#with a reading comprehension that goes into the negatives

[erros429]

worst thing about being on the internet is that i have to see some of the most L takes known to man. the best thing about being on the internet is that i don’t even have to make eye contact with someone when i block them

[abattre]

It's actually so disappointing that Naruto's narrative took the route that it did. Kishimoto created an incredibly interesting world and premise, and ruined it by having everything amount to a shallow message of forgiveness that undermines almost every meaningful element in the story. And it's like,, I want to appreciate the world outside of the plot, but the moral framing of the story makes it virtually impossible because of how disingenuous it is. It completely undermines the audience's understanding of the tragedy and horror of the world so that Naruto becoming Hokage and being the most powerful person in the world by the end doesn't come across as distasteful as it actually is.

Like it's made abundantly clear throughout the story that the village system, and Shinobi society as a whole, is incredibly flawed. Kishimoto goes out of his way to show us that Konoha's council is made up of objectively horrible people. We see first hand how the council's short-sighted ideas of what 'protecting the village' means results in devastating tragedy for people both in Konoha and outside of it. It's clear in how Danzo and the rest of the council act that their atrocious behaviour is them just blatantly abusing their power to maintain their authority. The council has no remorse in anything they do; human experimentation, genocide, slavery, and blatant exploitation is all fair game to them if it preserves their status quo. And instead of maybe, like, addressing Konoha's skewed morality in a sensible way and setting the village up for reform, the narrative just tries forcing the audience to perceive Konoha's genuinely heinous actions as necessities. Which, you know, will work when you're like 8, but once you've grown up and developed some reading comprehension and critical thinking,,, it just feels annoyingly manipulative.

At its core, Naruto is a story that attempts to deconstruct morality. Like this is abundantly clear in how Kishimoto is constantly paralleling the dichotomy of good and evil literally every chance he gets. In the end though, this dichotomy just doesn't work in the context of the Naruto story because the narrative framing of the village being the good guys is just hysterically ridiculous. Konoha is an awful place, that does awful things, and is run by awful people that refuse to change anything because it benefits them for the village to remain awful forever. To anyone with a developed sense of media literacy the village cannot in any way be framed as morally good, so when the story resolves itself with Naruto becoming next in line to govern Konoha under the same unchanging authoritarian regime, with the same council supporting him because of his sheer physical prowess and complete dedication to their twisted ideology,,, it's honestly just an incredibly underwhelming conclusion to a story that made itself out to be more profound than it actually is.

If I had to guess, I imagine Kishimoto just didn't think through how negatively the world he created would reflect on the plot. Ultimately though, you can't write a moral story that's so deeply entrenched in real world social inequity and decide halfway through that because you don't know how to fix these things your story's going to have to be about how they're actually okay to be doing and perpetuating,,, like that is awful and also a terrible lesson to impart on an audience of children. With how serious the issues are in Shinobi society, trying to resolve things with the power of friendship was always going to fall flat. These broad scale injustices can't be brushed aside in that way without undermining their severity and diminishing the understandable impact they had on the characters that experienced such extreme oppression. That's essentially the trap that Naruto's conclusion falls into though, and so the story just ends up feeling incomplete and unfulfilling because none of the issues brought up are actually addressed or discussed with the gravity they deserve.

[johannestevans]

The Real Harm in “Harmful Content”

Exploring the true harm in “harmful content” and “problematic” media.

Photo by Ethan Will via Pexels.

We live, unfortunately, in a world increasingly defined by people’s lack of media literacy.

It isn’t as simple as people not reading, because people do — as schools and universities increasingly cut or allocate resources away from English literature, history, and other humanities, students are robbed of their opportunities to exercise their critical thinking stills; in the USA, “balanced literacy” strategies all but ensure many children don’t learn the vital skills to read text in the first place; many CinemaSins and Ending Explained- style videos are critiqued for their contributions to these wider cultural concerns of anti-intellectualism.

What defines this anti-intellectualism, and the culture that goes with it?

Every film or book or article or opinion I don’t understand intuitively and immediately is “pretentious”. It’s superior and self-involved — it’s a waste of time. I might make snarky comments about black-and-white Serbian films from a hundred years ago shot from the perspective of a pigeon, and I come up with that hypothetical in the most scornful manner possible, because I don’t understand why someone would want to watch such a bizarre film, or why they should want to make it in the first place.

People blame TikTok, they blame YouTube, they blame iPad babies, they blame technology, but it isn’t video formats that impact people’s lack of skills — it’s the fact that their intellectual development is cut off at the knees, in primary and comprehensive schools, in universities, in life outside of school. In response to what people do not understand intuitively or immediately, robbed of these tools to let them understand it, they react negatively.

To teach children, then adults, how to understand and analyse things on their own terms is in itself an individual process — it takes that time, it’s complex, and this tutelage is increasingly impossible with large class sizes, underschooled and understaffed teachers, and a lacking syllabus for teaching these skills in the first place.

How can someone understand their own inability in this area? How is someone to come to terms with this, to become comfortable with the idea they might not understand things, or that they might read them wrongly, when to be “wrong” is bad, and scary?

After all, the underlying reason for the defunding and reallocation of resources from the above humanities I mentioned, on paper, is that these things take more time to examine, test, and score. To the anti-intellectual, STEM subjects have right and wrong answers: humanities don’t.

If things don’t have right and wrong answers, if the answers are in shades of grey, how can they be trusted? What is the value in degrees or nuance when nuance is so costly — when it takes time, effort, money? How can I automatically dismiss anyone who is “wrong” so that I can be “right” — so that I can win? Because if I win, I get to stop thinking about this?

When that’s the reward, it’s more than winning, isn’t it? “Winning” this sort of thing isn’t just about one’s feeling of superiority — it’s ultimately about feeling safe, secure, and unchallenged.

This is the core foundation of many anti-intellectual movements and perspectives — ideas that challenge our core beliefs and ideas, the thoughts we hold as certain and most secure, can be frightening, destabilising, even.

People become frustrated with adages like “There are no wrong answers,” because of course there are wrong answers. How can anything be right, if nothing is wrong? If nothing is wrong intellectually, does that mean nothing is wrong morally? If nothing is wrong morally, then what separates good people from bad people? What keeps good people safe from bad people?

Here comes the crux of what this piece is about: “harmful content.”

Read more in An Injustice!

Also on my Patreon and my SubscribeStar.

[bridgerteon]

This is going to be an extremely long thread of my opinion about Bridgerton S3, especially Polin (and comparing Polin to a certain ATLA ship). So, good luck reading it.

I knew there are a lot of mixed opinions about Bridgerton S3; I have too. Around 50-60% from the book, Romancing Mr Bridgerton, has adapted to the show, which I, as a book reader, am happy to see. I also love the changes from the book that showcases Penelope (and Nicola Coughlan) to shine with awesomeness and deserves a lot of love and recognition after what she's been through.

I can understand why Netflix split into two parts. Part 1 is entertaining, pining and rom-com. While Part 2 is anxiety, emotional and romantic drama. Probably to let viewers breathe. But please don't do that again; I like to binge the whole thing without waiting.

