#i will say off the bat the faith isn't perfect. no faith is

[bookwyrminspiration]

hello it's the bahá'í anon once again !! I've been off reading the official texts (albeit slowly) and was wondering if you know of anywhere to purchase hard copies? my searches have been unclear on what's reputable and reliable </3 if not, that's okay, I have digital access ^^

also thought you'd be mildly interested in knowing that so far the bahá'í faith really speaks to me and I'm thinking that once I move for college that I'd look into the local community! I never thought I'd find a religion that truly pulls me after I drifted away from catholicism so thanks for being part of the push for me to properly look into it again !!

Hi again! Thanks so much for your patience as I got to this.

Personally, we purchased all our hard copies at the bookstore within our local center. For that, you'd want to get in contact with local community members--which you can do on the bahai.us sight (here). There you can also request to be sent free literature (apologies if you know all this already, i'm erring on the side of caution).

Another site I've found is this online bookstore. I haven't used it myself, but it seems what I'd expect. I will say while caution online is warranted, in my experience the Baha'i Faith is so small and unknown there's very little risk of it being used as a front for anything.

I wish I could be of more help! And I'm happy for you, even if the pull doesn't turn into anything more. You seem interested and to enjoy it, and that's worth something! And just because it wasn't for me doesn't mean i'm not perfectly happy to help and answer any questions I can :)

[lazycats-stuff]

Hello I hope you are well I wanted to make a request about a little male reader that he is a Green Lantern who ends up in Gotham for something related to space drug trafficking but for unspecified reasons he ends up being very attached to Batman a lot as if he were his son small and the bat family ends up making fun of him for this.

I really apologize if there are any spelling mistakes, English is not my first language and I hope I don't bother you with this request.

Hey, English isn't my first language too, so no worries. Of course I can make this, sorry that this took so long though...

Summary: (Y/N) gets attached to Batman.

Warnings: is the ending rushed? Maybe, nothing major, minor cursing here and there, but only one or two

(Y/N) never knew that if he ever took that ring that he would be a Green Lantern and that it would catapult him into this world of justice, injustice and a gray area of the world of criminals. While it is an incredible experience that most people will never experience, such as flying and having powers, but of course, everything has a bad side.

Such as trauma, PTSD, lack of trust towards people and more so towards humanity as a whole. And (Y/N) lost faith in all creatures as it is, since he is responsible for space as well. More often than not, he would travel to space and he would have to investigate there. More people would think that alien species would be more above of human crimes.

Think again.

They were just as bad, if not more worse. (Y/N) had difficult bumps in his hero life. Being a young hero, all alone, with no one to fall back on is rather difficult. Seeing the awful things in this line of work is hard enough, but not having anyone to fall back onto, it makes it even more harder.

But seeing justice being handed to those who deserve it, seeing the victims being empowered... That's something that keeps him going. And is justice always perfect like people would like to think so?

No. But (Y/N) saw that justice takes care of the innocent. Late or early, it always comes when you least expect it.

And that's what kept him going, to keep helping everyone he could. Through all the hardships... It kept him going.

Soon enough, he was introduced into the Justice League and to Flash, Superman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Cyborg and of course, the infamous Batman. He soon became a member as well and that came with a shit ton of help.

Better equipment, communication and more information that he previously couldn't get or didn't have access to. It made his life much more easier and the cases moved quicker due to the before mentioned information. (Y/N) was on cloud 9 as it is.

However, there was a slight problem called Batman.

(Y/N) was slightly afraid of the man, but in awe at the same time. Batman was a detective known all over the world. His detective skills are impressive, almost like Sherlock Holmes', which is impressive. And with today's technology, Batman is nothing short of a great detective.

But then again, there is a problem with the man's demeanor. He is scary as hell. The man just pops out out of thin air and makes your blood pressure rise to the moon itself. But he is a good mentor when he needs to be and when someone needs guidance. It's something that fascinates (Y/N) about the duality of the man.

And, (Y/N) doesn't have a father so he may or may not get attached. Either way, (Y/N) has some sort of respect for Batman, but more out of fear.

As of now, (Y/N) was going to kill someone. He was on this drug trafficking case for a long while, bouncing from one point A to a point A,1. He couldn't get to point A to point B directly as it should have been. Oh no. Oh God no. Why would (Y/N) get it so easily?

At last, (Y/N) has made it to the almost point B. That almost point B came down to Earth. More specifically, to Gotham city. To Batman's domain, so to speak. Sure, saying domain is rather dramatic, but everyone knows that Gotham City is off limits for anyone who is not Batman.

