#when you can better understand their points and why they make sense

[emptymanuscript]

Whaddya mean there are no benefits to being a good person?

Of course there are benefits. There are lots of benefits. There are, on the whole, MORE benefits to being a good person than a bad one.

If you’re good to a specific person, they may (or may not) be happy about that specific interaction. But, more importantly, each interaction shows how you are going to interact.

A good person isn’t made up of one good deed. It’s a global average of activity and interactions from a particular observer’s point of view toward a particular set of criteria.

I might think someone is good while you think they’re a total a*hole. Talking it out might lead to consensus - we each have different observed experiences of the same person. Or it might come out that we judge on completely different criteria. My friends growing up would give people points for religious attendance while I would have given zero points for that in the same period. They could tell me all the church time I missed and it wouldn’t move my needle. On the other hand, how they spend their time there might. I’m going to give a different evaluation to someone who shows up all the time but that’s all they do and someone who only shows up sometimes but makes it a point to help out every time they do. The second, helping out when they show up, counts while showing up wouldn’t.

So it is observer dependent.

That’s some of the real and basic comfort of God. God is an independent observer who sees everything better than anyone else AND saves all reporting until the end. So everyone else has to guess but God knows your true character. So if I think I am a good person, I can always rest on that fact. God will say so. I know because of x, y, and z that I was taught. And that’s how I act. So any other perceptions can be interpreted through that lens. Assuming I believe.

But that principle works even for those of us who aren’t particularly religious or don’t practice a populous faith. We tend to trust that those we know better have a better understanding of our proper moral categorization.

So, when given the choice, who will people associate with?

Right: people will naturally tend to gravitate toward others where you share a mutually high opinion of each other. At which point, what’s the next goal? Keeping that mutual admiration going. Which is why people in groups tend to act similar to each other. It’s recapitulating the positive feedback.

I like you, do you like me?

I do like you, do you still like me?

Well I think blah blah blah.

I like you and you think blah blah blah is good so blah blah blah is probably good and I think I might like to operate as if it is to try it out.

You like blah blah blah, well I knew it was good and I knew you were good so that makes perfect sense.

I do like it and it does make sense because I like you, I am glad you still like me.

Now, I’ve obviously oversimplified this and made it more than a little inane but that’s essentially a huge part of what goes on in overall communication between people. It’s verbal and gestural grooming. We’re in this together. Isn’t that great.

The thing is… it kinda really is.

Grooming is intensely important to social mammals. We talk about the ties that bind, well this is the actual act of tying that bind, that kind of subtle continual recapitulation of the tie. I like us being together, see I’m grooming you, do you like us together? Yes, see, now I am grooming your fur, too. Back and forth. Fairly constantly while everything else is going on.

On the other side is severe detrimental consequences for people who don’t get groomed enough, don’t know how to groom others in a way that gets asked for in order to initiate cycles, and suffer real harm from the isolation.

There’s all sorts of findings around illnesses and lower quality of life associated with that lack of social reciprocity. Lifespans start dropping fast. Someone who loses their main social grooming partners and doesn’t get a new one to take their place has about a two year average before something serious develops. If they’re already not healthy, those two years can be the lifespan.

But remember how people gravitate together. It’s the people who match with mutual admiration in some way.

So, when people are looking for others to add to their social grooming network, who are they going to gravitate toward when there isn’t already an initial pull?

The observed action that matches the seeking observer’s definition of something that they admire.

You like Star Trek? I love Star Trek. If you like Star Trek that probably means that there’s other stuff to like about you. Do you think there’s other stuff to like about me?

That’s the first tug.

But the rub is, until quite recently, things like fandoms were relatively hard to observe. Before 1996, Internet presence, where most of us can find these connections, was rarer than finding someone else who liked Star Trek.

So, what was easy to observe as a connection?

Seeing someone just out and about doing a good deed.

Even better: finding someone who you knew where to find them AND you got the regular experience of seeing them act in a good way. Mutual admiration generally starts with admiration.

One good deed might be meaningless. Everyone has better and worse moments. But regular, reliable patterns of valued behavior? Think about how good it would hear if the person who displayed that, said they liked you. That would really mean something.

Far from having no benefits, that kind of regular goodness - again, defined by the observer - carries the intense potential benefit of attracting people who also define those behaviors as good into your orbit and, from that entry point, into your regular interactions from being good groomers for each other.

This is also why doing good things for the reward is a mixed bag.

If it’s proactive toward the behavior, I want to be like this more because I value this behavior and want more of it in my life. Yeah, fake it till I make it. This is my best behavior but if I keep doing it, it will become my regular behavior and attract people who are like that into my life.

