#but this isn't an issue i can compromise over

[matan4il]

To the Nonnie who asked me about the countries which recently recognized a state of Palestine...

First, allow me to make it clear why it's an anti-peace move.

Since (at the very least) 1990 and the Madrid Conference, the concept of negotiations for peace in this conflict was that Israel will give the Palestinians land to have their own state, the world will recognize said state, and the Palestinians will give Israel peace.

I'll put aside all the issues with this concept, since there still isn't any other model. Since 2010, Mahmoud Abbas has refused to so much as negotiate for peace with Israel, let alone make compromises to achieve that peace.

The model only offers two incentives for the Palestinians, one is land and self-rule, the other is global recognition as an independent state. Israel already gave them quite a bit of land (areas A, B and Gaza) and self-rule. That's never been taken back, no matter how many times Palestinians turned to violence since the Oslo accords, instead of giving Israelis peace. The only other incentive was international recognition as an independent state. That was supposed to be a prize they get at the end of the peace process, when everything is resolved, no side has any claims for the other, both have a state, and both can live side by side in peace.

What does it mean, when countries are giving Palestinians "for free" that which they were supposed to compromise for? It means the Palestinians don't have as much of an incentive to do that, to reach a final resolution to this conflict, and peace. THAT is why this is an anti-peace move.

Now let me try to respond to the other parts of your excellent ask.

but what does that even mean? Palestine doesn't have a singular, let alone functional government. Gaza and the west bank are not controlled by the same people. How can they recognize a country that doesn't have concrete boarders?

You're absolutely right. Areas A and B are controlled by the Palestinian Authority (headed by Fatah), while Gaza is ruled by Hamas. The latter is an all out genocidal, antisemitic, Islamist terrorist organization. The former developed from a secular, nationalist terrorist organization, and has never completely abandoned its roots, it just compartmentalized its terrorism ties, so it can maintain global recognition and legitimacy. But the Palestinian Authority still pays terrorists imprisoned by Israel based on how long they're serving (which means, based on how many people they've killed, known as the "Pay for Slay" program), it trains kids and youth to be anti-Israel terrorists, and Fatah also has "military wings" which carry out terrorist attacks for it.

So what does it mean when countries are willing to recognize regimes directly invested in terrorism?

But let's put that aside for a second, even if we pretended either Palestinian regime is uninvolved in terrorism, how do you recognize one Palestinian state, when the Palestinian-ruled territories are divided into two, due to their own doing... In 2006 the Palestinians had democratic elections, Hamas defeated Fatah, both agreed on joint rule, then in 2007, Hamas slaughtered Fatah's people in Gaza and took over. Which means, not only do you have two unrelated regimes, these two are actually hostile and even violent with each other. Why were the 2021 Palestinian elections canceled? Because Fatah is terrified of Hamas winning again, and then slaughtering Fatah's people in areas A and B, just as they did in Gaza. How do you look at this and recognize it as one state?

But let's put that aside. Let's go with the idea that these countries are only recognizing the Palestinian Authority's rule, not Hamas'... That raises so many questions. If Hamas' rule isn't recognized, does that mean Gaza, which is controlled by it, isn't a part of the state of Palestine? Does it means it's all a part of it, but Gaza is occupied... not by Israel, but instead by Hamas? If that's the case, why isn't the world protesting Hamas' occupation of Gaza? And why would Israel owe anything to the Gazans, water, electricity, food, medical care, connectivity (for calls and internet), anything at all, if Gaza is either not a part of Palestine, or is currently occupied by Hamas (which means Hamas, as the occupiers, must provide for it all of the above)?

And even with the parts ruled by the Palestinian Authority... Like you said, what are the borders? Gaza's borders are pretty clear, since Israel withdrew from them in 2005, and that was recognized (even applauded) internationally back then. But what happens in the areas historically known as Judea and Samaria, which the Jordanians occupied between 1948 and 1967, re-named them 'the west bank' (to emphasize Jordan's claim on them, as the holder of 'the east bank' of the Jordan River), and then gave up any claim to in 1988? What ARE the exact borders of the state of Palestine there? Will Palestinians coming from those areas to work or tour Israel have to pay taxes for those privileges, as workers and tourists from other countries do (and just how I, as an Israeli, would have to pay a tax if I wanted to visit Jordan, and did pay one when I visited Egypt)? Will the Palestinian Authority renounce any claims to area C, since they are now recognized as a state, but only in the confines of areas A and B? And if it is an independent state, what about all the terrorist attacks on Israelis launched from within those areas, will the Palestinian Authority finally be held responsible for not stopping them, for supporting them financially, for launching some of them? After all, if they're an independent state, they also can't hide behind the immoral excuse that resistance is justified when people are occupied. Because they're not occupied, right? They're an independent state and have been since the mid 1990's, when they got self-rule!

Let's not get into how, if they are an independent state, they should be providing water, electricity, medical care (remember that time Covid hit, and the Palestinian Authority demanded Israel pays for and administers vaccines to the Palestinians living under PA rule? That's not what independent states do) for their own people instead of demanding to be provided for by Israel (claiming they'll pay Israel back for stuff like water and electricity, but never doing so, because they know Israel can't stop supplying them or else it will be accused of causing a humanitarian disaster in areas A and B as "the occupying force"). Basically, the Palestinians juggle between demanding to be recognized as an independent state, and shrugging off many of the responsibilities that come with that, instead relying on Israel's "duty" to provide for them as "the occupier." Which is it, is Palestine an independent state or an occupied one? It can't be both!

If Palestine is a country, does that mean Palestinians lose their refugee status?

Not only they would, it would also mean they have lost it (and might owe back a great deal of money) since the 1990's already... If the PA rules areas A and B, and Hamas rules Gaza, why have refugee camps in these territories never been dissolved, and their residents settled as regular Palestinian citizens?

And let's not even get into what Palestine being an independent state means for the crimes against peace, the crimes against humanity and war crimes committed by Palestinians, including ones in power, especially during Oct 7, but also since the 1990's in general...

Let's be honest here. If Palestine was an independent state and had to act like one, it would actually really fuck them over. They don't want to be one. They just want the perks and international political and diplomatic rights and power that comes from being recognized as one. That doesn't help the regular Palestinians who just want a normal life. It does help the anti-Israel terrorist regimes that rule over the Palestinians.

So these countries recognizing Palestine as a state now, before there's any resolution to the conflict? It's anti-peace, and it also only rewards the terrorists in power. But more than that, due to the timing, it's a specifically pro-Hamas move. This recognition is a middle finger to Israel as "punishment" for waging a war in Gaza. But Hamas started the war. This recognition is therefore a result of and reward for Hamas' massacre of innocent Israeli civilians, and it's literally how Hamas take it.

That's what this step means for the average person in the conflict, too. No matter on which side...

These European countries are rewarding an Islamist and antisemitic, genocidal terrorist organization for having launched the greatest massacre of Jews since the Holocaust.

Let that sink in.

(also, yes to your footnote about the hypocrisy of Spain, which hasn't been as generous with its recognition of independence for the people living under its own rule, but having no problem rewarding antisemitic terrorists with exactly that)

(for all of my updates and ask replies regarding Israel, click here)

[piratecaptainscaptainpirates]

One thing I most mourn about not getting a third season, and one of the things I love imagining and writing about, is figuring out how Ed and Stede will adjust to making a long-term relationship work. They've got such a strong foundation! But they have lingering issues to unpack.

I know they're going to be very successful, because mutual love and respect go such a long way! But every couple will need to communicate and compromise, and I think there are a few things they do that genuinely will annoy and hurt each other until they figure them out. Some unsorted thoughts:

Stede is so, so patient and good with Ed when Ed's panicking, but he can push what he's feeling aside to focus on Ed entirely. Take their little argument in s2e7 - Stede was very clearly hurt when Ed said "last night was a mistake," and though we know Ed was panicking and what he was trying to say was more like "I need something tangible to blame my feelings on right now because I'm scared you'll choose piracy over me," Stede doesn't know that. There's potential for Stede to let things said in the heat of the moment fester instead of just telling Ed that something hurt him.

Ed is often very direct and clear with communicating what he wants and needs to Stede, and Stede's very bad for giving mixed signals when he's feeling conflicted. Talking about running away to China is a prime example - Stede's body language was screaming "I don't think that's a good idea," but he said "yes" with his mouth. There's room for miscommunication.