There are:

- Great scenes -> Portia reconciling to Pen and being supportive (thanks Colin!) and Pen having the confidence to reveal herself as Lady Whistledown (LW), instead of letting Colin steal the spotlight for her. Also the Francesca/John romance as they "match their freak". There's actually a lot of great scenes, from Keeping Up With The Featheringtons to Peneloise reconciliation.

- Revenge scenes I like -> Penelope telling off Colin for being an asshole. Also, Lord Debling courting Penelope, making Colin jealous. The Vindication™ for Pen because that's how she feels.

- Some I groaned -> a threesome? Like really? I find it funny, but cringy.

- Some I am suspicious -> Michael Stirling [man] is gender-swapped to Michaela Stirling [woman], but I'm more cautious than angry about the change. Michaela is so goddamn pretty though, heh. I don't mind inclusivity, but it should be addressed with care if it's done for a main Bridgerton character. Besides, I like Francesca's story from the book, When He Was Wicked, and how it explains about infertility. My opinion is that the showrunner should just keep the characters and important parts of the storyline as it is. But I'll see how it goes and hope for the best.

- And others that make no sense -> the lack of Kanthony, like where are they!? And why do they disappear all the time!? This is not them as they are always attentive. They were excellent in managing the Bridgertons and their mess. I love Kanthony so bring them back!!!

What I will analyse and defend is Show Polin.

When I read negative reviews about them, I shake my head in disappointment because the fans didn't understand it. It's like some people have a lack of media literacy. I'm open-minded and I like to analyse critically how and why it happens rather than comparing with other seasons of Bridgerton; I see the show as a separate entity from the books and I still enjoy it as it is. Therefore, I have better comprehension. I also read an article where Luke Newton explains why Colin is Jelly, as shown below. His insight justifies my point.

Since I read RMB, it does give me first-hand insight on the up-and-down relationship between Colin Bridgerton and Penelope Featherington-Bridgerton. I also included a favourite ship of mine from Avatar: the Last Airbender (ATLA) for comparison and how Polin's dynamics makes sense to me. (There's no need to have knowledge of ATLA).

So here's my opinion about Polin:

To be honest, I was expecting Katara/Aang tropes in Polin, as they are both friends-to-lovers ships obviously. What I don't expect is that show Polin is more related to Katara/Zuko (Zutara) instead, which is awesome (as an unfortunate Zutara shipper)!

I find Polin's love story to be as realistic as possible, knowing that a love story is not all sunshines, lollipops and rainbows. There will be disputes, doubts and secrets; I'm satisfied that they are addressed. However, there are some scenes from Polin that I am mad about or feeling something is missing.

Also, I DON'T CARE that Polin does not have the CHEMISTRY similar to Kanthony or Saphne(?) (Simon/Daphne). They have the CONNECTION with each other. Friends-to-lovers don't need chemistry; it rarely exists in real life. Friends-to-lovers stories are messy, awkward and full of disagreements, but the connection and their love for each other is always there between them. They are there since Season 1, are always seeking each other and are always themselves around each other. That's as real as it gets.

Themes I like from Polin and how it compares to Zutara:

1. Hiding their true self: Colin having some swag, being impassive, nonchalant mood, and goes to brothels; I find it weird. However, someone analysed that it's a facade because Penelope doesn't write to him, so he went on a teen girl phase and lost his damn mind, heh. Eloise, Pen and Violet know that that is not the Real Colin, who is a soft boi. He mentions that he is yearning for home and wants to feel like he belongs somewhere and to be seen for who he truly is.

This is similar to Zuko when he was sad/mad that he was banished and his father didn't love him, so his personality became antagonistic. Iroh knew that's not the Real Zuko, who was a gentle boi. Therefore, Iroh planned to nudge Zuko to a different side rather than following Ozai's goals.

Additionally, Penelope disguises herself as Lady Whistledown, Katara as The Painted Lady, Zuko as The Blue Spirit, and Colin as The Travelling Englishman/Pirate.

2. BETRAYAL: (I can't emphasise this enough because this theme let's me understand and love Polin). Penelope is anguished about Colin's comments that he don't give a 💩 about her and will never court her (Le Asshole 101 😒). Colin is heartbroken that Pen is LW*. Katara and Iroh were shattered that Zuko joined Azula to fight against Aang in Ba Sing Se. All of these events are unforgivable.

*(The fact that Luke Newton cried in the LW reveal scene as well as angry portrays Colin as heartbroken than enraged, which makes the scene more heartwrenching. I like that so much better than Colin having a temper like in the books and Katara just enraged when Zuko attacked her in Ba Sing Se. Thanks, Luke Newton, for making me feel sorry for Colin 😏).

Another one is that Colin argues with Penelope that she wrote negative comments on LW about his family, Marina Thompson (in my opinion, she deserved it for being deceptive), himself, herself and everyone else. He also feels that she has a "planned entrapment" for him to marry her, even though I knew he didn't mean it; he is devastated that she is not who she seems to be. Colin wants to feel needed and really yearns to love her fully because he wants to provide everything for her. But he doesn't think he's enough or unworthy for Pen and that he's not sure he'll ever accept Pen as LW, which makes me sad. Also... he's envious that she's more successful than him since she's rich as hell, an experienced writer and got her 💩 together; something he wants to achieve. But dude, you married a Sugar Mama! Similarly, Katara argued with Zuko after the Ba Sing Se fiasco and told him to bring her mother back; I found it absurd too, but I knew she was upset for being deceived and hurt as well, like Colin.

3. Self-confidence and accountability: Pen has brought her own voice to address the whole Ton that she is LW and to let them judge her. Nicola Coughlan has done it perfectly in that, as a shy but confident woman. She understands that people are hurt from her comments, but she wants to have a purpose - not as a spy though, heh. She wants the world where women, especially shy wallflowers, are seen and shine brighter as well in a patriarchy world. Also she understands that Colin is upset that she is LW, but she's adamant that she is and nothing will separate LW from her. LW is power and it helps women like Penelope earn her place in society, besides dilly-dally.

Also, Colin pushes Lord Debling away so that Colin can have a moment with Pen to change her mind and make her pick him, choose him and love him. He doesn't care that the Ton sees them, he just sees Pen. Also the way "he ran!" (thanks Dallas Liu 😏) to Pen's carriage just to confess to her. He is confident of his feelings for her, but respectful if she rejects him.

Same goes with Katara that she wanted a world where women can choose to learn waterbending to fight and men to learn healing, or both. And to Zuko that he had redeemed himself and wanted to end the war as the Firelord with ideals that brought all nations together in peace and harmony.

4. Accepting flaws and empathy: Colin accepts that Pen is LW, because he finally realises why while begging to Cressida: the isolation, the bullying, being ostracised and unappreciated, and the anger that no one will ever recognise, listen or stand up to her. But he knows she's not heartless and does regret her words that are published. Also, her letters to him amplifies that she is a great writer and that her and LW are the same person. After Pen reveals herself to the Ton that she is LW, apologises for it and explains why, Colin is more proud and in love with her.

Zuko saw Katara bloodbending (manipulating bodies through their blood). He was surprised. He didn't question it. He didn't chastise her that it's bad or that she's not herself. He accepted it as part of herself. He just wanted her to face her past and let her choose her fate. The End.

