#women: please uwu we want you

[chiyana]

don't ask how I got here but I've found myself playing a harem dating sim game, and I've come to realize I am. perhaps not playing these games as intended.

because there's a garden you can fix up and grow things in, and you can sell stuff to make money, but I've reached a point where I don't need to worry about that so I'm just kind of... doing it. because it's there and what if I inexplicably need 60 boxes of potatoes for a quest.

but you also need to tend to it and water your plants daily or they'll die. tending your garden doesn't progress time, but events and other things do, and there are three 'time slots' where you can move around and access your garden: morning, noon, and evening. so you can wake up, go down to the garden, tend to it, and go about your day.

except sometimes (often) leaving your room can trigger automatic events, which progress time whether you like it or not, and sometimes (OFTEN) you can get a few automatic events in a row and there goes your whole day

so I've been finding myself with increasing frequency crawling through multiple automatic events in a row trying to get to my garden like "please... my plants are dying... I just want to water my potatoes...."

like yes great fine beautiful women are throwing themselves at me and fighting over me PLEASE LET ME TEND TO MY CABBAGES BEFORE THE BUGS EAT THEM

[agenderakali]

It really gets me upset when the trans man lesbian crowd spreads these soft positivity posts like “trans men have always had a place in the lesbian community uwu” with not a degree of awareness. It’s been shown statistically, that a majority of cis lesbians will proudly state they would prefer to date trans men over trans women. It’s been shown how trans men are accepted by cis lesbians and welcomed in lesbian spaces over trans women. And it isn’t because of beautiful beautiful solidarity, its because they see them as women and they see trans women as men. Trans men have been equated with masc lesbians for decades and continue to this day, especially by terfs who use butch lesbian and trans man as interchangeable words.  The absolute tone deafness I’ve seen in these discussions boggles the mind, like saying trans men grew up identifying as lesbians, being treated as women, being “socialized” as women, so they have a ‘right’ to lesbian spaces. As if it doesn’t subtlety imply that transfems have less of a right to be there then they do, as if it isn’t regurgitated terf “male/female socialization” rhetoric. And when I point out these problematic elements I often get the trans men who argue for this stuff lecturing me about denying their agency and how they choose to be with lesbians. If yall want to date lesbians that’s fine, I literally cant stop you nor care to. It’s worth noting though, that there have been plenty of instances of trans men voluntarily dating straight men, yet we dont have this community push to validate straight men chasers and their trans boyfriends. For good reason, too.  I am not saying trans men need to be “kicked out” of lesbian spaces, I understand the solidarity between our communities. That solidarity will always exist. (And again I want to point out for the most part they are NOT being kicked out or excluded. Trans fems are) And I understand that “man” doesnt always mean man in a binary sense, some people are nonbinary men and women and things aren't always as clear cut. As a transmasc, nonbinary lesbian I understand that. This does not apply to you. I just want people to please take note of the transphobic, specifically transmisogynistic overtones that accompany a widespread push to have trans men as a group be considered as exceptions to lesbian attraction. 

[kiruliom]

can we stop the belief that terfs hate transfems exclusively or like more than they hate cisgender men or transmascs and pretending it's just the trans women's battle against them and you're allies for them or whatever. this literally undermines how much harm theyre doing both to the trans community as a whole and even to the people (cis women) they claim to be protecting. terfs hate trans men just as much as trans women, transmascs arent safe because terfs view them as "uwu confused girlies trying to escape oppression", that is a very narrow worldview and inherently transphobic itself (it excludes butches, transmascs who's medically transitioned, intersex people, etc. etc.) transfems arent more oppressed by terfs than any other people theyre oppressing, please understand this. Im so sick and tired of people undermining my transmasc siblings when it comes to harassment from terfs because "well you arent a target to them", why are they harassing them then????

I just geniuenly dont like how the queer community can claim to be transmasc friendly and then view transmascs the same way transphobes view them (again, uwu girlies who are tricked into ruining their feminine beauty, they dont know anything and how lucky they are). feels both andromisic and misogynistic at the same time on top of transmisic idk how the fuck you manage to fuck up that badly

tldr: stop pretending transmascs arent affected by terfs nearly as much as transfems

anyone can reblog, except terfs of course they can fuck off

transfem is used as a way to refer to "TMA"/"AMAB" trans people transmasc is used as a way to refer to "TME"/"AFAB" trans people I know the definition is a bit more fluid now so I just wanted to note that

[tim-moments]

is it just me, but when TiMs refer to ewphoria i can only think of ‘male feminists’ who actually do not give one solitary shit about feminism lol. like

oh don’t worry i love big girls!!! thicc thighs save lives!!! you can sleep with me i promise i won’t be #toxic or #ghost you haha!!! you’ll never need to check my phone but please fuck me you beautiful specimen please have sex with me PLEASE HAVE SEX WITH ME !!!!

ohhh i got called a bitch and groped while i was out and about… sucks for the c1s women creatures it’s just so bad isn’t it… but uwu makes me feewl so GWIRLY!!!!~~~ nya desuuu~~~ ☺️ i just wanted him to fuck me and plway with my puppygirldick and POUND MY TIGHT SISSYPUSSY RIGHT THERE UWAHHH!! but like ew right? so horrible..

feels very similar for some reason… maybe because they are playing this part purely for sexual reasons… hmm

LITERALLY. I could post the ewphoria subreddit all day, but it’s just so disgusting that I can hardly look. These weirdos get turned on by being treated like a woman, and that includes the vile misogyny we face that is accidentally directed towards them by people who think they’re an actual woman and not a man playing dress up. Its definitely a fetish for most.

[l1v1ngd3dgrrl]

Ease [Anya x Reader]

AN: I apologize in advance if this is a little robotic! While I am bisexual, I don't have a whole lot of experience with with women. This was an anon request! I'm a proud Lesbian Anya truther.

Word Count: 1,343

MNDI banner: cafekitsune

CW(S): established relationship, oral sex (Anya receiving), Fingering, Anya is the bottom here but not in an 'uwu she's so shy' way, it's in a 'she's stressed tf out so she needs to lay back and relax' kind of way. Anya MIGHT be ooc?

All was quiet in your apartment. Anya, had tucked herself away in the spare bedroom to study. If it weren't for the frustrated groans and the sound of paper being crumpled you would have thought she wasn't there.

For the past week or so it was just you in your shared bedroom, Anya spent nearly all night prepping for whatever upcoming exam she had. You knew how much getting her nursing degree meant to her so you didn't say anything, but you didn't like how she was starting to ignore her needs. The bags under her eyes made your heart hurt every time you saw them.

Not wanting your girlfriend to starve, you placed a delivery order for some Chinese take-out. Not the healthiest option but it was one of Anya's favorites. The food usually got there within 25 minutes so you had plenty of time to coax her away from her books to take a breather.

