#without any big conspiracy in the background

[a-s-levynn]

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[kaardbord]

Wanted to share here, so here's what I think The Bad Kids would be like in a Gravity Falls AU (an au that I am currently writing)

Riz - very Dipper-like, but a loner when he comes into town. Was supposed to be living with Arthur Aguefort, but he left 3 days in and left him with the Thistlesprings. He has his dad's journal that he made as he was investigating the strange things in Elmville, and he uses it to help him investigate the numerous secrets in town. Him and Gorgug start out as reluctant friends but end up as loving brothers.

Adaine - She spends a lot more time out of the Abernant home, mostly because she goes to the library often just to get out. She's interested in the cryptic history of Elmville, but has been unable to do any actual deep investigation outside of history books. She's also magicless (as is the rest of the town, sans a few people) but besides that she's pretty much the same.

(The other Bad Kids aren't AS fully fleshed out but I do have ideas for them all)

Fig Faeth - Sandra Lynn travels a lot, so that caused Fig's rebellious era much earlier in her life. She's less visibly a demon, but she has pretty much the same "emo teenager" personality she had in Freshman year. They've stopped in Elmville and are staying with Gilear for now who yes is still Sandra Lynn's ex-husband. Him and Fig get along fairly easier since she never really had a chance to hate him, but their relationship is still strained.

Gorgug - Probably the most similar to his FH self. He's a freshman without many friends, and is very interested in art and music. However, he started helped his parents with engineering at an earlier age, and has a good understanding of technology compared to most others his age.

Fabian - The hometown hero, more so because of Bill's intimidation than any of his own merit. (people don't really like him) He's not as skilled at fighting, and he is very much the brash, cocky guy he was in Freshman Year. He and Adaine know each other and they have a slight disdain for each other, but haven't interacted for it to be anything concrete. He's a lot less popular during the summer, when everyone is outside of school and he's not playing bloodrush.

Kristen - A lot more in her element here, especially since the Helioic religion is a lot more prevalent in this Elmville. She has a very big interest in religion, and is well-versed in the fifteen most common religion in Spyre, as well as sparce info on thirty others. She acts almost as an "in" to the conspiracy that the Dawn family is the head of (which would be the main background plot in "season 1")

Other miscellaneous info, as mentioned before, the Helioic religion and specifically the Dawn family are sort of the big mystery of Season 1 (that really isn't a "big mystery"

The "Season 2" villain is undecided, but imagine a much longer, full arc of the Nightmare Forest, and that's about what I'm planning currently.

Oh yeah also Riz and Adaine are basically the Dipper and Mabel duo of the story. That's about all I have for it currently, but I've got vague ideas for other NPCs, shorter stories, the world of Spyre where magic is much less common, etcetc

[dullgecko]

Ah so the riz dying plot has made me way too sad can I know about riz and Fabian vacation after the battle at the school please

Adaine saw the disaster coming years before it actually happened and spent nearly one hundred years setting things up so she could properly summon her party back to the material plain without issues. Kristen and Gorgug were a straight revival, Kristen bringing herself back before resurecting Gorgug. Fig was just able to plain shift in when called but Fabian and Riz were the main issue. Fabian because he didn't want to be revived, simply summoned as a fiend because he'd been quite old when he died and would be useless in a fight (whereas his infernal form was him in his prime) and Riz because they were worried about the instability of his soul without physical remains to stabalize him.

It was Ayda and Adaine that found a way to make it easier for their rogue and started him on the path to minor deity-hood which made him strong enough to exist on the material plain without having to worry about disappearing. They also anchored part of his soul to the statue just in case so that if he got destroyed there'd be part of him left to recover from.

Once the whole affair kicked off Adaine syphoned part of the magic from the whole end-of-the-world issue directly into her own spell and they managed to get bring everyone back to the material plain including their rogue and fighter without any issues (she needed some insanely powerful magic to give them both actual physical forms). Now that he could exist on the material plain without worrying he could come and go as he pleased.

Curb-stomping the problem of the week was just an extra fun little bonus they got to do before they settled in properly or went on vacation for a bit.

First Fabian and Riz spent a couple days with his family in Seacaster Manor (his mother still living there though his younger sibling had moved out a while ago). Fabians room was exactly how he left it which was good because Riz crashed hard after the fight (first time he'd actually needed to sleep in 400 years) and slept for a good nine hours. He's not mortal but existing on the mortal plain seems to have rules, either that or whatever magic Adine weaved has a sleeping and eating clause which he finds both hilarious and annoying.

After that a 'fun little jaunt' to Leviathan so Fabian could 'gently disuade' some people from trying to get the Pirate Kings Crown.

They went to the beach, went on a short road trip to the Mountains of Chaos to check on Riz's now very distant relatives. Fabian sent at least THREE separate selfies of himself with Riz in the background staring at a conspiracy board (all of them were different cases, and only one was one he found himself while on their trip. The other two were handed to his statue and he cant help himself).

There was at least one instance of Riz letting Fabian into his domain, which isnt very big because he's only a minor deity, and it looks like a less dilapidated version of his office when he was alive. Fabian took a picture of Riz looking at something on his desk in there and accidentally captured an image of his true form and burnt out the camera on his crystal.

Fig called it their honeymoon. Neither of them corrected her.

[rainbowdaisy13]

We can tell from songs like "Miss Americana" "CIWYW" and "Maroon" that the 2016 election results were devastating for many reasons, one of which was Kaylor's love blackout (IMO). That said, I think it's safe to reason that there is a lot of serious shit in the background of Taylor's life. Karlie and Taylor are, by nature of their businesses but also their contracts, bound to billions of dollars and even US politics. Let's say Taylor's goal is getting to live openly with Karlie and the kids without their businesses, reputations, and legacies taking a beating. I can't even begin to imagine how many moving parts there are to accomplish these goals. Not to mention that we're in an election year in the US. A big one that could bring the orange one and the kushners back into a huge spotlight. It's possible Taylor could be trying to use her platform to influence voters--I don't think that's too unheard of, even if the right is calling it a conspiracy.

