#any other opinions are incorrect- i'm sorry

[ghostlygunk]

i don't expect a lot of votes on this but i wanted to see if there's a lean towards one of them in my mutual circle at least. idk i was curious

you can also use the last option if you don't hate any of them i forgor to add a neutral option sorry

[tomatopers]

about the hoyoverse boycott

i just wanted to put my two cents out there, as a South Asian:

We knew, from before anything was out, that Natlan would lack skin tone diversity at bare minimum, so it came as no surprise when these characters showed up; To preface my post, this does not make what happened and what's happening okay.

Why are people mad? Obviously, the skin tones are a big part of it. Yes, lightskinned people exist and live, etc, in these cultures- no, they do not make up 100% of them. What Hoyoverse is doing in Natlan is blatantly profiting off of poc cultures/religion in a disrespectful manner, and they have [once again] failed to acknowledge this. A really obvious example of this is the character "Ororon." I am no expert in Olorun, but as many have said, this character is meant to be based off of the deity.

This is awful- there are NO similarities, "Ororon" looks like my gacha life oc from seventh grade, and the disrespect towards the Yoruba people is insane.

As a twitter user whose tag I forgot mentioned, the majority of the Natlan Characters shown so far have been lighter than Lois Griffin [Family Guy].

Onto the boycott itself- If you are going to boycott Genshin, I recommend also boycotting other Hoyoverse games- being f2p isn't hard either, if you do not want to stop playing completely.

Additionally, I will link a petition to the bottom of this post, as well as some other things you can do to protest this.

I do wish I could have seen more of my and my family's culture in Sumeru, and that this backlash could have also occurred there, but in my honest opinion they did worse with Natlan and I'm glad we as a community are choosing to do something about it.

As a closing piece, I would like to point out the frequency of darker skintones in npcs, specifically enemies; The aggressive POC stereotype is both harmful and obviously incorrect, and people like me do not exist just to be placed constantly in secondary/antagonistic roles. Thanks.

Petition: https://www.change.org/p/stop-cultural-appropriation-and-whitewashing-in-mihoyo-games

Twitter posts about sending a feedback email [and template]: https://x.com/alsoknownasaki/status/1542216133734010881

Update bc I did not research ahead of this like a loser: Sumeru is not any better than Natlan actually!!!! Found out Nahida/Kusanali is likely based off of the Persian goddess Nahid and/or the Hindu goddess Saraswati! Sorry 😭

[vidavalor]

Thank you so much for all your wonderful metas - I enjoy them a great deal. I hope I am not going over old ground here, but I have just finished your defence of Aziraphale's choice (which I agree with 100%) and it has prompted me to ask your opinion of the following:

Having witnessed the Metatron impose upon Aziraphale's good will and impeccable manners and endless sense of obligation with a sodding coffee, WHY did Crowley allow the angel to leave with this wily, manipulative being?

Now, admittedly, Crowley did get to his feet and follow them briefly (after being on the receiving end of that terrifyingly pointed glare from the Metatron) but is immediately distracted by Muriel and thoughts of breakfast with Aziraphale.

This is the same demon who is never still. Always wary, always on guard, always patrolling. Yet, after that ridiculous coffee conversation, after Aziraphale looks to him for direction ("Ummm.."), after that glare, he just waves the angel off on his way for a chinwag.

I actually wrote the scene out so that I could "see" it differently, but it did not help me come to any conclusions.

I would LOVE to know what you think.

Sorry. I wittered on a bit there. 😊

Hi @vernajarrett 💕 Thanks for reading & asking! I'm happy to chat about what I think is going on in the moment Crowley acts like a pod person and Derek Jacobi's character gets all that Big Damn Villain Music in the score. I've got the coffee brewing. Oat milk and a dash hefty jigger of almond syrup? 😜

To answer why Crowley is acting so massively weird during the part of 2.06 that you mentioned, we have to start a little before it with the arrival of the last visitor to the bookshop in S2:

a character played by Derek Jacobi:

When the last new character to arrive at the bookshop door in S2 first arrives, we are down to six other characters in the shop. Five of them-- Aziraphale, Muriel, Michael, Uriel and Saraqael-- are angels and the sixth character-- Crowley-- is a demon. Upon the arrival of Derek Jacobi's character, all five of the angels fail to recognize this person. This is a true shock to us because we think we know who this is, right? That's The Metatron.

We know what The Metatron looks like; we've seen his head quite dramatically huge and in our face on several occasions. We feel qualified to say that if Sir Derek Jacobi shows up it must mean that we're looking at The Metatron. What we tend to ignore is... well, everything else that happens here lol... all of which says we are incorrect about this.

First off? All of this is just (entertainingly) weird: The Metatron is a floating head who thinks himself above humanity but he's here now in a body on Whickber Street. He abhors food but he's stopped to get a coffee at the shop and have a chat with Nina. We first spotted him outside by Mrs. Sandwich in line-- is there a more incongruous place you would expect to see The Metatron than that? lol. It makes it very engaging to watch but these are also the first clues to suggest that something really odd is afoot here and when this character goes inside the bookshop, we really get that sense hammered home by the fact that this being we thought we had correctly identified really easily is unrecognizable-- to not one, not two, but five characters on our show, all of whom should instantly know exactly who this person is.

It's at this point that I'll mention that we technically still do not know who plays Satan on Good Omens. The first time he appears, he possesses Crowley by speaking to him using the voice of Freddie Mercury-- so, Satan is being played by a voice actor doing Satan-as-Freddie-Mercury. The second time he appears-- in 1.06-- he there for Adam, who is eleven years old at the time. Satan appears as a gigantic, cartoonish, cliched-red-with-horns-and-hoofs monster, voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch. It is completely at odds with how GO usually does its more horrific and frightening elements. You could argue that Satan appears this way in 1.06 because it's how he would appear to Adam-- to an eleven year old boy. Everyone sees Satan as Adam sees Satan when Satan comes for Adam. A parallel to that would then be the arrival of the character played by Derek Jacobi in 2.06.

Why can't these five angels identify the person who just arrived?

It has to be because they're angels. It's the only thing Aziraphale, Michael, Uriel, Muriel and Saraqael all have in common.

They can't recognize the being at the door because they're angels; meaning: they're not familiars of The Devil.

This is not The Metatron. This is Satan:

You might notice that one of the angels-- Saraqael-- eventually catches on. What they do is another huge clue to who this is. If Saraqael's realization was that this must be The Metatron, they would have spoken up and said that they recognized him, if only to suck up to the boss. But they do not so that is not their realization...

Instead, they don't say a word. They look afraid, look Up, fold their hands together and start to pray. Since this being is obviously one of them and not human-- based on what he said to Michael upon his arrival-- Saraqael has figured out that if they, Michael, Uriel, Muriel and Aziraphale all cannot recognize him, it has to be because this is Satan.

Saraqael doesn't tell anyone else what they've figured out. They just start praying in case it's their number that's up today. The irony of all of this, of course, is that three of these angels who can't recognize the face of evil-- Michael, Uriel and Saraqael-- are honestly pretty garbage people themselves and also that there's not much of a difference in level of evil between The Metatron and Satan. But, technically, Michael, Uriel and Saraqael are angels, just as Muriel and Aziraphale are angels. All it really means in this case, though, is that they've never been thrown to Hell and, because of that fact, they cannot recognize Satan. (It also helps to illustrate how being cast to Hell is political and doesn't really have much to do with whether or not you're a terrible person. It's just who has gotten caught while getting in The Metatron's way.)

Demons can recognize Satan, though. The problem is that they also can be possessed by Satan and influenced into not even knowing he's there... which is what starts happening to Crowley upon the arrival of Satan in the bookshop.

Satan can make Crowley's words sound natural and of Crowley's own volition-- and then make it so that Crowley doesn't even remember saying them. This is why Crowley is acting weird when "The Metatron" is in the same room with him in 2.06.

We've seen something like this a bit when Crowley put Sister Mary in a trance so he and Aziraphale could ask her questions back in S1. Sister Mary really looked like she was in a trance and that's because it wasn't really necessary for either Aziraphale or Crowley to instruct her to act any differently. They were the only other ones around and they weren't manipulating Sister Mary's behavior in an attempt to use her to influence other people-- they were only seeking information from her. How she acted when giving them that information wasn't something they were terribly concerned with because it didn't really matter.

When they had all the information they thought she possessed, Aziraphale brought her out of the trance by telling her that she was now awake and had just had a dream of whatever she liked best. As he and Crowley are walking away, we see Sister Mary seem like she just woke up a bit from actual sleep and she looks calm and refreshed-- like she really did just have a dream of whatever she likes best.

In that moment, Sister Mary is unconcerned with the fact that such a thought is completely incongruous with the fact that she is standing, dressed in work clothes, in the hallway of her workplace. She does not remember the two people who were just there asking her questions or what they asked her. She believes she was dreaming because that is what Aziraphale told her to believe had happened.

The point is that while Sister Mary didn't know she had been influenced like this and could not remember what had happened while she was being influenced, the effects of it remained a little afterwards, as she continued to believe what it was she was told while under the influence. Aziraphale's instructions to her were comparatively pretty innocent-- he told her she had a great dream so she continued to believe that to be true. Satan in 2.06, on the other hand, is not telling Crowley that he just had a dream of whatever he likes best.

