#and that is just one instance of many more

[tothewhirlwind]

I kind of disagree with you on porn in part because I think you're making a mistake about the structure of the pleasures you're drawing into analogy. The coffee example and the hamburger example both rely on the true idea that ordinary pleasures, even supernormal ones, don't typically put one on a hedonic treadmill that makes them seek out more and more potent versions of the source of pleasure.

But the mistake that I think you make is that you aren't seeing that sexual pleasures are slightly more mediated than food pleasures, most visibly through the orgasm. Let's stick with food. The pleasures of eating are basically immediate and relatively well-anchored to the particular food (there are exceptions, such as eating after brushing your teeth. The general case holds). there's no situation in which, having chewed a piece of celery in just the right way for about twenty minutes, it suddenly tastes absolutely phenomenal for a short while. But sex does have this feature, so sexual pleasure exhibits a little more autonomy from the source of pleasure than many basic pleasures do.

If you think an associationist view of pleasures and desires is a model that's close to the truth — that is, the idea that learning to associate great pleasure with certain things leads one to desire those things more — then you can imagine why this could make porn worrisome. But it's a different problem than the claimed supernormal stimulus. Rather than addicting someone to porn as such, the problem here would be that particular porn could lead to self-reinforcing enjoyment of more instances of that sort of porn.

But a problem with this is that it's actually not specific to porn videos at all. This same thing could happen with reading porn, masturbating over something you saw, or even just imagining scenarios. So it's not like mediated pleasure + association problem = a harm caused by porn as such.

I think a worry that sounds more reasonable is that the above combination of factors combines to give whatever specific mechanism of delivery for erotic content online predominates an undue influence over the desiring psychology of users of those delivery mechanisms. And this just leads to a particular instance of the general concerns about opaque algorithmic content delivery that others have already written about.

The nutshell version of this post is that maybe sex videos can hurt you, not because they're sex videos but because the structure of sexual enjoyment has self-reinforcement potential that could lead to bad results in the wrong content delivery environments.

So like, it's obvious to me reading the comments on my post that anti-porn people are largely like, afraid of porn. Like the concept of a sex video is really spooky to them. They're not making thoughtful critiques of the porn industry, which is genuinely a really fucked up industry, they're mostly just spooked by the concept of a sex video and what it could Do To You If You See It.

I said this in another post, but it's like, the difference between "a ton of coffee is produced using slave labor" (valid, important criticism of the coffee industry) and "coffee turns people into raving coffee addicts who forget how to interact with anyone because they're so obsessed with their coffee" (objectively not true, insane viewpoint).

It's literally just sex videos. They really cannot hurt you.

[xo-adeline]

"To Change For You..." - Twisted Wonderland

⋆°• ☁︎ - Things they do after picking it up from you!

Feat. Pan Nikos, Peyn Algos, Idia Shroud, and Leona Kingscholar

AN: The wonderful Pan Nikos and Peyn Algos belong to @kokii-omii ! (I’m so tempted to write for a bunch of the their other oc’s as well-) ☁︎ - Gn!Reader - Reader is described as Yuu (Leona’s Part and Peyn’s Part)

Pan Nikos - Gets (a little) better at not yelling at/threatening people during multiplier games If you had asked anybody in the Ignihyde dorm, or really anybody who had come in contact with him while playing video games, they would tell you the same thing: He’s scary. Whether they explained about the time that he had tried to leak the dorm's browser history, or just any time that they had been playing a co-op game, and they got a loud earful from the vice-housewarden. But everything was still the same, other times, though he could definitely mellow out, especially not in super stressful instances.

The first time that it had even been talked about was the night after a 5-hour co-op game between Idia and Pan. Of course, at the time, it was a little confusing, but even when Idia had stumbled into Pan later, he still seemed much more chill, even with all the hectic stuff that had been throwing the dorm members for a loop. And at every new problem that was brought up, there was a sense of tension in the air, and every time, there was a deeper scowl on Pan’s face. But before he could actually blow up and threaten anybody else, there was a deep breath, and he just let it go? Not only did it confuse the hell out of everybody who had seen it, but also Peyn and Idia, who were just standing there.

The second time this had ever shown up was when he was mid-boss battle, and one of his characters, which he had spent months building and perfecting, didn’t crit. Even with the lineup being perfect and every artifact in place, signature weapon, even 10-10-10 talents. And still it didn’t work, so in anybody's situation, they would have been pretty upset, and Pan, of course, was, but yet this time… There was just a little bit of some under his breath words, a pained noise, and then that same sigh, and instead he moved onto building one of his other characters. This was the time that they finally started to question it. And lo and behold, the only thing that was in common between both occasions. The fact that you, of all people, had made mention of the fact that it wasn’t the nicest to yell at everybody and that they were just trying to do their best, and yet somehow, even when Idia had mentioned the same thing, he only applied it when you had said it. And this had only added to the fact that he definitely played favorites, but hey, at least he was getting better at it?

Peyn Algos - Being (a little) less spiteful If there was one thing that anybody close to Peyn knew, it was the fact that he would only go out of his way to do things that would piss people off, case in point the many times that he would get into arguments with Riddle due to the abserdity of the Queen of Hearts rules. So, the first time that at a clear opportunity to make some sort of snide comment, he didn’t, people started to question everything. Was the world finally ending? No, or at least not yet. But the more times it happened, the more people started questioning it. Riddle was probably the first person to notice it, knowing how the Ignihyde student was one to jump at any moment to call him out on something, especially when it came to one of the 810 rules. Even the next time that he didn’t argue with Sebek about anything across the sun was the tell sign that something else was happening. And with their game on an update, Pan and Idia were about to find out why. Pan had the upper hand here when it came to understanding the majority of Peyn’s attitudes towards things; they were really good friends after all. But, it wasn’t long before they finally started to notice that this was an ongoing thing. Even if at some moments he didn’t end up making more comments, and the times that he didn’t, there were definitely unspoken words, and the way that he was really trying to bite his tongue was also supporting that fact. Now, after a few more minutes, there was only one person who really stuck out against everybody else. You. The one person who already stood out enough at the lack of magic, but even more so at the fact that you could get Peyn through a scolding without him back-talking whatsoever.