So, (Y/N) threaded carefully in the city, looking for the people who were needed in his case. He tried to be as covert as possible. That, everyone, went to shit rather quickly.

" What are you doing here? " Batman asked from behind him in his gravelly voice, making (Y/N) jump into the air like a scared cat, grabbing his chest like an old lady.

" Jesus! What the hell?! " (Y/N) exclaimed, leaning down onto his knees.

" What are you doing here? " Batman asked again in his deep and gravelly voice.

" I'm here on a lead of my drug trafficking case. And before you say something, I'm not leaving until I solve it. I led me everywhere and the last stop is here. " (Y/N) said with determination in his voice, however, inwardly, he was shaking in his boots. Batman is scary, can you blame him?

" There has been a new drug on the streets that has been causing problems here... " Batman noted and then looked at (Y/N) and it took everything in him that he doesn't buckle at this very moment. His glare was piercing.

" It seems we are going to work together. " (Y/N) said and Batman simply called someone and (Y/N) wasn't sure what to make of that. Why is the man so cold?

" We will work together, but I'm taking charge since it's my city here. What do you know about the drug and it's distributers? "

And that's how their chaotic friendship and paternal looking up started. (Y/N) has learnt a few tricks from Batman who has years under his belt as a detective really taught (Y/N) some things that will help him in his investigations later on. (Y/N) didn't think that Batman would be such a great mentor, but he was.

Tough and firm when he needed to be, when (Y/N) felt weak and hopeless in this case. And when (Y/N) was clueless, he would be pointed into the right direction and was allowed to learn on his own, with subtle hints. And reassuring when he felt insecure about his powers.

And in the meantime, he met the entire family, starting with the oldest Dick and ending with Damian, the youngest one in the family and the only biological one in the family.

Everything would have been normal if (Y/N) didn't bond with Bruce so out of nowhere. Almost like he would have been his son. Bruce had absolutely no explanation for this. And neither did (Y/N).

But did either of them complain? No.

Did the boys decide to absolutely make fun of the situation? Hell yes.

Dick would often joke that Bruce has a radar for the orphans, regardless of the region where they lived.

Jason would often compare Bruce to a solitary creature that comes out of its lair to seek them and bring them to the lair. Bruce more often then not rolls his eyes at the remark.

Tim simply calls him a new brother and Damian has often joked that (Y/N) is a long lost son of Bruce.

Of course, all of this was in good nature, no malice behind any of those words. Boys liked (Y/N), not minding it all, but they are still allowed to have fun with the situation.

[who-is-page]

Got some interesting asks last night; not gonna publish them as the person who sent me them asked me not to--they were a system who just wanted to vent out some frustrations and I respect that!--but the TL;DR summary is that they were frustrated that "syscourse" even at its theoretical best, even when all the people involved are 'pro-all systems' or label themselves 'endo-friendly spaces,' is something that's still often used as a cudgel to hurt others. And you know-- I'm honestly pretty damn inclined to agree. Syscoursers from a subcultural stance often can't separate themselves in diction and approach from its hyper-aggressive roots, and any attempt at discussion without meticulously unpacking that history falls flat. From a perspective more familiar to most of my followers, it would be like if therians ran around calling themselves "grillers" without disentangling the digital hazing history that went alongside the term and drove so many people away. It's a lack of introspection and an inability to reckon with the iron-spiked, saw-bladed foundations all the way down.

And seeing self-described syscoursers on one specific post essentially try to spin their unsuccessful, grayrocked attempt at confrontation and dogpiling as them being censored and silenced just proves this point to me further, since they're simultaneously claiming to at the same time be in favor of supporting discussion and education while having started off initially so aggressive and seemingly bad-faith. You can't set a bridge on fire and then howl fury when other people refuse to cross it, especially not when you've specifically positioned yourself in the scenario as an individual who intends to foster helpful conversations. You can't come in swinging and then complain that they started it and you only wanted to help! And if they hadn't positioned themselves in that way, jumping up on the pedestal to claim that they only want to have civil conversations and surely others who deny them that are censoring them and bad/wrong/etc WHILE SIMULTANEOUSLY looking to be picking a fight rather than a genuine civil conversation, then this would be a different discussion to have-- but, well. I'd be lying if I said it didn't remind me of certain anti-otherkin tactics I'd seen in the past, with people batting their eyelashes and assuring otherkin that they weren't sealioning, it was all just innocent questions about such a stupid identity-- oh sorry, did they say stupid? They meant "interesting," teehee, don't mind them. They're just here to listen and be logical. """Logic""" which usually involves punching down in a way that isn't logical and is more just an excuse to be an asshole and tear into someone.

