#its really depressing and great and complex

[pzyii]

(for @foolforbuffy || further explanation about this post)

So first things first, Willow ressurected Buffy which ended up leading to Warren trying to kill Buffy, and with that Tara died. This doesn't mean Taras death is Willows fault, it just kinda happened, like Tara would've survived if they had decided to go out for icecream, they were both just really unlucky.

When Buffy was shot things weren't looking that good for her. Like she may have slayer healing but she was shot in the chest. Slayer healing probably only really kept her alive for as long as she did so she didn't die imediatly like Tara.

Because Tara died, Willow absorbed all the books and went dark. Now more powerful than ever, she saved Buffys life, since we've espablished Buffys life was actually in serious danger.

Meaning if that bullet had missed Tara, Buffy might've died instead. And Willow would've lost one of them either way. But since Buffys ressurection ultimatly caused Taras death, Taras death also then ultimatly caused Buffys survival.

Its a life for a life.

And Willow accidentally ended up chosing Buffys life over Taras that day when she ressurected her.

[tunapesto]

picking a course makes me want to cry and throw up so bad

[phagodyke]

reading ttg is just reminding me that no soulmates trope will EVER beat watashi/ozu... oh your guys are in love? that's cute. mine arent but they meet in every single life to be best friends and annoy the shit out of each other <3

[woesoftheirwretched-if]

death, life, is there a life after death?

WOES OF THEIR WRETCHED.

| “You will be getting your revenge, no matter what the cost is and whom you have to use..”

Main blog : @pearldvs || other if blogs : none....

LINKS :

DEV-LOGS || FAQ || WARNINGS || SECRET ROS & FLINGS || MASTERLIST || BUG REPORT || THE SEED verse 9:80

PLOT: a recommended 18+ interactive fiction (that contains disturbing/dark subject matter that is not for everyone)that takes place in a mix and alternate universe of ancient medieval times. Nothing in this story will be historically accurate. Woes of their wretched (wotw-if) is where you play as a consort of a cruel king, Leif. You are going to get your revenge for yourself and possibly for other reasons but you will play as a consort and a parent.

| 18+ themes such as described nudity, graphic depictions of blood and gore, depression, rape, abuse, forced Marriage, morally questionable behavior, toxic and unhealthy relationships, child abuse, and more(you can check out the full warnings down above)

note | you will not be able to pick the gender of your child, you will have a son. the main character will start off as a bad parent towards their son and later on the game, you can still be a bad parent or try to be a great, how you choose will affect your life, other characters, and your son's life.

| mc will get pregnant regardless of gender due to magic (if amab)

FEATURES

=Choose the person you wish to be, customize your name, gender, sex, sexual orientation and appearance, you can also choose what kind of parent you want to be; loving and caring or unloving and uncaring as well with choosing what kind of lover you wish to be; loving, lying, manipulative, toxic, healthy…

=Choose your endings and life : There are bad and happy endings for anyone. Yourself, Your Son. It's all up to you, what you can get.

=Build or break your relationship with characters such as ros(romance options) and your son. Even though you can help them, there is no way to make everyone happy but it’s your choice to pick who can be or not.

=Romance anyone of the eight romance interests and 6 secret romance interests(and a few that would be seen as conversational)…but some are not really romance options, a few might die, betray or reject you… will you pick the right ones and be possibly happy? ( 14 ros in total and 4 flings )

DEMO: Prologue 0.5 —on itch io [40k words] : has beem uploaded.

| currently : working on the rest of the prologue part one...

Note: as of currently, I cannot use butlers on Itch io due to my chromebook being messy, if you want. You can download save files or export it.

NOTE; EVERYONE IS THE GAME IS MESSED UP, SICK AND THEY'RE AWARE, DO NOT BABY ANY CHARACTERS (-the kids ofc)

ALL 8 ROMANCE OPTIONS[ros] & OTHER NON-DATEABLE CHARACTERS BELOW

All romance in this story is optional and can be skipped all together if preferred. Still, the platonic relationships will be rewarding and deep on a different level. There are currently no options for poly relationships but I will think about it..

[MAIN CAST]

THE VOICE [unknown] , ?? - ◇

??? : the voice is something or someone that has been with you ever since your mother had died when you were ten years old.

?? : your mother had the voice inside of her mind for a long time when her father was killed, this voice seems to be from your mother's side and it says it is a demon.

| the voice and mc will have a complex relationship and throughout the game, the voice will be a bastard and judge you throughout the game and later on you can have a nickname for it.

#wretched : voice

MC 'DOVE' AUGUSTKINGS (ALCOTT) [genderselectable] , 21 - ☆

Backstory: You are a outcast as people would say, just in the shadows with the title of 'one of Leif's many consorts' as people would say...

📎 A person, with gold eyes and customize-able to your likings.

#wretched : mc

| customized-able looks except for eyes (gold)

° | mc will originally be a bad parent towards Emil(your child) due to trauma, its up to if you want to be a bad parent or a great parent... your child's faith will lay on your hands.

EMIL AUGUSTKINGS [male] , 7 - ♧

Backstory: your child, you had no interest in him, born out of force and no love for him, but you realize that you can take your revenge - a possible heir of the throne, your ticket to revenge.

📎 An young boy, he has light brown skin, he has gold eyes. He is short in height (4'0). His hair is dark green and short that reaches to his ears and it is neatly combed. His body is skinny and petitle.

#wretched : emil

| you are unable to name him but you can give him a nickname later on, if you wish so.

MIRSELL CONSTAN [female] , 57 - ◇

Backstory: A old woman that takes care of consorts' children, a nanny but she seems to take care of your child more. - A elderly woman, a nanny people would say. She calls herself, Emil's Mother. Not around you, obviously.

📎 An older woman, she has brown skin tone, she has black deep eyes, she is short in height (5'4) and her hair color is fully grey and white and it is shoulder length and tied in a bun. Her body is leaning towards chubby.

#wretched : mirsell

| you can choose her faith later on the game, she can die or live also she can hate or love you later on.

ARTHUR IOVMISE [male] , 47 - ○

Backstory: A man, he is an assistant of the king, he also helps the consorts - He is a strong man that is also seen scolding the consorts, his daughter was also a consort of the king but rumors say that he helped her flee.

📎 An man, he has a tan skin tone and he had dark blue eyes along with his height being tall(6'1) and his hair being dark green with some grey hairs(he has facial hair), it is short and reaches to his ears, his body type is lanky and tall.

#wretched : arthur

| depending on your choices, he can hate or love you as his own.

SONA(SOPHIA) BELLWON [male] , 25 - ☆

Backstory: A servant, he is having an affair with one of the consorts, a young woman named Emilia - He is a servant that is related to Lady Mirsell, his grandma, well not really but he says he is.

📎 An man with fair skin, he has hazel eyes and he is average in height(5'11) and he has a color that mixes of grey and blue, his hair is shoulder length and is tied in a low ponytail. His body type is lean and average.

#wretched : sona

| sona will either help you or betray you depending on a very important choice you will make and he will be important as well.

LEIF AUGUSTKINGS [male] , 56 - ♧

Backstory: He is a man that was raised by a cold mother and a ill father, he is cold as well - He is your husband, he wants a heir, a strong one. A son. Every daughter is ignored, you're lucky.

📎 An man who has two different colored green eyes with dark blue and brown skin, he is tall(6'4) and his hair color is dark green and it is ear length along with his beard which is a stubble and his body is quite muscular.

#wretched : leif

| he will die in a lot of endings except the bad endings and he is one of the main problems with your life and trauma.

ESME DAWN-BALDASSARE [male] , 18 - ☆

Backstory: your brother, despite being younger, has taken care of you, he is your sweet brother and he love you and Emil. - your his only family left and he is yours, he doesn't do much but stays at king Leif's castle at your request.

📎 An man with olive skin that is your younger half brother, his eye color is ruby red, and his height is short(5'4) his hair color is purple but with natural highlights of ash blonde and it reaches up to his shoulder and often tied in a small pigtail. His body is lean.

#wretched : esme

| no matter what you do, esme will always be there for you.

MOTHER ALCOTT [female] , 29 - ☆

Backstory: your mother, none hardly used her name in the castle, she was like a curse - she had died when you were younger, around 8. Just taken away by your father and his guards.

📎 An woman whom you called your mother, she has gold eyes like yours, she is quite tall(5'12) and her hair color is black and unevenly cut, and it is left loose. Her body is thin and bony.

#wretched : mother

| no matter what you do, she will always hate you.

+ more *on codex in the game, more characters will appear on there once more chapters are released... i will make a separate codex for more characters since putting all of them in one would be too much. (Important characters only will show or who have more appearance than others)

[ROs] 8 known ros, 6 secret ros and 4 flings

(ros : 14 in total w/ 4 flings)

| one or more of those romance options(ros) can die, betray your or your child or even reject you. you can be healthy or toxic towards characters, romance options, and even your son.

| most ros will start with slow burn, flings, and towards you can confess your feelings where some might reject or accept you but some ros are not really ros, dont trust anyone. (some ros might not like your child and will try to convince you to get rid of him, everyone is a red flag including mc)

| note. one of the ros is legally your step-son but none of the consorts(leif's consorts) feel like family and one the flings is your cousin. again, its up to you, if you want to romance the ro or sleep with the fling. One of the ros is older and does know mc when they were younger(not really but they do know and see mc when they were a child meanwhile they were an adult) and it might be seen as uncomfortable, one fling is married just uses mc for pleasure. (Again, everyone is toxic and might not show their true colors)

× RO ART | micela, luceydell, fayette

MICELA LENN [female] , 25 - ☆ [she/her]

Backstory: a young woman who was hired to be a nanny for the children like Mirsell but just younger - she takes care of children, she seems fond of your son, Emil. She also takes care of you, when she can. Maybe she admires you.

