#why is it that people think it's still okay to do that on posts by transfeminists? (<- knows the answer)

[honourablejester]

Okay. Last response, because I agree this is getting long, and I can see we’re going to have to agree to disagree.

Primary thing:

I only really do think that religion shall only be portrayed as force of evil.

That is censorship. That is the exact same logic as the Hays Code. The thing you view as immoral shall not be portrayed as anything but immoral. That’s the Hays Code. That is literally censorship. Which aside from being always dangerous, also doesn’t work. I do understand, particularly right now, when a fundamentalist Christian nation piloted by a psychotic idiot and his nazi friends might be threatening to bomb the world, that the extremes of religion are be terrifying, but censorship doesn’t stop that. It only feeds it. It creates an aura of martyrdom and persecution around the idea of religion that only draws people in and hardens their views. If you advocate for all media to tell these people, and not even just fundamentalists, but any one of the billions of people worldwide who are religious, which for most of history has been a large majority of humanity, that they are hated and scorned and considered evil, no exceptions, all that will do is create trauma and fear and even more hatred of everyone not like them. Censorship does nothing except isolate people, harden the lines, and enshrine violence and persecution.

Because it is, also, actual religious persecution as well. Only people who believe as you believe are correct, everyone else is evil, and can only be portrayed as evil. And that, of course, historically never went anywhere bad either. For a specific atheist-on-religious example, see the history of the Soviet Union.

I do get it. Like I said, as will be clear from where I draw the line between real and unreal in the rest of the post, I am actually broadly atheist myself. I am from Ireland, a country where as recently as twenty years ago religiously inspired sectarian violence caused the bombing deaths of a lot of people, where colonisation was partially justified on religious grounds, where part of the country is still colonised, hence said sectarian violence and religiously-inspired bombings. And even saying that is already a loaded and potentially violent statement. I understand that religion can be used for truly terrifying things.

But the same is true of every human divide. Nationality. Rationality. And you don’t solve any of that by picking which bits you want to ban and never see discussed again. There is no quick fix. There is no way to make it go away. Religion has been a part of human experience for as long as there have been people, and it does good things as well as bad. It provides community, it provides resources, it provides comfort. And yes, all of those things have costs, and sometimes terrible ones, the missions had horrific results, but so does every other large scale human system that divides people into categories. See also nation states. See also economic systems. There is no way to just go … ‘If only everyone thought exactly as I thought, there would be a utopia’. Because that in itself only recognises as good the people who think exactly like you. That’s an expression of the exact same desire that every other … well. Religion, nation state and dictatorship. All that says is that you’re hoping it’ll swing around and you’ll be the boot this time.

Censorship is not ever the answer, and no blanket statement that such-and-such a category is evil is ever a) true or b) helpful.

Which is why we have fantasy fiction where sometimes it is easier. Where the problem can be solved by shooting a fictional nazi in the face or stabbing a fictional demon. Because in the real world those don’t work, but it’s nice to fantasise sometimes.

So long as we keep in mind that in the real world it doesn’t work, that in the real world it’s hard and horrible and messy and never as easy or morally clear-cut as we would like, then let fiction do whatever it needs to do, and provide a vent, provide an exploration, provide a representation, or just provide a quick cathartic fantasy.

kind of concerning how married the fantasy genre is to "crusades as a basically good thing"

[kiyzukiy]

Inevitable fate

Sypnosis: A story as old as time. A girl loving a boy and the boy loving another girl. Nothing to add or show but how you hoped this would be different.

Tags: any lads man x reader, any lads man x MC, reader is not mc, angst, hurt/no comfort, not beta read

Author's note: Heya~ I'm fairly new to this and this is also my first post I've done this way. If I'm missing any tags please tell me. Otherwise I hope you enjoy <3

Have you waited to long? 

Some would say yes, could they witness your…rather disgraceful moment right now. There you stood. Out in the dark. Flowers in one hand. In the other his favorite snack and a handwritten note with all your feelings on it. You had hoped to surprise him. His surprise was bigger.

It was almost comically, really. A scene out of a movie. Life imitating art.

Unfortunate for you, this was no such moment. No one would spring out of the corner of the building and scream “prank!” and shove a camera in your face to record it for eternity. Upload it to some social media and get clicks for it or let it become a happy, albeit with embarrassment toned memory. 

You had the strong feeling, the longer you stood there, this was no such scene but reality. 

In silence you stood and watched them. A bit creepy, you would think to yourself if your brain would work right now on the right wavelengths.

It was like sick pleasure. 

Like watching a car wreck. 

Like a nature phenomenon that could kill you, and yet your eyes couldn't move away. 

The sweet scratch on a point you couldn't quite reach. So why did it slowly start to hurt? Did it start to bleed? Should you have left it alone?

Your body was rigid. So even if you wanted to, you couldn't move away. Leave. Like any other person would do. No. You were very focused on the moment that was going on right in front of you. Every sense that you had laser pointed, marked and sharp to the two people in front of you. 

Your friends warned you, didn't they? If you could remember, you would chastise yourself right now. Numerous excuses running around in your head that you gave them. He wasn't like that. It's more than that. He shows genuine interest. He is so sweet. He gave me flowers last week. There has to be something. 

What did your friends say? You couldn't remember. Your mind a jumbling mess. Numbing every thought. Thoughts jumping from one point to the other. Was it a lie? 

But then again what was the lie? You, or him? 

Look away. 

Now he was grasping her waist. Laughter rang in your ears. Was that her? Was that her laughing? With him? And oh how he laughed. Like spring bloom. Like butterflies kissing your cheeks. How the morning sun gently wakes you up with the promise of a new day. Like life. 

He never laughed that way with you. You wonder why. Was she different? More straightforward? More funny? More assertive? More…her? Who was she anyway? You didn't recognize her. No pictures of her in his home, nor on his phone. No story told with this appearance depicted. You could only guess and that guess didn't fill your cold veins with joy. A feeling of doom pooling in your stomach. 

They both seem to know eachother. Awfully comfortable with another too. Laughing, giggling and holding hands together. 

Look away. 

They were moving and simultaneously, you as well. Were you tailing them now? Oh you sick fuck, okay or was this just another thing of watching a car wreck burn. To prolong the moment? Fascinated and in awe that something like that truly happened. Normally you see this only on TV, on the news or just on social media. As if this would be daily life.

They haven't notice you yet so what’s the harm? Maybe this was the way you wanted to go first. You weren't failing them if you just so happen to walk the same way. It's not like they would notice you anyway. It's not like he would notice. To engrossed in the woman beside him that he was still talking with about who knows what. 

Jealousy reared it's ugly head in your heart. He was not like this with you. Not smiling like that, not keeping the conversation going like that. Genuine interest. No. You mistook it as such. Now you saw what his interest looks like. Engagement, excitement and wanting to listen.

A funny thought entered your head, if and when they spot you, you can just go over and do idle chit-chat like “oh hey. I'm just his friend that he was supposed to meet and yes, yes his dick is impressive. I know first hand. What is your experience with that?” 

Yeah. Right. That's what you are going to do. Let’s be real here, you could talk yourself into it but never following through with it because how could you? 

This is what your friends warned you about. 

Look away. 

What were you doing? Exactly? What was your plan? Idly following them to gather more evidence? For what? It's not like you need the evidence for anything as you were nothing to him anyway. 

You had no valid reason to be angry right now. No one said it should be exclusive. Why should you? You were. Just. Friends. Right? Your own words, when you saw his hesitation at your question what you both were. Friends with benefits if someone wants to be specific. 

So why should you take pictures of this moment? You couldn't shove it in his face and demand answers. You couldn't be angry the way you wanted to be. Oh, how you wanted to be angry right now. Raging and screaming. Throwing things at him and watch how he struggled to get a good excuse in. 

But you were only a friend or maybe something else entirely.

Maybe a cheap fuck. Maybe a good distraction. Maybe a stepping stone. Maybe the one to test things out on. Maybe…nothing more than to get the one who got away. 

Was that her? The one he always told you has long since slipped away? The one who assumably forgot about him and moved on? Is that her? With her long, ebony brown hair and expressive eyes? With her fit physique. Perfect nails, even better outfit. Though you wouldn't be surprised if you could dress her up the way you wanted to and she still would look stunning. With that step in her walk like she was excited to meet someone she hasn't seen in a while. Wild hands as she told a story and he listened. Oh? He listened. One more thing you could tick off of your list that he wouldn't do with you. Not in this way. No, not…in this way.

You couldn't deny it. She was beautiful. The longer you looked, watched, observed this was a fact. Well, in your mind you always could give her a nasty personality. Judge her only on her appearance. Could tell yourself that she got around in life because of her looks and not what she accomplished on her own. 

Even though that wouldn't help much. Even though that wouldn't be you. That's not you. You are not like that, but right now you wanted to crash out and not be yourself. Be mean, be vengeful, be hateful. And yet? A sad little smile on your face, you admitted to yourself that she was beautiful. Inside and out. You had a feeling that she was and she looked stunning right next to him. Fitting. Not…like you. 

Just one moment. Let yourself be. Even though it wouldn't help. Only you and your bruised ego over the fact that you went and gave your heart to the wrong man. Again. 

Look away.

Almost, right? Just almost. You haven't done it yet. Not completely. That was soothing, wasn't it? You haven't confessed yet. You wanted to. That was the whole plan of your meet up with him today. The whole sense behind you, now following them, getting flowers and his snack because women could woo men too. That was the plan. What a grand plan that was! 

