#raw thoughts

[quietchaoswords]

A man is always gonna be a museum of all the people,places,emotions and things that made us feel alive.

[wuillaumes]

Endless, however, is my baby. It was the first album I had ever heard that had lines with a man loving another man. I wouldn't say my mind was blown at first, but I remember thinking—being uncomfortable. It was like I was at church being talked about, but my name was never mentioned.

It's not the gayest album ever, but me being in the closet and hearing someone be bisexual—how I always wanted to be—did something to me.

I remember hating how I couldn't fully connect with an artist ’cause they weren't queer. Frank was such an easy cop-out for me, but in return, he helped me find so much of myself.

Thank you, Frank, for helping me confirm something in myself and helping me feel.

Commes des garçons

[idkhow-ks]

Raw 6/23/25 — post show thoughts

Warning for anyone who needs it: this gets political and touches on what is currently happening in the Middle East. I've kept it to the end so if you still want to read my funny wrestling thoughts and avoid the serious stuff just stop at the Cody vs Jey section.

Seth Rollins opens the show, Breakker vs Penta

I don’t know how much it came across on tv but in the arena Rollins was getting a lot of boos and there wasn’t a lot of singing his song happening which I’m happy to see as he is trying to be a big bad heel.

Has Bronson Reed said anything since returning and joining Seth? I see no logic in him taking on this role.

Penta and Breakker put together a really good match with some unexpected spots. Both guys are super over too.

In fact, along with the CM Punk chants there was a lot of…. Woofing I guess? People love Bron.

The midair spear looked super awesome in person.

Goldberg video

Not much to say here. I don't think the title should be on the line for this match but WWE's current reliance on titles for matches is a topic for another day.

Queen of the Ring Semifinal – Cargill vs Perez

I'm not a fan of Jade. I think she relies solely on being 'stronger' than everyone else and that doesn't make for great matches.

Perez is gold. She sells so well, her in-ring psychology is always top notch, and she can pull off some impressive moves for her small stature.

I should probably add another warning here because I'm going to talk about shitty men for a second.

If you are a man and you are going to a live pro wrestling event please know that there are women there that can hear you when you talk about how nice the asses are of all the female wrestlers. I'm not saying that you can't appreciate their bodies. You can, they're stunning, I agree with you on that. But when that's the only commentary you have during women's matches when you're super invested in the wrestling of the men's matches it feels gross.

And if your response to reading that is to say it's not all men and I probably just sat behind some dickheads. I have been to a lot of wrestling shows. I've heard stuff like this at every single one. I just want those guys to know that people can hear them and I at least am judging them accordingly and do not feel safe with them in attendance.

Gunther promo

On a lighter note: I love Gunther!

That promo slapped. No notes.

My personal Main Event – Bayley vs Lynch

Glad that Becky was getting appropriately boo'd.

This definitely took a bit to get going but they were really putting something awesome together.

The buried-under-chairs spot was cool.

Lyra coming in to dig Bayley out was the right spot for her to interfere.

I liked that Lyra didn't bite on Becky's taunting on the ring apron and that Bayley got there before Becky could force a DQ.

But then of course they had Lyra take that baseball slide and even though Bayley and Becky were putting on a clinic after that point they had Lyra kill it all because she just couldn't possibly take a baseball slide from Lynch and let it go. Oh no no no. She had to get back at Lynch right there in the middle of a stellar match.

I don't know if this lived up to all my self-imposed hype but it was definitely building in that direction! Until the ending!

But at least the forthcoming triple threat at Evolution will be a banger ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Rodriguez calls out Ripley

This definitely felt like filler.

Gross men warning again.

Rhea continues to be the most over person in the company.

It doesn't feel like such a good thing when you see all the men standing up during this whole segment and filming closeups of her.

Rhea has agency and she obviously feels great about her image and is doing this all of her own free will and I would never say that she should change that. She can do whatever she wants. I agree that she's hot as hell and I like looking at her. But men don't know how to behave in respectful ways a lot of the time and it's not fun being a femme presenting person at shows and watching this all happen. You can enjoy her without making it so fucking obvious that you just want to fuck her and don't care about anything else.

King of the Ring Semifinal – Rhodes vs Uso

Here is where this recap/review is going to take a turn.

The build to Night of Champions I think is my breaking point for WWE at this moment.

I don't know how to best put this into words so this might come off as just word vomit but I'm happy to clarify or discuss specific statements if anyone wants or needs that.

WWE getting into partnership with Saudi Arabia was bad enough, WWE making up whole new 'Titles' to wrestle for and then display in Saudi Arabia was bad enough. WWE taking a ring canvas sponsorship from Saudi Arabia was bad enough.

All of those things made me incredible uncomfortable and sad. The House of Saud is a criminal organization that has buckets of blood on their hands. And WWE is playing into their continued Sports Washing.

