#why are we still arguing

[bragginball-z]

Bro (gender neutral), stop riding my cock so hard and hop off my page 💯

Canon

[socratesgirlnextdoor]

sorry don't hate me but I don't think I'm alone in saying that I mourn Soulless Spike sometimes. ATS s5 Spike, while some of his decisions about not contacting Buffy are quite odd to me, is proof that Spike could have been this in BTVS, but it was too soon and not enough had happened yet for him to return to his full identity.

but besides that. so much fanfiction I read is about preventing the need for Spike to find a soul. and I think that's so interesting because truly, like how Spike's demon fell in love with Buffy, we all fall in love with Spike the Neutered Vampire. If it wasn't for the chip in his head, everyone would be a goner (lmao no buffy would stake his ass but you know.)

But something the show goes into a little when he's soulless is that after years of abstaining, he no longer wants to bite or hurt people. In 6x09, when he thinks his chip has stopped working, he does immediately go to kill someone, but he sort of has to hype himself up to do so. He has to remind himself that he wants this. He wants to be a monster. One episode earlier, we learn that without his memories, Spike doesn't feel the need to bite anyone as a vampire and assumes he helps people because he doesn't want to.

This is about Buffy so it's a little less significant because Spike not wanting to kill Buffy makes sense because he's in love with her but in 5x07, in a fit of rage he is loading his shotgun and tells Harmony that he's going to shoot her through the searing pain, which accidentally reveals that Spike has had the ability to kill her or anyone this entire time, but he's never really wanted to in the last year, not enough to go through the pain.

And even when he points the gun at her (which, in a joke in season 4, shouldn't be possible because he points a fake gun at xander and he gets a headache), nothing happens because he wasn't going to shoot her.

Don't get me wrong, Soulless Spike loves to kill. Souled Spike gets a rush on it too, but he transferred all of his killing and passion towards demons and Buffy that his desire to kill humans has poofed and he's too close to them now.

And the writer of The Initiative episode calls it the episode Spike gets a Clockwork Orange'd and BTVS touch on the point that what they do to Spike is inhumane in itself, but dude oh the possibilities to get into with the question of how this inhumane act is what puts Spike into a position where he slowly becomes a part of human society as well as vampire society.

But fuck, what an arc. I understand that it isn't a supreme message to say any old vampire can be soulless and good (even though they sorta did that) but I mean, that's why his good actions always meant more. Him protecting Dawn meant so much because why on Earth did he grow so close to her? And we know that vampires can love, if not wisely, and fuck I don't know.

The show does get into this, also, the whole thing about how separate the soulless and the ensouled are because a soul is implied to be a filter for morality, an ego, and Spike's filter for morality is based on how it affects Buffy, and I understand that that's not sustainable, but. I don't know.

It's weird because I don't want to separate the Spike I loved for 4 seasons from s7 and ats s5 Spike because late season 5 and some parts of season 6 soulless Spike are good even without a soul.

Like yes, no morality, evil, bad, not a long term thing. But the show never completes the question of Buffy and Soulless Spike's relationship, like obviously they wouldn't have become so good without the soul, the show argues (and sure that makes sense), but like hey! show can you tell me why they are like that then and the significance of that before you give me New Spike?

I don't know. I don't know!

[cheemscakecat]

Y’know Luke, Leia and Han all met while they were madly stressed and at their worst.

Luke: Only just found out Imperials are the bad guys when he saw the dead Jawas.

Tried to warn his Aunt and Uncle, only to find their burning corpses dumped on their lawn. Is next on the hit-list because of the droids.

Ends up stuck on the Death Star, Obi Wan leaves to do who knows what. Realizes this lady Leia will also die if they don’t at least try to rescue her.

Leia: Her whole crew got slaughtered. She’s been captured and tortured for being a Rebel.

Watches everyone she knew and loved on Alderaan get destroyed in an instant. Isn’t sure the intel or Obi Wan will make it.

Her rescue is literally three randoms with no idea what they’re doing, none of them know where Obi Wan is on the Death Star. The droid with the intel is also here, which is just great!

Han (And Chewbacca): In massive trouble and debt with gangsters because he ditched cargo. Doesn’t want to get killed or hunted by Imperials.

Alderaan is literally gone??? And now he’s stuck on an Imperial ship. Old man is probably crazy and going to die trying to get them out.

Farm kid insists they need to rescue some rebel princess on board. He fumbles the reply on the Imperial intercom and now they’re on high alert.

Like… Luke is complaining and freaking out, impatience and impulsiveness dialed up to 100 because of all this fresh trauma.

Leia is angry and extra bossy and roasting these two, because the Empire is far more dangerous than even she knew, and her only hope is these non-rebel strangers and Obi Wan if he’s still alive.

Han is super snarky and flighty and off his game, because he tried so hard not to get in trouble with the Imps, and now he is because of these whiny bozos.

They were getting on each other’s last nerves.

[joyfulhottubfuntik]

I will never understand how and why people seriously hate on teenage Ford. I get not liking some of the things he would do later in life, sure, but was he really wrong for how he behaved before his and Stan's falling out?

If you ask me, then no, I don't think he was. Because what did he want? Why was there a rift between the brothers even before the science fair?