📎 An woman with brown skin and dark green eyes. She is short in height (5’4). Her hair is a deep shade of black, short and tied in a short messy bun. She has a lean body type . She has a gap between her two front teeth along with a small scar on her nose. Maria is seen mostly wearing her nanny’s outfit–a black dress with puffy sleeves and a white apron– but when she isn’t working, it would be a dress–a cool shade of blue dress, long that covers her knees and her arms, like an sundress– that her mother brought her before she left her home.

#wretched : micela

| she can be in-love with you or hate you in the first part of the game, depends on you.

LUCEYDELL RICHNESS [male] , 20 - ☆ [he/they]

Backstory: another consort of Leif, he is closer to you than any other consort, he seems fond of you. he is seen as feminine and often is dressed and he was originally a consort of a deity called "wraith". there are some rumors that he is the favorite.

📎 A male with light brown skin and pink eyes. He is around average in height (5’7). His hair is a very light shade of white, long that reaches his chest and tied in drill ringlets. He is average but leaning towards thin, he has beauty marks about everywhere on his face and a birthmark of something that seems like a fingerprint. Luce is seen mostly wearing his robes; it's completely white with gold undertones and has ribbons and many ties on it.

#wretched : luceydell

| he will be kind of a cock block during other routes and also toxic (more on the yandere side)

FAYETTE IRVINE [female] , 34 - ☆ [she/her]

Backstory: a dancer, a woman who has born and brought into a work of dancing and more, she is often brought by the king to perform - she often dances and has her own personal room despite her work, she is seen with kids. She cannot give birth to her own, she once said.

📎 A woman with light brown skin and dark green eyes. She is short in height (5’2). Her hair is auburn brown, long and tied in a low ponytail. She is thin in size and weight. She has a beauty mark under her eye and mouth. She mostly wears a long blue gown that is tied with many laces and noble french-wear; when not working as a dancer but is seen wearing a small dancer's wear.

#wretched : fayette

| this is the ro who knows and seen mc when they were a child but fayette never payed attention to young mc until present day(chapter one) and fayette doesn't remember them but can still be see as uncomfortable.

PANDORA AUGUSTKINGS [male] , 25 - ☆ [he/him]

Backstory: one of the king's children, they hate their father and is wanting to get the throne to avenge their mother - They are technically your step-child since marriage to the king but not really, none feels like family, they seem rude and often bothers you.

📎 A man with warm ochre skin and deep black eyes. He is tall in height (6’1). His hair is a deep shade of black like jet-black along with natural purple highlights, short that reaches up to his chin and left well-combed and slightly slicked-back with some strands in his face. He has an average built. He has two scars, one across his cheek to his other cheek, that goes across his nose and the second one on his neck. He is seen mostly wearing a royal suit–that is white and has blue undertones.

#wretched : pandora

| he is the stepson (legally by marriage) soo... also hates you but hey, hate-fuck/j

SALLY FIORISE [male] , 24 - ☆ [he/him]

Backstory: a baker and florist, he is a young parent like you - he is working at the castle since he is the town's delight and gets paid well!

📎 An man with peach skin and black-hole eyes. He is average in height (5'9). His hair is dirty blonde that reaches his ears and it is messy but yet noble looking. He has a lean; body type. He has one beauty mark under his eye. He has scars on his hands and fingers due to his job. He wears a white undershirt with a black apron with a white bandanna on his head, with black trousers and brown shoes.

#wretched : sally

| he has a daughter that is overprotective of him, depending on your choices, you can be happy or mad with sally.

EMMY GREENBRIAR [f/m] , 25 - ☆ [depending on choice]

Backstory: a knight, your personal knight ever since an attempted murder, the king has brought you a knight. - they are always near you. Visible or not. They will stand by your side.

📎 An person with tan skin and dark green eyes. They are very tall in height (6'2). Their hair is short black hair that reaches chin but bit above and is tied up in a small low ponytail. They have a musclar build and a strong body. They have more scars on their body that is scattered every where, face, neck, legs, back. They wear a knight's amour at all times and without it, is just wearing a loose black shirt with brown trousers.

#wretched : emmy

| regardless of gender, emmy will still be very tall and very strong since some people might like a strong woman with muscles!

ADEN BASTARD [f/m] , 23- ☆ [depends on choice]

Backstory: ironically by the last name, They are a bastard. Born out of incest, their parents both siblings, surprisingly no birth deflects well they were born with an illness - They are a noble and stays close to you after their castle was burnt down, they are soon to be betrothed to an other.

📎 An person with a fair skin tone with red eyes. They are around short and average in height(5'6). Their hair is a natural blue, it reaches their shoulders and it's tied in a low ponytail that lays across their shoulder. They have a skinny body type due to the illness. They easily bruise and often is seen with bruises on their skin. They wear a mix of a nightgown and that still scream nobility instead of sleepwear, it's completely white with some red undertones.

#wretched : aden

| you can help them from the unwanted marriage or not but depending on your choices, they will no longer be a ro if they do get taken away.

MARRYJOY WHITEFIELD [nonbinary] , 22 - ☆ [they/them]

Backstory: not much is known but they are quiet and mysterious, weirdly the king is very interested in marryjoy - they are a mage but a fortune teller, the king seems happy around marryjoy, they have a secret.

📎 An person with a brown skintone and has hazel eyes. They are average in height (5'8). Their hair is white and long that reaches their past their shoulder that is left loose. They have a average build; a mix of skinny yet some chubby-iness on them. They have eye bags on their face along with a circle birthmark on their forehead. They wear a mages robe almost all the times.

#wretched : marryjoy

| marryjoy will be a problem at the start and will be seen at chapter one but rarely.

woes of their wretched.

@interact-if | @pearldvs

[bird-prince-art]

Idk if you read fic but do you have any Obikin fic recs? Your art makes me want to read some 🙏

I absolutely have fics for you anon and I am honored my art makes you want some.

Some of my favorite fics, in absolutely no order:

Patience by Why_is_my_nose_a_carrot: I think probably the fic that got me into obikin specifically. AU where Qui-Gon is Anakin's master, but Obi-Wan stays his best friend. Very slowburn, but my god. Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon's relationship, the way they write Obi and Ani as friends, UGH! Apparently the author got a lot of flack for this fic for some reason so if you do read it give them love, or at the very least don't harrass them jfc.

Something Blue by @darthwillies : Really love this fic and its concept. Obi-Wan marries uncrispy Vader in order to secure galaxy wide peace, now we witness their domestic "bliss". I think this fic is probably my favorite depiction of Vaderkin, someone who is still desperate to be forgiven, but only by the ones who matter. Desperate enough for love to keep it prisoner but still resentful of the reminder. And poor Obi-Wan, proud but insecure. The dynamic is very intriguing to me.

Amarilli by @darthwillies : Since I'm already talking about Graciously's work, I have to recommend this one as well. Obi-Wan realizes he has feelings for Anakin, panics, confesses, panics again. It's great. I love this fic not only because it's so beautifully written, but because the entire time I was reading it I just kept thinking how real it was. Everyone's reaction to The Feelings, the confession conversation, the aftermath conversation. All of it is so in character and believable. The end is great, and it left me wanting more.

Conceal Me What I Am by @himboskywalker : Cat's out of the bag, I LOVE arranged marriage AUs. And this one is so good. Senator Obi-Wan marries Jedi Anakin in order to help the Jedi/Republic's image during the war. But Anakin's an Omega posing as an Alpha! And Obi-Wan's an Alpha posing as a Beta! What will they do??? Fall in love about it obviously. The slow-burn and build-up is so good, I had to read it all in one sitting because I was desperate for them to finally be together.

An Unlikely Duo by @grapenehifics : Modern setting where total opposites Anakin and Obi-Wan fall in love with each other. Super sappy sweet fic that explores their relationship as it grows. There're so many little details in this fic that I just adore, and everytime I re-read they make me go awwwwww all over again. It also inspired me to make Ani and Obi in Animal Crossing.

Across the Stars by @unfortunate17 : Yes, I love this fic. Yes, it makes me bite my nails worrying about their future. Anakin is a time traveler who always travels to Obi-Wan. It's so sweet and the concept is so interesting. Without spoiling, the way the story unfolds is super interesting narratively speaking and is fleshed out enough to give you some ideas about why the traveling happens. Idk man just read it you won't be disappointed.

be careful not to choke on your admirations by @tennessoui : Thank you to this fic for making me google Who Is Korkie Star Wars. (I'm trying to finish TCW don't RUSH me Katie) Anakin babysits for hot dilf divorcee Obi-Wan, who he is desperately in love with. Honestly I love all of tennessoui's work so you should read all of them, but this fic is my go to. I love the flow of their conversations, the way that Obi-Wan is so obviously crazy about Anakin and Anakin is of course oblivious. Your honor, they're a little family. I love them.

Heartbeat Drives You Mad by @renlyslittlerose : Everything about this fic is entirely excellent. Depressed alcoholic Obi-Wan falls in love with his hot young neighbor in the 80's. What more could you want. Come for Anakin in short-shorts and stay for Obi-Wan's complex journey to healing. I really love the translation of Anakin's character in this fic, and the way that Obi-Wan describes him. 10/10 read it now.

the root of peony by @tideswept : Anakin and Obi-Wan served in the Napoleonic Wars, now they deal with the aftermath. I love doctor Obi-Wan and I LOVE their relationship in this fic. This fic is simultaneously very cozy, angsty, and sweet. I love the way that their relationship develops, and I love the world building.

are you mine tomorrow by @jedibongrip : I just read this fic again and I forgot how sweet it was. Obi-Wan finds Anakin on Tatooine during the war, and marries him in a green-card marriage so that Anakin can stay on Coruscant. Even though this is an Obi-Wan centric fic, I love how you can constantly feel Anakin's presence and his love throughout the fic. Obi-Wan is so silly, your husband loves you, idiot.