But that was the main thing that Pan and Idia noticed, the way he didn’t even seem like he wanted to. There was no sense of malice, no matter what you had said; it was like he really didn’t care what you were saying, just that you were around him and talking to him. And the more that the two of you talked, the more they had noticed that even at chances were there could have been a comment made, he didn’t even look like he was thinking about it. Or more often, when there was a chance that either he or you could leave the conversation, he never took it. Peyn had even when the extra mile to walk you back to Ramshackle, even knowing that Ignihyde was almost the exact opposite direction. Now it all made sense; it was only because you were the one who had mentioned it to him that he would have even considered it.

Both Pan and Idia were definitely making note of this for later dates…

Leona Kingscholar - Showing up to classes more often Safe to say that the first time in months that the Savanaclaw housewarden had actually shown up to class, there was a bit of a shock to everybody else. Most people had even forgotten that he was at the school, let alone even in their class. That’s how bad it was… Even the teacher had a confused look on his face when he saw Leona sitting in his assigned seat, when class was set to start. Of course, the initial reaction was just thinking that it was only because he knew that he had to get a certain number of days in to graduate, and it must have only gone towards that. But that idea was quickly shut down when the lion showed up 3 days in a row, was he on the verge of falling asleep every time? Hell yeah. But was he at least there? Also yeah.

This is also why a few of the students had launched a full-fledged undercover plan to figure out why he was coming so much. It didn’t take long or very much following around of Leona before they had found out the true reason behind his return. You. The magicless prefect that resided in Ramshackle. The very one that over anything else, had at least showed up to class and tried to keep their grades as high as they could, even without the use of magic. The group that had looked on this from afar was confused when they realized that one person could break him down and actually make him show up to class, but the more they started investigating, the more they found out about why that was.

The subtle glance from the housewarden when he watched as you spent your hangout time studying, the talks about some of the material that you were working on at the time - and more about asking him if he remembered anything about it and could help you, and last but certainly not least, the repetitive questions about how he could do nothing during the day and not get bored? Wasn’t there anything that he wanted to do other than just being part of the royal family? Wasn’t there anything that he wanted to learn about, or even just learn more about?

And maybe it was the way that you often asked these questions, that he finally started to do as you, offhandedly, suggested, and showed up to class. Now, there was no way that he was showing up with nothing in return. And what was he getting in return? For everything he was doing in class, he was also able to help you more and more, which meant less time for you to be constantly studying, and more time that you could be spending with him. It was a subtle difference, but to him, it meant everything in the world.

Idia Shroud - Leaving his room once in a while Before you, it was safe to say that he almost never left his room, and if he did? It was a beeline almost anywhere he actually needed to go. And being the good partner that you were, there was a constant trying to get him to at least see the sun before the end of the day. And yet, every day, there would always be some reason that he wouldn’t be able to leave. Whether it was some new event, online grinding for an upcoming event, or even some rereads of manga that you know he read, but says he didn’t, just so he didn’t have to go outside. Even Ortho had tried his hardest to get him up and out of the dorm, but there was only once in a few months that he would end up leaving the room, and for no longer than 15 minutes, max.

So there definitely was some gasps and onlookers the first time that you had actually dragged him on a walk around the campus, and for longer then the time he would normally be seen outside. Many of the people who had known about the ignihyde housewarden's tendencies were shocked to say the least. Luckily for Idia, nobody really interfered with the two of you at all, just choosing to stay away and instead pass the news on to friends through text message. Even if you were oblivious or not to the onlookers, there was a slight firmer grasp on the hand that he was holding, even if it did turn the ends of his hair slightly pink in the process. Good thing he had his hoodie that was pulled up ever so slightly.

From that day most people had just assumed it was a one time thing, they knew that both you and the housewarden were close so of course you would be trying to look out for him a little bit, but that was quickly shut down when a week later, around the same time, the two of you were back out and walking through the same area. And how long did this continue for? Months. Once a week, around the same time every week, and through some times the same area, other times different ones. But for some reason, it was only around you that he would ever even make the chance to leave the room he loved oh so much.

And little did anybody else know, that the whole reason was because he knew how much you hated that he never left his room. It was bad health after all! So, he was the person who proposed the idea of maybe taking small walks here and there, until it became a weekly trend that the two of you would partake in. It was a win-win in his eyes, he was able to spend more time with you and you got to see that he was actually leaving his room and getting some of the fresh air and vitamin D that he oh so desperately needed.

[kiame-sama]

Warnings; HAE TWST AU, Dragon politics, Dragon history, ALL Dragons are Yandere by default, discussing Malleus/ Maleanor/ Malefica/ Maleficent Hoards,

Very common. Most Fae and Fae-adjacent dream of becoming a Dragon's Hoard member. There are very few Dragons, as they live so long and very rarely have clutches bigger than a single egg that- often- takes years, decades, or even centuries to hatch. The Draconias are the strongest and well known of the Dragons left in Twisted Wonderland, only one or two other Dragons existing in the world outside of the three Draconias, and one is only based on rumor where there is one confirmed Day Fae Dragon who lives in unexplored mountains near Atlantia where Kida's family rules. This Day Fae Dragon is only known as "The Ancient One" and has not been seen for a millennia following their defeat at the claws of Maleficent.

To be selected as a Hoard member is an honor and a blessing to most, as Dragons are fiercely protective of their Hoards and will happily destroy anyone who unsettles or bothers their Hoard. Some Fae train their entire lives just to be considered by the Dragons, hence why Sebek is so focused on training himself to be better and stronger despite already being in Malleus' Hoard.