For all of his youth Ford had a very strong desire to be seen for something other than what he was born as. Because who was he, really? One of a set of twins? Specifically the weird one with six fingers? And of course, he loved his brother and wanted him to be a part of his life, but that's the thing, isn't it. He, Ford, wanted Stan, his twin who was very dear to him, in his life, but it would be Ford's own one, separate from Stan's. He didn't want to be just one half of a person anymore and he didn't want Stan to be that way either. Stan, however, who had throughout his life repeatedly been told that he is worth nothing without Ford, obviously clung to this "dynamic duo" hard. And actually I can't help but think that here Stan was the one whose emotions were unhealthy. Because how wrong is it to just want to be your own person and to follow your ambitions?

Actually this may or may not be a hot take, but I do believe that everyone would be so much better off if everything went well and Ford got into his dream university. Both Stan and Ford would be able to develop as people separately from each other, while still being on good terms. In canon so much of their lives was defined by attempts to fill the hole in their lives which was left in the absence of the other twin. And besides, Stan would not have that need to focus solely on earning as much money as possible as quickly as possible (which is what got him into all the legal trouble that he found himself in. I do think he could've settled down and done somewhat well, just didn't, because people don't become millionaires by getting a minimum wage job and settling down, do they?).

[sysig]

If it’s not you, what’s the point! (Patreon)

[spookberry]

Kokichi's the only person who really knows how to commit to the bit tbh. Injured and bleeding out? This is the perfect opportunity to lay face down on the floor in a puddle of your own blood in the middle of the hall in order to trick your classmates into thinking you got murdered and then laugh at them when they freak out

[princessnijireiki]

honestly don't necessarily rock with the papacy. aka I definitely do not except when it is funny.

but him also doing an indigenous apology tour while looking extra feeble and the wind ripped almost everybody's audio away was also a thing that can be so special. and him being like "stop killing palestinians," calling out jd vance personally, then meeting vance, saying, "oh, absolutely not, bye" and sending his understudy to the official-official meeting to give him a lecture on compassion instead, and then DYING on easter monday

all incredibly funny papal behavior. so I fuck with it

[realrosielol]

I am in desperate need of Shisui x Maomao works. Fanart or fanfiction, don't matter. I just NEED to see these two goobers on top of each other, making out SLOPPILY.

[merehawke]

dont do this to me. im so fucking glad this didnt actually happen

[francisforever2014]

gen ai hate has gone so far that we’re glorifying undergrad term papers . we’ve lost the fucking plottttt

[uncanny-tranny]

You know, I feel like other trans people might get this, but it's honestly kind of refreshing when a cis person has, like, undeniable tboy/tgirl/whatever swag. It's like when you come across somebody who speaks the same language as you and you only find out when they start speaking it, too.

[khaire-traveler]

Hello, just wondering if it’s possible to become advanced in your practice with the Gods as a minor? It doesn’t make sense to me whatsoever, as advanced would point to several years of in depth research, high understanding and a long history of kharis with the Gods, which seems difficult for anyone, let alone a minor.

Khaire!

Honestly, this is a really tough question to answer because I genuinely can't say. I don't think it's fair to judge someone's practice as "advanced" or not from the outside. We simply cannot say what someone's practice actually looks like unless we are that person. I think it would also help if we defined what exactly "advanced" means. Maybe "advanced" for a minor looks different than "advanced" for an adult. I also just don't like ranking religion in these kinds of ways. Like, "beginner" I understand using if someone has just started and feels they need more help, but I don't think it's a good idea, generally speaking, to rank one's religion with terms like "advanced" or "intermediate", as if it's some sort of real-life leveling system. That's an incredibly difficult thing to determine, too, because there's no set criteria for what makes someone "advanced" (this isn't a slight to you; it's just weird to me that anyone would use this term in HelPol).

I do think you may be judging this minor a bit too harshly, though, Nonny. Unless this person (or people) is causing direct harm by claiming to be something they're not (like claiming to be a priest and manipulating people with it, for example), then I don't really see a point in nit-picking about what level a minor considers their practice. Minors are chill and all, but I'll be so real and say that sometimes they say really weird things lol (saying this with peace and love) because they're still kids. When I was a minor, I remember saying some weird shit and having to learn from it, and that's an entirely normal part of being in that age-range. They're still learning how the world works, likely still learning how religion works for them, and they're testing different things out. Can it be a little annoying sometimes low-key? Yes, absolutely, but does that mean it's something we should hold against them? Eh, debatable, but I don't really think so, in this case. This person is still a kid, and kids make some wild claims sometimes. If they say they're "advanced", then let them be, even if you disagree. They'll likely figure it out on their own.

[onceinawhilemoon]

sure, sherry. your brother would just let M walk free after he literally checked every single box under Ways to Antagonize Mycroft Holmes by: killing his agents, actively fucking with intelligence and national security operations, being a literal threat to the nation, and committing the cardinal sin of stalking and threatening to hurt an overprotective mama bear’s cub (aka YOU), a crime easily punished by imprisonment, death, or worse (see: otto richter). but sure… 

[vanityangel]

[vanpalmerenthusiast]

“van palmer is a bottom!” i yell into the microphone. boos ring out from the crowd as they drag me off the stage. “no, she’s right,” says an australian voice from the crowd, commanding the attention of the room. the speaker stands up. it’s liv hewson.

[shadowsatdawnx]

i’m sorry but why do we ignore the fact that SJM quite literally confirmed gw*n was a lightsinger when someone directly asked her if she was and she told them they had A+ reading skills