shoehorned in to appease fans so Cobra Kai could come out on top.

And listen I get the show is called "Cobra Kai" but I could get into another rant about why just because the show is called Cobra Kai doesn't mean they always need to be the winners.

So really it's not in just a physical sense Robby never gets to win, it's in a personal sense, and on all that he's never allowed to be upset about it without the narrative framing him as in the wrong, or punishing him for it. Robby is truly never validated in any sense in this series, and as a fan it's frustrating to watch.

[mj-iza-writer]

So this next story is going to be a historical fiction whump. I have a section divider up as I think this is one of my longest stories yet. I have been wanting to write a history based whump for quite a while, but I was never able to think of something that would work.

I have been learning the Russian language and a dear friend of mine here on Tumblr has taught me so much of their Russian culture. I feel so enlightened on Russia. I would honestly love to visit.

One thing this friend has just taught me was The Siege of Leningrad. St. Petersburg sits where Leningrad sat. I had never been taught this, but did you know Nazi Germany tried to seize a Russian city during World War 2. I watched a video of the history as I wanted to know more about this part of history. I can say it was disturbing, but as a history buff, you have to take the good and the bad parts of World History.

The story below is historical fiction. I did use elements of what I learned to hopefully paint a picture to tell you about this part of history. You will see time traveling, lab rat Whumpee, Caretaker, Carewhumper, survivors guilt, environment whump, historical whump. Thats only the tip of the iceberg as well as I can't think of what else to tag this as.

Again it is long, but I really enjoyed writing this, and I really hope you enjoy reading.

Story warnings: mentions of an actual war, people doing what they cam to survive (graphic), swearing.

Please enjoy my first major attempt at historical whump. -MJ

Aleksandr typed in Leningrad into their computer.

"What does that mean, Aleksi?", Hannah cautiously glanced at the screen.

"Oh, it's what St. Petersburg use to be called", Aleksandr sighed, "back when I was a very young child."

"Like my age?", Hannah now looked at the computer bravely as they had seen they weren't bothering the older researcher.

"Well, younger, I was very young. You can see I've typed The Siege of Leningrad here", Aleksandr pointed, "this was a very important part of my countries history."

Hannah looked up curiously.

Aleksandr pulled the young lab rat onto his lap, "do you want to look at this with me? It is rather sad, but it will tell you a lot about my early years."

"Will I bother you?", Hannah looked up nervously, "I know not to bother Dr. Aleksi when he is busy."

"You won't bother me dear", Aleksandr laughed.

Hannah watched as the computer screen clicked to a photo. Hannah quickly covered their eyes.

"Sorry, yes.... that was a little graphic for you. Unfortunately that is what it looked like back then."

"Aleksi... was that a real person?", Hannah looked up nervously.

"Yes, they were real. That poor soul had scurvy. Unfortunately starvation led them to that horrible disease", Aleksandr clicked away quickly.

"Did they survive?", Hannah looked up.

"Unfortunately they did not", Aleksandr hugged the lab rat close, "maybe you shouldn't be shown this stuff. You're still very innocent."

"Please let me, Dr. Aleksi, please", Hannah pleaded.

"Okay, you can see, but if you get too uncomfortable we will stop", Aleksandr adjusted how Hannah sat, "here, выпей немного воды (have some water), your lips look chapped."

Hannah took the offered cup from the researcher and drank it quickly.

"So this started in September of 1941, during World War two. It was a troubling time for our world, but for a long time it didn't affect Russia not until that fateful day", Aleksandr paused to click to another picture, "I was just about to turn ten. My father had planned on coming home early that day to celebrate. He did come home early, and we tried to celebrate as much as we could. There was an uncomfortable feeling in the room. I overheard my parents talking about it. I was still too young to understand."

"There you are", someone yelled at the entrance to Aleksandr's door.

"I'm in trouble", Hannah whispered a sigh.

"Timothy, I am in the middle of something with Hannah", Aleksandr looked up at their partner.

"No, because I am in the middle of something with them. They snuck out of their restraints when I went to grab something", Timothy stormed to Hannah.

"Hannah is that true?", Aleksandr looked down at the lab rat.

"Yesh", Hannah whispered sadly.

"You little scamp", Aleksandr chuckled.

