#and have supported some statements/actions that really make me sad

[ecoqueer]

I wish that people gave a shit about nonbinary people who don’t use they/them pronouns. You can literally give your friend group (which includes another nonbinary person) a list of your favorite pronouns, none of which include they/them, and mention several times that you don’t like they/them pronouns for yourself, but they’ll make the switch from she/her pronouns to…they/them. And feel super proud of themselves for being sooo progressive as to use they/them pronouns for you….when those aren’t your pronouns.

I think that saying “he she and they are my least favorite but are fine in combination with other things…I’m really fine with any neos but here’s a list of my faves that you can choose from!” Is polite and not a difficult request. I’m not good at being a pushy person, and I shouldn’t need to be.

[gentlebeardsbarngrill]

04/16/2024 Daily OFMD Recap

TLDR; Samba Schutte; Outtakes; Weekly Calendar; Fiber Arts Auction; Some Nonsense in Bristol; Glad Ranker; Fan Spotlight: Never Left Podcast; Cast Cards; Our Drag Means Slay, Our Flag Means Fanfiction Minisode; Our Flag Makes a Difference Fundraiser; Schadenfreude; Love Notes; Daily Darby/Tonight's Taika.

= Samba Schutte =

The big sighting today was Samba and his Outtakes BTS post!

== New Weekly Event Calendar ==

New event calendar is up! Check out the new Fiber Arts Brigade info below!

= SOFMD's Fiber Arts Brigade =

Some cool stuff is going on in SOFMD's Fiber Arts Brigade! There's an auction to benefit Sage, a US organization that provides amazing support and advocacy for queer elders! The Auction will be held June 14th . You don't need to be a member to donate items to the auction! Message @saveofmdcrewmates if you'd like to join in! sageusa.org

Jeff Art by @snejpowa

== **Big Sigh** in Bristol ==

I don't even know what to label this section. I'm just flabberghasted. The good news is they are not a member of the SOFMD team since there was a rumor going around that SOFMD was somehow involved. Link to the Bristol Post and SaveOFMD's Statement Below:

== Uproar Update! ==

Digital release moved up to April 23!

== Calls to Action ==

== GLAAD ==

Last day to vote for GLAAD!

Vote Here

Img Src: @AdoptOurCrew Twitter

== Ranker ==

Still looking to help OFMD stay up on Ranker? This is their main page and yo can choose from lots of different rankings going on and vote up OFMD and down other shows you think should be lowered.

== Fan Spotlight ==

== Never Left ==

Never Left Podcast has Hugo Pierre Martin on the show this week! Give them a listen on your choice of podcast platforms by visiting their Linktr.ee

Artwork was created by Amy Gleason, you can see more of her art @/AmysBirdHouse on IG.

= Cast Cards =

Our dear crewmate @melvisik has spotlighted one of the fisherman from the pilot episode that Stede pillaged the plant from! Ted Heyck!

== Our Drag Means Slay ==

For those of you not in the Chicago area, you can now sign up to see Our Drag Means Slay on livestream! Tickets are $5 for the Apr 27, 2024 7:00 PM show! All proceeds go to charity!

Ticket Link

Our Drag Means Slay Twitter

= Our Flag Means Fanfiction =

Our friends over at Our Flag Means Fanfiction have put out a minisode this week:

Minisode: Izzy Hands Ring Lore Fics Check it out on Spotify!

== Our Flag Makes A Difference ==

Great news! The eSIMS and Sanitary Products for Gaza fundraiser has finally reached it's goal! Thank you so everyone who shared links or donated, it makes a serious different in folks lives! For more info: Check out the campaign

== Schadenfreude ==

Thanks @seven_sugars on Twitter for spotting this 30% loss YTD!

== Love notes ==

Today was a tough one lovelies. I really want to thank all of you who reached out when I was struggling, it meant a lot to me. I know some of you said we didn't know each other-- but I just wanna throw out there that you're part of this crew, and even if we haven't talked or interacted much, your love means the world to me and everyone else you send it to. Every single one of you who's willing to reach out-- to a friend/crewmate who has asked, or hasn't asked and just looks like they need it, or you're just spreading a bit of joy-- you make this world such a better place. You take sadness and you turn it into solace and comfort. You share a little piece of yourself to make someone else's missing pieces start to be whole again.

I just want you to know how powerful that kindness is. It can mean the absolute world to someone when they are truly down, to know they are seen and cared about, even by the briefest of acquaintance. Seriously, thank you. You are a glimmer of sunshine on hard days and the impact you make is immense. Tonight, I just want to say thank you so so much for your kindness. Love you crew, I hope you're well.

== Daily Darby / Tonight's Taika ==

Tonight's theme is Freemanji, I don't know why, just felt like a Freemanji night. Look at Rhys in his little mustache and hat, and Taika in his goofy ass coat <3 Gifs courtesy of @neonpigeons and @ihadaweirdname

[hawkogurl]

Sometimes I feel like the 'did we watch the same movie' readings of Raimi!Norman (ignoring the mess that was NWH) could be tempered if people were willing to treat characters as narrative devices to tell a story and explore themes than like, a real person who is close to you and is need of their (moral) character and honour defended bc it would harm them otherwise, plus not making being likeable, relatable, and sympathetic (not to confused with being complex and character motivations making sense) as obligatory traits for a 'good' character - Norman is far more interesting and layered when he's a morally awful person who doesn't want people to know his true nature bc it would get in the way of his goals and a foil to Peter in terms of the power/responsibility and man behind the mask themes than if he was just some sad woobie who never did anything wrong and is genuinely a sweet and kind person.

And like, if you want to play around with sweet old man Norman in your fanworks, then go wild, but just embrace that's what you're doing and not act like it's canonical text or a well-supported possible reading of the film and then try to shove that into actual analytical critiques of the movies.

Totally agree. When I disagree with other peoples takes on especially platforms like tiktok or reddit, sites I generally hate where for these movies narrative analysis tends to be put on the back burner, I will often give more elaborate explanations why, from a storytelling angle, something is or isn’t true. And consistently I tend to get comments which are, in fairness to the commenters, very lighthearted saying that I’m providing college essay level stuff when I really don’t feel like I am. Due to the absolute plague of anti intellectualism and the far more natural reality that when it comes to mass media, people do not think about media in an intensely critical way. And I think that’s fine, it would be elitist of me to think that people can’t just like things to like things. But when you’re going to enter the territory where you’re making statements on the narrative fabric of something or start arguing in favor of something or against something or just for something with other people, you do have to start examining it critically.

And I completely agree with the concept you’re communicating. And I would be hypocritical to say I never do the same, I very much do, but when I’m trying to make storytelling or analytical points I do my damnedest to separate what I’m saying from my own more meta reasons for thinking a way I do, whether that be my attachment to a character or relating my analysis to some sort of metatextual fan reaction that isn’t totally relevant. There are certain points where I go against my instincts to defend characters like Harry or MJ whose general fan perception is unjustified because it doesn’t help or actively weakens my point with that sort of bias.

I also think people have developed this idea that to be a good villain, the villain must be sympathetic or morally gray. Especially in the face of people tending to moralize their own or other people’s personal preferences, people often feel the need to justify their most evil faves as sympathetic or tragic when they aren’t, at least not in the capacity they argue, rather than just accept that it’s not a reflection on them to like an evil character. It’s often worse to try and justify Norman. A lot of the time, in the process of trying to frame Norman as tragic or sympathetic, they make things worse from multiple forms of critical lense by both weakening the narrative and what it’s trying to say and also by unintentionally or subconsciously falling into some not so great tropes, such as implicitly belittling the actions against the child he abused or using Emily, Caroline Mulder or whoever it is that Harry’s mother was as a sort of scapegoat, blaming Norman’s negative traits on her as something she made him develop by betraying him however they decided she did or otherwise dragging her down to make him seem better. And in my perspective, the character assassination of a woman to justify or prop up the poor innocent man who only became cruel as a result will never not be misogynistic. It’s just a method of stripping the male character of responsibility for his actions by pinning them on his female counterpart. This happening with a woman who never even shows her face on screen is, for me, an example especially cartoonish in its egregiousness. I’m all for adding flaws and nuance to Emily or whoever’s character, but you’ll lose me when she’s portrayed as a bitch who’s at fault for any amount of Norman sucking. He is an adult man. He’s responsible for himself.

