#and i get it though. i know why people are like this. like i 100% get it

[ms-demeanor]

On insurance: I still live with my parents and don't know a lot yet about the sorts of things adults usually have to spend money on. I've always been skeptical of things like insurance and credit cards because it seems to me they wouldn't be selling that if they didn't expect to make money from it. I talked to my cousin a while ago about credit cards and basically came to the conclusion that they do that because they're betting on the customer getting sloppy and letting their debts stack up, and the way you beat that and get money from credit card companies is just by being careful.

I'm a little more confused about insurance though because it seems much more straightforwardly like a gamble they will simply not take if it won't pay off for them. Like, you don't go to a casino because every game they play at a casino is one they've done the math on and have determined that statistically most people will lose money on most of the time. Is insurance not kinda the same? Where they estimate the risk and then charge you an amount calculated to make sure it probably won't be worth it for you?

I know if you have a car you legally need car insurance so everyone knows you can pay for another car if you crash into someone, and I gather that here in the US at least health insurance companies have some kinda deal with hospitals so that the prices go down or something, and there's a reason I don't fully understand why not having health insurance is Really Bad. But we get to pet insurance, or like when I buy a concert ticket and it offers ticket insurance in case I can't make it to the show, and surely if they thought they were gonna lose money on that they just wouldn't sell it, right? Or they'd raise the price of it until it became worth the risk that something bad actually will happen? Wouldn't it only be worth it to buy insurance if you know something the insurance company doesn't?

So the deal is that most people don't use their insurance much, and often insurance companies will incentivize doing things that will make you use your insurance less.

So, for example, you can get a discount on car insurance if you have multiple cars because people who insure multiple cars are more likely to be responsible drivers (the ability to pay for multiple cars stands in as a representation of responsibility here). The longer you go without an accident, the lower your premiums get because that means that you are not costing your insurance company anything but you are paying into the system. The car insurance company's goal is to have the most responsible, safest drivers who never get into car accidents because they can predict (roughly) how much they're going to have to pay out to their customers and they want the number they pay out to be lower than what's paid in. So they try to discourage irresponsible drivers by raising their rates and encourage responsible drivers by giving them discounts.

Health insurance companies often do the same thing: I recently got a gift card from my health insurance company because I had a visit from a nurse who interviewed me about my overall health and made sure I had stable blood pressure and access to medications. It is literally cheaper for my insurance company to give me a $100 giftcard and hire a nurse to visit me than it is for me to go to my doctor's office a couple of times, so they try to make sure that their customers are getting preventative care and are seeing inexpensive medical professionals regularly so that they don't have to suddenly see very expensive professionals after a long time without care.

Insurance in the US has many, many, many problems and should be replaced with socialized healthcare for a huge number of reasons but right now, because it is an insurance-based system, you need to have insurance.

We're going to use Large Bastard as an example.

Large Bastard had insurance when he had his heart attack and when he needed multiple organs transplanted. He didn't *want* to be paying for insurance, because he thought he was healthy enough to get by, but I insisted. His premium is four hundred dollars a month, and his out of pocket maximum is eight thousand dollars a year. That means that every year, he pays about $5000 whether he uses his insurance or not, and if he DOES need to use the insurance, he pays the first $8k worth of care, so every year his insurance has the possibility of costing him thirteen thousand dollars.

The bill for his bypass surgery was a quarter million dollars.

The bill for his transplant was over one and a half million dollars.

His medication each month is around six hundred dollars. He needs to have multiple biopsies - which are surgeries - each year, and each one costs about twenty thousand dollars.

Without health insurance, he would very likely be dead, or we would be *even more* incapable of paying for his healthcare than we are right now. He almost ditched his insurance because he was a healthy-seeming 40-year-old and he didn't think he'd get sick. And then he proceeded to be the sickest human being I've ever known personally who did not actually die.

Health insurance costs a lot of money. It costs less money for people who are young and who are expected to be healthy. But the thing is, everybody pays into health insurance, and very, very few people end up using as much money for their medical expenses as Large Bastard did. There are a few thousand transplants in the US ever year, but there are hundreds of millions of people paying for insurance.

This ends up balancing out (sort of) so that people who pay for insurance get a much lower cost on care if they need it, hospitals get paid for the care they provide, and the insurance company makes enough money to continue to exist. Part of the reason that people don't like this scheme is because "insurance company" could feasibly be replaced by "government" and it would cost less and provide a better standard of care, but again, with things as they are now, you need to have insurance. Insurance companies are large entities that are able to negotiate down costs with the providers they work with, you are not. If you get hit by a car you may be able to get your medical bills significantly reduced through a number of means, but you're very unlikely to get your bills lower than the cost of insurance and a copay.