Satan possesses Crowley from the start of the scene, accounting for Crowley's quiet and stillness in the early moments of it. He not only tells Crowley to identify him as The Metatron to Aziraphale and the other angels but he makes Crowley believe that he is The Metatron for real. He tells him to make it sound natural when he tells the angels who he is so that they will believe it. That's why Crowley doesn't sound like he's in a trance, the way that Sister Mary did in S1.

I want to throw in here something else, too, that's kind of a foreshadowing/paralleling scene to this as well that comes a couple of episodes prior to this one we're talking about and that is... whatever the fuck exactly was happening to Gabriel in the "tempest" scene.

For the record, I do not believe that it was Satan possessing Gabriel in that scene. I actually think it's some witch-related stuff--I swear the voice speaking with him is Anathema-- but I bring it up even though we don't know what this is totally all about yet because it has some paralleling things that we can already see are relevant.

First off? Where Gabriel is when this happens:

He's sitting in Aziraphale's desk chair. I'm not trying to say the chair itself is spooky (though it is as a result of all of this? lol) so much as I'm saying that both Gabriel and Crowley acting weird and taken over while sitting in Aziraphale's desk chair (which is very much symbolizing Aziraphale) is one of the many things reinforcing that Aziraphale is falling because here are these two characters who parallel him the most-- the two, other most important characters in the show, arguably, and the two also living in the bookshop in S2-- and they're both falling victim to darkness while sitting in his chair.

But what I really want to point out here is what happens to Jim after his possession. Watch Gabriel's eyes at the end here:

There are a few seconds more as well in the show when his eyes resettle on Crowley. Gabriel disappears entirely while he's being possessed. He is speaking words that Crowley can hear and that Crowley recognizes as coming from Gabriel's voice... but when Gabriel blinks back into the room and looks at Crowley, he has no idea what just happened.

He doesn't remember what he just said. He isn't aware of the fact that someone was just possessing him. He feels a little disoriented and anxious-- which is also sort of Jim's default state in S2-- but what we and Crowley witnessed him saying? He has no idea about that. Shax shows up outside the bookshop and causes a distraction that keeps us and Crowley and Gabriel from sorting all of this out until S3 but Gabriel's expressions on the other side of his possession indicate that he has no idea where he just was mentally, what he just said or did, or that someone was in his mind. This is another scene emphasizing this aspect of possession on Good Omens-- no matter who is doing the possessing. The exact same effects of possession is what is happening to Crowley in 2.06.

So, Satan uses Crowley to identify him to the others as The Metatron and makes him believe that he is The Metatron to cover up the fact that he's been in his mind. Crowley has no idea that Satan has been in the bookshop. The moment this becomes clear, though, is the first one you mentioned in your ask, which is when Crowley really confirms for us exactly who Derek Jacobi is playing by doing something so wildly out of character that it's almost impossible to justify without considering the idea that he's being possessed:

encouraging Aziraphale to go somewhere alone with who he believes to be The Metatron.

Next time you're watching this scene-- and GO, in general-- look for where the music stops altogether. There are moments in GO when the score just ceases to exist entirely for a period of time so that we can hear the words that are being said without any distractions. I've found that scenes where this is happening are usually pretty pivotal, either from a wordplay perspective or a plot perspective or, often, both. There is basically no music in the whole scene in which "The Metatron" appears to have arrived at the bookshop.

The score disappears upon "The Metatron's" arrival and it only returns with that big bit of organ-y "DUN DUN DUNNN" villain music right at a pivotal point in the scene you're talking about:

The music comes back at exactly the moment that the camera holds on "The Metatron" as he is staring at Crowley. Why here?

They really, really want you to notice this glare that this person played by Derek Jacobi is leveling at Crowley. We already don't trust this character if he is The Metatron and he's been nothing but a dick since he arrived, really-- he used "demon" to refer to Crowley, he called Muriel "dim" (he can rot for that alone), and he was a total prick to Michael and Uriel. As awful as they are, no one should be spoken to like that. No one-- including most of the audience-- sees this as being extra-villain-y because this is just how The Metatron is so it's expected behavior from who we might think this character is.

So, to show us who this really is, they can't just rely on us noticing that he's in a dark coat and tie (why is he in Hell colors?!) or that he brought along a temptation coffee or that he uses language from Mary Poppins ("spit spot") when speaking to the angels. All those are clues, for sure, but the moment the music comes back is when the show is trying to give us the biggest of the clues to who this really is-- when the scene is structured to show us that he is attacking Crowley.

Because this isn't actually The Metatron glaring at Crowley; it is Satan giving Crowley instructions to stay put.

It's why Crowley doesn't follow them afterwards and continues to believe that The Metatron was who was in the bookshop-- even as Aziraphale has figured out who it really is. Look at Aziraphale's response here and you'll see that this is one of the scenes that suggests he is pretty damn sure this is not The Metatron:

Aziraphale's head whips over to "The Metatron" in response to what Crowley said because he knows what the only explanation for that response out of Crowley is. If you are looking at "The Metatron" while Aziraphale is still turning his head, you can see that he's still staring at Crowley because he was instructing him to tell Aziraphale to go and to not come with them. Satan pastes on a fake as fuck smile when Aziraphale looks at him but it's actually too late-- Aziraphale already knows what's going on. He just doesn't want Satan to know he knows.

Aziraphale knows that there's no way in the universe that Crowley-- who was so worried about danger yesterday that he escorted him to, like, Arnold's Music Shop and Mrs. Cheng's restaurant lol-- would ever just chill in the desk chair while Aziraphale went somewhere alone with The Metatron.

Ever.

The Big Damn Villain Music shows up after "The Metatron"'s fake smile to Aziraphale. It is in the exact moment that he looks at Crowley again and finishes the instructions he was giving before Aziraphale turned his head. It's because this is one of the biggest clues to this character's identity-- who can do this to Crowley? Satan.

Based on the scenes that follow, Satan here is telling Crowley something like:

You will not follow us. He will be back soon. Everything is fine. I was never here; I am The Metatron. Aziraphale is not in any danger. Stay where you are.

This scene-- the one highlighted by the music-- where Satan is silently giving Crowley directions is the one most like the time we see Satan possess Crowley in 1.01. It has a similar effect for a moment, which is probably why the music kicks in here as it's the best way to remind the audience of who can do this to Crowley and how.

In that 1.01 moment, there was no one else around and Satan was not possessing Crowley for the purposes of having him speak to influence someone else's behavior. Since he did not need Crowley to speak in the scene, Crowley does not. He is silent and still while Satan speaks in his mind and gives him instructions. We see that Satan can take such full control over Crowley that Crowley is trapped within himself. He can't speak, he can't scream, he can't move-- so, he can't drive the car and his connection to the car is shattered to a point that The Bentley is almost in a head-on collision with a truck. This is our introduction to the level of possession that Satan has over him-- all contrasted with the fact that Crowley is supposed to be on a date with Aziraphale in the sushi restaurant. This is all coming back around in 2.06.

Its return is also foreshadowed by this Shax bit during the bookshop attack... Crowley missing when he's supposed to be safe with Aziraphale and Aziraphale worried that Satan has Crowley because the demons are circling and Shax... who exists to get inside people's heads a bit... as if echoing Aziraphale's thoughts, says:

Shall we send up the sushi?

After all... do we really think that a season that spent all that time on whether or not actual demons (representing a person's inner demons) were going to be able to get into the bookshop (symbolically, Aziraphale, and Crowley & Aziraphale) is going to let those demons into the bookshop and then just... decide Satan is on vacation for the week? Or do we think that it's not coincidental that the offer Aziraphale is presented with also happens to be the one thing in the entire Universe that could ever tempt him to Hell?

Hmm... 😉

Anyway, back for a moment to the scene in 2.06 when Satan influences Crowley into staying behind and telling Aziraphale to go with "The Metatron"... The undersung thing in this scene, imho, is Aziraphale's reaction.

If Aziraphale really believed this to be The Metatron with 100% certainty, he could have responded to what Satan just made Crowley say by pressing this idea of them going for "The Metatron's" proposed stroll. He could have said aloud to Crowley: "why don't you come with us?" or he could have told The Metatron that he didn't want to go for a walk and why didn't they just sit here in the bookshop instead and anything The Metatron wanted to say to him, he could say to him and Crowley together? If Aziraphale really completely believed that this was The Metatron, he could have-- and would have-- tried either of those things or something like them in response to what Satan made Crowley say.

Instead, what does Aziraphale do?

He *immediately* starts for the bookshop door. Why?

Because he knows that Crowley is not speaking of his own free will and that the person he identified as The Metatron is, in all likelihood, actually Satan. Aziraphale immediately starts for the door because Satan will have to follow him out, since he was the one who proposed this stroll. Aziraphale abandons the idea of Crowley coming with them when he sees that Crowley is being harmed. Instead, he goes alone with Satan, immediately luring him out of the shop so as to get him away from Crowley.

He leaves the bookshop with Satan to protect Crowley. It also foreshadows the fact that he's going to fall over a temptation that is related to Crowley's safety.

