#y’all they’re so in love and also the lawless never happened

[duxhess-kryzewan]

Obi-wan saving Satine from a suitor, and then lots of fluff and cuddling.

- This Love - 

During his time on the run with Qui-Gon and Satine he had become somewhat of an expert on the history of Mandalorian culture and the various clans that make up its people. Satine of course had hailed from Clan Kryze. Many long days and nights were spent discussing the history of her people and it's various leaders throughout its time as an established civilization. It had helped them pass the time. 

That said, he only remembered so much from that ongoing history lesson. Too many things had been slowly compiling themselves in his brain and he had long since forgotten some of the specifics when it came to the differing clans. Satine would surely chastise him if he were ever to let her know that.

He does know however that she tries to maintain a steady line of communication with all the major houses that the clans compiled in order to keep peace between them. 

One of her guards had informed him that she was in the middle of a House meeting when he landed on Mandalore. He had finished a simple extraction mission on one of the other outer rim planets earlier than expected and had decided to sneak away and visit her while he had the time. What little he ever had to spare was precious and all the better when he was able to see her. 

Of course he had told her guards that it wasn't necessary to disturb her meeting to inform her of his arrival; force knows that he would never hear the end of it if he were to interrupt her while she was conducting her duties as Duchess. She may be just as thrilled to see him as he was her, but they both had a mutual understanding that their duties would always come first.

"It's fine," He insisted, "I'm sure the Duchess would be less than pleased should her meeting intruded upon. I'll fair out just fine, I tend to know my way around here."

"As you wish, Master Kenobi." The guardsman had said before retreating down the hallway. It was true, he had spent enough time over the past year or so in Sundari Palace that he knew his way around without a guide. Thankfully he was able to operate under the guise of being a liaison for the Republic instead of simply coming for personal reasons, which was the case more often than not. 

He had been roaming the halls of the palace close to her throne room while he waited. The pieces of their culture was something one could easily get lost in, and the palace had no shortage of historical artifacts and antiquities to delve into. All the better for him; her meeting had a tendency to drag and there was only so long he could hover in one place waiting for her. 

Her voice always pulled him out of whatever trance he was in, and today was no different. Something in his chest fluttered every time her voice graced his ears. 

He took his time though to head down the hallway; it was obvious she was still speaking with one of the House members even as they finished the meeting. It was a voice he hadn't recognized; a new representative perhaps. 

He stops dead in his tracks though when he finally makes out what the voice was saying.

"-And the other clan leaders as well as the house leaders think it best you are appointed someone."

"A suitor?"

The man cleared his throat, "Yes, they see it fit. The people are satisfied for now with your ruling however the clans worry that you will start to loose public support without a male figure at your side."

There no mistaking the annoyance in her voice despite how well she had tried to hide it.

"I find it highly inappropriate that a matter was discussed without consulting my council first, let alone something so personal and belittling as appointing me a consort." 

Something about her being appointed a suitor stirred something both primal and worrisome inside of him. It was but another series of events that had him questioning his decision not to stay with her all those years ago. He certainly wouldn't have to worry about her being courted by someone else, let alone have them be a proponent for marriage. 

He does his best to squash those feelings as they come though, jealously was very unbecoming of a Jedi. And in truth he really had no claim on her. As loyal as they were to one another in regards to whatever their relationship was, deep down he understood that there was always the possibility she would move on without him. And why shouldn't she? He could never give her everything he deserved. He wanted her to be happy no matter how much it was harm him. 

That said though, he knows just how much she would loathe being forced into something. 

"It's simply a matter of maintaining an effective leadership and not a personal slight against you, your grace. It's why I was slotted to attend the meeting. My influence among House Kast has been vital in the past years and has permeated throughout a number of clans and would be nothing but beneficial to you." The man says, the assurance to his tone only serving to get under Obi-Wans skin even more. 

He can sense the change of her emotions through her force signature; the sharp shift from displeased to both swelling anger and unmistakable panic.

Whoever it was that was speaking to her head only been in that meeting for one reason; to propose himself as a probable suitor to the Duchess. Part of him wanted to scoff at the notion that Satine was any less than capable of ruling Mandalore. She was a strong leader in her own right and commanded respect; the idea that she would ever need a male figure at her side to continue to win over her people was downright insulting to her capabilities. 

It took him only a second for him to decide what to do.

“They sent you to propose-” 

“Duchess.” 

He had rounded the corner just as she had begun to speak, catching both her and the house member off guard. Normally he wouldn’t dare interrupt her. She was more than capable of handling herself, but he couldn’t bare to hear anymore of the conversation. It was selfish on his part, he knew, but she would have to forgive him.

“Master Kenobi.” She says, not even bothering to hide her surprise at his sudden appearance.

“Pardon me,” He says, “I hope I’m not interrupting.”

The man was a bit younger than he had imagined; his dark eyes matching the inky color of his hair. Certainly not what he ever would have pictured. The contrast between him and Satine’s bright eyes and golden hair was striking and he couldn’t ever imagine her with someone so tenebrous.

“Of course not.” She answers quickly, “We were just finished.”

The man - whose name he has no interest in learning - looks both dejected and a touch angry. 

“Actually Duchess,” He begins, “I was hoping we’d be able to continue our conversation-”

Satine tears her eyes away from Obi-Wan and looks back to him, “Our conversation was through the moment you spoke of my ability to rule on my own. If your house has issue with it than you most certainly can address it with my council. Now if you don’t mind, I have other matters to attend too. I’m sure the guards can see you out.”

Without sparing another glance at the man she starts heading down the hallway in his direction, all but beckoning him to follow. Of course he maintains an appropriate distance from her; he couldn’t imagine the scandal it would cause if someone got wind of his occasional visits being anything more than business driven. 

He doesn’t bother asking where they’re headed; he knows the way to her chambers like the back of his hand these days. Besides, the anger from the conversation was radiating off of her so strongly that he wouldn’t have even needed the force to sense it. The tension was more than palpable.

Her chambers are quiet; the guards that would normally wander about the halls no where in sight and the moment that the doors of her private quarters slide shut behind them she grabs him briskly by the shoulders and crashes her lips to his.

Its raw and primal and just a little bit desperate, not at all what he’s used to from her but he wastes no time in cupping her face between his hands and kissing her back with just as much fire. He knows whats happening, that she’s trying to prove a point that there wasn’t anyone she would touch so scandalously but him.

“I would never even consider a consort of any kind.” She says firmly when she breaks the kiss, “Never. I am capable of leading alone and there is nobody in the galaxy I would want next to me.”

He understands the unspoken words. Nobody in the galaxy other than him. She didn’t need to say it. He knew.

He kisses her this time. He wants her to know that he understands, that perhaps they would never be able to fully belong to one another in front of anyone else, but that they have willingly given each other a piece of themselves. 