If it’s just putting on the sign because I think the other person will like it but I don’t particularly want to engage in that behavior regularly, then that orbit is going to destabilize fairly quickly as I don’t keep to the behavior I sold myself with. It’s the same issue as borrowing a nicer car for a date. No matter how good that might look at first, in the end, real life has to reengage, and that better car isn’t there anymore. The person I attracted with said car, now not only has to deal with the missing pull of the car but all the push implicated by the act of leading with the car. It’s saying that I value the sign more than the real thing and even the sign holds a different meaning because I was willing to use that sign against the real value of the thing. It means it wasn’t actually good, just a tool to acquire the person by deception. And deception is very rarely perceived as good.

[ammoknightsofficial]

Translating the Dev's Headcanon Spread for Kyle's Family

Alright, so, I've gotten my hands on the Monster Hunter Stories 2 Art Book! That means it's time to translate This Image, piece by piece! The text on this is quite small, and the halftones can interfere with legibility at times, but I managed, for the most part. I'll be including notes for each section, particularly anything that may seem like an odd or interesting choice, for Maximum Transparency!

Everything's Under the Cut!! Have fun!

母：優しく穏やかな女性 // The Mother of The Family. A Loving, Gentle, and Quiet Woman.

I've chosen to write this in full sentences, rather than the original format, since that feels easier to communicate. You may notice that "Gentle" is both Green and Blue, and that's because 優しく and 穏やかな both communicate a kind of Gentleness, with 優しく being more like "Tender" and 穏やかな being more like "Calm".

カイルがまだ幼い頃に病にかかりこの世を去ってしまう // She Fell Ill when Kyle was Very Young. She never Recovered, and Passed Away when he was still just a Child.

Before I Get Into Translation Notes - I Have Some Thoughts.

I'm going to be fully transparent - this part is one of the main reasons I got the book. I had my suspicions that she was terminally ill and died when he was young, but I didn't want to make any absolute statements until I could properly translate this passage. I had basically no doubts about it, though - this particular scene here is absolutely striking, and communicates what's going on extremely well even if you can't read it. Kyle's too young to understand what's going on. He thinks a flower will make her feel better. Meanwhile, you have the second youngest brother that's just barely old enough to know, and in that horrible point where he understands what's happening, but doesn't know what to do or how to handle it. Then there's the middle child, with enough emotional intelligence to know that comforting the second youngest and not dissuading Kyle's - the youngest of them all - attempts to help is the absolute best course of action here, to keep everyone strong while their mother (tries, and fails to) fight(s) her Terminal Illness. It's really amazing character work, all in one simple image.

This explains a lot about Kyle's actions during the course of the story. It's kind of difficult for a lot of people to understand why he reacts the way he does to his father getting injured, but with the context that he watched his mom die of a Terminal Illness when he was practically just a baby, and was powerless to do anything about it... It really makes sense, doesn't it? On a personal level, I mean. It also puts this post-game line into some new perspective...

"I'm not putting on a brave face" is such particular wording, and such a particular reassurance to give. He's had to before, and the way he's saying this almost implies - to me, at least - that maybe the player character is intended to, perhaps, know about that bit of history. That's all Speculation, though - I just find it an incredibly interesting string of implications.

As for Translation Notes...

The main thing that may seem out of place is the fact that "She never Recovered" is in both Red and Green. That's actually nothing special, it's just the fact that her illness and her death are being linked together in this passage. She died because of her illness - not because she got, I don't know, eaten by a dragon or something later, in some odd unrelated event. She was Terminally Ill, emphasis on Terminal.

カイル家族イメージ　―　作中には出てこない設定イマージです // Headcanons about Kyle's Family - These are Characters + Character-Establishing Headcanons that Do Not Appear in the Story.

Apologies for putting the Document Title all the way down here. I wanted to talk about Kyle's mom first, lol. I've already explained my reasoning for translating イメージ as Headcanon. I don't think anything else is all that noteworthy.

A Chart Depicting the Developers' Ideas for What the (Living Members of the) Family Looks Like. In Birth Order, we have...

長男：真面目・優等生　―　23年

First-Born: Serious + An Honor Student - 23 Y.O.

次男：自信家・明るい　―　21年

Second-Born: Self-Confident + Cheerful - 21 Y.O.

三男：優しい・賢い　―　18年

Third-Born: Kind + Wise - 18 Y.O.

四男：勝気・負けず嫌い　―　16年

Fourth-Born: Determined + Hates Losing - 16 Y.O.

Me, personally, I think the birth order sounds right, but I'm not a huge fan of how young everyone is. The Fourth-Born looks 19-21 to me, the Third-Born looks in their mid-20s, so on and so forth. But that's partially just the fact that I, myself, am currently in my 20s, and generally really prefer writing + drawing adults. Straight up, I clocked Kyle as being at least 18 when I was doing my playthrough of the game, but this image seems to imply he's about 15. Extremely weird thought to me. I will personally continue writing him as an adult, and his siblings as generally way older than the Devs are estimating. That has no bearing on this piece of Dubious-Canon, however, just something I wanted to mention as a bit of an oddity to me.