Just some thoughts. Taylor and Karlie aren't exactly regular people, haha

I agree with all of these points— it’s SO different from any not famous persons life situation

[the-ninja-legacy-whip]

So even though Olivia says that the shark army wants to promote the truth do the others know as much as Olivia? About the Element Compass and the Golden master? Would Olivia tell Bridget if she asked? Why does Olivia not tell the shark army and the others about the Ninjas identity?

Hooray, time for a Olivia dissertation!

So even though Olivia says that the shark army wants to promote the truth do the others know as much as Olivia? About the Element Compass and the Golden master? <- They do not! Each individual member of the army has varying degrees of knowledge concerning the Elements, depending on their ranks and/or their background. Some are just common thugs looking for easy shelter or to start trouble, some are people who got displaced when the Elemental information was cleansed, and some are actually straight-up ex-members of The Order itself (who were exiled due to refusing to stay silent), so ofc they would have their own knowledge of the Elemental Compass (but not necessarily the prophecy stuff).

The only collective piece of information each member is guaranteed to have by Book 2 is the Eye Color Rules, specifically in order to better track the Ninja/Lloyd/Any EMs. The Members of the Shark Squads are the one with the "extra" Elemental Comapss knowledge, and out of those guys, Olivia outranks them all. Jesse's also made a mention of how weird it is for Olivia to know so much about the elements, even with her being a Shark Army member.

...and that, of course, is because Olivia has very unique circumstances surrounding her knowledge (esp concerning the prophecies), and would love to tell the world what she knows, and has tried to inform Nya without being explicit a few times, especially so in the B2 Finale:

"But you still don't see?! Lloyd Garmadon is the entire problem!" Olivia wails, pupils shrinking into pinpricks. Nya recoils in horror, jerking back from an attempted punch. "Everything Wu did, all these convoluted secrets, all this fighting and the conflicts, all these conspiracies and prophecies…it all exists because he does! Everything connects right back to him! He cannot be allowed to reach his True Potential; he cannot be allowed to persist …! You don’t know what he really is, Nya!" Without warning, Olivia turns one of her blasters in Lloyd's direction. Despite Lloyd still scrambling about in an attempt to evade the general carnage the others are causing, Nya knows that Olivia's got a perfect lock on her aim.  "You have to believe me, Nya! You have to understand, Nya! Getting him out of the way is the only way to truly save the world! It…may be the one thing that Garmadon and I disagree on, but it's the truth!"

...but the reason she hasn't been nearly as open as she wants to be about it is because Garmadon and/or The Order would probably kill her for it. It's part of why Olivia tempted Nya with her Compass to begin with; the information would finally revealed as it should be, and she would have Lloyd as leverage in case Garmadon or The Order attempted anything on her. And this exact situation is what she implies to Kai in B3Ch4:

“...If it’s that big of a deal, to the point that you'd willingly ruin some kid’s social life, then why haven’t you just come out with it, then?” Kai presses, dragging her right back in again. “ You’re the one always preaching about ‘unleashing the truth’ or whatever—” “And you’re the one that said you didn’t want any more bad news dropped on you. Far be it from me to add to the pile now, ” she mumbles. “...I even tried to warn Nya a few times before, but noooooooo, her new bestest buddy could never do anything wrong! He’s a good boy! He’s gonna be a hero! There’s no way that kid could ever be a threat to literally everyone …” Kai hears her drag her nails against the table; a horrid screech claws at his ears.  “I mean, haven’t you ever wondered why both his parents are so afraid of him getting his True Potential? Haven’t you wondered why Wu was so desperate to keep Lloyd’s whole existence a secret to begin with?! To the point that he strung you along about the Legend of the Green Ninja while also not even telling you the truth about your own elements…?!” …Kai doesn’t dignify that with a response, even though they both know his answer. Huffing, Olivia tosses her hand over her shoulder.  “In any case, Lord Garmadon won’t let me press the issue, because he knows what it would mean for his precious son…which is essentially what’s stopping me from telling the rest of the Shark Army. Contrary to popular belief, I do enjoy being alive. And also, Bridget told me not to incur the wrath of The Order if I could help it, sooooo…gotta stay a little mum for those reasons too.”

But moreover, Olivia was initially under the impression that having 'green eyes' was impossible anyway, and like any other person took her "knowledge" as nothing more than myth and legend...until Garmadon revealed he was looking for a child with green eyes, and at the end of Book 1 is when he tells the army as a collective about the Eye Color Rules

"Who can say? In the old, old times, it was said that a descendant of an Elemental Master could be spotted by their vibrant eye color—anything that deviated from black was to serve as a warning to others." Garmadon stares at the floor with a frown. "These days, with a much larger population, such an indicator isn't as big of a deal, as there are far more potential descendants than there are actual inheritors of Elemental Power…" "But…you still think this particular brat might be of some concern for you, especially given how unique of an indicator green is," Olivia pieces together. Garmadon doesn't confirm or deny this.

...and this is also why Olivia gets pissed when she learns this dangerous brat is actually Garmadon's son, which is the reason why Garmadon's been trying to protect him as much as he can instead of...well, doing otherwise, and Olivia realizes that there was merit in "keeping him a secret". And Garmadon knows she knows in B2Ch19:

"Oh yeah, and speaking of," Olivia interrupts, shoving Lloyd out of the way and pointing accusingly at Garmadon. "How dare you make me go on a goose-chase for some mythical green-eyed kid without mentioning that he was your son?!" "…because I didn't really want it getting out that I even have a son," Garmadon responds, and the coldness of the truth makes Lloyd freeze. "People are going to ask too many questions and start drawing too many connections otherwise." He glares at Olivia, and Olivia sets her jaw. "…and it appears you've already made the biggest connections, haven't you?" Olivia doesn't confirm or deny. Garmadon pushes air out his nose, shaking his head in her direction.

Also, foreshadowing:

"Don't look at me! It was your obnoxious brat that broadcast who he was all over, and then went on to unleash the Serpentine!" Olivia snaps back, gesturing wildly at Lloyd. Lloyd waves nervously. "And now anyone that's heard of him wants nothing to do with him. Once word of what he's done becomes public knowledge...the whole city's gonna hate his guts!"

...but we've still got some stuff to sort out with The Order before we can fully dig deeper into what the snack is really going on with Olivia. We're still missing a few key pieces to this puzzle that I can't discuss yet, but hopefully sooner rather than later!