I feel the same about the varying executions of Ambrose Osborn. There are examples I like a lot more, like The Final Act on ao3 where he’s never used to excuse Norman’s actions. But most of the time, he ends up as an excuse. Cycle of abuse narratives only work if you still acknowledge the abused is not any less now an abuser for it. And going back to Harry, it contributes to this sort of mass belittlement for what happened there. Within fandoms, themes that feel real are always more worth hating someone for than vaguer, more distant concepts like mass murder and terrorism. Norman’s abuse of Harry is more egregious than his crimes as the goblin because it’s more real to people. It’s more of a condemnation because more people have been there. As a result, a lot of people seem to believe that to redeem Norman or to be allowed to like him, Norman can’t have been abusive towards Harry. You get a lot of things like Harry being treated as unreasonable, or Norman never having been abusive and just having been unable to express love properly (usually with a nice side of blaming Emily), or using Ambrose as an excuse, often trying to do the comics canon Harry breaking the cycle with Norman. Which both erases Norman’s abuse and never really executes that plotline in a way that works because it’s so tied into the ways Norman directed harm at Harry for traits in Harry he saw as weak. It doesn’t work with Norman and it’s still rather off putting to never acknowledge that Norman was awful. I don’t think people really realize that writing Norman as a good father in fanfic isn’t as much of a… I don’t know, support to abuse victims as they think it is. I’m not going to begrudge anyone who does so as a coping mechanism, I’m not here to dictate your trauma and you can do whatever feels right, but most of the time it comes off as thinking what Norman did wasn’t real abuse because he never hit him, or because he still loved him, rhetoric that’s directed against the experiences of real life victims quite a lot.

And all of that comes down to the fact that people implicitly treat characters like they’re people. Liking a character who did something has become the same as liking a person who did the same. But Norman isn’t a person. He’s a character. And while characters are obviously a lot more and making them feel like people improves most stories, at the end of the day characters are not people, they’re narrative devices. Within storytelling, while there’s a bit more nuance than what I’m saying here, at the end of the day good writing is writing that works. Norman doesn’t need to behave like a real person, ignoring that he pretty much does, because he is a character who, at the end of the day, only needs to act in a way that makes the story work.

This whole reply is disjointed so I’ll probably revisit this topic when I’m capable of intelligent thought. As always for anyone reading who disagrees, always willing to participate in good faith discussion.

[ourlordapollo]

Uh oh girl my Kristoph Gavin musings are calcifying into unshakable headcanons

Have we already talked about his pathological need for validation. Can we. Can we talk about it again.

Obviously this is all speculation and knowing the writers, the Gavins probably have some fucked up supernatural backstory and dead parents, but the writers aren't here right now. *locks the doors*

Anyway, for the sake of minimizing stupid ppl yelling at me (assuming I'm brave enough to maintag this instead of letting it rot in obscurity, unrebloggable), please mentally insert "IN MY OPINION" before every statement I make

This is a classic case of choosing a conclusion and retrofitting evidence to support said conclusion but. I'm allowed to do that. I'm not turning this into Professor Fandom for a special grade in "FAN 485: Feverishly Justifying Your Own Bullshit."

Anyway.

Let's recontextualize Kristoph's actions using the following framework:

Kristoph Gavin is a sad little boy in a man's suit, desperate for the validation of everyone around him to the point that he would do anything to get it.

1. Phoenix

A lot of people (alright, haters. A lot of haters. You made me talk like Donald Trump. Are you happy now). *ahem*

A lot of haters like to paint this move as stupid like it's some kind of "gotcha".

"What move?"

The dual move of voting in Phoenix's favor and choosing to befriend him.

Here's the thing.

Of course it's fucking stupid. We're not looking at the pinnacle of criminal masterminds here

Why did he do that? The psychosexual need to force Phoenix to submit? (Actually wait keep talking I want to hear this—) Paranoia? By this point in the timeline, he's already shown a willingness to commit murder, so why not just kill Phoenix?

Because (say it with me now):

Kristoph Gavin is a sad little boy in a man's suit, desperate for the validation of everyone around him to the point that he would do anything to get it.

He's not some wannabe criminal mastermind.

He wants to be Phoenix's savior. He wants to be the only thing Phoenix has. He needs to be the sole recipient of Phoenix's gratitude and admiration. Because he's better than Phoenix, dammit! Of course he's better than Phoenix. Law is a meritocracy, he's got money, he's got white loafers for fuck's sake, he wins trials by working really goddamn hard because being a lawyer is hard for everyone, you don't just stumble ass-backwards into the courtroom and win every case by stuttering and sweating and stalling so OBVIOUSLY KRISTOPH GAVIN IS BETTER THAN PHOENIX WRIGHT! SAY IT! SAY IT! Look! Look at them together! Look who's still a lawyer and who's an evidence-forging fraud! Look how nice Kristoph looks next to this sad burnout! Look! LOOK AT HOW MUCH BETTER HE IS!

Do you see what I'm getting at here.

Obviously on some level he knows and fears that Phoenix really is better than him, and that matters, so he he really really needs Phoenix's validation

And lbr, he probably does have a deep psychosexual obsession with the idea of forcing Phoenix to submit to him

2. Forging evidence

I'm not gonna speculate on Kristoph's lawyering skills here. Really, I'm not. However I'd be cautious about making the argument that he forged evidence solely because he thought Zak was guilty and he reeeaally wanted to win. We saw that it was an extremely tricky case and that Zak's innocence would have been very difficult to prove. It's entirely possible Kristoph believed in Zak's innocence but didn't think he'd be able to prove it without cheating.

That being said, I don't think it matters.

It matters that the case was complicated, but it doesn't matter whether Zak was innocent or guilty or a secret third thing, because Kristoph would have cheated regardless becaaauuuuse

Say it with meeee...

Kristoph Gavin is a sad little boy in a man's suit, desperate for the validation of everyone around him to the point that he would do anything to get it.

He was up against a fucking rockstar. A famous, hotshot, cocky, little upstart rockstar. A young prodigy. A fucking teenager. It didn't matter one bit that they just so happened to be related. Or did it.

Of course he needed to win.

(If you want to get really headcanony with it, which I do, I think the Gavin parents definitely raised their kids with an extreme superiority complex, setting them apart from their peers by straight-up telling them "you are better than they are. You are not like them."

Klavier goes on to prove them right by becoming internationally famous and beloved and Kristoph. Well, Kristoph is, uh. Well, he's a pretty good lawyer. Got his own little office and everything. And then Klavier comes into his domain as a cocky lil teenager with a HUGE, high-profile case and here is Kristoph's chance to demonstrate to the world what he already knows: that he's special too. That he's special. Dammit. Why can't anyone else see that.)

And then Zak takes that away from him. And gives it to Phoenix.

Unforgivable.

3. Apollo & Vongole

Sorry for putting Apollo in the same category as a literal dog but. That's kind of point here.

I've seen ppl theorizing that, although Kristoph seems like a stereotypical cat person, he got a dog (specifically a golden retriever) out of a sense of paranoia bc!! That's normal! Normal people have dogs!!! Wealthy people have purebred golden retrievers!!! I am so normal and wealthy, look at my very average typical status symbol dog!

I humbly disagree. Even the Wiki seems to point to paranoia as Kristoph's chief, driving factor, but I.

Well.

I humbly disagree. Let's not circle back around to this; I'm not trying to discount anyone else's headcanons.

Anyway.

Why a dog and not a cat?

Because cats have a reputation for independence, for coming and going as they please, for not needing you. "Dog," meanwhile, persists as a synonym for "loyal." To call someone a dog implies ultimate trust, ultimate submission, to someone higher than them. To their master.

Now.

Why hire Apollo, specifically, an orphan with few friends or connections and a fuckload of trauma?

Why mentor Apollo? Why adopt a dog? (Why befriend Phoenix?)

The answer is the same:

He needs people to depend on him. He needs others to view him as a kind, benevolent benefactor. He needs their praise, their admiration. He needs people to tell him he's special and he needs other people to see those people telling him he's special and also believe he's special and then he needs additional people to talk to those people and hear about how special he is, he needs the whole wide fucking world to say that KRISTOPH GAVIN IS SPECIAL!!!!

(Although. Maybe he just likes dogs. Not everything has to have a shady ulterior motive. People don't fit neatly into your preconceived categories of "good" and "bad." Maybe he's a murderer who loves dogs and genuinely thinks of Vongole as his best friend. Maybe he saw promise in Apollo and genuinely likes the guy. Did you ever think about that.

Or maybe. It's both. Two things can be true simultaneously and people, both fictional and real, contain multitudes and contradictions we could never hope to understand.)