Lux Æterna by @obiwanobi : Hey do you want to be sad? Read this. It's a surprise :) Beautiful. I can't believe you've done this.

Obi-Two by @virahaus : I love this concept and I love the way it's written. Post-Prequel Obi-Wan is sent to the council meeting where Anakin is denied the rank of master. I love a sassy huffy Obi-Wan and this fic has TWO sassy Obi-Wans. I also love the idea of Obi-Wan becoming significantly less Jedi as time goes on, and I love how this fic depicts that.

OKAY this got a bit out of hand so I'm going to stop here. If you'd like more I'd be happy to supply some, and if you have any recommendations for me please send them!

[residentwordsofaffirmationdealer]

barbara gordon in thrillkiller

every few months i remember that Batman: Thrillkiller and Batman: Thrillkiller '62 exist and reread it and get obsessed with it cause genuinely its so crazy. its an elseworld where bruce's parents were killed by their employees and bruce didn't get any of the money (because they lost it during the great depression) so he's just chilling in the suburbs. he becomes a police officer and later commissioner gordon's right hand man and a really good detective. there's this vigilante duo that appears, and they call themselves batgirl and robin, and they show up to places where the police work dirty. bruce starts investigating it and he figures out who batgirl and robin are.

for broader context, batgirl is barbara gordon, the daughter of bruce's boss, commissioner gordon. she's a "madcap heiress" and lives in wayne manor. she quit college to run away to the circus and at the circus, she meets german immigrant and teenage aerialist richart graustark. richart (nicknamed dick) and her fall in love and they come back to gotham, where they become batgirl and robin.

while this is all happening, everyone is trying to stop this gang lead by bianca steeplechase, also known as the joker.

unfortunately, dick's family (of aerialists) is killed by bianca. at the same time, selina kyle is killed by bianca as well. bruce is framed for selina's death and becomes a fugitive on the run. dick and babs plan revenge on bianca and while executing their plan, bruce crashes their party to save babs from getting shot by bianca. unfortunately, bianca kills dick through her poisonous kiss and bruce and babs are forced to escape. now that dick is dead, bruce vows to continue dick's legacy -- but named after babs because she was the one who inspired him. he becomes "the batman" now, there's more story than that but this is enough because holy shit. the agency it gives barbara specifically is crazy.

as you can see through these sceenshots, yes, barbara is batgirl, but she's batgirl in the way that batman is batman in most other media. if that didn't makes sense: she's the leader, brains, and detective. even her Alter Ego is very similar to what bruce wayne's traditionally is: she's a very a charming "madcap heiress" and "ultimate party girl" (basically her version of "billionaire playboy"). barbara owns wayne manor, she owns the batcave, she buys, creates, (and uses) the arsenal of weapons, she drives and repairs the motherfucking batmobile, she is a better fighter than robin and batman (judging by how many times they get caught/injured compared to her). she's also the one with the cool toys. she's the master of disguise, and her crusade for justice is her mission. she's the one with the guilt complex, she's the one who uses the tear gas and smoke pellets. she's the one with the strong dislike for guns, and she was the one at the circus the night that dick's family died. she even gets the tragic backstory with a visual of kneeling over a dead parent's body! -- she is what all things Batman traditionally has

the amount of agency it gives over her story and also how it acknowledges that she is such a powerful and driven hero who's talent is equal to batman (in other medias) is honestly so cool!! esp since recently in the new 52 and rebirth eras, i feel like babs has been done so dirty by how she's portrayed -- recently, she's been portrayed as a lot younger and more naive and inexperienced as she's traditionally been, and often she's only there as a plot device or shallower character (in comparison to who she used to be). i think the era where she was oracle and the leader of the birds of prey in the 90s and early 2000s did a lot better on being accurate to who she was supposed to be -- in some of her earliest appearances, she literally had a PhD (in library science and later, in law) and even was a congresswoman. also, in this elseworld, barbara's and bruce's dynamic is especially interesting because she is still very much the one in charge -- and especially after reading newer comics or seeing fandom stuff where babs is included as a "batkid" (which i hate), this comic really reminds me of the era where babs and bruce very obviously cared a lot for each other but also did very much see each other as equals and he even looked up to her (like stated in gotham knights, or bruce wayne: the road home).

also its such an interesting play on how things usually are: in this book, dick is basically "fridged" for her character development (while yes, babs wasn't technically killed off for a male character's character development in the mainline comics, she was "depowered" and it left her with a lot less agency (which she did eventually get back -- as oracle), but mostly it was done for her dad's and bruce's character development and she was just a plot device in that book....

again, i really like how in Thrillkiller, bruce was inspired by her to become batman because usually its the other way around. her name comes first on the title and when people refer to them as "batgirl and robin", and pretty much everyone refers to dick through his relationship to her.

dick and babs they literally meet (in the flashback) when he falls into her arms... anyway i think its especially interesting how this comic with only 4 issues basically created THE first female batman story of the time (it was written before cass existed or helena was the bat (or before she was "batgirl" if that's what you prefer cause i would argue helena was trying to emulate batman, not batgirl, and that she was batman not batgirl in terms of who she was trying to be, who people thought she was, and etc etc)). but anyway barbara gordon the woman that you are <3

[iliiuan]

I have more thoughts about stilling as disability, and the narrative surrounding stilling.

Stilling as disability is so on point. The person is no longer able to do a task they were previously able to do. They are ostracized by their peers. They often sink into depression.

In the books, we get to explore the experience of stilling with four characters: Logain, Siuan, Leane, and Setalle. Each character handles their disability differently. Logain falls into deep depression and his only motivation to keep going is basically revenge. Siuan has a somewhat similar motivation, although her revenge is much more complex. Leane chooses to embrace her life, to become the woman she would have been if she hadn't become Aes Sedai. Setalle moves away, marries, opens an inn, and works to help women kicked out of the White Tower. Each finds new life after stilling, the women a little more easily than the men (an effect of the taint?).

How do these narratives align with narratives and realities of disability in the real world?

The ostracization is perfect. People are very quick to drop a friend who suddenly requires considerably more effort to spend time with, and who is possibly unable to reciprocate favors, who has almost no money, and who is probably really negative about life. In the books, it's very much presented as the stilled woman being a reminder of what could happen, and no one wants to be around that. Which does also happen with disabled people, especially those with physical deformity. The Aes Sedai take it one step further, though, and pretend that they are ostracizing the woman for her own benefit, to prevent her from feeling the loss that she experienced. I find all of the book narrative of the social response to stilling to absolutely reflect the social response to disability in the real world. Ostracization as "protection" is less common, but it does happen.

Next, we have depression. This is so incredibly accurate to the experience of becoming disabled. I can't speak as well to the experience of congenital disability, but I imagine that they also frequently mourn what could have been. But it's not just the loss of ability that's driving the depression, is it? It's also the loss of social network, standing, and power. Being helpless is depressing. Being socially isolated is hell. The Aes Sedai have another layer to their depression, though: The loss of power and Power. Moving from being one of the most powerful people in the world, someone even kings and queens give deference to, to being just another ordinary person — that stings. To lose contact with a source of Power regularly referred to as something akin to the Sun — that's devastating. The book narrative surrounding depression as a response to becoming disabled is absolutely accurate.

Now let's look at the individual responses of our four stilled characters, what they say about each of them, and what we can about how the narrative handles disability.

Logain has the double disability whammy of being affected by the taint on saidin, and then being stilled. His sanity is suspect from the beginning, but for all appearances, he seems to stay sane throughout the series. The depth and timing of taint-induced insanity is quite random, which is very true of many debilitating illnesses. (Schizophrenia is a pretty analogous illness in that its usual onset is in a person's early 20s, but can manifest across a great range of ages.) When he is stilled, Logain is also pulled from a seat of power. As False Dragon, he had amassed an army and was actively conquering new territory. His decline is 100% in line with someone who has been removed from power and Power, who has a minor identity crisis in accepting that he is not the Dragon Reborn, and who has been removed from his entire social support network to be watched by a bunch of Accepted who would rather do almost anything else. He is having a Very Bad Time. So when Min, Siuan, and Leane pick him up, he is quite understandably hitting rock bottom.

The three of them fight tooth and nail to keep him alive, keep him motivated, and keep him going. Layered with their determination is Min's viewing that he is destined for greatness. Even though his destiny is written, they still have to do the work in the moment that keeps him alive. They choose to shelter and protect him, in part out of fear of what he might do left to his own devices, in part out of compassion for a fellow human being who is Going Through It, and in part out of the habit of believing that he is their responsibility. The disabled banding together to take care of each other is a powerful narrative. It is sad that the world throws us away, but our worth as human beings cannot be so easily destroyed. We bring value and strength to each other, and are able to move forward all the same.

Siuan, very similarly to Logain, is removed from a seat of power, as well as being stilled. She does not have the shadow of the taint to contend with, and her identity is rock solid. She has her mission, which has been her whole world for nearly 20 years, and she simply decides that it will continue to be her whole world. She makes strategic decisions based on long-term plans. She is changed, but also remains the same. In Siuan we see how disability creates difficulties and obstacles that can be overcome. This particular disability narrative is toxic by itself, and yet also a needed narrative within the broader discussion of how disability affects people. It does not serve anyone to pretend that disability is always devastating, never surmountable, always so absolute that there is no escape. So if Siuan's story was the only disability narrative in the books, I would call it inspiration porn. Thankfully, it is not the only narrative. Rand al'Thor has terminal illness that he can't escape. Min has chronic illness that causes her constant problems, and limits her participation in the world. The male channelers have madness that can strike at any time. Within the Wheel of Time, we have a great diversity in disability representation, which places Siuan's arc in the position of true inspiration, not a toxic narrative of applauding ability in the face of disability.