Would Olivia tell Bridget if she asked? <- Well...that remains to be seen, doesn't it? Let's just say Bridget will be running a very interesting parallel to Nya here sooner or later...

Why does Olivia not tell the shark army and the others about the Ninjas identity? <- She doesn't need to, as the Shark Army does know the Ninja's identities since as mentioned above they all know the Eye Color rules— that one group recognized Jay out of uniform as recently as B3Ch6, hence why Sunni and Samantha got tipped off ;P

[southernmermaidsgrotto]

Do you think love and light spirituality is toxic?

Definitely yes.

Now some of you will run away just from reading those two words, let me elaborate: It's not just toxic, it's actively harmful and racist, ableist, it's white cis hetero male supremacist in every way. Completely rooted in naz1 ideas from the very beginning of it. You just gotta look at the history of the whole movement and there's flaming red flags everywhere.

But even if you don't know the history and social context of how it came to be and popularized (which you should, do your research), just by looking at these people and how they move through life you can still clearly see the issues with it.

I have 3 main problems with the whole "love and light" thing that a lot of new age people spread, the first and biggest for me is spiritual bypassing. New Age "love & light" culture is not only completely incorrect (the dark is just as important, real and necessary for balance as the light, really, I'm saying it as someone with 10+ years of experience and a whole family background in ancestral traditions. The dark shit is Important and necessary, to understand all aspects of life, spiritual and not, to grow as a person and as a practitioner, to protect yourself and yours from both material and spiritual things and to fight either if needed.) but the whole "good vibes only" ends up being delusional at best and straight out abusive at worst, many times gaslighting people and denying racism, colonialism, oppression of all kinds, spiritual and physical illness, mental illness, basic history and science, all things that can have very real, physical consequences on people's mental health, overall health, and safety in general, not to mention the wider effects on society as a whole (having people running around with the emotional inteligence of a clam shell, scratch that, even clams are better than that lmao and spreading misinformation and harm like wildfire). The Second big mess is how much it promotes the complete lack of literacy and rational critical thinking. People will learn a new fancy thing and just run with it without knowing the full history and correct use of things and words, without questioning the source and context of the whole situation. Misinterpreting the little knowledge they have, either because it's something they overheard, or read in 1 book and never bothered to dive deeper into it's roots and history and true meaning, having the most shallow and incorrect "knowledge" of things, etc. It goes hand in hand with the 1st problem to create the 3rd issue: straight out willful malicious ignorance. They don't know any better and they can't be bothered to learn any better either. It's not just laziness or disinterest, it's straight out conscious denial of truth, repression of their own feelings and thoughts and identity even in some cases, to just be able to keep this facade of "love & light" that's killing them from the inside, hurting themselves and hurting anyone they come into contact with aswell, all to serve their selfish purposes and their own agendas.

All these three things feed off and enhance each other in an endless loop, that gets even worse in the kinds of conspiracy theory echo chambers these people move in. The ignorance and immaturity combined with someone who doesn't do any introspection at all and is straight out lying to themselves and others, either from a place of delusion, or in the case of most white people, priviledge. It's a huge system that only feeds white supremacy and keeps people of color disconnected from their true feelings and health, personal identity, culture and community, taking people away from any and every possible source of real power. It's keeping the priviledged in power and the disenfranchised in misery while denying the whole situation, spreading misinfo to confuse, divide and put the blame on the victims instead of the actual victimizer.

Priviledged people spread misinformation and lies because they don't know and don't care + actively benefit from keeping you in the dark, all while screaming from the top of their lungs that they have your best interests at heart and will "shine light on truths" while their actions are the complete opposite of that, then hide from the results of anything harmful they do under the "love & light positive thoughts only" thing to avoid conflict and consequences. It's bullshit. Call them out on their bullshit everytime.

[m00neroni]

hello

my name is Lu, and I am a nerd and sometimes I write fics. my current focus is marauders era and harry potter (fuck jkr). you can find my fics in my ao3 page or directly in this post, as well as my fandom opinions and other interests.

fandom opinions:

my main ships are wolfstar and jily (+ wolfstarbucks and wolfstarjily) I'm not big fan of multishipping but if that's your thing I have no problem with it.

remus, sirius, hermione and lily are my favourite characters. I will avoid any kind of bashing towards them and I prefer to keep it away from my spaces.

I also enjoy dorlene, tedromeda and fralice, as well as romione and hinny.

I'm not a big fan of remadora, but I love tonks and teddy and I believe that there are several ways to work around their dynamic without disrespecting the female character in favour of an mlm ship.

mainly, my characterisations are directly extracted from canon, but adjusted to the situation they are in. I don't enjoy the majority of current remus and sirius portrayals and I'm a bit picky, but I still ship them within their canon situation and outside from it.

you'll probably find me talking about mpreg, omegaverse and pregnant remus lupin, as well as about how sirius loves crosswords in canon (god, that man would have loved wordle.)

my fics

Coparenting With Benefits (omegaverse + mpreg/multichaper/wolfstar with background jily and bartylus/ongoing) - friends to lovers, pregnant remus lupin, romcom

It's Kind Of Obvious (one-shot/wolfstar/6k) - get together fic, non-voldemort au, fifth year

Defying Blood: The Untold Story of Remus Lupin and Sirius Black (multichapter/wolfstar and jily/ongoing) - canon divergence, lord black remus and consort lord sirius, werewolf (soul)mate bond, first wizaring war - written for the marauders with palestine project (slow updates)

Love At First Sight (A Statistical Probability) (multichapter/wolfstar/ongoing) - muggle au, meet cute, Christmas vibes (semi-hiatus coming back soon)

March 10th (one-shot/wolfstar/12k) - remus through his birthdays, canon divergence, autistic remus

The Voice That Urged Remus (multichapter/wolfstar/ongoing) - orpheus & eurydice inspired, mcd and hurt/comfort, EWE and eventual happy ending (slow updates)

welcome home, baby (we wish your parents had told us you were coming) (one-shot/wolfstar/4k - Wolfstar Bingo 2024) - muggle au, trans remus, adoption fic, implied mpreg

work call (pwp one-shot/wolfstar/4k - kinktober 2024) - dom/sub, bondage, edging

among my other interests you can find:

cosy videogames

hozier and noah kahan

marvel (wanda-dr strange-loki part of the current storyline and some ant-man here and there)