"Come on. You can come back to this later", Timothy grabbed Hannah's wrist and pulled her.

"Ow", Hannah complained sadly, "but Aleksi was telling me about his childhood."

"I can tell you more later. Do as Timothy says", Aleksandr turned and watched Hannah as they were dragged out of the room.

He turned to the next picture, which happened to be a picture of his family.

"You are so naughty", Timothy tightened the straps, "you know better than to escape during experiments."

Hannah whimpered, "I'm sorry."

"I guess that's what I get for leaving you unattend... wait, did you have water?", Timothy took a closer look.

"Yes, Aleksi gave me some while we were talking", Hannah frowned, "was that a no-no?"

"Yes that was a no-no", Timothy sighed, "great."

"How did the experiment go?", Aleksandr walked into the lab and saw Hannah was playing with some toys on the floor near Timothy's desk.

"It had to be rescheduled. They weren't supposed to have water", Timothy smiled weakly.

"Oh no, that was my fault. I apologize", Aleksandr frowned, "I just saw her dry lips and was concerned."

"I understand. You tend to keep an eye on hydration", Timothy sighed, "I can easily reschedule the test."

"When you grow up like I did... when water was scarce", Aleksandr side glanced Hannah, "I'm kind of glad you came and grabbed them. I don't think they were ready to learn about Leningrad."

Timothy nodded, "yes, unfortunately I wasn't ready either. I know what you are talking about, that's why I'm not mad. I'm just working on this idea for time travel right now."

"Oh, maybe you can go back in time and find out where I left my glasses", Aleksandr sighed.

Timothy pointed at their own forehead, "I found them."

Aleksandr reached up, and chuckled, "well, at least I won't lose my head, so they were never lost."

"Yes that would be bad if you lost your head", Timothy nodded, "what are your plans for tomorrow?"

"I was actually going to rest tomorrow. These eighties are hitting me hard", Aleksandr sighed.

"Of course, you can take as many days as you like. We will try to leave the lab standing while your gone", Timothy smiled, "right Hannah?"

"Yes sir", Hannah looked up.

"Very well, take care of them", Aleksandr turned.

"I will", Timothy grinned.

"Oh, I was talking to Hannah", Aleksandr smiled mischievously.

Hannah giggled.

The next day, Hannah frowned when they walked into the lab room.

"What's that?", Hannah pointed.

"That is a time machine prototype", Timothy sighed without looking up, "don't touch."

Hannah looked at it nervously, "do-does it work?"

"I don't know yet", Timothy looked up finally, "its a prototype, I stayed up when an idea hit me. That was what I came up with. It's supposed to connect to the computer. The idea is to search something and be able to go to the destination. We can go back in time or into the future. Hopefully we can also go to different places. I would love to take Aleksandr to St. Petersburg one more time before....", Timothy sighed.

"Before he retires from the lab", Hannah smiled.

"Yeah", Timothy choked out, "before... he retires."

"He will probably love retirement", Hannah grinned, "what does this d...."

"Don't touch it", Timothy had looked down, "Hannah?.... Hannah?"

Timothy looked up, the machine was glowing... Hannah was gone. Suddenly the machine glitched and turned off.

"Shit.... shit... shit", Timothy jumped, "no no no. Aleksandr is going to kill me if I lose another lab rat.... especially Hannah."

"Turn on... please turn on", Timothy pleaded, "shit... Aleksi is going to retire me if I don't fix this."

Timothy hurried to the computer, "please tell me someone searched a safe place recently. That would at least make me feel a little better about Hannah's predicament.

Timothy's breath caught when he read the screen.

"Siege of Leningrad"

"Oh no, oh no.... no no no", Timothy looked back at the machine, "I am dead, I am very much dead. Hannah is doomed... and I am dead."

Aleksandr sipped the last of their tea.

"Let's go see what they are up to. I said I would take today off. I never said I wouldn't check in", they set their cup aside, "maybe Hannah will have some free time and we can read together. Hopefully get her mind off of Leningrad."

Timothy panicked when they saw Aleksandr walk past and reach for the door.

"I'm about to die. I'm about to be murdered by an eighty year old Russian man", Timothy gulped, "and I deserve it."

"Hey Timothy, I was wondering if Hannah was busy. I'd like to read with them", Aleksandr looked around, "where is the scamp... oh... is that your time machine."