Look at how Aziraphale looks back to make sure that Satan is following him and quickly... how nervous and shaky he looks. He would be nervous if this were The Metatron, sure, yes, absolutely. In this moment, though, he's just living one of his worst nightmares-- the bookshop that he built that protects Crowley has been overrun and Crowley has been harmed right there in front of him.

This is their house. It's their living room, where Crowley's lounged for thousands of nights. Crowley is in Aziraphale's own desk chair. This is supposed to be the place where they both feel safe but now there is no safe space so Aziraphale is doing the best he can in the moment by just responding intuitively and protectively by saying with his actions: Get away from him. Follow me. You can have me. Leave him alone.

So, they go out, right? What happens next but the other scene you mentioned in your ask: Crowley and Muriel.

Crowley gets up out of the chair basically the second Satan and Aziraphale are no longer in the shop because Satan's hold on him in that moment is gone and he probably unconsciously needs to move, since Satan was literally not letting him get out of the chair. This is where the weird behavior gets even more weird-- Crowley doesn't follow them. He literally watches from within the shop through the window for a second as Aziraphale leads "The Metatron" over to Marguerite's. Why doesn't he go after them? Because Satan told him to stay in the shop. Just like with Sister Mary believing she had been dreaming, what Crowley has been influenced by Satan into doing lingers with him gone, since he was instructed by Satan to stay in the shop until Aziraphale gets back.

Crowley paces a little circle like a caged tiger, going back further *into* the bookshop-- a totally normal response to his partner going for coffee alone with a murderous psychopath. He mutters to himself:

"They'll be back soon."

WHAT. THE...? How is there anybody who thinks this behavior is normal at this point?

Crowley turns around and Muriel is there. He jumps a bit, having forgotten they were still in the shop. So did the audience, honestly. This may or may not be significant in S3. Muriel being there in the background, blending into the walls during this scene also means that Muriel is now maybe the only character who could actually tell Crowley what happened during the scenes we have been talking about here because he doesn't remember anything involving what he said.

If you were to ask Crowley at any point from the time "The Metatron" and Aziraphale leave the shop on in S2 who identified "The Metatron", he couldn't tell you. If you were to tell him he told Aziraphale to go with "The Metatron", he would not remember doing that. He has as much memory of the words he spoke in the scene with "The Metatron" as Gabriel does of his "there will come a tempest" moment-- which is to say, none.

Crowley knows that Aziraphale has gone with The Metatron and that they will be back soon. He doesn't know how that came to pass and he has been rendered by Satan incapable of leaving the shop or considering the idea that he should follow them.

If the being at the door is Satan and if Aziraphale's fall is where we left the end of 2.06, Aziraphale could lose his memory, at least for a time, which means that the only character who was a reliable witness to Satan influencing Crowley in this scene is Muriel. One purpose of having them in the shop during these moments from a writing standpoint-- as opposed to sending them over to Nina's coffee shop earlier-- might be to set up a character in S3 who can tell Crowley what it was that actually happened here. (Lucky Muriel lol.)

As you pointed out, Crowley starts speaking to Muriel casually, as if nothing is going wrong. He tells Muriel that they should leave the shop, too, and Muriel says:

The Metatron-- really: Satan-- did tell Muriel to wait in the shop but he did so just by pretending to be The Metatron. While there's no possession there with Muriel, Muriel's line to Crowley is also emphasizing what actually just happened to Crowley himself to the audience. "The Metatron" has told them both to wait in the shop-- so, they are waiting in the shop. They're both following directions they've been influenced in different ways to follow. By Muriel saying that they've been told to wait-- even if they were told in a different way than Crowley was-- it suggests that following a directive is also the reason why Crowley himself is still in the shop.

Crowley's response to Muriel, though, makes him sound like he's back to himself-- and, in several ways, he is. He is remaining in the shop because of the influence but he is not currently under an active influence so he can say what it is that he chooses to say. When he's a little sarcastic with Muriel, it sounds like his normal speech because it is. What he doesn't understand is that he's been influenced to do the same thing Muriel has been-- to wait there in the shop-- just against his will, as opposed to Muriel's conscious decision to follow the directive.

Here's where we have to consider Crowley's audience when we talk about what he says next. Crowley likes Muriel; of all the angels not named Aziraphale that he's met, Muriel's definitely top of the list. That said... Muriel is still an angel who is desperate to please The Metatron, as they just proved to him again in this scene by being excited to have been singled out to assist who they believe to be The Metatron. Muriel whole thing is that they're an Inspector Constable; they are literally the (supernatural) police and Crowley wisely doesn't trust the police.

Crowley has no doubt that, after Muriel does leave the shop, that they'd tell The Metatron anything he said. Crowley actually does believe that Aziraphale is in big trouble because he doesn't trust The Metatron-- he's just been rendered incapable of realizing that he's staying in the bookshop because he's been instructed to do so by Satan, who is really the person with Aziraphale in that moment. As a result, Crowley's mind has jumped to a plan for when Aziraphale comes back from coffee with whom Crowley believes is The Metatron.

Crowley has no doubt that Aziraphale will come back because he's been influenced to believe this to be true, which is why he keeps saying "they will be back soon" and "when Aziraphale does come back", instead of being terrified that Aziraphale will not come back at all, which is what he normally would have been if Aziraphale were alone with The Metatron. It is, in this case, going to be true that Aziraphale returns because that is part of Satan's plan and one of the reasons why he influenced Crowley into believing so.

So, anyway, Crowley thinks the big threat is The Metatron potentially erasing Aziraphale into non-existence by deleting him from The Book of Life. This isn't actually a thing, as Crowley told Beez back early on in the season, but Beez, being horrified to realize that they might have been manipulated by something they themselves and Crowley made up ages ago, doubled down out of embarrassment on it being real and led Crowley to believe in its existence as a result. Crowley has spent the season terrified that Aziraphale is going to be made to have never existed. The plan he's cooking up to save Aziraphale from that fate-- which is what he thinks is going on-- is not one he wants to share with the police. It's not one he's going to say aloud in front of Muriel because that might as well be saying it to The Metatron, as far as Crowley is concerned. We won't actually hear Crowley's plan until he delivers it to Aziraphale in coded speech in The Disaster Kiss Scene and by that point, everything is going, um, really, really badly.

(It's the reason why there's no music in that moment so you can literally hear the words echo around the room when Crowley starts in on it and basically shouts the "THIS PLANET" part at Aziraphale but that's straying from the scenes you asked about so *focuses* 😊)

So, Crowley instead says what he'd really, truly, honestly love to be doing for the rest of the morning and he does so in the way that he and Aziraphale do when someone who doesn't speak their language is around and annoying them-- he says it in Ineffable Husbands Speak to amuse himself and, probably, to amuse Aziraphale, whom he plans on telling later. (He'll do this again a few minutes later, when Maggie is ticking him off by saying he and Aziraphale don't talk.)

Crowley says:

Does Crowley want a little Us Time with Aziraphale when he comes back? Does he want to go with him to have an extremely alcoholic breakfast at The Ritz? (Ineffable Husbands Speak for boozy brunch and sex after too long without it?) Yes. Eventually. But he knows there's very dangerous trouble to be dealt with first.

Crowley says that because he wants Muriel to think that he is just preoccupied with thoughts of Aziraphale and breakfast-- because that's what he wants The Metatron to think and he knows Muriel will tell The Metatron what it is that he said.

Crowley wants The Metatron to think he doesn't have a plan.

But, really, when we have known Crowley to not have a plan? 😊

The problem is that it's a plan for the wrong scenario.

It's not The Book of Life that's happening; it's Aziraphale's fall.

It's not The Metatron at the door; it's Satan.

This is almost the entire communication mess of That Disaster Kiss Scene. They're being watched and whatever the fuck happened to Crowley, he can't see that freezing time to speak openly is an option so he and Aziraphale are boxed into trying to each convey what they think is happening and their plans to stop it using their cant vocabulary.

The ironic thing is that while they-- like the audience lol-- have two different ideas of who the being watching them is and what the threat is as a result, they actually both have almost exactly the same plan... with one, key, very romantic difference.

But that's another meta. 😜

In the meantime, I'll just leave you with a reminder of what "The Metatron" said in a moment when Crowley was still in the room:

[khaire-traveler]

I'm a bit tentative to reach out to Hekate as my helpol friends have told me she's 'not for the naive' and that I should set up a protection spell beforehand. Is there anything in particular I should know? Sorry to bother!

Khaire!

This straight up sounds like gatekeeping lol. Every Greek deity has had some wild cult worship throughout history, so maybe this is what they're referring to, but it still feels generally incorrect. Granted, I don't know your friends, and I don't worship Hekate directly (I almost did, as she was reaching out), but every time I've interacted with her, she's been extremely friendly, kind, and welcoming; she's never given off a hint of malice towards me. The only time I've heard of needing to protect oneself when doing anything with Hekate is regarding esoteric practices; in no other context have I ever heard about some kind of necessity to protect oneself when interacting with any Greek deities.

In the recent past, there's been a lot of fear-mongering about needing to protect oneself from deities, but I personally believe deities are the protection FROM evil, NOT the cause of it. I don't think you need to protect yourself when interacting with deities in general; I feel it has the potential to come across as offensive and make a bad first impression. This is all my opinion, however, just as how your friends are of the opinion that you do need protection. I highly encourage you to make your own call. What do you feel is the right thing to do? How do you personally want to reach out to her?