All known Dragons come from a noble bloodline. The Draconias are an ancient and long lived Night Fae bloodline. Even the Ancient One is supposedly a King of a bygone era where Day Fae were more abundant and widespread in a broader kingdom known as the Sunlight Realm. Even past Dragon bloodlines have been documented as leading back to royal lineage. Any Hoard member associated with this Dragon are treated as pseudo royalty, often taking up the tasks of pages, squires, ladies in waiting, retainers, confidants, council members, attendants, and even occasionally mates to their respective Dragons. Most Dragons have Hoard members that are known- to the Dragon, the other Hoard members, and their respective Kingdoms/Queendoms- as "Crown Jewel" Hoard members. The jewels on a royal's crown are typically the most rare, coveted, and expensive of the jewels available to that royal, so these Crown Jewel Hoard members are the top brass of their Hoard. More often than not a Crown Jewel Hoard member is the mate of the Dragon in charge of that Hoard or the closest confidant that Dragon has. Typically considered to be the most precious of the Hoard members, they are often elevated to the status of royal by the other Hoard members and the Dragon themselves.

As for success rates of mating an established Hoard member; it depends on the Dragon. - Maleficent had a rather large Hoard and it was common that she would spend weeks pouring over appeals and listening to each of her Hoard members advocate for their selected mates. If a mate did not measure up to her standards- polite (to her and her Hoard), safe (around the Humans of her Hoard), genuinely in love with the Hoard member and not their position in the Hoard- she would torch them herself. Almost all of her Hoard eventually found mates she deemed as worthy of them and her attention. - Malefica has a smaller Hoard, most of whom were grandfathered in from Maleficent's Hoard. A few new Hoard members were added, but she did not introduce many into her Hoard, if at all. Malefica rarely approved of anyone attempting to mate her Hoard members, so she wound up with several 'Maiden Hoards' comprised of unmated females that she took under her wing. Malefica was not fond of including males in her Hoard, but would do so on rare instances. - Maleanor was much more ambivalent about her Hoard, as many of them were from Malefica and Maleficent's Hoards respectively. She was usually a 50/50 chance on torching any who approached her, let alone those who approached to try and join her Hoard through direct means or mating means (then it was about a 90/10 chance, 90% odds they would burn). Lilia and Baur were two of her favorite Hoard members, both of whom had parents or grandparents began as the elder Dragons' Hoard members. Lilia's parents were in Malefica's Hoard, Baur's grandparents were in Maleficent's Hoard. Raverne- Maleanor's mate- was not initially a Hoard member, but had befriended Lilia and Baur, eventually catching the eye of Maleanor herself. Raverne was what Maleanor considered to be her "Crown Jewel" of her Hoard and was eventually made into her Mate. - Malleus' Hoard is comprised of only four individuals (not including Malefica, and Maleficent, or their direct Hoards). Sebek was grandfathered in, as Baur (Sebek's Grandfather) was part of Maleanor's Hoard and was subsequently put into Malefica's Hoard after Maleanor's passing. Lilia was actually banished from the Hoard as he left Maleanor's side to deliver Malleus' egg to safety, considered to be one of the reasons Maleanor died. Despite his banishment, Malleus recognizes Lilia as a father due to Lilia making that arduous trek with his egg to bring it to safety and using his own magic/paternal love to supplement what his parents would have given him if they had not died. Even though Malefica and Maleficent are hesitant to allow Lilia to be a Hoard member, Malleus has made himself clear that he will follow where Lilia goes. Silver is the adopted son of Lilia, so Silver was Grandfathered into Malleus' Hoard via association. The Human is the only Hoard member Malleus did not have prior interactions with before being brought into the Hoard, meaning Malleus favors the Human more than his other Hoard members. He considers the Human to be the "Crown Jewel" of his Hoard.

If a death happens inside the Hoard, they are often given full ceremonial rights that vary depending on the dragon and if that Dragon is Day Fae or Night Fae. Night Fae Dragons preform these rights under a full-moon following the death of the Hoard member. On the night that these rights are preformed, the Dragon in charge of that Hoard consigns the soul of the departed Hoard member to 'the Stars and Moon' as stars and celestial bodies are considered holy to the night Fae. Their bodies are burned after these rights so that the ashes may ascend to the sky to fall among the stars. If it is the Dragon who has died, the entire Hoard enters a state of mourning and preforms funeral rights. Any who were considered instrumental in the death of the Dragon- either directly or indirectly- are banished from the Hoard, if not outright killed for their folly. Any living Dragon ancestor or descendant of that deceased Dragon will attend these rights and preform them for the Dragon, burning the body. The Hoard members that remain after the death of the Dragon are often absorbed into the Ancestor's/Descendant's Hoards. Malefica inherited most of Maleanor's Hoard and banished Lilia for leaving his post.

[fuctacles]

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The chamomile is still slightly warm when Eddie gets back to it. Steve's legs cross over his lap and he feels not only allowed but expected to put his hand there and play with the coarse hair of his thigh. The body heat is a little too much for comfort, but it's a small price to pay to be close like this. 

"What are you telling Robin?" Eddie asks, because it's the easier way to talk about their current status, or the nearest future of it. 

He observes closely how Steve's mouth twists with distaste. 

"Uh, preferably nothing, but I know she'll find out sooner than later. She's been insufferable about it since forever."

Eddie raises his eyebrows curiously. 

"What does 'forever' mean?"

"Uh..." Steve looks away immediately. 

"Steve," he chastises him, putting more pressure into his fingers to dig them into the flesh of his thigh. Steve's evasive gaze snaps back to his hand.

"Forever," he repeats. "As soon as I could focus on anything other than killing Vecna, probably. Maybe earlier," he admits. 

Eddie blinks at him. He keeps staring as his brain supplies him with all the instances of Steve being close, leaning in for monster-fighting camaraderie, which apparently might have been more than that. And later befriending him as a dog. He frowns. 

"Were you dog-stalking me because you were into me?" he asks, feigning offence but both curious and amused at the idea.

"No...no!" Steve protests immediately but by the flush blooming on his cheeks, Eddie knows there's more to it. 