Also, the second Kanji in the Birth Orders actually specifies that they're all sons (男), but I'm using the Gender Neutral forms of the Birth Order terms just because I find that more comfortable and less clunky, personally. No other reason.

And, no, I don't really know what that bit of handwriting next to the Third-Born's head is. I also currently cannot fully decipher what this passage (originally below the Headcanon Spread) means, though that's likely just a Skill Issue.

If I figure it out, I'll likely Reblog this Post with an Update, but for now, I think I've covered what I can.

Thanks for Reading!! Hopefully you found this interesting, and maybe you found it useful!! The print on this spread was really, really small, and at times quite frustrating to decipher - hell, I just straight up gave up on the above passage - so any comments or compliments in the notes will be appreciated!!

[flowersforthemachines]

hello! 💙✨️

i have a question for our favourite divorce (non-)couple! terribly sorry if you've answered that already, I haven't seen it then.

so, my question is, where does spite fit into the whole couple and then divorce? does he have any feelings toward the break-up happening, good or bad? does he give lucanis a hard time for fumbling a baddie like ghilasara? is he still rooting for them to eventually make up? is he, or is he not, a true child of divorce?

No, I've never talked about it before. But I have always dreamt of being asked that question, so thank you for that.......

Hiding under the read more because this got long, but this is what naturally happens when I'm asked about something I've really wanted to talk about.

I've always thought of Spite as a child of divorce! And also the #1 wounded party in the whole affair (#2 is Ghilasara's griffon. #3 is Lucanis, and #4 is Ghilasara herself. #5 is Bellara, probably. but I digress).

In the sense that he cares deeply about Lucanis, and about Ghilasara, but he's basically forced to repeatedly watch their train wreck from the front seat without being able to do anything about it. That must suck dontcha think. A lot, I wager.

Spite sees life in a much less complicated way than Lucanis does. Lucanis loves Rook + Rook loves Lucanis = they should be together! It's hard to him conceptualise why that is not happening. Spite is often seen as a representation of Lucanis's inner desires; being with Ghilasara is one of such deeper desire, and Spite doesn't understand why Lucanis would prioritise the First Talon position/his duty to the family over it.

From Spite's point of view, Ghilasara is always 100% right no matter the situation. He's in her corner, and is never leaving it. Also attaching this bit from mtyew that happens after their first post-divorce reconciliation to sort of showcase that idea (thick cursive is Spite's thoughts in Lucanis's narration):

“Is [Spite] happy to see me?” “Overjoyed.” You are not saying it right. “He’ll finally have someone to side with in all arguments again. It’s like giving him back his moral compass.”

And, since I've already quoted my own fic, Go First is basically about how Spite spilt Lucanis's secret to Ghilasara (she didn't ask him to do that; he chose to do that on her own), while also keeping her own secret from Lucanis (again, she didn't ask. he took her side unprompted). She is the dog's favourite, for better or worse ^_^

Partially for worse, because I would never say that it's just Lucanis fumbling Ghilasara. I believe that women can do anything as good as men, if not better, which is why I consider their divorces a joint venture (hashtag feminism). Ghilasara is many things, which include being selfish, a coward, and a hypocrite with a "I know what's best for you" attitude. Post-canon her is also a lot more interested in nurturing her mental illnesses than trying to let go of her grief and move on. She is absolutely a big part of their problem.

I headcanon that she was the one to initiate the first break-up, and when it happens, she takes the time to talk to Spite specifically to explain why she's acting the way she does. The fact that she purposefully chooses to stay away is the one thing preventing Spite from constantly badgering Lucanis to seek her out.

Spite will always root for the two of them to get back together, though. Just like he doesn't understand why Lucanis would want to stay away from Rook, he also doesn't understand that it would be better for both of them to permanently cut ties. But alas!

Thank you again for asking <3 I hope this was interesting to read!

[creaturefeaster]

what’s taylor’s personality like? i’m still a little clueless lol

Hehe, that makes sense. He hides behind a very placid demeanor, aided by his sunglasses. You're not really meant to be able to read him at a glance. Most people who encounter him are left feeling like he's a mystery, because he doesn't give them anything.

The most you might pull out of him, if you don't know him really well, is a bit of a stern attitude. He's really quite quiet, and prefers to sit back if things get annoying or frustrating. But if he can't... telling someone off in a firm but level headed way is the next step for him. That response from him alone is usually enough to put people in their place, lol.

During off-season from his athletics, he used to work part time as a bouncer. If that tells you anything about how he comes across.

If you're his friend, he might say a little more to you, but he's still a man of few words. Because of the company he keeps, his vernacular can be a little more dude-bro when he's around the people he likes. But still not a hefty speaker.