"Ymhmm", Timothy squeaked, "we have a problem."

"You look quite pale. Are you sick?", Aleksandr frowned.

"No, but uhm... I've lost Hannah", Timothy's voice caught.

"You what?", Aleksandr's frown deepened, "lost as in playing hide and seek, and you can't find them, I hope."

Timothy could only shake their head.

"Ты что, шутишь? (Are you fucking kidding me?)", Caretaker yelled.

"It was an accident. I told them not to touch it. They asked what something did, then they disappeared. The machine glitched and turned off.... it won't turn back on",  Timothy gulped, "I've tried everything.. honest."

"Where the heck did they end up?", Aleksandr glared.

Timothy's hands shook as they pointed at the screen.

Aleksandr paled, "get them back... get them back now."

"I can't.... it won't turn on... I've been trying all morning", Timothy pleaded, "I told them not to touch."

"This is Hannah we are talking about. You know as well as I do that they have curious hands", Aleksandr hurried to the desk, "come on, we need to get them back. You just signed their death certificate."

Hannah fearfully hid in an alley. Explosions were happening everywhere. Screaming, yelling, crying.

Hannah blinked away tears, "where am I?"

Another explosion happened in the building sitting in front of them.

Hannah panicked and ran out of the alley and into the streets. Many others were also running.

Hannah quickly looked back. In their distracted haste, they tripped and fell to the ground.

Hannah's eyes were filled with dirt and ash. They tried to wipe it away. They could finally see a fuzzy image of what they tripped over.

Hannah covered their mouth to muffle a scream. A dead man reached out to them. Some parts of the corpse seemed to be butchered away. They had been dead for a day or so, Hannah guessed.

Hannah quickly crawled away and got up and ran.

Everywhere they ran seemed to bring new images of suffering. Children crying next to corpses. People stealing food and running away. Women with cuts down their arms... hugging their babies in front of charred buildings.

Hannah finally found another place to hide.

"It's so cold here", she shivered, "I wonder where I am. I hope wherever this is, Dr. Timothy can find me. I hope it's soon."

People ran past.

"That almost sounds like words Aleksi has said in the lab", Hannah listened, "am I-I in Russia?", she looked around, "I-I wonder if this is what Aleksi was showing me yesterday. I really wish I could have learned a little more. I don't even remember what this was called."

Hannah looked down, "I'm not going to make it long. It's freezing, and if I'm where I think I am, I'm going to freeze to death. I stick out, obviously. I'm not dressed for the period. It's better to hide out here and hope Aleksi and Dr. Timothy will get me. I hope that's soon."

That night Hannah huddled next to a smoldering building for warmth. People were still out. It seemed some were dragging dead bodies to somewhere. Some where crying in front of the fallen buildings that had been bombed earlier. Others were scavenging for anything they could find to eat.

"I-is this what Aleksi grew up in, and he said he was ten during this time period", Hannah felt her stomach rumble, "I haven't eaten today either. But I'll be okay."

Days passed without signs of Aleksi and Dr. Timothy.

Hannah was witness to horror after horror.

"I want to go home", Hannah cried that night as they huddled next to another building that had been bombed. They had watched several bodies get pulled from the rubble only a few hours ago.

"I'm cold.... it's so cold", Hannah pulled a torn cloth they had found tighter around them, "I'm hungry... I can't find food."

Hannah had tried to scavenge some food, but they needed a card to actually get something from any stores.

"Of course.... wars mean rations. I don't have a ration card... I'm not from this time. I don't look like I'm from this time."

Hannah yawned, "I'm tired. I can't sleep. If I sleep... I'll freeze to death", they licked their lips, "Aleksi would be forcing me to drink water right now. Your lips are chapped, he'd tell me. I don't know where to get water... I don't even know if I can safely drink it. I'm in the danger zone tomorrow. I've gone to long without water. Dr. Timothy says three days is the max. I need to be careful."

Hannah limped through the shadows. They tried to stay out of the way of the inhabitants. Nobody seemed to notice them. Or at least they ignored Hannah. Everyone seemed to ignore each other. It was survival of the fittest here. You took care of yours, and that was it."

Hannah fell to the side, they stumbled a few steps and fell to their knees.