There's a reason I don't posit myself as someone who intends to always single-handedly foster perfectly civil, moderated, respectful discussions in my discourse posts in the same way, say, Rani (a-dragons-explanation) does. Because I know that when I get pissed, I bite! I'm cognizant of that fact, that I don't have perfect self-restraint and sometimes I come across way harsher than is necessary (even on occasions where harshness might theoretically be warranted, because deserved is not the same as necessary). And I am also aware that discourse is a separate animal from discussion, in the same way grilling is different from an AMA. Sure, they might be technically synonymous on a dictionary level, but in practice they are vastly different. And that applies here, too, even though I've seen syscoursers claiming that they are the exact same.

But this is getting away from me. -chinhands- I guess that I'm disappointed but ultimately not surprised that syscourse is fundamentally nonproductive, and that it too often devolves into dehumanizing others, either through outright arguments around personhood or just through preemptively making people out to be significantly more malicious than they actually are, because within the subculture due to a variety of factors, malice and cruelty is assumed to inherently be much more common than ignorance. And people are also much less forgiving of the latter, even if they claim otherwise. But seeing this happen has given me some perspective on things in the subcultures I frequent and in my own tendencies with some topics, and is making me rethink the ways I communicate with others and what the intended goals of those communications with larger audiences are versus how it can go off the rails, which I think is really helpful, even if it's coming inadvertently from such a noxious source.

[malka-lisitsa]

repost and rate your muse's traits out of 10 in each category !

COMPASSION: 4/10

While Katherine does have the ability to be compassionate, its buried under 500 years of having to do whatever it takes to survive. Having learned to put herself first always, it's hard for her to undo that conditioned behavior. She really only shows compassion to the Savatore boys and a little bit to Caroline in her own special way. She showed a little to Elena too but got shot down so that put an end to that lsdkfn sdkfgnd.

BITTERNESS: 8/10

As mentioned above Katherine is extremely bitter. She's had a very hard life full of betrayal, loss, and suffering and has had zero support system to help her through it all. So her bitterness at the world and the way its worked for her is incredibly high and she is not shy about it either.

HAPPINESS: 3/10

While Katherine is more than happy to be a vampire and enjoys that immensely over all she isn't very happy. Her happiness revolves around love and being with the person she loves the most. Unfortunately that person has built so many roadblocks to cope with losing her the first time that he's incredibly hard to reach now and so more often than not Katherine is left begging for scraps. No happy ending for her.

POLITENESS: 5/10

This one is tricky because she can be the perfect little lady if she wants to be- but more often than not she doesn't care and doesn't want to be bothered so she presents as standoffish on purpose. She is also just a brat.

MORALITY: 5/10

Katherine is morally grey. Shes an anti-hero. A chaos agent. Chaotic-neutral. She puts herself first and then makes moral calls based off of whatever else is left in the moment. Like when she saved Klaus to save Stefan and Damon's life.

PRIDE: 9/10

Her pride as a vampire is extremely high. She would never want to be anything else, there is not a single part of being a vampire that she doesn't adore or hasn't found a work around for. Katherine fully believes that if you're smart enough you can learn to appreciate all the power that comes with being a vampire and fix/adjust the negatives as they come. Like learning control, and how to hide correctly.

HONESTY: 4/10

Yea Katherine lies a lot, its a basic instinct now. She had to get good at lying to survive and now she can do it without batting an eyelash. However there are somethings and some times she is incredibly honest and even vulnerable.

BRAVERY: 9/10

"Is it courage or faith to show up every day?" Go on and say what you want to. "Katherine runs from everything she isn't brave." It depends on how you look at it. Like Stefan said once he finally decided to stop being a douche bag on her death bed- Katherine has had a hard life and been put in a position where she had to do a lot of unsavory things to survive but she kept pushing forward and kept fighting. Katherine has been through the fucking ringer and at ANY POINT she could have given up. There are a lot of times im sure any one of you would if you went through the shit she did. But she never gave up she kept fighting she kept chasing her happy ending all the way to the bitter end where there was simply no more hope to cling to. She woke up every day, she showed up every day chasing the love she wanted more than anything else no matter how hard or bleak it looked. So yea. Katherine ran. A lot. But she never fucking quit, no matter how hard shit got, no matter how empty and cold the world felt she showed up- and that is what makes her brave, and fuck anyone of you that would argue.