“You’re brilliant,” He assures her, “You’re strong and wise and one of the most formidable leaders I’ve ever known. They are foolish to ever doubt your ability to lead on your own.”

He can feel her force signature soften under his words and finally she manages to smile the slightest bit at him.

“Thank you, Obi-Wan.” She says lightly, before her soft smile morphs itself into a wicked grin, “It’s been too long since you’ve come to see me.”

He doesn’t even protest when she grabs his hands and drags him towards her bedroom. 

---- 

Later, hours into the night, they lay awake in her bed, his hand trailing up and down the length of her spine while she lay against his bare chest. It was the most at peace he had felt in months.

She lifts her head up and rests her chin against the center of his chest, blue eyes shining with something he doesn’t quite recognize. Something made of both happiness and sadness, perhaps?

“I’ve tried, you know.” She begins.

He merely raises an eyebrow in response. 

“To move on,” She clarifies, “I thought perhaps that one day I’d be able to find someone to else. Someone to marry and rule Mandalore by my side.”

She drops her head on its side and nuzzles it against him, her hand finding his free one and gripping it tightly, “But I could never. There is no one else, Obi-Wan, and I don’t want you to ever doubt that.”

He loves her, more than he could even begin to explain. He would never be able to be with her in all the ways she so desperately deserves, but something inside of him would break should she ever find someone new.

“There’s never been another soul in the galaxy I’ve felt about in the same way I feel about you, Satine.” He tells her gently, “There won’t ever be anyone else for me either. You’re it, and I am so dreadfully sorry I can’t be by your side in all the ways you deserve.”

She raises her head up once more to look him in the eyes, “I love you as you are, protector of the galaxy and all. And while I want you here forever, I know we made our choices for the right reasons.”

He smiles at her, “And I love you, Satine.”

It’s the first time he’s ever been able to say the words aloud. She’s always known, always understood his way of life made it difficult to say it, but here and now he wants to make sure she never has to wonder how he feels. 

Her smile lights up something inside of him and he vows then and there that once the war was over, he would be by her side. 

Always. 

[murderousbitch]

                             *    knowing  your  partner  well  can  potentially  make  writing  a  lot  easier,    repost,    do  not  reblog.  

                                                     meet the mun. — basics

NAME:  Char PRONOUNS:  she/her PREFERENCE OF COMMUNICATION: Discord and sometimes tumblr IMs if I’m feeling them. SINGLE / TAKEN: single pringle

— three facts

𝙞.  i can play two instruments; guitar and the recorder ‘cause for some reason they made us learn it in elementary school an’ idk it never left my brain lol 𝙞𝙞.  uh...i’m related to a famous pioneer and Jesse James the famous outlaw and Abe Lincoln (which then connects me to George Clooney so that’s cool)  𝙞𝙞𝙞.  never left the west coast in my 27 years of life

— experience

First started out in a teen wolf like RPG here on tumblr back in early 2012, that didn’t pan out then I was in a btvs post chosen RPG up in the same year and then finally I landed in an RPG that was a cluster fuck of fandoms that, yet again, didn’t pan out. So I converted my Spike blog to indie and been a menace to tumblr ever since.  

— sub-genres

FLUFF: It’s nice, but given the types of characters I tend to write, it doesn’t happen often. But it is welcomed! Especially with this broken ass slayer. SMUT:  Back in the day when this place was a lawless cesspool of filth, I would have thrown my muses into the thick of it. Now that this place is like For Knox and I’m older? I don’t got time for it and have gotta be in a mood to write it and also super chill with my partner. Faith is a sexual being so things are bound to happen, but I’m not opposed to keeping the nitty gritty on discord and in private. Also ‘cause the read mores now sucks camel balls and doesn’t work like it should so I just don’t wanna unnerve folks, etc.  ANGST: Fuckin’ put it in my hand little man. Angst is easy to write, can drink it up like fuckin’ water. Also again, I tend to write troubled muses so it just comes easier than the others. Faith is very much troubled and I really do love hurting my girl and my other muses.

— plots versus memes

Memes are usually the go to for me as it’s a good way to lead to a potential plot. But on the off chance that I do get inspiration (usually if I’m really vibing with the partner ooc) I’ll plot out the beginning, middle, and end of whatever chaos we can muster. So it’s 50/50 but always send memes ‘cause they’re good for kick staring things. 

— long or short replies

Sometimes I get wordy and ramble. Short replies are good for getting things started because you can always build off of it and get to longer replies / threads with ease. But there are sometimes where all I have the brain power is to do short replies ‘cause they’re good for a little back and forth. However, long replies do take me longer and not because I’m trying to match, but because it just takes more focus and thought process. So again, 50/50.

— best time to write

In the evening / early morning hours (that’s why y’all early birds see me up and about at like 5am lol) but honestly whenever I can get a moment to myself without any interruptions. And whenever I have / get muse at this point in my writing life. Some days I can get on in the afternoon and have no problem, other times I don’t get on until well after 11pm. Just depends on how I’m feeling and if there’s any chatter from the muses.

Tagged by: @demonstigma Tagging: @wickedlehane / @lycanstark / @oxtaiiiled / @count-v-dracula / & anyone else that wants to do this!

[mobius-m-mobius]

tagged by @stillood and @colourfulwatson, thank you so much! 💖

relationships: single without a lot of desire to mingle 😂

break ups: my relationships have mostly been pretty casual but yeah, two serious breakups. one with my first ever bf, we were together a few years in high school then drifted apart, the other I ended when I moved home to help with my dad’s health issues

kids: it's a no from me probably forever, lol

brothers and sisters: nope, no siblings, I actually barely have any family

pets: usually away from home too often to have pets :(

surgeries: zero

tattoos: none yet but I've been obsessing about what I'll get as my first for ages. almost got one (that I would’ve deeply regretted now 😂) as soon as I turned 18 though

countries you’ve been to: oh gosh, here we go: Thailand, Japan, Laos, China, Vietnam, Canada, and England

been in an airplane: I think I've spent too much time in them, lmao

been in an ambulance: never

sing karaoke: noooooo, you need confidence and social skills for that and I’m deeply lacking in both

ice skating: never but I look forward to faceplanting someday

been on a cruise: nah, not interested. I accidentally saw a documentary about the lawlessness of cruises when I was maybe 13 and it terrified me, lol

driven a motorcycle: nope, only a passenger

ridden a horse: no but I've always wanted to

stayed in a hospital: never have

favorite fruit or berries: peaches! perfectly ripe peaches are heavenly

favorite colors: definitely blue

last text: “Haha, sounds great! Let me know tomorrow”

coffee or tea: either iced coffee or iced tea with enough sugar to knock you out (I was raised in the south ¯\_(ツ)_/¯)

