#fitting time for my country's election lol

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

diasomnia, 1 — 19

***Spoilers ahead!!!***

Note: this is just a general summary of what has happened so far and my initial reactions to those major events. I focused my comments on whatever interests me the most (ie lore and funny character interactions), so there are definitely details that were overlooked and lines that were simplified to make a joke; please do not rely on this as a translation.

Big thanks to @shuuenmei and @curekibouka-writing for clarifying the more confusing tracks of the story (some parts were difficult to follow the sequence of events for) and the details of the✨ deep lore ✨ It was fun screaming with the both of you—

Ah yes, Yuu’s Sleeping Beauty dream right on cue. Finally starting to put together the puzzle pieces, huh (Yuu goes to check on the Great Seven statues to confirm they saw the Fairy of Thorns in their dreams)? About time—

As expected, Sebek loses his mind and tells Yuu to not abuse Malleus’s kindness. He’s also super pissed that Malleus and Yuu act familiar with each other (and over the nickname). Yup, that interaction went about as well as we all predicted…

Not Lilia being the “I’m an anime boy late for anime school (the internship meeting)!” trope 😂 All he needs is some toast in his mouth!

Crowley talks about boring things how the internships will work and we hear more about the areas of interest for the third years.

Lore ✨ Each internship “semester” is 3 months and you can only take certain internships if you qualify for them via your grades, credits, and electives. You can choose to do 3 separate internships (again, 3 months each) or do 1 internship (for all 9 months). A B or higher is needed on two of the “semesters” to graduate. Students must also submit reports each semester. Some places additionally require interviews and/or special tests to be passed before a student is accepted as an intern. Placements are not first-come, first-serve; you need to earn that spot.

Trey says he wants to do something related to pastries or agriculture; basically, things close to food production 🌾 He wants to take advantage of his opportunities as an NRC student while he still can!! Trey said he wants to work right after school rather than go to university.

Cater is interested in the entertainment industry; he mentions magazines and videos?? It seems he isn’t interested in higher education.

HELP they randomly mention that Ace’s older brother interned in the entertainment industry too (it gets brought up when Cater was considering a theme park for his own internship)??? TRAPPOLA NII ALSO CURRENTLY WORKS IN ENTERTAINMENT????? When do we get to meet him, Ace—

Vil is continuing to advance his own career in film. He already picked out a studio to apply for, and expresses an interest in magical pharmaceuticals (though he doesn’t intend on going to college). Very fitting specialties for everyone, I must say!

Rook is interested in archeology so he can learn more about the world! After learning about S.T.Y.X., he realizes there’s so much more he doesn’t yet know. According to Trey, Rook does appear to intend to pursue college/higher level studies.

LMAO at Trey constantly having to translate Rook-isms for everyone 😂 Classic Science Club…

Unca Weona is cwanky cuz the talking is disturbing his nappy—

Leona’s going to a mining and energy facility in his home country. It’s an option offered only to those with high grades. Leona wants to be a lazy ass 🦁 “They won’t fail their prince, lmao”

Idia is doing an software engineering internship at Olympus Corp (ie TWST Google) 👀 This is huge because back at the end of episode 5 (ie the episode 6 preview), Idia was actively rejecting offers from Olympus Corp, claiming that he wasn’t welcome anywhere. Character growth… Idia isn’t welcome back at S.T.Y.X. because of the Overblotting and how it nearly exposed the organization to the public eye LOL 😂 Absentee Shroud parents upset with him cksbskwbkcnfke

Malleus doesn’t seem to be interested in picking an internship; he says that, to him, 3 months is too short a time to really learn anything (temporal dissonance strikes again). In the end, he is going to research historical ruins?? He can hang out with the Gargoyles 😎 and Rollo/j

BRO WHAT ???? Lilia is dropping out of NRC??? THE FUQ,,,,!.’sveksbskebkzvczbvvv?$$$&85inmw I had to hard stop at this scene because it caught me by surprise.

The first years are talking about Mickey (like if there are certain conditions to get him to appear??). Oh god, they're planning a Mickey Mouse stakeout????? AND ORTHO IS INCLUDED IN THE GROUP AWWWW 🥺 He searches his databases and uses his cool robot tech to look for more information about Mickey but finds nothing.

GRIM MAKES A SUS COMMENT ABOUT HOW ORTHO IS MORE HELPFUL WITH THIS (Mickey and Yuu's worlds perhaps being tied or related to one another) THAN CROWLEY IS.

They overhear Sebek shouting in the cafeteria; he’s in disbelief that Lilia is dropping out of school.

So anyway, Lilia’s magic has, in fact, weakened significantly (he was almost late for the internship meeting because he woke up and found that he couldn't teleport). He plans on retiring in the Land of the Crimson Dragon (Mushu???? IS THAT YOU).

Interesting??? It seems that Lilia has been progressively losing his powers since even before Sebek and Silver were born… It’s not a super recent occurrence.

Sebek and Silver are understandably upset and mention that while it would be easy for either of them to visit Lilia, it would be almost impossible for Malleus because he will be so inundated with his royal duties after graduation. Malleus is distraught as well, but he insists that they respect Lilia's decision. AND HE’S LEAVING IN LIKE A WEEK? That’s barely enough time to mourn or to emotionally prepare for the fallout…

Malleus pitches an idea to talk to his grandma to not overwork Lilia (vice dorm leaders being overworked? What? In this game? Nooooooo/s).

Malleus's grandma is name-dropped (Maleficia)??? Is everyone in the Draconia family just Mal-something????

LOTS OF OMINOUS DIALOGUE ("Time is running out", "Fate cannot be defied", etc.)

After that whole conversation it’s clear that something isn’t right (despite Malleus maintaining his calm in front of Diasomnia). As soon as he’s away from them, the weather instantly turns stormy AND we see Malleus's blot accumulating as early as 7-13 in what I assume will be a very meaty episode.

Sebek and Silver help Lilia pack; Silver finds this tin in Lilia’s room. There is an old bracelet of acorns and thread inside.

Lilia shows up and says that it’s the most precious item he’s ever been gifted??? But it’s not clear who it’s from.

There's another item in the tin (the ring on a chain)! It has a weird effect on Silver?? I think it makes him sleepy???

The gem in the ring is the same color as Silver’s eyes; Lilia thinks its because his parents wanted his eyes to be forever unclouded and pure 🤨 That’s cute and all, but it makes me really suspicious that something super bad will happen later and I’m living for that—

This ring was tied to baby Silver when Lilia found him. He planned on gifting it to Silver when he's finally an adult... and now is that time 😭 Ain’t no way they’re giving us these heartfelt moments only to not tear it down later with something devastating… And?? With the ring being so fancy, there’s no way Silver isn’t descended from some rich family (or even royalty/nobility) himself??? Prince Silver real????/j cuz that ring sure does look like Princess Aurora’s crown…

Sebek pulls up with THIS fucking monstrosity?? It’s a weapon (axe???) Lilia used from back in the day (like, in war). However, nowadays he uses it to chop regular shit like wood. The weapon looks very similar to one that Maleficent’s minions use.

It's made out of a special magical ore! It’s called Mystium, and it changes shape according to the wielder’s magic.

Back to Yuu and co. staking out Mickey! Grim is finally realizing that if Yuu goes home, he’ll be alone 😔 Noooo, fur baby… Don’t be sad..

They wait for a while but get sleepy because Mickey is taking forever to appear. When Yuu wakes up, they see Malleus’s green lights and they go outside to find it’s snowing (again, because of his weird mood). He apologizes and makes the snow vanish, then confides in Yuu about his insecurities.

Malleus tells a story about how he froze the castle and some people when he was a little kid (omg Elsa core???) because because his grandma had promised to eat with him and was late or didn’t show up due to her royal duties keeping her busy. It sounds like even the palace servants were afraid of his power because of incidents like this. Like. It’s kind of implied Malleus almost killed them (Lilia says Malleus almost “lost” those people) with his magic.

Lilia was the only one who came for Malleus to check on him when he was upset, dried his tears, and tried to understand him. He comes over and frees the people that Malleus froze, then everyone starts preparing and eating shaved ice made from the ice encasing the castle (not randomly, I think it was Lilia’s suggestion).

Malleus gets jealous because he saw everyone enjoying food without him and/or he thought Lilia was angry at him. (This is the point when Lilia tells him he has great power so he has to be careful how he uses it, ie the “you almost lost the people that you’re now happily eating with at the hands of your own magic” talk.)

Lilia uses his weapon to make some shaved ice for Malleus and invited him to join in (I think this may be the same weapon Sebek finds in his room in the present???); this helped Malleus “connect” with other people, or at least invited him to join and do the same thing the others were) It’s because of Lilia that Malleus is okay with eating cold things. UM???? HELLO???? Is that why Malleus’s favorite food is ice-cream??? Or at least a part of it?

BTW LONG HAir PONYtAIL LILiA CANON yes I’m way more excited about this than I was about that entire ice story

Yuu calls Malleus lonely 💀 and Malleus is shocked because he’s so used to being alone that the thought never occurred to him…

Oh no, Malleus learned that Yuu has “found a way home” (ie Rickey Rat hunting) 🙃 he’s like. “You are leaving me as well?” AND RIGHT AFTER HE JUST LEARNED ABOUT LILIA GOING… Lilia, who has been with Malleus ever since he hatched from his egg…

Friends, family… everything and everyone he cherishes is leaving Malleus. “Even if I have great power, I have nothing. I gain nothing, I always lose. No one will invite me, not anymore.” No Lilia, No Yuu 😞 Malleus, your abandonment issues are showing—

NAUUUR not more ominous shit 😭 Not the “man, I sure do wish everyone wouldn’t go :(((( if only there was a way for me to have everything I want…” coming from the mouth of a super insanely powerful magician…

NOOOOO not Yuu unintentionally enabling Malleus… He asks if there was a way to be with your loved ones forever, would Yuu take it?????? YUU DOnT SAy YES YOU FUQQinG IDIOT… ENABLER Yuu didn’t learn from Trey/j

MaLLEUS MY duDE 😔 DOn’T PULL ANY STUPID ShIT PLEASE (ie we all know he probably will)

Aaaand that’s all for now, folks!! Lots of sketchy lines and lore centering around grandpappy Lilia 🤡

Overall, I like the direction episode 7 is going so far! I was really worried that it would focus too much on Yuu and Malleus’s relationship rather than elaborating on Malleus’s relationships with the rest of Diasomnia, but I’m glad that the main story actually touches upon how integral Lilia is to his found family—and to Malleus, of course. A lot of interesting plot points have been set up (especially surrounding Mickey and Lilia), and I’m really looking forward to seeing how those conclude 👀 I feel like we also got spoiled with character lore; I love that time is a Real Thing in TWST and the the boys are aging and thinking hard about their futures. Can’t wait for the angst to hit me full force like a truck 💕

[thecurioustale]

I Think It's Time to Drop the "Drop-Biden" Faction

Using another one of my limited political credits to infuse my art-oriented tumblr with US politics. Skip this one if you don't go for that stuff.

I've had a few weeks now to take the pulse of what's happening with regard to the whole "Should Biden drop out?" thing going on inside the Democratic Party and across the left, and here's my takeaway:

The drop-Biden faction within the Democratic establishment smells of a conspiracy that lacks the confidence of conviction. Clammy hands, mumbling public statements, a malaise of cravenness, and a clear sense among the conspirators that they know they are in the wrong but are doing it anyway so their faction (or factions within the faction) can gain power inside the establishment. That's why I'm so disappointed in Representative Adam Schiff for coming out on their side of late: I have a pretty high opinion of him, and for him to join them, let alone to do it so late, smacks—to me, at least—of incredibly poor and/or opportunistic judgment.