5. Conflict: Colin and Pen love each other so much, despite a Great Wall of Anger and Doubt separating them. Katara knew Zuko was not evil, but had to separate Zuko the Fire Prince with Zuko the Awkward, Caring, Flawed Boi.

Also, Katara and Zuko saw each other as legit rivals during the 100-year war. Meanwhile... well... Colin does see Pen as a rival... indirectly though as she's LW, while he is... just a Bridgerton... with no accomplishments... and a loser, heh.

6. Partnership: Pen agrees with Colin that he'll help her find a husband (even though he hired himself as one, heh). Also, Colin and Pen become writers together, as an author and columnist respectively. All hail Lord and Lady Whistledown! 🙇‍♀️ Meanwhile, Katara and Zuko became partners to find the one who killed her mother, fought together side-by-side during training and trusted each other to defeat Azula.

Extra: There's also a lot of love confessions and moments from Polin that made me giddy with joy, sad and amused (and jealousy for being single). Especially... That carriage scene, heh.

Now for the things I'm disappointed about Polin:

1. Colin doesn't tell Penelope that he forgives her verbally. Like since when did he forgive her? Katara told Zuko verbally that she forgave him, so why doesn't Colin say it to Pen? Same applies to Pen: where's her forgiveness to Colin? Unless I forget.

2. There's a quote from the book I like that Colin says “I love you. I love you with my past, and I love you for my future. I love you for the children we'll have and for the years we'll have together. I love you for every one of my smiles, and even more, for every one of your smiles” to Pen before he leaves to beg Cressida as Pen's distressed about Cressida blackmailing her. I'm sad that one is excluded.

3. Colin being an asshole for not allowing Penelope to let her fix her mess nor asking for his support at the start. Saying that "it is not up to you what we do", probably because he wants to be a hero. Dude, calm down, listen to your wife and compromise. Penelope can handle herself and does not need him to fix it for her, like she said "I do not need you to save me, I just need you to stand by me." I think it makes him feel useless as he likes to help and being needed 24/7. Besides, he makes it worse after begging Cressida, heh. Zuko survived listening to Katara's rants and threats against him, and he still wanted to make it up to her, so Colin should do the same.

4. Colin being a Drama Queen™ for not sleeping with Pen because he's an idiota; he reminds me of both Katara and Zuko since they were both Drama Queens™ as well, heh. However, it broke my heart for Pen; she deserves better and deserves to have a wedding night full of love, not doubt. Fortunately, he does sleep near their room - like Zuko waited for Katara outside her tent - because Colin still deeply loves Pen and wants to feel closer to her, despite being pissy with her. Also, he sleeps on a chaise lounge where they made love because it reminds him of the happiness they have shared before the LW mess. Additionally, he ignores his lust for her while pissed, but I think it's a good idea not to have angry sex as it's just not healthy emotionally and mentally for them.

5. It would be nice if Colin allows Pen to read or discuss his journals more, like in the books. I want to hear his thoughts more. Or maybe the backstory of how Penelope becomes LW.

6. I really want to see more of the lovey-dovey happy Polin moments without any doubts or lies between them; it's not enough. Where's the Polin sex?! Gimme more happy Polin!!!

So that's my long analysis about S3 and why I like Polin, the good and bad. Also, Polin did change my whole opinion about friends-to-lovers stories after I had a sour taste of it from a ship I'm not supportive to, but that is for another story to tell. 

[the-black-bulls]

Hello again! How about headcanons you hate for the rest of the Vermillions? Fuegoleon and Kirsch? Thank you

seeing a headcanon you disagree with and it kinda pisses you off

Last batch of this ask game, thank you for your patience ^^

Fuegoleon:

- that he's undeserving of the captain title, or that mereoleona is more deserving of it than him... fuegoleon IS a great captain, not nearly as freakishly strong as mereo, sure, but you need more than strength to become a good captain and fuego has demonstrated many remarkable qualities as a leader (in fact, he's written as the ideal captain in asta's eyes)

- overall, I don't fw his slander which is annoyingly common in apps like twitter or reddit, even if I agree that he's been done dirty

Kirsch:

- that he's a bad brother... kirsch can be described by many negative words but being a bad brother isn't one of them

- this goes for both him and mimosa: I find it annoying when people tie them to either the silva or the vermillion, but not both families??! likewise, kirsch is so ignored sometimes in "royal" posts I can't help but feel bad for him :(

Nacht: (@nachtssexycloak tagging you for nacht ^^)

- no, nacht doesn't hate yami, he hates himself, and he doesn't hate the bulls or doesn't care about them either; he's projecting because he sees himself in them, but he did attempt to motivate them back into getting stronger to save yami

- speaking of the bulls, nacht was absolutely being an asshole who's projecting his own self-hatred and past self on them, no they didn't need to hear that (seriously, the last thing grey needed is to be told that she shouldn't look herself if she doesn't want to be judged), no half his points didn't make sense (like c'mon, how being an ex-noble is gauche's fault? he was a literal child!), and no, the bulls shouldn't prove themselves to him because they've already grown beyond the flaws he tried to shove back into them... so, seeing fans mischaracterize his character or use him to slander the bulls is always annoying and make me question people's reading comprehension

- his relationship with his devils... like, YEAH, I also tend to go with the positive vibes behind his interactions with them in the manga, but every so often I'm reminder that they're technically his slaves, (which is canon but correct me if I'm wrong) and I wish more people explore this twisted side of the bremen devils

[the-darkestminds]

Let’s just revisit the bonus chapter and follow it through from start to finish, focusing on Azriel’s perspective/state of mind.

He encounters Elain. They finally have a moment alone together. They step closer. She says “yes” to him kissing her, he smells her arousal, he wants her so much it seems almost painful. He has negative thoughts about himself, like he doesn’t deserve her, his hands are bloody and have done awful things that Elain must not know about if she is letting him touch her. 

They are clearly into each other, and then suddenly, Rhysand interrupts. We are drawn out of the moment. Azriel leaves Elain on negative terms: he says it was a mistake, she apologizes, she is clearly hurt and embarrassed. He feels guilty, but disappears into the shadows. He has a tense conversation with Rhysand, in which he sinks into the icy depths of his rage. He feels angry that Lucien is Elain’s mate, he says Lucien will never be good enough for her (although based on Az’s own thoughts, it seems like he feels the same way about himself).

He leaves the conversation with Rhysand. He goes to sit outside in the frigid night air, he lets the “frost in his veins match the air around him.” And then: “Until he felt nothing. Was again nothing at all.” These are all very negative feelings. We see that he is in a bad place emotionally.

He decides to go to the training pit so that he won’t do something he regrets (such as seeking out Elain again). His reasoning: “giving in to the need to work off the temptation, the rage and frustration and writhing need.” 

He stumbles upon Gwyn, his shadows not warning him of her presence. At first he seems reluctant to interact. They talk, they lock eyes and he remembers their first encounter at Sangravah. He knows she was remembering it too. He notes how different she is now. She says “happy solstice” in dismissal. Instead of leaving he engages her further. He smiles at her, but there’s no indication of any real emotion behind it. 