On a similar note, Stede isn't always good at articulating his wants and needs, and I think Ed could very easily get frustrated by that when they have situations like Stede telling him that no, no, it's fine, they don't have to paint the living room blue, and then they get home and Stede starts moping about getting a different color of paint.

Ed is a very, very competent person. He's very used to things coming easily to him, and because of this, he's a one-plan kinda guy. He gives up very easily when things don't go to plan. He is going to have a full-on panic attack, crying breakdown when he tries to fix a section of roof and it caves in.

Ed strikes me as a stress-cleaner. Stede is absolutely the type of person who NEEDS to have quiet wind-down time after 9 p.m. Their worst arguments will be because Ed absolutely has to "deep-clean the entire fucking house at eleven at night with the world's loudest trash bin, Edward!"

Stede's self-esteem is so shitty that, while he loves compliments and affection, it's probably going to hurt Ed's feelings when he keeps saying mean things about his appearance, skills, and personality no matter how much Ed reassures him. Like, does he not believe Ed?

Ed's going to have this bit where every time Stede leaves him alone in the house for more than five minutes at a time he's going to pout and be all "I thought you left me again" in a bid to get extra cuddles and attention. Stede hates this bit

[nerdpoe]

Amity Park is pretty isolated, so when Danny got a job offer at Lexcorp he didn't think much of it beyond "nice paycheck!"

He's fresh from having graduated his online college with a double Bachelors in Mechanical Engineering and Biotechnology, finally put that knowledge to use to shut down the artificial portal to the Ghost Zone for good, finally permanently solved Ellie (Dani) destabalization issue.

Now?

It's time to leave Amity!

He shoots out his resumes, but uh...turns out online colleges don't carry as much Oomf as he would like.

But he does get immediately hired by Lexcorp.

So it takes it.

His boss is weird and keeps wanting him to build doomsday machines and such, and keeps waxing poetic about how it's just a fallback plan for when Superman goes rogue, really Fenton don't overreact-

Except Danny isn't an idiot.

He was raised by not one, but two mad scientists that tore open a hole between reality and the Place Inbetween all reality, just to prove it was real.

But that paycheck?

He decides to compromise.

He'll build Lex's shit, but all of those devices primarily answer to Danny now.

Sure the code, upon being read, states that Lex is the only authorized user, but that shits easy to fake when Danny has access to literal Ghost Tech.

Lex goes a little too far with a massive fuckall robot?

Danny stomps his way out of the lab and gives it the shutdown code, and glares at Lex through the windshield of said robot while making the famous 'Come down here Right Fucking Now' hand motion that pissed off parents make.

Lex starts a cloning project with CADMUS and keeps Danny away from it?

"Tough shit Lex who do you think built your super security system? Yeah, my fucking Husband. Move over and-is that a wholeass teenager?

Lex.

Lex, I'm dismantling the last four projects I built for you.

I don't care if you fire me, I'm dismantling them.

Get that kid out of the tube and give him some pizza, he's going to have at least some semblance of a childhood. You can be a deadbeat all you want, my Wife and my Husband and I will take over from here.

No kids for you."

Danny is the unofficial senior engineer for any project Lex has and is using force to cement his place as Lex's external conscience.

[lancermylove]

Dark Side of Dating Him (HC)

Fandom: Obey Me

Pairing: Demons x gn!Reader

Warning: The warnings vary depending on the demon, but nothing too severe.

A/N: This is the dark side, so proceed with caution. If you guys like this HC, I can write one slightly darker and more situational.

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Lucifer

Due to his pride, he may be emotionally distant and will not admit to mistakes easily. This could lead to a lack of a deep emotional connection.

He can be dominating and demanding, and at times, he may come off as if he is dictating the relationship. Lucifer likes and wants things to go his way, so compromising is difficult for him.

The Avatar of Pride is known for perfection, so his expectations are high for himself and for you. This could lead to a lot of mental pressure for you if you don't strive for perfection or are not meticulous.

Lucifer likes to maintain his appearance, dress well, and keep himself well-groomed. He expects the same from his partner, so if you like dressing down or prefer comfortable clothes, it may become an issue.

Due to his intimidating nature, it may be difficult to open up to him. Moreover, he tries to be understanding, but he isn't openly empathetic. So, he may come off as emotionally unavailable. At times, he might also come off as insensitive when you are being emotional, and Lucifer tells you to be mature and learn how to handle your emotions. He means well, but his way of saying it will be too straightforward.

Whether you like it or not, you will end up being roped into helping take care of his brothers. Due to Lucifer's busy schedule, you will most likely end up taking care of everyone by yourself most of the time.

Lucifer is busy, so he won't have much time to spend with you. Sometimes, even if you are married to him, you might feel lonely.

Mammon

Say goodbye to your money because Mammon will 'borrow' it if needed. He might gamble it off and recklessly spend it, and there is also a very slim chance that he will pay it back.

Mammon gets easily jealous and won't like it if you spend too much time around other men, especially if he feels threatened by them. There may also be a bit of possessiveness involved.

Due to his sensitive nature, he might complain to you endlessly and use you as an emotional dump at times. He doesn't mean to, but he can't control himself, especially if Mammon is overloaded or stressed.

He isn't the smartest or sharpest demon, so there will be times when you will have to explain things to him in detail for him to understand. His initial reaction to your emotions may come off as insensitive as he may make casually straightforward statements (that he actually doesn't mean).

His need for greed might put you in dangerous situations; for example, he might carelessly say he will hand you over to his witch friends if he can't pay back their debt. Will he actually hand you over? No, but the witches might hunt you. Debt collectors might also come after you. You will also have to hear, "Mammon took my money. Pay it back, or get him to pay it back."

Mammon sometimes finds it difficult to take things seriously. He gets uncomfortable during serious discussions and tries to avoid them, so sitting down with him and having a long, mature discussion is nearly impossible.

His things belong to him, his brothers' things belong to him, and your things also belong to him. You will definitely find your belongings missing. More often than not, his excuse will be, ' He needed to get out of debt.'

Levi

As the Avatar of Envy, Levi will be jealous of everything. You get lucky, he will be envious. You laugh and have a good time with someone, he will be jealous. You achieve something, and Levi will be happy for you but will be envious. This may lead him to experience mood swings and possibly push you away for a short period every time.

If you are social, Levi will sometimes feel suffocated by your need to constantly spend time with others and go to parties/events. Even if you invite him, he won't come along. In a sense, he expects you to be as introverted as him and spend most of your time with him.

Even if you reassure him that you love him, there will almost always be moments when he experiences an inferiority complex. This leads to emotional withdrawal and might even lead to him projecting his insecurities on you.

Due to his obsession with gaming and anime, he might neglect the relationship for daily runs and episodes or binge-watching. If you join him, great, more time together. But if you want him to do something you like, it will be difficult to convince him.

Most of all, if you tell him any of this, he will not take the criticism well. Levi is very sensitive, and if you point out his flaws, Levi will immediately categorize it as 'you don't understand him.'

Due to his insecurities, he might become clingy or overly dependent on you for many things. One habit you will have to develop is constantly reassuring him that he is good enough for you and that you love him.

Satan

The Avatar of Wrath has wrath issues, so expect sudden and unpredictable outbursts. Though Satan will never want to harm you, if his blind rage activates, he might unintentionally hurt you while breaking things around him.

If you do or say anything that rubs him the wrong way, he will hold grudges. Just ask Lucifer. That grudge will not go away easily, which might strain your relationship. To tie in with this, he doesn't forgive easily.

There will be times when Satan will want to spend time alone with his beloved books. Even if you want to spend time with him, he might say no. Satan values his alone time just as much as he values spending time with you.

If you get into an argument with Satan, things will escalate, and it might incur his wrath. At that point, he will be destructive and even possibly attack you. He doesn't mean to, but blind rage hinders his thoughts.

His directness, mixed with his intelligence, can come off as cold and ruthless. While he can process emotions, Satan thinks more logically, so his mind will react before his heart.

Even if you have nothing against Lucifer, you will always have to side with Satan, even if he is in the wrong. If you, even accidentally, say that Lucifer is right, Satan will get angry. He might take it overly personally and distance himself from you.

Asmo

Asmo's love for himself is a mix between insecurity and narcissism. You will have to feed both of those sides by constantly validating how beautiful he is and flatter him whenever he needs you to, even when he doesn't need it.