Reminder that there is no such thing as a "beginner" deity, and that includes deities who are "not for the naive". I'm genuinely curious who your friends would consider being "for the naive", considering that children worshipped these gods and goddesses. There is no deity that's flat-out off limits within hellenic polytheism. I've met many people who tell me Hekate is motherly and sweet to them; I've had others tell me that they work with much more intense aspects of hers and have felt her presence more intensely, as a consequence. Experiences will always vary between people. This is to say that I disagree with your friends strongly, general speaking. To claim that any deity is "not for the naive" is such a strange take. I'm inclined to believe they're worshipping or working with her more intense aspects, which you do not have to do if you reach out.

Frankly, if you want to reach out to her, I say go for it! Just because your friends said all that stuff doesn't mean your experience with her will be like that. If you're really that nervous, I would encourage asking a deity you're close with to be with you. Just explain that you're a bit nervous and would like some support. I've asked Lord Hermes and Lord Haides to do this with me before, and all went well; just make sure to inform Hekate of the deity's presence once you invoke her, to be polite. I honestly don't know what the hell your friends are talking about lol. Best of luck to you. 🧡

-

UPDATE FROM OP

[butchsophiewalten]

I'm annoyed by some of Martin's hypocrisy regarding Felix Kranken. He claims that there're no clearly evil or clearly good characters in twf, the show has a gray morality, etc. But at the same time, he refutes the fact that Felix was abusive towards Linda and makes their conflict much less dramatic and far-fetched. Like, abandoning a sick person who needs you simply because he said a few harsh words to you while drunk? Sorry, but in this situation the last thing I want to do is empathize with Linda.

And I understand why Martin did it: Felix is obviously one of the main characters, if not the main one, and the audience should sympathize with him. Martin probably doesn't feel comfortable making the wife-beater likable to anyone in any way, it probably violates his moral principles. But then why does he write a story with a GRAY and AMBIGUOUS morality with a child murderer antagonist at the center of the plot, if he can’t stand the everyday dirt that exists in real life?

I answered this ask with a lot of text. I've put it all under a cut, because it's long.

I really want to seem levelheaded and thoughtful in my response to this, because I never want to assume more than is absolutely necessary from a careless message on the internet. Y'know, It's just nice to be thoughtful when talking to people. It's good manners. I don't want to say anything needlessly incendiary. But before I respond to any of this, I really can't ignore just the legitimately vile misogyny in this message.

You think Linda is in the wrong for "abandoning" her husband over "a few harsh words" after she tried for TEN YEARS to salvage their marriage? And she only left for her own sake after a relationship-defining argument that made her realize she couldn't emotionally contend with the way he was treating her anymore? I'll get this very clear right out of the way: activism for addicts is something that I take incredibly seriously. People who are suffering with life-ruining addiction absolutely deserve networks of support, and they deserve respect and kindness, and they deserve easy access to social programs that are equipped to provide those things. Even the worst addict in the world, who's done the most terrible shit a person could imagine, deserves such a level of care that should be afforded to any human being. What none of that means, is that you, as in individual, in an interpersonal relationship with a person suffering from addiction, need to submit yourself to a life of flagellation for the sake of that person. Because that person is sick, and you aren't. No man's downward spiral is the fault of the woman who left him because he took it out on her.

Okay. With that out of the way, I can respond to the walten files part of this ask now. I'm not sure if you read my recap for the twitter space where he talks about Felix and Linda's relationship, and I don't remember exactly how I did or didn't summarize what he said, but my opinion of what he talked about there was that he personally doesn't think of Felix and Linda's relationship being abusive, but that he doesn't think it would be necessarily incorrect to interpret Felix's behavior as emotionally abusive or neglectful, (he says this much almost verbatim,) which makes a lot of sense to me. To him, the problem with their relationship was that they were kind of fundamentally romantically incompatible beyond the point of reconciliation, but that they (primarily Felix,) weren't willing to recognize that and dial back their relationship to just being friends (because they are, he says, incredibly important to each other. It's not like their relationship was completely torrid and loveless. They loved each other.) He compares that to Charles' relationship with his (ex)wife, where they came to a mutual understanding that they weren't right for each other as husband and wife, but they stayed friends, because they cared about each other and otherwise their relationship was good.

I don't understand how that's less realistic or nuanced than. Felix beating his wife? So much of The Walten Files is about mourning things that could have been. It's about peering into times when things were good, and watching those gears turn and those mechanisms of tragedy fall into place, and seeing it come apart in a way that makes you ache. I think it's much more in-keeping with the narrative interests of The Walten Files that Felix's relationship with his wife wasn't some trite misogynist horror story, where he beat her and she left him and now he has Manpain about it, but as this much more human (as in, humanizing) sort of thing wherein there was such a clear path to improvement, but Felix sabotaged it in his lack of willingness to adopt agency within his own life. It rings alike to every other time he was has been and will be faced with the opportunity to do the right thing, and how he rejects it every single time, in his own unwillingness to help himself.

I don't know how any of that is in any way ignoring or sidestepping the consequences of real-world tragedy. Just because Felix isn't the terrible violent misogynist you seemingly want him to be, doesn't mean that he, as a character, doesn't reflect any aspects of reality. I think, in fact, Felix is meant to embody a lot of the worst tendencies you see in a lot of people, even you or I, who fail to help themselves out of situations they are objectively capable of improving. Out of a fear of action or consequence or upsetting the status quo. But in a way that is exaggerated and more suited to a narrative.

That, and I feel that Martin means more specifically that there are no "completely good" or "completely evil" characters in The Walten Files, which I feel is self-evidently true. Nobody is Evil Incarnate, and nobody is a messiah, or a perfect victim. Felix is terrible and his actions are condemnable, but you feel for him when you see his flaws as a human being, and there's meant to be a part of you that always hopes he'll eventually do the right thing. even if he doesn't and never will.

We're already seeing the reverse of that in characters like Charles and Susan, where they gossip amongst themselves about their friends' tragedies and thus far refuse to be proactive about Felix's shitty behavior, with Susan even saying outright that she wants nothing to do with it. It's really easy for me to imagine a version of these characters who see something like Felix trying to hide Rocket from Jack and Rose, and who immediately go "This is wrong! I'm going to tell them right away!" and I really do like that they don't do that. There's a degree of complicity. They're just done with getting wrapped up in Felix's shit, even if it means they end up a bystander to something really shady, and I like that it makes them more nuanced as people, instead of being so perfectly virtuous. There's a balance of this. The Walten Files' interest in the morally gray doesn't just mean that the villains get off easy, but rather that the people in it behave as people do, and are sometimes flawed or self-interested. And I think this sort of thinking is going to become a clearer pattern as the series goes on.

[blossoms-phan]

Hi! I am a X escapee relatively recent Dan & Phil returnee who loves your posts, you seem so reasonable. I have just been given what felt like a 90 min presentation detailing how my innocent assumption that Dan and Phil were anything other than platonic housemates was incorrect and offensive.

The lecture i was given included every reference that highlighted, amongst other things: their "obvious" separate bedrooms, bathrooms, towels, angles of items shown in bedrooms, closets, mentions of wanting to go out and meet other men, lack of real concern (X words, not mine) at each others medical emergencies and every use of bro and friend that they have said post hiatus. It was very detailed, they were very insistent and I was very apologetic. I decided to flee the X hostility and head back to tumblr, but here everyone appears to think they are together. So now I am confused and don't want to offend a whole new group of people.

I think what set the X people off was i said "partner" as I was under the, I now know, incorrect impression that they went public years ago. Oops. Don't trust the internet is what I have learned from this. I thought all this drama would have died out long ago, but I assume this is a topic to stay far away from still? Thanks

hi anon! first of all, thank you for saying that (still can’t believe I’ve garnered enough attention on here that people specifically like my posts!), I really appreciate it. second of all imma be so real with you I am a person that still primarily refers to “X” as twitter bc I refuse to get with the times so this greatly confused me until I realized there was only one possible platform with those kind of people you could be talking about. i’m sorry you endured that exhausting sounding lecture and welcome you to phannie tumblr with open arms 🫶

i am here to gently reassure you that you can take what dnp say and do and show and form your own opinions about it, don’t let anyone tell you you’re right or wrong for drawing conclusions or making assumptions. however I will also be so bold and tell you why that individual is so blatantly wrong and maybe clear some of your confusion.