You…had a plan. A cute picknick underneath the night sky. Watching the stars and professing your love and you both would enter a happy, healthy relationship. The end. 

Reality was but a cruel joke or your saving grace. Lucky you didn't do it. At least that's what you will tell yourself when you get home. In the mirror. Alone. Memories of you and him running on loop behind your eyes and you will ask yourself what you lack. But that was a problem for future you, wasn't it?

Look away! 

Pitter patter. You hear it before you feel it. You scoffed. Right, of course. Now this was rather ridiculous and might you add ironic of life. Why yes of course it would really rain right now. As if this wasn't movie worthy to begin with. Now you would be soaked when you get home as well. 

Well, at least you didn't confessed right? This can be another failed dating attempt you can gossip with your friends about. A small hihi haha story while they ramble on about who they dated last and what happend with that encounter. 

It would be funny. If you wouldn't hurt so much right now. Because this could have been perfect. This could have been your moment. He was the man. Kind, attentive, supportive and understanding. Alright, so what? Maybe you started as friends with benefits but you were friends and the sex was even better. Silly banter and an comfortable vibe between you. What else does a relationship need? 

This could have been it.

Please, look away sweetie.

Now he was touching her cheek. She was turning to him. Beneath a lamp post in the park. No body around. You still far away in the dark. Shivering, flowers soaked and still clutching that stupid snack in your hand. Knuckles turning white. Teeth grinding and jaw clenching. Against your better judgement you were angry. And sad. And disappointed. And so god damn hurt. Jesus, why did it hurt so much? You were nothing. Only the memories weren't nothing. They were real. Real interactions that made you fall in love. That made you giggle and laugh and reminiscence about what could be. What could have been. 

You wish you could hold your heart right now. Clench the shirt above your heart. Symbolic to the pain. The heavy weight on your chest that didn't let you breathe freely.

Would it happen now? That what the singers and poets always proclaim about? The deepest pain, the most lingering scar? Is this the moment where you will hear your heart shatter in the rain? 

They don't seem to be bothered by it. While everyone was flittering and running about to get underneath shelter, these two seem disgustingly happy that it was, in fact, raining. Oh to be sickingly in love so that you would gladly take the cold that would follow after such events. Being stone cold out, but the moment was beautiful. For them. At least. A story they could tell. Oh so romantic. Oh so loving, oh so beautiful. Re-enacted out of a book.

You would just be down with a cold and calling in sick because you just. Couldn't. Look. Away. 

Please, why? Look away, starlight. Come on. 

Ah, there it was. The moment. A movie. The scene. The setting. The light. Romance. Young, undisturbed love. A kiss. 

And you. Sticking out like a sore thumb. A watcher. A silent bystander to their rom-com. A witness to their happy end and ever after. 

They don't notice you. But you notice. You notice your heart plumpeting to the depths of the earth, only to burn in front of the events before you. You feel it break. Pain surges through your veins. To how many pieces can a beating heart shatter? Do you dare to count? Would it be the amount of the shared memories? Would it be the many times you wished to be more? How long would it take to put it back together? Would you ever get closure or would you continue on with the things in mind that you saw today? Could you pretend nothing happened and be quiet by his side? Don't you love yourself more than that?

Princess, look away. 

What were you to him for him to be able to do this with no second thought? Does he feel any guilt right now, any thoughts about you? Does he see you behind his eyes when they close in this intimate moment? 

It didn't seem this way. It more so felt like a punch to the gut to witness just how little you meant to him. Apparently. Evidently. Written and signed by him truly. 

Cutie…look away. 

And you do. With a shaking breath, you look away. One slugging step at the time, you turn away. Tears falling down your face as you look up to the sky and wonder: 

Have you waited too long?

[scorpio1205]

My Boyfriend Dyes My Hair? Q&A

Summary: Bambi films a YouTube video with her boyfriend, Matt.

Warnings: swearing, fluff, Matt being a simp, Matt being in love, kisses, hair dying, flirting, lore drop and suggestive behavior

Bambi turned on the camera making a face "It's definitely on. You think I'd know how to work a camera" She snickered.

"If it helps.... I struggle too" Matt smiled walking into the frame. "But you're doing great sweetie."

"That sounds very sarcastic, Matty Blue."

Matt gasped "Me? Never"

Bambi snickered slightly shaking her head at him before looking at the camera "So, for anyone watching..... I'm dying my hair and Matt is gonna help me, we're going to answer some questions and just have a little fun."

Matt ran his fingers through her hair lovingly with a smile.

"Okay so now...... Moon.... look away cause we're just winging this" She laughed. "so for those of you who don't know as a teenager my hair was always a different color. I've had red, pink, blue, purple and blonde..... I had a peekaboo where the underside of my hair was pink.... All done by myself and my mom."

Matt nodded along "And she looked gorgeous as always" He pecked her cheek sweetly.

"Aw, thank you, my love" She grinned leaning into him. "But, um, I took a break cause I didn't want my hair to fall out due to damage so this is all virgin hair-"

There was a soft laugh at the word 'virgin' making her turn to Matt with raised eyebrows "sorry"

"what?" she raised her eyebrows confused.

"Just been a while since I heard you refer to yourself as a 'virgin'"

"Matthew Sturniolo!" She gaped turning red as he burst into laughter. before regaining her composer "Um, but I have a bunch of different hair dyes and shit so we're just gonna wing it and answer questions."

"Okay so bleach is mixed" She mumbled putting her gloves on. "and now we start.." She started to apply the bleach to her hair.

"Okay first question, Why is your brother never in your YouTube videos or posted on your Instagram?"

She smiled as he mentioned her brother. "Well firstly my brother is a minor, and some of you beautiful people are a little mean or out there and I don't want him exposed to that. Secondly, my brother just doesn't wanna be online. He finds me a bit embarrassing which is whatever but yea."

"Yea, he's a little shit" Matt mumbled jokingly before looking at the camera. "And I can say that cause I've known since he was a year old"

She giggled softly continuing to do her hair "Yea he is...."

"Oh, this one just says 'please debunk some of the rumors about you, or you and the triplets."

"Um, where should I start" She laughed. "Firstly, I don't live with the triplets. I have my own apartment like 20 minutes away."

He nodded with a pout. "I do wish she lived with us though."

"Matt and I talked about moving in together in early 2023 but we felt like we were too young for that and we still needed to learn who we are and our own spaces. But hopefully we'll take that step soon"

Matt leaned up pecking her lips happily. "Yep, hopefully very soon."

She flushed a bit with a giddy smile before looking at the camera "Oh, another one." She lifted the hand that was covered with a blue glove though you could see an outline of her ring. "This isn't an engagement ring, I've seen a lot of fan theories that Matt and I are engaged. This is a promise ring. We sadly aren't engaged"

"Sadly?" He moved closer to her with raised eyebrows. "You ready to marry me right now, beautiful?"

She giggled softly "Yea" She whispered, her eyes moving to his lips before moving back to his eyes "We can talk about this later though."

He nodded his eyes still staring into her intensely, his eyes full of love.

Bambi and Matt sat on the floor with the camera on the table as the bleach processed in her hair.

"Someone wants to know why we call you Bambi."

"Oh this is actually a funny question" She shifted a bit getting comfortable. "Um so, my older cousins and I were all named after my grandmother.... So my oldest cousin has my grandmother's name, *Oldest cousins name*, my other cousin, who is also older than me, is *Muddle cousins name* and my name is a Y/n" (Plsss use similar name think like Angela, Angelina and Angel or something like that) She shifted her chin onto her knee. "So it would get complicated when talking to us when we were little even with me living in boston and them living in Brooklyn.. So I started just going by the nickname I got called the most."

"Yea, Bam's family has a lot of very similar names. Like her mom, Aunt, and Uncles names all start with the same letter. and her great aunts and uncles all have the same first letter as well. and theirs a lot of jr's" Matt mumbled thinking of all the names he had remembered over the years.

"Yeah, do you know how many times my mom has called me by my cousins names. And what doesn't help is our names are so similar down to our middle names. We all have variations of the same first and middle name, this isn't my real middle name but think like Marie. There's O/C/N Marie, M/C/N Luc-Marie, and Y/N Jay-Marie. Again these aren't our real middle names" She laughed. "So name wise the names are so similar that it kinda fucks us. Even my brother and I have pretty much the same initials."

Matt looked at his phone "Lets go get that bleach out of your hair Bam"

"Ok.... so this all surprisingly even" She dried her hair in the mirror. "So..... I was thinking of doing a darker blue.....I'm sure you guys all know that Matt's favorite color is blue and I think he'll like it."

Matt walked into frame with more gloves and a washed hair bowl "Let's do this"

She let out a giggle "Soooo, Matt is gonna do this part cause you can't screw this part up."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence, Baby" He laughed sitting her down on the stool. "You just sit here, read the questions and look pretty while I do your hair."

She scoffed playfully "Sir yes sir" She looked through the questions as Matt started doing her hair. "Have you ever dated Chris?"

Matt made a face immediately, his lips turning into a kinda pout.

"No. I have never dated Chris, let's clear that up real quick." She laughed. "Chris is my best friend. The only 'date' like thing we ever did was go to prom together and it was cause neither of us had dates"

"I was gonna ask you." Matt replied suddenly catching her off guard.

"What?"

He nodded softly "Yea... the day Chris asked you to go with him. I had a whole promposile thing.....then I heard Chris asked you so I curled up in a ball and died."