Anya was in the same spot you usually saw her in, Sat at the folding table that served as a makeshift desk with various papers and notebooks scattered about. She was resting her head on one of her hands, scowling furiously at the notes she had written.

"Hey love?" you called pulling her out of her trance.

"Hm-Oh, hey." She sat up and gave you a weak smile. "Did you need something?" You walk up and wrap your arms around her shoulders, swaying her back and forth slightly. "I don't need anything, but I ordered us some take out," you press a kiss to her cheek. "You need to take a break." She groans and closes her notebook. "I just need another thirty minutes to study-"

"Anya." You say sternly. "You need a break, it'll do you some good." She sighed and rubbed her hand over your arm. "I guess you're right."

"That's my girl."

While the two of you ate, Anya had put on some cheesy reality T.V. show, this one was about making various contestants look 'hotter.'

In-between bites of her food she would comment about how they basically just sucked all the individuality out of people and sent them on their way. It was funny honestly, watching her scold the hosts of the show as if they could hear her through your T.V. screen. Seeing her far more relaxed than she was about 30 minutes ago made you feel better.

"I should probably get back to studying now." Anya commented after both of you finished eating. Just as she was getting up to shut herself in the room again you grabbed her hand and pulled her back down towards the couch. "Baby, You need to rest." You pleaded. "One night away from the books isn't gonna hurt."

"But what if I miss something important?"

"You've been studying for weeks now, I'm sure that you've covered all the bases at least three times now." You gave her hand a firm squeeze. "Please just-just relax for a bit? I don't like seeing you so stressed out." Her gaze softens. "I'm sorry."

You shake your head and rub a hand over her cheek. "No don't be sorry," you give her a weak smile. "I'm just worried about you." She caresses your hand on her cheek and nods. "I suppose one night couldn't hurt."

You pull her in for a hug and caress her hair. "If you want me to do something for you, anything at all just say the word and I'll do it." She hums, soaking up the feeling of your fingers combing through her hair.

She pulls away from you and gazes lovingly at you, pink dusting her cheeks. "There is one thing," She begins. "We haven't had sex in a while."

"You've been so busy and I didn't want to disturb you." You say.

"Could you go down on me please?"

Your face flushes and an eager grin creeps onto your face. "Yeah totally!" She giggles and pulls you back in for a kiss.

One kiss turns into five, and five turns into you straddling her hips and running your hands under her shirt. The kisses were an intense needy mess.

Anya is the first to pull away, her pupils blown out with lust. She's huffing slightly, trying to catch her breath. You take this moment to tug on the hem of her shirt, wordlessly asking permission to get the ball rolling.

She nods and that's your cue to move. You gently tug her shirt over her head, tossing it to the opposite side of the couch. You get off her lap and sit down on the floor.

Anya is quick to grab one of the pillows from the couch and hand it to you. "Bad for your knees, use this."

You tuck the pillow under your knees with a quiet thank you and resume the task at hand.

Anya tugs down her pajama bottoms, growing slightly impatient. You help her tug them the rest of the way down, discarding them beside you. Her panties follow suite in a similar fashion.

Now here she was with her legs spread and her pussy on display. She was nearly dripping with arousal.

Her breath hitched as you began trailing wet kisses from her thigh towards her center, the warmth of your breath had her on the edge with anticipation. Usually you liked to tease so she silently prayed that you wouldn't be so hard on her tonight. When your mouth finally made contact she let out a soft sigh that trailed off into a moan.

You worked your tongue slowly at first, teasing her clit with figure 8 motions. Anya closed her eyes, and spread her legs just a bit wider allowing you as much room as you needed. With a hum your hands slide up her legs and grip her thighs as you begin to get more deliberate with your actions.

"Oh god-" Anya moaned breathlessly.

You glance up at her from your position, your movements not faltering once. Her face was flushed a deep shade of pink, eyes half lidded. Moans spilled from her dusty rose colored lips. A beautiful scene. The wetness in your own panties was starting to become evident.

You move on of your hands into your own pajama bottoms, pushing your panties to the side and insert two fingers into yourself. Your movements pick up pace and your rock your fingers in time to your tongue, chasing your own arousal on top of pleasing your girlfriend.

If you stayed down here forever you wouldn't complain. Going down on Anya was something you loved doing, partially because you thought she tasted good and partially because she looked so god damn beautiful when she was getting close to an orgasm.

Her thighs suddenly clamped around your head, and one of her hands coming down to push your hair back slightly. She was close, that was evident by the way her thighs were starting to tremble.

You continued working, eyes coming up to meet hers. Her breath was starting to become erratic, gasping as she grew closer and closer to the edge.

After a final harsh flick of your tongue she came undone, High pitched moans and a gasps of your name rolling off her tongue like a prayer.

You pulled away as the last bits of her orgasm faded. Your face glistened with a mix of her arousal and your saliva. She sat back on the couch trying to steady her breathing. Getting up off the floor you sat next to her, wiping your mouth on your sleeve.

"How are you feeling love?" You ask quietly.

"So good, so so so good." She says with a giggle. She captures your lips in a kiss, humming when she tastes herself. "That was just what I needed thank you."

"You're welcome, It was fun for me too." You snort.

"Did you get off?" she asks softly

"Almost." you admit, thighs squeezing together slightly.

"Then it's my turn." she coos.

Taking one night away from the books was the best idea ever.

[thegeminisage]

i hope everyone who voted third party is really happy :) i hope they're all really pleased today and really felt like they made their voices heard and that electing trump was worth saving their precious little feelings :) i'm really glad they didn't have to be adults long enough to hold their noses and vote because feeling good is way more important than doing good :) i hope they got what they wanted :)

actually i hope they all die, as a direct result of his presidency, so that we don't have to pander to them next election cycle, if there IS a next election cycle. "but you can't just say you hope people die!" sure i can! third party voters obviously want me and my disabled mom to die. they want gay and trans people to die. they want women and immigrants and palestinians and people of color to die. what's the problem? i'd say i hope they die in the big glorious revolution they promised but if they can't put up and shut up long enough to get their asses to a ballot box there's no way we're gonna see them firebombing the government or attending a protest. they'll just sit at home and wait for somebody else to do it, the same way they sat at home and waited for somebody else to elect harris. and i hope nobody suffers more in the next four or more years than them. but why worry, right? both candidates are the same! i'm sure they'll be fine!

also lmao at everyone like "uwu ok guys take a deep breath have a calming cup of tea and do some self care tell people you love them" self care and loving people isn't going to keep him out of office. we had our chance to do that and we blew it because leftists want to feel righteous and pure. like definitely don't kill yourself or anything (unless you're a third party voter, in which case the sooner the better) but don't fucking dress it up. all you're doing is checking out. and who can blame you! sounds like the only solid plan tbh.

