#you are welcome to disagree but this is my 2 cents

[fish-o-cola]

I'm actually really glad this recent sequence has fleshed Ludinus out as a proper villian, with motivations and flaws and stuff. Because I'm loving the complexity, and for so much of the early campaign he just felt so... flat, to me.

I think part of it was the fact that he never had to prove (to the players or the audience) that he was gonna be a villain. We already knew that from C2. We came preprepared to accept him as the antagonist. He was the Martinet of the Cerberus Assembly. He worked with Delilah and Trent. He took the beacons from Essek. Even if it was only meta-knowledge, everyone knew from his very first appearance that he was bad news. Even everything that happened with Orym was backstory, not campaign.

And the other part, I think, was that BH were so far behind for so long. They didn't know what Lud was planning, they didn't know his end goals. They were running catch-up, and all they really knew was that he was the bad guy. There's even one moment where they're debating "do we care about the gods? Are we going to fight for them?" and the conclusion is just "doesn't matter, whatever Ludinus is doing we're doing to opposite". Same with the Dominox fight. Wait and see what the villain is doing, then do the opposite, even if we don't understand why.

Which... sure. Heart's in the right plane, if not backed by the soundest reasoning. But it's only after this recent sequence, Aeor and Downfall, that I do finally feel like Ludinus has properly earnt his place as a Campaign-level major villian. And I am here for it.

[clit-licker420]

Hi I'm kind of going insane from thinking about this for hours so I need to ask someone. There has been many critisisms for the 4b movement but there were few that stuck with me and got me thinking like crazy so I would appreciate your opinion. A black trans man said that 4b is white women's movement and that black women cannot afford to separate themselves from black men, because they need to stand together against racism. Does this have merit? Another critique by the same person was that this movement focuses too much on villanizing men instead of decentering ourselves from them, which I don't agree but it was an interesting thought. And the last take, the current popular one, was that this movement is transphobic. Which I disagree with I do not understand how it could be transphobic. Btw I don't believe in the notion that trans women are men, I'm very against transphobia because it makes be uncomfortable.

hi anon! im going to try to answer your questions as best as i can but im not an expert so please dont take what i say as indisputable fact. id encourage you and any other people with questions to read widely and draw your own conclusions, but heres my two cents:

1. 4b is a movement created by south korean women, largely practised there and in nearby countries like china. purely from this standpoint i dont understand how it can be honestly called a white womans movement.

2. regarding the conflict black women face between often racist feminist movement and often misogynistic black right movements, i’m speaking as a white woman, so take my opinion with extra salt here. i fully understand why some black women and woc might feel alienated by feminist movements in the west, which disproportionally discuss white womens issues. that said, misogyny bypasses culture, race, and ethnicity. men of every country, race, and religion materially oppress women in their communities. ultimately i advocate for a unified, fully intersectional feminism where black women and all woc can feel welcomed and valued, and it is the duty of white feminists like myself to ensure the spaces we built meet those standards. but the idea that woc must choose between one or the other strikes me as disingenuous, and trying to force women to prioritise men’s needs ahead of their own.

3. men will always perceive decentering as villainisation, because anything less than submission is an insult. the fact is that thousands upon thousands of years of women humanising, empathising, and treating men with kindness have not improved our conditions, and no amount of coddling from women will make men suddenly decide to see us as equals. 4b is about prioritising women’s material safety and security over mens feelings.

4. whether or not 4b is transphobic depends on who you ask. one of the 4 bs is no pregnancy or childbirth, which can still be possible between a cis and trans woman depending on the individuals. this might be why some perceive it as transphobic. while there are some feminists who will utilise 4b for transphobia, i would welcome trans women into the 4b movement, as they are also frequent victims of male sexual violence.

hopefully this gives you some clarity. if any other feminists have more to add on this topic, please do!!

[bleue-flora]

was wondering are apologists for any dsmp character welcome here this is my first time on your blog and any boundaries?

Yup, everybody’s welcome here as long as you are respectful and kind… huh ya know I’ve never thought about boundaries, should I come up with some? Hmm or maybe just some notes perhaps?...

Things to note I guess:

1) I am here for my boy c!Dream, first and formost, :) though I do also talk about other characters sometimes too. However, I am not an everyone apologist, but I’m not going to say you’re wrong for liking another character or whatever. You have a right to love whichever character you want even if I really do personally loathe certain characters.

2) I am always right (oops jk). I mean we are all here to indulge in our love of the dsmp and this is a place for discussion, not arguing or just stating opinions with no willingness to see the other point of view.

3) I try to create a safe space of respect and kindness, so if you disagree with me that’s fine, I’d love to know the reasons why and talk about it. But please don’t just say something rude with no context, specifics, or reason. Questions, corrections and criticism can be productive, but hate and being rude is just pointless and not welcome. And if I ever come across as aggressive, just know it is unintentional. I do try to word things in a way that doesn’t sound like I’m bashing, just adding my 2 cents or whatever, but I do miss the mark sometimes.

4) I am all about lore and canon. I do have a few random thoughts/aus but I’m really more a stickler for canon. I love going to the source and just because something is widely excepted may not make it strictly true…

5) I personally don’t ship characters, it’s just not my cup of tea, so generally there won’t really be any of that type of discussion here.

6) I’m not old but my internet lingo and knowledge is lacking, so if it’s not commonly used, just assume I probably don’t know what the abbreviation or term is…

Uh… I think that’s all. Hopefully it’s informative and helpful… :)

Here are related posts: [<> <> <> <> <>]

[blortch]

Just wanted to say thank you for responding to my ask. I know youre busy with your exams so i wont bother you. I also wrote a detailed ask to the frosty person, who seems very nice but wanted to voice my point on view on their response. i hope they understand that and dont take it the wrong way. i appreciate all of you nice peoples time.

one thing I also wanted to clarify and make sure that i didnt say it incorrectly, but i was not saying i think the acolyte is a leftist show, (i havent seen it) but i was saying that its the ppinion of the right wing conservative trolls that they are because they have diversity. which clearly a gigantic conglomerate like disney is absolutely not leftist lol

thank you again for listening.

good luck with your exams!

You're welcome! I'm honestly glad this video and your ask sparked some interesting discussions across rlmblr. I think ultimately, ppl will read what was said differently no matter what...but also, probably nobody here would ever claim that they watch RLM for their politics so it's bound to create situations where some people disagree vehemently against what was said in the video while others don't see how something like that would get in the way of their entertainment if they don't watch RLM for that reason. YKWIM? Though I'm more in the former group because I wish for a world where people don't go "don't woooorry about it they're white cishet guys they'll mess up like that !" I'm kinda already sick of coddling the likes of them at the ripe age of 25. Also I have a tendency to be cynical about Mike's views at this point ngl. I mean this in general, not really about this famous Schrödinger's video I haven't seen.

The ask you sent to @frostytherobot was this ask right?

I have my 2 cents to give to that ask and this one. Your assumption that white leftists alone express annoyance with identity politics isn't quite correct. The arguments I've seen against leaning too much on this framework is that white """leftists""" often think they can stack their oppression from their marginalization like lego in order to compare said oppression to that of people of color and this behavior is very evidently NOT about solidarizing and empathizing with people of color but about centering any talk about oppression around themselves sadly.

And lastly about this ask, good 2 know we're on the same page about the Acolyte lol. Yeah that is indeed the case, that such shows are miscategorized by bad actors & grifters >>;

P.S: Today was my last exam and I think it went well, surely because you told me 'good luck' in this ask 😏

[eerna]

Honestly, I loooved both Spider Verse movies equally but I totally get where you're coming from! But my brother and I were discussing the movie and we are both 100% sure that the third movie will be focused on Miguel and how his perspective changes. First was focused on Miles' journey, second was Gwen and now it'll be about Miguel's theory of the "canon events" not being what it seems. Miles will prove him wrong despite all the challenges he may face trying to save his dad. That's just my two cents! In any case, glad to hear that you enjoyed the movie nonetheless! Have a good weekend!

Ayyy that's great, thanks! Oh I know they have a plan, but every time the studios decide to make a two-parter by simply splitting a story that was meant to be one whole into 2 movies, my heart cries. This movie didn't have any proper conclusion, it just stopped at the beginning of act 3. I'm about to say some big things for someone who saw the movie once, but IMO this could have been fixed by SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS

leaning a bit harder into the fact that Miles lets his surroundings dictate how he feels about himself (I disagree that the second movie was about Gwen more than Miles, he got most of the runtime?). Maybe they could have made him join Miguel's team during the first act of the movie and actually do a good job mission! Maybe the mission would have been to redirect an anomaly from killing someone's loved one. He could have seen the canon as something good and worth saving at first, and everyone is telling him what a good job he's doing, and he's super hyped about belonging to a community for the first time in a year! Maybe there's a hint where someone lets it slip that Miguel doesn't want him there, but Miles is READY to prove him just how wrong he is. And THEN he messes up and saves someone who shouldn't be saved and suddenly the community that seemed so welcoming and encouraging is turning against him. So what will he do? Will he try to regain their approval, or will he reject their ideals and once again be alone? Maybe here we can sow that seed of "what could make Miles into an inconsiderate, selfish person?" that we will reap at the end of the movie and during the next one hopefully. And then the leap of faith moment could be him deciding that being himself is worth fighting for, and he runs away from the rest of the spider people and, filled with this newfound confidence, goes home to tell his parents what happened, and then the ending of the movie can play out the same (because it's once again thematically tied to Miles's surroundings dictating him). I feel like that IS what the movie was going for, but because it wasn't written very well, it came across as Miles being fickle and I didn't feel much emotion behind it (except when Gwen caught him Like That and he cut away the web, I YELLED at the IMPLICATIONS).