"Aw, baby" She leaned up kissing him with a pout. "You're so cute. I freaking love you."

"Okay, this is the final reveal, drum rolls please, Matty Blue."

Matt laughed drumming the counter as she slid into frame with her new hair

"What do you guys think? I fucking love it. Comment down below how much you love it. But uh that's it for today's video guys, I hope you enjoy. Have a beautiful day, my beautiful butterflies and see you next Wednesday." She blew the camera a kiss as Matt waved and the video ended.

dividers by @bernardsbendystraws

@sturnmeovr @big-poppa23 @colorthecosmos444 @sturns-mermaid @mattsstarlet @iammattswife @carringtonsgirl @courta13 @conspiracy-ash @middlepartmatt @raesturns

[thisisnotthenerd]

the thing that stuck out to me about this finale is the theme of new starts and redemptions

because it is a release for the gods in many ways. it is a release for the protagonists of the story we're following.

but in many ways it has turned into the reversal and softening of consequences/stakes that have dogged this campaign consistently.

a list of pulled punches/backtracks in the finale (in no particular order):

divine magic functioning exactly the same post-catatheosis. i think this contributes to bell's hells' reaction; if the magic is still there and the gods are gone, that still means it's okay, right? meanwhile people are grieving the loss of the beings that have defined their lives, especially in vasselheim. i guess this implies that the gods' energies have been tied to the world of exandria; those who attune to and hold faith in the particular creed of the deities can pull on their power as it was released into the world. or they pull purely from faith in other mortals, or smaller gods/beings. but they barely had any sympathy for those losing the object of their lives' purpose.

ashton sacrificing themself and not dying or losing any semblance of their powers. i get the sacrifice. i get the mirroring of fcg's sacrifice. i get wanting to go out with a bang. i also get bell's hells wanting him back. but what i want to know, is why exactly they had to be recreated with dunamis. why not be resurrected and have to grapple with the loss of that source of power and yet be in less pain because of it?

imogen (& the other ruidusborn) not losing power after predathos' release. yes i know why in the doylist sense. but it takes away the power of that decision if the source of the aberration in 'aberrant mind' goes away and nothing changes.

laudna being re-alived in a marriage ceremony/divine intervention. it feels like a little bit of a cop-out when her previous conversation with the matron implied work through time, but maybe that's just my interpretation. perhaps it's due to the reworking of magic and the expression of divine intervention.

bell’s hells threatening their way through vasselheim and getting zero flack for it even after they lost the leverage of predathos. i get the ‘heroes of the realm’ thing. i get it. did they have to intimidate their way through as much of it as possible.

orym's pact. i get why it would have constituted a break; the way it was played off felt a little flippant. it would be one thing for it to be acknowledged as him escaping a real pact that he did get powers from. instead it's more of a comedic moment.

liliana not facing public scrutiny. maybe she did, but it really seems like she recovered and just walked away. i'm aware of what she went through as an audience member; i wish we had gotten to see what imogen vouching for her on trial would have looked like. for that matter, we don't really see a resolution of the ruby vanguard at all.

opal being partially released from the circlet. this one actually makes sense to me. not protesting this one. the spider queen can't live in the circlet all the time if she's in mortal manifestation. also, opal is fully still stuck with the crown.

vax and morrighan as champions of the matron. i do think the matron's actions fit. in this scenario, she's weighing the possibilities of her champions having to run her realm against her own experience and trying to spare them both the loneliness she herself felt. it fits. i take issue with her saying she kept him greedily, rather than what it was, which was a pact fairly made that he faithfully served, which she is adjusting in a moment of mercy at the end of the world as they know it.

the gods are back on exandria. it's been treated as a bit, with reminders of evil babies and what you could do to them. recall the last time they were there the time period was called the calamity. and also, can you imagine what the followers of either betrayer gods or prime deities would do knowing that the god who ostensibly opposed theirs was out there somewhere as a vulnerable mortal? they've started an ages-long arms race of who can find the reincarnated gods first. braius stepped away from asmodeus and was promised a lifetime of being followed for his betrayal, and yet ashton was literally followed more by the kryn dynasty.

it comes across as a lot of wish fulfillment without the legwork to get there. it's not that bell's hells haven't been through the worst and come back from it; it's that the closer we've come to a conclusion, the less it seems like bell's hells have had a stake in all of it.

even their conclusions: the primary goals have been freedom and adventuring.

vox machina's original epilogues came with grief, but also a level of responsibility to their communities (whitestone, zephrah, the faith of the everlight). they had fame from their exploits because they happened on a very grand scale.

the mighty nein's epilogues came with a resurrection, and the desire to live their lives to the fullest. as the 'heroes no one knows about', they were able to step down and live quieter lives. they pursued specific purposes, whether it's beau with the cobalt soul & caleb at the academy pursuing the assembly, fjord captaining his fleet and jester pursuing her art and faith, veth and her family and camp, kingsley as the plank king, caduceus stewarding the blooming grove, yasha tending her home, and etc.

the epilogues for bell's hells focus on them achieving individual goals of freedom to travel and adventure. sometimes they have a place where they settle, but it's generally undefined. it feels as though they're not done yet, because the finality is taken out with the stakes.

everyone lives happily ever after, and the world keeps spinning. it’s like a fluffy fix-it fic, except this is fully the canon of the world.

i’ll discuss my thoughts on the greater implications for exandria another day.

[graceofgondor]

since a couple of you (@nectarinesinthesun444 @perksofbeingpoet) asked, I figured it was worth posting

my dps ✨️hot takes✨️

disclaimer bc people get mad: these are just my opinions, if you disagree, that's okay!! people are allowed to coexist with different opinions. this is a post for friendly discussion only. please don't start discourse or block me just bc you disagree, I enjoy the fact that we all interpret this media in our own way. thank you.

alot of people flat out don't understand charlie as a character and mischaracterize him as a result. (hint: if you see him as just the funny one you need to watch the movie again)

I dislike movie knox just about as much as book knox. he's still entitled and selfish, and I don't think he deserved redemption. (I simply cannot see him in a fanon lens, I just don't like him)

I do however, wish he was written better. In that his character became all about chris, and less about his friends, which lost his character a bit, because occasionally I do see the potential.

while i like her more... i dislike chris. I obviously feel bad for what happened to her, but she is kind of a shitty friend if you think about it. she was constantly ditching ginny for boys (ergo: why i don't ship them) and quite literally cheated on her boyfriend, who was in fact, her friends brother.

relating to that, chet may be a meathead asshole just in general, but he did absolutely nothing wrong when it came to knox and that is a hill i will DIE on.

oh!! hey!! we shouldn't joke about the paddling scene!! literally ever!!!

the "except sex" line is taken way too far. it's not (canonically) gay. boys joke about sex. let's move on.

relating to that... i don't fault anyone for shipping anything legal—but some ships simply have no evidence in canon. (knarlie, chrisginny) and I'm absolutely terrified to say that... but it's true

in that same vein, many people mistake charlie's disapproval toward knox's methods with chris (especially the phone call scene) as jealousy—when in reality, it's just that—disapproval. this is a bit of an inconsistency issue, because this was much more evident in the book/original script—that charlie tended to push knox around a bit, especially about that, but regardless it's still disdain.

charlie isn't in love with everyone. he's just like that.

also— sexuality headcanons are also obviously fine. but if you say charlie is bi/gay/etc. ONLY (allow me to repeat—ONLY) because of his flamboyant tendencies, that is extremely stereotypical and rubs me so far the wrong way.

its okay to not like cameron for what he did. obviously he's not pure evil, but people are allowed to dislike a character for doing a bad thing. its not okay to be ignorant, but it is, in fact, okay to understand and still dislike a character.

already went over this kind of, but literally every poet (+the girls) gets mischaracterized and/or generalized on a large scale. like, why is half the fandom convinced pitts is braindead? and somehow, todd is incapacitated and has anxiety about everything?? I feel like the movie makes a point to say that these characters are nuanced and multifaceted, and yet they continue to be shoved into one box like two-dimensional high school archetypes.

[rubberduckyrye]

I've been seeing a fair bit of "Shuichi treats people more like cases than people" sentiment, and while it is an interesting idea for Angst Purposes, I just don't think that's very in character for him realistically.

Especially when people talk about the runaway cases he dealt with.

I think a lot of people think "runaway" and think "children who are in abusive homes who NEEDED to run away" and not "Children who got emotionally devastated by something and made an irrational choice in the heat of the moment" because there is a fundamental difference between the two. Even still, you should not leave a runaway child to fend for themselves! They are vulnerable! They need help!!!

Whether they need help getting home or help into a new home.

I think that also people don't acknowledge it when Shuichi says that he checks up on the runaway cases post-investigation to make sure everything's still okay and going well. I'm also sure that, as part of the process, he learns from the runaway child the reason why they ran away, and if the reason was as devastated as domestic or sexual violence or severe neglect, he would NOT just send them off home.

That is not in character for him.

He has a lot of very human interactions with his classmates (outside of Kokichi, who is explicitly hated by the narrative) and tries (maybe fails, but tries) to be considerate towards them and their inner feelings.

His interactions in his LSEs aren't just acting, he's still being "himself", and his interactions with characters like Kirumi (I.E. validating her and humanizing her, insisting that her love for him isn't bad because she is his equal) despite playing the role of her "master." And in Gonta's, he knew Gonta was upset over scaring him so he comforted him and reassured him that everything was okay.