RECKLESSNESS: 5/10

I give her a 5 because while she is mostly carefully planned and very put together in her schemes- she also is emotionally driven to impulsivity often too... Which can cause her problems with recklessness.

AMBITION: 3/10

Katherine's only real goal is to get the love of her life and be able to keep it. All her scheming and shit is only really to get the upper hand to gain her freedom from Klaus. She doesn't NEED power or world domination she just wants to be SAFE. Shes FINE with a simple life, she just wants to be able to LIVE IT. So really the only thing shes ambitious about is gaining safety so she doesnt have to be scared of Klaus anymore, and getting that fairy tail love she has been chasing since she was human.

LOYALTY: 5/10

This is another tricky one to label. Katherine has every ability to be loyal- she has just been placed in situations where that loyalty would hinder her ability to survive and so- she isnt. But if you really look at her behaviors she shows loyalty to the Salvatores quite a few times and so I'd say that her loyalty is there it's just hard won and hard to keep.

SENSE OF FAMILY: 1/10

OH MY GOD I've touched on this before but Katherine doesn't even know what family is anymore. She never TRULY had one she had an abusive father, a meek mother, and a sister with next to no support from her mother or sister when she was sentenced to exile. Possibly her first example of putting yourself first, they didnt fight for her picking their own safety over it. This lack of connection to family further extends to her daughter where she is just a terrible mother because she doesnt know how to be. She isn't sure how shes supposed to feel towards Nadia and the numbness she fills with over compensated acts of how she thinks a mother SHOULD act which come off very stiff. So as far as a sense of family goes for Katherine she scores very low on this one the poor thing.

ATTRACTIVENESS: 10/10

Sorry do I even have to explain this one? Have you seen her? Look again.

AGILITY: 10/10

Shes a vampire with super speed and and strength. Her agility (and flexibility ehehe) are maxed out she's very good at what she does.

SEX DRIVE: 6/10

While Katherine is someone who enjoys sex she is mostly just someone that uses her sexuality to manipulate. Because it works. The world and its people are predictable and she has learned very well that looking like she does, Katherine can get a lot of things she wants, she can also get people to do the things she wants using her sexuality too. So while she presents as someone who has a high sex drive its really more of 'something to do' that feels good. Unlike Damon she's not constantly on the prowl for tail. She's on the hunt for food and someone useful. Like her entire relationship with Mason just about. Yea she slept with him but she also didn't every time he wanted to. She's not sex crazed, she just knows she can use it.

Tagged by: MY OWN DAYUMN SELF.

Tagging: I do not care, steal it, do it, tag me.

[theobjectofyourire]

I'm a huge Daemond shipper but I like my content to be toxic with non con elements I'll be honest.

In the show , Aemond is very awkward and even borderline scared when face to face with the whore at the brothel so the concept of Daemon using Aemond's uncomfortable, sexual insecurities to both humiliate and degrade him is top tier perfection!.

P.s ' I only like bottom Aemond '. Thanks for letting me share ☺️

oh, we're talking spicy things today!! 🔥obviously nsfw and discussions of darker elements, so pls read with caution!

I do love a good sweet fic, but I gotta say...there's something about the toxic vibes that just hits different. And especially with Daemon/Aemond because their fates are so tragic, their souls so entwined. There's such a fine line between love and loathing, between admiration and envy. I think they both find it easier to lean into their anger. And honestly? I think they both get off on it.

I can just imagine them being in the same castle at some point during the Dance, maybe Winterfell or Storm's End or somewhere in the Riverlands. And blows have been dealt by both sides, they're both deeply hurt and filled with rage. But they're here on this sort of neutral ground, as it were, having agreed not to harm one another and exchanging seething glances from across the room.

And then, late at night, one of them goes to the other's chambers.

I feel like it would be Aemond. At this point in time, Daemon isn't quite as reckless as he was in his younger years. Aemond, however, still has his moments of pure, unbridled chaos, especially when near the Rogue Prince. He goes to Daemon's chamber, dagger in hand and though he's uncertain of his own intentions, he can't seem to stop himself.

Imagine his shock when he finds his uncle isn't abed. Instead, he's waiting for Aemond.