4. Murdering a guy with a wine bottle, Psyche Locks

I'm gonna be so so real with you, I don't think even Kristoph knows why he did that. I think he blacked out. I think he was a lil drunk ("grape juice" my ass), I think paranoia and fury, the fear and resentment of 7 long, long years, collided like atoms in his brain and fucking exploded I think the bottle was cool in his hand I think his arm hurt I think he felt the impact all the way up his elbow I think the cards were red I think the cards were blue I think he saw Phoenix Wright's face dripping blood I think he blinked I think he heard Vera Misham calling him "angel" I think he watched himself do it from behind his own back

Do you understand.

To even begin unpacking why he did that, he'd have to address that nagging fear that maybe he's not special, that maybe he's just some guy, that Phoenix Wright is special and Gramarye was right in choosing him over Kristoph that Gramarye was justified in taking away Kristoph's shot at admiration and acclaim and Kristoph killed him out of revenge because he couldn't handle the truth that he's not special he's not special he's not special. Phoenix Wright is special and Klavier Gavin is special and now even Apollo Justice is turning out to be special and Kristoph Gavin is an okay-ish lawyer who sucks at poker and talks way too fucking much. That he committed so many monstrous acts and ruined his own life out of the perverse desire to be loved by others because he doesn't. love. himself.

(I call these "load-bearing neuroses" because if you knock one pillar down, the whole structure goes down with it.)

5. Vera Misham

So I think Kristoph is good with kids because he was, for the most part, old enough to be a Small Person when Klavier was born and because I don't think he gets off on exercising that brutal, domineering kind of power over the powerless. I don't think outward cruelty appeals to him.

Why?

Well...

Kristoph Gavin is a sad little boy in a man's suit, desperate for the validation of everyone around him to the point that he would do anything to get it.

Fear and deference are not validation. People talk badly about you and think badly about you when you're a bully. He charmed Vera instead of threatening her because he needed her to like him. He needed Drew to like him. Good god, he needs everyone to like him so much. Talk about him when he's not in the room and tell him what you said. Write him a letter of recommendation and let him read the contents. Sing his praises at your local bar, then send him a recording.

6. "Keep the riff-raff out!"

Ohhh, buddyyyy :( You said the quiet part out loud

Because law is a meritocracy. Because Kristoph Gavin is kind of a big deal. People know him. He's very important. He has many leather-bound books and his apartment smells of rich mahogany.

Only special people are able to become lawyers. And Kristoph is such a special, special boy. He's so special that he got Phoenix disbarred. He's so special that he helped Klavier attain acclaim as a prosecutor. He's so so so special.

But when a group of select people are special, it means that there's another group. The un-special group. The group that Kristoph is so afraid that he's a part of.

By admitting that they exist, that he believes that other people are beneath him, he's asserting his belief in his own inherent superiority one final, desperate time. He's clinging to it so hard his fingertips are cracking the marble. He's starting to bleed. It's starting to hurt.

Before Phoenix, Klavier, and Apollo fucking spin-kick the pillars propping up his self-identity, toppling them and sending the foundation of Kristoph Gavin collapsing into jagged pieces on the floor of his psyche.

—

Personal note but everyone seems to be in agreement that Kristoph's Psyche Locks fuckin. shattered into little bitty pieces during that scene. Don't you think that hurt? Don't you think that hurt like fucking hell? When you break [REDACTED]'s Black Psyche locks in DD, they cry out in pain several times and imply that their head hurts. And that was Phoenix doing it right that time! So I say again:

Don't you think that hurt?

[nobodyaskedformyopinion]

Dream... the Truth?

tl;dr: we as a community need to do better. I am disappointed that things have gone this far.

Do I have your attention? Dream finally made a video addressing the twitter drama, and I'm gonna run my mouth on it!

It's totally understandable to not want to sit through the whole hour and 22 minutes of the video but since I'm sick right now I got nothing better to do, and boy oh boy do I have opinions about this.

The only thing I ask is that if you take my words and use them for any kind of content/post of your own, please provide the whole post as a reference. I don't want to be taken out of context. Also, I want to be very clear that I don't have any ill will towards anyone involved. I have my ideas and opinions, but they are mine and I don't think any of what I say should be used as more fuel for the hate train. I'm simply offering my own perspective.

Also, I will be censoring certain words, not because I feel uncomfortable saying them but because I don't know what Tumblr's policy is and spelling the full word would not change the meaning of the message.

SO.

Here's my thoughts on Dream's most recent video:

Starting with the most serious topic he covered, that of the gr**ming allegations. I think he's provided as much proof as is possible to defend himself from the allegations of gr**ming, talking about s*x**l things with underaged fans, and in general any illegal activity. It is quite difficult to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that you never did something, because in order to do that you'd have to show proof of everything that you have ever done, every interaction that you've ever had with ANYONE, and that is just straight up impossible. There's a reason that in a court of law the burden of proof is always on the accuser.

However... though he says repeatedly that he didn't do anything inappropriate with anyone underage, I did notice that he never outright denied having s*x**l interactions with fans in general. This makes me wonder if perhaps he has had such interactions, but with people who are legal adults. This is just speculation, obviously I have no way of knowing one way or the other, but this is a very well put together and planned video, so I do believe that everything included or not included in it was done intentionally. Take that as you will.

If that is the case, it's certainly weird and gross, but not illegal, especially considering that Dream isn't some old dude, he's a young adult himself. So if something like that did happen, it wouldn't be grooming, but would in my opinion be indicative of bad choices being made by all parties involved. Seriously, if you're a content creator you should never s*xt fans, and if you're a fan you should never try to rizz up your favorite youtuber. It's gross, even if it's legal. Again, I am not saying that I have any proof, or have seen any proof that Dream did do anything like this, but I want to make it clear that I'm not condoning it if he did.

Dream also spent a bunch of time talking about Nick Cantu, who I will be abbreviating as NC from here on out.

NC began accusing Dream of being a p*d*ph*le without any real proof to back it up and being that NC is also rather famous it really blew up, causing the latest round of nonsense. So far, I've seen no evidence that even remotely supports Dream being a p*d*ph*le. Screenshots can be fabricated, and it seems like no one even did a good job on the photoshop.

Dream and NC have an... explosive history and it seems as though NC was the aggressor throughout the entire thing even if Dream did have a not-so-great reaction to it. It's hard to stay calm when you're being falsely accused. For more context on this, watch the video, but my conclusion regarding NC is that he's got some issues that he needs to work on. I feel bad for him, but Dream is not responsible for NC's actions and statements. It's sad to see someone offload their own stress by causing pain to other people.

That about covers the possible illegal activity that Dream was accused of. But I do have more to say on the entire subject.

Dream has been through a lot. He's young. Like many of us, he had a "dream" (pun 100% intended) of becoming a famous Youtuber. Unlike many of us, he actually did it.

Did he understand what he was signing up for?

Does he really deserve to deal with this mess?

Did his family ask for this?

Regardless of if he's made bad choices, there is no proof that he's done anything illegal. NONE. And unless actual proof comes out, all of the attempts to cancel Dream or dox him and his family have done far more harm than any of his actions.

The MCYT community has a lot of good people, but it seems to me that there's also a lot of stupid people in the fandom. We may not understand the power that we hold over people's lives. We might think that we're just retweeting something, or jumping on a bandwagon by liking and replying, but we all have to remember that there are real people on the receiving end of everything we say.

Don't take accusations for granted. Remember that there's always going to be someone trying to tear down those who are successful, for no other reason than jealousy and bitterness. For the love of God, don't be like that. Just be a decent f*cking person. It's not that hard.

[sarcastic-gypsy]

The Station 19 storyline...

Am I the only one who absolutely hates the Beckett and Ross/Sullivan storyline? It seems way too dragged out by now. Why enable characters like that in a show as popular as station 19? It doesn’t add up with the statements of the writers wanting to stand for inclusivity and equality. It would have made sense it the writers actually tried to make a point with it, or if there in any way had been foreshadowing to future episodes to sort of create a bigger picture of things. Yet now it seems that the storyline is that way simply just for the sake of it, and due to writers not being able to or wanting to come up with better storylines. Plainly, it just seems like its promoting misogyny, sexism, homophobia, and chauvinism.

The same goes for the sidelining of Travis, Vic, Carina, and Maya. Why do they not have more screentime each and in interaction with each other? It seems that Andy, Ross, Beckett, Sullivan, and or other side characters are constantly in the picture as well. Travis and Vic should have a bigger storyline as well, where we actually see them interacting with Maya and Andy outside of the station.