Vice President Harris is the ONLY acceptable alternative to President Biden at this point. And I say that as someone who is not a supporter of hers. Anyone else would be a betrayal of the choice of the public during the 2024 primary season, and would smack of party insiders overturning the will of the voters. The fact that the drop-Biden faction has not been clear-throated and unified in naming Harris as the only acceptable replacement for President Biden is very telling, because it means that there is jockeying going on right now about who it would be—and clearly the conspirators are not for Harris. That, in my view, makes them unfit as arbiters and their case untenable.

Not much is more uninspiring than a conspiracy that doesn't believe in itself. On these grounds alone I would be inclined against their cause.

But there are more grounds: I have also had a chance to listen to some of President Biden's statements over the past few weeks, including the extemporaneous remarks he gave at his recent press conference. And, to get right to the point, my mild-to-moderate concerns that flared up in the aftermath of everybody and their dog having a meltdown after Biden's debate performance (which I didn't even watch at the time, lol) has been completely alleviated: Biden is not senile. He is very clearly not senile. Yes, he's old. He is uncomfortably old. Cringeworthily old. It's a very real possibility that, if he were to win a second term, he wouldn't be able to complete it. But, from where I am, he's still got his marbles. And that's the ONLY question at issue here: Is Biden mentally competent? I think he unambiguously is.

And that's the end of the dilemma for me. Am I wrong? Is he senile and I just don't see it? Maybe. But I have made my judgment. And, given that judgment, the path forward for me is clear now: You don't go against the results of a primary election if you can possibly help it. The people voted for Joe Biden. The time to replace him was across the country in the primaries months ago, not behind the scenes in July.

The drop-Biden faction says there is another, equally relevant question: Can Joe Biden win in November? There is a cynical, almost nihilistic attitude here, the idea that principles don't matter and that whichever pathway is likeliest to lead to power is by definition the best one. But I have two problems with their thinking:

First, principles DO matter. The democratic process is spelled out and we need to respect it. We spent a long time in this country fighting to make the political parties more transparent and accountable to the people in their presidential nominations. What, we're just gonna undo a primary election now? When the winner of that election says he's staying in the race and the main criticism against his fitness to be our nominee doesn't hold up to the sunlight? No, that's completely unacceptable. That's in the same vein as the authoritarian shit the Republicans have sold their souls for.

I realize that primary elections are almost impossible for an incumbent president to lose. And, yes, I realize that perhaps it would have been wiser for Joe Biden to choose not to run for reelection. I thought that was his plan, until shortly after he took office when he launched the legal process to run for reelection. But for better or worse he chose to run again, and, given that he has had the most effective Democratic administration since LBJ, he certainly had standing to do so. And consider this: The present crisis of worry about Biden is unprecedented in recent times. If there really were such a dam of worry waiting to burst all along, I think it would have been plausible for the primaries to register it. If nothing else, a hotly contested primary could have identified a second ethically viable alternative to Biden besides Harris, if the establishment and the drop-Biden faction in particular are so damn nervous about her. (This is assuming she would not have run against him herself in those primaries.)

Second, as President Biden himself has said, as well as many of his supporters, the judgment of the drop-Biden people as to who actually is the likeliest pathway to power is questionable. What is these folks' track record in wise prognosticating of this sort? What is their evidence for their case? I find these arguments lacking.

Joe Biden has demonstrated a winning electoral coalition. He was written off in the 2020 primary season and won, and won against Trump that November. He got the votes of the people. And while I think he would not have won that year were it not for the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, he nevertheless won convincingly and earned the badge of electability in the minds of everyone. Nothing says "electable" more than having already been elected president once before. Trump is a hard opponent to beat, very hard. Trump is channeling the mental virus that has overtaken the conservative movement in America. He is extremely powerful. By his charisma and his political savvy he is powerful. His enemies within the Republican Party all end up singing his praises and kissing his boots, no matter how badly he has disparaged them, or else they end up leaving the Republican Party or being booted out of it forcibly. And holding Trump to account for his many crimes is literally buckling our judicial system as we speak—a very stark indicator indeed of Trump's power. And, so, any Democratic nominee would inevitably face an unwaveringly stiff, deeply unfair and low-down campaign against them by Trump. If not Biden's age it would be Buttigieg's sexuality, or Booker's race, or Newsom's "California"-ness, or whatever. The right is always going to come up with a smear campaign. Look what they did to Hillary Clinton, a superlatively competent and well-qualified candidate. No one running against Trump this year would have an easy time of it, and that includes Vice President Harris, who is female, black, from California, from an immigrant family, and a former "cop," and who has a reputation for being hard to work with and fostering high-friction work environments (whether or not that's true, or just sexism, or some of both), all rolled into one. Joe Biden's age is literally the only personal attack against him that ever stuck: He is a white male, deeply religious, very likeable in person (so everyone says, even many Republicans, though obviously I've never met him), relatable, etc., etc. He disarms the low-level sexists and racists on the Democratic periphery and in the political middle. He makes progressivism palatable for everyone. There is a real possibility—one which I think is accurate—that Biden was the only Democrat in 2020 who could've beaten Trump. Is Biden now, really, at the very bottom of that list in 2024, because he lost his train of thought during a debate? I don't buy it.

I think there is a plausible possibility that the firestorm in the media and in party and activist politics isn't as much of an issue with the general public. The president's age may be something ordinary people disapprove of, but it isn't something ordinary people feel when they pay rent, buy groceries, or have their rights stripped away by a radical Supreme Court. Just two months ago we were talking about how profoundly unpopular Republican policies are. That's still true right now.

So, principles matter and Biden may not be as weak of a candidate as his detractors claim. Those are my criticisms of the context of the drop-Biden faction. But what about the merits of their case, such as they exist?

Well...the main argument of the drop-Biden faction in the rightness of their cause, and by far the biggest issue I haven't discussed yet, is the polls, and I am of two minds about this:

On one hand, if the polls are accurate, that probably says more about the lunacy that has overtaken America than it does about Joe Biden. Just about anyone with a pulse who isn't (ahem) a convicted felon ought to be winning against Trump in a landslide. Trump stands for the end of America as we know it and the beginning of an authoritarian regime. He stands for the reversal of generations of gains in civil rights and social welfare and the entrenchment of Christian fanatics. Not because he himself is for these things, but because his pathway to power runs through others who are. If Joe Biden is losing to that, and if the media is focused on the idea that Joe Biden is the one among these two who should drop out for the good of the country, then maybe America deserves another Trump presidency after all. Maybe we've become too corrupt and wicked and selfish and evil to keep our republic any longer. And since that collective "we" very adamantly does not include many millions of Americans who are active on the left or otherwise active in support of our constitutional system of democracy and the rule of law, maybe Biden's terrible standing in the polls is a permission slip of sorts to begin having the unthinkable conversation about dissolving the United States or else taking more radical actions to safeguard it against these domestic threats on the right—such as taking back the courts, ending gerrymandering, abolishing the filibuster, imprisoning domestic terrorists and paramilitary extremists, shutting down churches and Christian schools and propaganda outlets that radicalize people, and using the Supreme Court's newly-created office of King to eradicate the most dangerous fascists. That's assuming we ever win the presidency and Congress again, of course, which may well happen but isn't a given anymore should the fascist-run GOP decide to make good on their threats to overthrow our Constitution and lock in minority far-right rule.

On the other hand, the polls may not be accurate at all. Polls in July about an event in November are almost meaningless anyway, and, more importantly, it is very difficult in the Trump era for pollsters to weight their likely voter adjustments correctly. It is a rock-solid given that Trump's base will turn out to vote for him; they always do because they are mindless zombies who are completely predictable. The real question, which makes predictions so chaotic this year, is what the rest of the electorate will do. Since the last president election, Donald Trump has become a convicted felon, the orchestrator of a Supreme Court majority that stripped people of their constitutional abortion rights, and the instigator of one of the most shameful days in American history, January 6. Most of his former administration that aren't in prison have publicly disavowed him and are warning the public not to reelect him. These are not good people, for the most part, so imagine what that implies. Joe Biden's age doesn't change any of this. It doesn't change the current economic situation, nothing. It doesn't change the horrifically unpopular right-wing agenda. It changes nothing. If the polls say that Biden is trailing badly against Trump, then either the public is insane or the polls are wrong, and either is distinctly possible.

Maybe "insane" doesn't fully capture the spirit of it. I realize that politics as we typically define the word is largely a dog and pony show, all style and very little substance. I understand that American political discourse in the mainstream is vapid, ill-informed, superficial, and fickle. I understand that there is a possible world where Joe Biden's age really is more important to people to reject in November than the threat of the end of democracy (even while Trump's own age remains almost completely uncriticized). And if that's where we are; if we are too stupid or careless or selfish or uninvolved or, yes, even insane as a country to know any better; then it's time for America to be held accountable. It has become my refrain that we are going to deserve what we vote for in November, whatever that may be.

I remain hopeful that if the Democrats and their allies run a good ground game this season, and continue their coverage of strong ads on the airwaves and online, then there is a chance of winning in November.

I think the drop-Biden faction has had its moment. I think they came at the (now-literal) King and missed. They didn't have the goods, it shows in their behavior, and, for better or worse, Biden says he is staying in the race.

If he does reverse course in the coming weeks and drop out, I think Kamala Harris is the only acceptable alternative, regardless of my own tepid approval of her, and I will emphatically and completely support her from that moment until Election Day. But that would be Biden's choice to make, and he says he has chosen to stay in. And, by the way, I would note that Biden's core of support both during this crisis and in his original campaign for president in 2020 runs through core Democratic demographics like the black community and organized labor, and perhaps this is an opportunity for the rest of the Democratic establishment to demonstrate that they are willing to do more than pay lip service to those demographics when it comes to respecting their perspectives and positions.

And as for my personal preference, I'll say it this way, with the most primitive, self-serving angle I can muster: President Joe Biden forgave the student loans that I thought I was going to die with, and gave me thousands of dollars of much-needed support during the pandemic. No other president has ever done more for me. Now that Biden has also won the mandate of the Democratic electorate, I would be pretty damn ungrateful, and more than a little foolish, to oppose him if he decides to stay in. And he says he is staying in. So that's that.

But there is so much more behind my decision to support him than just my personal financial interest. From his startlingly (and refreshingly) liberal governing posture, to his decency and his respect for our constitutional and political norms, to his stalwart support of Ukraine and Israel against the nefarious forces arrayed against them, to his competent and capable cabinet and administration, to his excellent political negotiating skills—which have resulted in quite a bit of meaningful legislation passing through Congress despite the filibuster in the Senate and of late even despite the GOP control of the House—for all of these reasons, he is the president for me.

As I have said before, if the worst should happen and President Biden were to die or become incapacitated in a hypothetical second term, he would be ably succeeded by Vice President Harris, and the work of his administration would continue in the immediate term under the leadership of his well-qualified officers.

And, if you're wondering, part of me does wish that Joe Biden had chosen of his own accord not to run for reelection, because he really is getting old. But he didn't make that choice, and I for one respect it. And part of me would be relieved if he does drop out in the coming weeks, though another part of me would be just as nervous about any other candidate's prospects.