"You did!" he gasps. "You little creep!" Eddie swats at his thigh. "And they call me a freak! I probably undressed in front of you, didn't I?" No matter how hard he thinks about it, he can't remember, but since he thought Steve was just a regular dog at that time, why wouldn't he? It's not like it's indecent to change your shirt in front of a pet. 

"I didn't look," Steve murmured defensively, proving further that it had happened. 

"You also didn't stop me!" 

"How?" Steve frowns at him. "How would I stop you without exposing myself?" Then, he swiftly slaps his palm over Eddie's mouth.

"Don't," he warns.

"Hmph?"

"You were going to make a joke about 'exposing myself'." Steve gives him a flat stare.

Eddie's eyes crinkle with mirth. He shrugs.

"D-h."

Steve sighs and removes his hand, but not before wiping it on Eddie's shirt. Then he settles back into his previous position. 

"It was Dustin's idea, anyway."

Eddie widens his eyes at him, baffled.

"To creep on me?!"

"No!" It's Steve's turn to swat at him, now getting mildly annoyed. "He comes to me one day, all smirking like the little bastard that he is, and tells me you like dogs, and that I should go tell you. Because he wants us to be friends so badly, and a Steve-dog would be a great ice-breaker," he huffs.

"And your take from this was to shapeshift and start following me," Eddie deadpans. 

"I wanted to ease you into it?" Steve offers weakly.

"But then you didn't want the scratches to stop," he teases. 

"Well..." Steve's cheeks redden, and Eddie laughs. 

"It's okay, water under the bridge," he reassures him with a gentle nudge. "We're in a good place now, right?" 

"Right." Steve smiles, happily wiggling his butt in the space between Eddie's legs and the back of the couch. "What do you want for dinner?" he asks, taking a glance at the clock on the wall. 

"It's a bit late for a date, don't you think?"

"Huh?"

Eddie raises his hand, wiggling his fingers to remind him of their earlier activities.

"You already ate my cum, you don't need to wine and dine me," he says with a grin. 

Steve gapes at him for a moment, the blush he just managed to tamp down, coming back. But he finds it in himself to school his features into a charming smile. He reaches down to wrap his hand over the meat of Eddie's thigh, pull him just a bit closer. 

"On the contrary. There's still many bases to cover."

"Ohjesus," Eddie breathes out, turning pink himself. 

"And we can totally have a date today if you want. Wanna go out or stay in?" Steve cocks his head, relishing in having the upper hand again, tapping into what he knows. 

"I, uh, inside, I guess?" 

Steve nods, utterly pleased with the effect he has on him.

"More privacy, smart. Should we order in or cook?"

"Uh, we already cooked yesterday?" Eddie offers, feeling a little uprooted. He's never been on a date before, not even an indoor one. 

"True, we can have a lazy day today." Steve smiles, squeezing his thigh. The boy jumps slightly under his hand. "I'm gonna go grab the menus, hold this for me?"

He hands him his almost empty coffee mug and leaves the comfy groove he's made himself between Eddie's body and couch cushions. Eddie grunts as he balances off of him. 

"Thanks." Steve hesitates as he takes back the mug, but makes up his mind quickly and leans down to give him a peck on the lips. Eddie might have been unprepared, but catches on quickly, angling his face to lock their lips together. The parting takes a little longer than planned, but none of them seem to mind. "I'll be right back," Steve reminds him with a smile, pulling apart with a wet smack. 

Eddie licks his lips. 

"You better."

"Kitchen is literally right around the corner!" Steve points out, almost there already. 

It takes them longer than usual to decide on the order anyway, because they can't stop making out once that seal is broken, that blanket permission that yes, you can have at it whenever, I want to kiss you too. Eddie thinks it's going to be a great date no matter what they will get anyway. 

But once his mouth is busy with something other than Steve, he remembers the question that's been evaded later. 

"So..." he clicks his tongue while shoveling fried rice onto his fork. "This is a date."

Steve blinks up at him, slurping in his noodles with a wet sound that makes him snort. He presses his foot into Eddie's shin while he chews, and then clears his throat.

"Yes. And?" he cocks his head. They are sitting on the floor at the coffee table, facing each other, with plates of Chinese food between them.

"Does that mean we're dating?" Eddie focuses on his plate, hoping he won't come off as stupid or naïve if he isn't looking. "I'm not familiar with the rituals."

Steve lets out an amused huff. 

"I guess so. But it can mean whatever you want. No pressure."

When he looks up, it's Steve staring into his plate.

"I don't feel pressured. But I'm not sure what I want," he admits. "Like, I just figured out this is something I might want, and I don't have a huge frame of reference. You'd probably have to guide me a bit."

Steve looks up.

"I don't mind that," he gives him a small, shy smile. "We can figure it out as we go."

"Cool."

"Cool."

They smile at each other, goofy and happy, and resume their dinner. Until Eddie grins widely, giggling to himself. 

"What?" Steve raises his eyebrow, wary of whatever is happening in his... date's brain.

"I'm dating a werewolf! How cool is that?"

Steve shakes his head fondly and doesn't correct him. 

That's a wrap on the main story but I might write some extras for this AU.

Tags: @noodle-shenaniganery @jaytriesstrangerthings @imaginary-maggie-waggie @samsoble @croatoan-like-its-hot @dragonmama76 @storyranger @scoops-aboy86 @ollyxar @estrellami-1 @stevesworldxx @ajeff855 @live-laugh-love-dietrich @thelittleclare @wheneverfeasible @bumblebeecuttlefishes @blasvemous @phantomcat94 @n33dlew0rk @manliest-of-muppets @ravenfrog @dreamercec @tartarusknight @dauntlessdiva @eyehartart @ellietheasexylibrarian @im-sam-fucking-winchester

[colourobserver]

A lot of people are not going to like me for saying this but…it needs to be said. And no one is even going to read this but…vent time!

For starters,

MOVIE TERESA AND BOOK TERESA ARE VERY, VERY DIFFERENT.