The Jack redemption storyline? I’m just not buying it. It seems extremely hypocritical when compared to the way that Maya has been treated. Both Jack and Maya have been in the wrong with some of their actions, as well as some of the things they have said, but suddenly it’s all “station 19 protect our own, we’re a family” when Jack is suffering and pushing people away. Where is that energy for Maya? Where are her friends? It’s really sad to see the way the show has ruined her friendships with Andy and Vic. They really made Andy and Vic treat Maya terrible and say horrible things about her. I miss seeing Andy, Vic, Travis, and Maya interacting and actually spending time together and supporting each other!

So, it seems that Jack is allowed to suffer and be a person who treats others terrible, but when Maya is suffering because of a demotion caused by her saving a kid its everyone for themselves? Why drag that storyline out so much, but allow Sullivan and Beckett to continue their chaos and shitty treatment of others seemingly for no good reason at all? That just doesn’t speak anything other than hypocritical to me.

And sorry to say it, but it’s literally the most out of character thing ever to have Carina and Maya to suggest that Jack should be the donor and have them continue to actually use him as a donor. Also, yes I see why Carina would be able to forgive Jack, it’s so in her nature, but to practically swoon over him? That would literally never happen, Carina wouldn’t do that - what were the writers thinking? Lastly, that whole storyline with the Marina baby, everything was wrong about it, and it was extremely disrespectful to all queer/non-straight womenx. Please STOP putting men into/between the storylines of queer/non straight women like that, it’s just so unnecessary and weird? Both Jack and Maya could have had great storylines respectively without  interactions such as the one carried out in that storyline.

I definitely also think it was the wrong choice to make Travis treat Emmett like that, it seemed to out of character and unnecessary. They were such a great couple, and Emmett was such a great addition to the show. Definitely feels like the show is missing something without Emmett and Travis/Emmett as a couple.

Last but now least, give Carina more screentime and a bigger storyline, she’s a series regular for god sake, act like it. She’s literally one the most popular and one of the best characters on the way, it’s time the station 19 writers and producers recognize that. The same goes for Marina, stop dragging this baby storyline out so much please, that would not have happened if it has been a straight, cisgender couple and that’s just sad. Stefania and Danielle are way to talented to have their characters disrespected like that, and Marina is way too important to be disregarded like the writers have been doing for a while now.

 Sorry for the rant, but it just made too much sense in my head to not get out.

[5and3nevermind]

I don’t normally talk about other ships or shipping in general, but the discourse lately has been really interesting to me, and frankly, a little sad too.

Shippers are allowed to notice, talk about, and get excited about whatever kinds of moments they want. Big moments, small moments…it’s all fine. I do it all the time; sometimes I write about things that I feel are meaningful and significant, other times I mention little things that could be nothing and are perhaps entering 🤡 territory. There’s nothing wrong with noticing small details, as long as you keep things in perspective.

And heck: there isn’t even some rule that says you have to keep things in perspective (although if you don’t, I think you’ll just get further away from the truth).

However, when you start vilifying certain members people because their statements or actions don’t line up with your version of the truth, then we’ve got a problem.

When something happens that is confusing or contradictory, do you craft elaborate explanations, brush off contradictory statements as lies, assume the worst of your own supposed favorites and of others?

Or do you accept the information at face value?

What it really comes down to is whether your goal is to win an argument or to attempt to understand the truth.

I am baffled by the amount of time and energy that some people spend arguing. That much anger and hostility can’t be healthy, and people are making these sacrifices to their own well-being for no reason.

Just a friendly reminder that the truth exists, reality is what it is, with no help or hindrance from us.

We are spectators. Information gatherers. Supporters. And that’s it.

[greyias]

Farewell Act 2

After a boss fight that went far smoother and quicker than it should have, it is time to bid a farewell to these lands of darkness, and move on to the final portion of the game. I am only sad because I'm approaching the end and my precious Tadfools' adventure will be coming to a close.

(Shhh. Shhh. Everything Rosymorn Monastery totally counts for this list. Let's call it Act 1.5, because the game kept insisting that I was somehow irrevocably altering things by heading there. So it counts.)

In the spirit of tradition, before we finally reach the big city, let us reflect on the good times in ze middle:

Gale breaking my heart this entire act ♥

Swindling a researcher into taking an owlbear egg instead of a Githyanki egg (that is currently being nursemaided back at camp). Feeling guilty about the consequences of said action and trying to distract her with song while Astarion steals it back. This fails miserably.

Astarion and Ari teaming up to steal from the rudest eagles in Faerun

Ari nearly blowing up Githyanki mountain by impulsively grabbing a mace. For a puzzle she had already solved and had everything needed to do properly

Ari and Astarion splitting the party in the midst of madly fleeing for their lives from angry githyanki in order to grafitti Vlaakith's portrait as revenge for making Lae'zel cry

Alternatively, what happens if you fail a dexterity check on vandalizing Vlaakith's portrait

Gale's awkward attempts at communicating how hot he found it when Ari kicked shadow ass

Honestly? Getting jumped by the five million shadow creatures who nearly one-shotted poor Ari in a single round, because it meant the rest of the party had to get extremely creative in order to save her (including the squishiest Gale misty stepping right into heart of danger as he was the one who could get to her fastest throw a potion on her)

Accidentally breaking Wyll's heart because Ari really wanted to dance

Just poor Wyll in general getting shot down constantly. Poor guy, you'll find love at some point

Me wasting an entire Sunday because I got so offended the game locked me out of a fashionable and useful armor because I looted a chest 48 hours before a patch that fixed it, I decided to temporarily install mods to get it back. Resulting in me accidentally deleting the data folder of the game and having to reinstall the whole game

Everything about their adventure in the House of Healing

Also the entire Waning Moon Experience, including Toilet Skeleton

The most talkative door in the land

Ari shoving her hand into a writhing mass of tentacles, dislocating her shoulder in the process

The most ridiculous series of events leading up to the Gale romance scene. Ari still has a dislocated shoulder this entire time

Ari's lute playing is better than ogre sex. Apparently.

Getting banned from the Emerald Enclave by the two druid jerks because Ari dared to innocently pick up a book owned by literally no one

Gauntlet of Shar Anvil Chorus

The Spider Incident

A patch 3 bug making it so that Ari and Astarion have all of their important conversations while never making eye contact, as if they're crossing their arms and shouting supportive statements over their shoulders. A++ adds to the Frienemy Dynamic they have going on

Accidentally squishing Astarion with an elevator like Wile E Coyote. It really was an accident I swear.

The Shadowfell sequence was so epic and well done. Nothing funny about it, just very well executed all around.

Gortash's creepy collection of brains

Ari being so persuasive, she talked a devil into just going back to the hells rather than deal with her

Ari being so persuasive she made Ketheric Thorm feel bad enough about his actions that he just yeeted himself into a pit of acid

Captain Planet-style summoning The Absolute to get ready for her Bachelorette Party

Aylin and Isobel, my god, they're precious and I love them with my whole heart

Alfira asking Ari to do a duet to cheer up the kids, and just a perfect way to end this darkest of acts

Goodbye Act 2, your mood whiplash threw me for a loop. Somehow despite that, you provided almost as many crazy shenanigans as Act 1. I forgot to document half of them, and probably forgot to list even more. Despite all your gloomdark, you brought much laughter and goodtimes. And now... the Tadfools must head to their final destination.

[aro-culture-is]

hi im really confused about who i am and it makes me nervous so ive found this account. Firstly im dating with a guy for a while but every day im thinking that am i using him?? cause he always wants to do some romantic things but i do not and i wanna do what im doing with my friends and wanna do sexual things (also we’re doing it too) and thats the problem am i using him?? but when we do the things what friends do im getting happier but i cant want any romantic things in my relationship and i think i never want it idk im so confused…

hi!

being an aromantic person in any kind of relationship is not inherently "using" someone, manipulation, abuse, or anything of that ilk.

what I do think is important to acknowledge is that if your relationship is not comfortable for you, it's time to consider your boundaries and priorities. if you aren't comfortable, that means that communication needs to occur. my number one advice for communication in situations like these is:

SAFETY FIRST. Physical safety - if this conversation occurs, do you have genuine concern that you may experience physical assault or in any way be blocked from accessing essential things like food, drink, sleep, or living space? if ANY of those are yes, please consider that your number one priority. I start with this over the concept of emotional safety because there's a few caveats there: as someone with a history of trauma, I know I have to spend additional energy into confirming if my expectation for emotional hurt is realistic or trauma-informed.