Honestly, I wasn't a big fan of the writing behind Gwen's issues, either. First off, her backstory being explained in a montage that has not-very-good level of repetition writing made me go "NOOOOOOO". Second off, Gwen's story was basically her being herself and waiting until her dad accepts her as such, which is a waste of a really cool character. She is the polar opposite to Miles in that she doesn't let anyone tell her how to feel about herself, but that doesn't mean she must be static in it - she could have an intrinsic journey! However, the writing still insists on outside issues being the main initiator, and I am pretty annoyed that it all boiled down to "Her dad saw her standing over Peter's body and assumed she killed him, regardless of the fact that Spider-Woman is a well established beloved hero who saves people, and he doesn't care about his daughter enough to stop and think why she might have done that". (The story as it is is fine too, but it's more about her dad learning to understand he loves his daughter, instead of any kind of thematically appropriate character development for Gwen herself. It's thematic in a sense that her advice to Miles is wrong and that parents DO accept their kids, which is okay but sort of a weak point when her dad LITERALLY POINTED A GUN AT HER AFTER SHE TOOK HER MASK OFF ALREADY.) Maybe it would have been better if we didn't see how Peter died because she too isn't really sure if she was in the right or not, so the emotional beat behind her story could have been a parallel to Miles' and Miguel's: Did she do what had to be done, or was there another way? Can she really tell her dad that she wouldn't have done it if she'd known it was Peter trying to kill all those children? And then in the end during her confrontation with her father she finally recalls the entire scene, and she concludes that the choice couldn't have been up to her because she really didn't know what she was doing when she killed him. Maybe following Miguel was not only out of fear of having nowhere to go, but also a coping mechanism, because someone else was calling the shots and she didn't have any responsibility over deciding what happens. But this time, she DOES have all the information, and she is capable of making her own decisions, and that's why she helps Miles. JUST IMAGINE the three of them being three sides of the same moral issue: one who believes in sacrificing what you love for the greater good, one who believes both are the same thing and have to be protected the same way, and one who is afraid of making any choice at all.

Anyway this is really really long and I apologize I just have a LOT to say about how this story could have been dealt with in a way that would have felt natural. How often do animated movies get TWO WHOLE HOURS of runtime???? I wish the writers spent a bit more time refining the story because it absolutely could have been as well done as the first one vjsanvjkadnk

[fortpeat]

Hello beautiful being!! So I hope you don't mind me joining the fortpeat discussions you've had on your blog lately.

I notice a lot that people will say that Peat doesn't reciprocate physical touch with Fort and that therefore he doesn't love him back and silliness like that. In my opinion, Peat seems like the kind of person who is more private with that stuff. I think he probably prefers to show physical intimacy/affection with his partner off-camera. So I can totally understand him being silly and almost showing off his stubborn "Sky" side when Fort tries to initiate those kind of things.

But there have been moments where you can see Peat wants to just give in and give love back. There's a particular bts clip from LITA, where Fort's backhugging Peat and Peat looks completely happy and into it, but when he sees the camera, his expression changes a bit and he almost looks more insecure. That in itself shows me that my theory might be correct. But unfortunately a lot of people will see that as him rejecting Fort...whereas I totally disagree with that!

Sorry, just thought I'd throw in my 2 cents! lol I hope you're having a wonderful day!

Hey Nonnie 💖😊

Hello to you wonderful person 🥰🥰 you are always welcome to join in on Fortpeat discussions no matter what they are 😊😊

And can I say your thoughts are wonderful and I appreciate you taking the time to share them. WE NEED MORE PEOPLE LIKE YOU IN THIS FANDOM. 🙏🙌

And I absolutely agree with this all and lately with how much closer Fortpeat has been that hesitancy with Peat is basically none and he is equal to reciprocate his affection to Fort. 💖 And I love to see that development day by day 🥹🥹😍😍

In the end it all depends on how people view them. If they choose to see the negative side then that's all they see 🤷🏻‍♀️

(posting a beautiful pic of them COZ THIS IS THE CUTESTTT EVERRRR MY BABIESSS 😭😭)

[true-love-1997]

スカイハイ(Sky High/Sukai Hai TV Drama Review)

ようこそ、怨みの門へ。」“Welcome to the Gate of Resentment.” This will be a review for the 2003 drama, “Sky High,” based on the manga created by Tsutomu Takahashi. Before we get into this, I would like to give a fair warning this review does contain spoilers, and my own personal commentary on the series which you can feel free to agree or disagree with. Furthermore, this review will mostly focus on the first episode which you will find out why later. Without further due, let’s get right into it.

In the first episode we are introduced to murder victim Noriko Sekikawa. She is found dead outside, she goes to her own funeral, confused and still without the knowledge of her own death. She meets Izuko (who was, at some point, Mina Saeki, this is revealed in the prequel movie). Izuko presents her with 3 choices: 1) Accept death, go to heaven, and wait to be reincarnated, or 2) Not accept death and wonder as a ghost or 3) Kill one person but in exchange you must pay the price and go to hell, never to return. I’ll just throw my two cents here, but the only good option here is the first one. I can’t understand why people in this show struggle so much between the choices, it’s not rocket science. Anyways, back to the story, so Noriko died while pregnant with her and her husband (Masaru)’s child. Noriko is unable to believe she had died and was killed by somebody, claiming that nobody would hate her enough to do such a thing.

Izuko helps her investigate the cause of her death and Noriko learns she was killed out of jealousy by her and Masaru’s friend, Misato. Noriko goes on to see Misato play “comfort the widower.” Misato starts coming over to their home all the time, going as far as seducing and getting Masaru to marry her. Noriko, unable to handle Misato taking her husband, chooses the option of cursing and killing Misato, but before we conclude here, Noriko, out of concern for her own unborn child, asks Izuko if her unborn baby will go to hell too. A year later, Misato ends up giving birth to Noriko’s unborn child, and right after giving birth, Noriko kills Misato. Noriko watches her baby sadly, wishing she could have watched the baby grow up. But the price of taking Misato’s life is Noriko going to hell forever. The episode ends with Izuko expressing sympathy for Noriko being unable to watch her child grow up. An unknown voice in the Gate of Resentment Realm assures Izuko it cannot be helped, it is her job to guide the souls to their destination, wherever it is they choose.

Now I would like to move onto my personal commentary and explain why the 3rd option is not only a bad choice, but an asinine one as well, both in general and in the context of this episode. Let’s start with explaining the general reasons and then apply it to the episode, because like in mathematics, you present the formula and then apply it to the problem. In the world of Sky High, if you kill someone, no matter how justified it is, (this includes self-defense, etc.), you will go to Hell. This has been revealed in the prequel movie. Now, what is hell in this universe like? Based on what we are given… (these facts are revealed both in the prequel movie and future episodes). Hell is a fiery place, when the gates opened, we are shown this. In hell there is no past or future, Izuko says this in episode 2. Hell is eternal, meaning there is no way out. (This was made clear since episode 1).

Now, does this sound like a place you want to spend for the rest of eternity? Do you need to get revenge so badly that in order to achieve it, you would subject yourself to a fate like this one? Let’s rewind back to fact no.1, killing someone instantly wins you a place in hell after you die, meaning the victim’s killer is going to hell is already guaranteed regardless of the victim’s choice at the Gate of Resentment. By choosing option 3 all you did was send your killer to hell sooner rather than later, at the price of sending yourself there, too. So, in the end, all you accomplished was screw yourself over in the most permanent, terrible way imaginable. And this is not your only option, you could have just not bothered with revenge, taking comfort that justice will be served someday, choose to go to heaven, and move on. I cannot stress this enough.

Next, we will apply this knowledge to Noriko and her situation. We know Noriko gets her life and happiness stolen by Misato. In fact, not only was Noriko the one to die, but Noriko’s baby died too. That’s how horrendous Misato’s crime is, by the way, she killed a pregnant woman. Noriko then sees Misato seduce her husband Masaru, and as she watches them have sex, she is upset and talks about how she will never have Masaru hold her again (in Japanese the word 「抱く」 “daku,” could mean embrace, but also to have sex). Now, that scene was one of the most disturbing scenes of the episode, as we see both Misato and Masaru betray Noriko. I say one of the most, because there is a scene that comes before this one that tops it. I think the most disturbing scene was when Misato takes the shoes meant for the unborn child out of Masaru’s hands, and tells him to, I will just summarize, she said forget about Noriko, stop grieving over his dead wife, and be with her instead, and Masaru does just that. And then they have sex. Now that is just super depressing (and disturbing) and we can also conclude Masaru is also a shallow and fickle man with little loyalty to his dead wife and child.