"My body is not doing good. I don't know how these people are surviving like this. I've been here for at least four days now, they have been living this since... uh, whenever Aleksi said this started."

Hannah huddled beside a building.

"Алекса́ндр (Aleksandr)", a woman called as a young child climbed through some rubble.

"Мама, смотри (mama, look)", the child pointed at Hannah.

The woman pulled on the child's arm and led them away from the strange person.

Hannah sighed, "that sounded like she said Aleksandr. I really hope they come and get me. They have a bad habit of losing lab rats, but Aleksi has warned about messing with time travel."

Hannah buried her face into her arms, "they wouldn't leave me... right?"

"Hannah?"

She thought she heard a familiar voice call for her.

"I think the dehydration is getting to me", Hannah blinked tiredly, "or the lack of sleep. That sounds like Aleksi."

"Hannah?", the voice got closer.

"Aleksi?", Hannah peaked out.

An old man limped toward her. Cane in hand.

"Aleksi!!", Hannah cried as she ran out of her hiding spot towards him.

"Oh thank goodness", Aleksandr sighed in relief as he hugged her tight, "I'm so glad you're okay. Here we need to get home. You're in desperate need of medical attention."

Hannah cried, "I'm so happy to see you."

"I'm happy to see you as well. Come along... our presence has already messed with this part of history", Aleksandr turned.

"How did you find me?", Hannah quickly followed.

"My past self saw you, that child was me. I was able to remember you", Aleksandr frowned, "we shouldn't be messing with history like this. Close your eyes."

A bright light shown.

"You may open your eyes now", Aleksandr instructed.

Hannah opened their eyes and looked around.

"Oh thank heavens",  a relieved voice came from behind.

"Dr. Timothy?", Hannah turned.

"You're home", Timothy almost sounded as though they were promising themself that and not Hannah.

"Medical attention first. We will talk after that. Food, IV, and fluids. Bath", Aleksandr ordered as they limped out of the room.

"I-is he mad?", Hannah whimpered as Timothy picked them up.

"He's mad at me for the incident, and I'm sure he was not happy to see his city like that. It brings back bad memories", Timothy explained, "I would have went in after you, but he said he would be able to find you better."

Hannah rested in a hospital bed. They had an IV of fluid in one arm. Their other arm had an IV that was pumping in nutrients. A third IV was also placed in their wrist to give them medicine for any illnesses they could have contracted while in Leningrad.

Hannah was now wrapped in several blankets. Dr. Timothy fed them one of their favorite meals and even dessert.

Hannah's eyes were growing heavy when Aleksandr walked into the room.

"Aleksi", Whumpee's eyes opened widely, "are you okay?"

"I was about to ask you the same question", Aleksandr sat down, "I read over the charts and Timothy did good to get you taken care of."

Aleksandr watched as Hannah looked down.

"I'm afraid you saw more than what I wanted you to see. It was even harder I could imagine as you couldn't understand what was being said around you. I didn't want you to know about everything, but it would have been better that I had told you why Leningrad was under siege."

Aleksandr explained the history to Hannah as they waited for the medicine to finish.

"I saw so many horrific things. I tripped over a corpse. I-I-I saw a horse get butchered alive, and other animals. People were just as scary", Hannah looked at Aleksandr sadly, "why did that happen?"

"It's hard to say. Power makes people hungry. They want more and more. No matter how much they get.... it's never enough", Aleksandr sighed, "I'm glad we got you back. Remember this all happened for 900 days."

"I'm so glad you survived it", Hannah smiled, "I wouldn't have been able to be with you had you not."

"Well, I had a good mother who took care of me", Aleksandr smiled.

"That woman... the one who pulled you away... she had cuts on her arms. I had seen them on others. May I ask what those were from?", Hannah looked at Aleksandr with curious eyes.

"No, as for right now... you have seen enough", Aleksandr smiled weakly, "you need to sleep. Your eye lids are very dark."

"Wi-will you sit with me.... just for a little while?", Hannah frowned, "I don't want to be alone."

"I will sit with you until you fall asleep. How does that sound?", Aleksandr leaned up and started to pet Hannah's head to comfort her. He hummed a song his mom would sing every night, whether in the bomb shelter or elsewhere."

Hannah's eyelids were no match. They were asleep in minutes.