From there: what are realistic expectations and boundaries to enforce. NOT just discuss. Enforce. If you aren't comfortable with romantic actions in your (romantic)-sexual relationship, a good start is redefining your relationship - it probably isn't realistic to continue a romantic relationship with someone if you don't want romance in your relationship. Some relationships can be redefined as romantic on one side and not on the other, but in all honesty, I don't get the impression from your ask that you are emotionally in a place where that is likely to be a realistic expectation. I don't see someone who is terrified that their identity makes them manipulative being able to enforce their boundaries consistently.

Support network setup: if you can, try to make sure you will have ways to handle your emotions following your conversations and boundary setting, no matter how it goes. Consider what helps you process your emotions - is it other friends, therapists, trusted adults? Is it a soothing activity like playing/listening to music, making food, or crafting in some form? Is it mentally stimulating activities that force you to take a break from the intensity of your feelings, like sudoku or other puzzles, reading, or physical activities?

Next: talking time! Use "I" statements - "I've noticed that I feel weird when we have romantic interactions." is WAY better than "When you do a romantic thing towards me, that feels bad." One owns your emotions and encourages listening, the other encourages a subtle sense of blame towards the other and is likely to make them defensive. Speak on your own emotions, and allow and encourage the other to speak to their own feelings as well.

Decompress and process. However that conversation went, let yourself feel it. If you're upset, you can think "I feel upset. When I feel upset, these things often help me to feel better." I would encourage thinking "I feel" rather than "I am", as it helps you to not identify yourself as a feeling. Thinking "I am sad" can encourage you to feel stuck in that emotion, rather than acknowledging an emotion as a state of being. You are allowed to feel, and you are allowed to chose what to do with that feeling.

Overall... everything will be okay. It might not feel like it right now, but you will be okay. Drink some water, eat a small snack, ad try to rest. You deserve to have healthy boundaries, and every day that you can establish them will help to improve your life. I wish you the best.

[abiiors]

All of this puts into perspective how parasocial loving a band/ celebrity is. I truly used to think I got Matty, but his silence on this (and the fact it even happened in the first place) confuses me. Like, when I was 16 and he was shouting about abortion on stage in Alabama, I thought: this guy gets it, that’s a true feminist.

And I know the podcast is post ironic and leftist. And I know ultimately Matty does care about women’s issues. But it annoys me that he can care, yet also be so flippant about women (especially woc). I guess it reminds me that, despite everything in his music and rousing speeches before songs, he really is just a white man… I don’t think I’m articulating this right. It’s like I, a woman, thought he was on my side and he is… but he can hop across the fence and laugh at some horrific jokes because his white man status affords him this. It affords him the option to care. Whereas women have no choice but to because it’s real for us.

I don’t believe he’s a Misogynist or a Racist, but he has become Apathetic. He says he disagrees with virtue signalling and expecting musicians to be morally woke, which I agree with, but I think it’s fair to expect consistency… you say you care, so care.

Previous anons are right: he knows that it’ll blow over if he stays silent, another privilege afforded to white men.

It feels to me that Matty has been too overcome with the post-ironic, nihilistic culture that’s been cultivated online in recent years. He’s forgotten that it is important to care about people. It is important to not laugh at racist jokes, even if they are said in the context of irony and leftism. Because people’s feelings transcend whatever cultural commentary you’re attempting to take part in. This is something he addressed in ATPOAIM with Caveh Zahedi, where he says that the lore of John Burroughs is great, but his wife living would’ve been more important. Matty knows people should come before ‘art’. So he says all the right things, but I wish actions followed.

Ultimately, I suppose I am struggling to reconcile supporting a band that has become so passive. The 1975 were so significant in my development as a person- they were my teenage years. I sometimes miss who I thought Matty was because, as a 15 year old with no idea what I was doing, he became an anchor (I know you’re looking for salvation in the secular age, and all that). But that is all HUGELY parasocial. I’m an adult now and I think I’m going to distance myself from the band.

I’m an adult and today is a very sunny day so I’m going to get offline and get outside, rather than continue to partake in some discourse on a man I am coming to realise I never actually knew. It’s sad and the end of an era for me, but it’s just becoming too much hassle being so invested in this band! And yes, that does make me feel horrible because of what ICBMIL is about, but Matty won’t miss me, as an individual.

Anyway! Sorry for the rant. I hadn’t intended it to be so long, and maybe I shouldn’t have sent it to you and I should’ve just posted it. But I suppose this is kind of my closing statement on the 1975 because I’m going to deactivate my blog after this. Damn.

I’m so sorry about what you’re feeling rn <33

you articulated it really really well and it breaks my heart that someone who was so important to you once has disappointed you so thoroughly. your decision to not support them after all of this is completely valid and sure, you’re one person in the grand scheme of things but you matter and your feelings on this matter.

@trumanblackblog if you see nothing else on my blog, i sure hope you see this. and choose to do the right thing

i hope you have a great day and idk your blog but i hope you do come back to tumblr in the future <33

[sortyourlifeoutmate]

See, it’s not so much a controversial statement as it is a kind of confusing one.

In an ideal world a peaceful resolution would be reached, and it would look something like Russia fucking right off and, oh, maybe paying some reparations if we’re being really fantastical. And since we’re pushing the boat out let’s say they commit to non-aggression or take some other – hopefully  tangible – steps to make it obvious they’re not just using a cessation in hostilities to get ready for another go. Maybe Putin submits himself to the international criminal court? Why not dream a little.

But that’s not what the sort of people who talk about ‘peaceful resolution’ mean when they say ‘peaceful resolution’, because when those sorts of people talk about it what they’re talking about is the cutting of military aid, the capitulation of Ukraine, and the concession of Ukrainian territory to Russia. Everyone’s happy, right? Shooting’s stopped! Peace!

And it’s like, sure, the war dragging on is bad, there’s no getting away from that. Wanting to draw a line under things by just letting the aggressor get what they want is not better, however. That’s kind of what they want, you know? Like I just said. You’re giving them what they want. You are justifying the actions taken, and basically inviting them to happen again.

I’m not pro-Ukrainians dying, which is how support for Ukraine is somehow painted. Rather, I’m pro giving them the means to defend themselves against warrantless aggression, a course of action which, as a side-effect, demonstrates to Russia – and anyone watching Russia for tips and hints – that invading can’t and shouldn’t be an easy way of getting things you want.

And it is less of the poster here being a Putin supporter, which I doubt, and more that this sort of argument works to the benefit of Putin and his ilk, so whether you support them or not is redundant. If, by your words and actions you’re helping someone, then you’re helping someone, even if you say you’re not and that everyone else should grow up.

Of course the world is awash with other bloodbaths, many going on right now, but the war in Ukraine is a unique standout to me because it is so blatantly cut and dry. As far as wars go it is spellbinding in its simplicity and straightforwardness – Russia invaded Ukraine, and every day is chucking expensive missiles at it and killing its citizens. There’s not many ways you can spin that. This wasn’t inevitable, this wasn’t a sad but unavoidable response to relentless NATO encroachment, Russia wasn’t tricked into this – if they just hadn’t, none of this would be happening. It is all on them.

“Why did you make me hit you?” has never been a convincing excuse, and just tacking “You Nazi.” onto the end of it doesn’t suddenly win you the argument. Speaking of which…

Again, always nice to see nazis getting a mention when we’re talking about Ukraine, like I was rambling on about earlier today. Clearly they’re an integral part of the whole affair – far more important than Russian territorial ambition, or the contempt many of the Russian establishment nakedly feel for Ukrainians. No, definitely the nazis. Damn nazis.

Oh, and as a bonus I delight in the little bit of whatabout swoop-and-poop at the end there. Yes indeed, the US and the UK (well, England, really…) have indeed done some horrible things! Quite recently too, probably, and most certainly historically speaking! Truly awful. You know what neither has done lately though? Wipe out twenty percent of the population of a Ukrainian village with a cruise missile. Know who did? Russia. Just saying. Maybe we should concentrate on that first when we’re talking about the war.

Look! A bird! Get distracted!

Anyway, I should really stop looking at these things, as the ballooning length of my salty responses is a clear indication that it’s starting to make me grumpy, and it’s not helping anyone. I’m just annoyed, as said, that anyone can look at RUSSIA INVADING A COUNTRY and go “Guys, maybe just let them have a little bit? They’ve tried really hard and people are getting hurt!”.

Sigh. I’m going to drink my tea.