I can empathize with Noriko’s anger at this horrible betrayal done both by Misato (somebody whom she believed was her friend) and her husband, Masaru. I do not mean to downplay the injustice Noriko has to suffer in any way, as it is truly horrible. But Noriko still has to remind herself that she is dead now, and so is the baby. No matter how happy Misato may seem, consider Misato’s future: she will go to hell after she dies because she killed Noriko and her baby. This will happen regardless of which option Noriko chooses to do at the Gate of Resentment. We know Noriko ends up choosing to option 3 which just allowed Misato to go to hell only sooner I need to emphasize, because going to hell was inevitable for Misato anyways (because of the evil she had done), at the price of Noriko’s own eternity as well. Why would Noriko choose to do this when she could have chosen option 1? I know Noriko couldn’t handle the thought of Misato taking her husband, but from an eternal perspective, does that really matter? Especially when you consider how quickly Masaru moved on after Noriko’s death? Do you really want to throw yourself into hell for a man who doesn’t love you enough anyway and allowed himself to be seduced by another woman only a short while after you and your baby died? Doesn’t option 1 look even better after you see what a foolish and unfaithful man your husband was? Had Noriko chosen option 1, she could have gone to heaven, prayed to be reunited with her unborn child when she is reincarnated. I say this because in episode 2 it is revealed you can reunite with your loved ones in reincarnation, if you both want it badly enough. And wouldn’t Noriko’s unborn baby wish to be reunited with his mommy? Noriko could have forgotten all about Misato and Masaru, be born as a different person and potentially find happiness again someday. These “could haves” are really sad when you consider how Noriko chose option 3 in canon, and I hope I made it clear enough why her decision just doesn’t make any sense.

Last but not least, I will explain why I chose only to mainly focus this review on the first episode. This is because the things discussed in regards to this first episode can be applied to other subsequent episodes as well, and it would be simply redundant. The only exception to this is a future episode towards the end of season 1 about Mina/Izuko’s past. I would like to close this review saying I would rate this show 3 out of 5 stars. My reason being that the concept and scenery of the show is pretty cool. And even though I find the premise to be a bit weird, the story-telling was creative and can emotionally impact you—whether they bring negative or positive emotions. They make you feel something. But the way the characters in this show struggle to decide which option to choose when the correct one cannot be more obvious, without seeming to wrap their heads around the gravity of their situation is just too much for me. I hope I did not discourage you from this review, as everything, if Sky High has captured your interest in some way, I would like to be the first to encourage you to watch it, and form your own views/opinions about it. Thank you for taking the time to read this, I appreciate it very much!😊

Sources for images: 🌸🌸🌸 🌸🌸🌸

[alteanroyals]

Anon kinda went too far, but I feel like ladybug wasn't really good in season 4. Feel the writers really messed her up which resulted in a lot of salt for her that season. that's just me though. I just remember a lot of salt coming for her during that season, and she just was written very weirdly.

I definitely see your point. Im gonna be honest and say that there a lot of things from s4 i dont remember (terrible memory sorry) but i wouldnt say she wasnt "really good", more like she definitely made some mistakes in trying to handle everything: being marinette, being ladybug, being the guardian, all the heroes she had to handle. And that definitely affeted her relationships and decisions, especially regarding Chat, which MADE ME SUFFER but it made sense and i thought it was quite realistic to have the characters struggle a lil bit.

However, yes, i didnt have the best of time during s4 because of this and to some it may feel like it was bad writing or just writing decisions they didnt like which is totally cool! But either way it's true that she got a lot of salt because of it and i hate that hahshah

Those were my 2 cents on the topic but you are welcome to disagree!

[hetalia-club]

How I think the main Hetalia cast would be in bed.

Saw these going around Tiktok and I wanted to do one for Hetalia.

(This is just my opinion and I'm just joking ((partly)). Please don’t rip my head off if you disagree. But you are more than welcome to give your 2 cents.)

[caffeinetheory]

Ok so the thing us Vader didnt know he had kids, he thought they died with the love of his life but when he does find out he does what he can, feels regret for cutting off his kids hand and because of his kids has a change of heart and makes sure Luke gets out and takes Palpatine with him

Gabriel just starting up sucks, doesnt see past his own nose, wont even use money instead if love like most bad rich fathers and is an evil supervillain manipulating emotions so he can get back his wife to fix his family not even caring about the trama he's caused his own kid, his failing business (let's be honest he doesnt focus enough on it), and has done so many horrible things in the mask and not that either the image of his wife he has will be shattered or she will want nothing to do with him. He'll belive if cause was wasted and probably just blame the world and not care about his actions. Dude is bad, and let's be Frank, pretty much in his own head. The ONE time we actively see him care about his kid is when he thinks he might have gone to far and his kid is in danger as a civilian but he doesnt stop the attack, he just Hope's he was wrong, literally who does that?! He cares more about the past family he had and trying to get it back hes buring any and every bridge he has in the present, hes overprotective but also the most absentee father, he doesnt care what happens to Adrein unless it means he is forming his own free will, overly long hours and isolation: perfectly fine. Real education outside, his own hobbies and god forbid friends he made himself: HOW DARE YOU?! Absolutely horrible and a good contender for worst father (you cant call him a dad he doesnt get that right)

Now I'm trusting but Ozai is here for a reason, burn and emotionally destroy your son, yeah shitty father. Favoritism and forcing a divide between your kids, also really shitty thing to do. He believes that because he is fire lord, he cant do right or wrong, "it's just what he decides" and that's an ego trip and way to shut down anything that slightly disagrees with him. Sure he killed a lot and was a dictator but this about his parenting so I'm not touching that, this time, dude was ready to throw out his first kid cause he didnt have a look in his eyes AS A BABY so he though Zuko wasn't a fire bender. Just the small potential his first kid didnt bend and he threw him out, he had to be convinced to let a child have a CHANCE to prove he could be worth something, I might be crazy but kids shouldn't have to prove they can like do a skill till they can like actually be of an age where it makes sense for them to do it just saying. Lacking a glint in the eyes!!! That's all it took for him, bad bad parent. He also believes that his family belongs to him like objects and that's really not ok. The one time we hear of him being semi decent to Zuko it is because Zuko nearly got swept away in a tide on vacation and he uses that as a chance to saw he was a good father in the early years, yeah that ain't it chief. And sure he gave Azula better treatment, but did he really? Never thought he how to deal with her emotions in a safe way, only thought her power, raised to be like him (a horrible choice really) and she lacks a lot of basic social skills, sure she was the favorite but that doesnt mean he was good for her. She has lots of emotional damage too and when she flies off the rails near the end its because she was never though how to deal with obstacles or someone not agreeing that couldn't be shoved under her heal. Over all a pretty shitty person and father who didnt even try because it was beneath him and not his problem.

(I've never seen the show with that version of Dracula so I cant comment sorry)

All in all Gabriel and Ozai are both the worst but for diffrent reasons and Vader while not the best person did try in the end to be a good dad. (I also firmly belive that if he knew about his kids earlier a lot in Star Wars would have been diffrent and you can't change my mind on that. Family means a lot to Anikin and knowing he had some I feel like would do a lot and mean he would change his mind earlier and also be less swayed by the dark side in the way he was but that's my opnion, objectively he is the only one that I've mentioned on this post that in the end at least did his best that he could fir his kid, in his last moments he choose his kid over himself unlike the other 2)

And now with this essay complete I thank you for coming to my bad TEDTalk

Gabriel vs Darth Vader vs Ozai vs Dracula: Who’s the worst father?