2000s romcoms + musicals

the hunger games and lord of the rings

highland cows (and cows in general)

heartstopper, outlander, game of thrones/house of the dragon, bridgerton, criminal minds

my favourite disney princess is Merida

art history, history, latin culture, greek myths, tudor era, mary I queen of scots

true crime and conspiracy theories

I was a theatre kid, so proceed with caution

that's it❤️

other links

twitter || tiktok || spotify

[doubledyke]

3, 7, 8, 11, 12, 14, 20, 21, 26, and 30 for Ed please!!

thanks for sending me these asks guys lol it's nice to have something to occupy my gay and stupid time

3. a song that reminds me of him: i realized that i forgot to put DG on my ed playlist and i could kick myself for that.

this song is what i imagine the inside of ed's head sounds like.

and then any primus song.

7. a quote of his that i remember: BRO i'm a fucking child and this one always stands out

also when jimmy is dressed as a bird and falls out of a tree and ed goes "awwww it is twitching.."

8. my favorite outfit of his: ed looks adorable in everything tbh

i always forget that s6 was a thing so i forgot to include his winter outfit on my tier list but it's an easy A. i love his collection of trapper hats lol.

11. what's the first thing i think about when i think of ed: hmm i guess our shared interest in all things grotesque and horror themed. i'm not super into the comics or movies myself, but i think ed would appreciate a good void meme and he'd for sure be a creepy pasta kid. the type of guy to have halloween decorations up all year. and i'm not talkin about kitschy little pumpkins and black cats. he is without hesitation dropping hundreds and more likely thousands of dollars on life size animatronics of regan macneil and the pale man from pan's labyrinth, etc.

12. sexuality hc: i can definitely see ed being aroace, but i also like to pair him with may because it's cute and fun. i don't think gender plays a role in his attraction to anyone. or anything?

14. best story line he had: rock-a-bye ed is kinda dark so i like that one. the day the ed stood still is really fun and funny. and of course little ed blue is a great episode.

20. a weird headcanon: i'm so annoying lol all i do is think and talk about these dorks and when someone asks a question i'm like "uhhhhhhhhhhhh"... idk it's not that weird for ed but i see him being a bit of a conspiracy theorist. like he might end up being a prepper later in life lmfao. ed as a flat earther? ed as a moon landing truther? idk if i'd go that far but it would be funny to see him and edd arguing about those things the same way they did about a chunk of cheese. edd would have to be put on oxygen afterwards.

21. when do i think he was at his happiest: probably in the day the ed stood still... and any time he gets to be around his friends. summer in general is probably the time that he's happiest because he doesn't have to worry about the oppressive institution that is public education.

26. when do i think he was being himself the most: .....the day the ed stood still?? haha. i don't think ed really hides who he is beyond refraining from kidnapping kids and sticking them to his wall with coagulated cereal and saliva most days. that's what makes him great, and different from the other eds. the very first time we meet ed, he's in his basement surrounded by filth, watching movies with a big doofy smile.

that's ed and he's precious.

30. funniest scene he had: it's hard to name an entire/specific scene. i tend to remember little snippets that make me laugh to myself when i think of them. i do get a kick out of the way that in so many scenes edd will be falling to pieces, eddy's getting curb stomped...and you look at ed in the background and without fail he's just standing there like 😀

[jsaunderswrites]

Jesse reads the Energon Universe Part I: Void Rivals #1-4

Void Rivals #1

I have neither read nor watched Enemy Mine, but I’m familiar with the trope that’s been repeated in a million other stories.

I caught the parallel of the characters being like 80s toy line factions from just the preview. However I don’t think they sold that idea well in the story, because who’s gonna buy these guys? They’re not the LIGHT GUARDIANS and VOILET INCURSION, they’re Agorrians and Zertonians. They don’t have striking character designs, they look like random Star Wars background filler.

They don’t have unique looks or gimmicks like a toy-based character would. We learn that Agorrians have handroids (AIs in small computers in their right hand with limited physical autonomy) but it just looks like a red glove. Youd think having a toyline of guys with fancy hands could be fun; one with a big crusher claw, one that grapples, one with a blaster. But so far it's only a JARVIS voice. That's all.

The part where they seem to be based on different sci-fi aesthetics to further contrast them is cool, but it leads to them looking like two different generic space soldiers.

The art is well rendered and coloured. The space environment and crashed ships are a great mood. But it also just doesn't grab attention and the whole place looks the same.

The characters don't exactly have memorable personalities. Darak is more personable and optimistic, while Solila is more harsh and cynical, but willing to bend the rules rather than dying for nothing.

The problem is there's just no strong hook. Why should I care about these generic characters? The mystery comes too late and seems too self explanatory (they're dehumanising each other in order to keep conflict going) to be the reason to keep reading.

The SURPRISE Transformers crossover lasts four pages and could easily be removed without changing the story at all. It doesn't matter to the actual characters except to repeat the losing all hope beat they already hit!

Void Rivals #2

The flashback establishes that Darak has a shitty dad who hates him, but otherwise it doesn't really build anything into narrative.

I don't know if they'll explain the vision more than Solila attributing it to her god, Zerta.

On the one hand I respect they seem to have avoided the assumption that there should be a romance between the two opposite gendered characters stuck together. But that would at least be something interesting happening.

The reveal of the skuxxoid is framed as a shocking reveal, but who out there has any idea what that is unless you spend all your time on TFWiki?

Void Rivals #3

The cover is a lie.

They introduce a quintesson prosecutor and have him ally with Darak and Solila only for them to turn on him almost immediately. It's so abrupt and lacking in drama I'm wondering if it's supposed to be a joke?

The ending where Solila betrays Darak is the first twist that actually got me.

Void Rivals #4

Every issue requires a Transformers reference so we just cut away to the skuxxoid meeting Shockwave on Cybertron despite having nothing to do with this story.

The decompression really drags this story out. So many pages for so little actual story, and there's no real atmosphere that would justify the trade off.

We learn the leaders of the factions are actually working together but that doesn't shock me at all. This conspiracy is just so underwhelming.

