#Bit of a rant

[maydayway]

ok sorry this is gonna be a bit of a rant but i genuinely don’t understand how gerrard and tommy were introduced as bigoted antagonistic characters who made hen and chimneys workplace hostile, and now they just kick about every other episode as series regulars at this point, so tired of seeing them like why are we brushing aside the racism/homohobia/misogyny?

just feels like it takes a lot of the fun out of watching the show just having to see these characters time and time again with no repercussions for their obvious bigotry and microaggressions

like they made gerrard happy on hotshots for some reason and now he’s still gonna be back again, and they basically pretend tommy wasn’t apart of it now, just ignoring how he acted and keep bringing him back for episodes for some reason, just so annoying!!

[a-beskar-burrito]

“None of this would be here without Luthen” is not Tony Gilroy making his oc into the sole cause of the rebellion, it is Cassian Andor expressing loyalty to the man who recruited him into the rebellion, and whose contributions are downplayed by the rebel leaders he assisted. Cassian exaggerates to counteract the council’s dismissal of a man who should really be among them. A character’s perspective is not equivalent to that of the creator.

[captainstressed]

im two days late watching the episode but boy do i have some thoughts..

firstly, just a quick one for the bobs! are we still riding the buddie endgame train?? and by train i mean train wreck. like full derailment.

what the fucking fuck was that scene??? disrespectfully, eddie had no right to put his hands on buck the way he did. and to then insinuate that he wasn’t certain buck did everything he could to save bobby? that he believes he could have done more?

and to top it off, the entire exchange gets brushed off with a “i heard some dick was being mean to you” line? fucking gross.

they’re all grieving. all of them. but once again eddie has taken his aggression out on buck, but it’s okay! because he’s grieving.

at what point are we going to stop holding eddie on this do no wrong pedestal? the comeback for any eddie discourse is ‘well buck isn’t perfect’ no! he’s not. but no one has ever denied his flaws? his actions don’t get brushed under the rug or just ignored completely in favor of pushing the narrative that ‘it’s okay, because eddie is secretly inlove with buck anyway!’ so all of his shitty actions are justified.

newsflash, eddie is a shitty person and this episode just proved that again.

it also goes without saying but im gonna say it anyway for the haters in the back; tommy has never put his hands on buck (that weren’t consensual) and has never spoken down to buck (canonically) in the way eddie has done multiple times (canonically)

[chaoticcrowss]

i know a lot of people talk about Five's relationship with Lila when it comes to his character assassination and stuff but I feel like we all glossed over him being in the god damn CIA too quickly.

wtf do you mean the man who worked for the commission for a large majority of his life, the place that he literally hated with pretty much all his being and had no qualms about blowing up or it being destroyed, would go on and work for the government.

this is the same guy that went "um, no actually. screw you" to every high-ranking person of the commission that he encountered (excluding himself, but even then he gave a lot of pushback)

this is the same man who just wanted to be retired and old and buy a 1960 Corvette Stingray (which he never got btw)

five has not been shown to be the type of character that respects authority or government-adjacent organizations and having him work for the type of place he has been shown to resent and hate is ludicrous and absurd.

[caelantorena]

people mischaracterizing penny out of all characters in pokemon scarvio definitly played the game in ancient greek with their eyes closed. like she's one of the characters with the most explicit story and personality in game. like no roger, this isn't an evil manipulative criminal, this is a socially awkward teenage girl who faced bullying and tried to stand up against it with the help of her friends, who were also bullied kids. when it went too far, she immediately regretted it and tried to make things better by dismantling the group she had formed and take accountability for her actions (she's literally, genuinely shocked when she's not offered more severe punishement for it).

like, all of this are canon infos. written and shown clearly in the game. penny's personality and development isn't as subtle as other characters like nemona or carmine. everything is written down explicitly, so i really have no idea where some people get their insane takes from 💀

[jedi-enthusiasm-blog]

When others are the best version of themselves, they remind you that you are not.

Certain people, instead of reflecting and thinking how they can be the best version of themselves too, focus all their attention on finding evil that doesn't exist.

Nobody can be that good, everyone looks after themselves and no one else, right? they think, very seriously, without realizing how ridiculous it sounds.