Leane, while occupying a seat of power, was a support power rather than a principle power, and therefore does not have as much difficulty in accepting her lowered position. She does have a new perspective on her identity, though, and actively chooses to embrace who she was before she entered the White Tower. For her, letting Leane the Keeper of the Chronicles go is what allows her to continue forward. She displays a much greater flexibility with her identity than either Logain or Siuan, and more successfully moves into being a new person. She is still a follower at heart, and continues to support Siuan, but it is out of loyalty to Siuan-the-person, not because she has any illusion of regaining political power.

Some people deride Leane for chasing men as a way to deal with her stilling, but they have overlooked some key aspects of who she is. This is a woman who openly flirted with Perrin in The Great Hunt. She is Domani, for whom flirtation is a social construct used to gain and maintain power. I feel like a lot of her critics are prudes who don't want to admit so. Domani flirting is to suggest, to entice, and to leave satisfied even though everyone stayed dressed and sat apart. It is an artform, and she chooses to re-embrace it now that she is no longer tied to the Tower concepts of sexual frigidity masquerading as professionalism.

Leane's response to disability, then, is to embrace something that her ability had taken from her. Many newly disabled people indeed find that they cannot do much standing, but they suddenly have time for fiber arts that they can do while lounging. Or they are physically incapacitated, but now have time to read and think and learn. Similarly to the narrative surrounding Siuan's stilling, Leane's storyline would be disappointing if it was the only disability story in the series. In contrast, however, I cannot think of a single character who was so disabled that they could not do anything productive. I could make excuses for this, such as reading a story about someone who can't do stuff would be boring, or that the world lacked resources to deal with that level of disability, but it falls a little flat for a series as long and complex as The Wheel of Time.

Finally, we have Setalle. Now Setalle is different in that she burned out while interacting with ter'angreal. She was not in a seat of power, but burning out removed not only her Power and social network, but also her life's labor. She could no longer do the work she loved. I've watched quite a lot of Dancing with the Stars, and one of the judges, Len Goodman, can no longer dance. He has been cut off from doing what he loves by a body that betrayed him. He can still function in the world; indeed, he still participates in dance as choreographer, teacher, and judge, but he cannot dance. This is Setalle's experience, without even the peripheral participation. She must find something else to do. When we meet her, she has already worked through her grief, found new motivation for life, and built a business and family. She shows that the Tower is not telling the entire truth about stilling, that life without Power is possible, and that the true reason they kick people out is so that they themselves don't feel discomfort.

Setalle's narrative is so spot on for how most people respond to disabled people. They don't want to associate, because they don't want to remember that they are only human, that disability comes for us all eventually. Her story also highlights the lies we tell about disabled people, as an excuse to not provide accommodations, to brush them into a care home and give up on them.

We as a society create categories of people who we've decided can never be part of society: people with Down Syndrome, Autism, and Schizophrenia, to name some of the better known. While there absolutely exist members in each of these groups who cannot function without 24-hour intensive care, there are many more members who can actually participate fully in society. Such participation requires regular society to make some concessions, however, and people are generally unwilling to do so. An adult having a panic attack and therefore removing themselves from the source of panic? Cringe. What's wrong with them? Someone who talks to imaginary friends? Or who is spaced out most of the time? Creepy. Someone who misunderstands instructions, or often forgets things? What a hassle to deal with. Why should I be the one to bother? We are very unkind to those who do not have what we consider a baseline skill level for dealing with life. But we also didn't even try to bring many people up to their full functioning level. Occupational therapy has changed things for very much the better on that front, though I think we still have a long way to go.

We find ourselves now deep in the mire of disability vs ability. Is a disabled person only valuable with respect to what they are able to do? Is a person not worthy of life and love if they are completely incapacitated and dependent on others? On the other side, should we ignore a person's potential just because they will never acquire certain skills or abilities? How do we find the balance between supporting a person so that they can fulfill their potential as human beings, and providing for them because they cannot do things? The conversation rages, and I do not care to provide answers here. I simply wish to acknowledge that finding that balance is not straightforward, and will be different for each person.

The narrative in The Wheel of Time focuses solely on people who do have ability, whose disability is an obstacle that can be surmounted. I do think it's fair to criticize the story for lack of total disability, but not harshly. The story is about what it is about. Other stories address complete incapacitation. (Please, please read Vorkosigan Saga for a broader perspective on disability and inherent worth.)

With respect to stilling in particular, the story also provides a cure. What's interesting about the cure is that it does not restore the patient to full capacity if performed with the same half of the True Source. So, a saidar user cured with saidar will not be as Powerful as she was before stilling, whereas a saidin user cured with saidar will return to his original strength.

The Cure is always floating in front of the disabled person. If only I could get the Cure, my life would be great again. Which is not entirely true, and the narrative of the cure for stilling does an excellent job of demonstrating this reality.

Logain, when cured, has his full strength, but he also is re-exposed to the taint, and the countdown on his madness restarts. What's more, he is now seen as a danger to the people who have been caring for him, and transitions from being a free-roaming prisoner to being watched and guarded non-stop. The cure did not, in fact, fix his life. He still has to work through the problems at hand. He is not returned directly to his former glory.

Siuan, when cured, is far weaker in the One Power than she was before. Because of the way Aes Sedai rank themselves, she finds herself at the bottom, required to follow. She is stubborn and manipulative, though, and finds a way to maintain her power through Egwene. It's horribly corrupt and delightful to watch. She becomes a puppet master, leading from behind. Even so, she is aware of her limits, and to whom she owes what. Her manipulation is often straightforward, especially with Egwene in particular. She becomes the trusted advisor because she proves herself trustworthy. Siuan's story arc shows that even with the cure, a disabled person will still often come out the other side with lower social standing than before.

Leane, on the other hand, decides that she is a new person, and insists on switching Ajah. Her response to the cure is very similar to her response to the disease: She will become the person she thought she had abandoned and suppressed. Her main point of conflict after being cured was with the Green Ajah accepting her. Her story provides a lens into how a person can change profoundly, but the people around them are unable to accept their change.

Setalle, having burned out rather than being cut off, could quite possibly not be curable, which provides a nice balance to the narrative of the Cure. Not everyone can be cured, and we should still treat those who can't be as full human beings deserving of respect.

On balance, The Wheel of Time provides an array of narratives that give us ways to understand various levels of disability, the different ways disabled people cope with their disability, and the social consequences of disability. While it lacks any examples of complete disability, it does very good work with the themes that it does explore, including what happens when someone is cured.

[lesbiancolumbo]

Hi! I saw your posts about the swimmer and how interwined it was with burt’s life at the time, so i qas wondering what books/articles did you read about it?

this is the only essay i've really read on the swimmer (there are lots you can find out and about) and it's a great one - the Thing about burt is his body, his physicality, and this essay really breaks down what it is about him that continues to captivate people.

there's a fascinating snippet on the swimmer from one of david thomson's essays on sweet smell of success, which i won't link (since it's... yknow, about sweet smell of success) but will excerpt here for you.

The case of Burt Lancaster is more complex. He was married three times, and he had five children. But we are past believing that such credentials settle all interests. The best biography on Lancaster, deeply researched and written with care and respect by Kate Buford, does not believe he had an active gay life. That book was published in 2000. On the way to a celebration of its publication at Lincoln Center, I had dinner with an old friend, George Trescher, a man who did nothing to conceal his own homosexuality, and he assured me that in fact Lancaster had led a gay life. Later still, some documents were released from the F.B.I. and the Lancaster family that did not name names but that revealed that Lancaster had often been “depressed,” that he was bisexual, and that he had had several gay relationships, though never on more than a short-term basis. With that in mind, you might look at Lancaster’s strangest film, The Swimmer (1968), directed by Frank Perry and taken from a John Cheever story. It’s a fable about an apparent Connecticut success, Ned Merrill, who takes it into his head to swim home one summer Sunday by way of all the pools owned by his acquaintances. Cheever, who had a tormented gay life, watched the filming with awe and amusement, as Burt, at fifty-five, in simple trunks, made Ned’s way from sunlight to dusk and dismay. Why did they make that movie? you’ll wonder. Because Burt wanted to do it.

(emphasis mine)

i read this excerpt from the thomson article almost six years ago, and it's haunted and vexed me ever since. burt, who was in the midst of a prolonged and complicated divorce with the woman who had been his longest marriage and mother of all his children, who was terrified of the water and did not know how to swim prior to filming, who at the age of fifty-five let his entire body -- his Thing, remember -- hang out in display in a film about how denying the passage of time and denying your inner truth makes you crazy and ruins your life, who was described by the author of the short story as "very sexy and commanding in the girl scenes but half the time he looks as if he were going to cry", who insisted for the rest of his life that out of the entire body of his career, a career that inspired many, many hits and iconic films, that it was the swimmer that was both his best performance and his favorite of his films.

why? i ask myself this a lot. why? i love the swimmer, it's my second favorite of burt's performances and films, but it's such an oddity. thomson calls it the strangest of burt's films, and while i disagree, i think he's not far off. and yet it clearly moved burt in a way that none of us will ever know.

anyway, you didn't ask me to wax poetic about the swimmer, but i find it to be such a hauntingly beautiful piece of art and it always feels so personal. it is. because burt wanted to do it.

[aaknopf]

The letters of the writer and groundbreaking neurological investigator Oliver Sacks–now collected in a volume that displays on every page his boundless curiosity and love of the human animal in its myriad ways of perceiving the world–include several to the poet W. H. Auden, among other literary lights. We unfortunately have no record of the Coleridge quote Sacks refers to in this missive to Auden of August 18, 1971, but the line he mentions from the German Romantic poet Novalis was surely a favorite aphorism of Oliver’s: “Every disease is a musical problem; its care a musical solution.” We also share below the typescript of Auden’s poem “Anthem,” which the poet had enclosed in his foregoing letter to Sacks, written on August 2, where he ended by saying: “Overleaf a little poem about the Cosmos. Yours ever, Wystan.”