Also in Kirumi's FTE's, Shuichi offered to be Kirumi's "master" when she was playing a joke on him with the whole stray maid thing, and in Kiibo's FTE, he offers to continue helping Kiibo find new avenues to explore via his robot emotions and the whole robot business thing.

Shuichi doesn't just, stick around only to figure someone out and then get bored of them when he's done. I'll be the first to admit it, how Shuichi treats Kokichi specifically is pretty terrible at times, but that is a narrative flaw that does not apply to everyone else.

He's very thoughtful, tries his best to be accommodating and supportive, and does try his best to make connections with the people around him. He almost overextends himself just to help others--which is something that he would do for runaway children as well.

I think people need to give Shuichi more credit than just seeing the Runaway Cases thing and immediately thinking his neglectful person who only cares about solving mysteries because canon didn't explicitly state how he handles those cases.

[marisainchina]

It's me... I am part of the problem.

I have read so many posts from people who are very negative about Chenford this season, and I won't pretend that I have been 100% happy. It has been weird that there haven't been clear "small doses". But I enjoyed them trying to work together and try to be professional when that has never really been a strong suit for them.

But yesterday, I read someone's post where they wrote that anyone who wants Chenford to get back together or hook up in the 7x06 episode is the FUCKING PROBLEM. So, guys, I am so the fucking problem. I don't want them to get all the way back together- that would feel rushed and be a disservice to us for not getting more to soothe our little broken hearts.

Episode 6x06 took my breath away, and I couldn't rewatch it for months. That is saying something because I am super busy with full time work and graduate school, I pretty much just repeatedly rewatch different episodes. It helps me feel less anxious. If you know, you know.

But I am so so so down for messy Chenford! They have fantastic chemistry and clearly had a great sex life. It would not be crazy to me if they were to "back-slide" and hook up. Is that the logical and best choice? Of course not. But I am not watching a drama show for everyone to be on their best behavior and making logical choices all the time. Bring on the mess.

I also haven't understood all of the hate I have read about the fact that Lucy and Tim did have a good sex life. I have read people say that their relationship was only focused on Tim being sexually gratified. Ummm, hello, he took a desk job before they ever slept together. He was already all the way in.

I am not sure how much I liked the "gratitude was repaid while dating" if it was meant to refer to sex. I don't think that is what Lucy meant, but I am okay with it if it is. Tim is hot, Lucy is hot they both enjoyed their physical relationship. When I was married (I'm a widow), my husband struggled with ED, so I basically had a sexless marriage. I will never, never do that again! I need a relationship that has physical intimacy as much as any man does, so go on, Lucy, get yours, too!

This is all my opinion, so feel free to think/feel differently. I read all of these opinions, so I also wanted to share mine. To me, it is not misogynistic for them to flirt and banter with implied references to their sex life. I would rather see a woman owning and being empowered in her sexuality rather than to just assume that she is fulfilling the needs of her man.

Bring on the messy! - My wish for 7x06 is based on the synopsis, promo, and episode stills that Tim and Lucy have that assignment together. Something happens to bring feelings up, which is why I think Lucy wears his necklace. Tim and Genny talk before or after this, and he invites her to go with him; I pray she questions his thinking and pushes him to start making better choices. Tim and Lucy end up in that room together (Is it a hotel? Or is it Tim's new house?) Then, I would love to see some of their chemistry explode on them. I'm cool with kissing or a full hook-up either way. Then they can have to deal with the aftermath in the other 11 episodes left in the season.

[chaifootsteps]

Hello, Chai! A few weeks ago, I mentioned coming into your inbox to ask you several questions about your allegations and just getting your side of the story. I will be honest, when I read the call out(s) about you.

I overall thought “yeah, I don’t blame anyone for being uncomfortable regarding your interests.” I personally don’t think you are a zoophile especially with looking at your art and your likes.

1. Are you a proshipper (many think you are that’s why I’m asking)?

2. When I searched your name on Tumblr, I noticed a few people being disgusted and weirded out you found Valentino attractive and liked ValAngel, using it as a “gotcha moment” against you and I think that’s dumb. I personally don’t ship it but I do find the ship interesting. I never cared if adults shipped Valentino/Angel Dust.

3. Thoughts on this? Is this No NSFW outdated for the Dutch angel dragon community? If you have screenshots I would love to see them.

4. Thoughts on this?

5. Thoughts on this?

6. Anonymous user accused you of being creepy towards other critics and talking about non pro shipper’s abrasively. In my comment section you mentioned criticizing pro-shippers, do you have any screenshots of that.

7. Context behind this? The user who made this post mentioned you apologized to them.

(I’ll come back cuz with more stuff).

I don't blame anyone for being uncomfortable with my interests either! You like what you like and you don't like what you don't like, and I'm a die hard monsterfucker and horror aficionado with a very firm policy on fiction vs. reality. If that's not to anyone's comfort level, no hard feelings.

That said!

1. I don't call myself a proshipper anymore because proshipper means wildly different things to different people and I was tired of fighting for a term instead of the concept that people should be allowed to explore things they wouldn't be okay with in real life in the safety of their imaginations. That being the case, I've got people who call themselves antis in my audience and in my server. My blog's open to anyone and everyone who wants to be here and talk about these things.

2. Of course I used to like Valentino and ValAngel, it was a fascinating ship and some of the fandubs for Valentino were hot as hell! Shipping something doesn't necessarily mean I want them to be together forever, just that I found their dynamic worth exploring.

It used to be that everyone was unanimous in their agreement that Val was the scum of the earth, and ever since that's changed and the fandom has started blaming Angel for "being ungrateful," I've fallen out of love with them, but my problem still isn't with anyone who likes ValAngel -- it's with the way Viv herself treats the ship and the way she Trojan Horsed it into the show and belittled survivors who were uncomfortable.

3. This one's especially funny because I guarantee you the Viv standom, who never heard of Dutch Angel Dragons before they learned about mine, care more about this than the actual mods do. NSFW Dutches actually are disallowed, and it will get you banned from Dutch spaces, but that's all. My little group has actually talked to Ino herself about it; one of the rules of my Dutch Rebel server is that you're allowed to do whatever you like with your own character, but absolutely no NSFW of OCs whose owners have said they're not comfortable with that.

As for "they all have the intelligence of children!" that's ridiculous. The mods themselves have Dutches who curse, wield guns, and like Satellite, grapple with their war trauma. This differs from character to character depending on preference, and Satellite's a fully grown adult with the mind of a grown adult.

4. This one's a patented DJ Blitz Crazy Take! It's a South Park reference.

5. I maintain that "drawn CP" shouldn't be a term because CP is a real, absolutely reprehensible crime, which is why the word has such a gutpunch visceral effect. I think it's absolutely crucial that it keep that gutpunch effect; alarm fatigue is a real and extremely dangerous thing. Drawings of say, Gravity Falls characters, whatever your stance on that, are their own thing and we need to talk about them as their own thing.

6. Sure do! I know I've talked quite about about how the Twitter proship community is a completely different animal, and absolutely batshit insane. People were coming over with horror stories and because I'm mostly on tumblr, I had no idea.

I've also called out people for shipping ships I actually like in ways that I consider dangerous. One notable example is some rando who defended a ship by saying "14 is on the cusp of womanhood" and yeah, someone check that guy's hard drive, please.

7. Yeah, anyone claiming Andre and Stella's dynamic (read: making repeated sexual comments to your sibling, unwanted touching) is normal sibling banter raises ten kinds of alarm bells, but it wasn't my intention to genuinely freak this person out and I actually did apologize in private.

If you've got any more questions, feel free to send them and I'd be happy to answer!

[pinkiemachine]

Kon x M'gann HC's Part 2 Pretty Please with All the Fixings?

Loving the story.

Alrighty! Part 2!

So, to start off, I’ll just ramble a bit more about M’gann and Kon’s dynamic, then finish up the story :) Also posting this again because I think it turned out SO GOSH DARN CUTE! X3 (P.S. listen to “Bewitched” or “Serendipity” by Laufy. I feel like it captures the ✨ vibes ✨)

So it’s no surprise, after reading part 1, that Kon’s biggest flaw is that he’s very immature. He can get pouty and possessive when M’gann is paying attention to someone else, or when she’s gone for a while. He’s also a bit of an attention seeker, and he loves compliments and positive reinforcement of any kind. The first time M’gann gave him a kiss on the cheek, his world changed forever. Pretty sure it took the other guys about five minutes to snap him out of it. But, thankfully, as the story goes on, Kon gets a crash-course in a lot of things, including curbing his immaturity. He learns that you’re not supposed to roughhouse with girls (unless they’re comfortable with that sort of thing, and even then, don’t hurt them—super-strength and all), and he learns that sometimes M’gann is gonna pay attention to other people or go away for a little while and that’s normal and he doesn’t need to be overly upset about it. (He still pouts and misses her, though. It can’t be helped.) But the thing that he still has a problem with, to this day, is being a bit too aggressive when it comes to defending M’gann. The first time they met another Martian who was horribly rude to her, Kon almost brought out the laser eyes! Like, that dude would have been dust in the wind if the other TT hadn’t stepped in. Kon just can’t stand the idea of anyone hating M’gann, and for such a superficial reason no less! She’s beautiful and should be treated like she’s beautiful! (His words, not mine :) Ultimately, Kon HAS to keep himself in check on that account or else he risks starting an interplanetary war, but boy it’s hard.