Both have blades, and skillful as they are, both manage to strike their targets, resulting in tattered clothes and a few bloody slashes, though none are deep enough to be of any concern. Soon, the blades are forgotten and it becomes something far more primal, all fists and teeth. They're on the floor, Daemon on top of Aemond, his hands around his throat. And Aemond all but whimpers.

This is where he wants to be.

Despite the betrayal, the cruelty, the war...in this moment, all they want is each other.

There is nothing soft in their touches. Every kiss is claiming, and by the end of the night, they'll both be covered in bruises. Aemond, admittedly, sporting more than Daemon, and he'll cherish every ache. Every reminder of the agonizing pleasure given him by his uncle.

OKAY SORRY I GOT REALLY DISTRACTED.

I 1000% agree Aemond definitely loves to be degraded (he also loves to be praised, but humiliation just hits all the right spots). I think he has a lot of deeply rooted shame because of the way he was raised in the Faith. Not to mention Aegon took him to a brothel when he was so young. He has a lot of complex feelings around sex.

I love the idea that Daemon plays with that. Daemon loves making his nephew blush. He loves watching how shy he gets, batting his lashes as he sinks to his knees. Aemond shivers every time he's called "nephew" or, his personal favourite, "boy". Especially if he says it in High Valyrian.

The way Daemon would whisper in his ear, gripping his silver hair to the point of pain. "Do you like that, Taoba? Do you like when your prince uses you as he wishes?"

In terms of bottom Aemond, I felt similarly until I saw ep10. Everything changed after this scene:

He's so primal. His movements are almost feline and he's so supremely confident. As much as I love bottom Aemond, I can't stop thinking about dom Aemond...I'm really tempted to write some fun Aemond/reader things...

Anyway, sorry for the long post!! I got distracted by the spice and now I have like ten more fic ideas lol. Shout-out to anon for starting this wonderful convo and seriously y'all, keep 'em coming. I'm LIVING for all of this. Let's talk about Daemon. Let's talk about Aemond. Let's talk about Daemond.

And let me know if I should write some Aemond/reader stuff. Maybe I'll write some headcanons for Aemond/reader or Daemon/Aemond. Who knows! But the fics are coming and please keep sending your thoughts, I'm eating them up!

[awesome-opossum-after-hours]

alrighty folks we're BACK. so I did this before the release of The Umbrella Academy season 3, and actually got one of the songs right (and it was used twice!!!!) SO we're testing my prophecy skills with Stranger Things 5. now this may be a bit harder because we obviously have nothing to go off of right now (besides the episode 1 title, which does in fact help a bit) vs the trailer I had for TUA3. so you're getting my theories and you'll deal with it.

I'm gonna just go over my top 5 songs for now but if anyone has questions about some others on the playlist def ask! to mark the date for my own satisfaction when I nail at least one of these, it's November 18, 2022.

1. Kids in America- Kim Wilde

I'm gonna bet the season would open with this. I have faith in the Duffer that things won't go to shit right away, so we can get to see them being kids! please. for the love of God.

2. The Final Countdown- Europe

oh my god if I had to bet on ANY song for them to use it the trailer it'd be this. I mean the lyrics suit what (I assume) the season will be about, like it literally IS the final countdown. ("will things ever be the same again?" hopefully. again they need a BREAK duffers)

3. Holding Out For a Hero- Bonnie Tyler

ok so this one isn't technically my idea... I got it from tiktok. BUT you can't tell me this song doesn't scream Steve Harrington. this will be HIS SCENE. he'll take his nail bat to those motherfuckers and fight as the hero he is. (but Steve please for the love of god don't die thank you)

4. For Whom the Bell Tolls- Metallica

well I did say this is gonna mention my own theories... imagine Eddie waking up, Twilight-style in the Upside Down to this song right as the sick bass riff starts at the beginning of the song. it ends the first episode and seeps into the credits as we all freak out because he's BACK. maybe not "okay" yet but we'll get there.

5. Heroes- either David Bowie or Peter Gabriel's version... depending on the vibe

gotta throw in one repeat bc Stranger Things loves to reuse songs. I'm not complaining though, I mean it gives an interesting, full-circle sorta meaning to it which is pretty cool! there's a few others they might do this with, but I think given their history of using Heroes it would be the perfect song to play as the final credits close.

again, let me know if you want more!