Letter to W. H. AudenAugust 18,1971 [37 Mapesbury Rd., London]

Dear Wystan,

Your letter was forwarded to me a few days ago, and it (or your poem, or you) was the best of palliatives. Does there come a point (if one is very lucky, or has the right gifts, or grace, or works at it) when style, feeling, content, judgement all flow together and assume the right form? Your “Anthem” seems instinctively and effortlessly lyrical, and absolutely natural, like an organic growth; and yet obviously has the most careful and sophisticated and exquisite choice of words—and no feeling of any “joins” anywhere, of artifice, of manipulation. Marvellous. I will treasure it.      Yes, I thought the Coleridge quote was a real find, and so to the point. And I agree (I feel) absolutely with the Novalis one. In some sense, I think, my medical sense is a musical one. I diagnose by the feeling of discordancy, or of some peculiarity of harmony. And it’s immediate, total, and gestalt. My sleeping-sickness patients have innumerable types of strange “crises,” immensely complex, absolutely specific, yet completely indescribable. I recognize them all now as I recognize a bar of Brahms or Mahler. And so do the patients. Such strange physiological harmonies—I hope I can find some way to describe these, because they are unique states, at the edges of being, beyond imaginable being, beneath comprehension, and when the last of the sleeping-sickness patients die (they are very old now) no memory will be left of their extraordinary states. Writing seems more of a struggle now—maybe I’m trying something harder—I find meanings go out of focus, or there is some sort of “slippage” between word and meaning, and the phrase which seemed right, yesterday, is dead today. [. . .] And medical jargon is so awful. It conveys no real picture, no impression whatever, of what—say—it feels like to be Parkinsonian. And yet it’s an absolutely specific, and intolerable feeling. A feeling of confinement, but of an inner constraint and confinement and cramp and crushedness, which is closely analogous to depression (although it is not emotional as such), and, of course, is very depressing. And a painful inner conflict—one patient called it the push-and-pull, another the goad-and-halter. It’s a most hateful condition, although it has a sort of elegant formal structure. But no book that I know of brings home that Parkinsonism feels like this—they just reduce it to an unevocative listing of symptoms. I hope Osbert Sitwell didn’t have it too badly.       I’ve been reading some Goethe (for the first time, really) in the last week or two. Starting with his Italian Journey—thank God I did start with that, or I might not have got any further. And then the Pelican Faust—maybe it’s the same with any translation. I must learn German. And Mann’s fabulous essay on Goethe and Tolstoy. And Elective Affinities. And that great, meandering, affectionate Lewes biography. There is one point (I think in his chapter on Goethe’s philanthropy) where Lewes says that he could “eat Goethe for love”—and I think these are beginning to be my sentiments too.       I hope I can join Orlan on a lightning visit to Vienna. There is nothing I would like more, but I am awfully fretted with my current book, and may not be at liberty (or feel myself at liberty) until I have finished it. I would love to see you in your own Kirchstetten, but if I cannot come I will surely see you in New York a few weeks later. 

Yours ever, [Oliver]

More on this book and author:

Learn more about Letters by Oliver Sacks.

Read “Anthem” and more of W. H. Auden’s poems in Collected Poems. 

Browse other books by Oliver Sacks and follow the Oliver Sacks Foundation on Instagram @oliversacksfdn.

Visit our Tumblr to peruse poems, audio recordings, and broadsides in the Knopf poem-a-day series.

To share the poem-a-day experience with friends, pass along this link.

[lura-valentine]

What do the names of your favorites mean?

You do realize that I have to understand Japanese kanji for this, right?

I can't even speak English or my own native language very well... and I'm supposed to be able to do this?

Okay, I'll try, but it might be a minor disaster. If anyone knows about the topic and finds a mistake, please correct me.

Contents

Dabi - Touya Todoroki

Hawks - Keigo Takami

Tomura Shigaraki - Tenko Shimura

Bonus - my OC Kaji Black

First, what is the Kanji?

Kanji is one of the three writing systems of the Japanese language – and arguably the oldest, most profound, and most symbolic of them. Originally adopted from Chinese, kanji consists of logographic characters – meaning that each one represents not just a sound or syllable, but carries meaning, often multiple meanings, depending on the context and combination.

You can imagine a kanji as a small image, a symbol that expresses an idea, a state, or a concrete thing. Some are very simple, like 木 (ki, "tree"), others are complex, like 鬱 (utsu, "depression" or "melancholy"), that gives you a headache just by looking at it.

Dabi (荼毘) – Tōuya Todoroki (轟燈矢)

Let's start with Dabi (荼毘)

The villain name of our beloved pyromaniac is a very good example of how versatile Kanji can be. How a single character takes on a completely new meaning when a second character is added.

荼 (Da) This kanji originally means “bitter herbs,” but in the Buddhist context it often refers to funeral rites, purification by fire, or the bitter taste of death.

毘 (Bi) means “help,” “protection,” but in combination with the first letter can also mean cremation – as in the word “荼毘 (Dabi)” itself, which actually means cremation in classical written language.

Tōuya Todoroki (轟燈矢)

From here on, it became clear to me that Kōhei Horikoshi had really put a lot of thought into the names of his characters. The meaning of the names partly reflects their quirks and stories.

Todoroki (轟) This kanji means "thunder" or "roaring sound" – a powerful, loud presence. It often stands as a symbol of strength, or something impossible to ignore – unmistakable and powerful.

Tōuya (燈矢)

燈 (Tō) means "lamp," "light," or "torch" – something that shines in the darkness and often symbolizes hope or memory.

矢 (Ya) means "arrow" – something straight, fast, and directed.

In summary, Tōuya Todoroki can be poetically interpreted as “bright arrow of thunder” or “torch arrow that passes through the thunder”.

Hawks – Keigo Takami (鷹見啓悟)

Our beloved red-feathered hero Hawks.

That's kind of ironic. Hawks had kept his real name secret for a long time, but he uses part of his surname as the name of his heroname – just in a different language.

Takami (鷹見)

Taka (鷹) means "falcon" – a bird of prey known for its speed, vision, and elegance.

Mi (見) means "to see," "to observe," literally "hawk vision" or "one who sees like a hawk."

Keigo (啓悟)

啓 (Kei) means "to reveal," "to explain," "to illuminate"—it is a symbol of insight, clarity, and sometimes a kind of guide.

悟 (Go) means "understanding," "awakening," or "spiritual understanding"—a deep, inner knowing.

In summary, Keigo Takami could mean “the enlightened falcon who sees with clear vision” or “the seeing, understanding falcon”.

Tomura Shigaraki (死柄木弔)

Tenko Shimura (志村転弧)

This will be very interesting.

Both names have great significance for the series and the manga. In my opinion, it reflects him perfectly.

Shigaraki (死柄木)

死 (Shi) means "death."

柄 (Gara) can mean "handle," "style," or even "pattern," and sometimes symbolizes character traits or external characteristics.

木 (Ki) means "tree" or "wood."

In summary, Shigaraki can be interpreted very loosely as “grasp of death”, “deadly trunk” or “wood of death”.

In addition, “Shigaraki” is also a real place in Japan known for ancient ceramics.

Tomura (弔)

(弔) Tomura is only one kanji, which is rather rare in Japanese, since many first names consist of two characters. It means "to mourn," "to grieve for someone," "to honor a deceased person." It is the act of silent lament, of remembrance, of pain over loss.

When you put the two together, you get a hauntingly beautiful, symbolic meaning: Tomura Shigaraki – “He who mourns death” or “Mourner from the wood of death.”

Shimura (志村)

志 (Shi) means “will,” “intention,” or “striving” – a sign of determination, of ideals deeply rooted in the heart.

村 (Mura) simply means "village." Shimura can be interpreted as a "village of will" or as a symbol of a family united by its ideals.

Tenko (転弧)

転 (Ten) means “to turn”, “to tilt”, “to change” – a Kanji of movement, change, sometimes also of destabilization

弧 (Ko) denotes an “arc” – both geometrically and symbolically, such as the course of a path, of a destiny that is not straight but curved, as if pulled by forces that cannot be escaped.

Tenko could therefore be interpreted as “the curved change” or “the upheaval on a curved path”.

Tenko Shimura – "The Change from the Village of Will" or "The Crooked Will, Born of Hope, Twisted by Pain."

Kaji (火児) Black

My OC Kaji, Dabi's son.

He was my first contact with the Kanji. Because of his background, I wanted a Japanese first name, while his last name is from Western countries. His mother has the surname Black and comes from Europe.

Kaji (火児)

火 (Ka) – the classic kanji for fire itself, not the fire, not the event, but the element, the essence – pure, powerful, ancient.

児 (Ji) – means child, offspring, sometimes even "little boy" in general. It has something innocent, something tender, almost contradicting the wildness of the first character.

His name means "child of fire," or more poetically: "the fireborn," "child of flames," "the boy born of embers."

And now comes my own paradox, which I just noticed... I actually chose the name Black because his mother has black wings and I thought it just fit.

Considering the meaning of “black,” the color, and everything that comes with it, like darkness or night, the name Kaji Black means what I imagined – “the child of fire, surrounded by darkness” or “The fire child who stands in the shadows.”

My moral supporters

@tiny-roki-todoroki | @alexandhisstuff | @doumadono | @unhinged-bratty-boy | @within-eyesight | @hiding-inner-dabi

@andrea-tries-to-write

I mention accounts that my works ❤️ and 🔄. If anyone no longer wishes to be mentioned, please let me know.

[ellethespaceunicorn]

Lessons From a Social Media Break

I know I told y’all I would be making this post about a million years ago, but life got in the way (as it so often does). I wanted to explain why I’ve been mostly absent for the last seven months.

[And before you even ask, NO, I am not pregnant. I actually had an endometrial ablation in March 2024 that eradicated my periods and was the best decision I ever made in my life (apart from meeting my Wifey).]

Putting this under a cut because it got a bit long.