M’gann sometimes falls back on her old habits and becomes a “yes woman,” agreeing to everything Kon wants to do even if she secretly wants to do something else. Cassie and Steph are the first to take notice of this behaviour, and help teach her to say “no.” If she’s uncomfortable, Kon isn’t gonna realise it on his own unless she tells him. She’s got to learn to put her foot down on things or she’s gonna be miserable. So M’gann practises this and other types of conversation in front of her mirror at night, and the first time she ever said no to one of Kon’s ideas, she felt so proud of herself! She wouldn’t stop smiling for the whole day! Kon had no idea why she was so happy, but when she was happy, he was happy, so it was a good day all the way around.

The dates they like to go on involve taking long walks around Earth. Neither of them had ever seen an ocean before, so they went to go see the ocean. Neither of them had ever been to a cheese factory before, so they went to go see a cheese factory and got free cheese curds on the way out. Then they went to a real baseball game and ate real hotdogs—they went to a museum (which M’gann liked more than Kon did, but they made it fun in the end)—they went on hikes, marvelling at all the different types of trees and bushes and butterflies and spiders and ants and birds and they even spotted a deer in the distance—and all the while, they would take pictures. So. Many. Pictures. M’gann has this old-school Martian camera and puts photo albums together of all the stuff she and Conner do together, like they’re already an old married couple. lol. Then, of course, when both of them are too tired to go out anywhere, they curl up on the couch and watch some of those old sitcoms M’gann grew up on. M’gann’s favourite is “That Girl” and Kon’s is “Hogan’s Heroes.”

Okay, now I’ve thoroughly set up how much fun they had together, time to make it all come crumbling down.

In the last post I said that Kon kept M’gann’s secret about being a white Martian and her past from the NTT and the JLA, but there was one person he was obligated to tell: Lex Luthor. Being that he was secretly working for the bald maniac, and it was his job to report in with any new information he’d learned, he had no choice. Even when he tried to lie or exclude details, Luthor grew suspicious of him and forced the info out of him. So when the reveal of his betrayal happened, it was so much worse for M’gann. Lex used what he had learned to help take her down, and also create a rift between her and Kon, because he wasn’t supposed to be getting attached to M’gann anyway. Kon was ordered to forget about her because he was never going to see her ever again, and M’gann wanted to forget Kon for sharing her most sacred secret. Not to mention, he had been lying to her from the start about his past, about his intentions, and who knows what else. Had he been using her to get information about the Justice League? About her uncle? Yes, he had, and he wanted to tell M’gann that he was ashamed of what he had done, but Lex wouldn’t let them be in the same room, so M’gann was left to think all sorts of awful things about him. It was a dismal day. This event is covered in full in another post which I will link below.

Now, of course, this story has a happy ending (because happy endings are the best kind of endings). Lex is eventually defeated, Kon is freed from him and LexCorp, and for once he gets to call the shots in his life. The first is going to M’gann and trying to make things up to her in any way he can. Now, at this point, M’gann knows that Lex was twisting Kon’s arm to a certain extent, so her anger is a little softened, but she still feels like an idiot for trusting him so easily, and she’s nervous about trusting him again. He’s still such an immature person—who knows what kind of big mistake he’ll make next?

Kon plucks up his courage and makes a traditional Martian apology to her—the big ceremonial kind meant for state officials and royalty when they’ve severely messed up something BIG—and begs her to give him one more chance. He knows full well that he’s a bit of a dunce when it comes to girls and Earth culture and even being a good person (again, his words) but he wants to be a better friend, he wants to be a good hero, and more than anything else he wants to be the best boyfriend he could possibly be for her. When he was making his decision to finally stand up against Lex, he was afraid of what Lex would do to him… but then he thought of M’gann. He remembered how much she meant to him, and that Lex was planning on hurting her as a part of his evil scheme, and even if it meant Lex would go ahead and terminate him and make another clone, he didn’t care. M’gann mattered more. And she always would. So, with all of this before her, M’gann was quite stunned, to say the least. For a moment, she didn’t know what to say. Given the fact that Kon had partaken in much of Lex’s plan willingly, the JLA agreed that some form of punishment was only fair, so it had been decided that Kon would spend a year on the Kent farm, essentially doing community service by helping them with all the chores. He would be confined to the property during all of that time, too, so the two of them were going to spend the next year in different places. M’gann hesitantly answered Kon’s apology with a “Maybe… I could write to you… and we’ll see where it goes from there.”

Kon was so happy. He plowed through all his chores on the Kent farm each and every day—Ma and Pa, and sometimes Clark when he had the time—would teach him things and show him to do stuff, like carpentry. And then, every day he’d go and check the mailbox, waiting for a letter from M’gann, and when he’d get one, he’d race up to his room (Clark’s old room) and read it ten times over. Then he’d grab a paper and pen and write his response, filling her in on all the things that had happened on the farm the last week or so. They wrote to each other non-stop that year, eagerly, patiently waiting for Kon’s sentence to be up. And when it had been a full year, and Kon came back to the city and the NTT, he and M’gann went for a walk in the park, and without saying a word, they both knew… there was no one else they’d rather spend the rest of their life with.

(Then the picture is from a little party the gang threw in celebration of their victories over all their villains, including Lex, and everyone was encouraged to wear their home country’s traditional garb, and maybe even bring some traditional food or a traditional party game. It was a fun night, and M’gann and Conner got to see each other dressed up for the first time (probably. I haven’t written out each individual episode for the NTT yet, but I like to imagine this is the first time ☺️))

Part 1 👇

Kon’s backstory is included in this post… 👇

[ldydeath]

Show Must Go On | Kang Dae-sung

Summary: You and Daesung both have feelings for each other but are too stubborn to admit it. When your boss decides that a PR relationship is best for business you both worry that you're feelings might come out. What could go wrong?

Warnings: None.

Author's Note: This is my first time writing for our angel baby, Daesung. Please let me know if you'd like to be added to my tag list.

Daesung had been one of the first people you’d met when you had started coming up in the industry. With both of you becoming famous around the same time, you’d grown close rather quickly. You’d spent a lot of time with him and his band over the years, so much so that you all went hand in hand at this point. People didn’t think of them without thinking of you and vice versa. It was daunting sometimes being talked about in the same circles, but you loved your friends too much to ever distance yourself from them. 

That however, didn’t stop you from being shocked when you walked into your bosses office to see Daesung there. “Dae? What are you doing here?” He shrugged and you raised a brow at your boss as you sat down. It had been a long time since you two had been called into the office together. In fact, the last time had been when you were a lot longer and were being scolded for doing something wrong on a variety show. You wracked your brain trying to think of something, anything you’d done wrong recently as your boss began to speak. “It’s a weird time for the industry and with you two still being single we think it’s best if you do a PR relationship. At least for a bit.” You blinked, having missed all but the end of the conversation. “What? That’s ridiculous. Nobody cares that we’re single.” Daesung nodded in agreement. 

“It’s perfect timing, Daesung is doing reunion shows with BigBang, you’ve got your new album coming out. It’s a win-win if you promote each other and attend all these events together. You guys have a staged photo shoot in an hour for the hard launch.” You looked at Dae who rolled his eyes before looking back at your boss. “And we have to do this?” His voice was soft and you raised a brow, wondering why he wasn’t fighting back as hard as you were. “Yes.” Your boss leaned over, handing you both a timeline of the relationship. You snatched it from his hands before standing up to leave the room. 

As soon as you were outside the room a hand was on your arm, you looked up into the concerned eyes of your best friend, “Are you ok?” Your expression softened at his worry and you let out a sigh, “Yeah, I’m just annoyed that we have to do this.” He cocked his head to the side, dropping your arm and folding them across his chest. “It’s not that big of a deal. It’s not like we’re not going to take this stupid schedule and make it fun.” It was a big deal, though. Over the last few months you’d started to feel things that you shouldn’t for your best friend. You weren’t so sure you could handle fake dating your best friend while you were navigating your own feelings for him. “Yeah, okay. I know we’ll make it fun, it’s just silly that they think anyone would care about this.”

—

A week had passed since the pictures of you being caught on a date had appeared online and you were eating your words. Fans from all over the world were obsessed that the two of you were dating. You were knee deep in instagram comments over a photo of your and Daesung’s hands. It was kind of funny how they could find a way the fans were playing detective over every post and story the two of you would put up. You didn’t even have to be in each other's stories for them to assume you were together. 

The agreement had been that you’d be caught out, being a little too friendly but wouldn’t confirm anything yet. This week was a week of soft launching without tagging each other, no faces, nothing just to gauge the reaction. Tonight was the big show. You two had dinner with Jiyong and Youngbae and a couple people from both of your teams, something you all did frequently but after the dinner you and Daesung would get caught kissing.

You were a nervous wreck at the thought of it. Just being around him like this the past week had you on edge. Careful not to linger too much when holding hands, or to not look at him too long when walking down the street. It was one thing for the fans to see you smitten, it was another for him to realize just how much you weren’t acting. You were so busy trying to play it cool that you didn’t realize the way his touch lingered or the fact that he never wanted to be the one to leave first. You were fighting so hard to convince yourself that there were no real feelings there that you were missing the probability that he was in love with you and afraid to admit it too.

A knock at your door broke your thoughts and you grabbed your bag. Checking yourself over one final time before plastering a big smile on your face to hide the nerves, “You ready?” Dae greeted you and you nodded. “As I’ll ever be.” You held your hand out for him to take and he laced your fingers together, your heart pounding in your chest just from holding his hand. This man was going to drive you crazy and he didn’t even know it. As if picking up on your nerves, Daesung gave your hand a gentle squeeze as he led the way to the restaurant.  