Because of the Affordable Care Act, which is flawed but which did a LOT of good, medical insurance companies cannot refuse to treat you because of preexisting conditions and also cannot jack up your premiums to intolerable rates - since Large Bastard got sick, he has had the standard price increases you'd expect from aging, but nothing like the gouging you might expect from an insurance company deciding you're not worth it.

Pet insurance works on the same model. Millions of people pay for the insurance, thousands of people end up needing it, a few hundred end up needing a LOT of it, and the insurance companies are able to make more money than they hand out, so they continue to exist. This is part of why it's less expensive to get pet insurance for younger animals - people who sign up puppies and kittens are likely to be paying for a very long time and are likely to provide a lot of preventative care for their animals, so they're a good bet for the insurer. Animals signed up when they are older are more likely to have health problems (and pet insurance CAN turn animals away for preexisting conditions) and are going to cost the insurance companies more, so they cost more to enroll (and animals over a certain age or with certain conditions may be denied entirely).

This weighing risk/reward is called actuarial science, and the insurance industry is built on it.

But yeah it's kind of betting. The insurance company says "I'll insure ten thousand dogs and I'm going to bet that only a hundred of them will need surgery at some point in the next year" and if they're correct, they make money and the dogs who need surgery get their surgery paid for out of the premiums from the nine thousand nine hundred dogs who didn't need surgery.

Your assessment of credit is correct: credit card companies expect that you will end up carrying a balance, and that balance will accrue interest, and the interest is how they make the money.

And it is EASY to fuck up financially as an adult. REALLY EASY. But you are still likely to need a good credit score so you will need a credit history. That means that the correct way to use a credit card is to have a card, but not carry a balance.

To do this, never buy anything on the card that you can't afford. In order to avoid needing the card for emergencies, start an emergency fund that is at least 3 months of your total pay *before* you get a credit card. That seems like a *lot* of savings to have, but from the perspective of someone who has had plenty of mess-ups, it's a lot easier to build up a $10k emergency fund than it is to pay off a $10k credit card debt.

If you don't understand how interest works on credit cards, or why a 10k savings is different than a 10k debt, here are some examples working with $10k of debt, 23% interest (an average-ish rate for people with average credit), and various payments.

With that debt and that interest, here's how much it costs and how long it would take to pay off with $200 as the monthly payment:

Fourteen years, and it would cost you about twenty four thousand dollars in interest, for a total amount paid of about thirty four thousand dollars.

To save $10k at $200 a month would take four years and two months.

Here's the same debt at $300 a month:

4.5 Years and it costs about six grand (again, just in interest - sixteen thousand dollars total). Saving ten thousand dollars at three hundred dollars a month would take just under three years.

Here's the same debt at $400 a month:

3 years, about $4000 dollars (fourteen thousand dollars total). Saving ten thousand dollars at $400 a month takes just over two years.

The thing is, with all of these models you're going to end up paying one way or another. Insurance vs out of pocket is you weighing the risk of losing a fair amount of money by signing up but not using the system, or potentially losing a catastrophic amount of money by not signing up.

For credit cards they really only work if you know you're never going to need them for an emergency, because an emergency is what you're not going to be able to pay off right away. I didn't have an emergency fund when Large Bastard had his heart attack and needed surgery, or when we moved between states suddenly, or when we moved between states suddenly AGAIN and needed to pay storage costs, or when Large Bastard needed a transplant, or when Tiny Bastard got in a fight with my MiL's dog, and the fact that I didn't have an emergency fund is still costing me a lot of money.

So, young folks out there: what's the takeaway?

Get insurance. Get the best deal possible, which usually ends up being the one you sign up for early. You may think you can let it ride without insurance, but man in the six months between when I graduate college (and lost my school insurance) and when care kicked in after 90 days at my job I got electrocuted and needed to go to the ER. If that hadn't been a worker's comp payout I would have had thousands of dollars in bills. Something could happen. You could break your leg, you could get hit by a car, you could suddenly find out that you actually have heart disease at twenty, you could develop cancer. Have insurance, you need insurance. You legally need car insurance in the US, and you financially need health insurance. If you have a pet, I think it's a good idea for them to have pet insurance.

Credit cards are not for emergencies, they are not for fun, they are not for buying things that are just ever so slightly out of your budget, they are for taking advantage of the credit card company and managing to get by in a system that demands you have a credit score. ONLY put purchases on your credit card that you already have cash for. Before you get a credit card, build up an emergency savings so that you aren't tempted to put emergency charges on your card.

If you DO end up with an interest-bearing debt, pay it off as fast as possible because letting it linger costs you a LOT of money in the long run.