[flower-boi16]

Someone called me a hypocrite just because I want Stella to be an actual character and not a cheap excuse to justify Stolas cheating on her/make him look better as well as resenting the toxic behavior of how some insane fans in the fandom are way too defensive of Stolas then aggressively dumping and shitting on Stella/Blizt. They accused me of favoring Stella/want her redeemed by thinking that way, just because I didn't call her out enough like I did toStolas…

Look I agree Stella sucks too, I KNOW that, but why I'm more willing to call that damn owl out than her? Stella in the show is so cartoonishly evil that I can't take her seriously, her “evil”is intentionally designed that way in order to become a plot device that viv only uses to justify Stolas's BS and viv really wants us viewers to hate on Stella and blame her for everything but I'm not going to fall into that trap so easily.

I don't really know what is it with this fandom and having an intense amount of venom when it comes to people who just. Want Stella to be better written. The reason why people want Stella to have actual character depth is not only because it's more interesting than her just being a one-dimensional bitch, it's also because Stella being one-dimensional contributes to the issue of Viv demonizing any character that Stolas has hurt as a cheap way to downplay his actions and make HIM look sympathetic.

Stella was an evil bitch, so therefore Stolas cheating on her was justified, which is an awful writting decision because it removes what made Stolas interesting in Season 1. Season 1 Stolas was a man who sacraficed EVERYTHING he had just so he could satisfy his own sense of pleasure - not taking into account how it may have ended up hurting others. That was made Stolas interesting to me in the first sesaon, but then Season 2 came along and said "Oh no Stella was actually an abusive bitch so Stolas was right to cheat on her!" and then the rest of the first episode went out of it's way to remove everything Season 1 established so it can morph Stolas into a completely different character.

Stolas and Stella's conflict could have been very interesting and had many shades of grey thrown into it - but the show chose to go with the "evil women and UwU soft boy" route which is SO much less interesting than what Season 1 gave us. Obviously you can write a compelling story of an abusive victim breaking from their abuser but there are a million other stories out there that do this exact concept so much better.

Season 1 hinted at a completely different character yet Season 2 decided to change it out of nowhere, and turning Stella one-dimensional was one of the ways the season tried to turn Stolas into a "sympathetic" character when that was never going to work.

Just...what happened to Season 1 Stolas? What happened to him? Can we have him back please? Because he's a much more interesting character than whatever this is.

[weaselbeaselpants]

Lindsay Ellis plagiarized a ndn author

This post isn't a callout and it's only my own post because the OP source I just learned it from, @neechees, doesn't allow rbgs at a certain point on that post.

After Hmbomberguy's expose on Illuminaughtii and James Somerton some people are giving a well deserved eye back to the leftube sphere that was kind of schism-d and held under scrutiny in what I feel was, a lot of the time, misinformed hate campaigns in response to genuine criticism; especially towards Lindsay Ellis who up left after she was canceled and hasn't returned to continuous video making publicly even after people have mostly agreed the hatedom directed for her Raya and the Last Dragon takes was stupid and was erasing actual SEA people's discussions of the culture. To hear and see a decent breakdown of that film's representation problems BEYOND the Ellis-parts because it's worth your wild regardless of if you've seen the movie, please watch the three part video series hosted by Xiran Jay Zhao.

To tl;dr the 2021 drama: people have held an ire towards Ellis for a long time feeling like her and her white-woman base talk over, steal, or just straight up don't apologize for their own racism towards women and ppl of color, and after Lindsay did a problematic by pointing out that Raya and the Last Dragon was like ATLA, people jumped on her.

Being both a longtime fan of Ellis and white as fucc, I personally feel like Lindsay kind of forgave herself and threw out the actual criticisms held against her every bit as much as people just kind of treated her like a punching bag. Or, to paraphrase @padawan-historian's old takes from then, they treated Lindsay like she was trying to be the ENTIRE conversation, not the start of one, and like every possible outcome that could happen over her videos was her fault personally. Some of Lindsay's loudest and nastiest 'critics' were, in fact, other white people or just people who have no good faith in addressing her fuck ups, like Lily Orchard, fe.

One 'Lindsay did a racism'point tho that I felt wasn't truly addressed in full though were claims by indigenous people that she was anti-native, especially in her videos about Twilight and Pocahontas, which yeah at the time I was very passive of you can 100% find post abt that. But then Neechees linked me to an article I, and I think a lot of other video essay-fans had never seen before. This article accused Lindsay of stealing half of her talking points on Disney's Pocahontas from theirs.

When people on the breadtube spectrum talk of Lindsay, even people who criticized her at the time. all kind of agree that the intensity of the backlash was uncalled for and, while not everyone agrees if her public silence is a 'canceling' or not, agree with her need to just take care of herself these days. For those curious, this is the article making this claim:

I am not saying you need to all unfollow and hate everything Lindsay ever touched, mkay? But I also genuinely hope that Lindsay addresses this+comes clean because holy fuck. Unlike Somerton, all I can tell you is I don't just 'believe Windsey wouldn't hurt nobody uwu~'. I am pretty certain that Lindsay care about the topics she covers, for whatever that's worth to say as another whiteperson. It's just that, like Contrapoints, I ALSO think she has a tendency to deflect criticism within that sphere and lump all her negative bagage together. This really sucks cuz not all of us are Lily Orchards or Vaush clones.

Most of us are/were casual watchers of Lindsay like we are Hbomber, Contra, Lady Emily, Folding Ideas, and ToddintheShadows (does he count as leftube idk?) and we really, genuinely don't want to believe that Lindsay stole from + refuses to listen to women of color when they call her out.

Where I like almost everyone in the leftoob analyst sphere that's ever growing and hopefully now weeding out Illumanaughtii-s and Sommerton-s of the world, there ARE controversies within the space that I don't agree with creators on. Some are dumb things like the exact takes Lindsay has about movies n shows that I just up and disagree with her on, Princess Weekes' proshipping apologia that I have LOTS of thoughts on. However, some matters are clearly personal and about maters that just don't involve me. Earlier this year, Folding Ideas and Lady Emily ctrl+alt+deleted some replies they made to Quinton Reviews, making clear that they very much still dislike him based on something that happened between Quinton, Lindsay and I think SarahZ. And by "dislike", I mean also still believeing his former editor over him on who was boundary pushing about who in their relationship. On the offchance any of those creators or their stans somehow see this, know that I'm not going to tell any of you guys how to feel about whatever Quinton did in private I'm not aware of; it's just that I also happen to believe Quinton on this issue and I don't like the guiltybyassociation mantra.