first of all, i think dnp would refer to themselves as anything but "platonic housemates." it all comes back to this but i dare someone to look me in the eyes and be so fr when saying that just because they've never stated in words "we're dating/boyfriends/partners etc" the simple fact that they share a mortgage on a "forever home" together, (according to them) spend literally all their time together, are partners in work/life/play (vacations), share families (dan being uncle to phil's niece) implies anything other than them being life partners. i'd also like to draw attention back to possibly the most blatantly open statement either of them has made about the nature of their relationship, in dan's video titled "basically i'm gay" where he describes them as "actual soulmates" and more. there are lots of people who have been discussing/answering posts about the concept of a "hard launch" recently which i could direct you to and i am of the mind that there's nothing wrong with conceptualizing the idea of a hard launch or them being more open to sharing details of their romantic relationship to an extent, but BIG is the most profound public statement of the nature of their relationship and, in my humble opinion, "the" hard launch as dan QUITE LITERALLY says "more than just romantic" and goes on to say he and phil are private people and that that's all he will say of it for now (keep in mind it's been 5 years since this statement- still relevant but minds can change, specifically theirs in terms of what they feel more comfortable and open sharing in a post-comeback world)

now moving on to the "references" you mentioned. again, highlighting literally any of this as "proof" that they are just friends or whatever is utterly ridiculous but i'll still go through it for funsies. i'd like to challenge this person that claims they have "obvious" seperate bedrooms by saying... what is so obvious about it?? dnp are highly aware that whatever they share with us will be analyzed or viewed under a microscope, so obviously they've carefully chosen which parts of the phouse to show us and they're not going to be like oh yeah this is OUR bedroom where we sleep TOGETHER every night. now i'm aware that yes, the "black" bedroom with dan's closet is more obviously a dan room that has been claimed as "his" bedroom. can't find it to link rn but they have posted a photo of the shelf of that room and while it is mostly dan stuff on the shelves, there was also a photo of phil's family and some of phil's books and items on the shelves. storage? sure, but if someone wants to claim that makes it so obviously dan's room then i can say that having phil's stuff in there could also point to them sharing the space. the room that phil films amazingphil videos in has been called a guest room/bed by them both, and in terms of rooms we've seen that just leaves the green room. imho everything points towards this being another guest room/possibly a room for family specifically to stay when they come- iirc nothing has been said to claim this as phil's room other than the fact that there is a painting by his dad and he occasionally films in there. i'm not going to pretend to know the ins and outs of their sleeping arrangements, but i think for two adults that own a huge house together and spend a lot of time together and have a lot of their own things it's perfectly reasonable to have "separate" bedrooms, multiple bathrooms/their own towels (?? i don't get this one i assume they're referring to the part of the golden pig video but like. obviously they have their own towels wtf lmao) and utter those things more on camera and then sleep together/share spaces in their own time.

once again, dan and phil know what they're doing. they are in control of what they show and share. calling each other "bro" and "friend" is an intentional choice and very much second nature at this point after doing it on camera for years. also it's not wrong or implies that they aren't romantic- i am of the opinion that they are friends first and they know that too. however, in a post-hiatus/comeback world, it almost feels pointed at this point. like a joke. a wink wink, nudge nudge, look-to-camera "we know you know" thing that they're keeping going just because they can.

in terms of the "going out and meeting other men" bit i assume they refer to jokes made by dan in the wad era? again, i'm not going to dive deep into this but dan is a comedian and post-coming out, wad and those other shows were the first time in his life he was able to be openly, unapologetically gay and himself and i think he was allowed to make a few grindr jokes for the fun of it. if dan values privacy in terms of his personal life, i highly doubt he would go around telling everyone he was hooking up with dudes- these are jokes plain and simple. but if you're interested @freckliedan has a wonderful post about dnp and the concept of monogamy/them sleeping with other people that i don't entirely disagree with and that is worded much better than i ever could so. i'd also like to talk to this person bc in what fucking world have they EVER shown a "lack of concern" at each others medical emergencies????? this is possibly the most baffling claim out of all of these to me. dan could not have made it more clear how scared/worried/traumatized he was by phil literally almost dying recently, and there have been more instances than i can count of him just being there for phil during all of his more recent health issues/scares. if this is referring to the eye incident, again i'm not going to pretend i know all the ins and outs of their relationship bc i don't- we know what they tell us. literally everything about this they said in a joking way, i don't know why people got their panties in a bunch- phil sending dan alone doesn't mean he doesn't care about him or anything, i honestly don't think he wouldn't have been much help going and i think they both kind of knew this, they were just playing it up to be a funny anecdote because they're entertainers. it's what they do. they've been making stories out of their lives for 15 years.

this is getting far too long and rambley as i don't know how to rein in my yapping when responding to asks but. i promise you're fine. discussing their relationship isn't "drama" or some forbidden thing, it happens on here a lot actually. except you will find most people on here use critical thinking and what dan and phil knowingly share with us, as adults with brains, to draw conclusions about their relationship based on everything from the way they look at each other to the little ways they tell us they care about and love each other bc they do. and that's not something they shy from now. come join us! don't let people tell you you're wrong for thinking they're partners bc in the nicest way possible, they literally are (if you want to sugarcoat it and say life partners instead of romantic go ahead bc they've literally described themselves as companions through life which is a more poetic way of saying partners imo) and respectfully anyone who thinks otherwise is in denial at this point

[eldritch-nightmare]

Mk, so, how about Liu, and any other characters of your choice with an S/O who has selective-mutism, but one day they just randomly decide to say something, but it’s in a completely different language. Idk where I got the idea from.

a/n: i saw liu's name and i couldn't restrain myself. i'm monolingual so i had to use various translation sites so if these are incorrect then i am so sorry. nd i opted to just have the reader randomly say 'i love you' because that seemed like an easy phrase to not butcher. except for liu. with what i wrote, i did have to give a full phrase other than 'i love you' and i put it through multiple translation sites so uhm fingers crossed that it's accurate uhm if you speak danish and it isn't then first off i am so sorry and second off can you please tell me what the actual translation is anyways this is a long note sorry fdhjfh hope you enjoy!!

with a selectively mute s/o that speaks in a different language.

includes: homicidal liu, the doll maker, nurse ann, and clockwork.

warnings: gn reader, it's honestly mostly just sappy, liu downplays a stab wound but that's really it.

HOMICIDAL LIU.

Liu doesn't really think about your selective mutism. You'll talk to him whenever you're comfortable, and if that's never then that's fine with him. All he cares about is your comfort.

Besides, if you ask him, he does enough talking for the both of you. At least... he thinks he talks a lot. It definitely feels like it. And who knows, he probably just teaches you morse code so you two can communicate like that.

And little did either of you know, today was the day you'd speak to him for the first time. And not for good reason, sadly. You see, Liu... isn't necessarily a careful person when it comes to his own safety.

So he may or may not have gotten hurt. But it's not like it's a life-threatening injury or anything like that! Besides, he's taught himself how to treat minor wounds like this. Really, it isn't that big of a deal.

You think otherwise, because, uh, he was fucking stabbed. Who the hell considers a stab wound a 'minor' injury?!

So when you saw him cleaning and stitching up a stab wound, this obviously led to some bickering between the two of you. Liu is telling you that he's okay, while you're aggressively telling him via morse code that he's been stabbed and that he needs to get professional medical attention. But Liu was fine. He's gone through way worse than this, so you really don't have to worry.

But him saying that just leads to you throwing up your hands in frustration as you say, "Dammit, kan du ikke se, at jeg er bekymret, fordi jeg elsker dig?!"

And... well... Liu doesn't really know what you just said but he feels really bad knowing that this is what made you speak to him for the first time.

He'll sigh and apologize for not taking his injuries seriously, and he promises to get professional help rather than just treating it himself. He... is legally classified as dead, so he can't go to a hospital but... I mean... he knows a guy who was studying medicine. And a very suspicious doctor.

THE DOLL MAKER.

Vine's native tongue is Russian, so more often than not he'll mutter to himself in his mother tongue rather than any other language.

He doesn't really care if you speak or not, mostly because he feels more comfortable in the silence. He's not the best at holding conversations.

He was busy making a doll with non-human parts this time around. And you were roaming around his little workshop, inspecting all his half-finished projects and sketches of future dolls he planned on making.

Vine trusts you to be around his work, so he's not worried about you accidentally making a mess or breaking anything but he does find himself feeling a little nervous.

Dollmaking is his passion, it's something he loves doing. And he loves you as well and values your opinion more than anyone else's. What if you think he's not doing a good job? What if you think he could make something better?

You've never given him the impression that you dislike dolls or find his creations and passion to be 'childish' but it's still a thought that lingers in his mind nonetheless. Thoughts like this constantly plague his mind.

But when he glances away from the doll he's working on to see you gently straightening out the dress of another one that's on display, a small smile gracing your lips as you admire his creation...

"Я тебя люблю." The words just sorta slipped out of his mouth, and it took him a moment before he went to repeat what he said in English but you spoke before he could even open his mouth.

"Я тебя тоже люблю." And oh. That's the first time he's ever heard you speak, he thinks.

NURSE ANN.

She too is selectively mute, though she doesn't speak because it physically hurts to more often than not, and also... she sees no real reason to talk, to be honest.

You two probably communicate via sign language or writing, though she'll quietly whisper to you if she has to.

Ann doesn't care if you talk or not. She gets it, even if you two have vastly different reasons for your selective mutism.

She's not going to have that big a reaction when you do talk, though she will tilt her head to the side a bit when you speak in an entirely different language.

It'll probably happen while the two of you are spending time together in silence, Ann doing her own thing while you're sitting nearby.

She was caught up in her own little task, mind empty. She was vaguely aware of your gaze on her, but she only really came back to reality when she heard you sigh and softly murmur to yourself.

"Ich liebe dich."

She blinks, taking a moment to process your words. She... doesn't understand German, but the way you softly spoke the words, and the way you were looking at her with such fondness... well, she had a vague idea of what you said.