He is friendly with everyone. He flirts with everyone, even if he is dating you. It's just part of who he is. But if you get overly close to someone else, Asmo will be jealous.

Being the Avatar of Lust, desire runs high. If you value monogamy, there will be issues. Asmo needs attention constantly, and he will get it from whoever is willing to give it to him.

This need for constant attraction will lead to a need for high physical intimacy. At any given moment, Asmo could need you, and if you are not available or don't want to, he will throw tantrums and go to another person.

Physical beauty is important to him, so he will need a partner who equally maintains their beauty. If you let go of yourself or stop caring, Asmo will no longer be attracted to you. He will break up with you.

He has no boundaries. If you are secretive or value privacy, you will have trouble with Asmo's constant need to share everything on social media without limits. He might actually end up sharing personal things that you won't want him to tell others.

Beel

His constant need to eat could rub off on you, and you could end up eating excessively. There will be times when Beel will also force you to eat, and if you say no, he might get upset, as sharing food is one way of showing his love.

There is a high chance that most of your money might end up being spent after Beel's gluttonous tendencies. At times, you might end up in trouble if you can't pay off his bills. Be prepared to wash a few dishes or so.

Since his family has been through a lot, Beel might be overly protective of you. He is not trying to be dominating, but he doesn't want you to get hurt, so he might just follow you around everywhere or forbid you from going somewhere. His fear of losing someone else is still weighing on his heart.

You will have to give in to Belphie's wishes, no questions asked. If Beel learns that you upset his twin or said something to hurt him, he will be very sad and distance himself from you. Moreover, just to date him, you will need Belphie's approval.

Since Beel doesn't understand many things, there will be times when you have to explain situations to him like you would to a child. This could lead to frustration, especially if you are not feeling emotionally or mentally well.

Belphie

The Avatar of Sloth is lazy, so there will be times when he will not actively participate in the relationship. Sometimes, you might feel like you are talking to a wall and are in a one-sided relationship.

Also, due to his laziness, you will most likely have to take over his responsibilities and be responsible for him. You might have to constantly wake him up and remind him of studying, tests, homework, chores, and so on. This could also lead to Belphie becoming completely dependent on you, asking you to do this and that for him.

You will have to get along with Beel. Even if Beel does something wrong, you will have to take his side for Belphie's sake.

If you have long, emotional conversations with him when you are not doing well, you might just end up realizing he fell asleep halfway through the conversations. His sleep spells come and go as they please.

If you are adventurous and active, you might find it difficult to be around Belphie as he will not want to go anywhere with you or not move much. Most of your dates will be at home, where he is curled up to you and probably asleep.

His laziness might rub off on you, leading you to live a more lethargic lifestyle. This could impact your personal growth and goals.

Diavolo

Unless you are royalty yourself, there will be a huge power imbalance, and this, at times, could cause you to feel overwhelmed or overshadowed.

As a prince, Diavolo has high expectations for himself and for his partner. You will have to follow every rule, behave properly, and dress royally; you are expected to uphold a certain image and take responsibility. If you are not up for this, no matter how much Diavolo loves you, he won't be able to continue the relationship with you.

Much like Diavolo is currently experiencing, you will have to face public scrutiny. The residents of Devildom will constantly subject you to their opinions and judgments. Some will be rude, while others will make fun of you or say you are not worthy - you will have to face all of it for your sake and the prince's sake.

With all the responsibilities and duties, Diavolo will not have much time for you. This could lead to you feeling neglected, but it is out of Diavolo's hands since he has to take care of a realm.

Due to his status and position, there will always be enemies lurking around, which could put you in danger. For this reason, Diavolo will be very strict with you about following rules and regulations, such as not stepping out without a bodyguard.

Your relationship will not have much privacy as everywhere you go, everything you do will become news. Your entire life will be for the public of Devildom to view as they please.

Barbatos

Barbatos is known for having a lot of secrets; moreover, since he works with Diavolo, he is expected to maintain secrecy and discretion. There will be many things you won't know about him and many things he will never tell you. You are not allowed to poke your nose into his secret, or he will be forced to end things with you. In fact, when you start dating him, this will be one of his requirements.

His priority is and always will be Diavolo. Barbatos has sworn unwavering loyalty to the prince, and even if you are married to him, he will always give Diavolo's needs more attention. At extreme levels, in case there is an attack on the castle, Barbatos will be responsible for saving the prince before you. But he will clarify all of this before he agrees to date you.

The butler is a master at playing mind games, so there might be times when he mentally manipulates you without you even realizing it. If you pick up on it, this could lead to trust issues. Moreover, he has the power to alter timelines, so who knows which timeline the two of you are currently in and how many other outcomes came before this one?

Barbatos does not openly display emotions; even his emotions are calculated, and he only reveals what he wants to reveal. You will never understand his motives either. In a sense, you won't ever meet the real Barbatos as he will never show you or anyone else that self.

Due to his duties, he won't be able to reserve much time for you. This could lead to loneliness or even a strain in the relationship. He might even have to miss important dates and events for the sake of his duties.

Barbatos is good at everything, and while he will never make you feel like you are less, it could lead to insecurities. You might find yourself asking, 'Am I good enough for him' more than you expect. If you ask him, he will always say yes, but ultimately, you will have to arrive at the answer yourself.

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➣ Obey Me Masterlist: [1][2][3] ➣ Main Masterlist

➣ Buy me a Ko-fi? ➣ Commission: Open ➣ HC/Scenario Requests: Closed || Quick Ask Requests: Closed || GIF Requests: Closed

[yesimwriting]

there's something about bestfriend!felix who has never had to restrain himself when it comes to feelings, who can't stand letting that much feeling just sit inside of him with nowhere to go.

he learns to hold it all in because feeling that deeply attached to one person isn't something he's used to, so it's a little confusing and hard to label, and maybe he's a little prone to commitment issues. but the main thing that keeps him from saying anything is the importance of the bond the two of you have created.

it's a kind of connection he's never had before, a trust and understanding that he's extremely protective of. so he doesn't say anything.

so he compromises with himself, allowing his affection to bleed into your friendship as much as the confines of a platonic relationship will allow. part of it is to satiate the need to be closer to you, and the rest of it is because he doesn't want anyone to think you're not his.

he's never been one to share, so he makes it as clear as he can that you're off limits.

when the two of you go out, he's even touchier than usual. some of it's the drinking and atmosphere, but most of it is because he can. you're close enough to leave giggly kisses against each other other's cheeks, hands, shoulders, necks. whatever's easiest to reach. he'll pull an arm around you to guide you through a crowded bar because you'll let him without hesitation.

and if felix catton constantly being all over you isn't enough to ward off every guy at oxford, he has nothing against appearing at your side and placing a hand around your waist. it doesn't matter if the guy is in the middle of a sentence or if you're saying something, you'll stop everything to immediately greet felix.

it's a subtle possessiveness that extends beyond just nights out. if you two are studying in the library with a group of friends, you're sitting next to him. if you're out to dinner with a group, he's mentioning inside jokes and topics of conversation that he knows you're interest in to make sure that he's your favorite.

if felix can't be your boyfriend, he's going to be your favorite person. he's not your friend, he's your best friend. a title that he makes sure to emphasize constantly. if you introduce him to someone as your friend, he's quick to teasingly correct you. thought i was your best friend.

he also uses the term to justify any hints of jealousy, and to get his way. if you're spending more time with a different friend (girl, boy, it doesn't matter), he's pouting a little when you finally do see him. if you notice and start expressing concern, he'll admit to it. "surprised you had time to notice anything about me." and when you're, rightfully, confused, he continues, "you're spending all your time with them, and i'm supposed to be your best friend."

sometimes, if its gone on for a significant amount of time, he'll start to think that maybe he's actually mad at you. it isn't fair, but felix can't help it. he'll do anything for you, and you're replacing him with someone that can't care about you the way he does.

but then you'll look at him, all wide eyed and exuding genuine shock at the thought of felix ever not being your best friend. you'll coddle him as much as he'll let you. he'll try to put up a hard exterior, but he's melting and letting it go almost immediately.