Now, I don’t know how the rest of you may handle your Neurodivergence / AuDHD / Bipolar / Depression / Anxiety, but when I’m overwhelmed with all of these things at the same time, I tend to shut down. So, around October 2024, I hit a wall, and I shut down slightly. And then in November, the voters of America let me down and chose to elect a brainless, fascist, racist, transphobic felon and sexual predator as their leader.

I really started to give up hope around this time and stopped being social almost completely. That included online and real-life scenarios. At this time, I deleted my Facebook, my Twitter, and my Instagram. I spent most of my time playing video games (Skyrim, The Witcher, Minecraft, The Sims 4) and being in a world of my own creation.

Spending most of my time playing and learning how to create CC for The Sims 4 [where I am currently working on making Sims based on a fic by @blackwood4stucky because as soon as I heard/read the synopsis, I knew I must have the characters to play with 🔥], and working on my mental health.

Also, I owe a debt of gratitude to @peyton-warren for being one of the best friends I have ever had. I love you, babygirl! Thank you for letting me vent, whine, fall apart, and bounce ideas off of you. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

I also started Zepbound (tirzepatide) and have lost over 30 lbs. I'm letting my hair grow out, and my trichotillomania (compulsive hair-pulling) has been under control for some time now. I have made great strides in therapy, and even though some days are hard, I still strive to make the best of what life hands me (lemons, etc).

With that said, I miss writing. It's such a very important piece of my life. I've been writing stories for over 30 years, and I refuse to just lose that passion. I hope to update my stories soon. Including The Howling in Claw Creek Forest, Daddy Knows Best, the Sweet Redemption saga [it has its own masterlist now!], and finishing my 1K follower event Sweet Treats, and other WIPs that are begging for attention.

I also miss my Tumblr and all the friends I have met along the way. Y’all don't even understand the complexity of what a safe space Tumblr is for me (for the most part). I can be myself without worry of being called weird or whatever. I mean, I am weird, but that's beside the point.

Anyway, this post is fucking long as shit so I'm gonna shut the fuck up and go reply to my notifications.

Thanks for coming to my Elle™️ Talk!

[changbinsboobs]

Do you think any of skz has potentials of becoming yandere or like obsessed in general?!

Omg i can't believe what just happened Tumblr deleted my whole Chan reading i habe to do it all over again😭😭😭😭😭 and i don't have the cards anymore😭 i fucking hate it here😭

Who in Skz has a potential of becoming obsessed?

Chan - his reading was so long im so angry😭 what i said was basically how he has a lot of responsibilities and things to do that have way more weight and importance for him so there's not enough time or space in his mind to even begin obsessing iver other les simportants tuff. Even if he would he would quickly be taken out of it as more importants stuff already knocks on the door. Aside from that his job is actually a great outlet for him and despite him being very perfectionistic and a workaholic which in itself is not healthy - this card still points out how music and creativity is what brings him pease and is a source of release for him so i kinda get him why he's so focused on work and drowns himself so much into it - because for him its not work its his peace, its his joy, his relief. So yeah not seeing any potential for becoming obsessed or yandere cuz he has an outlet to channel any unwanted emotions and he also has many other much important things to take him out if other spirals he might come into so he doesn't even get the chance to become obsessed.

Lee Know - for him im not getting that either. He also has better things to do. He knows bery well what brings him joy and how to put himself back on track and regulate his emotions to stabilize himself. I don't see anything going out of control, spiraling, or whatever. Also if he were to be rejected, instead of going after that thing/person even more, hold grudges etc - he's more someone that stays in the shadows, takes it like a champ, cries on his own, oats himself on the back and continues on, maybe with some hurt inside him still but he goes on not really looking like it affected him. And soon the hurt gets relieved too, instead of it he fills himself with good things and soon the hurt is forgotten. In short - he accepts his fate and moves on. Not seeing anything about dangerous obsession.

Changbin - not seeing anything like that with him either. Spoiler alert - not seeing that with any of the guys actually. But for changbins case he does ponder on things more, probably takes much longer for him to swallow rejection, or abandonment or similar. He does think of it a lot, may even get gloomy or depressed for a little while. If we're talking about obsession in terms of not being able to get something out of your head then yeah he shows that definitely. But nothing that exceeds the mind and turns into action, also nothing harmful or dangerous in any way. He just thinks about what ifs and analyzing what went down, why it happened like that, etc. He always finds himself at the end tho, and finds peace and stability within himself and finds love and joy around him, often hurts like that fueling him even further for life, making him feel even stronger and more determent to be even bigger and even better.

Hyunjin - not seeing that with hyunjin either. Im seeing childish wonder and disappointment next to each other. I believe this means his naivety and readiness to jump into things and love fast and easily is often a source of depletion and disappointment for him. Either he becomes disappointed cuz whatever he liked isn't actually the way he thought and his expectations aren't met, or whatever attachment he felt wasn't reciprocated. For that im seeing victim complex and visciousness in terms of coping so instead of becoming obsessed and dangerous he rather becomes bitter and maybe even a bit hateful for a period of time towards that person or situation, being sharp and merciless with his words, holding tight onto the feeling that he was wronged and betrayed, being a victim of someone heartless that now deserves to bear the heaviness of his disappointment and wrath. Despite that not sounding very not-obsessive, the energy here doesn't seem really dangerous or malicious. Its more annoying that dangerous (if you're on the receiving end).

Han - here is the only...concern i had. The energy isn't very heavy, theres not any...dangerous action per say...but this is the only pile where i feel malisciousness in any way. Where theres potential that it COULD get to an extreme. Thats the only pile that gows beyond the mind or beyond words and im actually seeing readiness for action. This tho touches more on anger rather on anything and as for the most the heavy emphasis was on romantic relationships, here im not seeing that at all. Im seeing him wanting revenge on people that have disrespected, wronged, ridiculed him etc. he wants them to pay the price for their wrongdoings and is ready to take it in his own hands or leave someone else taking care of it for him. Now if thats something he just wants to do in a moment of anger or if he really has potential to take revenge in his own hands is unclear and i think ill leave it like that. Going back to the initial question - this doesn't give yandere vibes, maybe not even obsession - it just gives innability to regulate anger properly (honestly i feel u buddy) and maybe even overreacting with his anger in that sometimes its something small t he gets a huge tantrum and is ready to fight and its reslly inappropriate. Or something happens in 2022 and for some reason he failed getting angry back then so he carries his anger all this this time and suddenly this issue gets brought up again in a completely normal manner and "out of nowhere" he bursts out in an angry outrage and throws a tantrum. Or is continuously viscious towards someone for no apparent reason because once 10 years ago that person made a comment about his new haircut that he didn't like and he felt vulnerable and he's been making that person pay for the last 10 years cuz it hurt him so much back then. - all of those were just made up examples to describe what i mean by paying back, holding on grudges etc.

Felix - No. Not at all. He takes it all like a champ and i see him looking for support and connection with the people around him and he balances himself out like that, im also seeing him having some sort of innate yin and yang balance in him, in the way that he has of both good and bath, in a perfect balance. Idk how to explain that energy as it is so unique but in short im not seeing bad intentions, obsessive dangerous tendencies or anything. He seems very connected to the divine and has an innate compass of wrong and right, can regulate himself pretty quickly IF the crowd he's surrounded with is good (which for now im seeing it is). And any rejection or hurt or whatever that happens - he takes like a champ.

Seungmin - not seeing that here either, although he's not really answering my question. He says he's graceful and a respectable gentleman (im seeing bridgerton men😂) He says he's a lover and theres no usw for him to act crazy or be maliscious. He's of good value and he can get himself somethign good with ease so theres no use waisting prescious time and energy, lowering himself beyond his own standards.

I.N - not seeing anything like that either. He seems very peaceful and stable despite what. He has a strong, secure and very stable inner core that can not be shaken easily. He has a very positive and uplifting attitude towards life and himself and chooses to see the positive rather than the negative. He actively chooses good and maintains and builds this beliefs and this huge fort he's standing on. Build with trust and smiles and laughter. Those are very very positive, good & stable cards idk what else to add i really don't see anything of that sort with him. Not even potential for that. Not even potential for thinking about it even i think doesn't understand that at all how some people can get themselves to a point where they act like that.

[merwgue]

Rhysand is often portrayed as this perfect, morally grey ruler, but when you take a closer look at his actions, it's obvious how messed up he really is. Let’s break down the so-called “benevolent” High Lord of the Night Court.

1. The Hewn City – The King of Torture? Rhysand's treatment of the people in Hewn City is straight-up barbaric. The way he holds power over them isn’t out of necessity or to “protect” them from worse rulers—it’s control through fear and violence. He tortures them, plays with their lives, and enjoys maintaining his iron grip on them. It's almost like he uses them as his personal stress toys. Is that really the hallmark of a just ruler? Sure, Hewn City isn’t full of saints, but for Rhys to stand on his high horse and act like he's saving everyone while still torturing his subjects? Hypocrisy at its finest.

2. Rhysand and Feyre – Let’s Talk About Consent Let’s not forget that he literally assaulted Feyre Under the Mountain. I don’t care how anyone tries to frame it as him “saving her” from Amarantha—there’s no excuse for the way he took away her agency. Rhys manipulated her, forced her into wearing those skimpy outfits, and paraded her around for his entertainment. All while pretending it was for the greater good. It's pretty damn disgusting how that gets brushed under the rug like it was some noble sacrifice when in reality, he robbed Feyre of her choices.

3. Planning to Execute Nesta – The Line Between Justice and Control Rhysand and his inner circle legit planned to execute Nesta, all because she didn’t fall in line. Nesta had her faults—hell, a lot of them—but threatening her life because she didn't act the way Rhys wanted? That's not justice; that's manipulation and control at its core. He wasn't trying to protect anyone. He was pissed that he couldn't control her, that she wasn't another cog in his perfect little machine of Night Court harmony.