Stay the fuck away from tobacco and nicotine products they are fucking terrible for you, they are fucking expensive, and they are not worth it put the vapes down put the zyns down put the cigarettes down I will begin manifesting in your house physically i swear to fuck. Knock that shit off and put the cash that you'd be spending on nicotine into a savings account.

Take care, sorry everything sucks, I promise that in some ways it actually sucks less than it did before and we're working on trying to make it suck even less but it's taking a while.

[livwritessometimes]

Call It What You Want

: Mason Mount x singer!reader

: All the chaos outside doesn’t matter when Y/n and Mason have each other

: Prev

: Begin Again Series

: Main Masterlist

: Author’s Note - Finalyyy done with Begin Again Series!!! This was the first spin-off series I’ve ever written and I enjoyed it smmm 💕 I hope you guys did too 🫶🏻

…

liked by masonmount and 95,728 others

👤: masonmount

Yourname: In between the break 🐋

view all 80,628 comments

kellypiquet: Pretty Pretty Pretty 🦋

*liked by Yourname*

masonmount: The best downtime I’ve ever had!

→ Yourname: 🩵🩵

User09: Boring 🥱 get over yourself #ynisoverparty #maguiwasright #freemason

-> User76: #ynisoverparty #maguiwasright #freemason

User08: Can you post something else besides Mason??? This is exactly what happened when you were with Lando!!! #ynisoverparty #maguiwasright #freemason

-> User12: OMGG WAIT!! You’re right! Her entire feed was filled with Lando pics when they were together #ynisoverparty #maguiwasright #freemason

-> User88: You guys are such hypocrites! When she was posting about Lando y’all were very happy and thankful and now this annoys you 🙄 #leaveynalone

-> User09: Just shut up #ynisoverparty #maguiwasright #freemason

liked by User84 and 59,727 others

👤: magui_corceiro, Yourname

It seems as though drama never leaves Margarida Corceiro and Y/n L/n alone. Corceiro, a Portuguese model and actress, and the girlfriend of F1 driver Lando Norris, recently came forward in an interview talking about the bullying she has faced from L/n, who happens to be Norris' ex. This comes as a shock to many because L/n didn't seem like the person to do something so horrifying. Corceiro has also gone ahead and said how she involved Joao Felix, Corceiro's ex, into the situation to target her. Since then, Felix's team has denied these allegations. L/n, on the other hand, is yet to comment on this situation.

What do you guys think? Were you guys also surprised by these allegations, or did you guys suspect L/n's sinister behavior beforehand?

view all 37,618 comments

User66: Ofc Y/n did this. I always knew that there was something fishy about her. #ynisoverparty #maguiwasright #maguiweloveyou #ynhateparty

User32: There is no way Y/n did anything Magui claims that she has!!! I just know it

-> User40: How tho?? Magui is fully confessing to the trauma she has faced because of Y/n. Get a hold of reality my dude! #ynisoverparty #maguiwasright #maguiweloveyou #ynhateparty

User09: #ynisoverparty #maguiwasright #maguiweloveyou #ynhateparty

User44: #ynisoverparty #maguiwasright #maguiweloveyou #ynhateparty

User22: #ynisoverparty #maguiwasright #maguiweloveyou #ynhateparty

User86: #ynisoverparty #maguiwasright #maguiweloveyou #ynhateparty

liked by User84 and 196,518 others

👤: Yourname, masonmount

CelebGossip: Y/n L/n just can't seem to catch a break! Soon after the bullying allegations against her by Margarida Corceiro, L/n is now, part of yet another scandal. This time however, it involves her football superstar boyfriend, Mason Mount.

There has been an online petition going on for the two to call it quits. According to the person who started the petition, the purpose of it is to 'free Mount' from L/n.

Have the fans gone too far? Or is this exactly what L/n deserves? Stay tuned for more updates!

view all 79,617 comments

User31: wtf are you fr? why are people creating petitions for this shit?

-> User66: Well you should be more concerned for the things she has done! #ynisoverparty #maguiwasright #maguiweloveyou #ynhateparty

User09: She 100% deserves this!! #ynisoverparty #maguiwasright #maguiweloveyou #ynhateparty

User44: Yesss gotta save mason! we can't have him associate with someone like her 😒 #ynisoverparty #maguiwasright #maguiweloveyou #ynhateparty

User21: #ynisoverparty #maguiwasright #maguiweloveyou #ynhateparty

User06: #ynisoverparty #maguiwasright #maguiweloveyou #ynhateparty

liked by User84 and 79,627 others

👤: Yourname

Y/nOfficialFanpage: Drama, drama, and more drama! Amidst all the Y/n L/n and Margarida Corceiro drama, some of the top brands have decided to cut ties with L/n as their brand ambassador.

With the recent bullying allegations, L/n's reputation has taken a massive hit, and brands are likely reevaluating their partnerships.