----

a short blurb to tide you all over and help me think through a request bc i wanted to finish writing it today but had to do a ton of homework instead <3

almost didn't post this bc the purpose of it was for me to work on characterization in a low stakes way after using up all of my mental but then decided why not!

a fuller, better developed version of this is coming soon 😭

taglist; @vader-is-hot @spiritofbuddha @getosangie @freyafriggafrey @ilovehyperfixating @aryiannarae @willowpains

[sweetmoons]

Appreciating Quackity's hard work and hoping him the best AND realizing he fucked up big time can mutually exist. Now to address some talking points

"He had his p*do brother working on the project":

This is literally all speculation and one of the past admins even said they don't think it's him. Quackity states it isn't true but says he can't speak further on the subject since its being handled with the proper authorities likely meaning the person involved in this that is a groomer has had the police contacted on them and it's now become a legal case. He can't show you proof without compromising the case and potentially putting more individuals in danger.

"Hes a big creator he should get over the doxing":

You are bat shit insane if you think this. Quackity currently lives in America a place notoriously known for deadly police force ESPECIALLY against people of color and immigrants. If he were to get swated the likelihood of him getting injured is much higher than that of a White American getting swatted which may I just say is already super high. People die during police raids very often in America.

"Fuck [the admin who first made a statement] this is all her fault"

Listen to yourself for 5 seconds you absolute bumbling idiot. Do you really think that will help this situation? She and the other admins have every right to speak out about their past experiences and hold Quackity accountable for his mistakes. I'm not even gonna say her name because of the amount of negative attention she's already getting from Twitter and I dont want people with poor intentions to seek her out. The issue comes from the mistake of leaking his information which people then weaponized against him which was NOT her intention.

"Quackity is sending his fans to harras the past admins"

You are also a fucking dumbass if you think after him speaking about the dangers of doxing and death threats he is trying to get people to dox and send death threats to the past admins. I do agree he should've made a statement asking people not to harras the past admins at the beginning of this stream. But this is different then him directly saying her name or replying directly to the tweet like some other creators have done in the past .

Conclusion: No one here is perfect. Believe it or not people make mistakes and what matters is the willingness to change and take accountability. This isn't the end of the god damn world this is a learning experience for everyone involved and an opportunity to do better in the future and in Quackitys case to mend his past mistakes. Now if it turns out that Quackity was facilitating a groomer with full knowledge of what they were doing then this situation becomes infinitely worse and should be handled accordingly, but really the only proof right now is word of mouth and some admins saying it is that person and others saying it isn't so immediately assuming that what was said on Twitter is true isn't the wisest idea.

[damianbugs]

with all this gotham war stuff (most recently the comic sc you posted on your twt with jason and bruce), can u explain what is actually going on? like, i’m not that far so i haven’t read it, but… like is it actually bruce saying all that stuff about the kids? or is it this zur person people keep talking about?

oh my friend, it's crazy around here, but i will try my best to explain it!

A GUIDE TO UNDERSTANDING WHAT THE HELL IS HAPPENING TO BATMAN IN GOTHAM WAR:

firstly, the comic reading list to catch up with gotham war is: as of 01/10/23 (the ones in italics are core issues to the story)

for some background on what happens leading up to gotham war:

Batman (2016) #125-136

(Optional) Knight Terrors: Batman

(Optional) Knight Terrors: Catwoman

and then the actual gotham war story:

Batman/Catwoman: The Gotham War - Battle Lines

Batman (2016) #137

Catwoman (2018) #57

Batman/Catwoman: The Gotham War - Red Hood #1

this is everything that is out right now, but from the third of october to halloween we will also be getting: Batman #138, Catwoman #58, Gotham War: Red Hood #2, Batman/Catwoman: The Gotham War - Scorched Earth.

secondly... who is Zur En Arrh.

Zur En Arrh taking over Bruce, Batman (2016) #126

zur en arrh, in the simplest way of explaining, is this alter ego/personality (it's unclear) bruce created for himself should batman (bruce wayne) ever be psychologically compromised or brainwashed. it's not him, but a more sadistic and crueler person that is the "ultimate batman" who doesn't care about anyone or anything but getting the mission done.

during Batman #125-130, zur takes over the role of batman because bruce was losing very badly to the robot Failsafe (which is zur's own creation, that bruce has no memory of making). after getting vaporised by failsafe and sent travelling through dozens of alternate universes, losing his hand and fighting a flying shark (Batman #131-135), bruce returns to gotham incredibly mentally unstable.

During a peaceful dinner with his family, Bruce suddenly imagines the entire world on fire, Batman (2016) #136.

during everything, bruce managed to mentally fight back and kind of... merge their ideals together in order to survive and win in the moment.

and then successfully trapping failsafe back into his mind where he can no longer take over!

Bruce uses some sort of mental technique to lock Zur away in his mind, Batman (2016) #136.

except he didn't succeed! at all!

you see, when travelling through all those universes, bruce somehow brought back every single version of zur en arrh with him. now all of then combined, plus his already deteriorating and weak mental health from the last few years, bruce is currently operating under the impression that he's locked zur away, when he actually hasn't.

zur is the one partly, or even entirely, in control. right now, he's just pretending to stay locked away so bruce continues to do what he thinks is 'right' despite them being incredibly out of character for the run.

During his eight week coma, Bruce sees Zur 'locked away' and he is, apparently, not alone, Gotham War: Battle Lines (2023)

an example is when zur referred to robin as batman's solider, bruce mentally fought back to make it clear that tim was his son. but then, a few issues later, bruce refers to his children as his soldiers and that they've all betrayed him, implying that zur has always had control and isn't locked away.

Bruce and Zur get into a fight inside his mind about Robin [Tim Drake], Batman (2016) #127

so yeah, zur is not bruce! they're both batman, but zur en arrh is like his somehow unimaginably even worse twin. if you're interested more in him, i would suggest giving his character history a read! be warned it gets changed A LOT and is definitely not everyone's cup of tea (personally i hate him and need him shelved for another forty years).

now that that's all done and explained, the current state of gotham war is Bruce (thinks he's okay) fighting everyone else (except Damian) because in his (Zur's) point of view, they're all against the mission and therefore are now his enemies (he's lost his mind). totally not convoluted.

to answer your original question, yes, this is all bruce saying and doing these things but he is being HEAVILY influenced by Zur. we can't tell for certain how much of this is bruce and how much is zur, but we can definitely prove zur is partially or completely controlling him again.

even jason points it out after bruce implants that fear toxin chip into him in Batman (2016) #138:

like we can see the intention is to keep jason out of this, because compared to everyone else, jason was the most directly opposed to bruce. but zur is twisting how this concern gets expressed, since forcing jason into feeling fear everytime he gets an adrenaline rush is hardly the reformation bruce is usually encouraging. the other batfam members also talk about how uncharacteristically violent bruce is being.

"He's out of control." / "He's gone [In more ways than one.]" Batman (2016) #137

as the story progresses we see more and more of zur replace bruce, but because he can't have bruce trying to stop him again, zur is playing along and convincing bruce he's locked away. so really, bruce is at war with not only his entire family, but also his own mind. just another average tuesday for batman. he's being tricked and is unknowingly doing exactly what he was trying to prevent.

to understand what the actual war in gotham war is, give the comics listed above a read! if you find the story boring/ridiculous/stupid, don't worry, it is! the social commentary leaves a lot to be desired, as does most of the characters writings (especially selina's).

bruce and his one sided battle with zur is sort of an overarching story happening alongside it (along with a bunch of other ongoings. i don't even understand how detective comics and batman and robin are going to tie into this once it starts up again).

sorry the answer isn't a simple one, but unfortunately nothing is ever simple with bruce. also apologies in advance if any of the future gotham war comics come out and completely debunk all of this! who knows what will happen in this dramatic family drama.

[tanadrin]

RE "revolutionary leftists are revolutionary because they know they can't win electorally."

It astounds me a little that there are leftists who think that a communist revolution is more likely to work than, like, fifty years of community-building and electoral politics. Sewer socialism, union activism, and other boring activities have brought much more success in the U.S. than agitation for a revolution.

What I mean is, setting aside the moral concerns (violence is bad, even when it's necessary, and if there are practical alternatives then we should pursue them), I am not a revolutionary leftist because I think we would lose a revolution. For one thing, there is a considerable right-wing element in the country that is much better prepared for this kind of thing, and I think that the majority of the institutions in the U.S. would pick fascism over communism if they had to choose, but also, prolonged violent action is ripe for breeding authoritarianism.