I know that people realise that movie Teresa only got her memories later on and made her decision on whether the gladers should be given up for a cure. Yet people seem to miss the fact that this DOESN’T happen in the books. So let’s talk about some things book Teresa has done.

Just so it’s clear, I UNDERSTAND why people don’t hate Teresa. I understand people not thinking she is evil, OKAY? I get that. Bc when I too look at the situation of The Maze Runner from an outside perspective without emotional attachments to the characters I can understand the importance of doing what they could to find a cure. The good of the many and all that jazz.

Now something that people SOMEHOW seem to forget is that book Teresa DIDN’T just do things for ‘the good of the many’ and even when she did she was super heartless about it. She cared for Thomas a whole lot more than anyone else so I don’t believe it’s a matter of her wanting to save everyone too.

1. In the books Teresa knew basically EVERYTHING—even if she didn’t she knew enough—that was going to happen to the boys. At times one word could have saved lots of lives and Wicked still would have got their variables or whatever. For instance she knew Chuck was going to be controlled by Wicked to jump in front of Thomas when Gally shoots him. The same way they were forcing Gally. She also knew other stuff that was happening in the trials for like how she could have at least said something about IDK MAYBE THE BIG MOLTEN METAL BALLS THAT LITERALLY BURNT THOSE KIDS ALIVE.

2. In the end when she planned on saving Thomas and no one else. UMM SO WE JUST FORGOT THAT THAT HAPPENED? It is crazy to me how people portray Teresa as super caring of everyone and stuff bc if YOU were in the maze she would not give two shits if you lived or died. As well as how everyone but Thomas were ‘subjects’ to her.

3. Teresa’s whole ‘I love you Thomas. We’re in this together’ and not only lying to him about the fact he was going to have his memory swiped and not her but manipulating him into comforting her in that bit in fever code that she says “tell me that we’ll survive this. Tell me that we will save our friends together”—something like that anyways. She KNEW the maze was gonna kill most of the kids yet she made Thomas say that right before she let Paige drug him and wipe his memories etc.

4. Teresa’s whole ‘if I didn’t go with Wicked’s plan they would have killed you Thomas” really says a lot about her care for literally anyone that ISN’T Thomas.

5. Teresa’ reaction to Minho calling her a traitor in the scorch when she shrugged and said “I’m sick of apologising. I did what I had to to” like that is SO insensitive to EVERYTHING Minho went through! Have you no empathy???

6. Before that when she whacked Thomas on the head with a gas chamber and spear much more than even necessary has me with mixed feelings about how much she truly loves Thomas or whether she was just attached to him. Maybe it was more of a possession thing? We always talk about male love interests being possessive but not the girl…but that a whole other thing.

7. Teresa having the AUDACITY to telepathically tell Thomas when he was kidnapped and put into a white room for like ever that “wicked is good” ehh, ever heard of time and place?

I also hate the whole “you just don’t get her like I do” like yes, if you are talking about the fact she wanted to save everyone and not just a select few then YES in fact any one with a bloody moral compass can see that. You are allowed to feel that way, ofc you are. But no, you aren’t understanding her on a deeper level you are understanding something that everyone should be able to understand.

And then movie Teresa…I don’t rlly care if you love her or not. Mostly because she actually showed guilt when torturing Minho. I personally don’t like her either but I don’t hate her.

(Also I think that if movie Teresa wasn’t so conventionally attractive she wouldn’t be nearly as liked. I’ve literally had someone tell me that she’s their favourite character because she’s so ‘hot’.

Yall im in a war zone saying this but oh well.

[fatalism-and-villainy]

Generally cosign the above commentary, but I have a few more things to add.

First of all, Bashir is not the only doctor in Starfleet to have a romantic relationship with a patient. Beverly Crusher, on TNG’s “The Host,” also ends up treating someone she’s romantically involved with (it’s a medical emergency, so more of a necessity than Bashir’s treatments of Melora, but still something another doctor would ideally handle in a real life situation, especially since the treatment persists past the immediate emergency). In “Lifesigns,” on Voyager, the EMH also pursues a romantic relationship with a patient (in that case, with the exact same sexist “if a woman says no, you just have to try harder/try a different approach” romance script that both Bashir’s early pursuit of Dax and Vic Fontaine’s introduction invokes). For some reason, I never see those scenarios get criticized.

(I also think “putting someone a doctor is romantically interested in in medical danger” is a pretty common TV go-to when it comes to giving a doctor a plot line. It’s not at all unique to Bashir, nor really written with real world medical ethics in mind.)

Furthermore, the instances with Melora and Sarina are not actually all that similar. With Melora, the degree to which she’s even a “patient” is questionable. He’s in charge of putting accessibility features in place for her on the station, and it’s implied that that’s part of his role as CMO (see also the scene in “Improbable Cause” when he’s talking to Kira about the specifications for an alien species’ quarters); he also gives a report to Sisko on her medical capacity for the mission to the Gamma Quadrant, a procedure to which Melora takes offense. But their initial relationship is not premised on him actively administering treatment, and when he says he’s not her doctor anymore, I take it to mean that the extent of his medical duties to her have been fulfilled. He does step in when she injures herself, but due to budgetary restrictions, many episodes act as if he’s the only one on duty in the infirmary, and he treats many other people he’s close to. As alluded to in the OP, as CMO, the health of the entire station is ultimately under his jurisdiction, even though he’s not the one personally treating everybody. So I’m not convinced this set of examples makes their relationship primarily doctor/patient.

It does become so when he proposes and then begins administering the treatment to help her walk without mobility aids. Obviously, there are ethical issues with running this with someone he’s involved with! But I do think it is important to be specific about this series of events, because vagueness begets a game of telephone that obscures the actual wrongdoing. (And in real life situations, this can have consequences much more dire than an interpretation of a television show.) “He dates his patients” implies that he’s using the infirmary as his personal dating pool, when it’s not so (to be fair, he does have an interaction with Vash in “Q-Less” that has that vibe, but it’s not a recurring behaviour for him).