And, at this point, I think the drop-Biden faction is doing more harm to our prospects in November than good. I think it's time for them to stop. I have a very hard time seeing a future where anybody besides Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, or Donald Trump is the president on noon of January 20 next year. And because of the selfishness and fear of the drop-Biden faction, what I previously thought was a solid 50:50 election prospect is now one that I think strongly favors the Republicans no matter what we do or who we put on the ticket. I consider this a self-inflicted wound, first by Biden in choosing to have a debate with a failed coup instigator and convicted felon at all, and second and more importantly by the drop-Biden faction by losing their party discipline following his bad debate performance without a strong case for breaking ranks.

Putting all of that aside, and looking at the grand tapestry of America: Maybe the winds really have shifted and Joe Biden no longer has the appeal to beat Donald Trump. But if that is true—if America really has fallen so low—then let us learn it through the honest work of campaigning to reelect Joe Biden and failing, rather than having that decision foisted on us by cowards and opportunists consulting their crystal balls behind closed doors.

And that is what I think about all of that.

[cal-daisies-and-briars]

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hehe

DEVON. How has this not happened yet?

Almost at the end of a chapter with this one so we shall see if I can fit it all in lol.

90 new sentences for TWATYTK:

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Buck is certainly right about one thing. You can only count the number of times Eddie has been silly drunk on one hand. Drunk with abandon, that is. He’s been stupid drunk and upset before. But the kind of easy, floating fun that is totally worth the hangover the next morning? Eddie isn’t well versed in that the way Buck is. 

Which is why Eddie happily accepts the gratuitous amounts of champagne offered to him. With his son safely at Pepa’s and at no risk of seeing him, Eddie lets loose and gets champagne drunk. Prosecco drunk? Eddie’s not sure it’s the real thing. Who cares? Tastes great. Makes his head feel carbonated. 

Eddie thinks Buck is taking it a bit slower than him but he doesn’t keep track. They’re both red faced, sweaty, and laughing as the dancing progresses throughout the evening. It all kind of goes by in a blur of lights and greatest hits of years past. Whitney Houston. David Bowie. Earth, Wind, and Fire. Abba. Chim has covered all his bases. 

“It’s a little dated,” Buck observes as they take a moment for fresh air and some water out on the patio. December, 1963 is currently playing, so Eddie supposes he is literally correct.

“Oh yeah?” Eddie raises an eyebrow. “And what would your wedding reception playlist be? Pitbull and Sean Paul?” 

“Hey, now,” Buck laughs. “Don’t knock my early 2000s dance mix until you try it.”

Eddie is a little too drunk and happy to even reminisce on the over-abundance of Shannon’s taste in country music present at their own wedding. 

“Okay,” Eddie says instead. “I’ll just have to try it.”

Buck’s eyes twinkle. “Well, uh, good.”

And it’s a little silly. It’s a little premature, maybe. Or maybe not, all things considered. But Eddie thinks about it. The stupid playlist Buck would make. They could find suits that aren’t exactly matching, but highly complimentary. How they could include Chris in the ceremony. What it would feel like to be someone’s husband again. How it would feel to have a husband. 

Eddie brims with giddy laughter at the thought. 

“What?” Buck asks, grinning.

“Nothing,” Eddie says, reaching forward and resting a hand over Buck’s collarbone. “I just love you.”

Buck kisses Eddie’s forehead, as sweaty as it is. 

“I just love you, too,” he says. “But if we don’t get back inside and keep dancing, Albert is going to call us old. And I simply refuse to deal with that on my sister’s wedding day.”

Eddie laughs. “We can’t have that, can we?”

“My ego simply won’t allow it.” Buck nods.

So Eddie and Buck return to the party, and if Eddie has the tiny seeds of a fantasy taking root in his head, he just hopes it’s not too terribly obvious on his face. 

🗲🗲🗲

In the interest of remembering the evening as best he can, Buck elects not to get as drunk as Eddie. This poses the risk of having less fun, but this doesn’t turn out to be the case. Instead, he gets to watch and stamp it all into memory. Eddie, letting loose in a way that is rare for him. Smiling and utterly gorgeous. Maddie and Chim, so happy in celebrating something that seems both hard won and as simple as magic. Hen and Karen, dancing together, warm and tender and familiar. Giving Buck something to seriously aspire to. 

He’s also very glad he’s functional enough to get video evidence of Ravi and Albert doing a drunken handstand competition well after midnight. Beautiful, really. He’ll have lots of embarrassing photos and videos of everyone for a group chat tomorrow. And lots of Eddie just to keep for himself. 

Somewhere close to two in the morning, Buck is fumbling with the hotel room keycard, while Eddie is slumped against his shoulder. 

“Mmm, just want to lie down,” Eddie complains, when Buck isn’t moving fast enough. Maybe if he wasn’t holding up a whole ass drunk, squirmy man, he’d be a bit quicker.

“Give it a second,” Buck promises. 

When he finally swipes them through, Eddie straightens up, strides through the door, and flops onto the bed with alarming deftness, given how he could hardly walk a second ago. 

“You are full of shit,” Buck accuses. 

Eddie laughs, mischievously. He does not deny Buck’s allegations. 

On top of the covers, head not even making it to a pillow, Eddie closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. 

“Oh, no.” Buck scolds, amused. “No falling asleep yet. Take off your damn shoes.”

“You,” Eddie slurs in accusation, keeping his eyes closed but pointing a finger in the approximation of Buck’s direction. “Have put your shoes on my coffee table.”

Buck can’t help but laugh. “It’s our coffee table now, darling.” 

“True,” Eddie yawns. Eyes still shut, he lifts his lefts and awkwardly paws at his shoes. 

“You’re ridiculous,” Buck says, crossing the room to help him remove his shoes.

[werewolf-hunter]

So I read Red, White & Royal Blue and here's my opinion on it:

In short: I really enjoyed it! I read through it in approximately 8 hours yesterday so the memory is still fresh. The rivals to lovers trope is one of my favorites so it wasn't very hard for me to enjoy. I liked the build up and even though I have no real concept of American Politics (as Henry said "Is that far?") and really, anything American lol it was still easy to understand, especially as an immigrant child in a foreign country.

If you're still here: Hi, hello, welcome to spoiler city! You have been warned!

I liked Alex well enough, loved Henry, and the entire character cast was enjoyable (well... Almost but more on that later) and unique. (Unique as in, everyone of them had different voices in my head and I never got confused about who is who because it was very well established, which in my opinion is a good sign!)

Plotwise it was not really the best book for me, I do not enjoy Queer Pain. If you also want something that does not center an outing without consent, the aftermath and somehow everyone brushing it aside this book may not be the best choice for you.

For clarity's sake: I am well aware that the characters do deal with the aftermath of Alex's outing but in my opinion it was pretty weak. It really felt more like "This sucks for your mom and oh yeah, you're here too lol" Alex got drunk about it and had a panic attack but other than that it wasn't treated with the caution it deserved.

Now, does that ruin the entire book for me? No. I love the banter between Henry and Alex, I love that they're allowed to be queer teenage boys who are in love and horny and stupid. I love that they don't shy away from (indirectly) criticizing how celebrities are treated as a main attraction at a zoo when it comes to their sexualities, as if they're someone's characters in a TV-Show. I also love that they weren't afraid to call it what it is (bisexuality) as I am also aware how much erasure the Bisexual community faces. Not only that, we also got male bisexual rep!

Let's talk about the parts that I did not enjoy as much.

The pacing was a bit awkward, you've had tons of build up between the main characters only to then have the reminder of american politics in between (it was off putting to say the least, suddenly we are talking about how to turn Texas Blue? I understand that this is part of the story but I do not have to like it.)

I did not enjoy Zharas character at all. That was a personal ick of mine, where it is seen as strong and cool and feminist to be a jerk to people. It was especially awful when Alex got drunk about his outing and the entire focus seemingly shifted to: "How can we fix this for your mom, so she can get elected again? Oh also you're here too but feelings later." This is not really the author's fault or flaw as (shocker) asshole characters exist, I just also don't have to like them. It felt flat, it felt rushed, there was no real time to process and grief, when there should've been. If you get outed nation-wide albeit in a safe enough environment (for Alex anyway, Henry was an entirely different story) the focus should be on exactly that.

I have a lot of words and none of them are fitting together well but english is not my first language and this ain't Goodreads so we're fine.

I loved the references to queer history because it is so, so important for young queer Kids and old, tired, queer people (like me lol) to remember that we existed, and we made it, that we loved and were loved since the dawn of time. (As a Hamilton enjoyer it was also a delight to see it mentioned lol)

In conclusion: I liked the book well enough. I would not want to read it a second time though, I will keep it in fond memories.

On a score it was a solid 3/5 for me. Hope you enjoyed this little review!

Cheers,

Cassian

[larklooksatbooks]

Old Review of "Red, White & Royal Blue" from 27/02/2023.

So I read "Red, White & Royal Blue", and here's my opinion on it:

In short: I really enjoyed it! I read through it in approximately 8 hours yesterday so the memory is still fresh. The rivals-to-lovers trope is one of my favorites so it wasn't very hard for me to enjoy. I liked the build-up and even though I have no real concept of American Politics (as Henry said "Is that far?") and really, anything American lol it was still easy to understand, especially as an immigrant child in a foreign country.

If you're still here: Hi, hello, welcome to Spoiler City! You have been warned!

I liked Alex well enough, loved Henry, and the entire character cast was enjoyable (well... Almost but more on that later) and unique. (Unique as in, every one of them had different voices in my head and I never got confused about who was who because it was very well established, which in my opinion is a good sign!)

Plotwise it was not really the best book for me, I do not enjoy Queer Pain. If you also want something that does not center on an outing without consent, the aftermath, and somehow everyone brushing it aside this book may not be the best choice for you.

For clarity's sake: I am well aware that the characters do deal with the aftermath of Alex's outing but in my opinion, it was pretty weak. It really felt more like "This sucks for your mom and oh yeah, you're here too lol" Alex got drunk about it and had a panic attack but other than that it wasn't treated with the caution it deserved.

Now, does that ruin the entire book for me? No. I love the banter between Henry and Alex, I love that they're allowed to be queer teenage boys who are in love and horny and stupid. I love that they don't shy away from (indirectly) criticizing how celebrities are treated as a main attraction at a zoo when it comes to their sexualities as if they're someone's character in a TV show. I also love that they weren't afraid to call it what it is (bisexuality) as I am also aware of how much erasure the Bisexual community faces. Not only that, we also got male bisexual rep!

Let's talk about the parts that I did not enjoy as much.

The pacing was a bit awkward, you've had tons of build-up between the main characters only to then have the reminder of American politics in between (it was off-putting, to say the least, suddenly we are talking about how to turn Texas Blue? I understand that this is part of the story but I do not have to like it.)

I did not enjoy Zhara's character at all. That was a personal ick of mine, where it is seen as strong and cool and feminist to be a jerk to people. It was especially awful when Alex got drunk about his outing and the entire focus seemingly shifted to: "How can we fix this for your mom, so she can get elected again? Oh, also you're here too but feelings later." This is not really the author's fault or flaw as (shocker) asshole characters exist, I just also don't have to like them. It felt flat, it felt rushed, and there was no real time to process and grieve, when there should've been. If you get outed nationwide albeit in a safe enough environment (for Alex anyway, Henry was an entirely different story) the focus should be on exactly that.

I have a lot of words and none of them fit together well but English is not my first language and this ain't Goodreads so we're fine.

I loved the references to queer history because it is so, so important for young queer Kids and old, tired, queer people (like me lol) to remember that we existed, and we made it, that we loved and were loved since the dawn of time. (As a Hamilton enjoyer it was also a delight to see it mentioned lol)

In conclusion: I liked the book well enough. I would not want to read it a second time though, I will keep it in fond memories.