Final thoughts

Apparently Kirkman has a reputation for keeping secrets from comic sellers to preserve spoilers which hurts those businesses. The idea to keep the Transformers reveal a secret, leading to comic shops not preordering this random book, is dumb.

The setting hasn't been established in any way to make me care about the continued survival of these civilisation.

I'm predicting they break out, and broadcast their faces to both worlds.

The Transformers elements feel so artificial and I don't know why they feel like they could be pulled out separately. Do they want to be able to include them in the upcoming Transformers trades?

I haven't been buying the books despite being an obsessive completionist, and I will be grabbing the Transformers books, but in this case I'll probably get the trade collection.

[abbinurmel]

Young liberals, Jews, PoC and the LGBTQ community especially all need to learn to be as passionate (but logical and practical with it not in a fanaticist way) about things like prepping, business investing, properly farm animal raising and game slaughtering and meat safekeeping, fishing, local politics, keeping currency in hard format, hunting, trapping, survivalism, community and self defense as all the old white conservative people are. Being able to survive is a goal we need even more than they do during a crisis be it political or natural. We don't have to fill our brains with junk about the Rapture or the latest racism and conspiracy theories in order to realize it is important to be self sufficient. When they see us not as just pure subhumans they see us as a naturally weak group who should be punished for that, and that is not the reality but culturally it often feels so because in areas where these pockets of homesteading culture and rural self sufficiency are common, it can be more I know dangerous to be yourself.

But even in an ideal world with no hostility in ideological or political divides whatsoever- lets just say everyone already in your area magically gets along, and won't have any qualm what your background is... are you gonna wanna be stuck without knowledge what to do, if there is a wildfire consuming the area, or a tornado, or a war?

My anxiety stems from the fact so little prepper companies are not just straight Trump supportive money dumpers into conservative interests.

And don't me wrong I think its awesome we packed our stats full on the compassion, sex health education, mental health community, cultural exploration, arts and music and theater and literary side of things.

But having the ability to sew clothes or build a shelter or preserve food or shoot a rabid skunk so it doesn't bite your dog kinda is a big deal tool also.

And in reality these never should be "separate demographics/types of worlds" anyway. Whether you are urban, suburban or rural in lifestyle, I think these are vital skills and knowledge we should all be imparted with, at very young age regardless.

We can and should have both our love of the abstract creative and digital culture planes, AND a love for the hardnosed "blue collar" material plane as well.

[daeyeol4you]

The Chay Rewatch

As part of my KP Rewatch, I’m going to be commenting on each episode and analyzing the different Chay scenes. He’s my favorite character, and I thought I’d put down my thoughts (as well as timestamps for his scenes) as a fun way to express that.

Ep 1 & 2 Chay Rewatch

Episode 3 - Enter Kim Stage Right

Time: 1:46 – 1:54 & 2:04-2:07 – Previously on, my greatest enemy and only ally

At least they used different clips this time

Where is my baby boi? Where is Chay? When will he return?

Ep 3 dives deeper into how screwed up all three of the major family boys are

Kinn can’t commit and is slowly falling for who Porsche is

Tankhun is hilarious, and his outfits are always a treasure trove of weird fashion. His trauma is so present even when he’s having fun. Tong plays him so well.

And then there’s Kim.

Time: 31:38 – 33:51 – Mysterious Balcony Man

The introduction to Kim is done is pieces, slowly feeding the audience. The storytelling carries on the amazing writing from episode 1. It’s a great way of showing that Kim may not be living in the compound or running things, but he’s one to watch out for (and maybe even fear). First, we hear Pete’s description of him back in ep 2 (that essentially states he’s dangerous and aloof while also setting up that his storyline isn’t going to connect to the family compound much) and then we hear his voice just before Big bows to someone offscreen. The build up tells the viewers that this new person, the one that we’ve been waiting for almost 3 episodes for, is powerful and to be feared. The colors of this scene are also noticeably darker as compared to the warmer tones used in the main family compound or the bright pink from Yok’s bar.

I adore the first shot we get of Kim. Standing with his back to the camera, he retains his air of mystery, but the metal fixtures on the glass doors make me think of a birdcage. He’s out of the compound, hell he’s even in the open air, but this shot shows that he’s just as trapped in the mafia world as his brothers despite the space he’s tried to create between himself and his family. He’s the songbird trapped in Korn’s game.

“Are you in the wrong place?” – Kim is so bitchy I love him. This is Kimhan Theerapanyakul, the third son. Before we even see his face, we get to know his arrogant and aloof side. Except do we? Kim immediately asks who is protecting his brother, and he knows enough about Kinn’s guards to know that Ken is the likely successor with Big injured. Kim’s emotions are always just under the surface. The only problem is no one digs deeper until we get to Porchay. Everyone is scared of Kim or just accepts the mask he shows them.

Kimlock Holmes makes his introduction. A new bodyguard with a suspicious background? Who’s been put on the security detail of both of his brothers? Big you might as well have wrapped this mystery with a bow. In all seriousness, Kim is protective of the few people he allows into his heart (though he will never ever tell them that), and this news would have put his brain on red alert because Kim will not tolerate any harm to his loved ones.

“Do you want one heartbroken song, huh?” – What a little bitch, again I love him. Kim sandwiches his concern for his brothers with two backhanded comments attacking Big. Kim (I’m going to let you all in on a secret) is very bad at hiding. His concern, his conspiracy board, his feelings for Chay, etc. This man is so lucky that everyone is a little scared of him and knows to keep away, or he’d be found out in an instant. (Also, only one Kim? After Chay blocks you, you’ll be writing a million. Love the foreshadowing to Kim’s inevitable heartbreak though. This show does do great set up for some of the storylines)

And then the scene ends without ever showing the viewer Kim’s face further drawing out the viewer’s introduction to Kim. Its honestly great set up for this character, and while he’s not the only one receiving this kind of drawn out treatment (hello Vegas in ep 2 with the hot assassin lady) his is done successfully. I remember first watching this show with no background at all wondering who the hell this guy is (I did have to rewatch the scenes to match the voices before I could connect mysterious balcony guy to WiK but that’s neither here nor there)