Aleksandr sighed as they sat back. Flashbacks were haunting him since a few days ago. Now seeing it all in person again.

Memories of his mom cutting her arm open and forcing Aleksandr to drink the blood. It was the only thing she could think to do to keep her starving child alive.

She had gotten sick from the diseases carried by the overpopulation of rats.

Aleksandr remembered sitting next to his mother's corpse all day at the age of eleven. Waiting for his father to come home from the factory. His father never returned. A bomb had been dropped on the factory that morning.

Aleksandr wiped a tear, "I'm haunted by these memories", Aleksandr whispered, "then I see my mom walking again."

Aleksandr turned to Hannah and watched them as their chest gently rose and fell.

"I'm sorry you were witness to that", Aleksandr sighed, "we did what we had to do to survive back then."

"Yes you did", a voice came from behind, "sorry, I was checking on Whumpee and heard you talking. I thought maybe you were talking to her, I didn't want to disturb you. Any survivors of wars should be commemorated. There should never be any shame."

"More like survivors guilt. Why couldn't my family have survived. My best friend. Everyone I loved", Aleksandr's whispers were raspy. My momma was so beautiful. She didn't deserve that."

"Your mom did what she knew she needed to do to keep you safe", Timothy patted Aleksandr on the shoulder, "she would be happy to know how long you've lived because of her efforts, your father also. You lived in spite of what happened. I am so honored to work with you. I always have been honored to work with you."

Aleksandr smiled weakly, "we should let this one sleep. Hannah has had a long few days. She will need a lot of rest."

"Yes all test have been postponed until you say", Timothy nodded, "that's another thing. Without you I would have never been able to fix the time machine, and I wouldn't have found her."

"She wouldn't have ended up there if my Leningrad file hadn't been pulled up to begin with", Aleksandr stood.

"Still, just like your parents did their best with you and did what they could to keep you alive. You did your best for Hannah. We got her back to safety", Timothy smiled, "maybe with your help, we can make the machine travel. We can zap into different places to visit. You can visit St. Petersburg and Moscow if you like. The possibilities are endless."

"I don't know if I want anything else to do with that. Hannah is absolutely not allowed anywhere near that thing either", Aleksandr frowned, "she's had enough time traveling for one lifetime."

Timothy nodded, "alright, let's get some sleep. We have both been working nonstop. I need my beauty sleep, and you are way past those days to be missing sleep."

Aleksandr chuckled, "I may sit here for a little longer. In case she need something", Aleksandr smiled at Hannah.

"Alright Aleksi, get some rest though, but I understand", Timothy yawned, "see you in a little while."

"Yes, I'll see you", Aleksandr reached up and adjusted one of the blankets.

They hummed the song their mom had sang to them so many times.

Whumpee sighed in peace.

"Congratulations, you survived the siege of Leningrad, my dear. Even if it was a few days, you did something I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy", Aleksandr whispered as they brushed Whumpee's freshly cleaned hair away from their face, "I'm very proud of you."

Taglist. As always please let me know if you want to be added or taken off of the list. It's not a problem at all.

@weirdthingweee @the-beasts-have-arrived

@sacredwrath @porschethemermaid

@monarchthefirst @generic-whumperz

@bloodyandfrightened @freefallingup13

@notpeppermint @cyborg0109

@idontreallyexistyet @painfulplots

@whumpbump @everythingsscary

@skittles-the-whumpee @expressionless-fr

@theforeverdyingperson @legendarydelusiongoatee

@candleshopmenace @whumpanthems

@lavndvrr @ivymyers

@starfields08000 @a-living-canvas

@lumpofsand @watermeezer

@indigoviolet311 @whumpy-mountains

@risk606 @electrons2006

@paperprinxe @whumprince

@kaz-of-crows @mis-graves

@decaffeinatedtimetraveler94 @sausages-things

@isikedmyself878 @daffyduckcommittedtaxfraud

@valravnthefrenchie @glennemerald

@jasperthecapser @does-directions

@jumpywhumpywriter @blackbirdsinatrenchcoat

@mylifeisonthebookshelf @thenormalestever

@whatwhump @galatic-worm

@starmoon-constellation @bacillusinfection

[thegreatyin]

And thus, with the passing of 24 hours, Caeru's ambition truly comes to an end. Major Nemesis spoilers below the cut- we're talking endgame ambition business here. Mostly on a character RP front.