[allthemusic]

Week ending: 26th July

I feel like the 1950s have been a funny era, in terms of artist names. It's not that you don't get memorable names, but for every Gogi Grant and and Lonnie Donegan, you've also got artists with nondescript names like Tony Martin and Ronnie Hilton. And both of those were stage names! Somebody thought "hey, what name's going to really grab people?" and that's what they came up with - baffling.

Walk Hand In Hand With me - Tony Martin (peaked at Number 2)

We've started big and orchestra, with a swell of strings, rolling timpani and a chorus. This is epic music straight off the bat, and Tony doesn't disappoint when he comes in, his voice ponderously operatic. It's a style that we've been hearing on and off since 1952, and I don't love it, but you can't deny that it does create a certain grandeur in this song.

It helps that the lyrics are also quite wide in their scope, with Tony exhorting his love to Walk hand in hand with me, though all eternity / Have faith, believe in me, give me your hand. It turns the giving and holding of hands into a big, epic gesture, an act of faith and of entrusting your whole life to another person - more than just hand-holding, it's about living life together and committing to each other. I'm not sure that it entirely works; lyrics like Love is a symphony of perfect harmony just seem a little overblown. Still, there's a gentle reassurance when Tony encourages his love to Be not afraid, for I am with you all the while / So lift your head up high, and look toward the sky.

Actually, there's a sort of religious vibe to the whole thing, with all the talk of having faith and believing. The "Be not afraid, for I am with you" and "no greater love" lines literally echo all sort of passages from the Bible, and then, if you hadn't got it yet, we get lines where Tony sings about how God is our destiny. Which feels kind of out of place, honestly, a moment of real religiosity in a song that's otherwise just using it as a backdrop.

It's a sweet song, though it feels a little old-fashioned; I can't imagine the newly-minted youths getting into this one, you know? But then again, maybe a song about committing to somebody for life is a song that would appeal more to a slightly older demographic, anyway? Interestingly, Gerry & The Pacemakers did a version of this one, too, though, and I associate them with a much fresher, 1960s Merseybeat sound. I guess they also did You'll Never Walk Alone, which is a bit more similar to this. Their version only reached Number 29, so it's not going to come up here, more's the pity.

Who Are We - Ronnie Hilton (6)

Well, it's another grandiose start, and a similarly operatic style, though there's something a bit subtler about Ronnie's style, and something a bit lighter in the instrumentation and arrangements of this one - it's not making quite such grand claims as Tony was making.

That's not to say that this song doesn't also have ambitions. Immediately, we're evoking some of the same faux-deep "isn't nature the most marvellous thing" rhetoric we saw most effectively in Frankie Laine's "I Believe", as Ronnie asks Who are we to doubt the things we see, a rose, a leaf, a tree? These things are just natural, he claims, and likewise, just as we shouldn't be doubting why nature is as it is, who are they to dare to say our love can never be? And with this, we've got to the heart of it. Somebody - a mysterious "they" - has been trying to keep Ronnie and his love apart! But just like you can't stop nature doing its thing, there's nothing, according to Ronnie, that can kill their feelings. They're in love, As sure as summer follows spring / As sure as Sunday church bells ring / As sure as oceans ever flow. Simple, right?

Except... it also kind of sounds, reading into it, like Ronnie's love isn't quite as convinced by this argument as he would like. After all, the song isn't called "Who Are They". It's not about Ronnie defiantly calling out these people who don't think him and his love should be together. It's about him trying to convince a love who is maybe a bit more swayed by these interlopers' arguments. And so, Ronnie's left asking who are we to turn the key that locks the door to love? It's an image of an over-cautious lover, and Ronnie putting all of the rhetoric he can into convincing them not to give up on a relationship that they're having second thoughts about. Which is certainly an interesting dynamic, though not necessarily one that paints Ronnie in the best light? Or maybe that's me reading too much into it.

It's subtler than Tony's delivery, but it's definitely working in the same vein - there's a similarly shameless grandstanding to it, and a similar reliance on an overblown poetic register that I don't think many artists today could pull off. They're both very earnest songs, and I just think we've got a bit more jaded in the way we talk about love nowadays, for better or for worse. Also, how many songs today are getting away with lyrics about mortals such as we?

Well, those were surprisingly similar songs, and both of them feel like they could have been hits at any point in the preceding four years. In fact, Who Are We seems to have also been a hit for Vera Lynn - we're talking properly old-school, here. I don't love either of them, but one was just that little bit more interesting, and that little bit more convincing in its sentiment. So...