Kim’s outfit: Either costuming or Jeff really love themselves an oversized suit jacket. It makes Jeff look bigger than he actually is which works for the introduction of his character. Its also very different from his other outfits through the series. He’s dressed closer to the major family look with his suit jacket and darker color scheme. He still retains his idol status though making this one of the few looks that blend his two personas. I have a few theories about how Kim uses his different jackets as a shield to hide his real self, given the only times we see Kim not wearing his jackets is when he’s in his feelings about Chay (ie the warehouse scene, the fight in Yok’s bar, him recording the song, him crying over Chay’s polaroids), I’d say I’m close to being right

Still no Chay, but I will accept meeting his love interest during this Chay drought

Overall Chay Rating (Chrating): I’ll give this episode a D

There’s still no Chay, but we get a really great introduction to Kim which sets up Chay’s entire storyline. Thus, a slightly better grade. Episode 3 in general is better than episode 2 to me. Its not jamming a ton of character intros and wacky worldbuilding into the episode the same way Ep 2 does. We get a real introduction to Tankhun and Kim as well as the first sparks of KinnPorsche. I could have done without 2 party scenes in one ep (mainly because to me it makes them feel rushed), and it makes me as a viewer wonder when we’re going to get any real mafia action in the mafia romance story. But overall, I have one question... WHERE IS MY BABY BOI?!

[granulesofsand]

We feel a bit of a draw to RAMCOA topics for unknown reasons, but as far as we know, there's been absolutely no RAMCOA in our past. Is it disrespectful for us to learn about RAMCOA topics anyway? Should we be careful?

Outside Looking In

Learning is not disrespectful in itself, but you& do have to mind the gap of learned vs lived experience. I’ll talk more about making your learning safe for yourself and others.

Your& Safety

Reading about RAMCOA is hard. You are required to practice cognitive empathy as you go, regardless of whether this comes easily to you. Starting out floods you with new information, some of which will contradict preexisting worldviews. There will be triggers, confusion, and exhaustion.

Some resources are inclusive towards onlookers, others are intended for survivors or their supports. Oftentimes, both extreme* and regular** abuse will be mentioned. Not every graphic description will be marked, and this can be more pronounced in cases of household abuse. Substance use and violence come up frequently.

(*extreme: Big Bads that are commonly acknowledged as horrific, sometimes even too bad to believe— think trafficking, torture, community involvement)

(**regular: traumas that may or may not be acknowledged, often shoved away as without evidence or as a cultural norm— SA, hitting, religious but not ritual abuse)

Books aimed towards survivors may boost up RAMCOA as so much worse than other abuse. This is usually because RAMCOA is known to be creative, cruel, calculated. Not every RAMCOA survivor has it worse than other survivors, but the assumption is that they do.

Others’ Safety

Resources are often created by either support teams or survivors, and there is a difference in tone and intensity. While professionals are often cold or disbelieving, survivors may not have processed everything before writing. (There are non-book resources, but they’re not as common outside of peer support groups.)

It’s important not to make judgments about survivor stories, even with strange themes. This is because our community is frequently shunned, and calling attention to us will only bring harm. It’s akin to calling the police for psychosis; they don’t know how to help, they don’t want to know, and they will assume the worst of us.

That said, you should be exercising critical thought when you engage with any media. Survivor accounts may feature worldwide cults and conspiracies, among others. Some rumors are spread by high control groups, others by survivors who are brought into other high control groups under the guise of healing.

Common problems with these rumors include racism, ableism, and colonization. Some have seeds of truth, others are wildly far fetched, and it’s not typically clear which is which. A good frame of reference is to remember that healing is different for everyone, and that causing harm is not acceptable without careful consideration.

Sometimes this looks like world domination plots with truth in group organization and control methods. It may be a claim that RA can only be stopped by turning to God, or by causing a genocide to eliminate an “offending” group (socioeconomic or racial/ethnic minority).

If you run into something you disbelieve, try talking to a support friend, a therapist, a survivor you feel comfortable with. Not all resources are safe, and going over it with someone who won’t assume one way or another can be helpful.

Lastly, don’t assume you know more than a survivor. Some folks really have no background besides childhood memories, but others have put in exorbitant amounts of research and effort. Both still have lived experience, and no one besides their chosen professional should be interpreting their own story.

Last Thoughts

It is okay to step away, including forever, if it becomes too much. Survivors here and on other platforms have accumulated information to share if you know where to look. You can have a place with the community so long as you don’t misadvertize. I hope I answered your question, please come back with anything else.

[azspot]

Money aside, here’s what I mean by Rogan’s having “revealed something important.” It’s something that also contributes to the answer to my question. Rogan issued the challenge publicly because these challenges to “debate” are not about science, medicine, or getting at any sort of accurate information or truths to the public. They are theater, nothing more. Real scientists debate all the time in the academic literature, at conferences, and among themselves as they work. Staged “debates” like this are not really debates at all. They are opportunities for cranks to appear on the same stage as a respected scientist like Dr. Hotez and then firehose, Gish gallop, make crap up, misrepresent and cherry pick studies, and basically flood the zone with nonsense that sounds plausible to people without the relevant scientific background, after which they inevitably declare victory. I’ve explained more times than I can remember now why agreeing to staged debates like this with a crank like RFK Jr.—especially one moderated by a credulous twit like Joe Rogan—is a very bad idea for scientists, physicians, and skeptics. Even scientists or science communicators who not only possess strong public speaking and debating skills but are very knowledgeable about the relevant conspiracy theories and misinformation likely to be employed can often be hard-pressed to deal with a glib pseudoscience-pushing crank. (Remember, RFK Jr. is a lawyer and used to debating in the form of arguing cases.) We, after all, are bound by science and the truth. Cranks like RFK Jr. are not. Also, RFK Jr. lies all the time about a number of things. For example, he lied on Joe Rogan’s podcast about his conversation with Dr. Paul Offit, held not long before he started spreading antivaccine misinformation. He’s also been lying by claiming that big pharma got Deadly Immunity retracted.