That's why so many people hate the Jedi. Because the Jedi remind them that they can be better, they just won't, unless they put in work they are not willing to do.

Source: me and my limited knowledge of psychology and human stupidity.

No, I will not accept any criticism on this.

[spacexlover34]

New hyperfixation wonder what that could be

Anyway I read the entirety of the strange case of Dr jekyll and Mr hyde in two days(slow I know I don't have much time) and am now rereading it and I'm going to watch the movies because I want to see how accurate they are

And I'm also now reading the glass scientists because it came up a lot when I looked for Jekyll and Hyde on this app.

I'm having a great time doing a tism

[im-not-great-with-names]

To be Loved and Claimed by the Angel, is to be Loved and Claimed by Death,

It’s as dangerous as it is reassuring…

(add this to the piles of WIPs I’m working on while Finals kicks my legs in)

“My Missa”

gripped me tight and had me thinking about this sketch for days, like, this is how I see them alright???

Q!Phil wants them to see eye to eye, ok, to have him see that what they got isn’t conditional, he wants them to work together, get along, have fun, be chill, be them,

He wants to glide down to Q!Missa, see whats going on, what’s up, how he’s doing, but every time, Q!Missa can’t help but hold him up by his elbows and keep him suspended there in the air, inadvertently keeping that sliver of distance between them…

Just…. aaaaahhhhhhhhh!!!!

Look how gently he holds him

[unhappy-sometimes]

About 40% of the students at the university I attended were international students. Of that 40% of students, over sixty countries were represented. Sixty countries! It was amazing. I can’t think of a different word for it. It was truly amazing.

During my time there, I met people from all over the world. I had roommates from Thailand and Korea. Classmates from Myanmar, Japan, and Hong Kong. Coworkers from the Philippines, Mongolia, and Indonesia. These people were not only my roommates, classmates, and coworkers, though, they were also my friends. As someone who grew up in the American Midwest, I had limited contact with people from different cultures. Meeting these people opened up my world a hundred times over.

As a result of having so many cultures represented on campus, my university had a large selection of culture clubs—clubs created around a certain nation or culture where members of that nation or culture could meet people with similar backgrounds. For example, there was a Fiji club for Fijian students could congregate and meet other Fijians. It was incredibly important that these clubs exist. Many of these students were away from their homeland for the first time in an unfamiliar culture. These clubs provided a home away from home for these students, a place where they could be supported by a familiar community.

However, these clubs were not excluded to people of that country or culture. Anyone was allowed to join any club—in fact, it was heavily encouraged to join whatever club(s) you wanted, regardless of ethnicity or nationality. Are you a weeb that loves anime? The Japan Club would love to have you. Want a place to practice your Tagalog? The Philippines Club has plenty of people who would love to meet you. Do you think that Tonga is just a really cool place and you want to learn more about it? You’re not gonna believe it—the Tonga Club wants you to join them.

These clubs are simultaneously places of gathering for people of those countries as well as places for people to learn about those cultures. At these clubs, members cook and eat their food, learn their language, sing and dance to their music, and come to know their customs. I don’t think I’ll ever be in a place where it was easy to learn from such a wide variety of cultures as my university. It was a once in a lifetime experience.

The biggest event of every school year is when all the culture clubs get together and put on a huge show to celebrate the university’s diversity. For two nights, every club demonstrates the performative arts of their culture. They perform dances, sing songs, play instruments, act out skits, and more. This is huge deal on campus. Clubs spend hours and hours practicing. Costumes and props are often hand made by club members. This The Event. The entire surrounding community turns up in person to watch it and thousands more tune into the live broadcast.

I can’t stress enough to you just how big and important this event is. Nearly every student on campus has a hand in it somehow. It’s probably the biggest event that happens in the community. Every alumni remembers their favorite culture performances, even years later.

And the best part!! Anyone can perform in any club!! In fact, it’s not uncommon for people to perform in multiple clubs! You can spot Chinese folks dancing the tango! Mongolians doing the haka! Filipinos in the múa nón! And, yes, before you wonder, there are white people aplenty in these performances—and that’s great! Everyone is welcome to perform with any club they want! There are even performances celebrating American culture; one year there was a huge square dance performance and that was a lot of fun.