The Doomed Scientist made quite a few... choice decisions, in the end. Killing Cups once and for all, recording his story as one of grief-

And sparing what little remained of Mr Mirrors, leaving it free to roam Parabola as it sees fit.

Some of them, he can explain. Others, he's still left to feel... discontent.

Cups needed to die. That much was certain from the start. It was a tyrant, as all Masters are, and complicit in the bargaining and eventual destruction of four (potentially five) cities, as all Masters are. It was an obstacle. A murderer. A petty monster that felt no remorse even on its deathbed, and it went out of its way to ruin multiple lives just because it felt owed its own sick and twisted idea of revenge.

It killed his first love. It looked him in the eyes and he knew what it had done and he knew from the start it was going to die.

Perhaps, in the end, it knew too. And yet it still pleaded, and wanted to live, and-

It made a bargain.

A bargain Caeru didn't take.

Not because he didn't want to. Gods, he wanted to. He wanted it. He wanted it more than anything else in the world. To have Greylu back, to give him the gift of life, of love, to show him the wonders of the Neath and the beauty of the correspondence and all of the people Caeru has met and loved and found home with along the way-

But. He couldn't.

Because Cups was a monster. And no matter what, it deserved to die. And he could not, in good conscience, allow it to live.

Even if sparing it meant everything he's ever wanted.

So he's left here, now. With a bloodied traveling coat, and a bloodsoaked knife, and a favor finally fulfilled.

And nothing to live for. No resurrected lover, no charming visits to Helicon, no slow dances in the living room, no memories to rebuild and lives to live and he won't live again-

Nothing. All he has is a coat born of obligation, not to his love, but to people he's never even met. To lives he's never even touched. To a paramour, still alive, with hair of rose-pink, who doesn't even remember her own brother's existence.

Cups didn't die for Caeru's sake. Cups died for the sake of all who wanted it dead. For the revenger's court, and the ghost screaming in his ear, and the reckoning that will not be postponed indefinitely.

And Caeru, who acted as a tool to carry out their wills? Who all but betrayed his own lover, just to satisfy a cause he never knew existed?

All Caeru is left with, is regret. Regret-

-And grief.

[solarpunkani]

Y'know someone's probably waxed poetic about this already but it's on my mind so I'm gonna do it again.

When it comes to encouraging people to learn about native plants and habitat and involving themselves and their yards in the wider ecosystem, you gotta meet them where they're at.

And maybe that means they won't go as far into it as you are or would like them to in your wildest dreams. But even small steps count towards the bigger picture and I think we need to appreciate that more.

An example from my own life is my mom and the current gardening project we're working on. We're planning out the garden beds in the front of the yard by the mailbox--my mom's previous plantings for the most part haven't worked out, so I'm taking a crack at it.

I'm a pollinator gardening enthusiast who cares more about attracting as many butterflies bees and hummingbirds as possible than keeping things 'neat' and 'tidy'. However, not only do we live in an HOA neighborhood (though not as intense as some other stories I've heard), but I know my mother--an interior designer who has a deeply vested care for making sure the exterior of the house looks as Nice as possible.

We're still getting a pollinator garden in the front though. How? I'm meeting her where she's at, I'm making some concessions, she's making some concessions, but ultimately we're making something that works for the both of us. She doesn't want the plants too tall and messy? We'll trim them back in fall and winter--the insects can use the backyard garden to nest in. She doesn't want things too wild and bushy and weedy? We'll add a nice mulch to the beds, keep things a bit spaced out until they grow in to their larger sizes. She doesn't know the latin names for the plants I'm asking for, let alone how to pronounce them to ask for them at a garden center? That's fine, I don't know the Latin names for most things anyways, let's just use common names.

Does she care that the garden will attract butterflies and hummingbirds? Not intrinsically--she sees it as more of a bonus, if anything. She just cares about what color everything will be and if it'll be easy to maintain. The fact that they're native plants barely registers as a plus side to her. And honestly? That is fine.