>>>>side note: I hate that every time someone says "I believe so and so after hearing their side now" ppl jump on the "you were just a stan from the beginning and never actually able to listen"-bs. Yeah, being more familiar with one creator over the other means there's bias, sure, but I kinda hate that that once held bias means you can't be held as any kind of source or form your own opinions. <<<

Big introvert vibes ahead: the thing about any big social circle of better-spoken people than you is they ALL seem like a scary meangirl's table from outside looking in. The kind that'll send goons after you with passive-aggressive "this is slander against me and I have the right to be upset abt it sorry if the stans eat you alive". They can also be made out by their fans to be harmless internet nobody's who YOU are at fault for getting mad and staying mad at cuz it's not like it matters on the internet and are clearly just out for drama and 'twofaced' yourself. I think the reality is the same thing that drives every community forward as well as drives them apart: these people are legitimate friends. They stick up for each other the same way we stick up for our personal internet friends whenever there's shit coming their way. The breadtube circle, whoever that is at this point, clearly know some shit we don't about themselves as much as they don't know shit about us and our true intentions. One of them has a platform and responsibility, where the other has power in masses and following them or not. We gotta all make the choices best for us.

Anyway. I guess, if any of the stuff about Lindsay ripping off that writer IS true, I really hope that she admits and apologizes for it. That's not cool to do to her indigenous audience, or even me, one of her white fans who expects actually allyship.

[moodymisty]

Anon that talked about Fulgrim here. The same thing is happening to Yvraine. Also this a rant sorry

She's such a cool character. I'll say that I haven't read any books on her, I only watched some yt videos and read her wiki page. But from what I gathered, she's a total badass who'll do anything for her people. Then why she's just left as "Guilliman's eldar gf"? Because the people who say those sorts of things don't know how to see female characters. The elf being paired with the humans is essentially an ancient thing now and it also comes from this. But, at it's core (and in the case of Warhammer), it's fetishization.

Let's take a closer look at this: Guilliman is, obviously, the golden boy of the Imperium. He's an hard-working and logical man, in many of the main he is the main character or an incredibly important character. Of course, somebody will relate to him, they'll say: "he's just like me". Then comes Yvraine. She's from a different cultures, she looks much different and she, and her kind, are considered barbarians. She and Guilliman develop an "partnership" on a bases of a treaty but they still hate eachother. They tolerate one another for the good of their people. These people, who previously related to Guilliman, will toy with plot so Guilliman, basically them in this context, will get the xeno big titty gf and live happily ever after. They do this because they fetishize how different Yvraine is. They want the main lead to get the girl, essentially.

I've seen on Reddit (god forbid) people actually ask if this relationship is canon. They depict Yvraine as an hungry whore for the human dick. This went to the other Primarchs too. They make a list of which xeno races would be most compatible with each primach. Fir example, I've seen a lot of art showing the Khan and Lelith Hesperax together. My brother in Christ, that woman hates with all her heart pregnancy and pregnant women. I seriously think she's a lesbian (if it isn't canon already). Poor Khan is stuck in the Warp, probably wanting to go back to his sons. He'll not look at an Drukhari and say: "I'll smash that" 💀. Lelith won't fall at her knees begging for his cock, she'll already either have fought him or is fighting him.

Sexualization is completely fine. Hell, I fantasize about the Primarchs or other characters from any piece of fiction all day long. But when this fanon headcanons become canon to some people, I think we should tone it down. I laughed at the Guilliman x Yvraine jokes in the beginning, but these jokes should just stop, they're unfunny now 😕

The Yvraine x Guilliman is totally canon guys posts are always so insane to me because, they've literally spoken twice. Shortly after guilliman woke up, and before Yvraine left. And Guilliman was very firm in saying 'thanks for bringing me back, but that's it. please leave.'

Like there was no UWU THANK YOU YVRAINE~ and no OOOOO~ MON'KEIGH ~

Like i don't mind the shitposting to be clear. If people want to ship it or meme about it thats fine i don't fucking care, what's frustrating is now that it's been a few years since that event happened, people are coming into the fandom thinking that this stuff is like, actually real. And they have some political secret romance going on and Yvraine is going around getting that primarch dick on the reg. And yeah the fact that she's one of the few female characters i'm sure doesn't help matters.

I just wish the memeing wouldn't blend into people's actual interpretation of the lore, like it has with a lot of fans. Brain melting literally.

[flashyflashes]

Its wild how easy it is to forget how strong Nezha really is.

Like personally I struggle with imagining his personality because in the first book he is like:

"I will fucking kill you" spoiled brat who is a combat prodigy,can and will seriously injure you, egoistic somewhat racist and sexist(that scene in the 1st book when they are in a classroom and he basically said "women can't rule") person

And then later cause rin becomes so much worse than him, our perception of him becomes:

I am crying cause I had a dream you died,please dont leave me,I just want all of us to be together,neglected and truamatised son of the dragon lord,scared to call gods uwu babygirl

Like dont get me wrong it makes sense cause obviously we get more background on him and his character develops it's just It becomes so much easier to forget just how strong and scary he is.

[jakgasoul]

Serious question: is it difficult to survive without watching and supporting Smosh?

I find it very hard to believe in a middle ground (that being supporting the "good side" of Smosh and actively boycotting them) when the issue at hand is the complete annihilation and genocide of Palestinian people. It is absolutely disgusting that a company who relies on uwu friendship dynamics continues to house a man whose family has contributed to the founding of Israel. Of course, Noah is not his family, but he has made it clear where he stands. He's a piece of shit who supports the genocide of Palestine, so where do we go from there?

It makes you wonder what people consider as good. At this point, what is “good”? Is “good” continuing to watch Smosh content? Is “good” moaning on twt and Tumblr that Noah is in another video so you don't watch it, but you turn on another Smosh video anyway? Is “good” contributing to the likes and views knowing full well you are lining the pockets of people who are either in support of the death of Palestinians or choose to not speak up about it?

I don't want to make anyone feel like utter shit because Smosh means so much to so many people on here. Smosh means a lot to me, too. it's hard to let go of something that has given you endless comfort. But this should not be comfortable for you in the first place. Palestine is facing a genocide. They are being wiped out in their own country. You will live without watching a cast of mostly cis white male members do dumb shit on camera. You will live without shipping real people and writing fanfic for them. You will live without supporting a channel whose company has lost several women of color in quick succession, and two of them due to shady business practices. But Palestinians will continue dying. Smosh is an absolute beast of a YouTube channel, they have great influence over this side of the internet. Having a voice, the ability to influence millions of people, and still refusing to use it? Disgusting.

Please for the love of god, be uncomfortable for once. If you are guilty, if you feel absolutely horrible that this is happening, please use that discomfort to boycott. Hold them accountable but don't baby them. Let them go. They're all grown adults who know what they're doing.

[amypihcs]

Hello my friends! Today's Wake Watson Up day! Our dear doctor might be a bit grumpy!

Well, i'd be grumpy too if my partner woke me up at ass o'clock in a freezing morning. Holmes, i hope you kissed him good morning at the very least.