He thinks, a lot, before speaking. He's a quiet observer and likes to understand his surroundings, as well as his position in said surroundings. He often comes across as flat, though not entirely monotone, just very calculated and void of much emotion.

He's serious, he's dutiful, and rather conservative in his ideals. He has a playful side, but it's ridiculously hard to pull out of him. He doles that side of himself out carefully, because he hates to be seen as anything but calm and/or intimidating.

That ^ is how he portrays himself, at least. He has a flip side that he keeps carefully under wraps.

At heart he's a thrill seeker. He likes to get adrenaline pumping. It channeled into his lifestyle of volleyball and hard workout regimens, but after the Fault he no longer has access to those outlets. That's sort of why he ends up going down the path of criminality, easily enticed by Zack and his dubious ways. It's exciting and fulfilling.

He's also got a lot more emotions than you might expect. He's spent so long surpressing himself though, that you have to really piece together a bunch of weird clues of his in order to understand how he's feeling. He can be even more unreadable when he's in a fit. He'll stand there like a statue if he's really upset, but if you bother him enough beyond that, he might lash out without warning.

In fact, he surpressed so much of his innate self that, before the Fault, he was actually rather depressed. He didn't know it, but he was. He's one of the few people on the planet who's life was changed for the better after the Fault.

...

And, if you sent me this ask because you saw this:

and thought to yourself, that doesn't quite fit the idea of Taylor I had in my head, that's the point. This doesn't fit the idea he has of himself in his head either. Looking over his shoulder to make sure nobody else can see that he quite likes what's going on.

:3c

[a-student-out-of-time]

I'm extremely curious about your post regarding staffside. Would you like to elaborate? No pressure!

//Well I can't say I've read much beyond the halfway point of Part 1 and there's still a lot to go, so I'm really just getting started. But there's still a lot that I can talk about.

//I will be honest and say that I initially didn't really understand what role Staffside has. Not in the sense of "Ugh, why does this exist?" but in the sense of "What are we meant to take away from reading this story?" Especially since it's apparently not mandatory viewing.

//I was also way more skeptical of it when people said it was good but also very dark and upsetting. The subject matter alone is not very appealing to me.

//I fully acknowledge that's not any of the creators' fault, that's a me problem. I've unfortunately come across so many stories that discuss things like SA and power imbalances very clumsily, very poorly and very tastelessly. Yes, the goal is typically to show that these acts are evil and do great harm to people, but I'd say the vast majority of writers are not equipped to really handle it.

//They often throw these into stories for the sake of shock value and drama, rarely actually trying to sit down and discuss why these things happen and what effects they have on the people affected. Some do it better than others, but it's a topic you need to really understand before you try tackling it, and many writers who try may think all it takes is the bravery to do so. It does not.

//I'm not excluding myself from that list either. I've tried to address topics like SA here on ASOOT, and while I feel like I did an okay job, I know I could've done better. I've been very apprehensive about discussing this topic because I don't feel equipped to do so and I never want to resort to something that traumatizing as just drama fodder.

//In my opinion, if the writer's goal is JUST to show that a villain is cruel or evil, having them be a rapist or a bigot is a very cheap and tasteless way to do it. There's a fine line between writing about these things and using very serious, trauma-inducing topics just to leverage an emotional response from an audience.

//It's the difference between how Pennywise in IT can be read as a representation of the intergenerational trauma that comes from things like discrimination vs. just having your villain dropping slurs to show that they're a bad person.

//But in Staffside, it's not drama fodder. None of this exists just to make Kan more hateable or to horrify and gross out the audience. Staffside is about this stuff, why it happens and how it affects the people involved. It's about how the people behind this game aren't a bunch of faceless unfeeling monsters, but actual people who were drawn into a situation and then given no way out.

//There's so much care devoted to making the facility feel like an actual toxic work environment rather than a den of evil. Yes, the people involved ARE active perpetrators of a monstrous crime, but it addresses their humanity, their flaws, their fears, and what little comforts they can find with each other.

//When Kan assaults people, it's never treated as fodder to make him seem more evil. It's given actual weight and we see how it affects people like Dr. Suga and Dr. Hattori, how afraid people are, the fact that those who aren't involved feel qualified to judge it and dismiss it in favor of Kan's role within this project. There are many layers to it and the consequences are still ongoing.

//That is very, very rare to see, and I have to commend Von Babbitt as a writer. But I have to say, for me, it almost works too well.

//Another big reason I initially didn't want to read Staffside was because I'm an empathetic person who hates injustice and doesn't like seeing people in pain. If there are genuinely good people here, like I'd been told many times, I knew I wasn't going to want to see them go through hell.

//Again, it turns out it's much more nuanced than that, but I still feel apprehensive about reading this sometimes because it's so depressing and visceral and cruel. And unfortunately very realistic with how these crimes aren't taken seriously. Which just makes me upset.