On a score, it was a solid 3/5 for me. Hope you enjoyed this little review!

Cheers,

Lark

[maagee]

I'm obsessed with the comically nonsensical world building of the DSMP

It's so clear that most of the time there was absolutely zero thought put into it other than "lol this will be cool for my character" and I love it so much.

First, you have the basic world building of Minecraft. The mobs, the structures and the three dimensions. Artifacts like totems, tridents and elytras that bear great power but cannot be created by a player. The magic system of potions and enchantments, and the basically non-existent, high fantasy lore that you can piece together however you want.

You also have the in-universe explanations for game mechanics. Canonical Skype to explain messaging and voice chatting while being far away from each other in-game. The End being unknown to inhabitants to explain why no one has gone there yet. Canon chats like the voices, crows, and particles to give characters a reason to monologue and explain their thought process.

Then there's the slightly odd, but still plausible stuff that's mostly the result of the inherent craziness of a Minecraft roleplay. A chaotic deity with unknown intentions that has an uncanny resemblance to that one guy everyone hates. An afterlife that may or may not have gotten so fucked up because of the existence of resurrection and ghosts. A parasitic alien entity that mind controls people into feeding it with human sacrifices. None of it has anything to do with Minecraft's lore, it's all batshit crazy stuff used for story.

Specifically I would like to mention TFTSMP. Not only do we have a time traveller, being fought over by two sentient (?) dimension-entity things, but also we get a glance into the world's fairly realistic history and steampunk-with-dystopian-undertones future.

There's also advanced technology that clashes so hard with the game mechanics, you can't help but laugh. Crossbows are apparently guns. One guy just made nukes. Smartphones and social media exist, yet people still have no proper transportation and mainly use medieval weapons like swords, axes and bows. It's amazing.

And then. We get to the best of it all. The character specific stuff. Ranboo is an enderman-something hybrid with human intelligence, proving that either cross species reproduction exists, or Shou Tucker is on the loose again. Philza has (had) wings and an extraordinarily long lifespan for unknown reasons. Charlie is a slime that said "fuck it, meat time" and evolved into a human out of sheer boredom. BBH is just a straight up demon. Where is he from? Hell I guess? Foolish is an immortal totem god who's also part shark with lightning powers because of course he is. There are also multiple animal hybrids whose existence implies... things... And I'm not even gonna get into Fundy's family tree and everyone else.

There's countries, elections, revolutions and wars founght by about a dozen people. Except not, because apparently regular background characters and citizens exist, who just... Put up with everyone's drama I guess? And what about the multiple religions?? And the apparently homonormative society???

It's all so nonsensical and it's so perfectly fitting for DSMP and it's scuffed, chaotic energy. I love it so much.

[copperbadge]

blairprovence

(Con)fit For a King

This was my second choice! It was a working title for a while but he doesn’t actually make confit at any point, so I felt it wasn’t truth in advertising. :D 

gargelyfloof118

Taverns, Inns, Country Houses, and Castles

LOL I love this and also it’s basically also the alternative description of the Two Fat Ladies cooking show. 

digitaldiscipline

I see your "Fete for a King" and raise you "Diners, Drive-Ins, and Divine Rights"

Funnily enough, the prince (soon to be king) in the story doesn’t actually rule by divine right! 

"Power doesn't automatically pass from father to son. The king has to be confirmed by a popular vote. The kind of personality who wants to be king tends to run in families, so it's convenient that I'm the king's child and wanted the job, but if I hadn't we'd just have held a general election."

"Wait, so you're elected?" Eddie asked, disbelieving. "That's beyond wild."

"It's not really different from electing a president, although the scale is smaller, of course," Gregory said. He'd developed a little patter for this explanation years ago, around the time he had seriously started considering election to kingship when his father retired. "We had a traditional monarchy, but one of our recent kings -- Gregory II, actually, I'm named for him -- saw what was happening in Russia just before the Revolution. He decided some pre-emptive democracy might be in order. A small country like ours needs stability and wants one person in office long-term, so generally rule is a life term once elected. But if the people don't like the king, it's possible to call a vote of no-confidence and a new election." 

"Has a king ever actually been voted out?" 

"Gregory II's son was voted out," Gregory said. "He lost to my grandfather." 

"He lost to...so you're named for a guy you're not related to?" Eddie asked. 

"Our sense of tradition is strong. He's a spiritual ancestor, anyway. Reminder to be a good king." 

[paziffic]

Why I loved jschlatts villain character

/dsmp /rp

He was introduced as Tommy’s hero. The whole stream was him following them around and causing confusion and chaos

Never lets anyone one up him, will dominate anyone with words. Seriously this guy is such an ENTP

That being said, was all bark no bite. Managed to convince/ manipulate people to do what he wants. In one stream he was armorless and surrounded by mobs and nearly died but was like “omg u gotta help me” and Tommy did lol

HIS VILLAIN SPEECHES?? FUCKING ICONIC Had some of the most memorable lines in all of the dream smp

“My first decree as the president, the EMPORER, of this great country!!! Is to revoke the citizenship of Wilbur soot and tommyinnit!!!”

Fucking chills

The story needed more conflict and everyone kinda wanted to be on team good guy so Schlatt was like: fine I’ll do it myself

Originally ran as president because.,,,, he probably just wanted to cause problems

99% sure he was drunk that day

HIS SCREAM LAUGH???? Superb villainy

The cc doesn’t stream and therefore no one to entertain. He did this all for himself

Literally had no reason to be evil, was just like “I am going to make a character that is so evil and sexy” and we were all like good for him

The suit??? The tie?? The horns??? This villains got style. C!dream take notes teletubby

He didn’t have much depth but my god he did perfect in his role as evil dictator dude

Also the chill streams were so funny, him and quackity’s date felt like the villain couples just chilling after a day of wreaking havoc

Never dropped character even for a second

He always seemed one step ahead,,, he knew tubbo was a spy and planned the festival,,, he knew of the tnt under lmanburg,,, he had a revival book somehow and got dream on his side,,,

Took the L out of lmanburg which was ingenious because it meant they didn’t lose, and also Americanized it cuz they originally added the L to sound more European

Flatty Patty

Whenever he called Wilbur “lover boy” ohgoshoshithhhh

Immediately tried flirting with technoblade the moment he showed up to get him on his side

Was able to tear pogtopia against each other by making techno kill tubbo

I don’t even have to explain why making tubbo decorate his own execution was brilliant storytelling

He was intimidating, personally affected the “protagonists,” had an air of mystery and charisma, but .... he was also weird. He’s a weirdo. He doesn’t fit in, and he doesn’t want to. You ever see him without his stupid suit? That’s weird

Got high off protein powder 24/7

While high on said protein powder would randomly start lifting weights. Can’t miss leg day ig

“WÒÖØØØŌÔÒÕÕ”

This guy should be a voice actor

Didnt know how to swim but kept forgetting he didn’t know how to swim and had to be repeatedly punched out of water

I honestly thought his death was done really well- he pushed everyone away from him and spiraled into an addiction to alcohol and protein powder, and at the end of his time he was surrounded by everyone he pushed away. No one helped him when he was in pain. All just stared with pitiful and cold eyes. A pathetic way to go for a pathetic man.

TLDR: c!schlatt will always have a special place in my heart because I love me some Funny bastard villains.

Also a fusion of dream and Schlatt would be Bill Cipher I am not wrong ever

Feel free to add on !!

Edit:

offered alcohol to tubbo at one point- “here tubbo u gotta try some of this” tubbo being the responsible one “no thank you schlatt I don’t think that’s a good idea”

Fell off cliffs a lot

Never would run. God his character looks so dumb I fucking love it

Seems like he and c!Wilbur had a history, like exes or something.

The iconic “His Vice President stole my women!!! And Wilbur .... *sobbing* he stole my heart” :(

“If I die, this country goes down with me.” Well he wasn’t wrong

I completely forgot about him tearing down the Lmanburg walls! He was also about to take down the caravan, but.... guys just watch’s tubbo or quackitys POV of Election Day, u won’t regret it

The boxing match during the festival was so funny. Everyone had to take off their armor , and schlatt who never wore armor went up against fundy. Right as the bell rang he put on all diamond armor and murked fundy. A true summary of his character

“If you want your ass to get fatter, your gonna have to start doing squats with a liTTLE MORE WEIGHT ON IT BIG BOYYYY”

[stardustedknuckles]

I think...I'm gonna do it. I'm gonna take an online course to learn to teach English abroad and go do it. Rest under a cut cuz I got rambly and excited.

I always wanted to be a teacher, but not here in America and certainly not in Oklahoma. I've seen how teachers are treated, I don't have it in me to do grad school right now or even a teaching certificate (because again, nothing I would want to teach here would require less than grad school) and best of all, a lot of what I'd be teaching involves grammar around the middle school level. Even though I'd be teaching it likely to young learners (to start) little kids through middle school is exactly what I want to teach (or college. see: grad school). I love language arts and I love working with kids, and I have wanted to try and make a life in another country since before I even understood how fucked I was in this one. I could work in Europe and not have to worry about whether I look feminine enough or fit in with the staff or kiss up to the principal enough, I could work to stay in one place and get on with an actual school and eventually live there for real - the idea of going to a different country every year seems exhausting and not great for long-term savings. I'm ready to dig into a career that will take care of me in a place that will take care of me.

And I think that starts with this course. I thought eight years ago that I would be happy if I could find a way to make tutoring a full-time job, and I don't feel much differently today. I'm good at explaining things and I want to do that. I want to be every cool language teacher I ever had, especially for people who struggle with it. Tutoring Spanish was the highlight of my college experience. I didn't get to take a college English grammar course until senior year as an elective and I loved it. This is as close as I can get to the middle school version of me who was deeply saddened when English and Language Arts stopped being two different classes.

It just sounds too good to be true, but I have been thinking on it and looking into it for months now. I even have a place to stay in Sweden while I'm looking for work, because somehow the connections I made in the fucking beauyasha fandom have allowed the stars to align in this way. If I think about that too long I'll just start crying lol. I wasn't sure how I was going to pay for anything past the course until I remembered - once I have that certification, I can teach English online for supplemental income and keep the job I have. That's huge, and realizing that was what allowed me to say okay, this is real and we can do it. My credit card won't like it but we can do it. The alternative is getting a second job and that's not realistic in small town Oklahoma, and also I think it might kill me to try. I don't want to put myself through so many paces trying to do this that I am too burnt out (again) to enjoy succeeding.

Thanks for listening. I just needed to actualize it and make it real to myself. I've done the research, it's not a scam, it's a real thing people do, and I am more than good enough and excited enough to do it well. I'm not great at wanting things and even worse at imagining having them, so this is a pretty big deal.

[the-redeemed-anon]

Welp, since we got Wilbur back, let’s take a look at Eight

As a disclaimer, I’ll talk about the character, and if I mention the CC, I will label his name accordingly.

Okay, since the pog thing that happened on the 29th of April, and a couple of bad takes have already started to pop up Jesus Christ guys why do you want the dude that just got back to life after being trapped in limbo for over a decade to get beaten up violently- I think it’s appropriate to bring attention to the thing that gave me my pseudonym and my belief that we may get a redemption/healing arc for Wilbur: the song Eight, by Sleeping at Last.

Why this song matters, you may wonder. Well, it’s a song that we have confirmation to have been CC!Wilbur’s personal inspiration for his character, as said by CC!Wilbur himself. Not only does that give us insight into how and why Wilbur acted in certain ways in Season 1, but it also gives us the opportunity to see the inner turmoil he went through and still will.