[faerielleart]

GIRL GGFJFJVGDJD OK UMMM let me see... what do you like about levihan? or do you have any unpopular opinions? or headcanons!

oh boi i hope i won’t rant too much, i don’t want this answer to be a thousand miles long i don’t want to seem boring-

OKAY let’s start

What i like about levihan: i have to start with a lil background a say that levihan is my longest ship i’ve ever had, it’s the only one who survived time and the only ship i have never stopped shipping/lost interest into, which is kinda rare for me since i switch interests a lot and go through hyper-fixations, so i tend to lose interest quickly in something once i’ve found something else to pay attention to

this, however has never happened with levihan: started shipping them when i was 12, still trash 7 years later skdjdjfjf i didnt start shipping them for special reasons tho, at the time aot was my first ever still on air anime and i was completel new to the community, plus i didnt really speak english well and the first episodes i watched confused me A LOT. However, amidst all that confusion and trying to remember names and plot points, episode 9 came, i got introduced to this character who apparently is named levi, the first information the scene gives the watcher is “this guy is a grump” based on his reaction to the crowd, the second information the scene gives to the watcher is “this person next to him, despite him being a grump, isn’t afraid to tease the shit out of him and we still don’t even know their name” which i found ??? Cool??? I immediately paid attention to this lil dynamic, then the next scene was the hairgrab scene and,,,,,, yeah my 12 year old braincells went into overdrive and i was completely sold

i just needed them to interact once and BOOM

but OBJECTIVELY i still find extremely telling, years later, how these were the first informations of these characters. In a narrative, character’s introduction is absolutely crucial to the story, you can understand millions of things just by the way a character is presented and says their first lines and honestly choosing to introduce levi and hanji together was imho very, very telling of what role they’d play in the story/what role they play in each other’s lives.

isn’t it strange that the very first infirmation we get of these two is that the grumpy one is okay with this person teasing him? that means there’s gotta be a level of familiarity among them, right? and the hairgrab? requested by isayama himself? in the official book of season one it also says that the scene was added to “show their relationship”??? i mean 2+2 is 4 where i’m from 👁👄👁✨

so yeah my dumb 12 year old brain had FORESIGHT apparently-

as i picked up the manga and read through the uprising (and got older and my english got better) i noticed more and more things about them and i just really freaking fell in love with their relationship okay it wasn’t “oh cool grumpy and sunshine who teases him”, more like “holy fuck grumpy has a sad backstory, seems unapproachable but is the kindest person ever, just wants to be a hero and save everyone, has the most tender heart, sunshine is a multi dimensional character who has fears and doubts and they work so well together despite being polar opposites but at the same time their oppositeness results in somehow them being completely in sync with each other and almost thinking with the same brain as if they were one person split in half”.

since they’re grown adults and they’re so close, their relationship has something that i always seek and almost never find in other ships, which is emotional maturity. You never see them purposely tearing each other down just to hurt the other, they work out their problems and C O M M U N I C A T E ✨ they don’t act childishly around each other, they tease and bicker but it’s completely different than full blown arguments where both parts disrespect the other just to prove their point. They are willing to listen to what the other has to say and their judgment is precious and welcomed, since the basis of their relationship is complete trust. levi is rough with words, but he means something else entirely despite what he conveys, as seen during the aftermath of eren’s first hardening experiments, and hanji totally understands what he wants to say, which is why they never reprimand him or take offense to what he says.

what i’m trying to say, i believe in a way that nothing is half-assed about how they were written in the story as a pair, despite how i disagree with certain narrative choices *ahem*; as much as i would have wanted them to have more screentime and more interactions, i believe it wouldn’t have been “in character”, lemme explain because i realize it sounds weird and my wording probably doesn’t help: their relationship is subtle and as such it should remain subtle and in the subtext, simply because it is none of our business as readers. Show, not tell, but show in a way that it is evident only if you pay attention. levi is blunt when he speaks, but at the same time his words have another meaning than what he conveys and his actions are subtle.

isn’t it obvious with how often it was remarked that the only person who is able to understand levi completely is hanji? and this is where chapter 132 comes into play with this amazing analysis post that i’m sure we all read a thousand times and screamed over it

all this “ambiguity”, all this subtlety, all this subtext, all this wordplay, words that have more than one meaning, i believe are all indicators of one thing: us readers are not able to understand comple what levi wants to say and his words result ambiguous to us and not 100% clear, simply because the readers are not hanji. but fortunately, i believe that hanji understood that levi too wants to “stay in the forest”. this is not the reaction of someone who is confused by a sentence, this is the face of someone who finally had a realization:

what kind of realization? it’s not up to us to know (tho we know *wink wink*), because we’re not hanji and we can’t understand what levi says.

plus, 心臓を捧げよ, “dedicate your heart”, can hold a million different meanings. 心臓 is heart, を is a particle that denotes the object, 捧げよ is the verb “to offer, dedicate, devote, sacrifice”, there are no adjectives that indicate possession as you can see; levi using his own left (not right) fist and placing it on hanji’s chest instead of just taking hanji’s hand and placing it on their chest is ambiguous too. i interpet it in different ways but the conclusion is one, and i can’t honestly see it in any other way. one of the interpretations i like the most is that levi is implying that they both share the same heart, which is why he used his own left hand, meaning that both of them are dedicating their hearts in that moment to humanity, because they are actively choosing to put their desires aside to live a peaceful life away from everything (as jean too has wished in chapter 127, as hanji has expressed in 126 but in 127 too and jean seems taken aback by their confession) since they’re soldiers and duty comes first.

so yeah if i have to choose something i love the most about levihan, it’s gotta be the subtlety and the ambiguity that at the end of the day, is absolutely not ambiguous at all. everything is expressed for a reason, if an author actively chooses ambiguity, in this specific case of a relationship, he intends the result not to be ambiguous. it sounds like a brain fart but i blame it on my inability to articulate my thoughts well, i hope what i want to say can be understood 😭 and in a way, this can be considered as an unpopular opinion i think?

meaning that i get that commonly someone might want an explicit declaration that leaves no room to doubt and I honestly wish for it too, but I don’t think it would be in character, and the ambiguity (if we can call it that, i’m calling it that just to avoid backlash and controversy jshfsjdjmd) in this case speaks enough volumes to me considering both of the characters we’re dealing with, the story as a whole, the interactions with other characters.

ALSO going back to their bond, i want to copypaste something i posted on twitter regarding chapter 126 and the blush: it doesn't make sense, character-wise, for Hanji to feel in any way embarassed around Levi. They have no filters whatsoever around each other. They are close, closer than anyone in the series, the author hasn't shown any embarassment between them. Back in Uprising, when Hanji was hesitant and wanted out, Levi was the one who encouraged them. So, this thing has in a way already happened, since back then they admitted to wanting to abandon responsibilities to Levi's face and didn't blush. So, in 126's context, it doesn't really make sense for Hanji to blush "only because they were embarassed at being caught wanting to run away". It happened once already and there was no blush. So yeah, the blush means something else. And that something else is definitely much, much, MUCH deeper than "embarassment". 🙌

since smartpass stories can absolutely be taken as part of the canon universe as they’re supervised and approved by isayama and published with the manga, i am adding the rain story as further proof of what kind of relationship they have. also levi being a 30 year old tsundere is adorable but movING ON

SO YEAH MY FINAL TWO CENTS ARE : i love everything about levihan and there isn’t a single thing i would change, because wanting aot to be a huge slice of life of them doing the most random things just to watch them interact doesnt count sjdjfjdjdjfjsmdm, my unpopular opinion is that i find the subtlety and the ambiguity KEY to doing justice to what they have because it’s none of us readers’ business because only they are able to understand each other and i fucking LOVE that, my headcanon is that they totally kissed once during the timeskip, maybe on the first anniversary of the battle of shiganshina, i see them not being able to sleep alone and finding comfort in each other and in a moment of weakness and vulnerability they kiss, but pretend it never happened because things are messy and they can’t afford to get involved because again, duty first, but the YEARNING™️ and the PINING™️ only intensifies after that, but they manage not to make things awkward and they are close as ever.

my GOD i rewrote the odyssey, sorry 😭

[lotusofhope]

piping hot take and you’re free to disagree, but harassing cis people about Harry Potter is less than helpful. Like jesus, do you think almost anyone likes the creator of the content they engage with? There are exceptions, like Steven U and She-Ra, but y’all literally shit on Super Natural for paragraphs yet wouldn’t dream of anyone saying “stop supporting homophobia sweetie”. Does JKR use her clout and money to shit on me? yeah, so does fucking Jeff Bezos, yet i bet a lot of you have shopped on APrime in the last year. I mean if someone finds a series or whatever that lets them escape this hellworld for a breif 90 minutes, please,  do that. And the problematic parts of the series? like fuck dude, yeah it’s funny to point out, but it really doesn’t need to be that deep. I don’t think everyone who read book 1 absorbed any of the latent antisemitism even if it was still there. Sure, it’s fucked up that the goblins only control the money and shit, but I don’t think that affected a single reader in any material way. Fiction does effect reality, but as we all know, if you add in too many metaphors, it gets lost immediately - as we know from fascists enjoying comics and completely missing the point.

Anyways, if some liberal thinks that not watching HP or whatever is more important than actual material change about how we treat trans women in the world, do you not see how fucking stupid that is?

Liking harry potter will always be a red flag for me, but I’m not gonna fucking call them out over it. It’s dumb as fuck to assume that they hold the same views of the author, or that their literal $2 is going to literally change anything about any trans person’s fucking life. That’s just my 2 cents. I am only hostile because of the amount of hostility I’ve seen towards people who even mention something like this in passing, despite their proven record of materially helping trans people and other marginalized groups every fking day. You are welcome to your own opinion, but the second you yell at a stranger over it, who you don’t know their own personal views, maybe re-evaluate. For example, I personally chide a close queer person to me about how much they buy from chick-fil-a. But it doesn’t make me feel any less safe near that person just because they don’t have the same reward to damage ratio as me.