favorite pie: pumpkin if I make it myself, otherwise apple crumb or silk

favorite pizza: plain cheese but sometimes pepperoni if I'm feeling classic

cat or dog: I mean how can you not love both but cats are too relatable

favorite time of the year: fall! please get me into a cardigan asap

met a star: I’ve met Craig Ferguson a few times and he’s even funnier and nicer than you could imagine and his eyes are like, otherworldly blue which is only important because of how often I think about it 😩 I’ve also met my favorite Thai band, 4 โพดำ, not that anyone here probably knows them but they’re incredible. (aaaand I may or may not have met an American Idol star I stanned throughout my teenage years to now eternal chagrin but that’s as much as I’m admitting to 😂)

flown a helicopter: um no? are any of y’all helicopter pilots because if so let me tell you how cool you are

been on tv: sort of? I’ve been to a few late night talk show tapings where you could see me in the audience and I think I was in some local news shots back when I was in high school

broken my leg: nope, no broken bones yet

seen a ghost: I think so. I don’t know, my friend and I were on a walk once when we saw a woman several blocks away (couldn’t see any specific details) that was just. always in the same position and distance from us no matter where/how far we walked? I can’t explain it very well but we were unsettled to the point that we eventually ran away without looking back and still get uncomfortable thinking about it years later

been sick in a taxi: never, thank goodness

seen someone die: I'm thankful that I haven't, but when my dad passed away it happened less than a minute after I left his room and. yeah. I think about it pretty often

Well that’s an oddly somber note to leave one of these on, sorry about that 😅 But it was nice to have some surprisingly reflective moments in one of these!

Tagging @lasersonicked, @llivingnextdoortoalice, @scientiaesitomne, @veraynes-blog, @booker-is-bi, @wildwildtarget and @idunnoimjustinit-mmff if you guys feel like it and as always no worries if you don’t 🥰

[twilightofthe]

Tell me ALL your SW faves

Aaaaaa thank you!  This took a while cuz this got long, lol sorry!  Aight, so here’s ALL my SW faves for this ask prompt list!

FAVE MOVIE: Revenge of the Sith.  10000%.  It just has everything!  You get to see the Obikin relationship in all its glory, first and foremost, how much those two loved each other more than anything and knew each other better than anyone, and just how much they genuinely got along and then we got our hearts broken watching them have to fight after Anakin made his Goof Of The Millennium and just oooooof all the feels about my boys!  Seeing Padmé and just loving her so gotdang much for being strong and wanting the best life for everyone, all while she was so scared and had so little support from anyone, and just couldn’t do it in the end.  Seeing the end of the Republic, how after a thousand years, just, *poof*, just like that in like two days (yes, I know Sidious was planning it for over a decade but still), the horrific fascination on how Sidious was able to do that.  Just the brilliance of Sheev’s character, how you despise him, but how brilliantly everything was pulled off.  The angst of Order 66, how especially after TCW you love these characters SO MUCH and then you gotta watch them DIE HORRIBLY BY THOSE THEY TRUSTED, THOSE WHO NEVER HAD A CHOICE EITHER.  Did I mention feeling so freaking bad for Obi Wan and his Terrible Horrible No Good Very Bad Day???  Because I really do, he’s so good and kind and we see his life fall apart and ugh I love him.  And y’all, watching Anakin Skywalker fall from grace like the brightest angel he was, you hate him for what he did, but you still can’t help but love him and cry for him and his loss because he was so good, and he did not deserve all this to happen to him but he did it to HIMSELF AAAAGGHHHH.  Also, Obes and Ani were at peak prettiness this movie!!  Just asdfkjglkdskajsrlk best movie love so diggity dang much

FAVE PAIRING: Oh, how EVER will I choose– Obikin.  It’s Obikin, all the way, no contest.  I know I’ve yelled about it a million and one times so I’ll save y’all the rant on how much I adore these disasters and their relationship and how I think they’re goddamn soulmates and the most interesting dynamic in the entire Saga.  I ship them romantically and platonically and just everything, they’re so fucking important to one another and that’s why it hurts so much to watch them fall apart, and that’s why I’m so incredibly happy that they get to canONICALLY SPEND THEIR ENTIRE AFTERLIFE TOGETHER BECAUSE FORCE GHOSTS HELL YEAH.  If I had to pick just secondary fave romantic and platonic relationships, hmmmm that’s hard.  BUT, I’m gonna have to go with Kanera for romantic; SWR was what got me back into Star Wars and one of my favorite parts of it was watching Kanan and Hera, how much I loved them separately, but just how much they were a team together and I love them and I was unbelievably upset when Jedi Night happened (and I still have a rant about how animated Star Wars kills off their romantic couples in the exact same manner, pls ask me about how TCW’s The Lawless and Rebels’ Jedi Night had basically all of the same plot points that ended in killing off a romantic lead).  For other fave platonic relationship, gonna have to go with Luke/Han/Leia BROT3 (separate from Hanleia as a romance, which is probs my 3rd fave).  These disasters were the original Golden Trio, they saved the galaxy together all while yelling dramatically and having each other’s backs to the bitter end (or, at least ‘till the end of ROTJ lol) and I just love them as a team so dang much

FAVE TV SHOW EPISODE: Okay, since there are four TV shows, it’s only fair for me to pick one (or more don’t judge me) from each!  Let’s see, from The Clone Wars, my fave eps have to be the entire Mortis trilogy arc in S3 because Obes/Ani/Snips family dynamic, Force Shenanigans, BEAUTIFUL scene designs, Anakin angst, just so many good things oof, and also Dooku Captured from S1, which I just adore because Obikin snark, annoying Grandpa Dooku, Hondo Fucking Ohnaka making everyone look so bad at their jobs, I just love it agh.  Whoops that was technically four faves, so gotta do four for Rebels too!  Gonna go wiiiiith World Between Worlds from S4 for Badass Ahsoka Tano, Ezra being brave and talented, Sheev being Absolutely Ridiculous, and just the overall Force Shenanigans cuz canon time travel y’all; The Lost Commanders from S2 because Rex is awesome, Kanan angst, and really good Kanan and Ezra bonding and Jedi awesomeness, Fire Across the Galaxy from S1 because of Ghost fam dynamics, Kanan angst, more Kanan and Ezra bonding, and just good stuff, and Twilight of the Apprentice in S2 (lol what about my username?) for being creepy and cool and maKING ME CRY ANAKIN YOU STUPID THRICE COOKED TOILET SEAT LEAVE AHSOKA ALONE.  *cough*  Ok, fine, I’ll stick with only one ep for the other two series.  For Resistance, gonna have to go with the latest ep, actually!  We get to see Kaz being clever and caring about his fam on the Colossus, really cool designs for Aeos and its people, Tam angst, and just everyone shining!  For The Mandalorian, it’s gotta be the finale, Redemption, we get Din name, Armorer kicking everyones asses and me loving it, BABY YODA DOING THE HAND WAVE, Din getting over his issues with droids and connecting with IG only for IG to FUCKING DIE, DIN AND BABY YODA BEING AN OFFICIAL CLAN OF TWO, Taika just knocking this whole episode out of the park with the funny scouttroopers at the beginning who still deserved the ass-whooping they got for fucking murdering Kuiil and hiTTING BABY YODA YOU SLIMY FUCKNUGGETS–