Now keep in mind that this is just my interpretation of the song, other people may see the song differently, but overall looking at this song and looking for meaning into it I think is very useful if you plan to analyse Wilbur or even write about him. It truly gives you a lot of insight and context for how he was. Here is a link to it for you to listen to it, before I dive into the analysis.

First, let’s see what Eight is about, as a song. The song is about Type Eight of the Enneagram of Personality, which is basically a system that defines 9 different personality types. Sleeping at Last made a song for each Enneagram, actually, but we’re here to talk about Type 8 (also bear in mind I am not an expert in psychology, so I am not here to comment on the validity of this system. I’m here just to analyze a song lol).

What is Type 8 (aka a bit of analysis on Wilbur outside of the song)

Type 8 is often called the Challenger or the Protector. This type is characterized by a want to not show vulnerability, to have power. Their deepest fear is to not be in control of themselves, to be harmed, to be vulnerable, and their desire is to be in control of themselves, their life/destiny. They want respect over status, value loyalty and they want to make an impact on the world. You can start to see some core characteristics of Wilbur in this description.

We also have levels, from healthy to unhealthy, with which we can see what a Type 8 person can behave like.

Healthy Type 8 people act like a protector for others, they are the strong leaders, the challengers of oppression, the people who don’t stand for injustice in their communities. You can say they are the natural leader type, and I think you can start to see inklings of Wilbur’s personality from early Season 1 here. He started L’Manberg to challenge what he saw as tyranny. When Wilbur described the reasons he cared about L’Manberg, we can also notice that the values he lists align with the core desires of a Type 8: the desire to have control over their life, and not allow others to control them. By making L’Manberg to “stick it to the man“, Wilbur is very stereotypically a Type 8.

Average Type 8 people aren’t as open as someone on the healthy level is. Showing weakness is unacceptable. They may see relationships as the next challenge they need to surpass, and can come easily off as intimidating and ambitious to peers. To me, this sounds a bit like Wilbur after the War, before the announcement of the Festival. He was more closed off around that time, and you could argue that the Elections were a part of his ambition to prove that people respect him, that he can do this, rule a country. The new revelation that Wilbur was lying in his letters to Phil, about the Elections and the formation of Pogtopia also shows that he didn’t want to show weakness, to disappoint or worry his father.

Unhealthy Type 8 people become so closed off that they are intimidating and can appear tyrannical from the outside, often disregarding the feelings of others. They pursue power, and when someone stands in their way, they are cold and become quite antagonistic. They may issue empty threats in their pursuit for power, and their already existing relationships are turned into tests, where the only option is to pass or to fail, with no in-between. This can result in them being abandoned, and them accepting this as being better this way, to be alone. They can force themselves into loneliness.

If this sounds terribly familiar and recent, well... Wilbur, ever since the “Then let’s be the bad guys“ speech, has exhibited the traits of an unhealthy Type 8. Even now, post-resurrection, while he is trying to improve on himself, a lot of his traits remain or have worsened, due to staying in limbo for 13 years. He still has a persona under which he hides his issues, and as I have said in another post, he’s the emotional equivalent of a snail, you poke him gently and he completely retreats in his shell. Wilbur has actively driven people away from him for being so confrontational, and this can be seen again with Ranboo. All in all, Wilbur is definitely cozy in that section of the Type for now.

I also want to talk separately about three things:

1. The Pit

I won’t lie, the Pit is probably the most extreme thing Wilbur did to this date. It’s Wilbur at his lowest point morally and mentally, reveling in his brother figure fighting a much tougher opponent and losing. I won’t sit here and say he was right, nor am I gonna condemn you for your opinion on the Pit, but, when you look at Wilbur’s enneagram, the Pit and why it happened makes sense. What happened right before? The Festival. The Festival was meant to be the time Wilbur either blew up Manberg or left it be, based on Tubbo’s call. Wilbur prepared for those two scenarios, and felt in control of the situation... then it all went horribly wrong. The situation spiraled wildly out of Wilbur’s grasp and it ended with the death of Tubbo and the possibility of Techno being on Schlatt’s side.

This started a breakdown fueled by paranoia that led to the Pit, to Wilbur goading Techno and Tommy to fight. The question is, why? Why do that?

To regain control. Wilbur, in my opinion, did that in an attempt to regain control, after the Festival slipped so hard from his grasp, no matter his effort to keep control of it. That was his urge, that was his need in the moment, no matter how messed up it was, he may have felt like this was necessary. Remember, the core fear of Eights is to not be in control of their own life and destiny, to be puppeteered by someone else. This is why the Pit happened, when you acknowledge the fact that Wilbur was unstable mentally, and he is the type of person to want control.

2. The want to protect others

This is a quality of healthy Eights that still shines through with Wilbur, but it’s sadly overshadowed by his more antagonistic or morally darker actions and quotes.

Wilbur was naturally a protective person. Because Eights challenge authority, this makes them see the world as being inhabited by those who are strong and those who are weak, and not in a bad way. Eights consider themselves part of the strong ones, because they stand up for themselves, but because they see the world also inhabited by the weak, they have the urge to protect them. They also stand up for whom they think can’t stand up for themselves on their own, they think they are responsible for the protection of others.

And when you look at Wilbur, this shines through. He made himself President, and while no one protested, he did it because he felt he was the one fit for the role. Even at the time this scene happened, you can see why Wilbur would have perceived Tommy, Tubbo and Fundy as weaker than him: Fundy was his son, and Tommy and Tubbo, no matter the age intended at the time, were always viewed as younger than him, not to say, Tommy had just lost 2 lives back-to-back. Therefore, Wilbur put himself in charge and with the duty to protect the nation and its people, as the President.

Wilbur even says this in the flashback from Quackity’s stream:

[“What has made you do everything you’ve done up to this point?” (Quackity)

“That’s a- That’s a big question. Um. I guess it’s just protection for my people. I mean, I- I- I just want to see them thrive, and I want to see them safe.” (Alivebur) - (Quackity’s Killing My Enemies: 1:03:02, 12th Apr)]

It’s clear, Wilbur has a desire to protect his nation, and, by extension, his people, his friends, especially with the following quote once Quackity replies: [“Your aspirations of optimism are not going to be subject to my nation’s security I’m afraid. I- I completely disagree with everything you’ve said.” - (Quackity’s Killing My Enemies: 1:05:18, 12th Apr)] He keeps hammering in the idea that he did what he did to protect and offer safety to his friends. That’s why he needed power: [“If you want to really help people, you’re gonna need power, Quackity.” - (Quackity’s Killing My Enemies: 1:05:42, 12th Apr)]

And again, this happens even after the “Then let’s be the bad guys“ speech. Even though he initially says he wants to kill everyone at the Festival, when confronted with this on the day of the event, he second-guesses himself. He doesn’t want to hurt his friends, he doesn’t want to hurt people weaker than him. He distrusts Tubbo, but the moment Techno fires the first rocket, he’s shocked, appalled and moves to go to the button, while urging Tommy to act. When Schlatt wants to kill Niki, he steps out and offers himself to be killed and no one else be harmed.

Even the act of pushing the button himself, there are Wilbur analysts who have pointed out that Wilbur may have wanted to be stopped. And even then, the explosion created no casualties, thanks to all of them wearing armor.

In the Void, Wilbur talks about how he’s evil, how the server is better off without him. He recognizes himself as a hazard, and while that is a part of his self-loathing and hatred, you can also see his care for others shine through: he didn’t want to come back at the time, because he thought he would bring back conflict, suffering [“Here’s the thing, I genuinely think, if it weren’t for me and you dying right, the server would be in shambles. I know for a fact that if I come back, or if I’m brought back to life in some way it’s definitely gonna just go [shit again]” “I know what I’m like, that’s the issue.” - (Tommy’s am i dead?: 10:29, 4th March)]. By staying dead, at this point, he was continuing to prevent weaker people from being harmed.

Even now, post-resurrection, we can see this, but, well...

3. Opinion on Dream

I have looked at this before, from the angle of Wilbur’s mentality. We all know his opinion on Dream so far, that he would have killed him on the spot for what happened to Tommy in the Exile, but Wilbur still considers him his hero. While I said at the time that it may be a subtle way for Wilbur to cloak his self-loathing and self-hatred, but now I want to look at the first part again, from the perspective of Type 8:

Wilbur, by having the urge to kill Dream on the spot, for what he did to Tommy in Exile (and, keep in mind, Ghostbur wasn’t there for all of it, so Wilbur did not see the destruction of Logsted and why it happened, or how Tommy was completely isolated from everyone after the party, and Tommy referred to Dream as his owner to Mexican Dream), no matter what he says after about Dream, proves that he still has the quality to want to protect the weak.

Dream, as always, is one of the strong people of the server. He’s the owner, he has a lot of items and good gear, and in general, everyone recognizes him with a level of danger he presents, and power. Tommy, on the other hand, is one of the weaker ones.

While Tommy has valuable traits, like his loyalty, his fierce determination and the will to keep moving despite how low life kicks him at times, one can’t deny that, in general, Tommy is viewed as one of the weak. He doesn’t have that many powerful items, he isn’t physically that strong, people constantly pick on him, and he is one of the minors of the server, the youngest of them, in fact. Add to that the humiliation of Exile and the treatment he was put through, Tommy was not only at his weakest then, but also at his most vulnerable.

Why would it be a surprise then for Wilbur to want to gut Dream, considering the above? Tommy and Wilbur were very close. As Wilbur acknowledged in the latest stream: [“We were a family, Tommy. We were…” - (Wilbur’s resurrected gentleman of L'manburg: 27:26, 5th May)], they were once so close they could have been brothers. Tommy stuck with Wilbur as a right hand man, he was the only one who didn’t give up on him in Pogtopia, no matter if he thought his choices were right or wrong, and Wilbur confided in Tommy a lot. Now take this little brother figure he had in Tommy, and put him through Exile.

Of course Wilbur would want to gut Dream, Tommy may as well be part of his family, and Wilbur doesn’t strike me as the kind to want his loved ones in pain, genuinely. He may dismiss the feelings Tommy has sometimes, but his reaction to Exile shows that he isn’t blind to suffering. He saw it and recognized as harmful and damaging to Tommy, unprompted by anyone else.

He even makes a comment that I think may be important in the future: [“Tommy, I’m not, I’m not- I wasn’t blind, I saw what he was doing to you, Tommy. I saw. I saw what he was doing to Tubbo. I saw what he did to me.” - (Wilbur’s resurrected gentleman of L'manburg: 21:08, 5th May)]. Remember, Wilbur right now is deeply conflicted, I don’t think he’s properly sorted his feelings on Dream yet. He, in this quote, recognizes he saw how Dream treated Tommy, Tubbo and himself. While Eights want to protect the weak, their core fear is being controlled or harmed by others. I am very curious what will happen if, or, when, Wilbur will decide that Dream is also a hazard to himself, or if Dream will try to use Wilbur for his own plans. But, this is starting to deviate from the purpose of this post so, with that out of the way...

The lyrics:

I remember the minute It was like a switch was flipped I was just a kid who grew up strong enough To pick this armor up And suddenly it fit

Here, Wilbur’s arc and story begins. The lyric recount the moment Wilbur’s spiral began: the Final Control Room. He remembers that betrayal up to his death, still calling Eret a traitor and quoting him, with the same quote he used: “It was never meant to be”. This moment is what will define and shape Wilbur throughout Season 1, and even now. The switch mentioned is the button pressed, the moment everything changed. “I was just a kid” is Wilbur recognizing that he was not ready for the role of President, sentiment reflected by the rest of the lyrics: “who grew up strong enough/To pick this armor up”. Wilbur forced himself to bear the title of president, like a suit of armor, something that protects you, and helps you to fight for others, until “suddenly it fit”.