4. Tamlin – Kicking a Man While He’s Down Say what you will about Tamlin, but there’s no denying that Rhysand completely overstepped every boundary when it came to him. The Night Court loves to preach about freedom, but Rhys had no problem strutting into Tamlin’s land, throwing it in his face, and making an already broken man feel like utter shit. There’s a difference between defending your own and downright antagonizing someone who’s in the depths of depression. At one point, he basically told Tamlin to end his own life. What kind of "savior" talks like that to someone who's clearly struggling? It's downright cruel.

5. The Night Court – A Dictatorship Wrapped in Pretty Words Rhysand's Night Court is sold to everyone as this place of freedom, where people can be who they truly are—but at what cost? If you cross Rhys or don’t fall in line with his vision, you either face his wrath, his torture, or his manipulation. He's not running a court; he's running a dictatorship where everything is fine as long as it aligns with his master plan. The fact that he keeps calling himself the “most powerful High Lord in history” just feeds into that massive god complex he has. The ego on this guy is unbelievable.

6. Double Standards – The Morality of Convenience Rhys preaches about freedom and respect, but he only seems to extend that to people he deems worthy. If you’re in his circle or someone he cares about, great—you get all the privileges. If not? Well, tough luck. He’ll trample over your land, threaten your life, or torture you into submission. The cherry on top? Everyone around him acts like he’s the greatest thing to happen to Prythian, and the fandom just eats it up.

So, yeah. Rhysand is fucked up. He’s not just morally grey—he’s power-hungry, manipulative, and borderline sadistic. His version of “ruling” the Night Court is as hypocritical as it gets. Benevolent High Lord? More like the king of self-righteous cruelty.

7. Locking Up Nesta – Rhysand’s Tamlin Moment Remember how everyone vilified Tamlin for locking Feyre up “for her own safety”? Sure, it was messed up, but the narrative painted him as this controlling, possessive villain because of it. Now, fast forward to Rhysand, who literally does the same thing to Nesta. She’s spiraling, yes, but instead of finding her real help or giving her space to heal, he decides to trap her in the House of Wind like a damn prisoner. He takes away her freedom, isolates her from the outside world, and forces her into a situation she clearly doesn’t want. How is that any different from what Tamlin did?

But here’s the kicker: Rhysand gets praised for it. Why? Because he’s Rhysand, the supposed hero, and everything he does is always “for the greater good,” right? It’s utter bullshit. He used the same controlling tactics on Nesta that Tamlin used on Feyre, but the fandom acts like he was being this saintly, tough-love older brother. What he did was textbook manipulation, stripping away Nesta’s autonomy because she didn’t fit into his perfect vision of what recovery should look like.

8. Forcing Recovery on Nesta – Ignoring Trauma Let’s not sugarcoat this: Rhysand locked up a woman who was using drinking as a coping mechanism and basically said, “Tough luck, you’re staying here until you fix yourself.” That's not helping; that’s punishing someone for their trauma. Nesta was in pain, lashing out and struggling to deal with what happened to her. Did she need help? Absolutely. But instead of offering her real emotional support, Rhys just forced her into a recovery program that suited his standards and timeline, not hers.

What makes this even worse is that Nesta was self-harming through drinking, and instead of addressing the root cause of her pain, Rhysand and his inner circle chose to control her like she was a problem that needed to be fixed, not a person who needed to be understood. There’s nothing noble about that.

9. Rhysand’s Hypocrisy – Tamlin vs. Himself This is where Rhysand’s hypocrisy really shines. He condemned Tamlin for being controlling, and Feyre (rightfully) left that toxic environment. But Rhys turns around and does the same thing to Nesta, and instead of being held accountable for it, he gets celebrated for “taking action.” How does that even make sense? It's such a double standard that it's almost laughable. Tamlin’s actions were wrong, but Rhysand’s were just as bad, if not worse, because he knew better. He knew what it felt like to be controlled, yet he did it anyway.

10. Stop Giving Rhys a Pass People need to stop giving Rhysand a pass for his behavior. He gets away with literal torture, manipulation, locking people up, and trampling over others' boundaries because he’s good at hiding it behind the facade of “protecting his court.” He’s not the hero people make him out to be. He’s just as flawed and fucked up as the people he claims to be better than.

At the end of the day, locking someone up—whether it’s Feyre in the Spring Court or Nesta in the House of Wind—is a violation of their autonomy. Rhysand isn't some hero swooping in to save the day. He's a controlling ruler who just happens to be good at spinning the narrative in his favor.

[mariacallous]

When the claims representative, whom I’ll call Steven, sat down at his computer around 7:15 A.M. last week, he had already been awake for an hour and a half. The morning routine for him and his family is best described as “fend for yourself,” he said. That day, he waited for his older son to shower before taking his turn; neither he nor his wife had time for breakfast. He had joined the Social Security Administration two decades ago, and came to specialize in one of its more complex and lesser-known functions: providing a form of welfare called Supplemental Security Income, or S.S.I., to people who are disabled or extremely poor. But the S.S.A. is so understaffed that Steven does a bit of everything. “My job is to be kind of like an octopus,” he said. The agency’s administrative budget had not kept up with its rising workload as more people aged into retirement. Now news outlets were reporting that President Donald Trump and Elon Musk, via Musk’s DOGE outfit, planned to fire up to half of the agency’s sixty-thousand-odd employees. (The S.S.A. later said that its goal was to lose seven thousand.) DOGE had also gained access to S.S.A. databases. “We don’t know how long we’ll be here,” Steven said. “Some people are really pissed. Others are sad and emotional. Others are making plans.” A couple days earlier, Trump had delivered a long self-congratulatory speech to Congress, in which he accused the S.S.A. of “shocking levels of incompetence and probable fraud.”

Steven lives in a Midwestern town near where he was born and raised, which means that he occasionally recognizes a relative or a family friend in a case file and has to recuse himself. Three days a week, he’s at a cubicle in a regional field office, one of twelve hundred across the U.S. The other two days, he works from home, at a plastic folding table in the corner of his bedroom. He was on the early shift. His laptop was propped up on a neon-green bin, the kind typically used to store Legos or crayons. It was flanked by two large monitors, creating a triptych. All around him were piles of kids’ clothes and books. Near his left foot was a tiny metal car; he had taped yellow notecards reading “clock,” “fan,” and “shelf” to a clock, fan, and shelf for the benefit of his youngest child, who was learning to read. Steven’s wife made drop-offs at kindergarten and day care, then came home. She has her own office setup downstairs.

The day officially started when Steven logged on to a dozen software programs. One had a blocky monochrome interface that looked like it was from the late nineties. Another was labelled “Workload Action Center,” in a light-brown, slanted font of a similar vintage. Steven kept a list of his passwords, which he had to routinely update, on a scrap of paper next to his keyboard. He scanned something called a “Tickle List” that highlighted urgent cases. His primary task was to conduct nonmedical “redetermination” interviews (code: “RZ”)—part of the S.S.A.’s process for insuring that current recipients are still eligible to receive benefits. More than seven million Americans of all ages count on S.S.I., and sixty-eight million seniors receive earned retirement payments. Social Security is the largest government program in the country and most recipients’ main source of income. It was envisioned by Frances Perkins during the Great Depression. “Redeterminations are the highest priority,” Steven said. “We should have three to five people on them at every office. Sometimes there’s only one.”

He put on a wireless headset that connected to his laptop and an online phone system. The first redetermination call was with a parent who was receiving S.S.I. on behalf of a disabled child. “Hi, this is Steven, from Social Security Administration,” he said. “I’m just calling to see if you’re able to do the redetermination appointment.” His stomach growled. The bottom-right corner of his center screen flickered with notifications. He stayed with the caller. Date of birth? Marriages? Job placements? He clicked “yes” and “no” bubbles and typed in numbers. He had much of the script memorized. “Any items held for potential value?” he asked. “Promissory notes, real property or business property, or ABLE accounts?” S.S.I. is allocated based on an applicant’s income, assets, family size, and other factors. It often takes a year, and the help of a lawyer, to get a decision. (Earlier in Steven’s career, the time frame had been three to six months.) If an application is rejected, the case can be appealed to an administrative-law judge, and the wait for those hearings is around two years.

“That was the last amount verified,” Steven continued. “Has that changed?” While waiting for the program to advance to the next screen, he glanced at e-mails on his rightmost monitor. There were more from headquarters and human resources and the employees’ union than usual. Since November, three S.S.A. commissioners or acting commissioners had come and gone: Martin O’Malley, Carolyn W. Colvin, and Michelle King. The guy in charge now was Leland Dudek, whom Trump had elevated from a middle-management role for his eagerness to help DOGE access S.S.A. files, a vast library of individual medical, housing, family, and financial records. Dudek announced plans to eliminate six out of ten regional headquarters; several directors left the agency. In an all-staff e-mail, Dudek wrote:

Criticism, contempt, stonewalling, and defensiveness are the four forces that can end any relationship and weaken any institution. . . .

Elections have consequences. . . .

Now, under President Trump, we follow established precedent: we serve at the pleasure and direction of the President. Only the Courts or Congress can intervene.

The latest e-mail from headquarters stated that, “effective today,” employees were prohibited from engaging in “Internet browsing” of “general news” or “sports” on “government-furnished equipment.”

Steven was almost done with the redetermination. Hard cases, like an overpayment that needed to be clawed back, could “make the conversation longer, vulgar.” This one was easy; the payments, of around a thousand dollars per month, would continue. “You will receive a summary statement regarding the information that we discussed,” he said. He moved on to a second call. This one, too, involved a young adult whose caretaker—in this case, a nonprofit organization—was the payee. “Hello. This is Steven from Social Security. How are you?” His cellphone buzzed. Since Trump’s reëlection, he had been in a prolific, darkly humorous group chat with fellow S.S.A. workers in the Midwest. He referred to them as his sisters and brothers. The incoming message was a link to a news story about the imminent closure of S.S.A. field offices in the area. One man in the chat, who voted Republican but had grown skeptical of Trump, wrote, “Fucking unbelievable. . . . This would devastate our agency’s ability to serve the public.”