Now the question remains: is this a temporary setback, or could it have long-lasting impact for L/n's career? Only time will tell.

view all 65,721 comments

User99: NOOOO whyyyyyyy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

User48: Y/n doesn't deserve this! I said it now and I'll say it again. We don't even know if these rumors are true or not and for brands to solely act on rumors actually tells you a lot about the brand!!

-> User03: Yess!!! Say it a lil louder for the people in the back 👏🏻👏🏻

liked by User84 and 108,628 others

👤: masonmount, Yourname

FootballUpdates: Has the magic faded between Y/n L/n and Mason Mount? It's been almost a year since we've seen the couple together, and this has left people questioning the status of their relationship. Could the recent allegations surrounding L/n have finally led to the couple calling it quits? Or are they simply keeping their personal lives out of the public eye?

view all 97,415 comments

User07: I really hope that they are still together!!!

User55: NOOO! If they break up, I'll stop believing in love 💔

User70: I hope it's true!!!! The petition finally workedddd!!!!

liked by masonmount and 289,516 others

Yourname: Nobody's heard from me for months 🖤

*limited comments*

view all 107,574 comments

kellypiquet: Prettiest Girl Ever!!!

*liked by Yourname*

masonmount: 🖤

-> Yourname: 🖤

liked by User84 and 79,627 others

👤: Yourname

CelebGossip: After nearly two years of staying out of the spotlight Y/n L/n is finally back....or is she?? This is yet to be determined!

But what we can say for certain is that L/n attended her boyfriend Mason Mount's match and her best friend, Max Verstappen's race.

While many fans expressed their excitement to see her again, some remain cautious given the past controversies.

view all 67,082 comments

User27: Yayyyyy queen is back!!!

User93: I have never been this happy ever!!! MOTHER!!!

User33: WHY???? Why is she back????

liked by masonmount and 386,919 others

👤: masonmount, kellypiquet, maxverstappen, joaofelix79

Yourname: I'm doing better than I ever was ❤️‍🩹

*limited comments*

view all 210,671 comments

kellypiquet: We're so back!!!!

*liked by Yourname*

maxverstappen: Finallyyy you posted a nice photo of me!!!

-> Yourname: Don't be too happy, it was only this one time!

joaofelix79: Wow! It's okay. I take your photos and you don't even post a photo of me. I see how it is!

-> Yourname: awwww so sad 😫

-> joaofelix79: 😒😒

liked by masonmount and 172,618 others

👤: masonmount

Yourname: Nothing has made sense for me in the past 2 years. Nothing except for you, Mason. I try to imagine what my life would have been without you by my side, and the mere thought gives me anxiety. I couldn't have imagined spending the darkest of times without you by my side. 

I know I make the same mistakes every time and that I never learn from them, but I know in my heart that I did one thing right. And that is to have you in my life. 

Your love has done nothing but inspire me to become a better person! It is also the inspiration behind my latest single, Call It What You Want! Out tonight!

view all 106,728 comments

masonmount: Loving you has been the best decision of my life! One i hope to make for the rest of my life ❤

*liked by Yourname*

User21: If this is what true love feels like, I can't WAIT to fall in love!!

User04: I am so sorry you had to go through all the hate Y/n. You and Mason deserve nothing but the absolute best!!

liked by masonmount and 289,551 others

👤: Yourname

masonmount: Because I really know her 💍

*limited comments*

view all 201,678 comments

kellypiquet: CONGRATULATIONSSS!!!!

maxverstappen: I'm so happy for you both ❤

joaofelix79: Finallyyy!!!I was dying keeping this secret!! I'm so happy for you two 💕

liked by User84 and 96,921 others

👤: magui_corceiro, landonorris

CelebGossip: Lando Norris and Margarida Corceiro have reportedly called it quits. According to close sources to Norris, the drama between Corceiro and Y/n L/n played a significant role in the couple's decision to part ways. We still don't have any official statements from either of the parties involved, so stay tuned to know more!

view all 72,671 comments

User32: Ughhh why is Y/n still ruining things for Magui. Like hasn't she suffered enough!!!!

liked by User84 and 113,882 others

👤: magui_corceiro, Yourname

Lando Norris and Margarida Corceiro have reportedly called it quits. According to close sources to Norris, the drama between Corceiro and Y/n L/n played a significant role in the couple's decision to part ways. We still don't have any official statements from either of the parties involved, so stay tuned to know more!

In a shocking turn of events, it has been revealed that Margarida Corceiro made up all the bullying allegations against Y/n L/n. 

According to an ex-staff member of Corceiro's team, Corceiro has been jealous of L/n and wanted to do anything to take her down. This revolution has caused a massive outrage by fans of both L/n and Mason Mount, L/n's fiancé. 