[septembersghost]

I've been thinking about this all month, but one of my good friends dated this guy for a while who is such trash, he was into edgelord shit, racist, sexist, homophobic, real weird about 2A, I hated him. My friend is a kind, accepting person, his values didn't align with hers at all. So everyone was like what the fuck are you doing, but she thought he was nice deep down or something. I couldn't talk to her for about a month. She only dated him for six weeks or so and then woke up and realized how gross it was. I was questioning everything I knew about her as a person but in the end it was a terrible lapse in judgement and I forgave her and everybody moved on. this feels so similar on a worldwide level.

tl;dr fan commentary is hard and it felt like there was a demand to prove we didn't condone the things he's done, but I think you did your very best supporting people and speaking out while still trying to hold sympathy for Taylor, and she means so much to you that there is nothing wrong with forgiving this and moving on and loving her and her music like you do.

one of my friends told me a similar story about someone they love who was involved with someone completely terrible for a while, and how difficult it was, i think this is a more common experience than we'd like. and people are flawed and sometimes they make bad decisions and mistakes, including good people. i'm sorry you went through that, i'm sure it was really hard, and i'm glad it turned out okay in the end.

thank you ❤ yeah, i think it's been difficult because what started as understandable disappointment/anger/concern and very valid criticism and feelings of hurt, and where we were trying to support and amplify one another, turned into a vicious cycle of outright hatred fueled by outrage and blame and purity culture (the people viciously slut shaming, the comments claiming she's insincere/calculated/manipulative/untalented/narcissistic/evil etc etc and blaming her for his actions and statements had gotten way out of control. holding someone accountable doesn't equate to utterly dehumanizing them), and then at the same time fans were harassing and attacking one another for speaking up or for not reacting "correctly" or for having empathy for both people impacted and for taylor herself. it's just been a mess! and it's been excruciating and stressful and sad for me personally and sort of broke me a bit because i'm just...overly sensitive lol and trying to sort through my own hurt and disappointment mixed with being overloaded by negativity on here and feeling so much for everyone who came to me in pain, and then also selfishly missing her and my connection to her music because the weight put on all of this forced me to take a self-protective distance...shambles!

anyway, as i also said to my friend earlier, the problem happening online right now is there's this intense focus on punishment in almost puritanical religious terms - repent, do penance, take your lashes for loving anything especially if it's deemed "problematic"! - but without room for growth, forgiveness/redemption, and salvation. and like...if we're having to think about it like that, the penance means NOTHING without room for forgiveness. requiring trials and proof of upstanding morality becomes a vicious cycle at some point, which does NOT mean we should tolerate bigoted behavior or harmful actions or not be critical ever, it's more about measuring that and channeling it for more than futile outrage and lashing out at each other. the solace and joy we find in art is WHY that love exists, that's paramount, and what we can do after supporting one another is fostering that love and growth in a more positive way. so i hope moving forward this is a learning experience for all of us (myself included!) and we can be a little gentler on one another/ourselves and remember that ultimately the light at the center of things is why we're together here!

[sl-walker]

Devotion, Part 25

Read prior parts here.  Sign up to be tagged when this fic (or any of mine!) updates here.  (Or DM me.)  Read it on AO3 here.  Reblogs go much further than likes; please support your writers and artists and reblog!

Additional note: I’m still struggling with my health, so posting is gonna remain slow.

--

The next morning brought two things, neither wholly expected.

The first was Yaddle.

She all but radiated a quiet sorrow into the Force as she stood there in the waiting room, lit by the sun, and Obi-Wan found he didn't really have the heart to hate her.  That even if she had contributed to his suffering indirectly, she had not orchestrated it.  Nor, did he believe, want it on any level.

That didn’t mean he was happy to see her.

"What do you want?" he asked; he didn't hate her, but he did hate how anxious her mere presence made him.

"Offer an update, I wish to," she replied, hands folded in front of her.  "If hear it you wish to."

Some part of Obi-Wan was all but certain that they were going to slap the wrists of the culprits, and no worse.  But even though the thought made his mouth twist bitterly, he gave a curt nod.

Yaddle nodded back, then spoke frankly, "Expelled from the Order, all five culprits were.  Barred from pursuing them for criminal charges or civil actions, you are not.  Testify on your behalf, I would."

That was a shock, and Obi-Wan felt his mouth drop open without his permission.  That the Order would choose to expel three High Council members and then open itself up to the often fickle civilian courts was-- beyond astonishing.

That they expelled Yoda.

Obi-Wan thought that it would have made Qui-Gon sad, but-- perhaps something could come out of this.

"I won't drag the Order through the mud, but I have conditions," he said, voice quivering briefly as his mind raced, putting together a plan that his master -- the one who loved him, not the one who raised and used him -- would have approved of. "I want a recorded statement by you and at least two other Council members as to what was done to me under your noses."

Yaddle's head tipped to the side, but she was clearly listening.

"Once I have those, I want the Jedi Order to divest itself of its ties to the Senate and the Republic government as a whole," he said, more firmly. "Qui-Gon made mistakes, but he was right about a lot of things.  The Order is a religious community, not a political body.  With the authority of the Republic behind them, the ability of Jedi to-- to hurt people without scrutiny exists and it needs to stop.  And at the same time, with the Republic's leash holding you back, your ability to help people is constrained."

"Much you are asking, young Obi-Wan," Yaddle said, after a long moment.  But-- her tone didn't have any disagreement in it. "Long has this been debated.  But-- right, in some ways, I believe you are.  For more discussion and a vote, I can bring it."

"I'll give you five years."  It was unrealistic to believe such a big change would happen quickly.  But even though some Jedi had hurt him, he had found kindness in that Temple.  Healers unrelated to those who-- who mind-raped him.  The friends he started making.

Qui-Gon Jinn, too.

Obi-Wan didn’t realize he was about to make the last Sith Lord's future plans almost impossible to carry out, but even if he had, he would have thought of the good of the Order he had found, even unwittingly, and not been displeased.

The ones that hurt him were being punished.  And Obi-Wan could well find them again and carry out his revenge.  But this was somehow more satisfying.

"Five years," he repeated, mouth straight. "If the Order is still tangled with the government, then I will come forward and bring forth every resource I have to making the Jedi pay for what was done to me and what it cost my lover."

Yaddle waited for him to finish, then nodded.  He knew it wasn't up to her alone, but he thought that if she was in charge, then maybe it could still work out.

"Anything else, is there?" she asked, at length.

Obi-Wan almost said no, but then the thought occurred: "There's a tea shrub, in Qui-Gon’s and my quarters.  It has a piece of flimsi on the front with interlocking hearts.  It belongs to my lover.  I would like it back."

That seemed to perk Yaddle up; her ears lifted and he felt a little thrill of her happiness through the Force. "Better than that, I can do.  Return your ship, as well."

That sent Obi-Wan to clap his hand over his mouth again, but not before the sound slipped out, some mix of shock and hope and pain.  He didn’t like revealing such a weakness in front of her, but he couldn’t help it.  "You kept it…?"

Yaddle merely nodded, something softer in her eyes. "Yes.  Wish for anything else from your quarters, do you?"

Obi-Wan had a moment where he thought he wanted Qui-Gon’s favorite sapir shrub, another tea plant he had grown to know well.  But then he thought of something better. "A cutting from Qui-Gon’s largest sapir shrub sent in a stasis pod, but-- please give the plant itself to Master Tahl?"

Yaddle nodded instantly to that, both love and sorrow in the Force as she agreed to it.

It made Obi-Wan remember why he had wanted to believe her back then.  Blindness wasn't necessarily the same thing as cruelty.

They didn't part ways as friends, but they also didn’t part ways as enemies.

.

.

.

The second unexpected thing was Maul.

Specifically, him getting to be with Maul.

Obi-Wan still wasn’t sure what outcome he had wanted for that, not because he didn’t desperately want to help his lover, but because he didn’t know if he should have the right to be there.  As if somehow the Jedi might have tainted him such that he would only cause more harm.

But nonetheless, Breha came to him not long after Yaddle had left, when he was still shaking that visit off so far as he could.

"You'll be allowed to go to him and be with him, supervised at first, if you're willing to see a psychologist of your choosing," she said, gently and straightforwardly at once. "You don't have to tell them anything you don't want to, but your getting to be near Maul is contingent on you seeing professional help.  I know it’s a fraught prospect for you, and you can have a patient advocate there with you if that helps, someone whose only job is to protect your best interests and keep you from being exploited, but you would need to go."

Obi-Wan’s first instinct was to snap back at that, but it was one he was quickly able to quell.  It really wasn't unreasonable to ask that of him.  And it was such a small thing to exchange for Maul’s safety.

He had tried to give more than that already.

He shuddered through his shoulders, but then he nodded, swallowing before answering, "All right.  When do I start?"