(If you’re worried about cultural appropriation, I can assure you there are great measures taken to keep the performances respectful to their cultures. The performances are choreographed by members of said culture and have to be approved beforehand. For example, one year there was a performance of a Native American hoop dance and only a member of the respective tribe was allowed to perform it due to its spiritual significance. Also because it’s really difficult to do. Anyway, it was breathtaking.)

I say all of this because on February 14th, the US government sent a letter to all schools that recieve any sort of government funding (this includes my university) stating that they must ban any programs related to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) or lose that government funding.

This would mean no more culture clubs and no more performances.

As far as I know, my university has chosen to continue supporting the clubs and performances, regardless of this letter. However, it’s devastating to learn that they are being punished for bringing cultures together.

In an announcement post about this news, I saw a comment say “[University] does not abuse DEI programs like other universities, they should be exempt from this.”

But that’s just it—you can’t pick and choose who gets DEI programs and who doesn’t. Who decides who is worthy and who decides who is not? My school isn’t perfect. There are still some prejudices and racial tension on campus despite the school’s best efforts to make the school a welcoming place. My university has had very questionable policies in the past and some still persist today. Is that enough to decide that they don’t get DEI programs? Or have they “earned it” by letting the culture clubs to exist?

You cannot have equality for some and call it equality for all. You cannot have freedom for some and call it freedom for all. DEI programs do not only protect women, minorities, etc, it protects us all.

At a first glance, this anti-DEI program appears to be “leveling the playing field.” However, as I see it in action, it begins to appear less of a way to eliminate discrimination, as the letter claims, and more as an excuse for the current administration to homogenize America into a recreation of itself. Taken to the utter extreme, this anti-DEI initiative will allow everyone to be who they are—as long as they don’t express it. That seems like an awful world to live in.

I can’t know for sure if every DEI program was created in good faith. I can’t confirm if every person who benefited from those programs “deserved” it. For all I know, the current administration is correct, and there were people who were taking advantage of DEI policies and they’re just trying to take back what’s been stolen. However, I do know that many of those policies have greatly improved the lives of countless people who did “deserve” it, whatever that means. I know that because I saw it with my own eyes! I met those people! I got to know them! I’m friends with them! How many of the anti-DEI policy makers can say the same?

Diversity does not have to tear people apart. It makes a people stronger, but only if you choose to celebrate those differences instead of fearing them. I hope that America, a country built by the hands of many nations, can realize that.

Note: I’m taking a big risk describing my university in great detail. It’s very possible that I’ve somehow doxxed myself in some capacity. Please don’t message me asking if I attended x university or anything like that.

[dufferpuffer]

Seeing non-HP fans talk about HP is like... I'm not saying HP is the deepest thing in the world. It's not. I do think it is a bit more intentional that it's often given credit for - but it is clumsy about it 99% of the time. Also the author is a daft bitch.

But people say shit like "Harry Potter is an infuriating Mary Sue because he just has a perfect life as soon as he meets wizards" What...? What are you talking about...?

"He can fly good in first year and knows how to defeat the Villain effortlessly, and everyone loves him he is famous and rich." ???Classic misunderstood orphan with hidden genetic talent??? ???Every single protagonist of everything ever??? You can not like that, and have issues with it, but is Harry really such an egregious case of it...???

He can fly good. Yes. He is average in every other school school subject (if talented at spellcasting) - but he is a Mary Sue because he can fly good, when his father could fly good. Sure. He has a natural talent that rarely helps him but comes in handy when it's needed. A talent that connects him to a Father he knows nothing about.

He didn't know how to defeat big Villain - and I'd hardly call it effortless. My boy held his hands up when an adult tried to touch him and it worked - a miracle. One that didn't feel unearned. He had spent the ENTIRE first book lamenting his lack of family connection, parental love and general protection (he was having dreams of Voldemort busting into his bedroom to kill him, monster under the bed stuff) - and then finds out at the end that it was the fact his parents did love him that protected him. That's a cute end to a book that says 'He gets all this good stuff put in his little orphan lap but none of it soothes the ache of not being genuinely loved'. When he was at his most helpless and alone, in a life of being helpless and alone... he finally has proof he was loved.