The situation with Sarina is completely different. Sarina does start out explicitly as his patient - she’s brought to the station for him to operate on her, and his introduction to her and the other augments in “Statistical Probabilities” is also intended to be a doctor/patient dynamic. Furthermore - and perhaps more importantly - Sarina has never lived independently or been able to exercise personal autonomy. She’s not even allowed to consent to the procedure herself - her legal guardian has to do it. She’s very likely never been given a chance to explore her sexuality, and is pretty clear that she has no frame of reference for romantic relationships (she tells Bashir that she doesn’t understand what love is). The power differential is vastly more concerning in that instance, and Bashir’s motivations are also more selfish and self-deluding (he believes simply giving her up as a patient will erase that power differential when it’s not so, and she still feels indebted to him and obligated to make him happy). I feel the need to elaborate on this, because I’ve seen people say that it’s contradictory for the show to frame one as bad and the other not, or for Bashir to feel guilty about pursuing Sarina but not Melora, but I don’t think it is at all. Both may raise ethical concerns to us as viewers, but there are still very different degrees of harm or potential harm at play.

On the topic of his other relationships… his conduct in his relationship with Leeta is pretty unobjectionable. Same with Ezri. (I’ve seen people frame him as a predator in that dynamic, when he’s really not. After his initial hiccup, he’s pretty scrupulously respectful of her, up until the part where they’re both circling awkwardly around each other. In fact, of the three men who are attracted to Ezri, his behaviour and attitude towards her are actually the least objectionable to me.) His conduct towards Jadzia is genuinely pretty poor (following her back to her quarters in “Dax” is particularly beyond the pale for me), but I do think he gets unjustly demonized for his later resurgence of feelings for her in late season six, with people blaming him for writing decisions they object to. It’s not morally wrong to simply have an old crush come back and not act on it.

Regarding this:

And in between, we get Jadzia mentioning he’s been with a couple other women while pursuing her, Miles and him butting heads because Bashir evidently does not like the idea of committment and monogamy, and he does have several moments throughout the show where he is very much sort of the closest to being a womanising skirt chaser on the whole. …when we do get a focus on Bashir and romance, it’s… not usually a flattering look for him, and there is definitely a lot to be said about that.

I really have to push back on the idea that this is “not flattering” (especially the exchange with Miles in “Armageddon Game”). Not being interested in commitment and monogamy is an entirely morally neutral preference that says nothing on its own about his attitudes towards women or interpersonal ethical conduct. Bashir is by no means a perfect individual - broadly, he has problems with boundaries, with being overbearing and sometimes outright selfish and self-aggrandizing, and (yes) has some latent sexist tendencies. But simply enjoying casual sex and having ambivalent feelings about long-term partnership are not the problem here. I am certain that those attributes do nonetheless inform some of the fan reaction, given that many people seem to have it in their heads that monogamy is “better for women,” but frankly, we don’t have to lend credence to that idea.

The reason that Bashir’s (legitimate) flaws in this regard tend to attract hyperscrutiny from fandom likely can be attributed to racism (and I also have a theory - related to the above paragraph - that it’s a result of the 2010s era backlash against sex positivity on here). But, as I’ve said to some people before, I suspect a large part of it is also his failure to conform to the standards of conventional masculinity, and especially the standards of masculinity that people expect from “womanizer” types. (Much of this can be attributed to Sid’s performance, as I discussed here, and there’s definitely a discussion to be had about how that in and of itself intersects with race.) Because of this failure at masculinity, his attraction to and pursuit of women registers to many viewers as both laughable and grotesque, hence why the (again, sometimes genuinely objectionable) specifics of those dynamics render more prolonged and vociferous criticism (from both the straight guy side of fandom and the the progressive, feminist side of fandom).

Okay, as funny as I sometimes find it, I do think it's sort of worth noting that canonically Julian Bashir dated... exactly two characters who were *primarily* his patients, with a six year gap between these incidents.

And with both those cases, he tries to switch off being their primary doctor before dating them.

(That isn't to say there aren't ethical issues still present in both scenarios but it's hardly "local doctor simply cannot stop dating his poor patients" material, is it?)

(And if we take anyone he's ever treated medically off the table then he's just not allowed to date anyone on the station ever because he treats damn near everyone at some point or another!)

[rqplur4ever]

Thank u for being a safe space for pedos/maps,,, ive found out recwntly im probs a pedo and its been rlly hard to cope with,, thank you

nothing to thank me for at all!! ill always support my fellow maps especially any who just realised they're one. i get it, it's very very regular for maps to feel intense shame over it. it's hard not to in a world that stigmatises them so badly, nothing wrong with struggling in that position.

i made a post on how to deal with internalised mapphobia and shame around it before, so im just gonna link that since i dont have many more tips to add than those. biggest one that's helped me is being involved in mapfriendly communities. for me that was pediverse instances (nnia.space and then freak.university before it shut down) at first, but there's obviously tons more even besides radqueer tumblr. map-wiki.com has a whole page on online map communities, i recommend looking through it if you're interested in finding more pro map communities!

either way you're always welcome to go into my inbox if you need help or support or just acceptance. i love all maps i think it's incredibly impressive and strong and admirable to stand by your identity as a map in a world that hates us so much. i genuinely hope you'll be able to do that without shame one day anon, same for any other maps with bad internalised mapphobia. you deserve to be happy and proud of who you are just like everyone else and are not a bad person for your attractions ever. map pride forever!!!! 💙🩵💛🤍💛🩷❤️

[panfroggy]

Thunderbolts* and It's Musical Theme

I want to share all the times we hear the main Thunderbolts* theme melody play throughout the film. I'll sight the track where I can, however theres 1 time where I don't remember/can't figure out the correct track so I'll just tell you what I remember. Take that with a little salt.

Take everything I say with a grain of salt since I don't currently have the movie infront of my to crossreference my memory/findings.