Poor Watson, cold, knocked out of bed early, no breakfast, even! Holmes, treat your darling a bit better, please!

Oh, apparently the note is from Hopkins calling them for a case! Here's why Holmes is happy and excited

AND STILL SHOULD STOP INSULTING WATSON'S WRITING. Good man Watson replying that way. Oh well, during the beeretirement WATSON will have occasion to criticize HOLMES' writing instead uwu. But back to their case, it's not a moment for bickering, now.

murder.

Uuuh! And an IMPORTANT one! And now that he warmed up with deducing the way Watson shaved with his eyes closed and being an ass to our good doctor, Holmes starts the deductions. Watson would just like to catch some sleep in the train. Can't fault him, toh.

Oh here's Hopkins! Nuu, no more care? You deny Holmes cases? No more case for Holmes? Oh! OH! Ja- No wait. Let's see anyway.

Watson...

this is right on the bistinguished path. Also ouchie, poor girl.

Abused i see. Holmes sees too but lets the topic drop. Not the time, but his spidey senses are tingling.

Holmes, muttering: don't you say Watson is stomping on his foot.

Poor girl again. She's so right. Also thanks acd for having denounced the way it was impossible or very difficult at the time for women to obtain a divorce in England.

Well, yeah, accounts of the mess follows and then a quick question to Theresa, the maid

WHOOOO has balls of steel. And tells our boys to be off. Well, to the dining room.

Poor Holmes. He wanted a nice CASE.

OOOH but he's interested! Well, for starters there's Pavarotti (thank @mostvaliantandmostpround for this) a body on the floor

Ouchie. Well, we can agree he's dead-dead.

And much better like this. An abuser. Great. Holmes' senses were right to tingle.

And Holmes isn't swallowing the burglars explanation.

weeeeird. Did they know someone?

MORE weird. Took few things. And seems UNLIKELY. And ooh? Three glasses? HALLOA!

He's INTERESTED. Very interested. Watson stop staring at him in that way, please, those are the original heart eyes™.

And a little deduction to raise the morning's morale, just to say!

But he's still Sad about the lack of interesting case for now... Poor Holmes, well, Hopkins is a nice man and knows how to do his job! Why shouldn't Holmes give him credit?

And now sorry... Watson has something to do

Like a detective to convince it's time for lunch (sent the letter around midday). He'll tell the rest of the story in another letter.

[risingshards]

Blegh okay I thought about it and after rewatching some eps and reading this again, I kinda like my rambling thoughts on acolyte ep 6 so here goes

Preface: I'm a very very VERY easy to please sw fan and I don't like ragging on shows or movies or whatever this way much these days if I can avoid it with how internet fandom is, like especially with this show with all the hatred and vitriol it's gotten from the incels.

And I've been enjoying the show a ton so far, and ep 6 wasn't bad...just. blech. I have critiques.

TLDR: I was excited for a big thriller mystery in the High Republic era told with a queer lens, and instead I feel like I'm getting a Goodreads review of a scrubbed Reylo fic listing the tropes.

spoilers and me bitching after cut lol

I'm just like why is it reylo now????????

I figured with the mentor swap we'd be heading to Osha turning to the dark side and maybe Mae to the light, but the way it's being put out there feels lacking. Osha is turning so quickly that it felt like i was reading some enemies to lovers romantasy for my book club (at least it hasn't been as awful as the colonizer romance they had me read but that is a LOW bar to clear....). Like a lot of the romantasy books I've read, it feels like setup and taking time to build meaningful connections between characters is ignored for like "oh wow he took his shirt off...he's so jacked....what was i talking about again..." I saw a video with the audio descriptions for the ep and it literally sounded like a romantasy audiobook.

And to note: if you love the enemies to lovers romantasy booktok books, like more power to ya! For me it's like when you stare at one of those magic pictures and you can't get your eyes to cross to see the picture, like "I do NOT understand what I'm supposed to see here."

Str8 enemies to lovers just kind of blech me out, where the evil one commits various atrocities that make me want to see them get what's coming to them, and then minutes later the good one is like "whoa he's hot maybe he's not so bad..."

Osha being so Jedi-like in personality only to immediately falter at a hot naked dude just feels gross. Like can't we have any other reasons for women in Star Wars to get tempted to the dark side than a shirtless man gaslighting them? Probably unsurprisingly but I REALLY did not like Reylo (I was in a very bad relationship and I kinda put the headcanon onto TLJ about it being an escape from an abuser because it came out right after I got away from that, so that going any other way did not vibe right with me) so maybe it's just residual feelings from that.

Again more power to you if this is your thing I'm not coming at anyone for enjoying it!

I think another thing that's making me uncomfortable is seeing interviews with Hedlund about Qimir about his desire for freedom against those who want him gone being relatable in a queer sense, and like I get that, I feel that. But if that's the character with the metaphorical queer experience why are we doing mega straight reylo 2 with him? And that guy brutally kills one of the queer girls and calls her it immediately after??? It doesn't help that the show started off feeling really queer, and now like 80% of the queer characters are dead and we're doing reylo 2. The "oh fuck yeah REYLOOOO" interviews I've read this week are NOT reassuring in this regard.

There's just something my pea brain doesn't get when it comes to stories with more shades of gray in series that are typically pretty black and white with morality. When a character crosses that threshold so far into villainy, I want to see them face some blow back for it, not immediately start going all "uwu they're torn and hurt aren't they?" about it. In Star Wars generally speaking I want the antagonist to BE the antagonist, not get thrown into this space between protagonist and antagonist that just has me all crossed up. I know there are plenty of redemptions in Star Wars for the villains, but I like it better when it's more mythical about the hardships of trying to save a villain's soul like Luke and Vader than "the lightsaber represents kylo's dick" reylo stuff.

I get that like the morality is probably supposed to be muddled in this show, and we're not supposed to feel good about Osha and Qimir getting closer smash cutting to Jecki's fresh corpse, but again, the execution feels messy when you have the gleeful "OH YEAH WE'RE DOING ENEMIES TO LOVERS BABY REYLO SLAYYYYYYY" interviews. Again I'm a VERY easy to please sw fan, and I've been really enjoying seeing the High Republic era in live action, seeing cortosis and wild lightsaber duels, all the expanded universe pulls, it feels really fresh in that regard. And all the performances are stellar, and having such a diverse cast is incredible.

If we had more than thirty minutes and more than 8 episodes to build to all this it'd feel a lot better. The character development feels like it's on roller coaster speed, but with Knife to Throat and other tropey scenes also seen in a bajillion enemies to lovers romance books nowadays thrown our way to fill the gaps. These scripts feel like they needed an editor to really go over the scene to scene motivations and logic and character work and dialogue, instead of mashing booktok trope buttons, which is also how I feel about most romantasy books I read...

