Sometimes you just have one of those moments where the progress we've made as a culture get thrown into stark relief. You look at something and go "Holy shit, that would never have happened when I was a kid."
Today, I had one of those moments when I realized that the teenage boys I'm working with are just. genuinely, openly enthusiastic about going to Build-a-Bear for their outing.
These are sixteen and seventeen year old boys! They just had a whole conversation about what to name their "cute", mostly new squishmallows! They're genuinely excited that they're going to Build-a-Bear this weekend and asking other kids to pick up specific accessories for them!!
Holy shit, that never would've happened when I was 16. None of the boys would have dared to be visibly interested - and neither would most of the girls! There would have been a million gay jokes and "Haha, you're a girl" jokes and "What are you, a baby?" jokes. Teenagers weren't even supposed to care about anything back then!
Less than 15 years later, and I'm watching three 17 year old boys treat all that as not even worthy of comment.
So let's call that a reason for hope. Even when the kids aren't alright, in some ways apparently they are alright. Go Gen Z, honestly. It's so lovely to watch you guys just openly doing and saying stuff that, when I was a teen, would've been a social death sentence.
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zolu is maybe one of the easiest ships i've ever liked. they're dating, except when they're not, they're best friends even when they're kissing and they're still captain and first mate when they aren't. they hold hands, they hug. they have sex. they don't.
Luffy can hold Zoro's katanas and Zoro can hold Luffy's strawhat and no one bats an eye. one says "You're so cool!" and the other says "You're strong" and it's just another way to say "I see you, this is why I follow you/this is why I trust you". it's not seeing each other for a long time and still knowing how the other's steps sound like against wood and sand. the captain runs and the first mate follows. it's always "Zoro and the others" and "Where's Luffy?"
if they're just friends, if they're something more, if they don't have a label for it, at its core, it's just about how they get each other. they understand how the other's mind works. however you view them, it doesn't erase they fact that they love each other in a way they don't love other people.
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I...freaking...LOVE this moment.
It's not many words and yet it says SO much about Sniper's character.
Sniper's biological Dad is, let's be honest, a total piece of shit. His Mom ain't much better, but that's beside the point.
He was going to abandon his wife and child to save himself when he thought the world was coming to an end. One of the first things he does when he finally reunites with Sniper is ask him for money. He later steals the mercs submarine and all their weapons, leaving them, and his son, for dead.
In general, he's a selfish jerk who doesn't listen to anyone and only cares about his own welfare.
Sniper still wanted to save him.
Because at this point in the story, his adoptive parents are dead and his bio Mom just launched herself into space and will (most likely) meet the same fate.
I don't believe this is a case of it simply "being the right thing to do". I think just the fact that they are related is so important to Sniper that he's willing to risk his life to save someone who doesn't really deserve saving. Sniper's Dad, however awful he might be, is the ONLY family he has left.
And maybe he's clinging onto the hope that after all this, maybe there's still a chance they can have a somewhat normal father-son relationship; especially considering that his relationship with his adoptive Dad was rocky at times.
But then of course, that all goes out the window immediately after, and what does Sniper get in return for this act of selflessness?
Well...you know.
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Still weird seeing Twilight be so honest with Yor about struggling to turn his brain off and just *be*. A good kind of weird, of course. I could never imagine volume one Twilight being so open with her (or anyone, really). This chapter was so nice with its references to all the way back then and showing how far they've come since. Still some sneaky Project Apple seeds being laid, of course, but overall, this was a pleasant checkpoint. A little calm before the next storm, which was sorely needed after the last arc
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One thing that's starting to really get to me with the James Somerton stuff is a real strong undercurrent of disdain toward his fans. And yeah, I was one of them. A good scam artist isn't as easy to spot as y'all seem to think. You forget that you have all the information right now. Two days ago most of you had never heard of him and it would have kept going. Anyone can fall for a scam, nobody is immune. I would love to have had whatever resources you guys think we all should magically know about so I could have kept my sad $5 a month I really needed but thought was going to something worthwhile. Some of us can only devote so much energy into things and when you have no idea whatsoever that something is amiss of course you're not going to go digging for sources, why would you when everything is fine as far as you know? I really wish I could have seen the dissenting opinions on him but for many, many reasons that aren't just that the dissenting voices weren't widely circulating at the time all I had was the thought every now and again that "huh that doesn't seem right" and then go on with my day. And I think that happened to a lot of us. So yeah. Say what you gotta say about Somerton, he has more than earned it with the damage he's caused, but maybe don't shit so hard on his former fans because that is going to be you someday with something, it happens to everyone sooner or later.
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I love (sarcasm) that the two options for working when disabled are:
1. Work at the risk of (permanently) disabling yourself further. Go home to a paycheck that won't cover much, but at least you have money. Fight the urge to cry when you're home because you're in so much pain and you can't do basic things anymore
2. Don't work. You'll be in just as much pain, plus you will have even less money. Getting a disability check probably won't cover anything, but chin up! A single dollar is better than no dollar, right?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?
Nobody should be forced to make the decision to work or starve, but there's an added layer of torture when your body literally cannot handle these options. My heart goes out to us all, the world can change for the better
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