FAVE CHARACTER: Alright, look, I can narrow it down to FIVE and that is IT.  I just love too many Star Wars characters, I can’t go lower than top five!  Ok, so my four favorites are Obi Wan Kenobi, Anakin Skywalker, Leia Organa, Kanan Jarrus, and Finn Skywalker-Dameron-Tico (i SAID what i SAID.)  AIGHT so for starters, a lot of my favorite characters in different franchises fall under various archetypes I have for faves.  Obi Wan fits one of my more popular ones: “Old, reluctant and more than slightly-questionable parental badass with a mysterious past that makes you love them all the more when you realize just how beautiful and tragic and deserving-better they were when that past is revealed”.  I latched onto this dude from the start when I just liked the OT (tho Leia was always my fave lol), and I wanted to know about him, and then when I finally started getting into the PT and TCW, it was just a steady stream of “oh no he’s hOT?” “oh no he’s sAD?” “oh no he’s nICE?!? REALLY FUCKING NICE AND A BIT OF A MESS HELP” and then I just totally latched on because he’s hypercompetent at literally everything and looks damn good doing it and boy do I have a thing for competence, charming as all hell and goes through so much and comes out strong despite the fact that fate hates his fucking guts and tries to destroy his life constantly and guys he tries so hard and he’s kind of messy sometimes and a bit of a dick and I love him all the more for it because he’s trying, none of that do-or-do-not shit, he is doing his damn best and deserves happiness and not Anakin tearing him apart.  SPEAKING OF SAND MAN.  Ugh, so I love Anakin to fucking death and that makes me REALLY MAD ABOUT IT BECAUSE HE MAKES EVERYONE ELSE I LIKE SAD.  So I love Anakin regardless because he’s not your typical protagonist.  He’s fucking brilliant, hot when he fights, is amazing at fighting and flying and building stuff and there’s that competence thing for me again, oh boy!  He’s funny and kind and he cares.  And somehow, this bitch manages to have the two most beautiful, amazing people in the galaxy in love with him and willing to do basically anything for him like the fuck?!?  Jealous much??!?!?!?!  I am!!!!  He’s so fucking bright and it’s impossible to look away.  He’s also a dorky, messy disaster who’s not good with people or feelings or emotions and he panics over stuff and doesn’t know self-control and is kinda really bad at his job a lot and pushes away the people who care about him and screws up literally all the fucking time and he always feels like he’s drowning and alone and I get to watch him crash and burn under the weight of it all.  Basically, minus the anger issues and the child murder and the murder in general, I kinda relate a lot to Anakin.  I feel like a self-hating mess who doesn’t know how to control my ow head and the world hates me a lot too.  I can project my mental issues onto him, enjoy the good parts of him, live vicariously through the things he does that I can’t like be loved by pretty people and be hot and athletic and smart, and then when he crashes I can side-eye and remember that at least someone’s doing worse than me lol.  So yea, I love this messy boi to death and he’s the one I get the best characterization reviews on, so I guess we have an understanding.  Leia I loved since as a kid.  I’d want to be her, brave, talented, smart, strong as hell and snarky to boot.  I realize that Leia fits another fave character archetype of mine: “Powerful young adult raised for greatness, did not ask for all the horrible shit that’s happened to them, highkey wants a break and for the bad guys to just roll over and die, is generally clever, hypercompetent, and 100% done with everyone else’s shit, overdramatic as all hell and enjoys insulting people”.  Her and Han were my first Star Wars ship and she just always made me happy seeing her kick names and take ass.  She’s gone through almost as much hell or maybe more so than Obi Wan, she also keeps getting back up and fighting, she deserved SO MUCH BETTER than what the Sequel Trilogy gave her and you may quote me on that.  She’s also gorgeous and I wanted to wear all of her clothes (bikini not included).  I also love her relationship with Luke and I am so goddam happy it is now canon that Leia Organa did Jedi training and can use a lightsaber!!!  She has a lightsaber!!!!!!!!!!  Ugh oof I love her.  Kanan fills the similar “mentor” archetype as Obi Wan does, but with a smidge of youth because he’s younger when he gets dropped into this role.  He’s more of a punk, more of a mess, and oof.  Basically I’ve said it a zillion times how Rebels resparked my love of Star Wars, but really, it was Kanan on the screen that did it.  It happened when the Rebels season 3 premiere eps ended up on the TV and I saw it and I thought in order 1. holy shit that Maul fucker’s actually alive? and 2. Oh no sad blind Jedi man!  He’s cool and mysterious and I want to know why he’s sad and who made him sad and also want to give him a hug!!!  He was my fave character all throughout Rebels and his training dynamic with Ezra, struggling to help this kid all while flying by the seat of his pants because he had Issues and no clue what he was doing and no support and ugh, he was smart and brave and I’m so sad he’s dead and yea.  Finn!!!!  Last but not least!!!!  He was my favorite character from The Force Awakens.  People have said it before, but he was just so new, a rebel Stormtrooper stolen and brainwashed at birth, finding the good guys and fighting to do the right thing!  Possibly Force Sensitive!  Super duper cute!!!  Funny and kind, dammit, when not many other people in the galaxy were!!!!!!!!  I was so, so sure Finn was gonna be a Jedi along with Rey at some point, that might have been my biggest letdown when I saw TLJ, but ugh I just loved his enthusiasm and his war within himself, ultimately loving his friends and trying to do what was right at the risk to his own safety, even though that was why he ran scared in the first place!!!!!  I shipped him with Rey and with Poe and now I am NOT above the post TROS Jedistormpilot shipping!!!!!  Finn was just always the most interesting part of the Sequel Trilogy for me and I personally feel like they could have done more with his character.

FAVE ACTOR/ACTRESS: Aight, so I try my best not to “stan” anyone famous because literally no one is perfect and everyone’s done something problematic at some point and if I dare say I like a famous figure, someone’s gonna find something about them and come after me all “OMG THIS PERSON DID/SAID/IS X YOU MONSTER GO DIE!!11!!1″.  In terms of performance, I think all the actors in Star Wars did a lovely job and I’m happy with all of them!  If I had to crush on any, it would probs be Ewan McGregor, John Boyega, or Diego Luna cuz, uh, they hot.  If I had to pick one I liked most, it would honestly probs be Carrie Fisher.  Maybe that’s just partially from missing her now that she’s gone, but I really admire her advocacy and transparence for mental health, and she just seemed like such a funny, kind, strong person.