//I was expecting more of the equivalent of Kan holding a gun to their heads and forcing them to do horrible things. Instead, he deliberately injuries people, makes them physically and mentally dependent on him, and makes them do bad things before they even realize what they're done and convinces them it's too late to go back now. The people here are denied control over everything.

//To me, that's more horrifying and upsetting than just dropping in an assault scene for the sake of drama. It's genuinely difficult to read at times and I have to stop frequently because I'm left with so many ugly feelings. As we all should when faced with something as vile as sexual violence.

//Not that it's all doom and gloom. I do like the relationships we have with the interns, even if I have mixed feelings about some of them as people. I'm not sure how that will change over time, but I am curious to see.

//Tl;dr- Staffside is incredibly good at what it sets out to do and I absolutely hate reading it. That's a compliment from me, I promise : P

[solarwynd]

i swear armys live in another dimension because i can't believe they're this obtuse. they think of themselves as if they're oh so much better than solos and better people overall because they """know jimins heart""". i saw some jm biased army and she was making tweets about how she knows jimin's heart and that's why she hates his solos the most and will be voting for rm. likeeeee and she was even making tweets saying that if solos were insulting you you were doing something right....it swear to god it comes to a point were i think army are too far up the army mindset that there's no going back, they're brainwashed

If “knowing Jimin’s heart.” means intentionally misconstruing Jimin’s personality just to justify their neglect of him and then disguise it as their same fucked up sense of “OT7 nobility”

Armys don’t know Jimin. They know the buzzwords that come with the role he plays in BTS’ group dynamic. Which again is “cute, giving and sweet.” All of which constitutes as to as unambitious pushover in their heads. But those traits have never been all he is.

I was rewatching some run episodes early cause I just needed a Jimin fix and has always displayed very clear competitive tendencies. And you can say those are just games, but when put in a situation like that you think it would bring that out more or believe that they would just disappear when it comes to his solo career?

Even if he doesn’t feel the need to be competitive outwardly or show dissatisfaction with his career like the other members have because he’s doing well, he’s shown it with himself. Constantly feeling the need to top whatever he put out last, always thinking about how he can better himself. And with MUSE you can tell he was a little frustrated that enlistment cut his time short that he couldn’t do all he wanted with that album.

So he’s always been goal centered as well. And for armys to believe that he’d be okay with halting his own progress in advancing if meant that his band mates were able to have a win? No you don’t understand him. Knowing that Jimin actually is gracious in a way that he wouldn’t be upset that his bandmate won something over him is not the same as armys never making an effort for him, deciding that it’s not a big deal if he misses out on something because they feel like his band mate needs it more and assuming he’d that he’d be happy with their actions of doing so.

They are brainwashed and have let their resentment of Jimin corrupt whatever genuine OT7 beliefs they might have had years back because their need to course correct the balance he threw off when he got too successful for them is too strong to even see what they’re doing is not the purely good deed they think it is.

[thedreadvampy]

I don't really like when people are like 'this is who they've always been' when talking about a high-profile radicalisation cause I don't think it's always true?

like it can be useful to interrogate what's always been there, but also this shit does change you very fast, and once you're finding comfort or something else useful from it, it can change your basic beliefs at an alarming pace.

like I'm not alone in having seen this up close, many of us are in this position. but 25 years ago my dad was a committed atheist, a trade unionist, more of a feminist than my mum, and his job was as a test engineer which is literally data science. when he had a traumatic breakdown in 2003 conspiracy theories were something to cling onto to make the world make sense and by 2018 he didn't understand why you'd cite a source to talk about cherrypicking, was repeating christofascist talking points, pushing the Protocols of the Elders of Zion, and believed the most obviously bullshit data interpretations you've ever seen.

like some of that's always been there, sure. he's probably always had some shitty ideas about women and ethnic minorities to the degree of being a middle class white English man earning in the top 8% of salaries.

but no, dude, he hasn't 'been like this all along' in terms of his specific conservative beliefs, nor is it an attempt to shift to a popular position (god knows it hasn't been popular in my dad's life).

And I genuinely think this is also true of a lot of celebrity alt-right conversions. Sometimes it's pure grift (eg Russell Brand), sometimes it's an ability to express what's been there all along in a more conservative climate (eg Gwen Stefani) but often it's a genuine change of beliefs (I actually do think JK Rowling). They weren't like this all along but genuinely and authentically they are now like this.

and one of the reasons 'this is who they've always been' bothers me is I think it's an act of moral cowardice. I think we are perpetually, and understandably, frightened of the idea that this can happen to people Like Us

so we have to believe that this is Uncovering An Existing And Recognisable Moral Rot cause like. We're Good People we couldn't be radicalised to the far right.

but the truth is honestly that, like cults, right wing radicalisation just have to find you at a time when you're feeling lost, vulnerable, purposeless, overwhelmed, and offer you something you need. that's why the far right rises so much faster in recessions, because we're all feeling like that - but people who aren't poor or disenfranchised can still feel lost. Say, if they recently got divorced, or lost a loved one, or their career stalled out, or they lost a lot of money, or people turned on them after a scandal, or maybe they just had a personal psychological crisis like a changing sense of self or some old trauma coming back up. Or they did something fucked up and have not been able to square that with who they think of themselves as. Or their child came out as queer or trans and they freaked out and that too can shake one's sense of self.