Meanwhile, the redetermination call was getting tricky. A new source of income seemed to be complicating the calculation of resources. Steven put the nonprofit on hold and logged into Equifax. He walked across the room to grab a plastic bottle of water and took a swig. “I’m trying really not to go off the deep end,” he said. If his office closed, and the neighboring offices closed, many people would have no way of getting benefits. For one thing, applications for Social Security cards and certain forms of S.S.I. had to be submitted in person.

Steven worried about his own well-being, too. His kids were on his health insurance. He and his wife had to take care of his father. S.S.A.’s human-resources division had sent an e-mail titled “Organizational Restructuring—Availability of Voluntary Reassignment, Early Out Retirement, and Separation Incentive Payments to ALL ELIGIBLE EMPLOYEES—No Component or Position Exceptions,” which seemed to pressure workers to leave. “A lot of this stuff is intentionally degrading,” Steven said. “They’re trying to do whatever they can to get people to resign.” Recently, he and other field-office staff were told that their jobs were safe because they were “mission critical.” That was reassuring, but only “a little bit.”

When the Equifax search proved inconclusive, Steven told the nonprofit, “I’ll have to put this on the back burner for a bit until I can get some info.” All three of his screens were noisy. In Microsoft Teams, a supervisor was asking for updates on specific cases. Another window showed the names of people waiting in the lobby of the field office, in real time. He stared at a name in the queue. “This one, I’ve been playing phone tag with her,” Steven said. He opened a chat to alert a colleague at the office.

The work is surprisingly personal. A Social Security file contains a lot of intimate information. From a quick glance, Steven can tell where a recipient was born, what language they speak, whether they’d been involved in the child-welfare system, if they are married, whether that marriage had ended as a result of divorce or death. He has some colleagues whose “attitudes suck to high heaven,” caused by a mix of stress and a suspicion of the poor. “I love helping people,” he said. “You’re the first contact for them.”

Next, Steven had to get “on the phones.” Fielding random calls on the S.S.A. hotline isn’t technically part of his job, but he didn’t question the assignment. For several weeks, everyone had been required to help out. “Good morning. Social Security. This is Steven,” he said. “What is your Social Security number, please? All right, starting with your name and date of birth . . .” He wrapped up his first few calls rather quickly. He sent out a missing tax document, scheduled a father for an in-person appointment to get a Social Security card for his baby, and confirmed bank information for a recipient’s direct deposit. A fourth call, involving a lost check, was more complicated. He rubbed his forehead with his thumbs and forefingers.

Steven later received two mass e-mails. The first reminded all S.S.A. employees to send their “mandatory weekly assignment”—the “What Did You Do Last Week” e-mail, with five bullet points summarizing what they had worked on—directly to the government’s Office of Personnel Management, not to anyone in their actual agency. The second one was yet another plea for workers to quit or take early retirement. It warned that some who opted to remain in “non-mission critical positions” might be reassigned to S.S.A. call centers. No definition of “non-mission critical” was offered.

“I just keep wondering, How long can I be doing this?” Steven said. Many years before Trump and DOGE, there was a period when he could not sleep. “The job would cause me to wake up in the middle of the night,” he said. “You know how your brain can’t shut stuff off, or you’re just dreading going in the next day?” He was troubled by certain cases—a girl who had been abused in foster care, only to end up with a grandmother who stole her S.S.I. checks. He was also haunted by the need to reach case quotas, never explicitly stated but often implied. “Cutting corners happens in this industry, when representatives are trying to just get something off their list,” he said. “So then it’s like, ‘I got that done.’ But did you really help the person?” His latest sources of worry were a news article in which O’Malley, the former S.S.A. commissioner, predicted “system collapse and an interruption of benefits” within “thirty to ninety days” and an affidavit by a former agency official that described DOGE’s violation of privacy protocols and the likelihood of “critical errors that could upend SSA systems.”

Steven has never been a zealot for anything except his favorite football team, but now he believes that he and his co-workers are part of an “underground movement” to prevent the destruction of Social Security. Trump and Musk, and more conventional Republicans, talk obsessively about rooting out fraud at the S.S.A. Mistakes and overpayments do occur, but the agency’s inspector general recently found that less than one per cent of benefits distributed between 2015 and 2022 were improper. Steven believes that mass layoffs will result in vulnerable Americans not getting the money they’re entitled to. “We service people at their best and worst times,” he said. “People heading into retirement, surviving spouses, widows, widowers. It used to be we’d get complaints from the public. We’d start off a call by apologizing. ‘We’re understaffed!’ ” Now, he went on, “people are apologizing to us.” ♦

[megatruxfr]

Batwheels handles stuff i dont see in kids shows at all so here i am talking about buff

I have already pointed out how much i like how the show highlights the Batvehicles or the Batwheels are children, but Buff is my favourite BY FAR.

Hes a classic: The big 'scary' monstertruck that actually won't hurt a fly. But he is depicted AMAZINGLY

Buff is actually the most emotionally intelligent member of the group. I love it when characters are emotionally intelligent. Emotional intelligence is when someone is capable very well of placing themselves in someone else, understand other peoples struggles, opinions and feelings and they are good at handling their own emotions.

Now Buff is obviously very young so i can't act like hes super mega complex bc hes not, but i have noticed that Buff doesnt really know how to express his own frustrations.

The episode Tough Buff Blues highlights this amazingly. Its my favourite episode of season 1 because it actually handles a very common topic that is never discussed in shows like these: unwanted nicknames. The group starts calling Buff Tough Buff, wich Buff actually really doesnt like and he tries to ignore it and doesnt say anything, but in the end he ends up driving off and wants to be left alone, because he diesnt know how to handle a situation like this.

Buffs depiction is great. He isnt only depicted like the gentle giant, but also like a child.

Just like Bam, Buff shows childlike behaivor. He loves to play tag, he likes stuffed animals and he likes to play with them (and also with toys)

Buff is also very apologetic and empathetic. As i said he has the most emotional intelligence. In one episode, Redbird accidentally loses Buffs favourite stuffed animal, and when Buff hears he lost it he at first gets mad, but calms down and says its okay and he knows Redbird didnt do it on purpose.

Redbird even prepares for anger but Buff understands it.

I like how all the characters have problems kids have, they aren't traumatized or depressed, they are just kids, and how Buff has a problem a lot of kids have: Trouble speaking out frustrations. Buff struggles with frustrations around others and i feel like he's scared of dissaprovement. Buff is sometimes also insecure about his appearance, hes big and he looks intimidating and sometimes he feels like thats all people think he is. He's more then just a intimidating monster truck but he doesnt know how to show it. Hes very compassionate, sensitive and optimistic, he loves animals, he respects others opinions and he understands other people's struggles and feelings. All the Batwheels camp with problems a lot of children have. Buff is a child, and i love how he is written asa child and he deals with his problems like a child.

Hes lovely 💜

[bobbydagen24]

I feel Creeks first scene in the movie sorta gets misrepresented a little.

I feel like a lot of people seem to just look at this scene on the surfice level and see it as a group of friends and the popular Jerk making fun of the anti social guy

whose just trying to warn them about danger and tbh I feel like the movie iteself does kinda want us to look at the scene that way since the scene is clearly trying its hardest to set Creek up as an unlikable jerk.

but if you actually look at the context then I don't think Branch is really the victim here at all despite what a lot of people often say about this scene.

like for starters Branch approaches them making mocking and condecending insults its not like he's just trying to warn them about danger he's just rather blatantly being rude unprovoked

and sure the snack pack also act rude and insulting in turn but its not exactly unreasonable for starters them not taking him serously is for understandable reason

given the amount of false alarms there have been over the years and Cooper suggesting Poppy not invite him again is kinda understandable given how Branch behaves towards them.

and then there's Creek who gets critisied a lot for how he acts here even tho he arrives just after Branch has cruelly destroyed Poppy's invite and insulted all of his friends

so Creek isn't exactly the popular guy wrongfully picking on Branch he's just hitting back against a guy whose Rather blatantly being a jerk to his friends.

sure it isn't great behavour by any means but it isn't exactly black and white wrong either given how Branch was behaving towards them

and to mention what he says to Poppy afterwards in Regards to encouraging her to not waste time on Branch I'm sorry but he isn't exactly wrong there either

speaking as someone who has been the Branch in this situation plenty of times in the past ( depressed and apathetic towards life and lashed out at people close to me )

people around you can't just be expected to be your perfect punchbags forever as yes we should try to help those that need it

but there does come a point where if someone doesn't want to even try to get better like Branch at that point in time you do have to step away for your own sake so you don't ruin your own mental health as well.

like I'm sorry but that's not toxic positivity like the movie implies that's just Recognising that helping someone else shouldn't have to be at the cost of your own mental well being

as you don't deserve to be treated in such a way over and over by someone who at present was refusing to acknowledge that the way he acted was even wrong.

so no Creek wasn't being a bad guy by encouraging Poppy to leave Branch he was actually just being a realistic person in the situation given its implied this is far from the first time Branch has behaved this way towards them.

people seem to forget that Branch is actually a complex character meaning he wasn't 100 percent correct about everything he did or said in the first movie.

and neither was Poppy her and Branch represent opposite ends of the extreme ( optimism and pessimism ) but the whole point of the movie is neither is 100 percent Right or Wrong

but Creek and the rest of the snack pack also not conforming to Poppy's hyper optimistic empathetic at her own expense ways dosn't mean they are wrong either

it just makes them slightly more realistic people than either Poppy or Branch were at this point.

anyway long story short Creek isn't a Bully who was picking on the anti social guy like some people seem to think that's basically just ignoring the whole context of the scene tbh and context is important.