God, that was so long ago, long ago, long ago I was little, I was weak and perfectly naive And I grew up too quick

Here Wilbur internally recognizes that time passed, his ideology changed, as evident the quotes from Quackity’s stream: [“You say, you say everyone has a good side, Quackity. And you’re right, you’re right, everyone has a good side, but that good side is only there to help themselves. If you want to really help people, you’re gonna need power, Quackity. You can make a movement, you can make a resistance, right, you can go out and you can come back, and they’ll give you a ticker tape parade. They’ll cheer for you in the streets, but you will change nothing. If you have a revolution, everyone will hate you, you will sacrifice everything, and you will lose everything you’ve ever had, but you’ll come back and everything will be changed. And Quackity, if you want to change things, you’re gonna need power. That’s what you want, really, isn’t it? Look at me. And power isn’t gaining from diplomacy, and bureaucracy, and giant courthouses suspended in the sky, blah blah blah. It’s gained from swords, Quackity. It’s gained from blades, it’s gained from steel, iron. Even if everyone has this good side that you’re talking about, then anyone who wants to prove it, has to show their dark side first. You’re going to have to kill, you’re going to have to torture, you’re going to have to maim.” - (Quackity’s Killing My Enemies: 1:06:34, 12th Apr)]. Yet, even if this happened so “long ago, long ago, long ago”, he “grew up too quick”, because the change was too sudden, and it didn’t occur naturally.

Now you won't see all that I have to lose And all I've lost in the fight to protect it I won't let you in, I swore never again I can't afford, no, I refuse to be rejected

I think this verse refers to the Election and its fallout. He quite literally loses a lot on that day, not only his country and his second life, but seemingly, his son, because Fundy takes down the walls. Wilbur also lost a lot in the Independence War, as he lost his first life in there, his son and allies lost their lives too, and this created the perfect environment for paranoia around trust to form. Wilbur, at this point, swears to not let himself be vulnerable with anyone again, or to fully trust people, because of what happened in the Final Control Room and at the Elections. The last line is Wilbur deciding to go ahead and start Pogtopia, to reclaim his nation. As you may remember, the Election was held so that Wilbur could legitimize his presidency, because he felt people started to not listen to him anymore, and an election, in his mind, would have fixed that. Due to his paranoia, and depression, Wilbur couldn’t afford to lose, because the presidency was one of the things that gave him happiness and helped him function. Once he lost and was banished, he decided to strike back and take back the country, or, as the lyrics say, “I refuse to be rejected”.

I want to break these bones 'til they're better I want to break them right and feel alive You were wrong, you were wrong, you were wrong My healing needed more than time

People who’ve broken a bone before may be familiar with this, but there is a possibility for a broken bone to heal incorrectly, so, when that happens, the bone is broken again and you try again. What that lyric means is that Wilbur was not healing properly, and he was constantly damaging himself again, to restart the process, to make his bones stronger, to make himself better. The “feel alive“ part, in my opinion, goes hand in hand with the fact that Wilbur was... not in the best place mentally in that time. We all know how he died, and, to be honest, a lot of the morally bad things Wilbur did could be argued to have been done to give him something to live, be it thrill or satisfaction. The last two lyrics, I feel, are directed to Tommy; Wilbur needed more than just time to “come back around“, and we know how Season 1 ended.

Now, this may be a controversial take, but... This is the end of Wilbur’s Season 1 arc. I think this is as far as Wilbur’s parallel to Eight went in Season 1, it’s the Pogtopia Era, up to November 16th. You may say that it’s his unfinished son- *gunshots*

Okay, okay, but what does that mean for the rest of the song? Well... It could be that either CC!Wilbur will stop with the Eight parallels here, or, the version I like, it means that the rest of the song is a hint for insight into how Wilbur feels and how his character will change in the future.

When I see fragile things, helpless things, broken things I see the familiar I was little, I was weak, I was perfect, too Now I'm a broken mirror

This is Wilbur recognizing that he is not okay, internally, which we know is a thing in canon, because of this quote from the Resurrection stream: [”Are you trying to- Are you trying to make me- Tommy, are you trying to make me- You remember that time in the cave? Are you trying- Are you trying do- Are you trying to make me feel like I did back then, in Pogtopia? Are you trying to- Are you trying to make me feel as bad as I did back then? ‘Cause it’s not gonna work!” - (Tommy’s Breaking Into Prison To Kill Dream: 59:06, 29th Apr)] It’s a great step for Wilbur, afterall, healing starts when you recognize you have a problem, so you can begin fixing it, but, as we know...

But I can't let you see all that I have to lose All I've lost in the fight to protect it I can't let you in, I swore never again I can't afford to let myself be blindsided

Wilbur is the emotional equivalent of a snail. Here we see “Snailbur” doing a reprise of the third paragraph, which I linked to him in the Election Era and its fallout. From the way the lyrics are worded, we can see the how similar they are, but there is a difference: reluctance. Wilbur knows he’s not okay, but he can’t reach out for help, because then, he’ll be showing weakness, but he wants to open up. “Now” becomes “but”, “I won’t let you in” becomes “I can’t let you in”. Now he’s not afraid of rejection, he doesn’t want to be blindsided, which I didn’t know at first what it meant, because my native language is not English, but when I looked it up I came across this definition: “to surprise someone, usually with harmful results”. This shows us something important: Wilbur is hiding his true feelings because he’s afraid to not be hurt again. He doesn’t want another Final Control Room or Election to happen to him.

I'm standing guard, I'm falling apart And all I want is to trust you Show me how to lay my sword down For long enough to let you through

This set confirms it, Wilbur is on the defense now, he’s defending from potential hurt, and the second part of the first lyric is hinting at what a lot of Wilbur analysts have pointed out and we are prepping for: Wilbur having a big crash from the high he’s experiencing from getting resurrected, he’ll be “falling apart“, he’ll be vulnerable, and open to hurt, or... Redemption. This is it. This is the section that made me insist and theorize about a redemption/healing arc: that second lyric, continuing with the rest: Wilbur is reaching out to someone or some people, that he can put his trust to. Wilbur doesn’t just need someone willing to redeem him, because we had that in Pogtopia, with Tommy, no, Wilbur also needs himself to open up, trust people and ask for help. And that is exactly what happens in the last two lyrics: Wilbur is asking for help to open up and let people help him.

Here I am, pry me open What do you want to know? I'm just a kid who grew up scared enough To hold the door shut And bury my innocence But here's a map, here's a shovel Here's my Achilles' heel

And here we have it. Wilbur opening up. Wilbur finally letting someone in, admitting he’s scared, he’s scared of hurting again, comparing himself to a kid. This one I find very symbolic, because if he, at the beginning, was a kid, then by admitting he is a kid at this stage, he’s the same person he was at the beginning, with the good he had, with the flaws he had, what he did and the trauma he gained will never erase that. The innocence in this part of the song, I think is Ghostbur. People forget, but while Ghostbur seems to be a separate entity, he’s still very much a version of Wilbur. He has a lot of his memories, his happy ones. Wilbur and Ghostbur are the two sides of the same coin, different, yet so much alike. You need both to understand the other. Wilbur has the capacity to be innocent, to be kind, good, he just... buried these qualities, and someone has to help him dig them up, when he is ready to open up. I don’t think I need to explain the meaning of someone showing you their Achilles’ heel, beside the fact that it means they trust you with their life. Wilbur needs to find someone to trust.

I'm all in, palms out I'm at your mercy now and I'm ready to begin I am strong, I am strong, I am strong enough to let you in

Here, I think we see Wilbur accepting the consequences of his actions, of the hurt he caused, because, while he’s not irredeemable, he did hurt people, and he needs to be open to them not forgiving them, but, as the song says, just then he’ll be “ready to begin” his healing and redemption. And right at the end there, “I am strong” is repeated thrice, he’s ready to heal, to be vulnerable with someone. It’s the redemption in full swing from here to the end.

I'ma shake the ground with all my might And I will pull my whole heart up to the surface For the innocent, for the vulnerable And I'll show up on the front lines with a purpose

Remember what I said, about healthy Eights? Champions of the people, natural leaders, challengers of oppression and protectors of the weak? This is what Wilbur should become at the end of the redemption, if we are to follow the song. He’s gonna put all of his strength into fighting for what’s right, and he’ll open up, he will heal. We’ll be back to fighting for “the innocent, for the vulnerable”, he’ll have a purpose to fulfill. L’Manberg was deeply tied to both Wilbur and Ghostbur, and Wilbur himself admitted to caring about L’Manberg because what it stood for. Now, L’Manberg is gone, but those ideals aren’t. Maybe, just maybe, he’ll fight in the future to protect those ideals.

And, finally:

And I'll give all I have, I'll give my blood, give my sweat An ocean of tears will spill for what is broken I'm shattered porcelain, glued back together again Invincible like I've never been

I really like the end here. Because, it’s not only reinforcing the idea that Wilbur will be redeemed, but that penultimate lyric always stood out for me: “I'm shattered porcelain, glued back together again”. Porcelain is, while very fragile, a beautiful material. When I think of the word, I think of beautiful vases, handcrafted with skill and care. It’s a shame when a porcelain vase breaks. But, just because something is broken, it doesn’t mean it can’t be repaired. And when I think of repaired porcelain, I think of the Japanese art of kintsugi - a technique with which broken pottery is glued in such a way that the cracks aren’t hidden, but celebrated as a part of the object’s history, by filling them in with gold. I like to think that at the end of his healing arc, Wilbur will be similar, he was broken, he healed, but the scars are still there, and, even then, he’ll be thriving again. It’ll be an experience that, overall, helped him become better. And the final lyric: “Invincible like I've never been“, I like to think that this will be him at his peak: healed, happy, ready to take life by the horns, like he wasn’t before. It’s a hopeful, happy note to finish the song and his story on.

And that is my analysis on the song and the enneagram, I guess (Jesus this got waaay longer than I expected). I really hope Wilbur will get a redemption arc, it’s already wonderful that we have him back AND he wants to live (it’s honestly the first time I see, in any media, a suicide victim that not only is brought back to life, but they are happy to be back). Hopefully this is useful to people, and, as always, thanks to @kateis-cakeis for compiling Wilbur’s/Ghostbur’s quotes in a masterlist with timestamps and anything you’d want to know about them. It’s a goldmine of analyzing Wilbur and I highly encourage you to check it out.

[whentheynameyoujoy]

Is the West Complicit in Russia’s War on Ukraine?

Short answer, yeah, kinda.

Long answer, not in the way you think.

The thing that grinds my tits about people pissing themselves about NATO is that you can very easily give the West shit without once mentioning the thing. I’m not going to make a case for or against NATO here because quite frankly, I don’t need to. Whatever you think about NATO and its offense/defence ratio, whatever you think about its actions in Serbia or Libya or Afghanistan or Iraq, whatever your thoughts on its role in slowing down intra-EU integration, no matter if you’re convinced that it’s a primary tool of Western imperialism (even though Macron, renowned for his opposition to French neo-colonialism, lol, called the organisation braindead and pushed for a shake-up in European security because to him NATO was that useless) or that its raison d'etre is to oppose the famously communist countries of Russia and China—the fact is that NATO was never ever ever EVER going to directly attack Russia. The so-called NATO “encroachment” and “expansionism” never posed a military threat to Russia, for one reason and one reason only.

Russia is a nuclear power. That’s it.