That doesn't mean we have to feel sorry for them or coddle them or waste all our energy trying to ~change their hearts~ but accepting that people can change for the worse as well as the better is unfortunately part of dealing with the reality of the situation. Your friends and loved ones can change as people, and sometimes that includes becoming abusive, reactionary, violent or evil, not because they were Like That All Along and you should have seen it, but because we're all subject to change throughout our lives 🤷‍♀️

[pandaofsecrets]

I already went over why I like Lukagami here, so I'm gonna go with ChloNath.

First of all, I can see why they'd like each other. Nathanaël has been characterized as having a bit of an anger problem ever since his first appearance, so it's not that much of a stretch to think that he's had to deal with people who told him to stop being angry, like it's that simple. He would therefore relate to how people tell Chloé to "be nice", but never elaborate on what that actually means or give her a solid incentive to do so. Chloé would similarly relate to Nathanaël's insecurities, even if she doesn't openly admit it at first. Chloé also strikes me as someone who likes the angry, combative type. She seems to quickly get bored of people who yield to her—Kim did everything she asked and was rejected with extreme prejudice, and the less said about Sabrina the better. And it makes perfect sense, because Chloé is used to being given things on a silver platter. Everything she gets without having worked for it is going to have no value for her.

Now, this does sound like a relationship that would quickly spin out of control, but honestly I think it'd actually serve as a great vehicle for self-improvement for both of them. For one, of them are the way they are because they're constantly acting like they have something to prove. Chloé is trying to be the "exceptional" person worth her mother's time, and Nathanaël lashes out at people because he's trying to project the image of someone that shouldn't be messed with. So, both of them are likely to double down when they feel judged or rejected. If they're with someone who meets them on their own terms and who they can safely take their issues out on, they're eventually going to get to the point where they go "Wait, this is dumb. Why am I doing this?" For another thing, both of them have this thing where they project their idea of the "perfect" partner on their crushes and get super huffy when said crushes don't stick to the script. Only, they're about as far away from each other's ideal as possible, so being together is going to teach them to stop living in their own heads and take the other person as they are. It's the same reason the Love Square works so well—or at least it would in a better show. Adrien having a completely hidden side to him that Marinette has to reconcile would teach her that love is less about planning cute dates and making gifts for someone's next 35 birthdays, and more about actually understanding the person next to her with their flaws and sins. And vice-versa for Adrien, of course.

Second of all, staying on that "perfect partner" idea for a bit, most of Chloé's ideal of the perfect guy comes from her parents in one way or another. Nathanaël being the furthest thing away from that would mark a definitive break between the values instilled in her and who she chooses to be going forward. It would force her to choose between what she's been taught and what she actually wants in life, and to actually commit to that choice.

Third, Nathanaël would be one of the first to correct people when they call Chloé irredeemable, even if it's just in a "It's not that she can't get better, it's that she doesn't want to" kind of way. Nath's Jewish, and in Judaism there's not really such thing as a point of no return. Evil is a choice one makes, and not making that choice is seen as always a possibility. You know that bit in Steven Universe where White Diamond randomly stops being a tyrant because of a single conversation (nay, a single comeback)? It's that idea, taken to the extreme. Nathanaël is going to be one of the few people who, even if he doesn't personally forgive Chloé, is never going to deny that she's got the capacity for change.

Judaism also sees good and evil as less about being and more about doing, and emphasizes taking real, tangible measures to fix what you've done. Nathanaël would force Chloé to seek atonement in a real way, where she has to think about the impact of her actions and actually put in effort to make up for her wrongdoings.

[Sidenote, typing this out makes me realize just how completely at odds Nathanaël would be with the show's system of morality where intent is everything. He'd be the least likely to judge Chloé for doing the right thing for the "wrong" reasons, but also the least likely to let, say, Marinette or Félix off the hook because they had "good intentions". No wonder he doesn't get a lot of screen time.]

Lastly, they have had the most interesting interactions with Hawk Moth. Nathanaël is the first character we see to be punished for trying to defy him (Evillustrator), and Chloé is the first character to actually succeed in defying him (Miraculer). If there was a scene where Chloé helped Nathanaël break free of an akumatization, it'd bring everything full circle.