And very quietly, she whispers back, "Love you too."

CLOCKWORK.

Natalie seems like the type of person who wants to learn a new language, and even begins starting to, but her motivation for it just evaporates two days after starting and she stops trying to learn. And it's just a cycle that rinses, washes, and repeats itself.

Anyways, she overthinks a lot and needs constant reassurance more than she would like, so at the beginning of your relationship, communication was probably a little rocky.

But you guys manage to come up with other ways to communicate rather than vocally.

She'll catch herself wondering what your voice sounds like, and she'll sometimes wonder if you'll ever feel comfortable enough around her to speak but she doesn't push you to talk.

She understands, trust me.

But she's definitely surprised when you wake her up from her nap just to look her in the eye and bluntly say, "Anh yêu em." and you don't even give her a chance to process it before you walk away.

She's just baffled and confused. What the hell did you just say to her? You just spoke. What the hell did you say? Is she dreaming? She feels awake. She's definitely awake.

Natalie has to dig around for her phone to try and search for the translation of what you said, and it takes her a few tries before she finally manages to type it out correctly. She definitely buries her face in a pillow when she reads the translation. And she ends up falling back asleep.

It's only when she wakes up again that she'll go and find you. She'll wrap her arms around your waist and rest her forehead on your shoulder before placing a gentle kiss there and tiredly murmuring, "I love you too."

[hogwarts-legacy-confessions]

I'm really scared to say this out loud since I feel that I will be crucified for this opinion...but, I really wish people would post more about their MCs as their own person/character than simply being a love interest to the NPCs. Sure yeah, NPCs like Seb and Omi are insanely popular that everyone wants a piece of them but I found it super duper frustrating to come across posts of an MC I found cute but said MC's existence is practically defined as being a NPC's love interest. Give me more screenshots/artworks/fics/posts of your MC being the absolute menace to the Highlands. Show me your MCs in action shot like the powerful untempered legend they would have become with years, experience and practice. Let me read your MC incorrect quotes showing their life at Hogwarts. Show me their fashion preference and why they prefer those. What do they do when visiting Hogsmeade (that is not a date with a NPC)? They can't be 24/7 joint to the hips with the NPCs no? Feed me word vomit/short snippets of your MC. Tell me their personality/character studies/hobby/zodiac sign/history that has no relation what so ever to any NPC.

To me, HL giving us all a 'blank slate MC' has provided us unlimited paths to develop an interesting character unique to the player controlling them. No MC should ever be the same. They could be the good ol' honourably wholesome one. They could be the prequel to a Dark Lord of their time. Or they could be on the fence, a dark magic user who use the magic simply because they have to/survival sake. Not even the sky could be our limit to create our MC and showcase them to the world like the precious, unique darlings each of them actually are.

I just wish more MC I found while scrolling could be anything else that is not Sebastian/Ominis/Garreth/Amit's girl, really.

It just frustrates me that almost all posts I came across is mainly simping for the NPCs. I appreciate all those posts, but I crave more posts of your MC as their own person. Show me your MC. Let me simp for them. Let me get to know them as their own character. Let me internally ship your MC with mine because your MC is so interesting on their own, I want them in my household. Your MC is the protagonist, the literal MAIN CHARACTER.

Their existence should not be defined by their popular love interest.

I'm sorry but I'm practically sobbing inside wishing for more MC appreciation blogs. There's so little of you unhinged creative fuckers who is passionate about your MCs more than the NPCs. I want more pretty and powerful MCs to ship with my Murder Children but most of the MCs out there has no personality other than being a NPC's love interest. 😭😭

👀

[scapeg8ats]

(Sorry for this being a long post, it became a rant/vent and a lot of thoughts. Someday I'll shut up about this I SWEAR lol. There's a TL;DR at the end.)

Maybe I'm not even interested in syscourse outside of learning more about plurality and its connections outside of CDDs and why someone may see themselves as plural or really any way of not seeing oneself as One Singular Self (whether it has to do with a disorder or it's a cultural/religious/etc. reason). Or I guess that does make me interested in syscourse. Just not echo chamber syscourse.

Like I'm sorry but y'all are fucking mean. I LOVE having discussions where I can learn and understand other perspectives. I guess to steal SAS's label, I'm very pro-syscourse conversation (though—and this isn't to bash SAS AT ALL—to me that feels redundant because syscourse is supposed to be conversation anyway. But it's not so the label is necessary). I want to learn. I want to be educated. I want to discuss this, even with people who disagree with me, because I want knowledge of other perspectives.

But it is so hard to find syscourse spaces that AREN'T echo chamber syscourse spaces. The desire to attain knowledge is stomped out by attaching inherent morality to labels that can be boiled down to one argument: Do you or do you not believe that plurality is exclusive to CDDs?

And shockingly this has more nuance than "endos are/n't valid". What may cause someone to see themselves as plural without a CDD? And the answers are vast and could be a FASCINATING discussion. Not even necessarily a debate, just learning more about people. And yet the answer to this question isn't even considered before so many people just go "[extremely loud incorrect buzzer noise]" and shut it down.

Maybe, ironically, this is me struggling to understand perspective. But I don't understand the lack of interest in wanting to understand, despite having experienced it myself. And even that, I want to understand. But I know that the fact that because of the nature of my opinions, I would be marked pro-endo, and shut out of that discussion. And it's INFURIATING because I respect the fact that they don't want to interact with me but I just don't understand!

There is endless room for discussion that's shut out and it's frustrating. It's heartbreaking. I want there to be discussion. But there won't be until the echo chambers start to open their fucking eyes.

I remember the moment for me was when someone in the Twitter dissociatwt community who I really respected, who always provided good resources, who was reliable and kind and honest...was pro-syscourse conversation. And my knee-jerk reaction was almost betrayal. How could someone that I respected be a pro-endo??

But I realized that they didn't stop being reliable because of this. Some of y'all will discount doctors who have been studying plurality, trauma, and dissociation longer than some of you have been alive because they're a stinky smelly "pro-endo". Therapists and doctors and the like who go "Why isn't it possible" get discounted because of this when they, too, just want to understand. Because with all due respect and in the most positive way, they're a bunch of nerds. And I don't understand. I don't understand how you can do that.

And that's really the thing. I don't understand and I'm not given the space to understand because my stance is somehow morally wrong. I'm not virtue signaling right. Sometimes for both sides. And it's awful.

TL;DR, I don't understand and am frustrated by echo chamber syscourse. That's it. That's all this long-ass post is saying. I don't get it. It didn't need a post but a lot of me just started Talking and did not stop.

[cbrownjc]

"Force Armand to deal with his Marius issues." Say the quiet part out loud!

Hey! 😅

Boy oh boy does the the quiet part I was going to say out loud change for me now from when I first received this! 🙃 (And yeah, sorry for the delay about that!)

Because oh lord, I'm not actually sure this will happen now! Or, at least, not in the way I originally thought it would, if it ever actually does.

I mean, if you look at the ending of 2x08 just as is . . . do you think Daniel as his is now would have any sort of kind opinion about Armand or what happened to him wrt Marius? Or hell, even care? I don't.

This also isn't really helped by Daniel -- when he was still human -- mocking Armand's various names/identity which, IIRC, is the last exchange had between them before Armand ran after Louis. Daniel knew a part of his history that is tied in with Marius and -- because of everything Armand did to keep Louis with him and Daniel exposed as lies -- Daniel really had no reason at all to even trust what Armand has said about all of that as even being true. Which, IMO is why he was so mocking when he said that.

And you know, if Daniel was still human, this would have actually been a great place to start when it comes to this. Because Daniel now had a set preconceived idea of who Armand was and is. And over time, learning that some of those preconceived ideas he had were actually incorrect, makes for a great character arc -- when it comes to both characters and their relationship to each other. And then from there, yes, exploring those issues regarding Marius that are at the heart of it all when it comes to Armand.

But right now? The Daniel we saw at the end of episode 2x08? I can't see him giving a shit honestly. Maybe I'll be wrong, but -- 🤷🏾‍♀️

So really now, just given the current info we have via what we've seen on screen? Armand would very much be dealing with his Marius issue on his own, and have zero reason to even talk with Daniel about them, IMO. Because I'm not sure Armand would ever trust Daniel with them going forward. Not when he mocked a bit for it even when Daniel was still human, never mind what he probably thinks Daniel now as a vampire would do/say about it all.

Which hey, fits with the books because Armand never went into any of this with Daniel in the books either, so . . .

So yeah, at least right now, Daniel being aged up looks like it'll have no barring on Armand dealing with all of that anymore. But again, we'll see.

[da-janela-lateral]

MP100 manga liveblog: V. 01

Hello! As some of you may have seen before, I'm on a mission to read all of my MP100 mangas before the ones I've bought arrive — which are volumes 13, 14 and the REIGEN spin-off. During this process, I'll leave here my reactions and opinions to each individual manga. Let's start, then!

Volume 1 most be the one I have read the most, because I keep saying I'm going to read the whole manga and forget to proceed with it. There is not much I can add except for my usual notes.

Everybody is so blunt its hilarious. It's not even only characters of whom this behavior is more expected, such as Reigen: Mob keeps saying things to people's faces.