Goatse is concerned that "the party" might "abandon or neglect its primary ends," but what is leftism if it is not, at bottom, an attempt to improve the living conditions of all people, et cetera et cetera? To the extent that social democratic parties successfully pursue this end to some degree, they're better than than an ostensible communist party that talks the talk but commits human rights abuses. And, more than the fact that U.S. leftism has some pretty fierce opposition that would probably fare better if The Revolution happened tomorrow, I think that, even in winning, we would lose, because what came out the other end would look a lot more like Stalinism.

I think one thing the hardcore revolutionaries in OECD countries don't realize is that the reason they can't marshal support for their revolutions is that the socialists won most of the issues that were salient in the early 20th century--workers got more rights, better pay, unions were legalized, etc., etc. But it didn't take restructuring the whole political economy to do it, which is immensely frustrating if you believe that any society without your ideal political economy is inherently immoral and impure, so in order to justify an explicitly communist platform you have to rhetorically isolate it from the filthy libs and feckless demsocs who it turns out have been pretty effective within the arena of electoral politics in which supposedly nothing can ever get done, and treat them as of a piece with the out-and-out fascists and royalist autocrats of the 1920s and 30s.

Which, you know. Is not persuasive to most people! Most people understand intuitively the vast gulf between the SPD and the Nazis; they see that, milquetoast and compromising though they may be, the center-left can deliver substantive policy improvements without the upheaval of a civil war or political purges, and this is attractive to people who are not of a millenarian or left-authoritarian personality.

Which isn't to say that communists don't often make important points! It sucks having to fight a constant rearguard action against the interests of capital rolling back the social improvements of the 20th century, and it sucks that liberal governments in Europe and North America have historically been quite happy to bankroll and logistically support fascists and tyrants in the third world against communist movements (which invariably only exist as communist movements because these same fascists and tyrants have crushed more compromising movements and only the most militant organizations have managed to survive).

But I agree with you: communists also talk a big game about how liberalism is the real fascism (what's that line from Disco Elysium I see quoted everywhere about how everybody is secretly a fascist except the other communists, who are liberals?), while also being awful at democracy. Suppressing dissent because your small clique of political elites is the only legitimate expression of the people's will (which you know, because you have declared it to be so) really is some rank bullshit. A system with competitive elections is still, well, a system with competitive elections, even if those elections are structurally biased in certain ways; all the bloviating that attempts to justify communist authoritarianism cannot really obscure the fact that authoritarian systems are cruel and brittle, regardless of the ideology being served.

[avaritia-apotheosis]

Some reading material for the people that think that there's a major tagging issue in the DP and DPxDC community.

Hard data gathered by @tourettesdog about content inside the Danny Phantom tag showing that the majority of DPxDC posts have been tagged with "DPxDC" or some variation of the crossover tag.

A subjective poll made by @skellagirl and with 446 votes asking whether "you think the DPxDC fandom content tags their content appropriately or not?"

The top 3 results being: 1. people who either do not care about the issue or just want to see results (33.6% or ~150 votes), " 2. People who think that the fandom tags their content appropriately (35.7% or ~159 votes) 3. People who think that the fandom does not tag their content appropriately (30.7% or ~137 votes) Subjectivity aside, with this data I think we can comfortably assume that over 2/3rds of the voters (69.3% or ~309 of the 446 votes) think that tagging is a non-issue

A reblog by @phandomnews where they looked at the #danny phantom and #dannyphantom tags with and without filtering the #dpxdc tag and stating that blocking the tag "did reduce crossover posts in the #dannyphantom and #danny phantom tags by a lot, with one or two posts in the tag that were not tagged correctly."

So what does this mean?

It means that the MAJORITY of DPxDC content is tagged with the APPROPRIATE TAG or some variation of the tag.

It means that a large portion of people CONSIDER TAGGING A NON-ISSUE.

It means that BLOCKING AND FILTERING TAGS WORK.

This means that the issue is NOT whether you tag the parent fandoms or not. The issue is NOT that majority of DPxDC fans are refusing to tag their content.

THE ISSUE IS WHETHER YOU, AS AN INDIVIDUAL, ARE WILLING TO TAKE IT UPON YOURSELF TO APPRORIATELY CURATE YOUR DASH AND FILTER AND BLOCK APPROPRIATELY

No community can feasibly tag correctly 100% of the time. There will be new people who don't know the commonly used or agreed upon tags. There will be people who prefer to use one tag over the other for organizational purposes. There will be people who just forget. There will be people who just don't want to.

No one has the right to police people's tags.

What you can do, however, is control what you want to see by using Tumblr's Block and Filter functions to curate what you see. Take responsibility for your own internet experience. Don't expect others to bend down and do it for you.

Don't know how to do this? Here's some more reading material to get you started A tutorial on how to use tag blocking and content filtering with screen shots + a recommendation of tags to block if you want to avoid DPxDC content

But if you have to remember one thing from this...

Please remember that we are all people just trying to have some fun. A lot of people in the DPxDC community came from DP, and no matter your frustrations, it isn't fair to alienate us from the phandom we love just because you don't want to see a crossover.

It takes 2 to compromise. While the DPxDC community is trying to spread the word about consistent tagging, you can do your part by curating your tags.

[respectthepetty]

This is gonna sound very weird but I hope as we go on with the show you won't stop making posts about how much you love Ming's toxic ass cause they make me laugh and I'll need them when in the future I'll feel the urge to somehow strangle Ming through the screen. No pressure but please help a girl in need if you can!

You're writing to the person who is openly praying that Ming gets worse (amen), so I am not one to call others weird.

Something about those who live in a glass house shouldn't throw stones, you know?

Because, once again, I want Ming to be awful to Joe, and only Joe, which I know is kind of weird of me, but I'm just too happy to care.

A few people have commented that Ming will get worse, and I'm giddy from the mere thought of it, so I'll be here all season being unhealthy about Ming's behavior.

Because in the first episode, he was awful, which I LOVED, and I don't think some people really see just how bad he was simply because he is being played by Up, which was a brilliant move by casting, so I love that the show directly told us he is a nightmare, and we could judge all his actions accordingly.

Regardless of Tong's fake personality, Ming just showed up at the set without any warning and ambushed Tong at his job

Ming only wants to eat alone with Tong, and it's of course because he likes Tong, but he even hung up on his sister mid-conversation after she threw him a little welcome back surprise (sidenote: I think he and his sister might be similar personality-wise because her call while Tong was eating with Ming was convenient)

Ming doesn't tell Joe his name or how he got Joe's number

He called Joe drunk and obviously pissed off, then snapped at the staff for being shocked by his behavior

He doesn't tell Joe he thinks of him, but instead reversed Joe's statement to point out that Joe thinks of him

He doesn't compromise

And none of these have to do with sex and Ming wanting to fuck Joe because he looks like Tong because Ming's toxicity isn't just about sex.

This is about how meek Ming is around Tong

Compared to how aggressive he is with Joe.

Pushing Joe down and standing over him, which in the heat of the moment doesn't seem like much.

But Joe took Ming to his house because Ming told him to. Joe doesn't eat instead opting to watch Ming eat. Joe lets Ming spend the night because Ming asked. Joe gets on the bed because Ming tells him to. Joe goes to Ming when called. Joe bottoms because Ming wants him to. Joe does everything Ming wants.

With Tong, Ming can't control anything, but with Joe . . .

Ming's gonna control everything.

Or at least that's what I'm hoping!

So I'll be here all season, cheering every single time Ming does something truly fucked up because he is going about his issues in the worst way by trying to exert dominance on a stand-in of Tong since he is weak for the real Tong until he ends up regretting it once he loses Joe and tries to replace old Joe with new Jo which restarts the vicious cycle that began this entire shit show in the first place! *deep breath*

God, I'm so happy!

[meazalykov]

sharing a space

❀ esmee brugts x USWNT!reader moving in together headcannons ❀

warning: suggestive mentions

❀⋆ Six months after Esmee and you were official, she brought up the idea of the two of you moving into an apartment together. to her surprise, you said yes immediately. 

❀⋆ You’ve stayed at her apartment at least three nights a week, even before you both were official. After moving to Barcelona from the United States to join the catalan club, you felt alone as you were far away from your friends and family on the western continent. Esmee felt the same way after moving away from her home in the Netherlands. Both of you bonded over having someone who can relate to each other and their hobbies. The compatibility between the two of you was very strong, which is how you both fell in love.