She takes him by surprise, asks him if he sings. “He couldn’t help his soft chuckle.” His mood is turning around. He is grateful for the distraction of this impromptu lesson. At the end: “Azriel dipped his head in a sketch of a bow, something restless settling in him. Even his shadows had calmed. As if content to lounge on his shoulders and watch.” We see here that he has been thoroughly distracted from the negative feelings he was having before. He is calm. His mind is no longer on the rage and frustration he feels at the situation with Elain. 

He leaves and finds that Elain has returned the necklace. Not necessarily a big deal, because who knows how much meaning it really has. But he decides to give it to Gwyn instead. He thinks to himself that he does not really consider Gwyn to be a friend. But when he hears that it might bring her joy, something sparks in his chest. He can picture her teal eyes lighting upon seeing the necklace. It brings a smile to his face. He stuffs the image deep down where it glowed quietly. “A thing of secret lovely beauty.”

Okay. There is no romance between Gwyn and Azriel in this chapter, that much is clear. What we see is a potential fork in the path of Elain and Azriel. The chapter begins with Azriel and Elain, an interaction that ends poorly, with both of them hurting. And by the end of the chapter Azriel is in a good mood, he is smiling, thinking about Gwyn. To suggest that “gwynriels” lack reading comprehension and are stupid/silly to even ship this is, for one thing, extremely rude. It is also somewhat naive. This chapter offers an out to Azriel’s feelings of frustration over Elain. Is it a guarantee? Of course not. Elain and Azriel could very well be endgame. But this chapter creates another path. It is has yet to be explored, and is clearly only a small inkling of something new, but it is there nonetheless. I would encourage everyone to not hurl personal insults just because you feel passionately about a certain ship. It’s annoying and rude and makes you seem immature.

[lucysarah-c]

Reading that last anon ask made me want to say something. I don’t think you were rude or crazy for saying “characters that are more than just a doll for Levi to fuck” nor did it come off negatively. I love the fact that you give the MCs distinct personalities. It’s a breath of fresh air. I don’t think it’s odd at all nor defeats the purpose of xreader fics.

Not everybody is going to relate to the MCs. And you know what? That’s okay.

I personally think people need better reading comprehension skills if they’re seriously taking this to heart.

Hi, love! How are you?

Aww, thank you, dear! I honestly didn't mean to start any sort of argument with anyone. Since English isn't my native language, sometimes things that wouldn't be perceived as offensive in my culture might sound offensive in English, and that's why I felt my intentions might not have been well expressed in the post.

I really appreciate your words <3 Honestly, I do prefer main characters with distinctive personalities, even if I can't relate to them in the slightest, but it's alright if others don't! As you mentioned, not everyone has the same preferences.

The same goes for interpretations of Levi. Some of my moots write him as sweeter, more loving, etc., and I think that's perfectly fine! Actually, it's the best, so everyone can choose the version they prefer!

Hahaha, I feel like on the internet, things can be perceived wrongly because you don't know the tone the other person is using, etc. But I hope they didn't take my response personally!

Thank you for your love <3 I really appreciate it!

[hecckyeah]

Hey! So, I know you probably haven't watched it yet, BUT: when you do, I must know your comprehensive thoughts on the latest Rookie episode!?!

ASK AND YOU WILL RECEIVE!!!

Okay, because I'm insane, I'm going to split this into two sections: not-chenford, and chenford.

SPOILERS FOR 6x02 UNDER THE CUT

First up, everything NOT-chenford-related:

Honestly they could have botched it, but it was SO FUN having Randy back for the wedding. "Sit down, German, I got this." i mean???? iconic. Also having him be literally in Pete's place and WITH HIS GIRLFRIEND? even more iconic. I'm a ride or die Randy fan, so all his scenes just made me unreasonably happy :)

it was understandably short, but I loved having Celina ride with Nyla, finally. It was kind of satisfying to see her get humbled in interrogation, because imo Nolan has been kind of lax with her training, letting her get away with things the other rookies would have been fired for. So it's nice that she'll spend some time away from him and with a *ahem* more experienced TO. hopefully. We'll see.

Ugh, my heart breaks for Aaron this season. Kid's traumatized for REAL. And his comment to Celina about not sharing things with the therapist because he wants to get back on patrol, not necessarily get better. That bothered me. I really hope they dig into that a lot. But I also hope nothing horrible happens because of it. He seemed so unstable, even when he wasn't drunk. I'm also very interested to see where this goes with his and Celina's friendship. Just a lot of good stuff that could be a really thoughtful and interesting story if handled right...

Aaaaand this episode confirms that I intensely dislike Bailey. Everything about her character is just trying too hard, like the writers were so tired of having Nolan date and break up a few times, they were like okay fine this one can stay, and even though they have chemistry readings in the negatives, they keep trying to push it even though it feels so wrong. I'd rather have Nolan be single the rest of the show than be in this stale cardboard relationship. But it's fine, they're not going to split them up now, so I'll have to deal with it lol

The whole thing with Oscar suing was SO rushed. Like, so insanely rushed I couldn't even be annoyed at him. I hope they bring him back and do it for real, because that was weird to kind of shoehorn in there just for dramatic effect.

EPIC COP TEAMUP IN SUITS AND TIES MY BELOVEDDDD. Seriously they all looked SO GOOD chasing down bad guys and beating people up. White dress shirts were truly the MVPs of this episode

Will Celina just. be wearing long sleeves the rest of her life? Seriously how long has she been a rookie already?? Most of Angela's pregnancy and maternity leave, so at least 10 months, if not more. Hell, she should be graduating from the program soon. The timeline in this show is absolute trash.

Speaking of-- Baby Wopez name drop when????? poor girl's been nameless for too long

James coming in clutch with the playlist was chef's kiss. I LOVE that man

ALSO JAMES AND WESLEY'S BROMANCE. "I went with a suit." "Me too. Mine has a tie." "Oh my god, same!" I CAN'T WITH THESE TWO. Probably my favorite bromance of anyone ever.

Finally, just in general-- I know some people were put off by how much stuff was jam-packed into 42 minutes (again. how???) but I think they pulled it off reasonably well. There was actually very good pacing, lots of comedy and angst and everything in between. I personally LOVED this episode and I think it deserves a few rewatches just to pick up on everything they threw at us. It has its flaws, but it will definitely be a 100th episode to remember, that's for sure.

AND NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THE MOMENT WE'VE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR.

Chenford thoughts :))))))

But first let me just get this out of the way real quick-- AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGHLSKDJFOAHGOIJWE;LKTH;SKLJD;LFKHAGLJKSDFA;HLGKJLSKJDKFJDKJFKDJFKJDKFJDKFJKD OH MY GOSHHHHHHHHHHHA;LKGHSJNBMNMCC HELP KJAEHKEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEGHGHGHGHGHGHGHG IM HYPERVENTILATING AHGHGHAHSHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

okay, anyway.

Here we go!