Favourite song of the bunch: Walk Hand in Hand With Me

[starlightrealmofficial]

Mob Psycho 100 III- Episode 5 Review

Intro:

Hello ladies, gentlemen, and all those in between from all across the multiverse! My name is Rouga and today I bring you another installment of the Mob Psycho 100 III reviews The Sacred Broco-tree arc is in full swing now and Mob, as far as he is aware has to fight off a dangerous religion all on his lonesome. You know, normal teenager stuff. With his brother, mentor, potentially parents, and all his friends being thoroughly brainwashed and the Psycho Helmet people heralding him as their founder Mob's emotional explosion is immanent and with all the things swirling around him I cannot even begin to speculate what that big 100 is going to bring us. So let us not speculate anymore for it is time to get the review underway. Mob Psycho 100 III, episode 5, here we go!

Episode Review:

No intro bitties this time from Dimple, he is too busy playing god for that. We start right off the bat with a conversation between Mob and his doppelganger. With some pretty cool visuals, seriously, the inside of the brocco-tree looks great. What really sells this scene to me tho is the emotion coming from both of these characters. Dimple is drunk off his very green, currently, Mob-shaped behind on power. Mob on the other hand is his usual deadpan self attempting to fact-check Psycho Helmet. Having this all play out as Mob is approaching his adversary aids the pacing in my opinion. It'd feel rushed if we just had a confrontation face-to-face in a snap. What also warrants a talk is how Dimple is explaining the whole "belief and divinity" shtick. Honestly, it feels real, People are given what they perceive as signs and interpret them in their own ways, as such religions are born, and people with particularly strong faith in something can be easily manipulated which is exactly what Dimple took advantage of, albeit with a supernatural twist to it. Dimple bringing up Ritsu and Reigen just as Mob approached Teruki's unconscious body was perfect timing on the part of the creators. If I'm being honest Mob looks really intense right after and he's not even at 100 yet, I was legitimately taken slightly aback by this. The opening starts exactly when Mob figures out who Psycho Helmet is and states the name Dimple. Honestly quite a good place for that. I don't tend to speak on the opening placement but it makes some fundamental, internal sense to me to be placed here. Dimple's attempt at convincing Shigeo to join him further reinforces what I said last time about this arc reminding me of Mogami's, Mob is left on his own in a different world, without Ritsu, without Reigen, without anyone he really knows to help him. This time it's the same, only this time the trap isn't for Mob, but for everyone else. Pretty interesting mirror that. Honestly, I am starting to wonder if One had any experience with this sorta stuff because Dimple is really talking like some big guru or cultist and that's becoming kinda scary. Thankfully Mob ain't buying a single bit of his crap, good for you Mob.

The confrontation with Hanazawa had some really nice impact, given how he was the first to rebel and I feel like Mob to some extent hoped for his help, only to see another friend torn away from him by Dimple's brainwashing. Then the divine buff made for a really potent scene. It's not often we see Mob outclassed like that. The exchange between Mob and the bunch of Broccoli-Mobs had a really great balance of action and emotion and again, seeing Mob be overwhelmed, and losing his powers, I never thought I'd see that in this series. And oh the irony, when Dimple was talking to Mob about his mistakes, Dimple himself made a huge one. What was that you ask? Well bringing up Tsubomi of course. Seeing Mob slap Dimple around while brief was very entertaining to see, especially with how confused Dimple was when it happened. Serves him right if you ask me. The whole confrontation while I am not going to recap blow for blow I do want to say so far was absolutely amazing to witness due to the aforementioned mix of emotion and action. Mob doesn't want to fight Dimple, and yet endures blow after blow as his emotions build, and we see Dimple be absolutely terrified of what Shigeo is showing. The episode ends with Mob reaching 100%, and Dimple seeing the shirt Teruki helped pick out for Shigeo, that's one heck of a serious yet goofy cliffhanger and I really cannot wait to see how this all plays out in episode 6 With that. This will be all for this review. I hope to see you all in the next one when Episode 6 drops. I have been Rouga, and thank you for reading!

[fukurodianthus]

Cotton Candy Kisses

Synopsis: Let’s get one thing straight, confessions aren’t Ushijima Wakatoshi’s cup of tea, and the same goes for you when it comes to dealing with rejections. But then, your crackhead friends (who are done with watching two emotionally constipated fools pine for each other for two years) decide to take matters into their own hands. 

 Its a recipe for disaster, topped off with cherry coke and cotton candy.