Several fans demand a public apology from Corceiro and the fans that made life a living hell for the couple for almost a period of two years. Many brands that dropped L/n during this drama are now facing repercussions for their actions. With several brands being boycotted, fans have demanded for them to issue a public apology to L/n. 

What is your opinion on this situation? Comment down below!

view all 87,616 comments

User32: I KNEW IT!!!! I KNEW THAT Y/N COULD NEVER DO SOMETHING LIKE THAT!!

User55: All I'm saying is, all the haters that were quick to call out Y/n better do the same to Magui!!

liked by masonmount and 481,691 others

👤: masonmount

Yourname: Ladies and gentleman will you please stand! With every guitar string scar on my hand, I take this magnetic force of a man to be my lover 💕

view all 321,899 comments

masonmount: My heart's been borrowed and yours has been blue! All's well that ends well to end up with you!

*liked by Yourname*

kellypiquet: I didn't think I could cry more than I already have and yet here I am bawling my eyes out again ❤

*liked by Yourname*

maxverstappen: Your truly make the most beautiful bride! I could not have been more proud to walk you down the aisle 💙

-> Yourname: I love you to Maxie!!

-> User42: Max walked her down the aisle you guysssss 🥺🥺🥺

joaofelix79: Congratulations you guys!! Now you better get to work, I am ready to become an uncle now 👶🏻

-> User11: Not joao saying that- 😭😭😭

…

Tags: @jobesbabe | @fifantasys | @evans-dejong | @msliz | @lokideservesahug | @jpg3 | @jxnellat | @spoodergirl | @themirrorballgal | @sarah-thatstings-ann | @newlifeforus | @eiaaasantha | @hotgirlslikemax | @2pagenumb | @wobblymug | @lunamelona | @boredmadamoiselle | @reidsworld | @avni-sarai | @evasmlp | @saachiep81 | @prettypink11 | @larastark3107 | @bowielovesyou | @dilflover44 | @obi-wansgirl | @ln8118 |

[gingergofastboatsmojito]

Fun Carmy

Fun Carmy is relaxed Carmy, the other one is Logan, his social alter ego.

I was wondering if Carmy ever had a day of fun in whole life because IMO he has always been that anxious lil kid around others, that we saw in Fishes (02X06), I’m sure. He’s better at the tête-à-tête like the one he briefly had with Michelle that evening

OR as part of small close-knit groups, like that scene in the kitchen (Ceres 01x06).

These assumptions, I think, are also completely backed up by his S1 -Emmy Winning- monologue (Braciole 01x08).

And what I ended up realizing is that FUN CARMEN is not the one we might think we haven’t really seen yet, and that fun for him does NOT look like it may look for us or for a more extrovert type of person.

I happen to be listening to Nina as I type this, and she once said:

I think that quote fits Carmy and his "sense of fun" perfectly.

Fun Carmy is relaxed Carmy, and at peace Carmy.

This is fun Carmy

Fun for Carmy doesn't look like this

Fun Carmy is relaxed Carmy

Logan is not "fun", he is actually a source of anxiety for Carmy, and that's why he can't keep him "on" for long. He wasn't lying when he said he wasn't remotely OK at the party (Pop 02x05) because at that point he hadn't turned Logan on yet.

Logan is "The other one", the one most people would label as "fun", because it better fits the social CONSTRUCT of what fun looks like, but Logan Fernello Berzatto is actually his functional alter-ego.

His functional or social alter - ego explained from a behaviorist perspective

We all have functional alter egos, this is related to the PERSONAL constructs concept developed by Psychologist George Kelly. These are formed at a fairly early age, even well within our 20s we are still forming our personalities and constructs or ideas of how the world works and what everything means, and thus how we should interact with and/or react to this world we live in, in other words, how to adapt or not to our environment. Then comes our career that can prolong this formative period even more, for instance, celebs of any age are required to have an alter ego for those occasions on which they have to "turn it on" for the camera or the stage → "the stage persona" that is NEVER the same person as the real one behind the wheel of the "functional alter-ego" and this persona has been formed based on their ideal of what has worked best for them in the past, what their PR team or Managers require of them to get them jobs, etc. They may come across as genuine and relatable but celebs are usually always "on" when we see them even off camera, so they are not, not completely. We all have the "office construct", the "school construct", the "mom chat group construct", etc. That is actually a sign of being well-adjusted to fit in society, and that is why we do not act the exact same way in all those different situations even though we are the same person, because we are not the same "persona" and that's OK. It's not a sign of phoniness, or lack of honesty, although it can definitely turn into that and become dysfunctional when there's an underlying mental health disorder, although it doesn't always turn out like that, thank dog!