FAVE PLANET: Aight, this is HARD and I refuse to only pick one planet!  Ok, gonna start off with Coruscant because an endless city planet made up of lights is amazingly gorgeous and it has a Jedi Temple stacked on top of a Sith Temple and is just so cool aaaaa.  Also love Felucia just for being so bright and colorful and pretty.  Mortis for being just as weirdly gorgeous and also Weird Force Shit.  Lothal for the beautiful mountains, the wolves, and the fucking lightspeed center of the planet passage what, Dathomir is delightfully creepy to look at, Crait is really cool with the salt and the red and the ice foxes, Kashyyyk because Wookiees and it’s pretty and I love their treehouses.  Basically if it makes me clap my dumb monkey hands and go “oooh pretty!”, I love it.  The more “not like Earth” it is, the more I love it.

FAVE SPECIES: Hmmmmm, this is a tough one…….  There’s just so many cool-looking species that we know so little about, ya know?  I wanna say either Togrutas or Wookiees.  Togrutas just because the character design is incredible and so fun to work with and also I love Ahsoka, and Wookiees because they have such an interesting culture and backstory and also I want to give Chewbacca a hug.

FAVE CONCEPT: Uhhh, not quite sure I get the question; you mean like just story concept in general?  If that’s it, I’m gonna have to go with just the whole concept of the Force and the Jedi in general.  I mean George, George my man, what the fuck?  How the hell did you come up with this?!?  Mystical psychic space wizards with magic abilities to connect with and use the sentient godlike life force that combined the entire galaxy together.  Oh and also they have COLORFUL GLOWING LASER SWORDS?!?!?  It’s honestly one of the most creative things I’ve seen in popular culture, and that makes me sad that Star Wars now seems to be trying to separate itself from what I think is its most interesting quality because “ugh not EVERYTHING should be about the Jedi guys!”, when like, y’all, without the Jedi, the entire SW universe is basically just another military scifi war story……  Just my opinion tho.

FAVE SHIP: Ok, since pairing was already up there, I assume this means actual ship?  Well, uh, gonna have to be square with y’all, I’m a bad Star Wars fan for this part; I’ve never been the one to memorize ship names and designs and know the exact make and model number of some fancy ship, I’m real bad at that lol.  I’ll say my favorite ship is the Ghost.  Hera flies it and the Rebels Fam lives on it and it’s super cool and it makes me happy!

FAVE WEAPON: LIGHTSABER.  LIGHTSABER LIGHTSABER.  LIGHTSABERLIGHTSABERLIGHTSABERLIGHTSABERLIGHTSABER.  Y’all, c’mon, what did you think I was gonna pick? xD  Lizard brain want glowy shiny colorful big stick that goes whoosh!

FAVE BACKGROUND EXTRA: Again, not entirely sure what this means, but do you mean fave background character?  If so, then it’s a tie between Wilrow Hood and his ice cream machine for the memes, that one clone in TCW who yeets a plate of toast at Cad Bane’s face, or that one background soldier who scoots between Han and Leia arguing in ESB and also Hera and Kanan arguing in Rebels (yes I do headcanon it’s the same guy lol)

FAVE MOMENT/SCENE: This one’s actually pretty easy.  Anakin dying in Luke’s arms in ROTJ, and then his ghost showing up to Luke later at the Ewok party.  I just care so ridiculously much about stupid Anakin and his stupid story and mistakes, and even before I was a prequels stan and had only seen the OT (and wasn’t a huge Vader fan, believe it or not), some part of me just felt so solemn, so fragile watching this, watching the giant monstrous machine falling apart as he fades away to reveal a weary, tired old human man, and it always made me wonder, what the hell happened to him to turn him into that thing?  Seeing that young, beautiful man, basically Luke’s age, showing up as a ghost later, just the fascination, the tender look he shared with Old Ben, just how young he was, that made it all the more mysterious and knowing what I do now, it’s just so much better because my poor, horrible Disaster Man finally did the right thing and he finally found peace and it’s just the only ending I could be happy for Anakin with,  And Luke, I always felt so bad for Luke, being so strong, so brave, finally getting his father back for like five damn minutes and then having to lose him again and just hurting for him but also knowing that it was gonna be okay because Luke had more family now, the ghosts, and Han and Leia and Chewie and R2 and 3PO and Lando and everyone.

FAVE KISS: Luke and Leia (HANG ON LET ME SPEAK) forehead kiss in The Last Jedi.  I know (this one) isn’t meant as romantic, and I know the question is probs about a romantic one and I know that it’s not even a real mouth kiss.  But.  That Luke and Leia scene was my favorite part of the entire movie.  Again, I was missing Carrie a lot, and ugh, after all these years, after not getting to interact the entire previous movie and not at all during this movie, the ONE scene with Carrie and Mark and the pure emotion of it all just knocked me out of my fucking seat.  You could see how connected they were as siblings, how much Leia had missed Luke, how much he had missed her and how sorry he was for leaving, sorry for Ben, sorry for having to leave her again now, Leia knowing Luke was about to die, and just, acceptance.  Love and acceptance.  It was just a final, tender kiss on the forehead, and it was perfect and yeah.  If I do have to pick a romantic lip smooch, it’s probably the Hanleia classic “scoundrel” kiss in Empire Strikes Back.  I still remember watching ESB the first time as a KID and being all eeeeeeee are they gonna– YES they kissed they kissed they kissed finally! and that’s enough for me.

FAVE FIGHT: Obi Wan and Anakin on Mustafar in Revenge of the Sith.  WIthout question.  It’s brilliantly and precisely choreographed to show the intricate nuances of the Obikin breakup in alllllll of its painful glory.  It breaks my heart every time I watch it because every time I watch it I still hope it’s gonna end differently.  That Anakin realizes he can’t kill Obi Wan and ditches Sidious and goes back with Obi Wan to save Padmé.  That Obi Wan realizes he can’t let Anakin die and saves him from burning and from Sidious and takes him back too.  That Obi Wan at least puts Anakin out of his misery which would be godawful painful, but would save him from the horrid life as Vader.  That while they’re fighting, a lava monster appears like in the concept art and Vader and Obi Wan have to put aside their differences and fight the thing and remember how much they mean to each other.  But ugh, this fight was beautifully choreographed and was originally supposed to be a MULTI-MINUTE SINGLE SHOT WHAT THE HELL???  Oooof Hayden and Ewan did such an amazing job and the whole thing just rips my heart out every time in the bestworst way possible

 FAVE LINE OF DIALOGUE: Now THIS is hard, I’m not the best at picking favorite lines.  Hmmm, this is HARD.  Let me think.  Gahhhh, it’s hard because I have so many lines I like and I can’t even just narrow down a couple!!!  Ultimately, it’s probably gonna be Yoda’s monologue from Empire Strikes Back: “Luminous beings are we, not this crude matter…”  Just that entire line saying how basically all of us are more than the sum of our parts, that everyone is their own sparkling light made of stardust, I loved it as a kid and I love it now. 