I'm asking in genuine curiosity; is Twitter just behind the curve or is there a real rise in anti-crackship sentiment? I mean I've talked to people who just prefer to ship whatever's canon so long as it's not an actual crime, but... it just feels so boring.

Actually, please repost this with your favorite ship regardless of canonical merit and explain why you enjoy it---I'm curious and crave dopamine.

Only fair to trade, mine at the moment is Artistic Musing.

[purplesaline]

... did you NEED an article about why breeding for health in dogs is good while doing so for humans is eugenics? because that sounds kind of concerning? governing how humans reproduce is much more invasive and a much bigger abuse of power than doing so to animals. human rights are not comparable to animal welfare. maybe look into theory surrounding "animal rights vs animal welfare" for similar themes?

Not at all! I was just curious about the nuances of that topic that would be addressed in such an article.

As a severely disabled queer woman with an incredibly high genetic cancer risk I am not at all confused about the topic of eugenics and why it's a bad thing, don't worry!

I do like to explore nuance and grey areas and challenge my beliefs to see which hold up to scrutiny and which ones I may need to rethink or dismantle particularly because it's very easy to not realize when beliefs are formed based on the ideals of a culture rife with systemic oppression.

I know that the reason animal breeding practices for health is seen as good while it's eugenics in humans boils down to "We can't trust everyone to act in good faith" and personal choice and agency and consent etc. Don't worry! I'm not someone you'll ever see knowingly advocate for eugenics. I was simply wondering if an article about such a topic would address any points I hadn't previously considered on eugenics or animal welfare.

I appreciate you checking in and for suggesting some direction for learning more about the topic if I had been as unsure as you worried I may be. I know in online spaces a comment like yours is more likely to result in conflict and that it takes both energy and courage to reach out, even anonymously, so thank you.

[powerfulkicks]

just thinking about how there's no reality in which anyone but trump wins the presidency and wondering what america and the world is gonna look like when it's over

[snekdood]

I think in the whole convo around why its hard to make friends today really understimates how technology has essentially ripped peoples masks off to show how toxic they can become and how repelling and even scary it can be interacring with ppl bc of it. Bc of tiktok. Bc of ppl filming you secretly. Bc the "bullying is good, actually" people. Literally that video of that lady lying to her neighbor and then the neighbor confronted her and she gaslighted the neighbor like. You might laugh but deep down you know youd never hang out w that person on a deep level. You know that person would just be toxic. At this point being alone seems more appealing bc you dont have to risk all this weird bullshit. Its almost worth the touch starvation n all the other physical and mental bullshit that comes w loneliness n shit if every friend geoup is going to try to eventually moralize their hate of you and kick you out of a friend geoup for being too "cringe" and then put you on blast online and then all the commentors just laugh and dont think deeply about the situation bc theyre just there to laugh and are prolly just as fuckin toxic. Like we got a real issue here yall. Wtf is going on. Ppl in my generation are so fucking unlikeable.

[waywardsalt]

tag rant but man i fuckin hate the new direction for loz

[punkitt-is-here]

Hi, I'm genuinely looking for an explanation here and not looking for an argument /srs

Can you explain how calling a transfem a TERF for spreading ideology that I genuinely assumed was included in the definition of TERFism is othering ? Not to be that guy, but I'm autistic and I'm having a very hard time connecting the points you're making, and I genuinely want to learn and understand what you're saying /gen

Again, I do hope this doesn't come off as hostile, I am genuinely trying to learn and understand better, and I want to be able to fix misconceptions about what a TERF is in my own mind, and I haven't seen anyone bring this point up before /gen

You absolutely do not have to answer this, but I hope you have a fabulous rest of your day, and I do apologize for what I said, as it wasn't necessary for me to comment on the situation.

Yeah totally! Okay, I got a lot of this from Ibram X. Kendi's "How to be Antiracist"* where he talks about describing "racist" as an identity means that hardly anyone is going to ever "identify" with it, even if they are a racist. It's much more helpful to talk about actions being racist or anti-racist. Someone committing racist acts speaks far more to the vulnerability of anyone to cause harm, rather than it being something ONLY reserved for someone with the identity of "racist". For example, Clarence Thomas, a black man, has done untold amounts of harm to the black population in the US. If we subscribe to the "oh, (X) can't be racist, they are (a minority)" train of thought, it means people are less likely to understand that Clarence Thomas commits racist acts. In the same way, describing yourself as an anti-racist is not enough, as it can let people be comfortable with racist actions because they think "oh, I'm an anti-racist, I can't commit acts of racial harm." That's why it's more helpful to describe acts as racist and anti-racist rather than framing them as identities.