If I approached this problem with a hardheaded attitude on how I wanted it to be just as wild and free as my backyard garden? There wouldn't be any native plants in the front beds. It's not like I didn't teach my mom things, but I didn't lecture her like she was lesser just for not knowing or caring as much about native gardening as I do. And that, ultimately, made her more open to the idea than she would've been if I looked down on her like I've seen too many people do to others.

Not everyone is going to develop a deeply seated care about native plants and Latin names and I don't think it's reasonable to expect that. Meet people where they're at and you just might get a lot more done. Meet people where they're at and you just might find they'll get excited enough to learn more--but if they don't want to learn more, that is fine.

We can't expect everyone on the globe to suddenly become plant experts rattling off Latin names left and right and professionally ID'ing native and invasive plants. In the same way we wouldn't expect everyone to suddenly learn the ins and outs of learning code, or how to synthesize medicines, or how to properly build a house. And that is fine. Because we can lean on those who do know when these things come up.

I lost track of where this was going but. Y'know????

[eddiemunsonsmum]

Just saw this comment on a story posted a month ago.

*cries in Eddie Munson Solo Series no one wanted to read, interact with or request for*

No shade to the person that commented this on their own fic if you recognize it. It's not their fault. I'm not mad at them. More crying in the tags.

[seradyn]

No cause I need to crash out about this a little bit because YOURE SO RIGHT ABOUT THE MISOGYNY 😭😭

I’ve read SO many fics where Sylus is OOC it’s concerning. People can write what they want, I’m a firm believer in that, but it feels like we aren’t even talking about the same character sometimes. I’ve read fics where Sylus calls reader/mc ‘slut’ during intimacy and I physically recoiled because Sylus would rather die a thousand deaths than call us that. Even if you asked him to he’d double and triple check you actually wanted that and still probably wouldn’t be thrilled to.

Like…genuinely, you can write whatever trope/kink/whatever you want, but if you slap Sylus over it then at least tag it OOC. I read a cheater fic that wasn’t tagged and had a vague summary, and I just had to grimace when I realized that’s what the fic was because Sylus would never in a billion years EVER cheat on us. The same goes for the other Lis. They are designed to love us and only us. They would never be so desperate for sex that they would fucking cheat. ESPECIALLY Sylus, who has stated he’s never been with anyone else. Not to mention, this man doesn’t give a fuck about random flings or one night stands. This man makes love, wants more than anything to just be able to make you feel good and show you how much he loves you. Why do you think he asked for consent multiple times before he dove in, in Nightly Rendezvous? Men like that don’t cheat 😭😭

As for the fic you’re mentioning, I’m glad I haven’t seen it, cause that is just…so far from what Sylus would do 😩 That implies a level of emotional immaturity that Sylus has repeatedly shown he is not down with. He literally encourages us to feel our emotions in a healthy way, and wants to be the safe space where we can feel them without judgment. People like that aren’t going to ghost you out of pettiness, that is just so fundamentally incongruent with how he acts and what he says. I could maybe see Rafayel doing something like that, but even then I don’t think he’d ghost us for DAYS, that is just an insane level of childishness.

Speaking of Rafayel, I read fics of him and Xavier too, even though I’m a Sylus main, and this problem is not nearly as common or consistent in how they are misperceived. Rafayel does get mischaracterized, a lot of people tend to forget how dangerous he can be, but even then I don’t see it as often in fics. And Xavier, I’ve only seen one or two fics where he’s OOC, and usually it’s with the same tropes discussed above.

I think a lot of this issue stems from 1. Infold’s marketing team and 2. Sylus first few interactions with the player in the main story. Unfold framed Sylus as the booktok daddy dom alpha male in his trailer, and a lot of people haven’t been able to look past it to the kind of character he actually is. I also know quite a few people write for Sylus without actually playing the game, which is fine, but again, some OOC tags would be nice 😩 And as for the main story, if you don’t bother to dig any deeper, he does seem like some dark romance dom, but if you look into his lore, especially the dragon myth you can see so clearly just how much pain he is in that you don’t remember him. It breaks my heart replaying those parts now because you can just see the anguish in his eyes that the one person who saw him as more than a monster doesn’t remember him. It’s so fucking sad 😭😭

That being said, I do wish the game did more to address the way Sylus treated us at the start. I’ve read some incredible fics that do, specifically this one, and it’s so fucking good. It holds Sylus accountable while acknowledging how actually romantic and loving he is. That first meeting he wears a mask to hide his pain, and this fic gets it so so right.