FAVE BOOK/COMIC: Answered here

FAVE HERO: Gonna go with Obi Wan!  I already rambled about why I love him, but y’all……. I love him.

FAVE VILLAIN: Anakin Skywalker/Darth McFucking Vader.  I loved him when he was a hero and the silly poor sad boy makes me sad when I see him as a villain all while being an overdramatic asshole and it just makes me wanna hit him with a newspaper for ruining his life and everyone else’s I love him.

FAVE OUTFIT: Answered here

FAVE CREATURE: I love Lothcats/Tookas!  I just heckin’ love cats and now there’s spACE KITTIES WITH SUPER FOOFY TAILS AND BIG EARS OMG Y’ALL I LOVE THEM I JUST REALLY DO AND I REALLY WANT ONE SO I CAN CUDDLE IT ;_;

WHEW.  That was all of the faves, thanks so much for asking me!!!  Sorry this took so long to do, this was kinda a hell week haha!

[lokiarsene]

I know modern fandom folks--mostly young adults--go into moral panics about “problematic” characters, which is really just shorthand for characters who aren’t one dimensional mouthpieces that in no way contribute to the necessary drama of a story. And I think this is a really pointless way to look at and work with pieces of fiction, especially a game like Persona 5, whose main cast of “heroes” are intentionally made to be by default non lawful.

If you look at what they do removed from context, you have the following: a group of people invade the most personal, private spaces within the human consciousness in order to trigger a dramatic mental and psychological change in someone they’ve deemed a fitting target. They do this regularly in Mementos, and are basically little more than hired mental hitmen thanks to the Phan-site giving them suggestions of who to find next. If successful, the target suffers physical and mental distress, sometimes to the point of requiring hospitalization, and a complete emotional breakdown when forced to face up to the severity of their actions.

All of that is fucking terrifying!

Most of their targets were horrible fucking people so I waste no tears or sympathy on them. And while I as a person would totally support these methods if they were possible in real life, I also recognize that to study P5′s characters and analyze them, you have to set aside your personal moral code to look at what is the story’s moral code.

And the moral code is large swathes of gray.

Nobody in the main crew of Persona 5 is purely “innocent” (in the sense of puritanical fandom’s concept of innocence). None of them. By default the PT are lawless, and if you go by the D&D morality alignment (which isn’t about how moral your actions are from an outside perspective, but what the character’s personal morals and behavior are) they are chaotic good at best.

What the PT do is justified in the sense that corruption is so deeply entrenched in society that they can’t rely on adults or the justice system to bring about true justice. The ends (change of heart) justify their means (forcing a change of heart), and that’s borderline Machiavellian thinking. What stops them from being purely Machiavellian is the fact that the PT are also driven by empathy and a sense of morality. We see them struggle against vain things like self-interest while also working to uphold their original goal of bringing society’s corrupted adults to justice.

I really think this is one of the major things that people in the P5 fandom on here don’t get, especially if they have some weird hate fascination with Akechi. It’s absolutely hypocritical to point fingers at Akechi for what he did and yet completely overlook everything the game set up to remind you, the player, that the PT are doing risky, dangerous shit and forcing themselves into someone’s consciousness. Akechi spends half the fucking game talking about how questionable their methods are! Did you think that was just put in there for shits and giggles? There’s a reason why it gets under the PT’s skin--because it’s not far from the truth!

They are forcing a change in people who, yeah, shouldn’t be doing what they’re doing, but that doesn’t change the fact that the PT are the ones conducting a mental and moral breakdown that forces a confession. And you know, when I put it like that, you know what that sounds like? Ren getting beaten in the interrogation room, drugged, and forced to sign a confession.

The game repeatedly draws lines between what the PT does for “justice” and what they’re trying to change because they’re comparable methods with different motives. But they’re still the same (or similar) methods! We can talk for days about whether this is morally justified or not, but the fact still remains that the game is drawing these lines and it is foolish to overlook them.

That’s another reason why Sae’s final words to Ren are what they are--she asks them to leave reforming society in her (and adults’) hands now. That’s the end result of all the efforts in P5: you can’t and shouldn’t take the law into your own hands. If you want to see change happen, you need to be a part of it from within. You have to contribute to the change, instead of force it. I wonder how P5R will add on to that theme or even change it, since a big thing this time around seems to be wishes/dreams coming true, “stealing” those dreams, and whether dreaming itself is even a good thing if all it does is lead you to retreating from reality. Maybe that’ll be the third semester’s plot point?

Now. I mention.... all of that because one of the other things I think people miss is how Ren isn’t some pure uwu cinnamon roll, either. He was falsely accused and unjustly labeled a criminal, but he’s also the ringleader of a group of people who invade and force changes inside people’s subconsciousnesses. He constantly forms bonds and makes deals with people on the fringes of lawfulness themselves (with very few exceptions--which is weird to me, because those exceptions stand out as functionally pointless in a story like this). He’s the Trickster, the Wild Card, the core of the PT’s spirit of rebellion. Those words and descriptions aren’t just for show, y’all. Plus his Velvet Room is him locked up in prison! It reflects his view of himself as a criminal! So if Ren sees himself as a lawless outcast, why are there people in the P5 fandom who can’t see that themselves?

I think it would’ve been far more satisfying (and more overtly establish Ren as morally gray) if Ren remembered Shido from the beginning, and had his end result goal as finding a way to Shido to make him pay. Knowing Shido’s identity from the start removes that pointless “twist” at the end about him being bad, but it also sets up a really fucking strong rebellious motive for Ren from the start. Everything he does with the PT would be about taking apart Shido’s web of informants, sycophants, and puppets without that “you can see it coming from a mile away” ~twist~ of Shido being evil all along.

There really isn’t any point in messing with Ren’s memory--it doesn’t add anything to the story. If his damaged memory is a result of trauma, it’s never addressed or handled in any way. So just get rid of it and have Ren know all along who he wants to go after, he just doesn’t know how. Which would add so much drama and tension to the already dramatically satisfying Ren/Goro stuff the game gives us. Because Goro is nothing but honest about his goals: getting revenge on the adult who ruined his life. He might be hiding his other plans, but the main motive and his main focus isn’t hidden from the PT at all.