Counterpoint to myself is that Star Wars is built on tropes and archetypes so this is like taking some tropes and archetypes of the current day's fiction and playing with them.

But idk.

Like am I really supposed to care about any of what I'm seeing or is it just gonna be booktok and fanfic tropes thrown my way now to a bunch of characters with muddled personalities and motivations clashing? We don't necessarily need someone to root for, and I'm probably being unfair to a lot of this, but after how thrilling Ep 5 felt, 6 has me wondering what the bigger picture of this show is, because it went from feeling like a fascinating if a bit messy story to one that might just be "Look here's enemies to lovers, knife to throat, corruption, oh and here's one bed!" without as much under the surface of that character and plot wise as I would have hoped.

[ihatepeoplesomuchuwu]

@abyssleaves GIRL I FUCKING LOVE YOU HOLY SHIT. You dropped this queen 👑

This person right here, you have said it so perfectly and have inspired me to say something. I will also probably get hate but you know what? That's fine at this point 😎

This carnivorekitty situation? I'M SO OVER IT!!! I don't even 100% agree with tom but, most of you guys are getting upset at OPINIONS AND DARK HUMOR LIKE HOLY SHIT. I want you all to think about this. What part of it is beliefs? The belief of not understanding neopronouns? No no no he didn't say "hate." he said he didn't agree with them and wasn't going to hate people for using them. But nah, instead of maybe sitting down with a cup of tea, you all jumped the gun and said, "THE NERVE?! HE DOESN'T AGREE WITH ME?!". Pssst hey lean in close...... I don't understand them either 😐 If you approached me, though, and told me your pronouns, I would never hate you for using them. It is YOUR life and I will respect/use your pronouns(I use any pronouns btw UwU) and I can't tell you what to do, and as long as you're not hurting anyone, who cares right? But don't demand me to understand or get why because I don't want to, and I'm just too stupid to care.

ANYWAY TO THE TRANSPHOBIC TOPIC!! Okay, this confused me for so long on why people called him transphobic because even I understood that people of the lgbtq+ have different opinions on things and deal with stuff differently. Him saying that kids/teens having medication and surgeries are life changing and then most definitely are. Most medications are safe, but did you know that their was a birth control that was FDA approved and it worked for a long time! Until women started having babies missing limbs and parts of them. Medical stuff can happen at anytime, it being safe of not it can still happen. And the surgeries? I agree that people shouldn't have surgeries until they are 18. Why? Because you have jackasses that aren't trans/have medical needs who take advantage of that for their own benefits and you have people who find out that they are not trans/non-binary/so on later in life and detransition.

Also, can no one like dark humor anymore??? A trans person likes a dark humored trans meme it's end shattering, but people still adore famous people making 9/11 jokes? Yeah, okay, love you guys ❤️ and don't get me started on the nazi shit because WOW WE GOING FOR IT WITH THAT ONE!!! Did anyone read the post Tom made at all? Hm? He said, and I quote, "I don't see anything on how he's a nazi however, that seems like a stretch. However, if anyone can provide actual proof of these claims, you can let me know." He ASKED for proof and said he doesn't agree with all of his posts, yet all of you jumped on him instantly calling him a "nazi sympathizer"? I literally saw one, FUCKING ONE PERSON show him the proof of it instead of jumping him like zombies 🧟‍♂️ 🧟‍♀️

My last take is the pride parade stuff which is just silly to get mad about?? As a person who has basically raised my siblings as my own children and wanting kids of my own some day, I can understand about the not wanting children to see half naked people and honestly who would? What I get is that it is a pride parade and they are mostly known for people doing that, they usually make a flyer or post saying if it's going to happen orr not so please look first. What pisses me off is when people defend that and call them something-phobic for not agreeing 😑 "Agree to disagree" is perfectly put for this, People can have opinions on this without being hateful. You guys come OOON

That is all I have to say for this, I would touch on the racism aspect but I must say out of that whole thing I could understand why people were mad/hurt and I am a pale ass white-irish person who has never experienced racism(only the "HA HA YOU'RE AN ALCOHOLIC" jokes due to me being irish 🤣)so I have no right to say anything in that.

Anyway, I'm gonna just rant here, so feel free to hate on me in my inbox because I could honestly just chill with anyone even if they scream at me UwU

[mynameisemma]

I've been brainrotting about Sonya again (very shocking I know) and I decided to write down my thoughts to get rid of the worms in my head.

I think after 4+ years of hyperfixation I'm able to articulate my feelings on Sonya's ending better. I used to think what I felt was pity for her but now I understand it's actually frustration. I'm not mad Sonya didn't marry Nikolai (and given his occasional emotional coldness with the supposed "love of his life" I don't even want to know how he'd treat the woman he never really loved or appreciated) or Dolokhov or anyone. It's the fact that her mistreatment and emotional abuse by the Rostovs (which isn't even subtext you know; it's explicitly said that Sonya's obsession with sacrifices as the way to show her personal worth stems from her position in the Rostovs' household) given no sympathy narratively that makes me mad; it's the fact that Sonya is constantly compared to a pet animal (domestic cat) that makes me mad; it's the fact that Natasha calls her a sterile flower, a useless person in fact, and refuses her the right to feel things as deep and intense as Natasha herself or Marya would, despite the significant role Sonya played in paving these women's road to happiness, that makes me mad.

Yes, I'm aware Sonya's journey in the novel has its own messages and intentions but in my opinion they come across as this typical "if you're homeless just buy a house UwU" privileged view because a) the narrative, again, refuses to treat the fact how much Sonya's background of living in dependency on the people that have been neglecting her for the most part of her life shapes and maims her personality with any nuance and care (unlike Marya's story of abuse was treated) b) the things the narrative "accuses" and "punishes" her for are extremely dumb and hypocritical.

Like how the narrative implies that she's incapable of feeling emotions (or "poetic feelings" if you will) but earlier in the novel we see her overwhelmed with joy, happiness and even pride and it happens when Sonya doesn't think obsessively about the ways to show her gratitude to the Rostovs or actually receives some recognition from the person she loves. How shocking! (no, it's not).

Or how Natasha says Sonya lacks selfishness but the only time she is selfish and hurt and bitter she's punished for not being able to make genuine sacrifice and still hoping/wanting to be with the person she loves.

And what makes me want to rip my hair off is how Sonya strived for the whole novel to be recognised and seen, her character, her very core is about love, her story is about unrequited love. It's not knocking at the close door but throwing yourself against the wall — here I am, please, see me, notice me, I love you, I love you, I love you, I'm worthy of your love — and it's not her failure to win the love of the people she loves that is tragic and infuriating (Sonya refuses to accept this simple and yet painful truth that you can never be "enough" for people that don't love you, little does she know about unconditional love) but the way her silent misery is swept under the rug in-between this family utopia Tolstoy tries to create.