I'm just a little bit torn on how they decided to approach this. On the one hand, it was nice that they were still able to work together and talk without excessive drama. Although... Tim shutting the door on her did hurt. Yeah. That hurt a lot. But I had really hoped that they would acknowledge that Lucy was in the wrong last episode too. She was being completely unreasonable and like Tim said, she was projecting. But in this ep, it seemed like she was validated and he was the one being unreasonable. While his trauma with Isabel is something they desperately need to talk about (like Lucy said), she was also reacting too harshly to it and being unfair with her accusations. But honestly, it's okay. We still have 8 episodes to sort it out and it seems like they're very much on the right track. I'm hoping they have a really really really intense, tearful, honest, raw, cathartic conversation about the whole thing. Seems like that's the direction they're going, so I won't hold my breath but it is something that needs to happen.

ALL OF THEIR INTERACTIONS were just so. hnnggg. so chewy. so much going on. THE LOOKS DURING THE WEDDING. hang on I'll come back to that in a sec.

The scene with the Hammer was NEXT LEVEL. (Also fun that they named the episode after That Scene, specifically. Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.........) For some reason I immensely enjoyed watching Tim get thrown around like a rag doll. Not sure what that's about. Never seen that side of myself before.

THE FORESHADOWING. That on-one-knee thing was more than I thought they'd give us, and OMG I ATE IT UP. The little pause, where Lucy's breath kind of catches, and Tim just seems kind of oblivious. THAT'S CINEMA, BABEY.

Kind of insane about Tim just passing out like that. Poor man.

CELINA MENTIONING LUCY'S BACHELORETTE PARTY????? hello even more foreshadowing :))))

The scene cuts back and forth when Lucy is helping with the cake and Tim with the flowers??? THEY'RE TELEPATHIC SOULMATES DON'T TALK TO ME.

And the fact that the lie detector was RANDY'S IDEA? I'm shrieking. "Ein wenig crazy," is definitely something my adhd bilingual ass has said irl

oh my lord how CLOSE she scoots her chair?? i'm melting

I thought it was kind of a nice touch to have Tim be actually surprised by the lie detector picking up his answer to the last question being a lie. Because honestly.... now it makes a little more sense: he's been lying to himself. Which is kind of an angle I didn't see coming. "I guess we do have a problem," sounds to me like he literally hasn't been able to admit to himself that he doesn't want Lucy undercover. Of course he wants her to make detective, that's not a question. Detective doesn't equal undercover. But he's been telling himself probably since day one that he's fine with it, that she's not Isabel, that he has nothing to worry about . . . and now he's finally seeing that he really is terrified. Something she's seen in him all along. And while their argument last episode was about more than just this (I still believe she was in the wrong for projecting so hard and making crazy assumptions about him), I think I can see where the writers were going with it.

THE I LOVE YOUS D E S T R O Y E D ME

Okay, back to the Looks at the wedding. Tim being all 🧍and scanning the crowd for his girl . . . Lucy delivering the Heart Eyes of the century . . . Them still sitting together because even though they're fighting, they're still each other's person, and nothing can change that . . . I'm going into cardiac arrest.

In my book, "We're gonna get through this" is a nice breath of fresh air and a bit of relief, but it doesn't mean they've worked everything out. Again, they need a good solid conversation. One that this episode was never going to give us, sadly. But it'll come!

ALSOOOO that moment when Aaron interrupts them and we see Tim's hand around her waist, I just OOF i need a moment

I AM NEVER GONNA BE NORMAL ABOUT THIS EPISODE. the foreshadowing, the parallels, the pining, the dancing, the fighting, the emotions, EVERYTHING. It was not perfect but it was WONDERFUL. 10000/10, I need to watch all their scenes about five million more times.

AND THERE WE HAVE IT. I'll definitely be posting more thoughts soon, but that's where I'm at for now. Basically I think they set the groundwork for a really solid, healthy relationship going forward. I LOVED their moments in this ep, absolutely top tier. The ANGST. I am eating up every second of it.

2 episodes down, 8 to go!!!

[stephenjaymorrisblog]

Bibi Goes to Washington

Stephen Jay Morris

7/26/2024

©Scientific Morality

Not many people are going to read this article. I might as well be preaching to a basket of kittens. It certainly wouldn’t hurt my feeling to engage in that type of activity.  The concept of bad Jew and good Jew has not penetrated with non-Jews comprehension. There is this politically correct notion that you can’t say anything negative about Jews, even though some Jews do negative things. Well, as a Jew myself, I give you permission to criticize any Jew that does wrong.

I have stated before about Jews who were gangsters or serial killers. Though the late Bugsy Siegal, Jewish gangster, was a handsome dude, he was an evil asshole. Prime Minister Netanyahu is a 74-year-old, ugly, fat, old man that looks more like Bela Lugosi than Bugsy Siegal. He is a stereotype of evil. Yes, Virgina, there are evil Jews. The problem with real antisemites is that they think all Jews are evil. On the other hand, American liberals think all Jews are saints. Both are wrong. The old trope that Jews are either Communists or greedy money-grubbers. Is too dualistic to be true. The old-time Hollywood studios’ owners were registered Republicans and were happy to assist the anti-Communist campaign to rid America of Communists. Just remember, anticommunism and antisemitism walk hand in hand, together, down Desolation Row.

So? Who in the fuck is this Netanyahu character anyway?  He thinks he was anointed by God to lead the Jewish people. No, really—he does. He has a solemn disposition like someone suffering from a sociopathology disorder. The only time he smiles is when he is cavorting with Donald Trump, another nut case. No matter how much video tape that’s been shot of it, he will not cop to killing women and children. It’s all Hamas’ fault. He told house Republicans that the reason the Palestinians are starving is because Hamas is stealing their food. No matter how much evidence to the contrary there is, the Likud flunkies will lie with intransient vigor. That is like saying the reason Black people are starving is because the Black Panther Party is stealing their food. Likud propaganda is not just sophistic, it’s outright, fucking retarded! There are also non-Jews who believe it!

Bibi came to Washington to appear in the Peoples’ House and excoriate American politicians like an angry school master. He acted like he was going to give each member a caning. Not a bad idea. He stood up there at the podium, like an ancient, avenging angel, lecturing the House about not doing enough for Israel. And after every declaration, he was interrupted with a standing ovation by these sycophantic Democrats and Conservatives who, otherwise, wouldn’t know anything about the Jewish people—at all!

Then came the cherry on top: he condemned the American anti-war movement of being paid agitators of Iran. Oh Yeah? Do you have the receipts, Bibi? Or did you pull that one out of your tush?

The idea that Bibi came to America to criticize American lawmakers of not doing much and accusing the pro-Palestinian movement of being financed by a foreign country—an Israeli enemy, by the way—would make one think he is some type of courageous warrior. No, he is not. He was protected by the secret service and—get this—he was staying at the Watergate hotel! Why there?

Funny, my generation was accused by these same creeps of being financed by the former Soviet Union for our anti-war demonstrations. Nothing ever changes but the names. I wished to God that somebody had handed him a subpoena and handcuffed his fat hands! The only time I would support Hamas would be if they kidnaped him, took him to the World Court, and put him on trial. He would probably ask for a public defender; he’s too cheap to get a lawyer! What? Too antisemitic? Good!