[jimlingss]

pt.2 of yesterday

I don’t want to flood people’s dashes, so hopefully answering your messages here will suffice!

anonymous asked: Hi! I wanted to tell you how much I love your work and how you make me enjoy every Monday thanks to your regular updates ! I saw a previous anon telling you how your writings lacks of emotion and I totally disagree with them... obviously everybody won’t like it but your stories just DON’T lack of love or emotion this is madness I want to thank you for publishing your amazing stories freely here for everyone to read. (Sorry if my English is weird I’m french ejfjekfjd)

“this is madness” LOL

You’re hilarious, anon. And your english is perfectly fine!!!

anonymous asked: Hello! Im the culinary student anon who sent you an ask a while ago and i saw you received an ask about the lack of emotion from your stories. I read kitchen romance and i actually really really like it and don’t quite understand how it lacks in emotions as I interpreted the stories more like the beginning of the oc and jin’s love story and they are only starting to open up to each other so i guess thats why anon might feel like it lacks romantic vibe from both of the characters. (1)

Anonymous said: Just want to tell you that you’re one of the best writer and ive been following you for 2/3 years now, you never failed to amaze me with your writings!! All your stories are so well written that i sometimes wonder how do you come up with such an amazing plot every single time and your stories are always nice to re-read and the effort you pour into creating your stories is also admirable (2)

while i was reading kitchen romance and ive only started s&c (currently on chapter 4) i can say that its pretty similar with how it is irl (and the part where we find out jk is an iu fans reminded me of my ex-crush whose also a culinary student, i would like to tell you a story about it but ill just waste your time lol) , just want to send you a few encouragement and love for you and your writings *sending virtual hugs* (3) -👩🏻‍🍳anon

You’re too kind, thank you (and also, welcome back!). I’ll be frank, there was a hot second I was considering taking down Kitchen Romance but I didn’t cause I don’t want my efforts of editing it to go to waste asdfghjkl. I can’t believe you’ve been sticking around me for so long :’) it’s always nice to know some folks stay. Anyway, I’m glad that Sugar and Coffee is pretty similar to how it works irl since I tried my best to do research. I definitely love a good storytime as well so don’t worry about wasting my time :>

Anonymous said: a good majority of your fics display an unfathomable amount of DEPTH. regarding character development. plot. even the shortest lines of dialogue reveal so much more to the character and unveil their true emotions. i personally think the more REALISTIC side of love may be perceived as 'bland.' ‘emotionless.’ whatever you want to call it. nothing’s wrong with portraying a relationship that isn’t overboard with a whole lot of tooth aching fluff or lowkey annoying pda. +1

Anonymous said: there’s nothing wrong with taking out a bit of emotion to fit the PERSONALITIES of the characters. some people out there don’t necessarily feel a lot of emotions. so it’s honestly not really a mistake if a story lacks it (unless it was unintentional). subtlety is an art that is hard to master, but you’ve done it! and to respond to the anon, sometimes, if you skim through a fic without reading every word the author intended for you to read, +2

Anonymous said: then it’s quite common to not feel the full extent of the emotions you were supposed to feel. just a thought but no hate. we’re all entitled to our opinions. but besides that, kina, you write on a vast scale ranging from hardcore angst to diabetes-inducing fluff. and you do it beautifully. sure there are some stories that are better than others, but i believe a LOT of it comes down to personal preference and taste. +3

Anonymous said: even if you are feeling creatively limited, you work hard to continue writing for your readers, and your determination and diligence wILL NOT GO UNNOTICED. i just want you to know that you write amazingly. your syntax is practically immaculate, your characters feel real… the endings of your stories always wrap something up and the strings are tied—even if it isn’t necessarily a happy ending. you can convey hundreds of different characters through WORDS. +4

Anonymous said: i’ll have you know that it’s hard to write. it’s even harder to write about people who aren’t YOU. so as someone who looks up to you a lot, i want to commend you for your writing. some of your fics that i read on a monthly basis: tears of a villain, a piece of the moonlight, head over heels to hell, ghost in the machine, a mark of betrayal, a kiss of poison, until yesterday, the truth between us and arcadia. +5

Anonymous said: to be fair, there were way more fics but i didn’t want to make this message any longer than it already is LOL. i find these pieces wonderful. heart wrenching. and SO DAMN EMOTIONAL IT PLAGUES MY MIND FOR DAYS. also you’re literally one of the few fucking people who can use the em dash correctly. thank you so much for sharing your talent with us! +6

Oh my goodness. I don’t even know what to say, anon. This is a whole damn thesis and it’s about my fics :’> You know, it’s easy to brush off fanfiction as a ‘whatever’ thing and indeed, it isn’t that big of a deal compared to some things in the world. But I really do take all my stories seriously and put forth a lot of effort - so to see it recognized and appreciated it makes me beyond happy. It’s good to know that my efforts haven’t gone to waste at all and that there are people out there who will support me no matter the endeavours I take. Thank you so much. You don’t know how much this means to me.

((Also, honestly I picked up the em dash usage after I wrote The Truth Between Us with gukyi who used it. I’m pretty sure I’m not using it right but to hear that I am, god damn that’s a breath of relief right there))

backtobleuside submitted: Are you kidding me!? Your stories don’t lack love at all. They’re the kind of fics that you read, soak it all in and then come back for more. I’ve cried so much when I read Beyond reach, Boo-lieve in me, A piece of the moonlight, His name, Tell me lies etc. etc, and also laughed and felt the emotions of not just the OC, but also the other characters. Kitchen Romance was also so fluffy and sweet and personally, I don’t think that anything needs to be added to it. Anyway, your fics do not lack emotion—you’re probably the first author I send a message to because your stories impacted me a lot and left a strong impression on me. I even imagine your characters as real people who have real lives that continue on even after the story is done.

asdfghjkl thank you :’) I see you every week and sometimes several times at that. I really appreciate your consistent feedback and following. You never fail to send me a message too which I appreciate a lot. I’m glad you’re enjoying everything I’m producing!!

youngfleurever said: Would just like to say that your fics do in fact make me violently sob to the boy where my eyes are so swollen I have trouble opening them the next day and I wake up feeling like there’s sawdust in my mouth because I’m dehydrated.

oh my god. please keep yourself hydrated hahahahhaha more importantly, how do you know what sawdust in your mouth is like. WHAT have you been doing LOL

Anonymous said: I’ve felt emotions that I’ve never felt before when I read your fics.... so as a person that has read your entire masterlist, I DO NOT think that your fics lack emotion.... I hope you don’t feel disheartened because you’re one of my favourite writers, not just on tumblr but like, evER 💓💓💓💓💓💓

Please, even if I was disheartened, the overwhelming amount of feedback and praise has completely overridden it :’)

joonie-mono said: when tumblr deletes the first part of your ask 🙄😌✌️

LOOOOOOOL

haylo4ever said: Sorry had to add my 10 cents. You're such a talented writer,,, I WISH I could write a smol smol 1/1000000000 that you write,,, like I remember when I followed you bc I was in awe of your writing.... I mean?? Sure maybe not every fic hits it with someone but it's just ridic to name drop (a friend nonetheless) when you're all extremely talented writers.

Trust me, writing comes with practice!! I should honestly just tattoo that on me. God knows my first fanfic was absolutely GARBAGE. I didn’t know pacing, didn’t know that I should separate chunks of paragraphs, how to write dialogue or describe scenes properly. I went in blind. Even my second, third and fourth fanfic was garbage. You could definitely get to “my level” or even far surpass it with enough dedication and practice. I mean I’ve been writing for four years, so thank GOD there’s been improvement. I wouldn’t be natural if there wasn’t. But clearly the more you practice, the better you improve! That applies to anything.

The me in ten years will certainly be better now.

Anonymous said: Hi kina! I’m here in support of kitchen romance! I actually didn’t feel like it was missing a ton of fluffy moments (and I say that as a huGE LOVER OF FLUFF) but the story was just as entertaining in the whole chase of them getting closer to each other! It’s honestly one of my favorite one shots I’ve read lately and I’m not saying that lightly! Also, that anon that said your work lacks emotion has probably not read like half of your masterlist bc oO MAN QUEEN OF MAKING ME CRY- black heart anon🖤

Thank you :’]

Anonymous said: Ok I’m very offended wow the audacity!Specially coming for my baby kitchen romance like that story made me feel so much and it’s only one of the many fics you have written kina like I’m literally baffled like dynasty has made me cry scream happy and hot all at the same time and I was literally just thinking about it that whole weekend and this anon has the nerve to say your stories lack emotions?When you are literally the queen of show casing all types of emotions in your stories!You did it all

Anonymous said: Also 😭😭😭😂😂😩hoooooooow and whereeee did they see any lack of love and emotions like have you read jungle park???? Inside my mind??? FREAKING SUGAR AND COFFEE (like this fic is made with love and I- ) Actually you know what , just read the whole masterlist😩😩💗💗💗

LOL tbh I didn’t expect Dynasty to receive the love it has. I was actually kind of wary when posting it cause it’s kind of Wild. 

bangtans-peaceful-piegon said: just gotta say u handled that whole anon thing so well which not only makes me admire u as a writer but even more as a person :] (i mean i knew u were gr8 before the whole deal but yeah love ya 💛)

tbh, I’m not sure how well I handled it cause I was flooded with over 30 messages afterwards (evidently) ;_; which I love and appreciate but I’m not really as hurt as some people think hahaha criticism should be received well but it’s still hard not to take personally tbh. It’s gonna have to be something I work on or perhaps it’ll be one of those things that I’ll take better with age.