As expected the paparazzi was out, following you and your security down the street. Thankfully you only lived a couple blocks from dinner so the walk wasn’t too sketchy with your team by your side. As Daesung opened the door to the restaurant you leaned up to plant a kiss on his cheek, his cheeks flushing at the touch. That was unscripted and you cursed to yourself as you let go of his hand to make your way inside. Thankfully, everyone else was already there and the cameras weren’t allowed inside. You only had to keep up appearances in case anyone got a shot of you through the window, but you didn’t have to act in front of your friends. 

“I guess I just don’t understand why you two have to be here for the kiss, it’s embarrassing.” You complained as dinner was coming to an end. Daesung's eyes flashed with a hint of hurt before covering it up with a nod his grip tightening on your leg. You didn’t see how much it was killing him, being so close to you and you shutting him down every chance you got. He should’ve told you how he felt, and now he was starting to chicken out.  “I think it’s so the world can see that we support you both.” Jiyong looked between you too as you spoke. “It’s a big deal for the Hyung to approve of his girlfriend.” He sat back smugly in his seat and you rolled your eyes at him, knowing he didn’t take that title seriously anymore. 

As you went to stand once the meal was over, Daesung kept his arm on your leg, causing you to stay seated. “We don’t have to do this, if it’s going to make you uncomfortable.” You thought maybe you were imaging things but he seemed sad as he spoke to you and you frowned, your eyes locking on him. Daesung wanted to make sure you were comfortable before anything else was to happen. He didn’t care about schedules or contracts or their boss, he only cared about you.  “I’m not uncomfortable, never with you, it’s just weird, you know?” You were projecting, nothing about kissing this man was going to be weird. You were nervous that you wouldn’t be able to hide your feelings and ruin your whole friendship, but you had to do this. “Come on, once this is over we can go back to my place and watch everyone freak out in real time, it’ll be fun.” He nodded, standing up and taking your hand in his again before leading you outside.

You spotted the cameras hungry for attention, it was show time. Hugs were exchanged between you and the guys and as Daesung pulled you towards your street you leaned up, your mouth brushing his slightly. As his lips met yours, you could feel your heart pounding in your chest, and just as you were about to pull away, Daesung’s arm wound around your back pulling you closer and deepening the kiss. He had one shot to let you know how felt, and he poured all his emotions into that kiss, hoping maybe now you’d realize how he felt about him.

You got lost in the moment, your heart doing somersaults as you kissed your best friend. Jiyong cleared his throat behind you, causing you both to freeze. “Camera’s left a bit ago.” Your eyes popped open and you turned slowly, taking in the scene. It was just the four of you and your various security standing awkwardly around you. “Right. Well, we’re going to go.” Youngbae waved and the two of them took off down the street.

When you turned back around Daesung was looking at you, his expression soft. “So I guess that happened?” He chuckled his hand finding its way to yours as he faced you fully. “Kind of like you a lot more than just as a friend these days.” His eyes were wide searching yours for any clue that you felt the same and you let out a breath you hadn’t realized you’d been holding, your hand moving to cup his cheek. “Kind of feel the same about you. That’s why I was so nervous about this whole fake dating thing. I didn’t think you felt the same and I didn’t want you to realize that I’m stupid crazy about you.” 

He grinned, his eyes closing into those perfect half moons that you loved so much and it felt like a weight had been lifted off both your shoulders. “Starting to think this was a setup to get us to both stop being so stubborn.” He made a face, looking around as if someone was going to pop out and tell him he was right at any moment. “I’m glad though, I was too scared to tell you how I felt, and I knew today was my only shot to really show you how I felt. I think maybe we rip up that stupid contract and give dating for real a real shot.” You nodded your head at his words, leaning up to kiss him again. “Come on, let’s get you home so we can have some privacy.” He pecked your lips a couple more times before leading you down the street.  Both of you making a mental note to thank your boss and everyone else who’d been involved in setting this up for getting you to realize that you two were crazy about each other.

tag list: @wcnderlnds @alosss-blog @sooyasya @dprvivi @infinetlyforgotten @mirahyun

[rylem33]

Being Supportive

Olivia had everything. Perfect hair, perfect body, perfect face. She was the kind of girl people tripped over themselves to impress. Guys wanted to date her. Girls wanted to be her.

But none of them really cared about her.

That’s why she loved Riley.

Riley was the only person who didn’t treat her like a prize to be won or a status symbol to be envied. She wasn’t afraid to call Olivia out when she was being dramatic. She didn’t fake-laugh at jokes just to stay in her good graces. She didn’t try to use her for popularity or clout.

No, Riley was real.

And Olivia needed that.

“Ugh, he’s texting me again,” Olivia groaned, flopping onto her bed and shoving her phone toward Riley.

Riley took one look at the name on the screen and snorted.

Olivia huffed, running a hand through her golden hair. “I just hate how guys act like I owe them something just because they think I’m hot.”

“Well,” Riley smirked, kicking her feet up on Olivia’s bed, “that’s the price of being a goddess, Liv. I mean, really…how dare you exist?”

Olivia shot her a look, but there was a hint of a smile tugging at her lips. “You’re the worst.”

“I try.”

Olivia rolled onto her stomach, propping her chin on her hands. “Seriously, though. You’re the only person I can actually relax around. Everyone else is so fake. They either want something from me or they just tell me whatever they think I want to hear.”

“Well, lucky for you,” Riley said, stretching her arms behind her head, “I’m too lazy to put in that much effort.”

Olivia laughed. “You’re such a dick.”

Riley grinned. “Yeah, but I’m your dick.”

“You wish,” Olivia teased, nudging her.

Their laughter filled the room, easy and unfiltered.

But then, as Olivia shifted to sit up, her phone buzzed. She barely glanced at the screen before snatching it up, suddenly very interested in whatever was there.

Riley raised an eyebrow. “Ohhh, what’s this?”

“Nothing,” Olivia said quickly, but the way she tucked her hair behind her ear and bit her lip said otherwise.

Riley smirked. “Liar. You only do the hair tuck when you’re trying not to freak out.”

“I do not,” Olivia protested, locking her phone and tossing it onto the bed like it hadn’t just made her entire night.

Riley snatched it up before Olivia could stop her, dodging a halfhearted swipe. “Oh my god, it’s Trevor?” she gasped, reading the name on the screen. “Liv, you’ve been stalking this guy’s Instagram for weeks.”

Olivia groaned, burying her face in a pillow. “Shut up.”

Riley grinned. “I knew you liked him. You kept saying you were ‘just looking’ at his posts, but nobody ‘just looks’ at shirtless gym selfies that much.”

“Okay, fine,” Olivia huffed, still hiding her face. “Maybe I like him. A little.”

Riley cackled. “Oh my god, you’re so crushing.”

Olivia peeked out, glaring. “Say one more thing and I swear to god…”

Riley wiggled her eyebrows. “You gonna text him back, or are you just gonna keep staring at your phone and sighing dramatically?”

Olivia snatched her phone back, cheeks slightly pink. “I was gonna play it cool, but now you’re ruining it.”

Riley smirked. “Uh-huh. ‘Playing it cool’ is exactly how you ended up panic-liking one of his posts from six months ago.”

Olivia groaned. “I told you that was an accident!”

Riley laughed. “Sure it was.”

Olivia rolled her eyes, but she was smiling. She glanced back at her phone, staring at Trevor’s name like it held the secrets of the universe.

But then, as Olivia shifted to sit up, something white and lacy caught Riley’s eye.

“God, I don’t know how you deal with it,” Riley said, flopping onto Olivia’s bed and grabbing a pillow to toss at her best friend.

Olivia caught it effortlessly, flashing that effortless, movie-star smile. “Deal with what exactly?”

“Those,” Riley gestured toward a white lacey bra tossed over Olivia’s desk chair. “That thing looks like it weighs a ton. Can’t believe you have to lug ‘em around all day.”

Olivia smirked, stretching her arms over her head, deliberately pushing her chest forward. “It’s a burden, really. A curse.” She sighed dramatically.

Riley rolled her eyes. “Yeah, yeah, I get it. Must be so hard being you.”

Olivia wiggled her brows. “You wouldn’t understand, Flatty McNo-Boobs.”

Riley gasped in mock offense and grabbed another pillow to throw, but Olivia dodged, laughing. “Seriously, you’re lucky you don’t have to deal with guys staring at your chest every five seconds.”

Riley smirked. “No, you’re lucky. At least when you trip, you have airbags.”

They both burst out laughing, but before Olivia could fire back another tease, her phone buzzed on the nightstand. She glanced at the screen and groaned.

“Ugh, it’s my mom. I gotta go deal with this. Be right back.” She stood, still grinning. “Try not to steal my bra while I’m gone.”

Riley snorted. “Yeah, that’s exactly what I’m gonna do.”

As soon as Olivia left the room, Riley glanced back at the bra, still draped over the chair.

She smirked to herself.

“I mean… how do girls wear these things all day?”

She picked it up, running her fingers over the soft lace. It felt ridiculously delicate compared to the sports bras she was used to. Holding it up in front of her, she stared at the cups, shaking her head.

“Jesus, it’s like carrying two little backpacks on your chest.”

Grinning, she pressed it against her shirt, mimicking how it would look on her.

Then, in a blink, it was on her.

“What the?!”