I literally cannot comprehend the blithering idiocy one must possess in order to seriously parrot the Kremlin line on Russia facing a direct threat from NATO. Were you dropped on the head as a baby? Did you fall asleep in school when they talked about why proxy conflicts were a thing during the Cold War? Are you getting paid to act as a moron online? God, I hope you’re at least getting paid to act as a moron online because I’m lowkey embarrassed for you.

Ukraine’s NATO ascension (which wasn’t on the table any time soon anyway) is only a problem in so far as you consider the NATO’s defensive capability a problem as such, i.e. the famous musketeer defence of Article 5. In and of itself, neither EU or NATO ascension would prevent Ukraine from having a close friendly relationship with Russia, in any capacity it deems fit, be it in terms of economy, culture, and yes, even military cooperation. The only way in which the clause on collective defence is an issue is if Russia happens to consider Ukraine its rightful clay and wants to claim it by military means.

And now for the anti-western scratch I promised.

I’m just gonna go out and say it—unless you’re a Westerner, the West doesn’t give much of a fuck whether or not you live in a democracy and have your human rights respected. No one who knows anything about the Western response to such things as the Uyghur or Palestinian genocide or the Yemen famine or the suppression of Hong Kong protests needs to have it explained how limp-dicked the West actually is when it comes to safeguarding its stated values of freedom, human rights, and democracy. But what those who bleat about Ukraine supposedly being made an exception due to its whiteness don’t realize (or let’s be honest, don’t know) is that the West doesn’t give much of a fuck about protecting human rights in Eastern Europe either.

They didn’t give a fuck about Euromaidan. They didn’t give a fuck about the shooting of protesters. They didn’t give a fuck about the annexation of Crimea or Russia funding the conflict in Donbas, beyond getting the situation to a point where it could feasibly be made into “business as usual” and ignored as such. They didn’t give a fuck about Belarusian civilians coming out in droves to protest Lukashenko cooking up election results. They didn’t give a fuck about Belarusian protesters being dragged off streets to be tortured in jail and then made to publicly renounce their support for Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya. They didn’t give a fuck about Russia’s invasion of Georgia, in fact the invasion resulted in a reset in international relations with Russia. They didn’t give a fuck about the untold number of independent journalists being murdered or jailed or threatened. They didn’t give a fuck about the noose tightening around the neck of Russia’s free press. They didn’t give a fuck about the persecution of Russian dissidents. They didn’t give a fuck about the horrorshow Putin turned protesting into. They didn’t give a fuck about Putin’s opponents being jailed or disappeared, even if it happened on the EU soil. They didn’t really give a fuck about the Salisbury poisonings. And I can’t think of a better illustration of how not motivated by whiteness in regards to Russia the West has been than Malaysia Airlines Flight 17, a plane chock full of European civilians downed by Russia-backed and Russia-led separatists that resulted in a grand total of fuck all.

None of these things got a fraction of the response Ukraine is now getting. As long as the EU itself faced no threat, it was absolutely willing to turn a blind eye and work with Putin and other authoritarians. Because the EU and West at large isn’t interested in the sanctity of human rights or democracy. It’s interested in business and resources. And if getting those conflicts with the EU’s stated goal of protecting the so-called “European values”? Well, it’s not going to be the EU’s purse getting sacrificed, that’s for sure.

Which is how we found ourselves here, embroiled in a conflict where the only course of action the EU can pursue while not risking a nuclear WWIII is to hide behind the fighting Ukrainians and force ordinary Russians to essentially storm the Winter Palace by making their life hell on earth. The EU has no other choice but to rely on the flimsy remnants of Russian and Belarusian civic societies it had no interest in nourishing.

As we Czechs say, your appetite grows as you eat. And the West sure fed the fuck out of Putin.

[xoxo-ren-xoxo]

dSMP but make it a TV show

*kicks down door*

HEY! I think it would be cool if dSMP was made into a TV show. Obviously this won’t happen I just think it’d be neat. And I have Ideas, too. 

First of all it would be animated because it would suck as live-action. Second of all each episode would be 40mins-1hour long and there would be ten episodes per season. The minecraft stuff would have to be re-worked but it totally fits into a more fantasy-type setting with some modern elements. The potential world-building is actually kinda fun (for example, maybe some characters come from a distant city where technology is more advanced, and act accordingly?) the potential is endless lol.

Anyway I came up with a list of episodes and what happens in each one so buckle up buckaroo! We’re going on a journey!

Season 1:

The Disc War Part 1 (intro to characters, basic plot, tommy & tubbo vs dream team, and the discs) 

The Disc War Part 2 (end of the disc war, into to some minor characters? the badlands etc etc) 

Wilbur (flashbacks of sbi home yes ik its not canon fuck u, the pet war, wilbur shows up at the end) 

L'Manburg (the story of this bitchass country) 

The War Of Independence (you know, the duel, the discs, etc etc) 

The Election (campaign trails, jschlatt (flashbacks of water/lava rising? maybe jschlatt big city schlatt & co backstory??? CONNOR??????) ends with the exile moment TM) 

Pogtopia (you know, also tensions rise back in Manburg, techno arrives, ends with 'I want to be your vassal') 

The Festival (the tensions, theyre rising, badlands dont pick sides, white house content please and thank you) 

Loyalties (quackity joins pogtopia, fundy and niki too, ends with eret being dethroned) 

The Finale (big battle, you know, death, then connor, puffy, and ranboo get introduced at the end maybe during quackity’s speech which everyone sleeps on and no im not bitter)

Season 2:

Rebuilding (literally rebuilding, tubbo president, PHIL SNEAKING AROUND and being sad cause uh he killed his son, ghostbur, schlatt’s funeral, tommy and ranboo steal from george at the end) 

Bloodvines (the egg uwu, dream being a bitch, but also tommy and tubbo exile you know the drill) 

Desolate (tommy in exile, fundy adoption arc, ghostbur my beloved) 

No Hope (more tommy in exile, ranboo my beloved, phil and techno wholesome moments TM, quackity fundy and tubbo prepare the butcher army)

The Prison (the prison is introduced, tommy still all alone, tubbo struggles with responsibility, more egg stuff) 

New Ally (techno gets got by the butcher army, tommy does his thing and runs away to techno, i imagine the two events happening at the same time, perhaps shown with cross-cutting the scenes (eg as the anvil falls, so does tommy?)) 

Breaking & Entering (techno and tommy cause chaos TM, dream is a bitch, more egg stuff) 

Betrayal (tommy and techno end of friendship sadface, RANBOO, sad ghostbur, perhaps introduce foolish and his relation to puffy here, ends with ranboo’s meltdown?) 

Destruction (kaboom yknow, explosion time, boom, more ranboo smile, ghostbur ressurection attempts yoooo glatt, more egg shit) 

The Discs (the discs!! ‘what am i without you’ ‘yourself’, ends on a hopefull note w/ ghost wilbur or whatever)

Thanks have a nice day

[aelaer]

☕ I AM totally cooking you up in this ask on how much you know about the Accords and the way they relate to the US's federal law 👀👀👀

Ahhh, yeah, I was due an ask like this. It took a while to get to, so hopefully you eventually see it, md. Note that all regulations are directly from the Wiki, which drew from the canon of Agents of SHIELD, which had huge plot points around the Accords. Possibly the other old Marvel TV shows too, I’m not sure. And without this expansion, we’d know literally nothing about them, but they fit a lot of what was in the comics so I’m cool as accepting them as canon. Your Mileage May Vary.

This is super long so I put it under a cut.

Any enhanced individuals who agree to sign must register with the United Nations and provide biometric data such as fingerprints and DNA samples.

Nothing breaking current US law. You’re expected to get fingerprinted if you do certain things for the state in certain states in the US. For instance, when I took a tutoring job for underprivileged children in my early college years, I was fingerprinted. I wouldn’t be surprised if higher-security jobs also require something similar.

However, to my knowledge these are all state or nationwide databases, not international. There may be some argument to be made about which officials from which country have access to your fingerprints, as it is with the Accords.

In this fictional universe, DNA samples may be more of an issue due to how meta-humans may have altered DNA and we alllll know that of those 117 countries that signed, at least a dozen of them would try to weaponize it in some capacity. If I were a meta-human in the MCU, this would be my largest concern.

Any enhanced individuals who sign are prohibited from taking action in any country other than their own unless they are first given clearance by either that country's government or by a United Nations subcommittee.

This makes complete sense and should have been established long ago. If it wasn’t already established, then the world governments of the MCU are... well, just as slow and dumb as the real world’s.

Any enhanced individuals who do not sign will not be allowed to take part in any police, military, or espionage activities, or to otherwise participate in any national or international conflict, even in their own country.

The UN does not have the authority to dictate what an individual country does or does not allow their population to do, for better or worse. The atrocities carried out across the world by various world governments against their people is the best evidence of that.

That said, in this case, I don’t think it’s any of their business to dictate this. If France wants meta-humans in their police force regardless as to whether they’ve signed the Accords or not, that’s France’s business. If Japan wants to bolster their army with meta-humans who didn’t sign, that’s Japan’s business. The rest of the world may not be happy with that, but the UN is not an elected ruling body and just doesn’t have the authority to make regulations like that. A lot of countries will play nice with sweeping calls such as that and go along with them, but they’re under no obligation to follow them (and certainly not with US law - the UN’s rulings have zero legal ramifications here until they’re passed in state or federal legislatures).

Any enhanced individuals who use their powers to break the law (including those who take part in extralegal vigilante activities), or are otherwise deemed to be a threat to the safety of the general public, may be detained indefinitely without trial.

Hahaahahhahahahahah. No. Breaks the Fifth Amendment in the Bill of Rights, which is a part of the Constitution (which equals the backbone of American law -- things that go to the Supreme Court are there to basically see if something is constitutional or not. It’s a lot more complicated than it sounds, though).

Unfortunately this is a real situation that’s being dealt with now with specific people of the “aiding terrorists” category throughout the last 20 or so years of presidency (both the left and right with politicians signing it, and both the left and right with American activists opposing it, according to my brief study on the issue - you can look up indefinite detention if you want to read more).

Regardless, super super breaks the Fifth Amendment. While the amendments were written for specifically American citizens or folks on American soil, I personally think it’s important it’s a value that is upheld with everyone, no matter what they’ve been accused of. But that’s all I’ll say on that real world topic. This UN mandate hits very close to home - kudos to the writer who put that in for that touch of reality.

The use of technology to bestow individuals with innate superhuman capabilities is strictly regulated, as is the use and distribution of highly advanced technology (such as Asgardian and Chitauri weaponry).

Doesn’t break any known laws to my knowledge. Regulation of dangerous things is pretty common.

The Avengers will no longer be a private organization and will operate under the supervision of the United Nations.

I don’t think the UN has the legal ability to do that. The US government would need to do this as this is a private organization operating within the US on US soil. The US government has acquired private organizations in real life (like GM during the financial crisis of 2008), but they quickly find how much that sucks and sell them off as soon as they can, lol.

Again, the UN is operating under the supposition that they actually have the legal wherewithal to do this when, in reality, they don’t. There is no such thing as international law in the real world and I sincerely doubt in the MCU verse.

What would very likely happen, should Thanos not have ruined this exciting political drama, is that the US totally agrees to do this. Then a new administration or legislature comes in and reverses it 2-6 years later, assuming that all of the lawsuits from various countries didn’t cripple the Accords sooner.

Those with secret identities must reveal their legal names and true identities to the United Nations.