In Carmy's case in particular, he can handle Logan and turn him on / off at will, which means he's in that aspect still well-adjusted despite his multiple mental health conditions, probably because none of them is a personality disorder, so it's safe to assume that he somewhat knows what's he's doing, he's choosing it to a certain extent and it's not 100% unconscious, only partially.

His lines are becoming blurry because he let Syd in, whether he admits it or not. And deep down, he knows this but he's not fully willing to go there (yet). That's what S4 is for.

This aligns with the rest of his behavior I already went over in previous posts:

Fun Carmy is the one that California, Copenhagen, and Chicago post-Sydney Adamu brought out in him. He's what most people, not me, would call relaxed, chilled, etc.

Relaxed Carmy, at peace Carmy, coloring Carmy, talking about food and cracking lil jokes under a table Carmy, is FUN CARMY.

We know him already. We've seen him. He just turns him off when he's The Bear or Logan.

Remember to follow my tag #Gingerpovs 💋

[rayssyscourse]

syscourse hot take (more like syscourse tired take honestly) "pro/neutral/anti-endo": for anyone who's endogenic in any way, or even just previously thought they were endogenic, it's really tiring (and not conducive to constructive conversation) to have so many syscourse labels revolve around...an innate aspect of someone's lived experience. Like. We are fully aware that plenty of people who label themselves "anti-endo" don't necessarily think that endogenic systems are fake and/or evil etc, that's just purely a demonstrably true statement. We don't even think that the people using "anti-endo" that way are necessarily Terrible People for doing so. Simultaneously, though, speaking as a system who spent years thinking we were 100%-basic-vanilla-endogenic but still wanted to take part in nuanced discussions around system experiences and offer our perspectives on discourse--seeing 'anti-endo' or even 'endo-neutral' always still...stung a little? Even when someone was conversing in good faith. Like, the idea that it was acceptable for our personhood (which really is what it felt like the arguments were about! whether one of us was 'just a made-up daydream' and not a person) to be up for debate, that it was an acceptable "political football" or thing to be "neutral" about...wasn't a good feeling. And honestly, even though we technically have a DID dx on paper these days, we still get that little flicker of distrust whenever we see 'anti-endo' in someone's bio--because we're still exactly the same system that we were before, and if they wouldn't have believed us about our experiences then...why do they think so much depends on some rubber-stamp diagnosis? what do they think changed? We don't have a good answer to this problem, though. Telling people that they're automatically terrible bigots for not labeling themselves pro-endo doesn't feel like it'll actually solve anything, because crucially I don't think that most of the "doesn't actually believe endos are fake or bad"-anti-endos are calling themselves that for a reason that simply shaming them sufficiently will change. Also, the internet is a big place, and expecting everyone to be up-to-date on every possible niche discourse stance is absurd--and if someone really just wants to stay the heck away from system discourse entirely, they should be able to. But also...yeah, we wish they'd use different words. Don't use "anti-[unchangeable aspect of someone's identity]" and not expect it to feel hurtful to see. "Well, I just don't want people Like That interacting with me..." what if they just thought your art was cool? What if they agreed with your hot take about [insert fandom here]? Who else are you 'anti', not because you disagree with some opinion they hold, but purely because you're 'nothing like them'? Idk. It's frustrating, and I wish we had some kind of easy, magic solution.

thank you!! this is a really well written thought, and i fully agree.

to be honest, this is one of (admittedly many) reasons i dropped pro/anti-endo labels altogether. not only can they come across as denying somebody's existence, but i feel like we just don't fit in simple boxes like that. i mean, "pro-endo" can mean any plethora of things: it could mean the person is endogenic, they support endos, they don't engage in syscourse/just don't care, they just disagree with anti-endo points, etc etc. in the same way, "anti-endo" can also mean a million things. some anti-endos think endos are all faking, some think they're misinformed, some believe they exist but think they're spreading too much misinfo, some think they're doing harm to traumagenic communities, etc. i also just don't like the black-and-white way those labels portray us. somebody being pro-endo doesn't mean they support every single endo, it doesn't mean they necessarily support radqueers (weird misconception i see a lot), and it doesn't mean they have no criticisms of the endogenic community. i know a lot of anti-endos who fully believe and don't hate endos but just have criticisms of the label and/or community, who are often assumed to hate all endos or think all endos are faking because the label is just too broad and comes across completely wrong.

sorry to ramble on for so long in one giant paragraph lol. tl;dr, you're so right, say it louder for the people in the back!!