❀⋆ The two of you decided to get another apartment to live in together, instead of you moving into hers and vice versa. You and the Dutch woman didn’t have to look at many apartments until the two of you found a spacious apartment that you both loved.

❀⋆ Moving in with significant others isn't easy. Esmee prefers a more modern, cool, minimalistic space while you might prefer a midcentury modern, warm, and plant filled space. 

❀⋆ After coming to a compromise– you both moved into a modern minimalistic apartment to accommodate Esmee but the bright sun that shines through the bedroom windows in the morning–and the living room windows in the evening– with plants around the apartment accommodated you. 

❀⋆ The new apartment has two bedrooms and two bathrooms. Obviously, Esmee and you decided to share a bedroom to sleep in. With the second bedroom— You and your girlfriend decided to make it a space where clothes, important football stuff, shoes/cleats, and necessary makeup and hair stuff will go along with a vanity. The two of you did leave a space in the smaller bedroom which had a twin bed, just in case either of you had visitors. 

❀⋆ Speaking of visitors, you both had them at least once every two months. Recently, your two sisters (if you don’t have sisters, make them up hehe) came from the United States to visit you for a few days. Your oldest sister is 3 years older than you– Your other sister is your fraternal twin who's 12 minutes older than you. They were excited to meet Esmee since they’ve noticed how happy you’ve been with the dutch woman. After staying for three days in Spain, they’ve grown their own friendship with Esmee and approve of her for you.

❀⋆ Due to the small distance between Spain and the Netherlands– in comparison to Spain and the United States—Esmee usually has visitors the most. However, it's not frequent. Esmee’s brother will come to visit Esmee for a day or two which you don’t mind at all. The two of you get along and he has noticed how happy you and his sister were together. 

❀⋆ Since you’ve played at Barcelona together, the two of you will usually wake up around the same time if you had morning training sessions. Sometimes, you’ll (quietly) wake up an hour before Esmee since you like to have time to chill and watch television before having to rush and get ready. Sometimes when you try to sit up from Esmee’s arms, she holds you tighter and asks you for a couple extra minutes of cuddling. That can lead into making out and more—if you get what I mean–but waking up with disruptions is never an issue.

 

❀⋆ Except for that one time— you had to wake up at 6am one morning to get ready for a shoot with Adidas. Throughout the shoot, you had to take pictures for their new soccer launch and film content with Barcelona Masculí player Ferran Torres (think of the shoot Vicky Lopez did with Ferran). You had an alarm that was set for 5:50am and 5:55am so you were able to wake up on time, unaware that you accidentally set an alarm for 4:30am as well. As Esmee and you were comfortably asleep, the 4:30am “apex” alarm sound on your phone erupted in the bedroom. The phone violently vibrated on your bedside table and the Dutch woman was the first to wake up from it. 

❀⋆ “Y/n?” Esmee barely opened her eyes as she shook your shoulder. As your eyes opened, you heard the alarm and immediately sat up from sleeping on your side. Clicking on your phone screen, you saw the “4:31am” clock on your lockscreen which confused you. You didn’t have to wake up for an hour and a half to get ready.

❀⋆ As you turned to look at your girlfriend, you noticed that she went back to sleep. The warmth of the thick  baby pink blanket that you shared with her enveloped your body which helped you lay down again. As an hour passed by, you couldn’t go back to sleep. You accepted your fate with the accidental alarm and stood up to get ready earlier than expected. 

❀⋆ Besides scoring goals for Barcelona, you both loved to cook as well. When you both decide to stay inside during some evenings, Esmee and you loved to look up new recipes and try them. This can end in a disaster sometimes– with you getting flour all over the place— or Esmee accidentally burning a piece of bread— but you and your girlfriend laugh and bond about it.

❀⋆ There are times where your girlfriend and you will take showers together. Half of the time it's more intimate instead of it being sexual, but the warmth and vulnerability helps after playing on a chilly and sometimes aggressive pitch for two hours on match days.

❀⋆ Overall, moving in with Esmee was what you needed after joining Barcelona. The comfort brought you two company, love, companionship, and happiness. 

<3

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

AITA for not being entirely negative about AI?

05/16/2024

Just before anyone scrolls down just to vote YTA, please hear me out: I'm not an AI bro, I am a hobbyist artist, I do not use generative AI, I know that it's all mostly based off stolen work and that's obviously Bad.

That being said, I am also an IT major so I understand the technology behind it as well as the industry using it. Because of this I understand that at this point it is very, very unlikely that AI art will ever go away, I feel like the best deal out of it that actual artists can get out of it is a compromise on what is and isn't allowed to be used for machine learning. I would love to be proven wrong though and I'm still hoping the lawsuits against Open AI and others will set a precedent for favouring artists over the technology.

Now, to the meat of this ask: I was talking in a discord sever with my other artist friends some of which are actually professionals (all around same age as me) and the topic of discussion was just how much AI art sucks, mostly concerning the fact that another artist we like (but don't know personally) had their works stolen and used in AI. The conversation then developed into talking about how hard it is to get a job in the industry where we live and how AI is now going to make that even worse. That's when I said something along the lines of: "In an ideal world, artists would get paid for all the works of theirs that are in AI learning databases so they can have easy passive income and not have to worry about getting jobs at shitty companies that wouldn't appreciate them anyway." To me that seemed like a pretty sensible take. I mean, if could just get free money every month for (consensually) putting a few dozens of my pieces in some database one time, I honestly would probably leave IT and just focus on art full time since that's always been my passion whereas programming is more of a "I'm good at it but not that excited about doing it, but it pays well so whatever".

My friends on the other hand did not share the sentiment, saying that in an ideal world AI art would be outlawed and the companies hiring them would not be shitty. I did agree about the companies being less shitty, but disagreed about AI being outlawed. I said that the major issue with AI are the copyright concerns so if tech companies were just forced to get artist's full permission to using their work first as well as providing monetary compensation there really wouldn't be anything wrong with using the technology (when concerning stylized AI art, not deepfakes or realistic AI images as those have a completely different slew of moral issues).

This really pissed a few of them off and they accused me of defending AI art. I had to explain to them that I wasn't defending AI art as it was NOW, because I know that the way it works NOW is very harmful, I was just saying that as an IDEAL scenario, not even something I think is particularly realistic, but something I think would be cool if it were actually possible. The rest of the argument was honestly just spinning in circles with me trying to explain the same points and them being outraged at the fact that I'm not 100% wholeheartedly bashing even the mere concept of AI until I just got frustrated and left the conversation.

It's been about a week and I haven't spoken to the friends I had that argument with since then. I still interact on the server and I see them interacting there too but we just kinda avoid each other. It's making me rethink the whole situation and wonder if I really was in the wrong for saying that and if I should just apologize.

[she-is-ovarit]

This is for all the younger gen Z women, particularly those of you within the ages of 17 to roughly 23. This is written from an American perspective, things might be a little different depending on where you're from.

I graduated high school with the unconscious assumption that certain systems will take care of me. The medical system would educate me on proper nutrition and health issues was probably my largest underlying assumption, but really I just had trust in institutions generally.

This isn't true. You are responsible for learning. As an example, I have been vegetarian since age 14. Nobody talked to me about proper nutrition, they just told me I needed to eat more protein.

I lived a decade of my life having shortness of breath, sleeping issues, clumsiness, cold hands and feet, having brain fog, extreme fatigue, heightened anxiety, etc. My period was extremely light and brown, it'd last for about 2 or so days. I'd go and talk about these problems, and telling doctors that I was vegetarian was one of the first things that came out of my mouth just with any visit because I knew at least that piece was important to communicate.

There was really no action taken over the span of about 10 years. I was told the period thing was normal, that changes for women. A sleep specialist let me know that feeling exhausted was also normal. The brain fog was probably due to anxiety. Here, try allergy medication (tbh that did help for other reasons). Then one day I just asked them to check my vitamin and mineral levels. Prior to this I didn't think you can make requests to doctors, I thought you showed up and they performed tests on what they recommended. With some reluctance from my primary care physician and some compromise because she said my insurance wouldn't cover testing things like B12 levels (I later found out from a nurse that, they would, she would have just needed to fill out extra paperwork), she did some tests.

I found out both my iron and D3 levels were low. What else could be?