Now just imagine the conflict that Ren would have to go through when he realized not only was Goro trying to trick them, but they were both going after Shido all along. Aren’t enemies of your enemy your friend? They were both going after the same man who ruined their fucking lives--wouldn’t that make them allies (of a sort)? And as if that weren’t enough, all the time they spent together, all they shared and learned of each other--all that Goro confided in Ren--would make for an even more dramatic and painful conflict of trying to trick Goro before he can sell them out. Because it’s not like all those moments together were for nothing. They still happened, they still mattered, they still changed Ren because it was significant enough to be a Confidant link for Ren. But wouldn’t Ren, being Ren (empathetic, determined, stubbornly selfless to a fault), want to at least try to get Goro to change his mind? Talk to him? Listen to him and still offer that hand to help? Y’know, the thing he does in Shido’s Palace?

This could have happened earlier if Ren knows his target is Shido, deduces that Shido, or someone close to him, is Goro’s target too, and does a desperate attempt to appeal to him--to ~steal his heart~--before it’s too late. And hey, they can still do a twist in the Palace and have them pretend to be enemies, since the writers love twists instead of satisfying writing like they’re a Marvel movie.

I was thinking about all that this morning, and how I actually wish Ren had remembered Shido from the start and what that would do to the story and his relationship with Goro. I don’t really know why they mess with Ren’s memory and do that whole ~remember your bonds~ thing during the interrogation, since it doesn’t make sense. Especially since they had him do that later during the Yalda fight, where it makes more sense (and it’s something the previous games have done). They try to pass it off as Ren struggling to remember the truth, but then the whole first three acts of the game are him clearly remembering everything he did since he got to Shibuya, and telling it to Sae in the interrogation room. If they just removed his damaged memory entirely (both wrt Shido, and wrt the truth serum), I think the story would be far better off for it.

I’ve always said that this game really needed a second draft and a partial rewrite, so I’m hoping that’s what P5R ends up being.

[alduinlovesyou]

Personal shit

(y’all nosy peoples�� favorite)

Am I depressed or simply ungrateful?  As y’all know, I recently started seeing someone. Long distance, of course, because I live in a lawless land untouched by civilization and no ordinary man dare tread here.

I bit the bullet, ripped the bandage off - in March, I moved out of my ex-fiance’s home. I was promised schooling, a driver’s license, steady income, and freedom by my extremely toxic parents - if only I’d just swallow my pride and come home. I ran away when I was 17 years old and until now, had never looked back. There is nothing here. If I need something, I must rely on their mercy and beg them to take me into the city, which rarely ever happens. This has affected my shop, my patreon - very badly.

Obviously, I’ve been here almost half a year already, and nothing’s happened.  My patreon has understandably gone downhill, my shop gets a sale maybe every other month, and the petsitting jobs are somewhat unreliable. My mother gives a lot of the jobs to my grandmother instead, or she and I split the job and she “forgets” to give me my half.  I have not been given the opportunity to get my driver’s license - a day’s trip south of here. I also haven’t been given the ability to sign up for any classes in the city. I’m probably not ever going to go to the city.  This was a trap. Of course I knew it would be. I knew, going in, that this would be the worst experience in my life but at least there’d be money. Progress digging myself out of the hole I’ve fallen into. I ripped that bandage off, knowing the consequences, planning to withdraw from society and relationships until I was a person worth being with.  And then navy boy happened.

Yes, I’ve known him almost my entire life. I wanted to be with him a long time ago but it just didn’t work out because I was always with someone else. Now that I’ve left my fiance and moved back home, my parents pushed me to say yes, to date him long distance - but they always have an agenda.  See, since he’s in the military he has a stable income. He owns a house about 3 hours from them, so if I went with him, I’d be closer to my parents. And his retirement could pay for their care when they are elderly.  Now my parents are already expecting me to net a ring, soon. They want me to lock this down. My mother keeps showing me military proposals, rings she likes, how to get a marriage license at the courthouse in town.  It’s horrifying, because this is identical to the pattern she used to manipulate me to marry the monster that was my first husband. A man who she knew was a monster. Not kind, earnest, selfless Matt - who saved my life!! No, she doesn’t know him and she doesn’t care to. No, she wanted Justin, the abuser, because he was foolish, gullible, and had already decided he wanted to marry me. His family background had ties to Delta and Delta, well, that meant health insurance, retirement, you know - money.   My navy boy’s not good at relationships, platonic or otherwise, because he isolated himself for so long and joined the military and he’s just had... no experience taking care of someone else’s feelings or needs. But he wants to learn. He knows that he should learn, if not for me then for himself - for whomever he ends up befriending or spending his life with. He’s so earnest and eager to learn how to love me. I honestly... don’t deserve it. He is a genuinely good person who just needs a little more life experiences under his belt. I have faith in him, I love him.  But I’m consumed with feelings for someone else, and he knows that. He knows I’m an empath and that I break down in tears three times a week over this person, exhausted, trying to regain my emotional strength. Worn away to nothing. That my parents are trying to use him, that this isn’t good and he should run for it. But he won’t. We get along so well online, but it still feels empty. I still feel so alone. When he goes above and beyond to see me in person, it just feels... strange. I’m happy, but... something feels off, my guard’s always up. I can’t describe it. I can’t relax and sometimes I’m laying there next to him at night, wide awake. Thinking about the last time I held that other person, and, wherever they are, if they’re wide awake, too. He knows that, too. He doesn’t mind. I don’t deserve him. I am vile, unstable, indecisive trash. Ungrateful. I can’t be anyone’s strength.  To be polyamorous like me - it’s a living hell. It’s not right, and I don’t want to be like this anymore. I never wanted to be like this, it’s always been miserable and unhappy. It has never done anything good for my wretched existence. All I do is hurt in some way, my heart always pulled in many directions, and there’s never any winning. Conflict will always exist in my tired heart.

He says, “Shhh, it’s okay, it’s okay. Don’t cry. I know you love him. He’s important to you, and that makes him important to me, too. If he needs something, if something happens to him, I will help if I can,”  I don’t deserve this. I don’t deserve his kindness, his strength. I don’t deserve his support and I don’t deserve his heart.  I deserve nothing.  I don’t want to be alone, but I feel like it was less effort, less pain, to be alone. I’m glad the other person has no feelings for me whatsoever. I’m glad that my feelings will never be returned. It’s better this way. It’s better because they can dodge the bullet, never have to deal with my bullshit, my family’s bullshit, etc. They have enough to worry about, I’m glad they don’t love me or care about me at all. I wouldn’t deserve it even if they did. This is why I wasn’t interested in relationships. They’re hell, and I’m the devil.