"Tomorrow morning you can start interviewing staff psychologists to see if any of them feels like a good fit for you," Breha said, a more open smile crossing her mouth.  "Today, I figured you'd want to see your lover."

It was amazing how much one single thing could be so filled with love and fear.  Obi-Wan didn’t even try to speak; he only nodded.

.

.

.

It wasn’t until Obi-Wan signed the forms that he was agreeing to mental healthcare that he saw the date and realized it had been four weeks since Theed.  That the blur of days was such that some of them simply didn't exist in his memory at all.  That twenty of them had passed, in all.

It had been almost that long since he’d seen Maul last.

Lit in filtered sunlight from the skylights in a warm, spacious room, Maul looked a far cry better than he had in the bacta tank.  Obi-Wan would have thought he was napping, except Maul only ever slept on his back when Obi-Wan’s head was on his chest; otherwise, he napped on his side or, more rarely, his front. 

But he looked that-- all right.  That put together.  The soft rise and fall of his chest.  No dent in his head, though Obi-Wan could see the spot where that pedicle had been removed, unexpectedly smooth skin replacing it; could see that Maul would sport asymmetrical horns from there on out.  But there was no blood on his skin, no stench of burned internals.

Obi-Wan was almost afraid to go closer, but step by step, he did.

There were still IV lines.  Still remote monitoring tabs to feed information to the holographic monitors.  But it was easy to look past those.

My beautiful boy, Obi-Wan thought, throat aching, sinking slowly into the chair beside the bed.  Taking in the more defined edge of his lover’s jaw.  The more mature curve of his cheek, the still perfect swell of his bottom lip.  The aching familiarity; he knew Maul’s features better than his own and treasured them so much more.

Even now.  Maybe especially now.

He could feel Breha and the orderly behind them, but neither of them said anything or drew attention to themselves, and he was grateful for that quiet.

Where do we go from here? he wondered.

They had ran and clawed and fought and worked for their freedom before.  For their boundaries and their country therein.  It seemed so much more daunting now; the two years stolen from them like a wall forced between them.  Obi-Wan would be lying if he pretended he had not been broken.  He would be lying if he pretended he was not deeply damaged and deeply afraid.  

He knew that they had somehow shattered whatever it was in him that let him plan an escape and steal Maul away with him; whatever courage or fire he'd had then.  It made him wonder what he could possibly offer of himself now.

Obi-Wan didn’t know the answer to that.

But-- maybe he didn't need to right this moment.

He took a steadying breath and slipped his hand under Maul’s, closing his eyes tight, jaw quivering for the familiarity of that hand in his, the way their fingers fit together, and thought of two boys new on Takodana with wary eyes and little more to their names than their determination.

And their faith in each other.

--

@shadowmaat​ -  @doorsclosingslowly​ - @emphasisonthehomo​ - @blackat-greneys​ - @vengeful-nerd​ - @sammelbegriff​ - @kenobispunk​ - @sundavr​ - @mock-ing-bird​ -  @fancandy77​ - @geekling007​ - @nightsibling​ - @btwxsixesandsevens​ -  @whymylife-cordelia - @suborbitalrailgun​ - @judoon-on-da-moon​ - @deathdovesong​ - @bubblyfishbro​

[birlwrites]

i had a very confusing birthday yesterday and i'm still kind of reeling from it, so if u want, i'd love it if u used this as a free space to infodump about anything u want (hopefully related to regulus and maybe sirius? but doesn't have to be! :))) ) sorry for the lack of actual question and love ur writing! <3

sorry to hear it was a Time!!

LET'S TALK ABOUT REGULUS AND SIRIUS AND HOW THEY'RE BOTH WRONG AND RIGHT ABOUT EACH OTHER AT THE SAME TIME and also how i'm recently obsessed with the take that sirius has always been the responsible sibling out of the two of them, it's just that his definition of 'responsibility' doesn't include 'doing what's expected of him'

regulus is always always always a biased narrator when it comes to sirius. he's basing everything he says on of his own perceptions and memories, and, to a certain degree, what other people have said about sirius, if they're people whose opinions regulus generally trusts

sirius is the same way. he knows that what regulus says and does is the tip of the iceberg compared to what he thinks, so like. he's AWARE that he doesn't really know what goes on in regulus's head... anymore. so his opinion of regulus is based on the actual tangible things regulus does, and somewhat less on what other people say about him

and everything they say about each other is ALSO influenced by the fact that they're both very stung by their estrangement and feel this combination of bitterness and guilt because they're both strikingly aware of their own hands in it

so regulus perceives sirius as irresponsible, selfish, and wanting everything to go *his* way. of course he does. in regulus's mind, sirius had a particular duty to fulfill (as heir, which meant looking after their family was supposed to be his responsibility eventually), and instead he fucked off to potter manor to play pranks with james potter all day, with no life goal or backup plan, just expecting the potters to support him for. the rest of his life?

and sirius perceives regulus as passive, lacking in real personal convictions or beliefs, and unwilling to acknowledge the existence of anything that makes him uncomfortable. of course he does. sirius thinks regulus is a blood purist, because regulus has done absolutely nothing to indicate otherwise (to sirius's knowledge). and in his mind, regulus used to be willing to jump into all sorts of risks with sirius, until those risks involved using critical thinking skills with regard to their family and what the blacks stand for

they lean into these negative perceptions to make themselves feel better about throwing away that relationship. it sort of works. not really. because then they can't even look their hurt in the face, which means they do not stand a chance at getting over it

and both of them are right about some things. sirius can absolutely be domineering. he gets stuck on an idea and he won't let it go. and regulus only took real, decisive, non-parent-approved action once the war started to actually threaten his everyday life. but regulus is not complacent or weak-willed, and sirius does understand responsibility. plus, he's actually more level-headed than regulus is. let me elaborate:

the only person in the world (of ttdl) who would agree with me on that statement is sirius himself. because sirius PROCESSES HIS EMOTIONS. he does it loudly and melodramatically and emphatically, and sometimes it takes a while, but he does it, and then he sits down and thinks. and because he's actually looked his emotions in the eye, he can acknowledge how they're influencing his thoughts

(note: he's not perfect at this, of course. regulus is a sore point, and while sirius is really good at processing all of the *anger* regarding regulus, he's not quite at the point of letting himself really be sad. this is the one thing regulus has over sirius - they both will tell themselves 'i shouldn't be feeling that emotion,' and then regulus acknowledges that he is feeling it (and then ignores it), and sirius concludes 'so i am not feeling it,' because if sirius acknowledges that he feels it, then he has to process it. whereas regulus can acknowledge it and then go 'and i'm not dealing with it :) bye')

so anyway. sirius processes his emotions, there was a learning curve to this, and he knows regulus is FAR behind him on this learning curve, and he knows regulus is very much at the point of mistaking 'not being outwardly emotional' for 'not being particularly affected by emotions'

in regulus's mind, if it's not actively interrupting his life, then it can be safely ignored, and he's also just not very in touch with his emotions and tends to rationalize the hell out of them, which is safer. he's bad at picking up on his own feelings. it's fun. and sirius KNOWS THIS ABOUT HIM

so sirius is waiting for regulus to explode. it will happen. he is sure of it.

here's sirius's other weak point: he only really knows how to work through emotions by talking about them to other people. which isn't a bad thing per se, but... let's say you're keeping a huge, massive secret from your best friends, and you feel guilty about it but there are a ton of reasons why you shouldn't spill. if the only method you have of working through emotions is talking to those same best friends you have to keep this secret from, then....... yikes! good luck!

sirius is crumbling a little inside while regulus is, yes, building towards an explosion. ironic, no?

and with regard to sirius being the responsible sibling: look, he knows how to keep his mouth shut, thoughts to himself, and fall in line with what his family wants. he just made the choice not to.

at first, he was going to be a different type of lord black, one who didn't set so much stock by toujours pur, and he wanted to make that clear and hopefully poke some holes in his family's attachment to blood purity along the way. then, it wasn't working, and he does have his pride, and he would rather run away than be kicked out but it was more of a possibility than a reality, more 2am conversations with james than anything else, and then his parents wanted him to prove his actual devotion to their family by joining the death eaters, and sirius responded with a string of expletives and got the fuck out of there, silently grateful that he hadn't really unpacked his trunk after getting back from hogwarts.

sirius advocating for himself isn't the same thing as him being irresponsible or selfish or impulsive. he just wasn't a million percent pure and perfect in how he went about it.

and i haven't thought this through a ton, so i'm not saying this is Definitive ATFHV Canon, but... i think sirius was a hatstall.