[psychic-refugee]

I want to start off that I never saw Audrey as the “villain” of Descendants 1. She plays the “mean” girl (sort of), but I wouldn’t describe her behavior as rising to the threshold of villain.  

I’ve seen people say that she had every right to hate Mal, but I feel like that hate is misdirected. It really ought to have landed on Ben. Not only is he the one in the relationship, he was the one who set up the relationship to fail in my opinion.

Also, Audrey was antagonistic from the get-go. Before Mal and the others had a chance to even do anything remotely bad or suspicious, she was the one being snotty.  

When Ben introduces himself, he’s trying to be casual and welcoming by omitting his full name and title. Audrey interrupts and stresses his royal status. I’m sure Ben is aware of what his title is and didn’t need or want her to explain. She was being obnoxious at best, and haughty at worst.

Evie does flirt with Ben at first, but she didn’t know Ben and Audrey were a couple. She was instructed to “nab a prince” and Ben was the highest ranking royal in the land, she was shooting her shot. Audrey points out that the Evil Queen has no royal status, and therefore neither does Evie. Audrey’s tone is clearly condescending and meant to put Evie “in her place.”

When Ben introduces Audrey, he not only omits her royal title but doesn’t say that she’s his girlfriend. I think that’s rather telling.

It’s also Ben, not Mal, that lingers too long with his introduction to her. He’s blatantly awestruck, Mal looks confused and even suspicious. Ben is the one who had a seemingly prophetic dream about Mal, she didn’t have one of him. So, he’s the one with questionable motives to invite the VK’s over, Mal nor the others had a choice.

Sensing the vibe Ben is giving Mal, Audrey unnecessarily brings up Maleficent and a fake offer of conciliation. Again, she is using her status to remind Mal and the others’ of their place and to disrupt the moment. She was the one to set the tone, and Mal returned in kind. If Mal was being rude, it’s in reaction to Audrey being rude first.

People assert that Audrey suspected Mal and was later vindicated, so she was justified in how she treated her.

Ummm…no, I respectfully disagree. That’s post hoc reasoning. At the time Audrey suspected Mal of doing something wrong, there was literally no way of her knowing for sure that Mal was going to do anything or what. Sure, she had her suspicions because of where Mal was from and whose daughter she was, but in general we call that being prejudice and profiling.

It’s like when store owners follow someone around based on how they’re dressed or their race, then the person did happen to steal something. How they’re dressed or their race didn’t cause them to steal anything. Just because the store owners happen to be right later on, doesn’t mean their prior behavior had any merit.

People say Mal “stole” Ben, but it looks to me that he left Audrey. From the first movie, I really don’t see a deep and loving connection between the two. Leah admits that the entire relationship was to encourage Audrey becoming queen, not because her granddaughter liked Ben for who he was. The entire third movie, Audrey wants revenge for being denied the crown.

It was harsh how Ben “broke up” with Audrey. I will give that it was humiliating for her. But I think that when she quickly “gets” with Chad, that shows more that she didn’t really care for Ben as a partner. I would think that if she did, she would have been like WTF BEN?! And further, if she suspects foul play from Mal, wouldn’t that have been the first question to ask? Like hey, do you think you’re under a spell? Instead she chose to save face, I think that says a lot about her priorities or that she knew deep down their relationship was on such shaky ground that she took him publicly declaring his love for another girl at face value.

Then there’s Family Day. Again, Audrey is antagonistic when Mal was just hanging around. Part of her motivation may have been to punish Mal for “stealing” Ben, but again misdirected anger because by Family Day, Ben wasn’t under a spell any longer and was still with Mal.  

Then there’s Chad putting in his two cents where it wasn’t asked for nor was it needed. For some reason he brings up “boyfriend stealing” all the while he is taking advantage of Audrey’s anger and vulnerability by dating her. This is after he used Evie to do his homework and in the extended universe, he’s been known to “talk to other girls” while dating. So, he has no moral high ground whatsoever and has no right to accuse anyone of anything ever.

We also see some insight to Audrey’s character before the movie. Belle doesn’t like her, she calls Audrey fake, self-absorbed, and a kiss up. I think that lends to the theory that Audrey (and her family) care more about an advantageous marriage than Ben himself and Belle sees that. Belle is none too happy to see him dating Mal either.

So maybe Ben needs to calm down and be single for a while.

In D3, Audrey straight out asks “You’d rather have a VK than me as your Queen?” The girls don’t deny it, I think the indicates that Audrey wasn’t well liked by her peers. I think this adds to the mounting evidence that Audrey is spoiled and arrogant, like Chad.

Then there’s Ben, who was not under the spell for long. He admits that it wore off at the Enchanted Lake. First off, he’s an idiot for being flattered. I agree with another poster who likens a love spell to being drugged.

Like, gee I’m so flattered you roofied me, it shows you really like me. Who does that?

Then he admits that he thinks Mal used a spell because he was with Audrey and Mal didn’t think they’d get together otherwise. He admits that his feelings despite the spell being lifted were not fake. That to me says he was looking for the first convenient reason to break up with Audrey.  There is literally no evidence that I saw that Ben had one IOTA of respect for his relationship with Audrey. Honestly, fuck this guy.

Secondly, once he’s not under the spell, he apparently gave NO THOUGHT to going to his ex and apologizing or breaking up with her properly. Maybe he didn’t want to rat Mal out, but that doesn’t mean he shouldn’t have apologized to his ex for breaking up with her in such a rude manner. He didn’t have to admit to a spell, he could have admitted that he didn’t feel a certain way about her and should have broken up with her in private. They both should have had a frank discussion of their feelings.

The fact that neither tried to talk to each other about their breakup to me says neither gave a real shit about each other.

For Mal’s part, “stealing” Ben was about freeing her mother (and to an extension the Isle) and not really about any feelings for Ben or to specifically hurt Audrey; hurting Audrey was just a byproduct. She did start to develop feelings for Ben and showed signs of remorse. She still wanted to free her mother but thought that she would undo the spell right after to not be cruel to Ben.

Now, that is rather harsh towards Audrey because regardless if Mal “meant to” hurt Audrey or not, she still did. I agree that Audrey is owed an apology from Mal for what she did do. Despite the illegitimacy of the relationship, Ben and Audrey were still in a relationship and owed each other a modicum of respect and Mal did play a part. I think she played a smaller part than people are willing to admit, but still a part.  

I also wonder if maybe Ben set Mal up to do a spell. He claims that the front is reserved for his parents and his girlfriend, but we clearly see Jane was invited up there too. I assume as a curtesy to FGM, so there was room for special guests at his leisure. If he could have clearly invited Mal and the others up as a special favor, why did he specifically mention that the person had to be his girlfriend? Maybe he didn’t think she’d resort to a spell, but I feel like he was trying to give her an opening to offer to be his date, and then he’d have a reason to break up with Audrey.

I feel like Ben’s the punk ass bitch in this story.

People say Mal got off easy but lets look at what actually happened. Yes, she grabbed the wand but only after Jane had taken it and freed the Isle. Mal simply held it while she had an existential crisis. In the end she stood up to her mother. Ultimately, she didn’t go through with her plans, and her actions didn’t actually free her mother.

Yes, she put a spell on Ben. But HE pretended to go along with it well after the spell wore off. He was only under the spell for like a day, and all she got was one date out of it. Her plan was to free the Isle, it didn’t seem like she was going to do anything to Ben beyond have him invite her up to the front. So if she gets dinged for the spell itself (which I think would be fair), we should keep in mind the longevity of the spell, and how a lot of Ben’s behavior cannot be blamed on the spell or Mal herself.

Yes, she had a plan to free her parents. But if Audrey can be excused because she was under family pressure, shouldn’t Mal get the same curtesy? Like either they both get dinged or neither get dinged.  

And lets also not pretend Audrey and Jane didn’t get off easy as well. Jane freed violent criminals and wielded what some could call a dangerous weapon, she didn’t even get yelled at.

Audrey put several people to sleep, turned some to stone, she had plans to take over Auradon, and she kidnapped and endangered a child. She was forgiven that night.

No one faces actual consequences in Auradon unless they’re a first-generation villain.

I see people saying it took 2 years for Mal to apologize, but if neither Ben nor Audrey brought up the issue afterwards, and they all gave indications that everything was fine then why would she assume she needs to apologize? Shouldn’t it be “It took Audrey 2 years to admit her feelings were hurt and she faked being ok?” Mal’s not a mind reader. We don’t know if Ben ever went into detail his relationship with Audrey with Mal, and we see Audrey get over Ben very quickly by getting with Chad, and staying with Chad through the second movie. As far as Mal can tell, Audrey was fine.

She did apologize after she found out Audrey’s motivations in D3. She might have apologized earlier if she was told how the break up affected Audrey. Ben and Leah owed apologies first, then Mal.