Her breath hitched as a warmth spread through her chest. It started as a tingling sensation, like static running over her skin, but then it intensified.

Heat flooded her body. A tightness in her chest. A pull at her skin.

She gasped.

Her arms trembled as the world shifted around her. The fabric of her hoodie suddenly felt tighter…no, not the hoodie, her.

Her body was changing.

She stumbled forward, gripping the edge of Olivia’s desk for support. Her fingers felt strange…longer? More delicate? Her nails, bitten and short, stretched into perfect manicured ovals.

Her breathing turned ragged.

She looked down.

Her oversized hoodie was being pushed forward.

Her chest, her flat chest, was now swelling, rounding, filling out the cups of the bra.

Her waist pinched inward, her hips flaring. A tug at her legs. Her jeans shimmered, morphing into something shorter.

Her sneakers melted away, replaced by something tall, strappy…heels?

“No. No, no, no…”

The room spun. Her head felt foggy. She reached up to her face, feeling her softening jawline, her plumper lips. Her short, messy brown hair cascaded over her shoulders in soft, flowing waves.

“Aaaahhh!”

She screamed.

The door burst open.

“Riley?! What…” Olivia’s voice caught in her throat.

Riley was standing there, panting, her hoodie half-off, exposing the white lace bra wrapped snugly around her very full chest.

“What the fuck?” Olivia whispered.

Riley looked up, breathing heavily, her chest rising and falling with each panicked breath. Her lips parted. She wanted to say something, to beg for help, but when the words came out, they were sharp. Cold.

“Oh my god, Liv, could you not look at me like that? You look like a total idiot.”

Her own eyes widened in shock. That wasn’t what she meant to say.

“I, I didn’t…” she stammered, trying again.

But instead of an apology, her voice dripped with venom.

“Jesus, do you always have to be so needy? No wonder guys only put up with you for a few weeks before moving on.”

Olivia flinched. “Riley, what the hell is wrong with you?!”

“I..” Riley clamped her mouth shut, pressing a hand to her lips. She had to explain, had to tell Olivia that this wasn’t her, that she couldn’t stop it.  

Instead she scoffed. “Like, what did you think was gonna happen, Liv? That someone was gonna actually care about you?”

Her stomach twisted in horror. No. No, no, no. I didn’t mean that!

But the words kept pouring out, each one sharper than the last.

“News flash, babe. Nobody gives a shit about you. They just like staring at your tits and pretending you’re interesting.”

Olivia’s face went pale. “Stop it!” she snapped, her voice shaking.

Riley’s body trembled. I want to, I swear I want to! But instead of stopping, she laughed…laughed… like this was the funniest thing in the world.

“God, you’re so pathetic,” she sneered, voice filled with cruel amusement. “I mean, I always knew you were shallow, but it’s kinda sad how much you need people to like you. Like, what happens when you finally start to age, huh? When you’re not the hot girl anymore? What’s left?”

Olivia took a shaky step back, hugging herself. “This isn’t you…”

Something twisted in Riley’s stomach.

But it wasn’t guilt.

It was… excitement.

The fog in her head didn’t feel like a trap anymore. It felt good. Like stretching sore muscles, like shedding something heavy and useless.

She straightened, rolling her shoulders back, reveling in the way her body moved. Every little shift of her hips, the way her curves pressed against the tight fabric of her clothes. It all felt right.

And the way Olivia was looking at her? Like she was scared?

Oh, that felt amazing.

A slow, knowing smirk curled on Riley’s lips.

She tilted her head, running a manicured hand over her stomach. “You’re right, Liv,” she purred, her voice smoother, richer. “This isn’t me.”

She flicked her hair over her shoulder, letting out a soft giggle.

“Call me Ria.”

And god, she loved the way that name felt.

Olivia was still staring at her, wide-eyed, like she was waiting for Riley to snap out of it.

But why would she?

Why would she ever go back to being… that?

Ria turned to the vanity mirror, running her hands over her perfect curves, admiring the sheer power that radiated from every inch of her. The way the bra hugged her body. The way her hair cascaded in glossy waves. The way her lips, plump and irresistible, curled into a knowing smirk.

She was better now.

She turned back to Olivia, tilting her head. “You know,” she mused, her voice dripping with condescension, “you really should be thanking me.”

Olivia’s breath hitched. “For what?”

Ria’s smirk widened. “For teaching you a valuable lesson.”

She strolled over to Olivia’s nightstand, plucking her phone up. Olivia didn’t even try to stop her.

With a flick of her perfectly manicured finger, Ria unlocked the screen and scrolled through Olivia’s messages. A low chuckle escaped her lips as she skimmed over them, finally stopping at one name.

Trevor.

The boy Olivia had been pining over. The one she was too nervous to text back, too afraid to make a move on.

“Pathetic,” Ria muttered, shaking her head. “You really thought he wanted you?”

Olivia tensed. “Stop.”

Ria ignored her, her smirk deepening as she tapped out a message.

Hey, Trevor. It’s Ria.

She glanced up at Olivia, relishing the horror creeping into her expression.

“I mean, let’s be honest,” Ria continued, tossing herself onto the bed like she owned the place, “Trevor was never going to take you seriously. You were just a pretty little ego boost for him. Someone to flirt with when he was bored.”

Olivia’s hands clenched into fists. “You don’t know that.”

Ria laughed.

“Oh, please,” she purred. “He liked you.” She tapped her fingers against the screen. “But he’s gonna like me so much more.”

The phone buzzed in her hand. A message flashed across the screen.

Hey, Ria. Didn’t know Olivia had a hot friend. What’s up?

Ria grinned, twisting the knife. She turned the screen toward Olivia, letting her see it.

“Oh, Liv,” she cooed, faux sympathy dripping from her voice. “That must sting.”

Olivia’s breath was shaky. “Why are you doing this?”

Ria’s smirk grew sharp.

“Because I’m willing to give him what he wants.”

She started typing.

You free tonight? Thought we could have a little fun.

Send.

She sat up, stretching her arms over her head, relishing the power she had now.

Trevor’s response came almost immediately.

Damn. Yeah, let’s meet up. Send me your address.

Ria grinned, tossing the phone onto the bed beside Olivia.

“Guess I have plans.”

She stood, smoothing out her skirt and grabbed a top from Olivia’s dresser.  Putting it on, she turned toward the door.

“Riley, please.  No!  Don’t go!” Olivia finally found her voice, desperation creeping in.

Ria paused in the doorway, looking over her shoulder with a wicked smile and winked. 

“Don’t wait up, babe.”

[lover-of-mine]

Idk if you still post things related to this kind of ask but i needed a way to communicate my thoughts and you were always a good solution.

So, im going to write in private because i dont want my identity to be disclosed since there is a blog that likes to find people through the VPN and then harass them in private.

Im from the BuckTommy side or i was. Im getting put this fandom, in general, because im so tired. I was never a Buddie shipper, i was just an enjoyer of the show but never got to the shipping point. But, idk, for some reason BuckTommy was enjoyable. Then they broke up and oh god. It’s like a fucking job, you need to produce everyday constantly because they need to trend everyday, they need to be every week in that ship post tumblr make. They have fanwork for every day, there is the one about FluffFebruary and FanWork Friday, and other events that needs to be done every day and if you slack then someone is going to come into your private message asking why you didn’t write or draw or posted something.

There is a daily mandatory email to send to ABC using pre written template.

Then there is the way we have to act, like we are a big community that hold hands and act kind with one another because we need to be different, we need to be better, we need to look like immaculate and you can’t even say what you think, you can’t even write something different because what if someone on the Buddie side find some controversial post and use it to say that BuckTommy stans are bad?

Im getting out of this but i wanted you to know what it’s like, i want everyone to know.

Okay, imma be honest with you, I didn't want to post about this stuff anymore, but I finished reading this with my jaw so low I have to. Multiple people have told me about rules in those spaces but what? Templates? Forcing you to post? How do you even enforce this type of shit? Do they know fandom is supposed to be fun? Oh my god.

[bluegarners]

okay but to like put this with numbers, duos normally operate on a 1:1 ratio, duh. but with batman and robin, which some people have pointed out, both mantles are technically replaceable and meant to passed on. however, the thing i was trying to point out, is that the ratio is not consistent.

in the beginning, it was 1:1, 1 batman for every 1 robin. and then it became 1:2 ratio, 1 batman for now 2 robins. and then it was 1 batman for 3 robins. for a second, it was 1.5:3 (counting jpv). then 4 robins. and then we got a second batman, so it became 2.5:5. counting carrie, that's 2.5:6. like, the turn around time for robin being replaced is much quicker than a batman being replaced. sure, the title is mainly just the title, but robin is wearing the colors and the mask and the name of the one that came before them, another robin that this same batman worked with before the new one came about. the longest time a batman ever had a robin was about 7-8 years, and then it got exponentially shorter with every new robin

i'm not looking at this from a doyalist pov, this is purely watsonian and treated as such, you know? like some people have said that even in-universe it's not that crazy but i think it is because yeah robin is a metaphor in a sense for kids to look up to, but why do they always want to be robin and not someone else!! why do they never pick their own name!! why do they never create a purely original costume and role and name for themselves when they become part of that partnership!! do they just fall into it? do they think it's the only thing they're allowed to do? or can robin only exist in the context of batman?

dick started robin and the narrative made robin like a living thing, another hero, rather than just a hero name. the kids are meant to be replaced, but not robin! a kid steps into the mask and cape and knows that they can die but robin can't and will never! someone else will quickly step into their still warm boots and clip on the unwashed cape. the replacement cycle will spit them out when robin needs newer flesh, brighter aspirations, bigger hearts, and this has to be acknowledged by any kid that allows robin to wear their skin for a spell

so i guess a better way to phrase my original post is that batman and robin are impossible to replace, but those that fill the shoes of robin are endless. batman and robin never die but the ones that wear the mask do, and there have been triple the amount of robins as there have been batmans

it is a little horrifying to think about how batman & robin as partners operate. what other mentee and protege duo repeatedly replaces the protege with the same name over and over again? why is it essential that the protege must be named robin for batman to work with them so closely? one grows up and another dies and another leaves and still another shows up and their name is still robin. it’s always robin. what other hero out there wears the mask of not only their own secret identity but every robin before them? what other hero is so clearly aware of their replaceability as soon as they put on the cape?