He was NOT loved by everyone though - he spent most of his first two years HATED by his peers. Only adults who remembered the end of the war love him (and colin). He doesn't start being liked by most of the people who surround him until OotP, where he earns respect through running Dumbledores Army. He was bullied through PS, CoS and GoF and it only didn't have too strong an effect on him because he is already used to being an outsider.

He not only hates the fame but acutely suffers from it EVERY book, I'm not sure there is a single positive thing that happens because he is famous - it is a direct negative he has to struggle against.

He is rich, but it plays little role in the story other than allowing him to not have to stress about money... which he stresses about anyway sometimes, struggling to make large purchases he deems 'unnecessary', to characterize him as a survivor that's had to grow up too fast and isn't used to the easy road. He is a 13 yr old withholding from buying the Broom of his dreams because 'I have a perfectly good broom already...' - he has clear issues with money. Honey please buy yourself the Broom it's okay you don't need to ration your belongings anymore, you love Quidditch it breaks my heart

I will defend my boy Harry James Potter till the day I die, he is a lovely little man - and I genuinely think a compelling and well realized protagonist. if the shitty author wrote ANYTHING right... its Harry Potter and Severus Snape. Those two are basically perfect imo.

[kexytimes]

"The cyclops was actually a child and saw the sheep as his friends!"

Me:

[thekristen999]

I am slightly optimistic with the revelation that Eddie is 'moving' in episode 10 that his story line will actually get properly developed in a follow-up.

Let's be honest, his plot has been virtually ignored. Chris leaving is a seismic shift for Eddie, esp given the amount of screen devoted to the their relationship over the years. It's basically the foundation of Eddie's character and there has been almost zero acknowledgment in season 8 and even less involvement from the rest of the fire-fam which has been very loud and frustrating in it’s absence.

With Eddie physically re-locating from L.A., I hope this means the show has no other choice but to make the resolution an Eddie-centric focused episode like they did with Boston.

The show will obviously pivot back to Buck and focus on the impact of Eddie leaving will have on him. Which is totally valid and will be delicious to see on screen. I love me the angst. But at the same time, I’m tired of every major Eddie plot overshadowed by the Buck of it all. Including, and not limited, to the shooting.

Just give the Eddie storyline a little justice and I'll be happy.

[ferns-shenanigans]

I’ve been trying to get a doctor to listen to me about CFS/ME for the past six months, and I’m getting so sick of it. First it was a referral then that doctor “didn’t like diagnosing it”, then it was another referral and they told me to contact my primary care doctor about it, I had a pediatric neurologist I had asked about it too but she didn’t treat it, I just sent over a portal message to my current (adult) neurologist to see if he treats it. My primary doctor has told me she’s very much just a primary care, everyday sort of doctor but at least she listens to me so I might go back to her and explain my symptoms and what CFS/ME is more and see if she can help me since that’s what my rheumatologist told me to do. I just feel like I’m screaming and no one’s listening, I know there’s not really treatment for it but I want it confirmed so me and the people around me can understand more about what I’m going through.

Update: my adult neurologist (the one I messaged) said that a lot of things can cause fatigue and agreed that I should follow up with my PCP. I made an appointment for Friday with my PCP and I’m going to bring in some papers with info about CFS/ME on if to give to her. If she suggests referring me someone else if she can’t help me I’ll probably say no or that I’ll at least think about it, I’m just so done with the healthcare system and doctors, I’m burnt out and I can’t deal with this anymore, I need a long break from it all.

[mildlycursedhistoricalobject]

TW: SA

This is the only thing I’m gonna say about this, but yes, this post is about the Neil Gaiman allegations. Before I write my actual post, I’d like to say that my heart is with the victims and the victims only. I hope they receive both the support and justice they deserve.

Ok. Can we please stop attacking each other? People who are discrediting the stories of the women involved should stop, because surely they can see how the narratives they’re pushing are not only unhelpful but actively harmful. There really shouldn’t be “sides” here, because none us are involved in this situation, but it’s insane to me that some people have been so quick to completely dismiss the stories of each woman. People you like can be shitty.

However, everyone saying I told you so? That is equally NOT helpful. You’re not morally superior for disliking Neil Gaiman first, and again, the narrative that people “should’ve known better” is actively harmful for victims of SA.