[arkiwii]

well, since i can't really draw or write Arknights stuff because I'm really charged this month, but the brainrot is still very strong, i decided to do a tierlist of my favorite operators!

explanations below the cut

i don't count alters on this tierlist, when I put a character I consider it's them + their alter version; the choice of if I picked the alter or not for the vignette is only based on aesthetic choices, really. also for comprehensive reasons, i tried to put all the related characters next to each other (like how the abyssal hunters are all next to each other)

My most beloved precious blorbos: this one speaks for itself, honestly. operators i absolutely love, that i think about almost on a daily basis, no minded doodles every so often, writing ideas poping up in my mind, big wall of text about how much i like them, autistic thoughts, you know the kind. i just love them very much, simply. originally, saria and ifrit were in the tier just below, since i considered that since i have silence as my favorite character, i did not need to also put them, but i learnt to love them individually rather than for what they represent to silence

Big smooch on their forehead: characters that i know very well the story of, and that I'm really attached! not to the point of being my all times favorites, but who spoke to me to a personal level, or that i used a lot in early game/still use today. i love to read about them and would love to draw or write more about them! justice knight is here as a honorary member

I think they're neat!: i don't know them that well, but i followed them in events, or did a bit of research about them for a reason or another, or simply one of my friends like them! and i do think they're neat, pretty interesting, not the kind i'd be absolutely attached to but i enjoy seeing them regardless :]

I would like to know more about them: feat Abyssal Hunters, the Nearls and Gavial's crew. they are characters i know a little bit about them or they are related to a character i love, but i got too lazy to read their event and files because it's too complicated, or too long, or whatever. but they are characters i know enough about to know i'll appreciate them! so im interested in knowing more about them

Here goes all the other operators, aka "I don't care or I forgot you exist": well, the tier's name once again speaks for itself. theres a ton of characters in that game, and I can't focus on every of them, especially when i started not that long ago. there's a lot that i genuinely just forget about, some that i know the story but i dont care that much to know more, and a few that i do wish to know more about! but not as much interesting as the tier above, so not my priority

I hate you /pos: (i ran out of colors) annoying ass characters with a shitty personalities but they're fun for the memes and i use them regardless (except tequila cause mlynar exists). not like actual hate, mostly affectionate hate, you know, like how you call your cat "stinky", but you still love your cat regardless. fact, at first i was genuinely uncomfortable with lappland, but then with il siracusano i started to feel better with her

I hate you /neg: characters i despise either for game reason or because their smug aura mocks me. phantom is because fuck him in is2 and his story is ehhh to me. gravel is because this character is seriously uncomfortable, for the love of god can you act normal, and i wouldn't mind her if she wasn't guaranteed with every fast redeploy tag. harmonie and ho'olheyak are just smug bitches. and ethan i just have a hate experience because i dont like using him and his voice + the music playing when he appears makes me so anger

Brother you can just die: Silverash tier. fuck you silverash. i don't like his face, i dont like using him, and i did not followed break the ice but i heard enough bullshit about him to know he's a terrible person. i hope i never roll him

[medlarmeadows]

Hi, Philza lore dump incoming.

I don't know how much of Phils streams you have watched and how much of his connected hardcore lore you know so I'll try to make this as comprehensive as possible.

I'll start with Hardcore lore but fyi we don't know a lot as Phil is still developing/telling us it.

Phil imagines his hardcore worlds as layers of reality linked by the Void. Phil has said that as a character he is an archaeologist or adventurer uncovering locations and stories as he explores. He is also the reincarnated version of his previous self - when he dies in a world he is essentially reborn in the next with presumably all his past memories.

His current lore in hardcore is centred around 6 deities - Phil has described their power level as that of a really strong demi-god not a full god. The deities are called Rose, the Blaze Empress, the Ocean Overlord, two we don't yet know the names of and the Ender King (nicknamed Enderpookie by chat). Each one rules over a domain or part of the world and there was a great war between the 5 and the Ender King which resulted in his "death".

The Ender King holds domain over the End and is very greedy and power hungry. He has the power to take parts of the world and shrink them which resulted in him stealing structures and biomes and transporting them to his home in the End. When he steals a part of the world he leaves behind a negative space which the world tries to fill in. He is also in lore responsible for the near extinction of the Ender Dragon species. His goal was to combine the realms together to have ultimate control over them and by trying this he forced the other deities to work together and combine their power to stop him.

When he tried to fully combine the realms the deities used their combined power to trick him into summoning an entire overworld ocean to the End and he died surrounded by his treasures in a now flooded base.

We now know that only his physical body died and that his essence/being survived but was severely weakened. This is where QSMP lore comes into play, we believe as it has been strongly hinted at, that the Ender King is planning on possessing Phil and using his body as a vessel.

Before Purgatory the birdhouse incident happened along with a book and vines in his home (believed to be from Rose) that disappeared when he tried to show Fit and Pac. These incidents caused Phil to start doubting what he was seeing and questioning his reality and mind.

Purgatory then happened with Phils wings canonically healing. When he woke up back on the island he revealed the wings for the first time saying that they were damaged again from flying Tubbo to safety.

The Ender King first made contact with Phil similar to how Rose had with a book in his house. This time the Book appeared alongside amethyst crystals and symbols of the End in the aquarium below Phils house. Phil awoke to the bunker being dark and a path of amethyst leading him down to the aquarium where a book was left. The book basically said Phils need to explore and discover was greedy and that only the author of the book could help him on his path to redemption as the author knows the price of greed. Phil becomes scared on seeing and reading everything and it gets worse when neither Chayanne or Tallulah can see anything different even in photos Phil takes of the area. Phil ends up telling them about everything that happened when they were missing and informing Fit of the new book. Like before when he goes to show Fit there is no evidence. He tells Fit that he has some idea of who is trying to contact him and he says the Ender King.

A few streams later he woke up to a lot of flowers and vines in the bunker along with a book in a chest. This book was from Rose instructing him to spend the day with the kids and then go to coordinates (where the birdhouse was). At the end of the day Phil then goes to the coordinates where there is another book and a path of roses that lights up as he follows it. At the end of the path is a sanctuary with a pink sky with roses and lots of birds. (the building material reflects that which Phil uses to build around his spawn in hardcore which is/was Roses home). There is a book in a chest in the middle with a picture of a rose. The book just thanks Phil for trusting her and giving her name as Rose.

Later on after the eye worker lore (dudes from egg island who threaten and fight the islanders over a creature in federations hands – they are responsible later on for Empanada losing her life and seemed to think Phil was the leader of the island) occurs where they first threaten Phil and Chayanne, Rose makes her presence known at spawn and Phil tells Chayanne about her. They then go the sanctuary as Rose promises to protect the kids.

Next time Phil shows Tallulah the sanctuary and at the end after building a nest Phil writes a book asking Rose to protect the kids over him. Things then happen as normal on the island with the family practically moved in to the sanctuary.

The next major lore bit happens on the 10th of January when Phil writes to Rose a brief note about not needing to be all knowing and fighting "him" – Ender King is usually always referred to as “him” rather than by name.

Also as the family had moved to the sanctuary Phil hadn't been back to places like Uppies and the Nest. This became important the next stream when Rose replied to Phil with a book that contained corrupted text and appeared to have been intercepted by the Ender King. Phil then went to the bunker and Uppies and the Nest and found lots of crying obsidian and a book from the Ender king essentially saying Phil can't run forever. Phil leaves a book for Rose asking her to contact the Blaze Empress.