As someone who has been writing fanfic for years, a lot of time my fics are almost like a character study, diving into how they would react in different situations, what has motivated them to become the character they are. Sometimes I get stuff OOC too, and I’ll often put little explanations in the notes about why I chose to make them act the way I do, how I came to that conclusion about them. That’s different then blatantly writing them to do and say things they would rather die than say or do for the sake of a kink or trope. Cause that’s what it boils down to most of the time.

I also understand we’re talking about a fictional character, and none of this really matters in the grand scheme of things. But as a fic author myself, it’s painful how much Sylus in particular is twisted into something he just fundamentally isn’t. Why not write for another character at that point? 😭

It’s so clearly misogynistic because woman are always expected to cater to the man. Always expected to make room for his emotions and not get that compassion back. I’ve seen it so often in real life, I just want to tell these woman YOU DESERVE SO MUCH BETTER. And the Lis want to be that better for you. As I wrote in my most recent Sylus fic, he would genuinely be so disappointed if you just rolled over and let him treat you like shit. Like, babes, who hurt you? An intimate partner should not be acting like a child with petty games like that 😭 It reminds me of that video of the guy saying “bitch, what’s for dinner?” to his gf, and when she responds meekly, he tells her to slap him if he ever speaks to her like that. That is Sylus. He’d want you to beat the shit out of him if he ever treated you that way. He loves and respects us way too much to let anyone, including himself, get away with that shit.

I’ve been meaning to make my own post about this, so sorry for the long crash out. I just…AHHH I MAKES ME WANT TO SCREAM. IVE SEEN THIS IN OTHER FANDOMS TOO IT MAKES ME INSANE

Hi! This is my first ask/time doing one of these but I just wanted to come here and say I ABSOLUTELY agree with practically EVERY word you said about sylus. Honestly BLESS your soul for you saying it because damn did it need to be said.

hihi, thank you for taking the time to send me something!

and thank you!!! i'm not usually one to post my 'hot takes' in public because i usually can't be bothered, but this really frustrated me. ESPECIALLY because i write my own fanfic, characterization is super important to me because if it doesn't feel like the character... what's the point, right? i get that there's a certain level of nuance to each character, and nobody but the creator of said characters is going to get them perfectly correct, but for god's sake sylus was CREATED by infold to love you, to be in love with you. this may just be my take, but having been on the recieving end of that treatment: nobody who truly loves you would ignore you for something so inconsequential to sylus as a buisness meeting or whatever. (i have two specific fics in mind but i don't want to reference them speficially because i'm genuinely not trying to call out anyone in particular)

because like. again, from what my friend has said and from what @bloomfalls and @seradyn have added to my og post in the tags, sylus wants YOU and only YOU. he's not the type of man to leave you wondering, to make you second guess his feelings.

^ direct quote from said friend ily dawg ur the realest

writing fanfic is really hard, esp when it comes to characterization, but i feel like in a game where these guys are SPECIFICALLY love interests it's like... guys the writing is on the walls, the floor, the cieling, and a sticky note duct taped to your forehead. it's so easy. for other fandoms, where it's not focused on love interests it's harder to be like 'x wouldn't act like this', so i will 100% give those people grace. but if i wrote something for sylus, (winkwinknudgenudge) i feel like! it would be pretty easy, given how we are GIVEN A MANUAL ON HOW HE TREATS THE PERSON HE LOVES.

and lastly: as i said, writing sylus so that he expects the reader to come crawling back to him after dogshit treatment and having the reader do exactly that, is misogynistic. i'm sorry, it has to be said.

[ayyponine]

not to be a milennial but harry potter and the prisoner of azkaban really is that bitch....

[icewindandboringhorror]

Apparently I can meet my goal of roughly 400,000 words in 6 months if I just somehow write at least 2,200 words a day ghbjh... Almost 2,500 today... huzzah...

[viiridiangreen]

if u r ever frustrated with me & wondering why I am Like That please remember my m*ther literally has multiple pinterest boards of grainy c*tholic apologetica cheatsheets & macros

[trimmedarmor]

doing the equivalent of gripping something intensely hard then forcing myself to let it go every time i see something about the stupid fandom drama i got pulled into earlier this year