I have a theory that maybe D3 was supposed to be D2, but Sarah Jeffery wasn’t available for filming, so they skipped Audrey being the villain and went with “Mal has a hard time adjusting.” I feel like flow wise, it would have made more sense for Audrey to still be mad and dealing with the fall out six months after the events of D1, rather than 2 years. It never made sense to me that Ben would take Mal on official royal visits after only dating for a few months. It also doesn’t make sense that there would be some event where it was expected for Ben to ask Mal for “pre-engagement.” It does seem like a LOT of pressure to put on a new relationship, but not necessarily an engagement making Mal the future Queen. So, I think it makes a lot more sense that the second movie deal with the fallout with Audrey. The third movie could have started with the engagement, and then all the new responsibilities of being a future royal consort would drive Mal to seek out the Isle.

Yes, the “Did I Mention” break up was harsh, but was that Mal’s fault? The spell made him fall in love, how he expressed that love is his fault. It was a love spell, not a break up with your current girlfriend in the most fucked up way possible spell. If we’re likening the spell to drugs, then all the spell did was lower his inhibitions, the fact he had no regard for Audrey’s feelings deep down is on Ben.

I do feel bad for Audrey because of the expectations Leah put on her granddaughter. These expectations clearly gave her an extremely warped sense of entitlement. In Queen of Mean, she doesn’t talk about heartache. She talks about what she thinks is hers by right, being queen. She was promised from birth that if she was a hero/good guy then she was supposed to have a happily ever after. Her happy ending comprised of a crown.

While Audrey was born of the Good Guys, we never actually see her do anything good. To me, she thinks she’s owed something just for being born royal, and that was put into her head by Leah.

Leah berates Audrey for “failing” to become queen, which is completely unfair as Ben and by extension the crown cannot be “won.” Neither of them had real feelings towards each other and shouldn’t be shackled into marriage just because they’re both royal or because Audrey’s family overreached.  

I feel like Leah is coming from an archaic mindset where royals didn’t marry for love and puts these unrealistic and unfair standards on her granddaughter. We don’t have a full picture of royal hierarchy, but I feel like Audrey probably was the highest-ranking princess in Auradon absent a daughter from Beast and Belle. So maybe they fairly thought Audrey was the natural choice, but I doubt it was ever guaranteed or promised in any way.  

According to the Disney wikia, Audrey is spoiled because Aurora didn’t want her to ever know anything besides love and happiness. Being spoiled can warp anyone’s character.

Audrey deserves better, but a lot her problems were not Mal’s fault.  

[photolover82]

The Masked Singer Season 3 Episode 5: Group B Playoffs (Commentary and Guesses)

Hello fellow Masked Singer lovers! Welcome (or welcome back) to my commentary and guesses for the Masked Singer, this time for the Group B Playoffs, where 5 remaining masks compete for 4 spots at the Group B championships. Ok, so let’s begin with the celebrity mask who was eliminated (btw I am pissed at this one ngl)...

Disclaimer: This is a spoiler alert, don’t say I didn’t warn you. If you don’t want the show spoiled, get out of here...

Ok so now that they’re gone, the eliminated mask was 

*DRUMROLL PLEASE*

THE MOUSE 

Ughhhhh why Masked Singer?! Why do you keep doing this to me? Always taking away the legends who deserve to stay on the show way longer than some others... not gonna name names, but yo White Tiger I’m looking at you. Anyways, yup I was sad about this, but I knew who the mouse was since the first time I saw her. 

So, the Mouse was revealed to be... *SPOILER* 

DIONNE WARWICK  

Wow, yeah I was not surprised, this was too easy. Even my mom knew it was her and she doesn’t really know many American celebrities. The clues totally gave it away: 

Rhino sculpture= her record company is called Rhino Records

Prayer hands= her hit song I sing a little prayer for you and she is also a woman of faith 

Putting on makeup= I sang a little prayer for you lyric “the moment I wake up before I put on my makeup” 

Brazil nuts= she lived in Brazil for years

They asked all the masked singers what their favorite subject in school is and she said math = she does have the Dionne Warwick Institute of Economics and Entrepreneurship, a magnet school focusing on economics which she did mention had to do with why she liked math

As for her performance, her voice is so recognizable like wow. She sang “This will be an everlasting love” by Natalie Cole and it was a beautiful performance. I loved it and I am actually really sad to see her go. She really did a great job in her performance because she’s a living legend. 

Anyways, now that we are done with that, let’s take a look at our remaining 4 masked singers, one of which I have figured out and one of which is stumping me and 2 that I am maintaining firm on my guesses: 

1. The Taco  

Performance: Like I said last week, Taco is quickly becoming my favorite performer in this group. He sang Elvis Presley’s Bossa Nova Baby and it was a perfect song for his vocal ability. He has a very old crooner voice, like a Frank Sinatra vibe. He’s also really funny and it looked like he was having fun in this performance. Never thought I would love a guy in a taco costume but here we are so I think that guy is... 

TOM BERGERON 

Ok so I am 100% sure on this one, I know other people think it’s Tim Allen but no it’s not him, I am positive it is Tom Bergeron because of the clues: 

Whoopee Cushion= allude to America’s Funniest Home Videos (AFHV) or because Whoopi Goldberg was a main square on Hollywood Squares, which he hosted. 

The female taco he met that helped him become less of a hot head= his wife, he had anger issues before meeting her and learned to meditate because of her 

Gemini constellation= him and his wife got married in gemini season May 22, 1982 

The circular globe with the constellation= resembles the shape of the mirrorball trophy from Dancing with the Stars which he hosts 

In the package, he was dancing with the “Mrs. Taco”= allude to Dancing with the Stars perhaps. 

2. The Frog

Performance: Ok so ngl I wanted him to go home. He was my least favorite performance of the night, not because he was bad per se, it was just weird what he did with the song. He sang “In Da Club” by 50 Cent and oh wow he changed it to make it sound more jazzy and the lyrics were changed to be family friendly, which is all good, but it didn’t sound natural. It sounded a bit off the music with what he was singing. It was pretty shaky in the beginning, but I started liking it a bit in the middle of it. He’s a bomb dancer tho, very talented and smooth dancer. 

Alright so I think this frog is as I said last week: 

BOW WOW 

I feel pretty good about this one especially looking at the clues: 

Typewriter with the letters “CSI” emphasized= starred in CSI: Cyber 

“Frog Eat Frog world”= real saying is “dog eat dog” world so another reference to his stage name Bow Wow. 

Fame Star with $19 price tag= when he was 19, wrote a song called the price of fame

Little Green Soldiers= collaborated with Soulja Boy on mixtapes 

3. The Banana 

Performance: Ok, so this one I really am warming up to. I like him more now than I did last week, because he was more real and I don’t know I just really enjoy when he performs. It is always fun to see him perform, but having said that, oh my gosh you guys I feel like I know who he is and I am sure about this even though last week I was confused af... this week the clues helped me get it. 

I think the Banana is: 

BRET MICHAELS 

Ok I am so sure about this one, the body type and height match. The accent and voice matches his too and the clues really solidified it for me this time: 

Snake on the computer= poisonous= his band named Poison  

Cowboy Boots and Hats= he was those all of the time 

Alarm clock with 2:13= 2nd letter of the alphabet is b and the 13th one is m (his initials) 

6/8 on the alarm clock= June 8th is National Name Your Poison Day 

4. The Kitty 

Performance: Ok, like I know I love the kitty and her voice is amazing, but she’s really confusing me. I felt like last week I was sure about Sabrina Carpenter and that’s what I heard in her voice, but now I am hearing something completely different. She sang Mercy by Brett Young and I don’t feel like this is a song Sabrina would sing. I am really torn with this one, so this is just a guess that I have so far, but I have no idea: 

LUCY HALE? 

Ok, so hear me out. I have been going back and forth between her and Sabrina Carpenter and in this performance, she didn’t sound like Sabrina and when I looked up Lucy’s voice, it sounded very similar to this performance and the song choice made sense because of Lucy’s love of country music, but let’s look at the clues: 

The sewing in the clue package looks eerily similar to her role as Katy Keene in the CW Riverdale spin-off show that just came out of the same name. 

Red Riding Hood= allude to Pretty Little Liars which used red riding hood as a metaphor for the show

I mean I don’t know she is very short (5′ 2″) so fits the profile 

Well, that’s it. Let me know if you agree or disagree with my guesses/what your guesses were. Also, did you guess the mouse correctly? Let me know! That's all and see you next week for the Group B championships, the last of Group B. 

[andrewdburton]

How we raised $10,000+ for a charity (actual metrics)

What happens when you try to raise money for a cause you care about?

Recently, my wife and I held a fundraiser in NYC. We both come from families of immigrants and we wanted to raise money for families being separated at the border. What we’ve seen has made us feel helpless, outraged, and sad. But we also know that we’re in the enviable position of being able to do something about it.

This was the first time we’ve ever raised money for a fundraiser together and I want to share what we learned (plus all the numbers).