Because we aren't supposed to think too much about domestic cat's thoughts or feelings

[bratshaws]

through the hourglass 251. brb x oc

a/n: UGH ihate this man so much (comments and reblogs are super welcome and encouraged!)

pairing: plus size!oc x rooster

warnings: none uwu

goodness gracious (pls read this one to know more what this fic is about!!)

chapter

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(pls let me know if you want to be added to the taglist! )

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-

“I can’t believe you really are going.” 

Beatrice sighs, washing the dishes harder, “Shells…it’s just to get this done with,” she mutters, squeaking the already clean plate with her thumb, just so it was really clean, “We don’t like this any less than you do.”

“And yet,” Shells purses her lips, one hand up and eyebrows darting to her hairline, “You two are going. I’d just stay home and get paintball guns to hit their house.” the apple she bites onto makes a sharp crack noise and she chews almost as if she was angry.

Which she probably was.

Beatrice chuckled at Shells' suggestion,not being able to help herself. She set the squeaky-clean plate aside and turned to face Shells with a playful glint in her eye. "As tempting as the paintball idea is," she began, "I think we'll have to stick with the more traditional approach for now."

Shells let out a dramatic sigh,tossing her head back and rolling her eyes. "Oh, where's the fun in that, Bea?" she lamented. "But fine, fine, I suppose you two are taking the high road."

Beatrice leaned against the kitchen counter, her expression more serious now. "We just want to get this over with, Shells," she said softly. "It's not about taking the high road; it's about...making whatever this is stop? Like, what do they want with us, why, those things."

Shells pursed her lips, tapping the red apple in her hand. "I get it, Bea," she replied, her voice sincere. "I just hate seeing you and Roos go through this mess. You deserve better."

Beatrice appreciated Shells' concern, and she knew her friend had their best interests at heart...as chaotic as she wanted to share them. She walked away from the counter and reached out to gently squeeze Shells' arm. "We'll be okay, Shells," she reassured her. "Roos and I can handle whatever they throw at us.”

Shells offered a small smile, her eyes softening. "I know you will, Bea," she said. "Just please don’t do that for too long, okay? Like…I like you guys, you guys are pretty cool.” the two women stared at each other, the seriousness dissipating because neither of them could hold back their laughter.

Beatrice sputtered and Shells slammed her hand on the table as soon as the first bubble of a chuckle escaped their mouths. 

Their laughter filled the kitchen, a much-needed release of tension that had built up over the past few days. Beatrice couldn't help but appreciate Shells' ability to inject humor into even the most serious conversations. It was one of the many things she loved about her.

Once their laughter subsided, Beatrice leaned back against the counter, wiping her eyes with her fingers. "You know, Shells," she began, "I'm really grateful for you. You've been such an amazing friend through all of this."

Shells grinned, her eyes sparkling with mischief. "Well, I do try my best," she replied with a flick of her wrist. "But seriously, Bea, you're like family to me. I've got your back no matter what."

Beatrice smiled warmly at Shells, "Likewise, Shells," she said sincerely. "You're family to us too."

“Don’t you make me cry, you whore.” Shells warns, but her smile only widens, “Listen, I know,I get it, I do get it…but let me tell you those people are fucking weird. Whatever they do, just be safe.”

“I know.”

“However I will love to hear about their reactions once you guys go to Oda again,” Shells smirks, “Ooooh it’s going to be so great. I cannot,cannot wait!”

"I promise we'll fill you in on all the drama," Beatrice replied with a mischievous grin. "You'll be the first to know if anything interesting happens. Matter of fact, we’ll facetime you the second it’s done.”

Shells clapped her hands together in excitement. "That's what I like to hear, Bea," she said with a wink. "I'm ready for all the juicy details, and I'll have popcorn ready for the show."

“And of course you’ll share with Nikki since she’ll stay there.”

“Of course, what sort of aunt would i be if I didn’t?” Shells smirks, “But question though, should I just be careful about…something in my house? Like,what should I do more?”

Bea crossed her arms, the corner of her mouth lifting a bit as she arched her brows, “Well…I remember your house before you met Bob.” she then makes the sign of the cross and Shells flips the bird in retaliation, both of them still grinning, “Shells, Nikki is a super chill baby, there’s nothing much to worry.”

"Yeah, yeah," she replied, waving a dismissive hand. "I know, I know. Nikki's a breeze compared to what my house used to be."

Honestly Shells had made quite the transformation in her home environment, especially after meeting Bob. It was amazing how love could change a person's priorities and habits.

And of course Penny was there to add some…words as well.

"But seriously, Bea," Shells continued, her expression turning more thoughtful, "if anything weird happens, you guys just give me a call. Don't hesitate, okay? I'll be there in a heartbeat."

Beatrice nodded in agreement, touched by Shells' words. "Thank you, Shells," she said sincerely. "We really appreciate it. And we'll definitely keep you in the loop if anything strange goes down."

Shells leaned back in her chair, a satisfied grin on her face. "Good," she said. "Now, enough about this creepy stuff. Let's change the subject and talk about something more exciting. Have you guys thought about what you'll wear to Oda?"

Beatrice was more than happy to steer the conversation away from the unsettling events surrounding the Haltons, even though it did…involve the Haltons in a way. She leaned forward, her eyes lighting up with excitement. "Oh, absolutely," she replied. "I've got a few dresses in mind that I think would be perfect. And Roos will look amazing in his suit."

Shells clapped her hands together in excitement. "Yes, yes," she said. "I can already picture you two looking fabulous. You should wear something from Marcus."

Beatrice's enthusiasm was contagious, and she played with her fingers a bit. "It's been a while since we've dressed up for a fancy dinner," she admitted. "I'm actually looking forward to it as…weird as the situation is. We love that place."

Shells grinned. "I know, Bea," she said. "You two deserve a fantastic night out, especially after dealing with all this craziness. And who knows, maybe dinner will be the start of something good. Or at least a break from the weirdness."

“You really think so?”

“...eh,maybe,what the fuck do I know,yknow?”

Beatrice couldn't help but hope that Shells was right. She longed for a sense of normalcy and a break from the strange occurrences that had been plaguing their lives.And as much as the dinner at Oda was because of the Haltons, maybe it could be much better…maybe.

“If there’s one thing you can say is,” she looks back at her phone as soon as it started buzzing, “How to make a girl feel, good, thank you Shells.’ her friend just gives her the ‘that’s what I do’ hands before resuming her eating. Beatrice excused herself so she could answer the phone, walking towards the garden doors to check the outside as she answered the phone.

But of course, the person talked first.

“Hello darling.”

Her smile was immediate, ‘Hello Marcus. How’s my favorite fashion designer going?”