But going to Raw tonight and seeing them advertise the Cena vs Punk match and then the Rhodes vs Orton match and then seeing the already edited graphic for Asuka vs Cargill where Jade is fully covered. It just broke me y'all.

Knowing that Iran has already bombed US bases in Qatar and that the biggest US presence in the Middle East is in Saudi Arabia was just the icing on top of the already shit-filled situation.

This next bit is probably going to come across as 'missing the point man' but it is how I'm feeling in this moment.

Sports (and live events in general) are incredibly powerful. They can be a massive force for good but under capitalism they are most often a massive force for bad.

And the specific reason this broke me over all the other Saudi shows is because Orton vs Rhodes and Cena vs Punk are generational matches. They are culminations of decades long stories and they should be played out as such.

These are Mania matches. These are SummerSlam matches. These are Chicago and Boston matches. These are fan dream matches.

But instead of taking these once in a lifetime stories and putting them on a show where the most diverse and wide audience has a chance to witness them, WWE took– what I can only assume is a metric shit ton of– money from criminals and tyrants to stage these matches in a dangerous location where the average WWE fan can not attend.

It feels so disrespectful and dismissive of the fans. It feels so grubby and dirty. It feels like such a waste.

I have a whole other part of this rant about Punk specifically but that's probably best left for another day.

To round this all out I'll say this, I won't be watching Smackdown on Friday or Night of Champions on Saturday or Raw on Monday. I can't in good conscience support in even the most tacit of ways the partnership between WWE and Saudi Arabia. I regret going to Raw tonight which is something I never thought I would say.

I'm still a wrestling fan and I will still be here talking about wrestling and making my silly Chris Sabin cosplay and my satanic G.O.A.T sacrifice fan art but not for this week, not for these shows.

If anyone reads this far, thank you. I take sports and the intersection of sports, culture, and politics very seriously. I did my thesis on this topic. So if you have any questions or want to have a good faith conversation about this I'm here and willing.

[girl-trying-to-escape-reality]

Daily reminder

[not-your-average-flower]

Aedion Ashryver is a hell of a character. Change my mind.

Aedion Ashryver is an absolute emotional and moral powerhouse of the entire series.

The guy:

is loyal to the point of pain – literally and emotionally. In "QoS" when he knew he would be sentenced to death but still he wanted to die on his own terms and damn it, he almost succeeded! His determination to die with dignity, on his own terms, without mercy, without self-pity, without begging – THAT'S CHARACTER. He knew he had broken the rules of Adarlan. And seriously – he was one step away from leaving with such a bang that only Aelin could stop him at the last moment and change the course of history. And Aelin entered this scene. He had already accepted his fate. He wanted to die like a hero, but he is still alive and our beloved S J Maas allows him to be ridden even more. Now he has to live, fight, love, fail, torment himself… and grow as a human being. Because life is a harder road than death.

Carries tons of trauma with pride and jokes on his lips. 14 years old taking part in a historic battle? Put on his CV. Orphanhood and loss of family? No problem. Despite this, he still listened to others and acted for his beloved cousin even though he didn't know if she was alive at all, he was willing to die for her even before he knew she was alive,

created an internal, silent resistance movement before it was fashionable: LOSS

didn't have time to enjoy time his beloved cousin who definitly will makes his hair turn gray

lost his Blood Oath, Aelin,unknowingly, deprived him of the only dream he had for himself and despite everything he was proud to fight alongside Rowan, even though Aedion himself is a fucking legend

turns out that his mixed heritage is not just a part of his blood but actually half of it! And that from a warrior he's a fan of

met his Old Man, one of the last people connected to him by blood but hated him for leaving his Mother

unconscious humiliation by his beloved Aelin at the end of "EoS" That wasn't a plan. It was a continuation of his trauma - dressed up as "reason". And that with a woman he started to feel something for. Because let's be clear: he didn't want to be the "solution". He wanted to be loved. And what did he get? Duty. Again.

He deserves his own whole trilogy. He wanted to be loved unconditionally and once again he became a sword.

Sarah, for fuck's sake, give him his own book 🐺💔

[withintheveil]

- Here is a poem for anyone going through illness, hardship, or silent pain.

Whispers of the Angel

I have heard death's whispers many times. It calls me like an old friend— a friend I’d rather stay away from, but a friend nonetheless.

He does not knock, nor does he wait for permission. He walks like shadow beside me, scary—but dutiful. An angel, bound not by malice, but by obedience to my Lord.

He does not speak. He simply stands when my soul trembles in sujood, when the wind stills at night, when my heart aches for things it cannot name.

He has seen the faces of kings and children, the lovers of dunya, and the lovers of Allah.

To the heedless, he comes like lightning— To the prepared, like a quiet pull toward home.

Sometimes I wonder if he’s near, when I can’t sleep. When my mother’s voice trembles in du’aa. When I feel too heavy for this earth, and too sinful for the sky.