Reigen is such a huge conman. The manga makes it even more obvious, which scenes such as him keeping guessing what was the "problem" with the client who visited adult sites.

Reigen you were rude as hell on the start I'm sorry.

Tsubomi is much more of a mysterious, unapproachable perfect girl than her anime version, which paints her as more friendly and extroverted individual.

Mob knowing that Reigen is a fraud, even if indirectly, is more clear. He questions Reigen's motives with calling and keeping him on Spirits and Such several times.

Other thing which was made more clear to me is in which sense Mob made a promise to the Telepathy Club. He not only appeared to be convinced to join, but also was about to take the papers to the Student Council. Of course his posterior choice to join the Body Improvement Club made Tome get pissed off...

I love getting to see the other clubs on the Student Council's blacklist. What do you mean Leg Shaving Club. "Flirting with the Chicks" Club? Cussing Club?? Tsubomi Fanclub??? How did they allow these to get created on the first place???????

The comedic timing is impeccable. "How did you guess it?" when the LOL Cult member made her 46477277th guess of what made Mob upset. And she was just. : \

The art is so expressive. This is a huge advantage to me.

Mob your repression is very much interesting to me. The flashbacks don't make time periods clear but he didn't seem to react in a socially acceptable way even before he started repressing his emotions.

The fact that Mob only showed his powers in public during his first school years, yet most people don't react to them as if they were a worldbreaking thing, REALLY caught my attention. This is just my worldbuilding fanatic mind in alert.

Mezato have I ever mentioned that I'm fascinated by you.

The hypnosis forcing the LOL Cult members to laugh in any occasion and making them lose the milk challenge is way more explicit.

Hey what do you mean Dimple's hypnosis with the LOL Cult is low quality.

I'm actually making lots of notes about the info the manga gives about how spirits and ESP work! But this is a separate project.

The omakes are very fun to read! I believe they'll fulfill my need for extra characterization by this time.

THIS PANEL IS SO FUCKING GOOD I'M DYING:

THIS IS THE PEAK OF COMEDY MAYBE.

Unrelated translation notes (this is the Portuguese edition):

The translation felt a bit awkward at times. There are occasions in which I'm confused about if the strange word choices were intentional or a false cognate from an English version.

For example, on Dimple's internal dialogue about how Mob was ruining the ambient he had built for LOL, he says the phrase "Para se tornar deus... é necessário eliminar todos os que disturbem a ordem que eu criei." ("In order to become [a] god... it's necessary to eliminate all those who disturb the order that I created".

The verb "disturbar" is not incorrect, but it's not common either. Most people would prefer to use "perturbar" or even "transtornar" in this context. Even verbs with a different and more colloquial meaning like "romper", "interromper" or "bagunçar" could be used to make a slightly different phrase yet transmit the same message! Because Dimple doesn't talk in a particularly formal or overdramatic form in other dialogues, this choice struck me as weird, and may look like a direct translation from the English "to disturb". But well, it's being used in a correct form so...

(I'm not neglecting the fact Dimple is refered as Hanako on his true form reveal though)

[mineta-loveblog]

You're not bad for being a Mineta fan

Although this blog is about Mineta specifically and this post is written primarily with him in mind, I think this can apply to any fandom.

Fans of Mineta (or any unpopular character), I know that it is difficult to be a fan of a character that is usually on everyone's lips for bad reasons, but please, never let the opinions of others affect you, we are talking about fictional characters, you have every right to like the character you want, even if it is a character with incorrect attitudes like, I don't know, Eric Cartman, Scott Pilgrim, or in this case: Minoru Mineta. Liking a character of this type does not make you a bad person nor does it make you agree with their actions.

I mention this because I have seen people accuse others of supporting Mineta's TOTALLY WRONG actions just because they like the character, when in reality they are only enjoying him for other reasons. I have also seen people who have to keep their liking for Mineta practically hidden for fear of being judged or for having the feeling that they are a bad person for being a fan of the character. Heck, even I have forced myself several times not to do things I really want to do about Mineta for fear of being judged.

As I mentioned before, this doesn't just happen with Mineta, fans of characters like Endeavor, Bakugo, or characters from other media like the ones I mentioned above also tend to be pointed the finger for these reasons, and personally, it doesn't seem right to me, I believe that each person should let another person enjoy their favorite characters, even if they are not good people, since this does not mean that we support what these characters do, sometimes we simply like them for other points.

I'm very sorry if the wording in this post is strange, first of all English is not even my native language (I speak Spanish) and I haven't done long posts in a while, but this is a topic I really wanted to talk about: Fans, Don't feel bad for having your own tastes, and haters, don't be aggressive with the fans, just enjoy something fictional, everyone enjoys what they want.

[gunsandspaceships]

Hello, I'm sorry for bothering you, I know you usually make thread about the avengers but uh my friends ask me if what Thanos did was reasonable for yk killing 50% of the population and I wanna say no but I know I'm probably biased, so if yk I could read any thread about that or someone else opinions about that, it would be nice..

Hi! You can bother me anytime, no problem at all. Sorry, I don't have any saved threads on this topic, I can only give my opinion. So, was it reasonable? Not really. That's why people called him the "mad" titan - he was obsessed with a dangerous and unreasonable idea of universal mass slaughter, which could not (as usual with such things) solve any real problems. Because he wasn't targeting the cause - "lack of resources". This way, killing 50% of all living beings would create at least 3 major issues (and I'm not even talking about psychological implications): 1) those 50% will be back soon. Because the living things that are left will produce offspring and if there are enough resources (that's why Thanos did it, right? to give people more resources by reducing the number of people) - they WILL produce more children. It won't be long before the population of living creatures returns to this 100%. So it's pointless. 2) The idea itself came from Malthusian theory: population growth is exponential, and the growth of food supplies or other resources is linear. There is a problem with the theory: while it is realistic and possible for population to outgrow resources, the idea that the supply of resources is linear is incorrect. With economic growth and scientific discoveries we get more resources. Thanos didn't know or ignored that, just like the first point. 3) Thanos included animals and plants in his 50%. Animals and plants are also resources. They are food, construction materials, energy sources, oxygen producers, etc. Thus, he only further reduced the supply of resources. It would also create a serious environmental problem because some creatures reproduce faster than others. For example, let's say we have a species of insect whose population doubles every year. They eat tree leaves. Trees take many years to grow. Thanos reduced the number of insects and trees by 50%. In 2 years we will get 200% of the insect population and approximately the same 50% of trees. And let's not forget how bad the impact of a lack of O2 would be on the atmosphere due to fewer trees. In Thanos' "defense" - his motivation is actually deeper and more mythological than just one-time decimation. I'll explain later what I mean.

[oscconfessions]

way too many people on here think that. "Media for kids = doesn't have to be quality/can be hot shit".

"It's for kids it doesn't matter", really? I don't want to go on the "kids are smarter than you think" yada yada. So instead I'll take a cabby from III 14. For all you know some kid might try to imitate/say what Bot said to a irl disabled friend of theirs. . And Yes I know you an adult know it's bad, BUT A KID MIGHT NOT!  "They should do their research" their a child! They like III and they might go "Well Bot from III did that and told Cabby to do that and Cabby ended up happy so I'm doing the right thing!" Especially when the media at hand tells them "Hey this is a perfectly okay thing to do". 

If it didn't matter then why were we all demanding II's writers change it? 

If  media for kids isn't important, why do people care about incorrect/stereotypical portrayals of minorities in it? Why should media for kids have episodes about more serious topics?

(((Before anyone interprets this wrong I'M saying we should care about this)))

And second of "it's for kids no wonder it's gonna be bad" is also such a crappy take. 

 (I've been on a scooby kick) Remember that Velma show that was literally made by a transphobe (Which was most likley made to own the left, it's a can of worms. Tldr: show is bad). Well if were going by age rating it should be the creme of the crop for scooby doo media! But it isn't! . Mystery inc (which albeit is Aimed at older kids, I'll give you all that) is regarded by all of the fandom as the best in the franchise. And (in many people's opinion) what's cool scooby doo(Aimed at kids) is the funniest one (even if all the characters look like seth mcfarland drew them, I'm being srs it's funny God watch it) If all media for kids is inferior to media for adults why isn't the fandom obsessed with Velma?

You all whine about how object shows have turned into corporate slop(which is a different argument and a whole other case of worms), but then you go "Oh they're all just meaningless stupid things for kids it's not that serious". 

Oh and don't get me started on how you guys act when it comes to media analysis/Fandom discourse. "It's for kids it's not that serious" Or "it's just a silly show" God forbid people feel emotion about a media that's for a age group younger than them. God forbid they care for something that isn't some "serious" and "important" masterpiece. I've seen people say "there's barely any analysis in the osc" Why should people analise things that are for kids? They're not as deep or Worthwhile as things for adults! 

I'm not saying you can't have object shows as your own fun little "turn my brain off" for a second thing, I'm just saying you all should stop acting like assholes about people who care about this media in a way different from yours. 

Before you go "What's the point it's just fictional". What's the point in any media analysis in that case! So many people cry "the osc has no media literacy/none of you understand the osc deeper" and then they say stuff like this. 