[avicecaro]

hate to say it, but part of ending the stigma around sexual assault means not assuming every woman blames herself. yes, female socialization encourages it, but that doesn’t make it a given, and the goal of all of these campaigns is to eventually diminish the proportion of women who do blame themselves. it is entirely possible, and increasingly common, for women to experience sexual assault and not feel shame or guilt, which we should be happy about. but instead, there are only so many times you can hear “you know it’s not your fault, right?” before it sounds like “it was your fault”. and there’s only so many times you can hear “don’t blame yourself” before it sounds like “you should blame yourself”. because it feels good to say, doesn’t it? sure, you don’t believe she’s guilty, but you do believe she should feel guilty, so that you can disabuse her of the notion. just something to consider.

[the-sage-libriomancer]

Shigure's relationship with Kyo drives me crazy. he doesn't hate Kyo in the slightest - in fact, he pities Kyo, and not in the condescending "oh you poor little boy, cursed to be a horrible, disgusting monster" sort of way that everyone else does. Shigure pities Kyo for the reason he should be pitied: he's just a kid caught up in a system so inhumane it can't possibly be survived without some seriously unhealthy coping mechanisms.

and it drives me crazy because - listen, Shigure is the only zodiac member who's emotionally aware enough to see the other zodiac members as exactly what they are. he knows Yuki is a severely traumatized kid who projects all of his self-hatred on a single convenient target. he knows Akito is really a scared little girl with a raging god complex (literally) and no concept of a healthy relationship. and he knows Kyo is a regular-ass human being who doesn't deserve to be locked up for the rest of his life just because some arbitrary system says so. he KNOWS it's stupid. he KNOWS it's ridiculous and unfair. and he has to share a house with Kyo knowing that Kyo is living with a sword over his head, hating himself and hating others in perfect tandem because he has no other way of coping with the insane amounts of negativity he's had to deal with his entire life.

but the thing about Shigure is that he KNOWS all of this, and the same time he doesn't really CARE. he feels sorry for Kyo, but an apathetic sort of pity, a disinterested "this is how it is. such a shame." sort of pity. in some ways he's worse than the other zodiacs because he DOES see Kyo as a person, someone he likes being around even, but he still considers Kyo below his attention because all his focus is on Akito and breaking the curse. and sure, once the curse is broken Kyo will theoretically be set free with the rest of them, but that's more of a coincidental side effect than anything. despite being in a much more dangerous and precarious mental space AND comfortably in Shigure's reach, Kyo is about as much a priority for Shigure as Ritsu or Momiji.

and it drives me CRAZY because i think Shigure does start actively caring about Kyo as the series goes on, but it's hard to tell when that happens and to what extent. when Kazuma told Shigure he planned to reveal Kyo's true form and Shigure said he was going too far - whose sake was it for? was Shigure trying to protect Kyo, who would be hideously traumatized/emotionally scarred by such a cruel betrayal? was he trying to protect Kyo and Tohru's relationship, which was still formulating and might, under such severe testing, ultimately end up damaged beyond repair? was he only trying to protect Tohru, who wasn't ready to be burdened by such a horrible aspect of the curse so soon, or perhaps simply didn't deserve it? or was it all for the sake of himself, trying to protect his still-forming plans of using Tohru's positive effect on the Sohmas to break the curse?

Shigure cares about Kyo, but they're not close and Kyo clearly isn't a priority. he treats Kyo like a person - offering him genuine advice, teasing him like he teases anyone else, even speaking up on his behalf once or twice - and yet he's too entrenched in the long game to spare much active interest in Kyo. for a very long time, he doesn't care about Kyo the way he cares about Yuki or Tohru, and it's never made clear when exactly that changed. and the thing that gets me about this whole situation is that right from the start, Shigure is in a position where he can meet Kyo at his level - as equals, just one human being to another - but he doesn't, because Shigure is a chessmaster, Shigure is someone who observes and calculates, Shigure never steps in unless one of his chess pieces makes a wrong move and he absolutely has to.

it drives me crazy. Shigure drives me crazy. this series drives me so so crazy.

[class-of-classic-blog]

MY HEADCANON FOR PARENTS NAMES:

Snow White: Bianca White ( Bianca means "white" and Whites are probably one of the most obsessed families with their story, every single Snow White had a name with meaning relative to the fairy tails,)

Evil Queen: Eris Queen (I can't remember did I read a fic where she was called Eris but I think that the name of the goddess of discord really suits her)

Sleeping Beauty: Rosalin Beauty (pretty standard name)

Cinderella: Ophelia Ella ( a sweet name for a sweet girl)

Red Riding Hood: Scarlett Hood (one more standard name)

Big Bad Wolf: Aiden Wolf (close friends call him Andy :) )

Dark Fairy: Darcy Thorn ( oh the irony of being the dark fairy with dark name and yet cover yourself in light)

Candy Witch: Cinnamon Witch (I also didn't come up with this name myself. I saw someone use it for her a really long time ago but I can't remember who. If the person who came up with this name sees this, you deserve a reward, the name is perfect. But I hc that she goes by her nickname: Candy. Why? Because it's such a cute nickname)

Pinocchio: Oak Wood (I think that every family name has something to do with trees or wood. Oak sounds like a perfect name for someone sweet, young and cheerful and later as an adult calm and wise)

Goldilocks: Dolly Locks ( I just think that its a cute name and she kinda remind me of Dolly)

Huntsman: Archer Huntsman (Okay, so, Huntsmans are bad at naming their kids, like REALLY BAD. Hunter we are counting on you to break that cycle)

King Charming: Dashing Charming (I read one fanfic were he is named Dashing and i think that name suits him, i myself couldn't come up with the more fitting name)

Queen Charming: Grace Charming (I also read that one in a fanfic and i think it fits her, somehow whenever i think of Charmings Dashing and Grace are the first name that come to my mind)

Rapunzel: Cressida O'Hair (I first just like the name but then i found out the Cressida means "golden" so it goes well with Rapunzel story)

Pied Piper: Devin Piper ( It means "bard" or "poet", the perfect name for a musician. Also, Piper is really a cool name, too bad it is already his last name)

Mad Hatter: Maddox Hatter (I just like silly names for Wonderlandians, especially Mad Hatter)

Queen of Hearts: Victoria Hearts ( okeey, it's not a very Wonderlandian name but neither is Elizabeth and Vicy is a cute nikename)

Cheshire Cat: Lorelai Cheshire (I didn't want to go for the obvious one Chatrine, like, I get it, she's a cat, She literally named her daughter Kitty, or maybe Katrine Kitty for short, BUT THEN I REMEMBER THAT TOLERAI EXISTED which is literally the same name just different first latter and I already gotten attached to Lorelai, so, umm if you all could just do me the favour and pretend that these are TOTALLY different names I would be very thankful)

Alice Wonderland: Amilia Wonderland ( Also would her last name be Wonderland or Liddell? Bonus cute nickname Amy)

White Rabbit: Castor Blanc ( At first i just liked the name but don't you think that "dutiful" is a perfect for White Rabbit)

White Swan: Elenor Swan ( It means "shining light" and to be honest with that destiny she's going to need some light in her life)

Black Swan: Callisto VonBart (What would be the last name of The Black Swan? VonBart?BlackSwan? I put VonBart because I found an OC of Odille on Pinterest and her last name was VonBart. I don't know)

Frog Prince: Hanry Croakington ( i reafuse to belive that he named his son after himself. Nuh-uh. He named Hopper after his father or maybe his grandfather)

Robin Hood: Wren Hood ( Listen, Listen, maybe they just have a thing with the birds?)

Maid Marian: Pandora Charming ( I don't think that there is a destiny stricly for Maid Marian. I think thats just a princess from Charming family or from nobel family, that's why i gave her last name Chaming. Last name changed after the wedding)

Beauty: Primrose Beauty ( Ah, Beauties and their roses)

Beast: Damian Beast (like it)

Fairy Godmother: Beatrice Goodfairy ("blessed one" mmm... too bad you can't bless yourself)

Jack Beanstalk: Jasper Beanstalk (nice)

Snow Queen: Isolde Winter (perfect for ice queen)

Snow King: Nikolai Winter (took his wife's last name, couldn't think of his own that's not arleady taken)

BONUS: PRINCES CHARMING

The Good King: David Charming (i think that only the main Charming follow that logic with names where all siblings have names with the same first latter)

Cinderella's prince Charming: Louis Charming (he's a nice boy)

Snow White's prince Charming: Cassian Charming (I just like it)

Sleeping Beauty's prince Charing: Liam Charming (don't ask)