In a similar way, describing someone as the label of "TERF" can have a similar effect. Because it's specifically a label centered around being anti-trans, transgender people of all kinds will easily assume they cannot be transphobic, because the label of TERF is ideologically opposed to their existence. It invites ridicule rather than introspection. By saying actions can be transphobic, I think it helps a lot more because it's easier to understand that trans people can be transphobic. For example, Blaire White is right there. Despite being a trans woman, she is actively doing transphobic acts. By calling out an action as transphobic rather than describing someone as a "TERF", it helps fight back against the idea that being trans means you cannot be transphobic. For a super duper simple example, I can step on my dogs tail, but it doesn't mean I hate dogs, it means I committed an act of harm against my dog. Describing me as a dog-hater when I LOVE dogs would invite ridicule more than it would a tendency to watch my step when my dog is in the house. I hope this makes sense!

*I'm not trying to say the Black and Trans experience is exactly the same, just that like any oppressed group, there is a lot of overlap in tactics and thinking, especially for people who are Black and Trans. Reading about other groups can really give you a ton of helpful insight on how to work within your own identity!

[thedevotionaltour]

in terms of art alone im sorry. im a jrjr defender to my last breath you be fucking nice to him. i dont wanna hear shit❗️❗️❗️

[musical-chick-13]

If I'm not careful, I'm going to get salty about stupid music opinions again.

[monstersholygrail]

Puppy bf being a good boy and waiting by the door when you come home from work, his cock already nice and hard. Waiting impatiently he wags his tail so hard it smacks against the wall. Whining about how badly he needs you.

Sending even the slightest signal he’ll be on you before you can blink, his snout nuzzling against your nose as he crowds you against the door so that you can feel the straining bulge in his pants. His hips move on their own as they automatically start grinding against your clothed core.

You protest, trying to at least go to the bedroom, but as soon as your bf gets a whiff of your arousal he’s done for. His nails catching on your clothes and tears them off in one single jerk of his arm. His quickly following.

You cry out, trying to cover yourself up before his hand pins both your wrists above your head. You look at him in shock and he immediately whimpers, bowing his head to you as his hard cock now rocks into your exposed folds. Wanting to be good even as his need consumes him and your arousal drips down onto his length.

“Don’t I deserve your pretty pussy? Haven’t I been good for you?“

His free hand slowly begins to trail down your body, not being able to help but grab fist fulls of your flesh on the way down. You moan softly, head rolling back against the door as he continues his journey until he’s cupping your cunt in his hand. Fingers cheekily running through your glistening folds.

“Y-yes,” you stutter, barely able to talk. Your bf whines louder and dips his fingers inside you just enough to have you jerking in his arms before they leave to swirl around your clit.

“Then please let me fuck you. I’ll do anything! I’ll lick you raw, I’ll make you cum till you pass out, I’ll make you feel better than you ever have before.”

You both know he was going to do all that anyway, but at the desperation in his eyes you know you can’t deny him any longer. And you can’t deny yourself either. Today was stressful and all you want right now is for your bf to pound into you until you’re seeing stars.

All it takes is you hooking your leg around your bf’s waist and his eyes brighten, immediately understanding your signal. Before you can even blink he’s thrusting inside you and he doesn’t stop to let you adjust.

Grunts and moans ring throughout your home and you’re more than certain all the neighbors can hear your bf fucking into you with reckless abandon. The door rattling on its hinges from the sheer power of his cock plunging into your wet heat.

Your bf whines lowly in your ear, nuzzling into the fold of your neck. Slowly turning to a puddle now that he can feel your squishy body back against his and his cock back inside of you.

“Why won’t you touch me? P-please, need your touch. Been forever, do you even love me anymore?” He whines dramatically.

He starts fucking up into you even harder. As if trying to remind you of the sensations that only he’s ever been able to bring out of you. You pant heavily, your eyes clouded with lust to the point you can barely think straight either.

“Baby, you got my hands.”

Your bf looks up and sees his claws still trapping your wrists against the door. His cheeks blaze with pink and he lets you go before hiding into your neck, rocking his hips so his pelvis grinds against your pussy in a silent apology. Your jaw drops, pussy clenching around him and he growls until your hands claw down his back and he calms down.

His length still sliding along your walls at a punishing pace, bringing you closer and closer your release. It’s as if he can sense it, grinding harder against your clit. Wanting to feel you milking his dick more than anything.

“Waited so long for you, to feel your tight pussy sucking my cock back inside you. Felt like years. Missed you so much,” he whimpers, rutting into you furiously like he doesn’t want to leave your cunt for a second.

“I’m right here. Not going anywhere,” you whisper breathlessly in his ear.

With one more thrust you’re coming so hard on his cock that your ears ring. Your pussy clenching down so tightly on his length that he instantly cums right after you. Satisfied growls leaving his chest as you two help work each other through your climaxes.

You sag against him and his hands tighten on your hips, insistent on keeping you close. And he does as he helps take you to your room where he plans to make sure you don’t go anywhere as you’ll be too busy writhing on his thick tongue.