Look if you want to dismiss all fandom discourse go for it, but if your sole argument for that is it being for kids I will turn into the animaniacs reddit mod character 

God I'm sorry If I turned into every middle aged man cartoon reviewer. I'm not saying you can't just ENJOY things from time to time (not having some old guy in a room of action figures scream into my ear "DESPICABLE ME 2 ISN'T A GOOD MOVIE! IT'S NOT A DEEP PEACE OF ART" is nice. 

And I do believe some things can just be fun! I love just a fun Cartoon. But don't act like every single thing that isn't directed towards adults fits into that category. Also don't act like simple cartoons can't have genuine moments and love and care put into them, something dosen't have to be serious like HFJONE to have a serious topic/well writteen bit here and there.

I'm not saying object shows are fucking hamlet or Shakespeare or "Pan Taduesz"(the poles know). I'm just saying degrading all media criticism/discourse abt object shows because there for kids is an extremely stupid statement. 

I'm gonna fucking say it Tacomic discoursers Pro/Anti I fucking love you all, people act like your just "stupid idoits" But I know 90% have acctually HAD to analize II you've had to pay attention to small things to things most would find un important. (You all shouldn't be getting that petty over it) But still!

(This all also goes to the people saying I was never good, no one (from my knowledge) was unironically comparing it to Shakespeare. It was just a well written series and you're not ready to accept the fact that something you liked has writing issues. The only reason you're so shocked is because you were watching it as a kid and YOU thought you were watching high class art. But just because it isn't some Masterpiece in writing  mean it doesn't have ANY decent writing. Media dosen't have to be a to be a masterpiece to be worthy of being good. I don't know how to tell you this but enjoying some critically also had the word ENJOY in it, You don't only have to be critical of it because it's not some DaVinci art)

To end this corny long ask all I have to say is this

"It's made for kids" isn't a way to throw away all the criticism towards it, "it's made for kids" doesn't mean it's should have no quality control, 

"it's made for kids" dosen't mean you should undermine the effort and love put into it

(OH MY FUCKING GOD THIS THING SOUNDS LIKE A 10 YEAR OLD ON A FORUM POST WRITING A MANIFESTO I'M SO SORRY TO WHATEVER MOD HAS TO TAG AND READ THIS, this thing is mostly likely a ramble but this trend of saying "it's made for kids" unleashed some evil cartoon reviewer persona in me)

your apology is accepted-📻

[fog-and-rust]

Hogwarts Legacy Incorrect Quotes (feat. my Hufflepuff!MC, Ellie)

Sebastian *addressing Ellie and Leander*: Why are you friends?

Leander and Ellie [who are cousins]: *in unison* Poor decisions on our grandparents’ part.

***

Ellie: Professor Fig likes to say ‘you can be part of the problem or part of the solution,’ but I happen to believe I can be both.

***

[In Feldcroft catacomb, after Sebastian killed Solomon]

Ellie *chasing Sebastian*: GET BACK HERE YOU IDIOT!

Sebastian: LET ME RUN FROM THE CONSEQUENCES OF MY ACTIONS!

***

Ellie: Amit, say something in Gobbledegook again. It's the entire source of my serotonin during these trying times.

Amit: *sigh* Only for you, my star. Ooooo Baaagaaaaahhh Leooo...

***

Ellie: The saying “it is better to beg forgiveness than to ask permission” no longer applies to Sebastian and Garreth.

***

Amit: I swear to Merlin I'm the only one here with a braincell.

Imelda, Leander, Garreth, Poppy, and Ellie: ALL HAIL the keeper of the sacred braincell!

***

Zenobia, gesturing to Ellie: Lucan, look what you did! You made Mom upset!

Lucan: Mom, please don’t cry, we’re sorry!

Zenobia: We’re sorry Mom... :(

Ellie, near tears: I DON’T REMEMBER GIVING BIRTH TO ANY OF YOU!

***

Leander, feeling down: I have the sex appeal of an Arithmancy textbook!

Ellie: I don’t know, I’ve never met anyone that opened an Arithmancy textbook and didn’t say “fuck me”.

***

Hogwarts students (and everyone else): If we’re in trouble, just throw Ellie at the problem, and hope for the best.

***

Ellie: I don’t remember that.

Amit: Do you remember that night last week when you jumped from Astronomy tower and cast Levioso on yourself?

Ellie: ... No.

Leander: Okay, do you remember when you were chased by Chinese Chomping Cabbages around the school?

Ellie: Not especially, no.

Poppy: It was in between those two things.

***

[Some responses to being bitten by Chinese Chomping Cabbage]

Ominis: Rude.

Natty: That's fair.

Leander: Not again.

Sebastian: *bites back*

***

Leander: What did you all do?

Poppy: …

Sebastian: …

Natty: …

Garreth: …

Ellie: …

Amit: You’re not in trouble, we just need to know if we have to lie to the teachers again or not.

Ominis: And if I have to use my relations to save you from being expelled … or being sent to Azkaban.

***

Ellie: You are irrationally angry 365 days a year.

Sebastian: Well, that’s just your personal opinion, I don’t have anger issues. Ominis, do you think I have anger issues?

Ominis: Well, I wouldn’t really call it an issue. An issue is something you can fix.

***

Poppy: They... well, I wouldn't call it inheritance per se. What do you call it when you kill someone and get their stuff?

Leander: Um, murder???

Sebastian: Adventuring!

Ellie: Teacher’s assignment.

***

Leander: We need to distract them.

Ellie: Leave it to me.

Ellie: Centaurs have six limbs and are therefore insects. Discuss.

Poppy & Amit: *immediately begin arguing*

***

[The squad is playing a team sport]

Poppy: Are you upset you don’t get to be on the same team as Imelda?

Garreth: Have you ever played a game with Imelda?

Poppy: No…

Garreth: Have you ever been trapped in a cage with a graphorn?

[Meanwhile, on the other side of the field]

Imelda, chasing Leander: I SAID FASTER! DO YOU KNOW WHAT THE WORD “FASTER” MEANS? IT MEANS MORE FAST!!!!

***

Ellie: *running to the Summoner's Court* Amit just said he doesn’t love me anymore!

Leander & Poppy: What?!

Amit: *following her* I did not say that. I just said that I won’t help with the riddle to Ravenclaw common room just so she can punch Duncan in the face.

[feralkwe]

I'm like. I'm sorry if your (op of that one posts) parents sucked or whatever but personally, as someone who's parents did somewhat monitor their internet activity and still track my location, I'm really grateful they did/do that??? It saved me from a lot of trouble and it makes me feel safer knowing that they can generally see my location 😭

i absolutely wish we lived in a perfect world where that sort of thing was completely unnecessary. and ofc there are terrible people who are abusive and controlling and a danger to their own children who would use privacy invasion as a tool for those ends. i would never dispute that.

but "there is no non-abuse reason" is an incredibly dangerous blanket statement that is not only reductive and unhelpful to the people that op thinks they are protecting, but flat out incorrect as well. i will not make assumptions about that person's life and whether or not they have been a parent, but it seems a safe bet they have never been in my situation, which is sadly not rare in the least. they would sing a different tune if they had been, otherwise they would be a shitty and negligent parent, which is as bad as an abusive one.

and no, i am not going to elaborate on what that circumstance or experience is/was. that is not mine alone to share. that is the place where my now adult child gets to have their absolute privacy. they get to decide who gets to know their story. people like that op and those who reblog their opinions are gonna have to trust me. if they don't, i can't help that, but i am unburdened by regret because i succeeded in my job despite the cost.

tumblr very much is the "parents are the enemy" website. i get it. many of us grew up with parents who made terrible mistakes, didn't know what they were doing was actually bad, or yeah, were outright abusive and controlling. but also many of us were just kids who had needs that were met by parents making decisions for our well being that we didn't like. that very much happens. that's part of the responsibility of being a parent/caregiver. we were unreliable narrators in many ways, through the ignorance that sometimes accompanies youth and inexperience. context matters, and it is an unfortunate truth that it is sometimes difficult fully have all of it.

i don't say any of this to excuse abuse or to diminish experiences. it's a fact that abuse happens. neglect happens. we should be vigilant in following up when things seem off. we should listen to children in order to ask the right questions to find the truth of a matter. there should, frankly, be more checks in place to ensure parents/caregivers are not abusing their power and that they do not get to treat children like property. we as a society, especially in the u.s. where "parents rights" is often code for "forcing a child to adhere to a strict set of religious rules that strips them of their human rights," fail children every day because we dismiss them outright and deny them their free will in situations where their will is absolutely harmless and even vital to growing and becoming full and independent individuals.

but also sometimes a minor child's free will stupid and is absolutely going to lead them to a deadly place, and it is absolutely our job as caregiving adults to step in and say "no" so they can learn and live.

there is a difference because we live in a world full of nuance, and "this thing is always an act of abuse" is unhelpful to the point of ignorance, absurdity, and yeah, danger. i would have been negligent as a parent had i acted any other way. i am beyond tired of seeing otherwise intelligent and reasonable people propagate such an unnuanced opinion uncritically, especially people who have never had to face those circumstances that i and many other parents have endured in the name of preserving our children's lives. i know they are well-meaning, but their experiences are not universal. it serves no one to pretend they are.

i sincerely hope they never have to face those things, but i'll be absolutely damned if i am going to be painted with their broad brush of ignorance because they have the privilege of their innocence.