[loverintofolk]

What makes me piss off is the USA fans acting like "this has never happened before we need a statement from her" 

Well gest what? you got what you want, but theres a place in the world where fans never get the refound of lover fest and didn't even have the support from her team ... but it was with latam fans so it doesn't count to you

And gets even worse because when we talked about our situation and we were flooding taylornation tweets for some help, only a fews fans from USA support us

Most of you was denounce our tweets as spam because "taylornation cant change the politics" and with the spam taylornation wasnt able to finding yours tweets about your pets baking cookies while listening lover

Now you say that "taylor can change the politics of ticketmaster"

But you only said this because you find out that reciving a quote from taylornation doesnt make the tickets arise into your home

International fans has talked since forever that taylor need to change her team ... but only now you guys are caring about this

And you wanna know what scares me more? that taylor stops the conversations about the internationals shows that was supposed to happen in 2024, to add more dates to US tour and leave internationals shows to 2025 or whoever knows when the US tour will ends

I'm really sad about a lot of things that you guys said and do to her in the last few days, and she already came here to say that she will find a way to resolves this while we didnt recive an "i am sorry about the situation but i tried and i cant do anything more"

i've saw fans saying in that time of the lover fest situation that she doesnt need to go to a country that dont speak English because the people wont understand her

And well seems like the taylornation team wont change so once again the USA fans gets everything and the others country gets the rest (if remain something for the others countrys because sometimes doesnt exist the rest)

Just add that the lover fest situation was more simple to her team, because if others artists (that was supoust to came here at the same time that her with others company) changed politcs and gets the refund to brazilian fans ... why her team couldnt do the same to us?

We dont even know if she or her team tried to do something for us, its different that she change the ticketmaster situation 'alone' (and seems she will try to do something for you)

The situation for USA was caos some people wont able to buy the tickets or buy it for a lot of money and was a stracefull situation .. but you get a statement from her that she will try doing something we really basacly lost our money in a pandemic and ever her team never said a shit about it

"I'm extremely protective of my fans... by doing it myself with my team who cares as much about my fans as I do" makes me think that they only cares about USA swifties

Because where was some statament about the latam? We only wanted to feel shelter even they cant do anything

You can live in your bubble all you want and whine over little things knowing that she will always come to your rescue and you can discord all you want but it is clear that the difference in treatment between the fans is yealling. So what you claim to soffer, we soffer 13 more

We past to all of this stuff and some others ... and we still here to support her, even when she wasnt here to conffort us, we stayed here

And you didnt see a latam swiftie burning cd/merch (well 99% cant buy them but ... this isnt the point) or saying REALLY bad things about her as you were saying... while you guys are complaning about this stracefull situation and never give her the bennefict of the doubt

The situation between taylor/tn and international fans is sad but i feel that i'm already came into a aceppet process that if she came or give some warm to us ok, if she doesnt do ok too i will stay here anyway but the USA fans actions over the course of this week makes me angry

I know that the USA is her main market and will always be, there is no way to compete or compare with them

But latam is a market that has been growing on its own, without the help of her team and has the stature to go head-to-head with some others markets that she/her team has always paid attention to

The lover fest show in brazil was only 2 dates, but it was 2 dates for ALL latam and a lot of fans from another country were affect by a 'law' that werent from their country as we go through a pandemic ... and a 'law' that taylornation could do something about it

Like i get it that probably t4f (our ticketmaster) said to taylornation that all the things about the refund was happened according the law (because this what they said to us)

And its totally aceptible that taylornation believed in them in the first moment, because they dont know about the laws in Brazil

But since the moment that we came into internet to say "we saw some artist get the refund for their fans even with the laws, please try to do something" and taylornation choose to be online and quote some random tweet about a fan baking cookie

Well i think thats is where the problem lives

 I you dont understand this yet .. the law said that the refund wasnt obligatory BUT IF THE COMPANY CHOOSE TO DO THEY COULD DO

So a lot of team from others artist came and talked about it with others companys and get into a agreement and fans get the refund

Why taylornation choose not to do it with us? Because if they tried and couldnt do anything ... they could said it and we will understanded

 What we dont understand its where were those 'my team always protect my fans' that taylor talked in this letter about the usa shows ... where this protection went when we needed them?

It's great that she said something about the USA situation and I hope she actually does something about the shows because it's her main market and the whole situation was stressful for everyone, there was a LOT of things wrong that still need to be explained

I hope that taylornation are working and that the situation will be resolved as soon as possible, in the best way for the fans, not for ticketmaster, not for taylor ... for the fans

But i hope that international dates, that probably are on the way to be scheduled, dont be affected

And more than that, if taylor came to talk about international dates before she add more shows into the usa (i think she will do that) ... i hope the fans from usa dont lose their minds and start talk shit about her again

 Because i think she can do US - INTERNATIONAL - US ... end the tour where she start because of the demand (even its take some time to her get back to usa)

 Anyway ... there's more i want to say but i'll stop here

PS: I'm not fluent in English so there are probably a lot of writing errors, but I hope that the interpretation and intention/context was understandable

[crash-hawk]

On the current shitstorm, complicated feelings, and Taking a Third Option

I haven't really spoken much about the allegations surrounding Dream and the effect that it's had on the MCYT community. As it currently stands, my position is essentially True Neutrality. I have no dog in this fight, and I don't plan to adopt one. Not now, at least, and maybe not ever. And initially, I was perfectly comfortable not talking about why. My anxiety, though, has finally started to break through to the point that I feel like I need to, if for no other reason than to wrestle my RSD demons into some semblance of submission.

Two nights ago, a very close IRL friend of mine, one of the two who got me into both Minecraft in general and MCYT in particular, made a similar statement to mine, discussing her neutral stance on the matter and giving her reasons for it. She was immediately attacked by people supporting both Dream and his accusers, to the point that she had to lock her Twitter for a day. Ultimately, she ended up more bemused than anything else, but seeing the language that was used against her upset me deeply.

This is going to be my only statement on this issue. I am neutral, and plan to remain neutral, but I want to emphasize as much as possible that all of the feelings that I have seen expressed here by the community after the allegations hit the 'net are valid.

The #1 reason that I have chosen neutrality with regards to the allegations themselves is that I do not believe any of this is my business. To paraphrase the old copypasta, I do not know these people IRL, and I don't feel that there is any way that this situation can resolve in a good or satisfying manner by the very nature of it playing out on social media, which I believe is inherently, dangerously unreliable. It fucking sucks.

Short of death threats or other grossly inappropriate behavior, I do not intend to shame, unfollow, or otherwise cut ties with any of my friends here in the MCYT community regardless of what position they take. I do understand if others choose to cut ties with me, although this is honestly the thing I fear the most.

I have massive, massive respect for those who have expressed their feelings of anger, betrayal, sadness, or disgust in a fan community that can be incredibly toxic. However, I also have a lot of respect for those that have said "I'm not going to jump to conclusions or take this at face value." My own emotions regarding the matter are complicated and not clearly defined right now.

I am not angry or upset about yesterday's livestream with Technoblade's father. It's pretty obvious to me that this event was planned well in advance, and that nobody involved would have had any way to predict that the allegations would come out so close in timing. The stream itself came off as overwhelmingly kind, genuine, and respectful. I do understand, though, why many people felt extremely uncomfortable about the timing and with Dream's presence in the stream.

I don't expect any other CCs to make a statement about their stance on the matter. They are human people, and they don't owe me that. They'll address the situation, or not, in their own time.

I've been a lot farther on the Hermitcraft and adjacent series side of the fandom than the DSMP side for a long time now. However, I still enjoy the story and the characters, and for right now, I feel like I can still enjoy them. I won't fault anyone for either feeling the same, or for feeling like they can't anymore.

I do not believe that ANYONE on the internet should be trying to prove or disprove the allegations. It isn't helpful to victim or accused, and it isn't going to bring anyone closure. I also don't believe it's my place to try to guess at the motivations behind the actions of the parties involved. If I'm going to be perfectly honest, I don't want to know.

A final note: for me, the thing that I've noticed that has left me taken aback has been the level of raw anger, directed not necessarily at the parties involved in the allegations, but by members of the community at other members of the community, whether it be in support of Dream or the women who came forward with the allegations. (As an aside, I am a crotchety old bird who hates 95% of internet social culture with a barely repressed fervor, and I think the whole "stan"/"anti" dichotomy is unbelievably weird and harmful, but that's a whole other can of worms.) This situation sucks on every single possible level. Please try to remember to be kind.