In continuation, people are allowed to be upset that a work they’ve found solace in turns out to be created by someone accused of SA. I agree that this shouldn’t overshadow the emotional impact on the woman actually involved in the situation, but people expressing their own feelings about personal links to his work is not harming anyone, and shutting people down for doing that is once again NOT helpful.

I doubt I can seperate the art from the artist in this case, but those are my individual feelings. If someone doesn’t want to read his work anymore, that’s fine. If someone does, that’s also fine. Stop attacking each other, because like I said, the victims need to be put first, and forcing people to cut ties or not with Gaiman’s WORK isn’t doing anything constructive.

Now, in light of what I’ve just said I want to share two things (these are potentially triggering so please feel free to skip):

1. I was sexually assaulted in November last year by someone who I trusted, looked up to, loved, and I am still dealing with the consequences.

2. Do you know what novel helped me through this experience? Neil Gaiman’s “The Ocean at the End of the Lane.”

That book became very impactful in my life, very recently. So yes, as I said, I doubt I’ll be able to have the same relationship with it, or with Gaiman’s work, but I’m sure it’s pretty obvious that this whole thing has brought stuff up for me.

There are people like me all across various fandoms conected to Neil Gaiman. Stop assuming that you’re helping victims of SA by telling us we can’t feel upset because the work we found safety in was created by a man accused of the very thing that hurt us. You’re not helping.

I apologise of this post came across as irritated, or superior, because that’s really not my intention. I’m just saying there’s nuance here, and we should all think before we post. I’m just feeling pretty tired of all this “discourse” I keep seeing, and it’s distracting us from actual issues that we as a society need to be addressing.

To summarise, stop attacking one another. We should be supporting each other and the women involved.

(Edited a couple of words for clarity.)

[music-is-my-happy-place]

So after watching the series 16 finale (I refuse to call it season 2), I think I might genuinely be done with Doctor Who, at least the modern era. I love this show (new and classic) so much, but honestly, the decision to cast Billie Piper as the sixteenth Doctor is just so… bad. It’s bad and I hate it. (No shade to Billie Piper; I think she’s absolutely amazing.) They just keep bringing characters and actors back and relying on cheap nostalgia instead of actual quality stories. I just can’t with this anymore. I adore classic and modern Doctor Who and I appreciate the occasional callback or reference, but this isn’t it. They need to write some new stories with new characters. I know this show has a long history, but it doesn’t need to be brought back every five minutes. I’ve been cautiously optimistic for the future of this show throughout most of Ncuti’s run (and he is amazing), but this might be it for me. I still love this show, but I probably won’t watch any new episodes. I don’t post this to start any fights and I’m not trying to be a hater, so please be kind. I’m simply saying this as a genuine fan who’s sick and tired of the direction things have been going for a while and I’ve finally hit my breaking point. I don’t want any negativity and if you plan to watch future episodes, I don’t want to stop you, nor do I want to ruin any enjoyment you might have.

This post is a bit messy, but I needed to put my thoughts out there. I still love Doctor Who and plan to continue engaging with this community because you all are amazing. Doctor Who is truly an incredible show and I have loved (nearly) every minute of it. Thank you all for reading and I hope you have a wonderful day.

[manic-pixie-aquarius]

Some Byler hope, though I doubt anyone needs it

A lot of Byler doubters suggest that if Will's love for Mike is unrequited, a new love interest will be introduced in the final season and that love interest will become Will's boyfriend.

The interesting thing about this idea though: When have the Duffer's ever had a relationship in this show that doesn't date back years? Joyce and Hopper dated in High School. Jonathan and Nancy have always known each other. Sure, you could say, well, Mileven and Lumax become couples at the end of their respective seasons (which is pretty quickly compared to Byler or Jopper's slowburn). But like, the difference is those two couples have been dating for the majority of the show (like 3 or 4 seasons...). Why would they introduce someone for Will last minute? And yes, you could argue about Robin and Vickie, but still, Vickie is being introduced in the second to last season, Robin was barely introduced a season prior, so it makes sense. Also, it doesn't seem in character for Will to rush into another relationship with someone he hasn't known that long. As far as we know Will has never had a crush on anyone else but Mike, his heart is set on Mike! It would be awful to take that away from him in the final season when he's already gone through so much!