RFK Jr. and Joe Rogan: Putting the old denialist technique of bad faith “Debate me, bro!” challenges on steroids

[doctorguilty]

re: zootopia though

what sucks about zootopia, more on a personal critique thing, is that I really enjoyed the atmosphere of the movie, it had some of the best like backgrounds and like world environments of an animated movie (quality that is drastically declining w/ cgi animated stuff), really great animations, fun characters ALSO designed really well, it's just so like......... run-of-the-mill copaganda like, omg the underdog cop breaks all the rules and regulations because she's so empathetic and it's the right thing to do and that's why she saves the day and is never punished for any of that, including exploiting nick like using blackmail to make him work for her, etc etc like cops breaking laws = good, you know

I think sometimes like what could fix that movie? but really not all that much without gutting most of the plot like, the predator/prey thing needs to just be gone because it just doesn't work for the kind of moral-of-the-story movie it's trying to be, and it was a weird angle in the first place because there's a million other ways like these animal people could hold prejudices against other animals that are way more arbitrary things that don't hold any "and they SHOULD be afraid" implication, like if we are taking that angle of like, addressing prejudice, which also like why was it all mammals that's also a weird thing like as soon as you throw other kingdoms into the mix it becomes more obvious like reptiles and mammals not getting along for no reason idk

I do enjoy a good action detective drama I wouldn't like, completely remove that per se, and in fact judy's character setup is interesting--rural town petite young woman who dreams of being on the force in the big city and doing good in the world, overcomes being told she'll never be good enough, moves to the city, is disillusioned very quickly by how her boss and peers treat her, and city life being a lot more chaotic and stressful than living out in the sticks, that's all good I like that kind of story, what I'd do with that though is continue it with the disillusionment line like, her vision of cops as her heroes is broken because she witnesses THEM like upholding prejudice, her being picked on in the school was sort of the writing on the wall in that sense like oh it's not just her as an individual, they act this way towards all marginalized groups, so she's like torn between like, all I ever dreamed about was to be here and be a hero but these aren't MY heroes what do I do?

and you can explore that in all sorts of ways which WOULD be a reasonable way to like put her in a sympathetic light b/c like, there are certainly people out there in the real world who share her dream and want to be one of the "good cops" but they can't because the whole system is broken and it IS like tragic especially when you, yourself, are a marginalized person going into that

and you could keep the like higher conspiracy stuff which like is sorta weird that it was there at all but NOT connected to the cops whatsoever like even your standard copaganda flick will have the Secretly Bad Commander or whatever pulling all the strings all along (which paints police corruption as an unusual and unexpected thing! if we just get rid of the bad cop then we're all good!) but like yeah I'd make that?? connected to the police on purpose? but the big conspiracy is something Not about the predator/prey thing

idk what to do with Nick like, something else besides blackmailing him to work illegally, maybe he's a private eye or something

anyway yeah idk that's what I'd sorta go at if I were to rewrite it, an exploration of a young woman's disillusionment about her life dream when she discovers achieving it means upholding the very things she thought she'd be fighting to make the world a better place and she didn't know because she fell for the mask like everyone else, in the form of a colorful animated kid's movie, would be really interesting I think

[mothtarts]

i would first and foremost define what overwatch and talons main goals are. we don’t even rlly know that yet?? i would not bring up sombras goals until the goals and dynamics of the main organizations are established.

i would also define how much power the 2 groups have.

talon would be huge and have networks everywhere. they would be working with big world governments like tne u.s, russia, u.k, china whatever. just supplying them weapons and power. i wouldn’t want them to be manipulating all governments in the background because that is to similar to a lot of antisemitic conspiracy theories. it also takes away from how evil these world powers actually are by making an “evil corrupt group” be behind them instead.

overwatch would be a small vigilante group not approved by the government. there would be internal conflict about wether they should try to get government approval, but eventually it is decided that’s its best to do what they want without government rules. they instead set up an online network we’re average ppl ask them for help. there are barly any members and no one wants to join from the negative emotions still remaining from old overwatch. i want them to be checked and monitored by the ppl directly but i don’t know how to achieve that. maybe some sort of weekly meeting with nominated reps?

the two forces would clash in different locations that overwatch was informed about. the main characters in this arc where talon and overwatch interact would be reaper, baptiste, ana, soldier76, sombra and moira. i feel that all of them(except sombra but i’ll get to her) have the most interesting story potential for this kind of fight between organizations. overwatch would uncover the crazy amounts of power that talon has and work to take it down. baptiste would be first introduced as talon but change sides half way thro. soldier and ana start to suspect something is up with reaper/ reaper doesn’t know who soldier is but has strong deja vu around him. something something gay stuff. sombra temporarily joins up with overwatch to take down a huge chain of weapon manufacturers and sweat shops owned by talon.

sombra would also be there to st up a different series or the next arc where it focuses on the new gen of overwatch + some of the younger veterans as guidance, that would include pharah, d.va, kiriko, sombra and Brigitte as the main focuses. cassidy, genji and mercy would be role model/ mentor characters. (if you’ve seen young justice think the dynamic of the justice league with the team in s1) reinhart and tracer would also be relevant but not as important. hanzo would be there but i dunno how to stick him into such an already packed cast. the other cast from the past arc/show would be in this as well. it’s important that they have some focus , but they already had their time to shine and got developed in their struggles during the past show/arc. this arc is about the new gen breaking the generational cicle and finally healing the trauma caused from the struggles of the past. they would disband talon with the help of sombra and reaper who had a change of heart thanks to old friends (and lovers i love gay old men)

there could be a spin off novel focusing on kiriko genji and hanzo and their shit. they take down the shimada clan it would be fuuuuun

i also do not care about the Australians sooo idk their just vibing. i forgot some characters that i do love like mei, orisa, widowmaker and ashe but i don’t know how to fit them into already such a packed cast. with ashe i would at least give her a spin-off comic with cassidy

this got super fucking long but it was super fun! if you read all of it thank you

[eclipsecrowned]

anyway since i'm going out of my head: muses that would have tiktok presence, and how. any muses listed that are deceased as of canon have a survival au where they are still fucking around into the modern era.

bruce: tiktok's beloved uncle. everyone loves his official account, and the crossovers he does on his kids channels. likes to flex and show off his awesome aging playboy style. sometimes does challenges. stop tagging him in batman videos-- bonus! cryptid footage of the bat around gotham that is shot like a found footage horror film.