[carnivalcarriondiscarded]

Frank! fantasy flavor!

rambles:

i really wanted to blend that monk-class inspiration w/ Frank's personal vibe... i like to think that i Succeeded!

i turned his tie into a sort of brooch since, yk. bowties aren't all that Fantastical. they miss the style. also i think they'd be more comfortable with something smaller since he's very active and needs a wide range of maneuverability

i bet Eddie or someone wheedled them into adding the leather shoulder pauldrons - leather to keep it a bit more flexy, and also. it just looks Cool!

figuring out what would replace his vest was tough. i didn't want them to be entirely unprotected, but i couldn't give him straight armor. though i will admit! a sort of tight-fitting crop top was Considered! but i landed on a gambeson vest as the best fit - comfortable, flexible, a Vest, while providing some level of protection! also, gambesons are quilted, which fits Frank's diamond-checkered vest!

ive already mentioned that one of my favorite outfit things is Flowy Pants Tucked Into Boots, so... that choice wasn't very character driven. except the boots are a tall ankle wrap - for that extra stability and strength! their shoes are pretty flexible and are only a few steps away from being slippers.

and the half-skirt - open skirt? - thing (still don't know what its called) is purely some self indulgence. i think Frank looks great in skirts!! also imagining him Throwing Down w/ the added flair of the skirt... damn. it'd probably help confuse enemies too - what're they gonna do next? who knows! the skirt is in the way and adding extra Movement!

i like to think that his knife is either in a sheath attached to the back of the belt, or they have it on their thigh (under the skirt) like Wally's bag. he probably never uses it... punching is the way to go for Frank methinks. it's probably reserved for cutting ropes and fruit

speaking of punching.... wrist wraps! inspired by boxing gauze! pads his knuckles, keeps his wrist compressed, its the best choice for physical combat. though the wrapped knuckles probably always have blood showing through anyway... or no yeah it's mostly other people's blood...

as for scars - Frank probably has quite the collection! i imagine that they've been picking fights since a young age, and in such a dangerous world he probably got hit a Lot until they learned how to hit back. and hit back Well. still, i wanted to give him a cool face scar with a very lame backstory - a book with a crisp, sharp spine corner fell off a high shelf and bonked them in the face at juuuust the right angle <3 he probably stays very fucking quiet about it which makes everyone think there's some intense traumatic backstory behind it. there isn't. Frank's just embarrassed.

closing note: i imagine that Frank has zero magic. literally none. cannot wield it for shit cannot utilize it. he's just like Howdy fr

[originalcontent]

I can't find art of my ship anywhere so I GUESS that means I have to make it myself, here are some doodles.

[thefirstlioveyou]

controversial or whatever but people get so annoying when they decide to share their whiny opinions about wheelers taking focus in s5

[icewindandboringhorror]

boy in silly sitting positions compilation

[fiapple]

i'm getting towards the end of the skypeia arc, & i'd like to say just how much i adore the way the female strawhats have been treated.

just... every aspect of how the way their characters have been previously contextualized influences the story-line is treated with a masterful amount of consideration. we're given so many layers to both of them that enrich not only their characters specifically, but the arc, and the one piece world as a whole. without nami & robin having their specific skills, and their specific values, without those being built upon, the story would have come to a halt.

you could not have skypeia without nami & robin being who they are as individuals. not just because they never would've gotten there without nami, but also because the way these women think is itself foundational to the machinations of the arc as a whole.

to be totally upfront, if you think any other strawhats were more central to the skypeia arc than nami & robin were you are full-on fucking lying to yourself.

[best-enemies]

I've reached season 5 on my CSI rewatch and I'm a few episodes past "Swap Meet", where a woman is murdered after attending a swing party with other couples from the neighbourhood. Near the end of the episode there's a moment that made me jump from my seat:

(Grissom walks up to Sara and takes the seat next to her. He's holding two cups. He hands her a cup of tea.)

[INT. POLICE DEPARTMENT - BRASS' OFFICE]

Erin Brady: Everybody fantasizes about other people. (She glances at Grissom.)

Even you, Mr. Grissom. A neighbor, a friend ... girl at the office.

[INT. POLICE DEPARTMENT - HALLWAY]

(The door opens. Paul Brady walks out of the hallway. Erin Brady walks out into the hallway. Sara is sitting in the hallway chair watching them. She watches as they meet and kiss.)

(Grissom walks up to Sara and takes the seat next to her. He's holding two culps. He hands her a cup of tea.)

LIKE!!!!!!!

Right after Erin ends her sentence with 'girl at the office', the first time Sara and Grissom meet again, he brings her tea. This might be an innocent interaction but to me it seemed like a nod to this relationship they have where both are into each other, know about the other's feelings, but can't/won't do anything about it (although Sara has kind of given Grissom an ultimatum). I don't know if it was intentional - I'm guessing it is, because I picked it up immediately. I might or might not have squealed in delight.

[fooltofancy]

i like to go into a dungeon and perform Very Well on the first boss (shields when newfolk stand in things, i don't stand in things etc.) and then during the second boss stand in literally everything so they have no idea what to expect when the final one comes around.