We then get the book from Rose talking about how the Ender kings plans are unknown to her but implying that he wants to use Phil as a vessel and Phil ends stream by telling Chayanne and Tallulah about it. (Note that basically from when the eggs returned they and Phil have had a no secrets policy between them and a heavy emphasis on trust).

That was the last Phil specific lore bit until after the Prison and the reset.

After the reset it starts to become clearer that Phil is getting greedier wanting to take more things from dungeons and shinies (cool looking blocks and items). Phil has also become more reckless – taking risks he never normally would and going out without the kids. A piece of crying obsidian shows up in the pond by their house and he ends up having a talk with Chayanne and Tallulah about destroying any they see and that Phil doesn't think he can keep them safe. (this was interrupted by Pepitos near death and the conversation never truly got finished).

Phil wakes up to find a chest on his front doorstep containing a purple diamond backpack and a book (he thinks from the feds but actually from Ender King). From the moment Phil puts it on he hides his wings (something he hasn't done on purpose in months) and starts talking about stealing things and needing to find more blocks and items. This is all justified as being for the kids but is a clear departure from his normal vocabulary and take what we need only mentality. He also ignores that the kids are awake for a portion of this stream and takes risks he never would, like entering dungeons he had previously avoided or marked as to only do when he returns with more people.

On Mondays stream the possession became undeniable. At the start of the stream Phil briefly gave Fit the backpack early in the vod and zoned out waiting for him to give it back, looking like he was going to snatch it from Fits hand. He then went exploring and weird things occurred (randomly losing the ability to have hunger saturation, having strength and resistance for a long while). Glowing purple lines also appeared on his shoulders and when met back with the kids, Fit, Bagi and Pac he took off the backpack to reveal glowy lines on his back too. Tallulah and Chayanne confront him and Fit has a talk with him. Phil ends up yelling at Tallulah and Chayanne before Tallulahs fear of him seems to snap him out of his possessed state for a bit and he says they need to burn the backpack.

They journey to an island and Phil instructs the kids to burn the backpack but he picks it up before they can yelling in anger. They attempt it again with Phil ending up chasing down Chayanne and calling Tallulah a stupid egg when she stops him (which he had ordered her to do). He then appears to regain control of himself and in a broken voice tells Tallulah to run to Chayane. He walks away from the eggs talking about needing to be stronger and wishing Rose could protect him and them.

The Ender Kings voice is then heard and Phil has an argument with him saying that unlike the Ender King Phil is strong cause he has friends and family. The stream ends with Phil saying goodbye to his eggs (Tallulah is visibly scared of him) and exiling himself til Friday saying that if he comes back still looking or acting corrupted they should tell the adults and not trust him.

I hope this helps catch you up a bit on Phils lore. This has been going on for months and is super subtle at times which means that the Crows (his chat if you didn’t know) aren’t entirely sure when he first started getting corrupted/possessed. Fridays stream is highly anticipated to see how this continues especially as it is also Phils birthday.

omy thank you for the lore update!! it was pretty concise, i feel like i get things better now

FINALLY i have context to Rose and Ender King. i knew Phil was weaving in his hardcore lore, but not to this extent

also, can't believe this was all connected to the birdhouse incident even???? that's from like MONTHS ago im shook

i saw clips of phil shouting at the eggs, phil's acting really doesn't disappoint

i'm so excited for friday's stream now!! can't wait to see developments and such

once again, thanks for the update!! feel free to pop in my inbox anytime if you wanna lore dump heh :)

[lilac-hecox]

free my man lilac, you did nothing wrong. the cognitive dissonance in some of these anons is a whole lot. like, calling you passive aggressive in the same sentence as an all-caps "SOMEBODY" just made me laugh, lol. unfortunately the internet is a medium ripe for misunderstanding (a là that pancakes/waffles tweet), and people will probably never stop accusing you of things you've never said, done, or actually implied. i'm just saying, i enjoy reading your critical posts. you often help me put my own thoughts and opinions into words, or you introduce a new perspective i hadn't considered. it'd be a real shame if you stopped sharing those views because a few people lack reading comprehension and/or would prefer to live in an echo chamber.

I'm honestly too annoying to stop sharing my thoughts because the way my bad brain goes I need to share it or it festers in my chest so pray for @xxmoonch1ldxx and @sheisaquarius-blog because they are who I bother the most with positive and negative feelings rattling around in my watermelon brain.

[not-goldy]

the way i never even attacked or said anything negative about jungkook? reading comprehension is low i get it or it's the fact that you have literally no argument so you just brush me off as a solo- its the army in you huh? im not upset at jimin including jungkook i completely get why he included him- youre just using that argument because you dont know what else to say. the point of the ask was to respect jimins words and music but you somehow want to flip it on me? as if anything i said was a lie or went against anything jimin has said or done? you and other jikookers saying letter is a secret love song for jungkook is not celebrating the song who are you trying to fool? 😭 and the comment about the credit wasnt to diminish anyone but to rather show how just like like crazy isnt jimin ft rm letter is not jimin ft jk. you are absolutely right they both have credits for their respected talent no one said otherwise? 😭 if you all can respect jungkook and what he has said about seven and golden then surely you can all give jimin the same common courtesy is all.

Get the fuck out of here and miss me with the bs

You literally sat there and compared Jungkook and Namjoon's contributions as if to say having Kook on letter means nothing cos "every one goes to him" and "namjoon writes too"

If you are trying to gaslight you doing a piss poor job at it. Try again.

Oh you are not a solo???

You confused aren't you. Having an identity crisis aren't ya??? Cos honey you're NOT AN ARMY EIIIIDDA LMAO.

Which army has a problem with two members of BTS preforming or contributing to a song????

Argument??? Bitch are you crazy???

Like I said, it's not an argument. If you want one take on your mama. She seems to have time since she has nothing to do but have you.

Shipping narrative?

If respecting and supporting both Jimin and Jungkook is a shipping narrative so be it🙂

Cos if I challenge you to point out the so called shipping narrative around letter in the particular Ask I answered you won't find one.

Absolutely I can respect Jungkook and I can respect Jimin ITS CALLED RESPECTING JIKOOK

I respect those two individuals so much I will not downplay eithers contributions on frankly anything. Can you say the same thing??

Let's try this:

win this "argument" right here right now and respect that Jungkook sings BG vocals on Letter. I'll wait.

Shouldn't be hard since you are not a solo or JK anti😹😹😹😹

Fuck outta here

[chevelleneech]

https://www.tumblr.com/dearweirdme/761701380234903552/i-usually-dont-subblog-like-this-but-i-am-beyond

The way the tkkr account has literally twisted your words lmaoo. I get why these people ship taekook, zero reading comprehension because when did you say Jk’s behaviour towards Jimin is because he is neurodivergent? You spoke about his behaviour in general and not specifically towards Jimin so what are they even talking about???😂

I don’t typically like posting asks with people’s blogs linked in, and I am going to state upfront that I hope no one goes to this blog and says a single thing “in defense” of me or my opinions.