[totallyamelia]

To my Tumblr family

@channel @david

To my Tumblr family,

I think I’m finally done crying enough to actually write something. I didn’t cry when Murphy told me I was being let go because I was upset to lose a job. I cried because I felt as though I was being ripped away from my family.

Crap, I’m crying again. That really didn’t take long! Gosh, I really hate crying in airports. It must be something about trips to Duluth because this now makes it two for two! I guess I’m not as dead inside as I pretend to be.

I’m crying because y’all are so great and I cherished every day I got to spend with you. The last (nearly) three years have been some of the best of my life. I got to wake up each morning and go to a place I loved and be around people who genuinely brought me joy. Even on the worst days, there were always smiles to be had. And on top of that, I got to work on an amazing product that I truly believe in and has done so much for its users. I got to make something people wanted to use. I got to make something special.

I’ve always referred to Tumblr as home and the people as my family. What that meant to me is something that’s hard to put into words, but I want to try.

HQ was a place that was safe for me in a world that still really does not want people like me to exist. Even New York City isn’t a safe place for trans people, but Tumblr was. Tumblr was a place where I got to truly be myself, unapologetically. I got to just exist. I got to let my guard down, something I very rarely do.

Tumblr was a place where I found my voice, grew, and discovered who I am. When I joined Tumblr in 2014, I was only nine months into living as an openly trans woman. I had been struggling to really find comfort and confidence while existing in the world. I didn’t know my voice. Mostly, I was just angry at the world. But Tumblr gave me a place to work that out and learn what my voice was and how to use it. Tumblr helped me grow as both a human and an engineer and it gave me the confidence to be me.

That’s the Tumblr I will miss because it wasn’t a job to me, it was a home and family that also happened to give me a paycheck. Over the last three years, Tumblr introduced me to some of the best humans I’ve ever met in my life. People who are kind and caring. Supportive and encouraging. Smart yet not full of themselves.

Thinking about my time at Tumblr, I don’t know what else I could ask for. On top of all of these things, I got to work at a place where I felt like I made an impact for the better. I got to work somewhere I could speak up and fight for what I believe in. I could fight for equality, diversity, and my coworkers. I could fight for our users. Sometimes, that even meant yelling at David in front of the whole company at All Team or speaking up during Prod Reviews with a personal but relevant anecdote about the importance of our decisions. I wasn’t always right and it didn’t always change things, but I got to be in a place where I could speak up and fight those fights.

I got to, somehow, lead Tumblr’s femgineers and organize our monthly lunches. It was never lost on me that I was a trans woman leading a group of women and not once did anyone ever make me feel like I didn’t belong in the group or as its organizer. When I get bummed or jaded about this increasingly bonkers world we live in, it’s all of you that give me hope for the future. Seeing the fucking amazing work that some of you are doing while still in your early 20s and only relatively recently out of college gives me so much optimism for what you’ll achieve and the mark you’ll leave on this world. I’m literally crying again just thinking about it. My voice could never do you all justice, but I hope it helped.

I know this is already long, but I have so many memories rushing into my mind right now. I’m hesitant to start naming them because I know for every one of them, there will be dozens I’m neglecting to mention. It’s hard to list everything when literally every day of the last three years was memorable.

But to just name a few…

There was my first Tumblr Halloween party where Steck drunkenly told me about the discussions they had about me after my interview. He kept saying he wasn’t supposed to tell me, but over the years, I think he told me a dozen times. Almost every time he was drunk. I, of course, knew better than to trust him. Mohonk! I mean, what else do I need to say? Pellcar on the way to Monhonk! Dying tonight on the boat cruise. All the femgineer lunches. Flying to WWDC in Mint chocolate lass. Two Grace Hoppers, the first of which was one of the most affirming weeks of my life. Shitposting and coalescing in #new_york. Caragh’s completely insane stories and my DMing her with the weirdest fucking shit a coworker has ever said to another. Gatorade Gala and Chainschella. The Kenny themed party! grund. Sleeping in conference rooms after mind blowing hack days. Holiday parties followed by Sward bringing everyone McCoulton’s the next morning. The goddamn lizard election! The 9west temperature wars and 9east clapping. Constant sandwich arguments in #holy_war. Brian Michel dressing up as a reblog on Halloween. Friday coffee with the old Ads Team crew. Coming in the day after the election and having Ken hug and comfort me as I cried in the freight elevator. All the comforting we did for each other after the election. Ethan DMing me “food” right before lunch every day. Movies We Love. The aesthetic channels. Sam constantly asking me if I was happy and giving me heartfelt hugs on a near-daily basis. Finding sisterhood for the first time in #heyladies. Robbie’s hack day projects. Taking selfies of myself to approve every single PR. All the GIFs. The bad puns with Keith, Cherokee, and Josh. The security capture the flags. Daily cat photos in #KittyTime. Turning around at my desk to see Lucy Lawless in the elevator. For better or for worse, Prima Punisher. Flying with my Falcons. The dozens of you who helped my former startup’s Kickstarter be a success. Snowboarding trips to Killington and Montana. Trolling Joey with Slack bots. Bonusly points from Graham for every lol chain. 🍆🕳.

I could honestly go on and on with memories all day, there are enough to fill an entire blog and they’re coming faster than I can type them. I wish I could mention everyone here, but if I didn’t mention you by name, please know that you had an impact on me and were a part of this family. If our time at Tumblr overlapped, you were (are!) important to me and made my life better.

Looking forward, I will be fine. Don’t worry about me. Instead of worrying, use that energy to keep Tumblr great. That is my ask to my family, keep Tumblr fucking weird af. And SPEAK UP. You work in a place where you can use your voice. Do it! Fight for Tumblr users. Fight for each other.

And worst case scenario, Chris already has the git branch to delete Tumblr.

I want to thank everyone who came to Madison Square Park yesterday while I sat crying on bench. I really don’t cry very often and I have a thing about letting people see me cry, but just seeing all of you and how much you cared helped me so much. I also want to thank everyone who reached out to me via text, Twitter, Facebook, and other Slack orgs. And especially to Michelle (happy birthday!!!) and Shah whose messages about the impact I’ve had made me start crying all over again. Okay, Amelia, get it together.

I hope to keep in contact with all of you. I hope you’ll reach out to me on Tumblr, Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, text, other Slack orgs, and wherever else. Let’s hang, get lunch, eat dinner, grab drinks, play volleyball, and just plain be weird. I’m terrible at keeping in touch with people, but I want that to change. Please don’t hesitate to contact me anyway you know how because, and I know I keep saying this, I love you all.

Finally, thank you to Amanda Brennan for bringing me to Tumblr and making the last three years possible. Thank you to Brian and Sherry for allowing me to have a heads up the the night before so I could process and react with dignity without being blindsided or reactionary. And thank you to David for building something so wonderful.

I love you all so so so much, Amelia