First, what am I considering the main line of the theme. I'm considering the 8 note motif in the track 'Thunderbolts' the melody line. It's a rising and descending line made of 3+2+3 beats. Listening to that first may help you understand the rest of this.

1. When Yelenea picks up the picture of her peewee soccer team (Track: The Light Inside You Is Dim)

This is the first time the theme plays in the entire movie. (I'm pretty sure.) It's not played on the triumphant brass but instead on low strings. This is the movie introducing us to the music that will define the Thunderbolts, but it's also showing us that we're still missing the team in an aspect.

2. During Bucky's first phone conversation with Mel. (I don't have the track for this one? I'm genuinely not sure)

I may have hallucinated this. But, when Mel brings up the avengers and such during the phone call I remember faintly hearing the thunderbolts theme in the background. I may have misheard this? But is it is true, It's really good foreshadowing for what the Thunderbolts* will eventually become. Fighters, protecting the people of new york. (This might be the avengers theme???? I don't think so though. Grains of salt)

3. Escaping the Vault (Track: Maybe We'll All Get Out of Here Alive)

Okat, this one is interesting. The main theme is once again played on strings, but they're higher pitched then we here in Alexei's house. Infact, they're the strings used in part of the main theme. So, not the brass yet but getting closer. Also, the theme plays towards the very end of this track, and I'm pretty sure this is when Bob sacrafices himself and runs off to distract the guards. Our team is starting to work as a team, kind of, and the music is beginning to reflect that.

4. Deciding to go to New York (Track: For The Glory)

Okay this is the big one. It's a much slower version of our main theme then is truly used. However it builds in a very powerful way. It's the team finally together and more or less agreeing to go fight together. IK they don't have a ton of choice in the matter BUT STILL. It's an important part, especially for the music.

5. Fighting their way into the watch tower (Track: Left The Door Unlocked)

This is the first time we hear brass being introduced into the main theme, at least if your going in official play list order. It's the first instance of all of the Thunderbolts* fighting side by side in a working manor. It goes HARD and the very short begining of the melody we hear in the track is an amazing taste of what's to come.

SIDE NOTE TIME: After this I get really fuzzy on what track is playing when, so we're gonna have to just try our best here. Once again, don't have the movie to cross reference atm. Luckily,it's just this New York fighting bit. SO just, hold on. We're gonna make it. I get back into knowing after Yelena's Choice.

6. Yelena going into The Void (Track: Yelena's Choice)

This is once again on melancholic strings, but I really like that the theme plays as she goes in because it is the *team* theme but it's also Yelana's Team. The theme plays and she goes, it's only logical that the others are going to follow eventualy and they do.

7. Thunderbolts* Main Theme (Plays at the end of the movie)

Okay now I'm gonna actually talk about the theme. This theme is amazing in so many ways. As I have pointed out, it is shown and made up of things we hear throughout the ost. The drums are pulled from other tracks, the strings, the main theme line itself. You can find a ton of it sprinkled throughout the score because Son Lux knew exactly what they were doing. I could've talked about everytime just an element of this theme is present in the score but this post would be 7 miles long. So I stuck to the core 8 note line.

The theme itself is a gorgeous musical blend of fanfare and this honestly very sad sounding string part thats been throughout the movie. It is a powerful and triumphant theme that just drives home the movies messaging and all that it's music has been building up to.

Nows where I talk about the ORIGINAL avengers theme. Both of these themes share the same classic opening, but almost instantly diverge fantastically. The original avengers theme is a heavy brass fanfare that instantly drives into its heroic trumpets and strong drums. The Thunderbolts* instant begins with soaring string lines and then the brass falls into place. The cores of each theme are different and reflect each team themselves perfectly. I do not agree that the Thunderbolts* theme is a remix in any compacity, it just illudes to the original theme.

Overall, I love the music in this film. I will probably make another post about different elements of the main theme and places where songs match up and stuff like that. For now, Enjoy this semi-comprehensive list of the main theme being in the entire soundtrack.

[theo-throne]

[the-spite-of-a-dandelion]

Writing my Dead Boy Detectives fic is forcing me to acknowledge that the whole layout of their office is very different than how I picture it.

[cobra-creampuff]

the fact that they made it illegal to make ads louder than programs on tv in 2010 but haven't updated it to apply the same regulation to streaming. who do i have to call.

[ducktracy]

Were there any shorts that paired Bugs and Porky? Like the the only ones I can think of are from New Looney Tunes/Wabbit and I just know there had be shorts that starred just them before that.

OH MAN!!! OKAY. i'm going to preface this right now with: the answer is simple (tl;dr: barely, i'd say only one truly counts during the classic era) but the Porky and Bugs dynamic has become a side obsession for me within the past year or so, and i don't really have many opportunities to talk about it on this blog. so i will probably end up giving you way too much info than what you asked for. so there's the tldr above! and to reiterate it further...

SO. YES. to answer your question, they were occasionally paired together in the classics, but nothing really meaningful. Porky's Hare Hunt, which is a self-admitted rip on Porky's Duck Hunt, births a prototypal Bugs Bunny who could not be further from his fully realized counterpart... but there is a direct lineage.

this is the only short in the classics to have them actually talking to each other, and even then, proto-Bugs sounds nothing like how he would. i both count this one and don't, really... it's more interesting to count it, but, this isn't really Bugs. but as the title implies, it's all about Porky's attempts to hunt this screwy rabbit who keeps heckling him and slipping out of his fingers. it also births the Groucho Marx-ism of "of course you realize, this means war!" associated with the real Bugs, so there is that going for it!

interestingly, this model sheet surfaced a few months ago--Bob Clampett had said something in an interview about him helping out with the story for this one, and i always dismissed that as one of his "exaggerations" since he had a knack for making many mountains out of molehills, including his involvement in the origins of Bugs... but this does look like a Clampett or Clampett unit drawing, and the short was directed by Ben "Bugs" Hardaway, whose style was markedly different... so, just thought that was interesting! never got to talk about this yet. this model sheet is more appealing than the whole cartoon!