I later learned pretty much all the vitamins common to be low for vegetarians were low. D3, magnesium, vitamin Bs, iron, and healthy fats. Bought some liquid vitamins (because the body only absorbs 10% of the pill supplements), began eating an avocado a day, my period became normal for the first time in nine years, and I am able to function.

Another example of how human systems won't educate you: I don't have feeling in some of my toes due to wearing incorrect sized footwear for years resulting in permanent nerve damage. I'm size 11.5 in women's, and I was relying on someone to tell me how proper footwear worked, because surely the guy in the minimum wage position working the footwear section would know.

Don't trust human systems to guide you through how certain things work. Seek specific specialists and experts when you can, and inform yourself on your own. Don't blindly trust search engines like Google, it's not like how it used to be when I was growing up and many millennial adults will tell you to "just google things" because we're used to finding actual substantive answers when we do. However, now, usually whoever pays is who makes the first page or two of search engines, it has nothing to do with what information is "most correct". Don't be afraid to request certain tests be done by doctors or certain referrals made to different specialists.

Edit: And also, I've found general practitioners are terrible when you walk in and tell them about several different symptoms at one time. They're more used to treating one symptom at a time, and they treat the symptom not the root cause. If you go in with a runny nose, general practitioners are going to throw medications at you to try and treat the runny nose, not look deeper into what's causing the runny nose. It's equivalent to if you're in a boat and it's sinking, they're bailing out water without actually fixing the hole or trying to figure out where it is, with the exception of emergency situations and even then it depends.

[andmaybegayer]

can you actually talk about bitwarden / password managers, or direct me to a post about them? Idk my (completely uneducated) instinct says that trusting one application with all your passwords is about as bad as having the same password for everything, but clearly that isn’t the case.

So it is true that online password managers present a big juicy target, and if you have very stringent security requirements you'd be better off with an offline password manager that is not exposed to attack.

However, for most people the alternative is "reusing the same password/closely related password patterns for everything", the risk that one random site gets compromised is much higher than the risk that a highly security focussed password provider gets compromised.

Which is not to say it can't happen, LastPass gets hacked alarmingly often, but most online password managers do their due diligence. I am more willing to stash my passwords with 1Password or Bitwarden or Dashlane than I am to go through the rigamarole of self-managing an array of unique passwords across multiple devices.

Bitwarden and other password managers try to store only an encrypted copy of your password vault, and they take steps to ensure you never ever send them your decryption key. When you want a password, you ask them for your vault, you decrypt it with your key, and now you have a local decrypted copy without ever sending your key to anyone. If you make changes, you make them locally and send back an encrypted updated vault.

As a result, someone who hacks Bitwarden should in the absolute worst case get a pile of encrypted vaults, but without each individuals' decryption key those vaults are useless. They'd still have to go around decrypting each vault one by one. Combining a good encryption algorithm, robust salting, and a decent key, you can easily get a vault to "taking the full lifetime of the universe" levels on security against modern cryptographic attacks.

Now there can be issues with this. Auto-fill can be attacked if you go onto a malicious website, poorly coded managers can leak information or accidentally include logging of passwords when they shouldn't, and obviously you don't know that 1Password isn't backdoored by the CIA/Mossad/Vatican. If these are concerns then you shouldn't trust online password managers, and you should use something where you remain in control of your vault and only ever manually handle your password.

Bitwarden is open source and fairly regularly audited, so you can be somewhat assured that they're not compromised. If you are worried about that, you can use something like KeePassXC/GNU Pass/Himitsu/ (which all hand you the vault file and it's your job to keep track of it and keep it safe) or use clever cryptographic methods (like instead of storing a password you use a secret key to encrypt and hash a reproducible code and use that as your password, e.g. my netflix password could be hash(crypt("netflixkalium", MySecretKey)), I know a few people who use that method.

Now with any luck because Apple is pushing for passkeys (which is just a nice name for a family of cryptographic verification systems that includes FIDO2/Webauthn) we can slowly move away from the nightmare that is passwords altogether with some kind of user friendly public key based verification, but it'll be a few years before that takes off. Seriously the real issue with a password is that with normal implementations every time you want to use it you have to send your ultra secret password over the internet to the verifying party.

[stagefoureddiediaz]

Costume Meta 7x06

Me on holiday trying to write a costume meta - yeah probably gonna keep this one shortish because - you know - on holiday!!!

We have plenty to get through this episode an dI had zero Idea how to set this one out because its kinda immpossible!

So in the end I just decided to go with the flow and therefore this is probably a bit all over the place in terms of organisation!

Chimney

Ok so Chimney exclusively wears check for this episode, apart from his hospital gown, which I'm not going to talk about as its a hosptial gown!

Chimneys first shirt is a grey and white rectangle gingham we see him in when he is having dinner with the Lee's to remember Kevin.

Grey is a neutral colour and can be linked with feelings of depression and compromise. These are key indicators of what is going on with Chim in this scene - he isn't depressed, but his spirits are clearly depressed (as in mute) and this should be seen as an alarm bell for Chimney - he who is forever optimistic - its all adding to the arc of Chimney not being himself - of something being wrong with him.

His second shirt is this cream with a double blue check pattern - the increased amount of check plays into his encephalitic deterioration - showing he is becoming increasingly confused/delirious etc - the check patterning ins far more obvious and distinctive, unlike the grey gingham from earlier - which kind of blurs out to look more overall grey even if you can still see its a check pattern.

Doug

Not going to dwell on Doug for long, but I do want to mention the fact that they put him in the very same costumes he was wearing in season 2. This triggers visual memories for audience members who have been watching the show from the beginning (or have watched those earlier episodes recently) because even if you don't quite connect the dots on why, you automatically know that this is a hallucination and not reality - the other visuals (such as him being there then not) add to this understanding, but it is the costumes that connect the Doug we're watching here and the Doug from the past.

Maddie

Gonna go in reverse with Maddie's costumes! here we have her in Chims hospital room, wearing a very similar outfit to the one she worse in his hospital room back in season 2 in the aftermath of Doug, the blue is now navy rather than the grey/blue of the earlier one, but that plays into the idea of a deeper relationship - they were just at the begining back in season 2 - the grey played into Maddie providing a soothing and relaxing presence for Chim, while the undetone of blue played into the growing trust and loyalty they shared. Now the navy blue is showing the strength of that trust and loyalty, while also hinting at Maddie feeling in a darkish place - her fear at losing the love of her life.

Maddies wedding dress - it’s a stunning dress and I love that it’s not all white - it’s a mix of white tulle and champagne embroidered lace. The dress having chapagne embroidered lace is really lovely - the golden brownish yellow tones of champagne as a colour in colour theory are emblematic of a driven and powerful personality (which we see displayed very clearly in this episode) as well as of modesty, excitement and fun.

When I first saw it, not going to lie, I had mixed feelings about it - but I think most of my issues with the dress stem from the fact it’s not especially well fitted to Jennifer - not sure if it’s because they rented it rather than buying outright so couldn’t alter it or if there are other factors at play, but that aside it’s a really great dress and very Maddie. 

It makes sense that she would actually choose to go all out for the wedding - to overwrite all the memories of her wedding to Doug - this wedding is the one she wants to remember - the one she’ll look back on in the years to come, so for her to get to pick out a grand dress (especially as she likely didn’t get any choice in her previous dress) 

Beyond that there’s not a lot I can say from a costume and colour perspective - it’s a wedding dress doing wedding dress things!!

Hen

Hen is in a black suit for her role as best woman, its full of Hens personality, whilst being subtle and fitting for a wedding - there really isn't a lot to say about it from a colour perspective, or from a design perspective - its doing everything it need to perfectly (it is also stunning and I would very much like to own it), not making Hen the centre of attention, whilst also ensuring we're aware of her importance within the wedding party.

Then we have Bachelor party Hen, who is definetley rocking more of a 70's vibe in those jeans (which I also love and want please!!) and shirt and Karen is definetely more 90's vibes in the black and gold Chinese suit.

THis is really intentional - we have the context of Chim not being into having a bachelor party (which we know he would've actually loved and enjoyed had his brain not been being eat by a viral infection) and so every one else not being in costume except Eddie and Buck is very much about them feeding off the vibes Chim had been giving - they've made an effort to get dressed up, but they haven't gone with the theming.