However, I will post this message solely because they are in fact twisting what I said, and quoting me in bad faith. It is also impossible to claim this post is about anyone else, so there’s no way it won’t lead back to me anyway.

What I said, @dearweirdme, is that Jungkook has a “standoffish” personality in general. He has been this way for years, and it doesn’t make sense to me that people continue to use it as so-called proof that he doesn’t like interacting with Jimin.

I also said people need to stop picking apart his personality, trying to find reasons why he comes across as rude or standoffish around Jimin only, when it is a fact he acts this way around all the members. And one reason for that, is because he is possibly nd. So instead of the anon I got, and many others constantly trying to say he seems uninterested in Jimin because he’s not being as enthusiastic as they believe he should be, they need to look at his personality as it has been for years.

I also state that all the members seem very much aware of his personality, and don’t care that it may take more effort for him to be as involved as they want him to be. They know that’s who he is, and they seemingly have made space in how they all interact as a group, to accommodate one another’s needs.

Next, I did not say any trait of JK’s is negative, you did. I said this:

Someone being a lot to handle does not mean they are unwanted nor the people doing the handling are unwilling. Lots of us have people in our lives who are a lot to handle, but we figure out how to meet them where they need us to, because we love them.

I said JK seems like a lot to handle, because he does, imo. His personality seems to swing much more drastically than the other members do, with the one example I gave of a moment when accommodations needed to be made. The group and their crew made them, and I don't recall there ever being any issues there. The same way I don’t recall there ever being any issues made when Yoongi needed physical accommodations over the years.

So perhaps you and I simply have different opinions on what it means to love a person who is a lot to handle, but I don’t view any of the traits I listed for Jungkook as negative. They’re just parts of who he appears to be.

As for you deciding I am referring to Jikook specifically and supposedly blaming possible neurodivergent traits as the reason JK acts this or that way to Jimin, that’s your fault, not mine. You have chosen to take what you want from my post and run with it to fit a narrative you want, because you don’t believe Jikook mean anything to each other, I guess.

Because me? I said multiple times that even if he is not nd, his personality has always been what it is. He may not be overt and expressive in his excitement, but he tends to always use his words to tell us he enjoyed himself. Thus, people need to at least try to marry their opinion of his personality to what he’s telling us. That’s it.

That’s all I said and all I meant. It has nothing to do with trying to create reasons why I think JM and JK are dating, and shoving stuff in that don’t fit. Particularly because they don’t have to be dating for me to believe Jungkook is being honest about enjoying spending time with Jimin. I also don’t need to believe he is nd to make his personality around Jimin make sense. To me, JK seems nd, and likes being around Jimin. The two do not go hand in hand, no matter how much you twisted my words to make it seem like that’s what I said.

In any case, next time you have this level of confusion over what I’m saying, try asking for clarification first. I’d have been happy to let you know you misunderstood.

[fierceawakening]

Another thing I’m thinking about (sorry for all the posts, I just only recently figured out that I think the “you’re ableist if you think NPD is a red flag” posts are deflections and that the reason they’re in bad faith is the lack of detailed information about why interpreting the criteria as negative is a result of prejudice not basic reading comprehension.

Is my experience in the kink community as a top. There’s a common practice that if you don’t know someone and are interested in bottoming to them, you ask for references. If someone refuses to give them or goes “I’m hurt you think you’d need to ask,” that’s seen as a reason to suspect the person is unsafe. It’s just part of choosing the dominant role that you have to be willing to take the ego hit of knowing people are gonna ask, and might withdraw.

This happened to me once actually. I do not think I have done anything, but… I’m me, so biased in my favor.

But I did have a Scene friendship end messily. I had two friends who I played with regularly. One of them had depression and, unknown to me at the time, would go incommunicado during episodes. I was young and didn’t really know how other people’s minds worked, so I would call and leave messages a lot, not realizing no response meant please go away.

Worse, the third in our little unit would tell me “oh she still likes you, I’m sure she’ll reply soon” when I reached him, which made me think i should keep trying. It was only long after that I found out this had happened to others, and that I’d likely lost their friendship pushing. That they’d even te emerged in Scene public… when I wasn’t around.

Years later I met a guy who was new and a bit nervous. He told me he wanted to play with me next party but that he needed to verify I’m safe. I of course told him that was fine. He said he was going to talk to particular friends he trusted. I said of course that’s fine. He happened to mean those two.

I got a very embarrassed… phone call I think? But it might have been email? No I think phone. Anyway he said he’d talked to them and didn’t feel satisfied I was safe, apologizing profusely.

Was I hurt? Yeah. Angry? A little?

What did I say to him though?

“Yes, I don’t get along with them. I believe my side of the story makes sense too though. I’ll tell it to you, if it would help. But they’re people you trust, and they gave you their view, so if you feel more comfortable not getting into it, I understand. I looked forward to playing with you but you have to decide what you’re comfortable with.”

He thanked me for understanding and said our date was off forever. I never saw him again.

And I just keep thinking… what I did there wasn’t fun, but it was the done thing. If someone thinks you’re dangerous and you don’t agree, you smile and nod and feel rejected, betrayed, whatever, in private.

Which I think is why I’m baffled by people getting ANGRY that people think NPD might make them a little too dangerous to get close to.

From my perspective they shouldn’t be getting mad. They should be offering the references who’ll vouch for them, and waiting. They chose to say “I have the big bad scary PD” just like I chose to say “I’d like to tie you up.”

[publishingwhispers]

Resources for Researching Agents

When it comes to agents, we are constantly telling each other to do our research and due diligence to make sure we're making the best decision possible. But so much of publishing is opaque, and so much discussion of bad actors is hidden in whisper networks.

So, besides this blog, which I'm doing my best with but is far from comprehensive, here are other resources to scour.

Publisher's Marketplace This is absolutely essential to consider because it shows sales histories for individual agents and agencies, and you can see which publishers and imprints they are selling to. It is unfortunately a paid service ($25/mo) but they have a day pass to just do some binge-researching ($10). If you have writerly friends you can split and share with, that's even better. But more importantly, I have a subscription; if money is an obstacle and there's ever anything you want to look up, feel free to send me a DM or ask here and I will look into it for you. I'm not about gatekeeping or paywalling information.

Query Tracker QueryTracker is a great tool for querying, and the most valuable aspect in my opinion is the comment section for each agent. Read as far back as you possibly can for a given agent if you're considering an offer of rep.

Writer Beware This is often more for big scams rather than warning bad treatment from established agents, but it's still an invaluable resource.

Absolute Write Forums Agency Index This forum can be overwhelming to dig through since it goes back as far as 2004, but in general, looking at the more recent posts on a given thread from the past few years for an agency can give really good information.

Social Media & Other Writers!!! This might not seem helpful when I can't exactly link you to my group chats and writing communities, but it's absolutely vital you find your own support network so that you can compare experiences. When you get an agent offer, it's an industry norm to ask them for client references to talk to, but I would go further than that and try to talk to clients (and ex-clients) beyond the people they provide to you. You want to hear from someone who has had a negative experience just as much if not more than the person who has had a success story.

And of course, the Publishing Whispers blog here on Tumblr does its best to keep track of public or widely discussed industry whispers while keeping an open inbox for folks to share their experiences.