But I know… He only moves when my Lord commands. He has no power of his own. He is not cruel. Just certain.

So I wait, not with eagerness, but with submission. Not with longing, but with hope.

That when he comes, he will not find me empty. He will not find me far.

Let him find me with Qur’an on my lips, and Allah in my heart. Let him take me, if I am ready.

And if I am not… then let me live only to become so.

-Ruhaya 🤍

[lost-coder]

You know how Punjab defended that insanely low score the other night in the IPL? And everyone lost their minds, like wow, what a comeback, what a performance.

But then in the next match, they fail to defend a much higher total and people go, “Well, of course, that kind of thing doesn’t happen every time.” Which makes sense because it doesn’t

But here’s the thing: does that mean they’re suddenly a bad team now? Just because they couldn’t repeat the same extraordinary thing?

NO

They’re the same team. Still capable. Still skilled. It’s just that not every day is a record-breaking kind of day.

And I think that applies to life too.

Just because you’re struggling with something today, something you were able to handle before, doesn’t mean you’ve suddenly lost your edge.

It just means you’re human.Not every phase of your life is going to be your best.

Not every performance is going to be record-breaking.

That doesn’t make you any less capable than you were before.

You’ve just set the bar so high for yourself that now, being anything less than amazing feels like failure. But it’s not.

Cut yourself some slack.

You're still that person.

Just......not every phase has to be extraordinary. And that’s perfectly okay.

[viragoposting]

raw thoughts and reflections

I need to be a little more proactive about my advocacy. I feel as though in these spaces we share and uplift the opinions of men instead of women. Which is sort of why I started this blog.

I understand this is a identity and/or lifestyle desire for women, yet fear and patriarchy get in the way of experiencing it. I also feel like due to misogyny being so popular in men, their perception of women and femininity can warp to that and become that for them.

I tend not to talk about men on this blog mostly because I feel as though women would need the most support and advocacy with these sorts of things due to how internalized gender roles are.

With Rolereversal subreddit, I've talked about my issues on how they view actual queer people, women's rights and issues, and my small distaste on the fashion. Many of them haven't been in queer social groups or events in real life. I also feel like parasociality has to do with it as well. No faces.

I've been thinking about navigating tiktok for familiarity and content. Even though harassment can come easy, I feel like it breeds human face to face connection and bigger opportunities for having larger real tangible spaces.

Ultimately, the goal is get everything off of JUST reddit. Preferably resting in the hands of queer women. The main issue is content...

[nomoremaybe]

[4her-forever]

she hung the stars for me and she spoke to me.

my daughter didn’t just change my life—she translated it.

through her, i found god.

through her, i found myself.

i used to think i’d figure out who i was before she arrived.

but it turns out, the version of me who could finally hear the call…

was born with her.

[dismembereddream]

Me: Maybe I’m faking all of this. Right?

Him: ....Maybe not. Maybe the real fake is the mask you were forced to wear to survive neglect and trauma. After all, you experience reality as 'fake' because you were trained to reject the reality of your own needs.

.

.

.

....and somehow, it was more reassuring than all the hollow words and bright, empty comfort people toss around just to pretend everything's okay.

[lifeguardgodking]

Audio: A Monologue of Resilience

we all fall, we all fail, why do you get back up?

[girl-trying-to-escape-reality]

Do not lose hope, please believe that there are a thousand beautiful things waiting for you. Sunshine comes to all who feel rain.

[gor3b0y]

My god darling, I love the way your eyes look at me. The way the blue shines when you see me. the slight green in the middle, the way your pupils expand in affection when you see the smile I give you. I can get lost in the sea of your eyes. and your lashes? those blonde little things that protect those pretty little eyes? breathtakingly beautiful. you know what you do to me, the way you wink with a smile knowing the way it makes my cold heart flutter. I'm falling for you, and you don't even have to speak.

[eminementhusiast]

This sketch is personal to me.

Sometimes, as a teenage girl, when getting caught up with night life and hookup culture you often get discarded as if you are only your body. As if you're nothing but a pretty face and figure.

Teenage boys are relentless in this sense. They make you feel wonderful in the moment, kissing you so tenderly and telling you all the things you'd want to hear, promising when they're sober that they'll still have interest in you, but when you wake up the next morning to message them, you'll be lucky if they reply.

Here, I depict myself, laying on the ground with nothing but my underwear on. I write, in cursive "Why won't you look beyond the exterior?"

I decided to make the writing cursive to emphasis the value of good looks over quality and personality to the lustful people you may face at a party.

This, to me, essentially encapsulates all of the hurt that comes with the thrill of kissing and touching a stranger. I have felt that all to much recently, especially as a decent-looking girl. We are nothing but our bodies, nothing but an achievement. This also covers the displacement that neurodivergent individuals may experience when socialising with neurotypical individuals. But who will care to know what shows I like? What songs are my favourite? How I like my tea? What makes me laugh? No one. Because this generation is fucked.