Chris

Chirs is wearing a surf shirt - it's by Quicksilver and I've included a better picture of the pattern below, because what you can't see with the filter on the camera is that the little logos on the shirt are in both blue and green. They're all symbols associated with surf and water.

So the water theming around Christopher (and Buck and Eddie) continues and we have the added fact that blue green theory is in play here as well - and it was in play a lot throughout the episode in relation to Buck and Eddie.

Tommy

Only one brief costume to look at for Tommy in this episode and its very much continuing the theming we've seen on him this entire season. We continue to see him in a Henley and jeans. This one is navy blue.

Choices were definitely made when it came to this outfit and the fact he hasn't chosen to dress up in any way - its part of the wider arc at play in this season (for all characters, not just Buck or Eddie - its the seasons theme - which is fitting considering we've moved to a new network and its a way of establishing/re-establishing the characters, their motivations and their interpersonal relationships) that Tommy doesn't know Buck - its not only highlighting the difference between Buck and Eddie and Buck and Tommy, but also calling back to the literal episode titled 'you don't know me' and emphasising that tommy doesn't know Buck and his quirks at this point (this is not Tommy bashing before anyone comes for me - I like Tommy and I wouldn't expect him to know that Buck gets super invested in things in this way at this point I am merely pointing out that the costume is highlighting the newness of their relationship).

Bobby and Athena

Bobby and Athena are exclusively in blue and green this episode - we have the brighter jewel toned blue suit and emerald green dress of the wedding which are switched out for the more muted navy polo and khaki green jacket when the search for Chim gets underway.

The brighter colours are much more hopeful and cheerful - the bright blue of Bobbys suit with the meaning of trust and loyalty it is a supportive shade, meanwhile the green of Athena’s dress symbolises growth and health and luck.

The more muted tones of the search play into their respective roles - Bobby becomes a fire captain just without the logo - it gives him the air of authority, while remaining supportive and dependable. Meanwhile Athena’s khaki green - a very typical shade plays into her position as a police officer - she is prepared to fight to figure out what happened to Chim - it’s an echo of the outfit she wore when investigating Eddie’s shooting back in season 4 - a key parallel considering we get a lot of other costume parallels this episode!

Buck and Eddie

Again we're doing these two back to front, - the above picture shows them during the search for Chim and we have the very loud and obvious green and blue pairing in parallel to Bobby and Athena. its setting them up as a unit.

I am still not over getting Buck in jeans - I probably won't be for a while, so get used to me screaming about them at every opportunity - because they have played a blinder with them - the fact that we get Buck in jeans here, along with his white trainers

The other thing that I love about these two costumes is the way they both play into their respective costume styles. We've only seen Eddie in his army geen colourway once so far this season when he found out Chris was seeing multiple girls, and this is the first Henley we have him in - when he is normally king of the Henleys - this indicates where Eddie is at - ready to go to war for his found family, in the same way Athena is, but also that this is a comfortable state for him.

Bucks bright cobalt blue plays into his blue theme thats been building over the last season and a half - its telling us he's in a good place, more settled (in relation to Tommy not Chim being missing!) and its an indicator of his loyalty and trust, but the main thing about cobalt blue specifically is that its considered a colour of enlightenment - so continues the theme of Bucks bi awakening being about him becoming enlightened!

Buck and Eddie being the only ones to have got dressed up to the 80's theme is all about showing them as a solid unit - they will feed off each others energy regardless of what it is. this is them being best friends best friending and being completely oblivious to everyone else - especially Chim's lack of enthusiasm.

The pink on Eddie plays two fold - it plays into the innocence and naivety theme the costumes are giving us this season - slotting Eddie into that narrative more firmly than just having Marisol wear it in episode 1 - it ensures that theme continues past the intial reveal that she was a novice nun - this is important because it reminds the audience subconsciously about that plotline. I don't expect to see him in any more pink this season, but I have a feeling we might see Marisol in more pink down the line as their arc unfolds.

I am interested to see how it plays into the guilt aspect though - the pink we've seen on other characters in other plots have revolved around feeling guilty - Lola being in pink when her cheating on Norman is revealed, and his innocence in it all as that plot is playing out having him also in pink. It suggests to me that we're going to get something relating to guilt - beyond catholic guilt - sitting pretty heavily in Eddies arc for the rest of the season!

(popping back in to finish this meta and now I'm screaming at myself for not connecting more dots earlier - I was so so close to connecting the mall - so close!!)

So we have buck back in white - a key indicator that things are going to go wrong - mirroring all the other times Buck has worn white and either ended up in the middle of a disaster (tsunami!) or in some kind of trouble. The trouble here is obviously that Chim didn’t turn up for his bachelor party and has gone missing. It’s an indicator of the seriousness of the situation because Buck doesn’t wear white when it’s a trivial thing going wrong.

Then we have his greenish beige double breasted blazer - I have spent so long trying to figure out what colour this jacket is supposed to be and I’ve decided to trend towards beige with a green undertone. Beige is considered a trendy colour and is therefore its meaning suggests forward thinking and fashionable (don’t ask me why I have zero idea!!) the irony of buck being in beige is that it’s also considered the antithesis of intoxicating, The green undertone has the same vibe as the green shirt he wore to donate his sperm - and so there is a similar vibe going on here - that idea that things are going to go very awry, but will untimately end in sucess!

I've included a couple of stills below of Crocket and Tubbs - just so you can see how perfectly the wardrobe team managed to create the vibe of them - as the same time as making both of them both Crocket and Tubbs - because they have elements of each of them in their costumes - which is just genius!!

one final little nod to a fun thing the costume team have done - calling back to Bucks Coma dream costume - when he was a teacher - like his parents - by dressing Margaret in a blue version of the same outfit!!

Sorry this was so late and not as in depth as some of my other meta's - but I got there in the end and I hope you enjoy it!!

Off to write 7x07's meta now!!

Tagged people below!

@theladyyavilee @mistmarauder @xxfiction-is-my-realityxx @bewilderedbuckley @spotsandsocks

@bewitchedbewilderedbisexual @rogerzsteven @wanderingwomanwondering @oneawkwardcookie @leothil @copyninjabuckley @shammers86 @crazyfangirlallert @missmagooglie @katyobsesses @radiation-run @gayandbifiremenofmine @bi-moonlight @crazyaboutotps @princesschez75 @alliaskisthepossibilityoflove @sherlocking-out-loud @satashiiwrites @lover-of-mine @yramesoruniverse @extasiswings @favouritealias @pop-kam @b-dwolf

[vivmaek]

PLUTO IN THE 7th HOUSE: Observations

In my opinion, I find this to be an especially difficult placement to have. People who have their Pluto in the seventh house are not team players. They struggle with compromise and are domineering and possessive within their committed relationships. They are adamant that things must go their way, they feel that the relationship is bound to fail if not. It is extremely difficult for these types to strike a balance within their relationships. Their obsessive nature is often the root cause for a lack of harmony. Pluto seventh housers have an extreme fear of betrayal and are incredibly suspicious of their partners even if they showcase 100% loyalty. Pluto seventh housers expect 110% and might have to go through multiple tumultuous relationships before coming to the realization that this isn't a fair expectation to place upon others. These types need to prioritize working through their trust issues. To make matters worse, people with this placement are attracted to strong personalities, this can amplify issues because they themselves already have a strong and stubborn personality. Part of them is more attracted to the struggle for power and control than they are to their actual partner. Pluto seventh housers have a deep need for intimacy, but find this hard to come by because they are uncomfortable with being vulnerable. This is why they are attracted to intense power struggles. Pursuing control over another person leaves no room for authentic vulnerability. They expect their partners to go to extreme lengths in order to prove that they are worthy to be entrusted with sensitive information. However, this sets them up for failure because it can cause the relationship to feel one-sided. In relationships, Pluto seventh housers are motivated by fear. They have experienced a lot of trauma within their one-on-one relationships, and are desperate to escape these cycles of abuse. They tend to view themselves as a victim within these situations. And at times this is very much the case. However, the tendency to only view themselves as a victim also keeps them trapped within negative behavior patterns. Walking away from every relationship going, “I did nothing wrong!” does not offer up the opportunity to take a closer look at their own negative contributions. Pluto seventh housers really struggle in understanding the power they hold over others. They view themselves as powerless, and they genuinely think that they don’t matter or have any sort of influence. This couldn’t be further from the truth, and once people with this placement realize that, they can expect to find more harmony within their partnerships.