[shimmerluna]

WAIT Elle has box braids in s3??? I could cry

I don't think she had bad hair in s1 or s2, but I'm excited that they're actually giving the Black girls Black hairstyles instead of having them wear it out.

Before, it felt like the (all-white, for context) hair department was just ignorant about Black hair, so they put wigs on the Black actresses and only did styles that also work on nonblack hair for their own sake/convenience. This theory was especially supported by the fact that Tara, whose 4c hair couldn't really be styled the same as nonblack hair, wore a twistout that would take literal hours to do every day, but she had box braids in s2! and Elle has box braids now!! I'm so excited!!!

I also feel like this fits her bold, fashion-loving personality so much better than leaving her hair out. Our hair is basically its own accessory, and the long box braids are very feminine. Again, I'm not saying not having a protective style isn't feminine or fashionable (I myself am a fashion girlie with an Afro), but having one is another outlet for her creativity, and I'm glad they're recognizing that now.

[appalachianapologies]

[random drabble to get you through the day]

“I was able to hack her stuff pretty easily.”

“That didn’t take long.” 

Riley sends Mac a look. “I’m sorry, have we met? Riley Davis, hacker extraordinaire.”

Rolling his eyes, Mac replies, “You know what I mean. What’d you find?”

“The usual. For a double or triple or quadruple—or whatever type of agent she is—Nikki doesn’t encrypt her files as much as she should. I’ve already sent the juicy stuff to Patty.”

“Nice.” Giving a nod, Mac pulls a spare wheeled chair toward Riley’s desk and sits down. “What’re you doing now, then?”

“Oh, just having some fun.”

“Should I ask?”

“Probably not, but I’ll tell you anyway.”

With a poorly contained smile, Mac says, “Go for it.”

“After getting the goods out of her laptop, I hacked into her phone. Weakest wifi password in the history of ever, by the way.”

“Noted.”

“And she’s been listening to Spotify for the past three or so hours, so if I were to guess, she’s probably doing some other task while listening to music in the background.”

Mac gives another nod, still not exactly sure where this is going.

“So, like I said, I decided to have a little fun, and I wrote up some quick code this morning before you and Jack got here.”

“Code for what?”

“Basically,” Riley starts, “I made it so randomly in the middle of her songs, Spotify will pause itself.”

“Is that… it?”

“Yep.”

“Riley, what the fuck?”

Turning her head away from the monitor, she looks at Mac. “What, I can’t have some fun? When I wasn’t doing hacktivist stuff, this is basically all I’d do.”

A stuttered laugh escapes Mac before he can stop it. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen this side of you.”

“She’s been dormant for a while,” Riley confirms, “but I think it’s time I bring that part of me back.”

[bbq-potato-chip]

kind of want to rewatch cowboy bebop

[danwhobrowses]

Okay cool so this is was me all of this and last week fretting years off my life about the episode and I guess it's gonna be me next week fretting years off my life about next episode coolcoolcoolcool

[whumpiary]

How much does Future!Cass maintain his French and Mandarin from Bergen?

Also, I love the detail that his Mandarin is better, both with how logical its grammar is, and also I assume that characters suit his dyslexia better than French spelling. There's something fun and unexpected about Cass projecting nonchalance yet enjoying a language which is tonal. For a person from a non-tonal language, especially the relative flatness of English, Mandarin demands a kind of rhythm and attention which doesn't come naturally.

Also also, who do the tutors who come to the Estate tend to be? How much do they know/suspect?

Future Cass absolutely maintains his languages! He falls off the wagon a little while he's at the Facility, but his languages are actually one of the things he comes back to through his recovery later on, and maintaining them become really important to him. I've had in my head for a while that he probably joins a Tai Chi class so he has a bit more of an excuse to maintain the Mandarin.

Cass has a talent for languages, which Christopher figures out and encourages him toward, because he knows its a lucrative skill. Cass learns mostly aurally from language tapes and conversation, which means he speaks both languages better than he can write or read them.

He's better at Mandarin than French, and generally prefers it too. He really likes the tonality of it, and copying the sounds just so is something he gets fixated on early on while learning it. He also likes that he's better at picking it up than some of the other charges who pick up the same languages. It's not often he feels book-smart, so he latches to it

The tutors are just tutors! They are carefully vetted and have... an awful lot of NDAs to sign. For the privacy of the charges of course, they understand. And they're also prepped and primed for tall tales their students might spin about how they're treated on grounds. But they've seen the facilities. Does it look like anyone's getting abused?

The people who run the tutoring program are absolutely in Christopher's pockets however, so if a tutor was to show any amount of inappropriate concern... well maybe they're just not a great culture fit for the company.