there's also this from Hare-um Scare-um, which is another proto-Bugs short... very prophetic honestly

there's also Any Bonds Today, where Porky appears in the background alongside Elmer and has at least one line to help shill war bonds, but it's really Bugs' thing first and foremost and he's just sort of there to look pretty and rouse jingoism through being a recognizable and "reliable" face

BUT! the next true Porky and Bugs short in 1943, which is more relevant to your question. A Corny Concerto is really only the "true" short that pairs them together... and it's for half the runtime of the short, and neither of them say a word to each other LOL. but they're together in the Tale of Vienna Woods segment, and i HIGHLY recommend watching it if you haven't yet--extremely entertaining and charming, and paints a very interesting glimpse of what a Porky and Bugs dynamic would look like, had that been a thing. very antagonistic! Porky is hunting Bugs again, who's heckling him (again), coming to a climax where he fakes Porky out by pretending to die and then slaps him in a gag that makes it look like Porky is being a masher. normal stuff.

and thanks to this short i've fostered the headcanon that i think Porky and Bugs would absolutely detest each other if they were ever to interact and it gives me great joy to think about, and has been something i've been thinking about and concocting in my mind palace very much lately.

AND THAT'S REALLY IT FOR MAJOR APPEARANCES.. i talked about it in this ask, but the end of Porky Pig's Feat does make history by being the only time all the flagship stars appear together--Porky and Daffy are held prisoner in a hotel since they couldn't pay their rent, and they start reminiscing on how Bugs Bunny, the great cartoon star, would be able to get out of such a mess... and they try to get his help, only for it to reveal that he's stuck in the same situation! Porky doesn't say anything to Bugs/hardly regards him, but he does start the "gosh, if Bugs Bunny were only here" discussion... Bugs is really more like a godlike cartoon figure here rather than an actual character, and i see it more as a loophole for Frank Tashlin to work with Bugs, since he was very vocal about his disappointment in not getting to direct him often due to being low in the studio hierarchy and being "stuck with the damn pig" (rude!!)

and the last instance of them together that i can think of is a very brief part in the 1964 Dumb Patrol short (clarifying the date since there's a 1931 Bosko short by the same name): Porky in a silent cameo is slated to take down Yosemite Sam's warplane, but Bugs knocks him unconscious and steals his place because "he's got a wife and six piglets at home!" (...or, it's just a slightly more creative way of concocting exposition for what's a subpar Bugs and Yosemite Sam short)

and that's it for the shorts! ...so, surely, you're asking "okay, but why the long winded anticipatory introduction?" and to THAT! i say... because Porky and Bugs had a sort of double life and were very frequently paired in merchandising together.

Bugs was Porky's Daffy-figure in the comics, to the point where they were often the face of the comics together. usually a lot of stories revolving around Bugs trying to stir up Mr. Moral Goody Two Shoes Porky and get him in trouble, the two going on adventures together, or them just being buddies. it's... weirdly fascinating? the comics were often drawn and written by many of the same figures who worked on the cartoons, so it's a very interesting "what if" scenario that might give insight as to what it'd be like if we got more Porky and Bugs shorts

one of my all time favorite comic stories is an entire story about a big, convoluted misunderstanding where everyone things Porky wants to kill Bugs and they all try to stop him. the comics have been excellent fodder in fueling my "Porky just hates Bugs' guts" headcanon that i kinda just thought was me being funny, but has a weird amount of "evidence" for it LOL.

i mean Porky just goes straight for the ankle breaker here!

SO! they have been paired together in the past, but in a sort of strange, convoluted way. in terms of shorts there's very little, and the only time they ever talk to each other one on one is when Bugs is in his most primordial form. the comics and merchandising of the era paint more of a picture of what that dynamic could be like, but maybe a bit of a dubious one, since the characterizations and writing and general style of the comics are a bit different and more sanitized than the irreverence of the shorts, in both tone and format

[justablognothingweirdhere]

Genuinely insane how American Housewife had an entire plot line dedicated to Cooper wanting to tell his girlfriend that he loved her and Oliver not wanting him to, only for the resolution to be both Cooper and Oliver losing their girlfriends and saying “I love you” to each other instead and after all that they’re still not canon.

[sort-of-a-hero-that-way]

Dennis shielding Dee whether it's physical harm or a verbal confrontation. And thinking about ada's tag alongside the gifs

They're both of equal threat to him...

[uncanny-tranny]

Hey, you're being lied to about what fitness constitutes. If you can't work in an hour-long crossfit slog, but you can work in a five-minute walk, then that is still fitness. If you can't use your legs but you can do arm circles every now and again, that is still fitness. If you're moving around at work, that's still fitness. It can be intentional or incidental, but here's the best part: your body doesn't care if you're dedicating specific work-out times. It doesn't care if the "only" fitness it gets is your nine to five on your feet. It doesn't care, fitness is fitness is fitness. Some of us do it differently, but the end result is more or less similar.

If you can do any type of fitness safely, your body isn't going to care if you're doing it like an Olympic athlete or if you're just a casual.

[qi-mera]

Thoughts on any particular Ghostbusters au you enjoy or loathe with your entire being?

The Ghostbusters AUs I like the most are my own and the shared AU I have with my friends from back when we did RP. I have yet to find any other AUs that I particularly like, but I'm thankful for the ones I've got.

As for an AU I hate, the one I've seen where Phoebe remains dead and permanently stuck in ghost form makes my blood boil. It was bad enough that Frozen Empire had the audacity to imply Phoebe was suicidal, but for fans to lean into that and make it even worse? That's truly messed up. It's bleak, it's depressing, and it has no place in something called Ghostbusters. This is supposed to be a horror-comedy, for goodness sake. Phoebe is a kid with her whole life ahead of her. I've had to block people over this because seeing it makes me so upset.

The Ghostbusters are more than comfort characters to me, they are symbols of hope. Phoebe is no different. I'd sooner see her climb out of Hell than give up her life, and I know her loved ones would be there to help pull her up.