Marcus chuckled warmly on the other end of the line. "Well aren’t you chipper today?I'm going quite well, my dear," he replied. "But enough about me. I heard through the grapevine that you and Rooster are in need of some fabulous attire for an upcoming dinner."

Beatrice's smile dropped because 1. he hadn’t said anything and 2….how the fuck did he know?  "You you…you do? Uh…okay um…Marcus how do you-"

“Darling I have my sources! And you guys are going to the Oda!” Marcus exclaimed. "It's been ages since I dined there. A perfect setting for a glamorous couple such as yourselves. Tell me more about this dinner. It sounds quite intriguing."

“Oh, ah, well…” she chews the inside of her cheek, “It’s…not like that…” and she proceeded to share with Marcus everything that’s been going on, the Haltons’ invitation and the way Miranda was so,so ready to assume neither of them were capable of dining in such a place.

“Oh.”

“Yeah…”

Marcus hummed on the other end, his designer's mind already racing with ideas. "Ah, darling, we all have those people in our lives. If I had to tell you how many arrogant people I met during dinners you’d be surprised. But, well, you need a dress do you not?”

“Well,I already had one planned but-”

His shocked gasp was her only answer, followed by a almost disgruntled “Darling!No!”

“...no?”

“No,no absolutely not. You need to have something ready and something you haven’t worn yet.” she opens her mouth but he cuts her before she could speak “Fashion is the armor to survive the reality of everyday life, as Bill Cunningham would say. You need something…more. Something great.”

Beatrice blinked, thinking what was so wrong about an old dress "Well…okay, Marcus," she replied with a smile. "You…have something in mind already?”

Marcus couldn't contain his excitement "Darling, I always have something in mind," he exclaimed. "I'll make sure you look absolutely stunning. You deserve nothing but the best."

Beatrice chuckled at his enthusiasm. She looks back at Shells, who was having a hard time playing as if she wasn’t listening  "Thank you, Marcus," she said gratefully. "You know I trust your judgment completely."

"Of course, darling!" Marcus replied with a flourish. "I have just the right thing in mind.”

-

“You have to admit Rooster, it is kinda weird.”

Rooster looks up from his sandwich to where the squad sat, his eyes turning to Coyote “I know it is.” he replies, “But we-” and he had to be careful because they don’t know if Mark was close by or not, “We just want to deal with this.”

‘You don’t have to whisper,” Phoenix says, arching her brows, ��The base is huge, it’s not like he’s right behind us…” cue to all of them looking around for a few seconds, calming down only when they saw there was no one there.

Rooster chuckled nervously, his shoulders relaxing as he realized that Mark wasn't eavesdropping on their conversation. The tension that had been building since their encounter with the Haltons had been difficult to shake, and he was grateful that he wasn’t around.

"Sorry," he said with a sheepish grin. "It's just been a bit...strange lately."

"Yeah, no kidding," Payback chimed in, his expression serious. "I mean, who invites their neighbors  to dinner and then acts all mysterious about it?"

Halo nodded in agreement. "And Miranda's attitude? Ugh, she's so condescending."

Rooster couldn't help but sigh, rubbing his temples. "Tell me about it. But we have to go, we have to figure out what they're up to and make sure it doesn't affect us in any way." he didn’t tell anyone about the possibility that he and Mav talked about.

Coyote leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. "I get that, Rooster," he said, his voice earnest. "But we also have to be careful. If Mark is involved in any way, he's not going to make things easy for us." he taps the table, “We also work with him and,I dunno man, you are our friends. That means if that guys fucks with you guys, he fucks with us too.”

"You're right, man," Rooster replied, his voice still quiet as he meddles with his sandwich. "We'll be cautious, and we won't let them push us around. But we also need to find out what their game is. If it's personal, like we suspect, then it could affect all of us."

Phoenix leaned back in her chair, her expression contemplative. "It just makes no sense, what’s this weird obsession with you guys?”

“Maybe,” and that was the first time Bob ever talked about that, ‘They are jealous of you.” he replies while pushing his glasses up his nose, “For…for some reason, heh.”

Rooster raised an eyebrow at Bob's unexpected comment. "Jealous?" he repeated, his curiosity piqued. "Why would they be jealous of us?"

Bob shrugged, his expression thoughtful. "Could be a lot of reasons," he replied. "Maybe they envy your family, or they're envious of your success in your career. People can get weirdly competitive about the strangest things."

Halo chimed in, her lips curling into a wry smile. "Or maybe they're just bored," she suggested. "Rich people often have too much time on their hands and start meddling in other people's lives for entertainment."

Coyote nodded in agreement. "That's true," he said. "They might see you guys as a distraction from their mundane lives and want to stir up drama."

Rooster considered their words, the possibilities swirling in his mind. "It's all speculation at this point," he said, waving his hand a bit. "But we won't know for sure until we attend that dinner and see what they're really up to." he sighs through his nose, “We’re just-” another one, deeper this time as he rubs his eyes, “There’s just so much, the twins will be able to come back home in a month, Nikki’s birthday and my birthday are coming up and…it’s a lot.”

Phoenix nodded in understanding, her expression softening. "It sounds like you guys have a lot on your plate," she said sympathetically, earning a dry yet quiet chuckle from Rooster, who just inhales deeply, messing with his sandwich while pursing his lips.

“I guess what grinds my gears, honestly…is the fact they act like I own Bea or something.” and that only made him glare at the poor bread even harder, “Can you guys believe that?”

Coyote crossed his arms, his expression growing serious. "That's fucked up, man," he said,. "You and Bea are partners, equals. No one has the right to act like she's some sort of possession."

"Exactly," he said. "We're a team, and we make decisions together. No one else should have a say in our relationship."

Halo chimed in with a knowing smile. "You two have always had a strong bond," she said. "That's something they can't take away from you."

Rooster couldn't help but smile at his friends' words. "Thanks, guys," he said sincerely. "It means a lot to us."

Bob took a sip from his coffee, his glasses slipping down his nose once more. "So, what's the plan for Friday?" he asked, steering the conversation back to their upcoming dinner with the Haltons.

Rooster leaned back in his chair, his mind already racing with thoughts about the dinner. "Well…they made the reservations," he said. "Then we…are just going to dress up and go."

Coyote grinned mischievously. "And if things get too weird," he suggested, "we can always have a secret signal to bail."

Rooster chuckled at the idea, arms crossing immediately. "That's not a bad idea," he replied. "But I’ll have to put a pin on that one, no need for you guys to show up like that. We’ll be fine.”

“Well,”Payback smiles, punching his friend’s shoulder gently, “You can always call us if you need to.”

“Yeah,yeah I know.” he punches him right back, “I know.” he checks the time and heaves out a sigh, ‘I better shove it down because time is almost up…and I need to talk to Bea once I get home, there’s a lot,” he bites into it, “A lot, to discuss.”