jonathan: is not on tiktok, but has seen the horrors due to his fellow rogues finding it hysterical to torment him with the fact he's an internet sexyman. there are fancam edits of him. there are thirst edits. this fucks him up severely because good lord, he is meant to embody fear itself, why are these fools not quivering in fear? he hates everything about this.

kayden: just speedpaints of her commissions or little grwm content. she's not super attached to the platform but it is a good way to get her name out there as an artist that takes commissions. the bonus anonymity of her account in particular means its a safe place to socialize without people connecting her to her father's criminal activities.

jeannie: prolific background event in her teenagers videos. a polite mom who knocks if the door is closed, but if they're shooting in the yard or a communal living space, she will stumble through with impunity. there's an outtake compilation that is nothing but jeannie stepping into the room going 'hiiii <3' at her only child.

mercy: likes to show off her design space or projects or footage of her work on runways on her account. is regarded as a sweet goth mom. sometimes goes live in the dead of night and reveals little facets of her life, like still being friends with the man she thought she would marry after he left her for another man. brewing conspiracy that she looks a lot like a 19th century socialite, as well as a mid-century designer lost in the blitz, so basically Mercy Immortal.

zoltan: sweet old tiktok grandpa despite looking to be in his thirties. records pretty things he sees on his nightly walks -- nice dogs, moths around a streetlight, how the moon reflects on the water, all while he gently waxes poetic or in awe of what he is seeing in his thick accent. his content is so sincere if not as polished as much of the content on the app. his countrymen tend to enjoy his content more than the average user, which is fine by him, he's not exactly doing it for views.

uma: revolutionary content that the powers that be tend to try and block or shadowban. the fools. she has 70 alternative accounts. one of them that doesn't keep getting shadowbanned is just her recording what her lads do on an average day: be pretty and stupid.

mo: revolutionary content that the powers that be tend to try and block or shadowban. the fools. her bestie has made her 70 alternative accounts. like uma, she has one account that doesn't attract attention that is largely about pigeons and architecture facts about places she finds them on campus or at home.

sarah: occasionally takes to tiktok to update younger fans about her work, and has been known to react to fan tiktoks when streaming on other platforms. she's an established and published name, however, so tiktok is just another tool to her rather than her entire fandom or where she began.

daniel: what was supposed to be a business account instead turned into Mr. Molloy Is Arguing With Strangers on the Internet And He's Winning. Largely social justice arguments and censorship debates. He somehow comes across as totally cool while also relatable when arguing with others. Sometimes his husband is heard in the background recommending cannibalism instead of debate.

karin: just scrolls the app for micro-breaks whenever she doesn't have anything to do, and also to like and endorse all of kris' content like a good big sister <3 has had to explain to her boss what a troll is and that no mr. molloy they are not serious.

kris: almost exclusively makes tiktoks about lestat, her favorite celebrity and in a single verse the guy her favorite sister is dating. she is the go-to for content about him on the app. other content includes her and her bestie mahmoud getting into shenanigans around miami.

ariadne: in the modern era, she's known to post dance, party, and taste test content. out here living her best life relatively anonymously and sharing it with the internet.

melinoe: posts uncanny valley footage of her nightly outings that is taken for either very good practical effects or cg horror shorts. sometimes randomly posts a goth boy with the most beautiful voice singing and playing a very small harp by candlelight.

orpheus: is the goth boy that doesn't know he's been recorded.

danae: more likely to appear in ads on the app about her business, but also makes token appearances in her daughters videos. bridget is very passionate about ethics and pharmacology and makes some really impassioned videos or stitches on either subject, and mama will sometimes come in to support her points. more hilariously, sometimes bridget will start recording a video and danae's startled expression proves bridget just goes off when she wants to without warning.

ada: scrolls when she has downtime, makes a new account just about every week.

sheva: runs an account for her chickens :) has made the front page a few times. people just love those fluffy chickens and their mom's great voice.

crowe: glaive shenanigans. fails of the week therein. going to town on lucians that want to clown on her galahdian friends in the comments. best known for her bike videos where she works on her 'babies'

drautos: does not consent to be in his glaives videos. is in his glaives videos anyway.

stray: strictly a professional/lifestyle social media presence. has to rep the royal family in a good light, after all. tends to record messages for her audience on holidays or days of remembrance. deep down in her heart she wants to report her brother and his friends being creatures as men of their age are want to do and make videos about the galahdian plight, but unfortunately, that doesn't fit The Vision the citadel is putting out.

roxas: sick skating tricks with a side of urbex. he's having a good time now that the worst is, for now, over, and likes not just making memories of his own, but recording them for posterity. his friends are regular features.

soap: shenanigans with his peers as well as storytimes. it will become apparent in his content that gaz holds the braincell while soap and roach are just out here living their best lives without brains, shame, or common sense. weirdly knowledgeable about how those intense cleaning videos will make a number of toxic gases.

julia: anonymously posts urbex videos in full gear, and from angles that imply either drone usage or being really good at getting into high, tight corners. has made a small devoted audience to herself. her and pupper's ghost follow one another exclusively for quite a long time.

nikolai: thirst traps or gun content. no middle ground. no clear reason for any of it. man is just out here confusing everyone on the platform.

hana: i chose to believe in the modern era she is either running a momtok account about her mini me and the misadventures that shun's daughter can get into, or she runs a really helpful self-defense channel for those who, like her, are stuck in the hellhole known as k*murocho. has surprisingly great advice and move by move breakdowns if the latter.

homare: repeatedly banned for depicting illegal activities on the platform. still keeps trying. very popular with young men trying to get into the honorable lifestyle.

shizuka: nice defense attorney 'lady' who gives free advice for what people can do at every step of being challenged by the justice system. sometimes does grwm just bc they are so stylish and people keep asking about the routine. like most parent muses on this list, is sometimes a hostage of their daughter hisano's antics. got her back once by stitching into one of hisano's haul videos with the actual receipt of how much said kid spent ON A SINGLE SWEET LOLITA OUTFIT--

yuko: follows her only child in secret. has an uncanny ability to crash his streams or videos by being a sickly sweet and affectionate mom to aki-chan!!! other than her reign of terror over her son, she uses the app to find new recipes and any tips related to her hobbies.