VIDEO: My wife and me explaining why we launched this fundraiser

It turns out I LOVE fundraising. I think it’s because…

It’s a cause I care about

I have friends and readers I can share this with

Thanks to having 40,000 customers, I have no fear of asking for money. Especially from IWT readers who asked for a free ticket to my event, and (1) one had spent $10,000 on my products, (2) another worked at Amazon, and (3) a third was an engineer at VISA. I showed no mercy.

MRW when someone asks for a free ticket to my charity event, but they’ve spent $10,000 on my products

Our fundraising metrics

We raised $12,975, beating our goal of $5,000!! (We donated 100% of that money.)

To raise money, we first asked a few friends in the nonprofit space for their advice. They pointed us to groups we started researching, then we settled on Families Belong Together to donate our funds to.

Our next step was to email friends. We emailed about 50 friends and family, raising $2,450. Some people donated to come to the NYC event we held, while others just donated funds.

Then Cass and I recorded a video explaining why we were raising money and why this is important to us, which I posted on my Instagram feed/stories, Twitter, and LinkedIn. The video got watched about 50,000 times.

That video linked back to our Eventbrite page, which got ~2,000 views and raised ~$9,000.

We held an event in NYC, where we hosted about 35 people in a space donated by https://energi.life/welcome/. Paola from Families Belong Together shared stories about what she’s seen along the border, along with drinks served by Andrew from Crafttender (big thanks to everyone for making this possible!!).

Overall, for our first fundraiser, this was a big success!!

Paola shared her experiences working with Families Belong Together. Some of my friends cried during the presentation.

LESSON #1: Get comfortable with small numbers

Initially, Cass and I set a goal of $50,000. When we went to a few fundraising friends and asked for advice, one of them smiled. “Why don’t you start small?” he gently asked us. Even though it was hard to hear, he was right.

I learned that I had to get comfortable with smaller numbers.

This wasn’t some massive fundraiser where we could leverage crazy press or the entire IWT business (e.g., when IWT raised $300,000 for Pencils of Promise).

After running IWT, where I oversee a team that manages complex lead acquisition, funnels, conversion, and products, I’ve gotten used to big numbers. To give you an example, during the week my wife and I raised $12,975 for this fundraiser, one individual IWT student bought 3 courses equaling $10,388.

So with this fundraiser, it was humbling to start small and be satisfied with small numbers and modest goals. This was my wife and me setting up our first fundraiser together, trying to find a free event space, and trying to send anything we can to support families at the border.

I had to reframe our new goal of “only” $5,000 as a win. When you’re starting something new, it’s hard to remember that starting small is how EVERYONE starts off. This was a great reminder. Most of all, we were just thrilled to be able to contribute to a cause we care about.

LESSON #2: When a friend asks, show up

You might have seen “Ramit’s 10 Money Rules” that I posted a while back. Look closely at #4:

#4: “Never question spending money on books, appetizers, health, or donating to a friend’s charity fundraiser.”

Read about Ramit’s Money Rules 

There’s a reason I always donate to friends’ charity events. When your friend emails you for a fundraiser, they really want your help (in general, people HATE asking for money, so when they do, there’s usually a reason for it).

If you respond and donate quickly, they’ll appreciate it.

And if you donate more than they asked for, they will never forget it.

For example, Sam Gavis-Hughson is a Zero To Launch graduate who helps job candidates prepare for their coding interviews at companies like Google and Facebook. He used our Zero To Launch program to recently run a $50,000 launch. When we posted about our fundraiser, he was one of our first donors and came in big with a $500 donation — that’s more than our requested $100 donation. I will never forget it.

Other friends never donated. Maybe they were busy or missed the email. But I’ll never forget that, either.

Showing up doesn’t just mean spending money. It also means physically showing up when it’s important to your friend.

Over the last couple of weeks, two of my friends have launched books. I went to Nir Eyal’s launch of his book. A few days later, Cass and I went to support Paula Rizzo’s launch of her book. Yes, I’m busy. Yes, it was out of the way. Yes, we showed up.

Showing up for Paula Rizzo’s book launch of Listful Living

When an author launches their book, they’re nervous, they’re excited, and most of all, THEY DESPERATELY WANT YOUR SUPPORT.

SHOW UP!! Show up for birthdays parties, weddings, book launches, and charity events. ALWAYS.

Those are moments in someone’s life that mean so much to them.

Cass and I learned the importance of showing up when we were planning our wedding. After we were married, we made a set of joint rules for attending other people’s weddings:

Always be first on the dance floor

Be the couple that you can seat anywhere because you know we’ll get the table having fun (AKA, don’t be a dud)

Make sure your gifts arrive before the wedding

After going through our first fundraiser, our new rules are:

Always donate to our friends’ fundraisers

Always donate MORE than they ask for (an extra $100 or $200 will always be remembered)

LESSON #3: Deal with critics

Invariably, I had some people who didn’t agree with the cause we were raising money for. I think this stops a lot of people from ever getting started with something like this (or starting a business). What will people think? What will they say? Will my friends get annoyed by me asking them for money?

Whenever you try something new, you’re going to encounter critics. It happened with this fundraiser.

LOL at the critics who decided that instead of donating, they’d leave angry comments on a fundraiser for a good cause.

I typically find that they use 3 strategies:

Telling me they disagree with my cause

Hateful comment: “Send everyone the fuck back” (screenshots below)

Confuse the issue by asking seemingly innocent question (concern trolling): “What about X? Have you considered Y? Are you concerned about Z?”

Here’s how I dealt with them.

First, when they disagree with your cause: I had a woman DM me on Instagram and politely tell me that she doesn’t agree with me politically, but she appreciates that I’m using my platform to support a cause I care about. I totally respect that.

Then there were the #MAGA morons who decided to lob potshots from their anonymous accounts with hateful comments.

Unfortunately for them, this New York Times bestselling author is considerably smarter than the usual empty-headed cretins they deal with at the local parking lot where they spend their Saturday nights.

You can safely ignore twitter commenters whose feeds are filled with hateful posts, whose headshots are cartoon characters wearing a birthday hat, and who seem to share one thing in common: the intellectual aptitude of a gnat. Just move on — they already live in a prison in their own mind.

But beyond anonymous critics, there were the more insidious critics who try to confuse the issue by concern trolling, or asking question after question after question.

Here’s what you must understand: These people will never support your cause, whether it’s a fundraiser or a business or your plan to lose weight. They have no interest in a genuine discussion (if they did, they would engage privately). They’re asking questions because getting others riled up is their entertainment. And, to put it delicately, my successful friends never leave comments like this.

“If it was X, MAYBE I would donate” = “I will never donate”

You can delete or ignore these comments. I intentionally responded to a couple so my followers could see my responses.

If you decide to try something new, remember this: Opinions are cheap. You’ll ALWAYS get people saying, “What about this? What about that? How do where every cent of this $100 is going? If you did X, maybe I would donate.”

Oh, ok. Suddenly, some anonymous guy with an icon of a banana has developed a 14-page quiz on Kantian ethics that you must answer before they donate $100. In reality, they have the moral compass of a cupholder.

Guess what? They’re not your audience.

Actual supporters didn’t demand that I jump through their gauntlet of requirements for one hundred dollars. They wanted to get involved, they clicked DONATE, and they showed up.

It’s fine if not everyone supports your cause (whether it’s a business, a new hobby, or a fundraiser). But I wanted to show you some of the worst critics of all — the ones who try to derail you by questioning you, by concern trolling you, by trying to make you second-guess yourself — so you can see that these people are everywhere.

You want to raise money for your own cause? Great! Do it. My wife and I saw something we wanted to support and we raised over $12,000 to help these families. If you’re more comfortable lobbing hateful comments on social media, then sit down and get the fuck out of my way. I have work to do.

LESSON #4: Use your time and money to live a Rich Life

THIS is a Rich Life — where you use your time and money to help other people.

When something outrages you or inspires you…when something makes you MAD or SAD or THRILLED, that’s an opportunity to lean into it and use your time and money to improve it.

It’s not about needing to have $1,000,000. A tiny amount can change someone’s life.

IWT isn’t simply about earning more money. I show you how to do that in my book, my business courses, and my career courses.

But to be able to use your time and money to help other people…that’s another level.

I want you to see how that you can use money to support the things you care about. Your family, your health, and yes — giving back.

I want to show you that raising money for something you believe in comes in lots of shapes and colors and sizes. It doesn’t mean you have to attend a black-tie gala in Manhattan. I never wrote fundraising checks as a child — but I did do “sewa” (volunteer service) at my local Sikh temple.

I want to show you how to pick a goal, then go after it without anyone or anything getting in your way. Critics? GTFO. What about the perfect financial structu–forget all that! Raise the money and send it.

More than anything, I want you to know that you can define your Rich Life. This is ours. I hope you find yours and lean into it.

How we raised $10,000+ for a charity (actual metrics) is a post from: I Will Teach You To Be Rich.

from Finance https://www.iwillteachyoutoberich.com/blog/how-we-raised-10000-for-a-charity/ via http://www.rssmix.com/