Hahahahaha. Under whose authority? We’ve established there’s no international law. It’d be up to every single individual country to agree to not only do this, but *share* this list with every other country. If I was the decision maker in the US or China, there’s no way in fucking hell I’d do that. Israel or Iran? Fuck no! Do I *want* all my meta humans to be assassinated by other countries?

The MCU has this little fairy tale (that sometimes the real UN carries on with) that everyone gets along just great when, in reality, that’s really, really, really unlikely.

Those with innate powers must submit to a power analysis, which will categorize their threat level and determine potential health risks.

I could make an argument that this breaks the Fourth Amendment (unreasonable searches and seizures). You cannot forcefully take DNA from someone unless they’ve been convicted of a crime (and in, I think 20 states I just read, if you’ve been arrested, but even that’s been challenged under the Fourth Amendment in those various states the past decade).

If they’re already having a legal argument about this for DNA of people who were arrested, they’re going to have a hell of an argument for this requirement just for *existing*.

Those with innate powers must also wear tracking bracelets at all times.

Oh that’s nice, the UN thinks meta-humans are animals! Likely breaks the Fourth Amendment. Found an interesting article about Amazon and their little tracking bracelets from two years ago that is semi-relevant, and those are employees. Imagine if you required everyone of some minority race or nationality to wear a tracking device because they’re statistically more dangerous due to the prevalence of crime amongst them, or something inane like that.

Yeah, it’s something like that bad. Definitely breaks the privacy protection that previous rulings regarding the Fourth Amendment have established.

Governments are forbidden from deploying enhanced individuals outside of their own national borders unless those individuals are given clearance as described above. The same rule also applies to non-government organizations that operate on a global scale (including S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Avengers).

International law doesn’t exist. This is done via treaties and agreements, but again, the UN has no legal leg to stand on (and countries -- US included -- often just ignore them). If China wants to take over Nepal with meta humans, who the fuck is really gonna stop them? I mean, really? If the US wanted to take over Baja California from Mexico, same question. The UN just doesn’t have the authority (or frankly put, the manpower). Countries often play nice, but there’s plenty of times where they don’t, either.

(But you know who would try to prevent the US/China from taking over Baja/Nepal? Meta humans. That likely aren’t allowed to fight under Accords mandates but do so anyway, all the while flipping the bird towards their nearest UN building :D)

As a corollary, they will not be allowed to participate in any active missions undertaken by private or governmental law enforcement/military/intelligence organizations (such as S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Avengers).

See “international law doesn’t exist and it’s up to each individual country to determine this for themselves” as explained in previous sections.

If an enhanced individual violates the Accords, or obstructs the actions of those enforcing the Accords, they may likewise be arrested and detained indefinitely without trial.

As established, breaks the Fifth Amendment of the US. And fuck, we saw this in action in Civil War-- or so it seemed. Ross definitely looked like he was leaning that way. I wouldn’t put it past Ross. He’s been bad news ever since he was hunting the Hulk.

The creation of self-aware artificial intelligence is completely prohibited.

Heh, not really applicable to the current world, but not necessarily something I’d like to see in the real world either. I’m afraid we’re gonna get a Skynet or HAL rather than a JARVIS or WALL-E.

This was fun, in a weird way.

[bieups]

KIIP Level 5 & Final Exam

사회통합프로그램 5단계 기본과정 & 영주용 종합평가

So I was originally signed up for the level 5 class beginning February 2020 so I could finish right as my grad school semester started...well, we all know what happened in early 2020. My class was delayed, then delayed again, then canceled and we all had to sign up for a new class. So I decided to just wait for the summer, after my school semester ended, and do an in-person class. I registered for one beginning in June. It got moved online. We just had to join our virtual class (not through Zoom, it was some other program) from 9am to 1pm every Saturday & Sunday for 5 weeks. Our teacher was very kind and knew the class material well, but she wasn’t used to teaching online and it’s hard to have a conversation with 25 people in a video call. 

Also, the most important thing to know about level 5: you are basically doing 1 chapter per hour of class. This level does not focus on language, so while you’re probably going to encounter new vocab, you are expected to learn the actual content. It covers everything from Joseon era clothing & housing, the Korean school system, various welfare benefits available to parents/foreigners/married couples/elderly/etc., dining etiquette, the history behind important dates like 3.01 and 6.25, the government including past presidents, etc. It is a lot of stuff that probably doesn’t come up in your everyday life.

On to the exam!

For covid-related reasons + being slow to register, I wasn’t able to take the final exam until February 2021. Also I had to travel 1.5 hours to Suwon. This was obviously many months after I had taken the class. I got a study book right after I finished the class because honestly, I didn’t really pay attention that well in the online class and didn’t absorb most of the info. So I studied a lot in the week leading up to the exam.

It’s basically the same format as the “midterm” one.

The first 10 or so multiple choice questions are worth 1.5 points and are focused on language (vocab/grammar). The rest are content questions and worth 2 points. I was immediately discouraged because there were soooo many questions on things I hadn’t gotten to while studying. 

The writing topic was “a good memory with your family” which I just kinda made up something about spending Thanksgiving together. You only get 10min to answer like 3 sub-questions, which means very little time to sit and think about what you will write. I wrote the full 200 characters but had to sacrifice the 원고지 rules a couple times to make it all fit ㅠㅠ One of the exam proctors told me (while waiting for the interview) that I have very nice handwriting, though, so that was nice. 

The interview portion killed me. It was so much harder than my study book led me to believe. We did it in pairs, with two instructors who were sitting literally 10ft away behind plastic barriers. First, we read a passage about how single-person households are on the rise because people aren’t getting married, so companies are making more products catered towards them. Then we were asked what the most common family/household structure is in our respective countries. I don’t know that info for America because I don’t live there and only know about my friends’ lives...? So then we got asked to introduce a Korean UNESCO heritage site (neither of us knew one lol), then one in our home country (I said I’m sure we have them but I don’t actually know which places are officially recognized...), then we switched to politics and had to explain how does Korea choose a president, and one of the 4 types of elections. I left thinking please just let me get 10 points from that and I should be able to pass~ But on the bright side, the guy I did the interview with lives near me and we took the bus/subway home together and now we’re friends!

Anyway, I passed! (And so did my new friend!)

Overall score of 71 (60 is passing), with 59 points from the written section and 12 from the interview~

And now I’m 100% done with KIIP! So glad to not have to worry about these visa points any more.

[nala-and-prince]

hi im here to rant lol:

i have never heard an immigrant talk about how dissociated you feel when you move from one country to another, especially when the country you’re moving to is going through a historic election (in which one of the candidates’ whole campaign was based on racism against mexican people). i always felt unsafe, even if i didnt even realize it. i live in a red state, and before i knew what red and blue states were i could still see the political bias. in 5th grade, one of my friends and i were talking in the hallway. they had said to me “you know, i think i might be a trump supporter.” i thought they were joking, so i responded with, “how could you do that? i’m mexican!” which is when i realized they werent joking, bc they gasped and said “wait i didnt know that. im so sorry.” which to me just said that they knew how disgusting trump was, and they didnt care. even as a dumb fifth grader, i was still affected by their words, and nowadays just makes me more aware of what this country really is like. obviously, im sure they dont support trump anymore because of how times have changed and how as we’re getting older we’re getting more politically aware, but i just think its interesting how they changed their tone towards me after finding out im mexican.

back to the culture thing!!

tw: mass shootings and bullying

——

when i moved from mexico to the us, it was mainly because of safety reasons. my parents just thought we’d be a lot safer here because i’m from a really dangerous town. however, as i started educating myself in mass shootings, which have become part of the culture in america, i started to realize that im a lot safer going to school in mexico, than here. as im writing this im at school, and i still get startled every time i hear a door slamming or just random whistling in the hallway. no one warned me about this, and i didnt know how severe it was until in seventh grade a kid threatened to shoot up my middle school.

on a sort of lighter (not really) note, bullying is a lot less common than it is in mexico. i grew up thinking it was always my fault. that i just didnt understand people the way that i was supposed to, so i’d try my hardest to fit in (and honestly, i still think that way). i started developing social anxiety from a VERY young age (im talking like 5 or 6 years old, maybe even before). HOWEVER!! people still fail to understand that im still learning a lot about the us culture and just assume im weird when i dont know how to respond to something, when im just learning about this when everyone learned this at a young age.

in conclusion!!

im still learning a lot about the culture, and i might still be uneducated in a lot of the subjects but!! im happy to say that i do try to educate myself every single day on specific subjects!! yay!! yay education!!

[dndaddyissues]

Do you habe any advice for new world builders?

i probably have too much advice lol. oh, god, where to start. how to make this concise. let’s see. here are some rudimentary tips ‘n’ tricks! (below the cut, as always!)

the tl;dr: 1. start local; 2. lean into your personal style; 3. what makes your world weird? 4. build a timeline; 5. build a future timeline, i.e., write out what will happen unless the PCs intervene.

**full disclosure: as with all of my advice, this is what’s helpful for me – it might not be helpful for you!**

1. start local. start with a tavern, a town, an area. it’s much easier to start small and build upon it than begin with an entire continent or continents. and your players will likely spend the first few sessions just in that town, that dungeon, that area, anyway. i’ve also written about this before, but starting local allows you to imply a larger world beyond its borders – a tavern is not just a tavern, but a place where different perspectives, cultures, tensions, and themes come into conflict and play.

2. lean into your personal style. i’m chinese, and i based one of my countries off of various aspects of chinese folklore. i also made many of the place-names pinyin. my chinese players have been picking up on these linguistic double-meanings, which has been deeply rewarding. if there’s any area of culture, history, etc. that you’re experienced in (or just have a burning passion for!) i highly encourage you to incorporate that into your world.

3. what makes your world weird? in one of my campaigns, the surface level of the world is ravaged by a mysterious, magical storm that makes people insane – forcing humanoids to migrate into the equally perilous, wintry peaks in the northern reaches. in another campaign, each of my continents exist in a state of eternal season: a continent each of eternal winter, summer, autumn, spring. what makes your world weird? what are its defining feature(s)? what sets it apart from other fantasy worlds out there?

4. build a timeline. this is probably the most personal piece of advice on this list, but i’m including it because it’s essentially how i structure all of my campaigns. after coming up with a local area, some personal flairs, and some defining features, i sit down and write out the entire history of the world – up until the present. this is an evolving timeline, subject to change, deletion, and major additions as the campaign itself evolves. but i’ve discovered that a thorough and specific timeline, with major NPCs, world events, disasters, wars, famines, diseases, magical calamities, etc. to be an invaluable aid to running my campaign. this lends itself to my next point…

5. build a future timeline. this is maybe less worldbuilding advice, and more campaign-running advice, but whatever. i have a list of 10-15 events that will happen in the world unless the PCs intervene – assassinations, brewing resentments between factions, defamations, corrupt officials being elected, etc. i’ll probably write more about this in the future, but this future timeline, along with #4, are probably the notes in my worldbuilding document that i reference with the greatest frequency. by framing future events as things that will occur unless the PCs do something about it helps to lend verisimilitude to the events in my campaign (i.e., the world doesn’t revolve around my party and will go on turning), and it gives the PCs a sense of urgency. if they don’t broker a peace between the feuding centaur herds by the moon’s end, then one of the leaders will kill the other one, and the survivor is not gonna be the one they want. hehe.

a big takeaway: you will never have an entire world ready in time for session 1. your world will continue to evolve alongside your players. this is something to be embraced and enjoyed, not feared. don’t worry about having EVERYTHING ready, down to the wire – just have enough ready for the next session. and then the next. and then the next. the most important thing when you begin to play is to write notes after each session – and add to your continuously evolving world as you see fit. 

also, have fun with it!