Genre: Fluff, (a light sprinkle of angst thrown in), friends to lovers AU, mutual pining

Trigger warnings: Just a smol makeout scene lmao (not explicit), swearing(meanwhile, my mom: *disappointed brown parent noises*)

Pairing: Ushijima Wakatoshi x fem! reader

Word count: 3k+

Author’s note: I planned to release this on valentine’s day, but my exam schedule said “no❤️”. N E ways, didnt get time to proofread it, so excuse the painful amount of errors it may have. (More unnecessary rambles notes at the end!)

𝐈

“Toshi, Terushima asked me out on a date.”

“Terushima as in Terushima Yuuiji from Johzenji? The one with piercings?” Ushijima sat on the gym floor, busy tying his shoelaces.

“Yeah.”

He sat facing away from you, so you had no way of telling how well he was taking this news.

Not like it mattered anyway.

For the last two-years, you had kept dropping subtle hints that you liked him. Hell, if baking heart-shaped red-velvet cookies for him every valentine’s day hadn’t given him the slightest hint that your feelings for him weren’t exactly platonic, probably nothing could make the stoic ace aware of your feelings.

Unless you directly said it to his face.

Wakatoshi, I like you.

Four words. There were just these four words standing between Wakatoshi and your undeclared feelings. Four words could free you from the shackles of this unrequited love that had been weighing you down for the past two years.

But what was the point anyway? He’d reject you, just like he rejected Ririka. The Ririka Hirai, captain of the girls’ volleyball team, the ace who wielded magic in her hands. Let alone the guys from Shiratorizawa, even boys from other prefectures were totally whipped for her. He didn’t even bat an eyelid before a firm ‘No’ rolled off his lips. She hated crying in front of others, but the redness in her eyes and her swollen eyelids made it obvious that her spirit had been crushed by the rejection. Her previous outgoing, warm and friendly nature had vanished within a few seconds as she withdrew herself into her shell.

If this is what rejections did to people, then you were fine with being crushed under the weight of unrequited love. And you didn’t have a Semi Eita in your life like she had, so there wouldn’t be anybody to help you out of your wallowing self-pity.

Your mind wandered back to your interaction with her yesterday, how she had pulled you into the locker room, firm hands wrapped around your wrists with no intention of letting go. You were reminded of her disastrous plan, and how you’d stupidly agreed to go along with it.

𝐈𝐈

(𝟐 𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐠𝐨)

“You love him, don’t you Y/N?” she asked you, cocking her head to her side as she twirled the green roots of het bubblegum colored hair. Why was she so oddly insistent on dying her hair like a meth-addicted oompa loompa? And the bigger question was, how the fuck did she look so good?

“I don’t know, Riri.” What did she expect to hear? How could you say that you weren’t half as brave as she’d been? You’d rather tend to the wounds that unrequited love caused than deal with the empty-black void of self-loathing, insecurities and embarrassment that rejection left behind.

“Y/N, I’m not a fool. I can see the way your eyes light up when he’s around.”

“So what? What the fuck should I do? Confess my feelings and get rejected? I’d rather wither under the weight of my undeclared feelings than have my soul crushed by a rejection from my best friend, thanks.” You knew you were wrong; you knew you should let go of these useless, painful feelings by confessing. Hearing him reject you would put the nail in the coffin of your one-sided love and you’d finally be free.

But you didn’t want to be free. Cowardice had this odd feeling of comfort attached to it, and you’d gotten used to it.

“Y/N, I’m not here to fight with you over a stupid himbo of a guy. It just hurts me to see you go through the same pain I had gone through. I’m just here to look out for you. I’ll give you my advice whether you want it or not, and its up to you if you’ll take it.”

You looked away. You knew that whatever she was going to say would probably make sense, she was such a smartass after all. She was never wrong, as much as you hated admitting it. Why was she such a good friend, why did she have to be so nice? It pissed you off.

“Ushijima is bad at this entire thing of love and friendships, its probably not big news to you, is it? His parents’ divorce ruined his faith in love.” She cleared her throat, trying to hide the tremble in her voice. “He doesn’t know how this entire thing of love and feelings work. Loving him is difficult, it’s like expecting an iceberg to provide you with warmth. But…” her voice trailed off.

“But what?”

“I think he likes you. He’s never looked at anyone the way he looks at you. He never saved a seat for me at lunch the way he does for you. He acts...weird around you.”

“That’s bullshit Riri, he does that stuff for me because I’m his team's manager, you know?”

“You’re just as dense as him. Perfect! You’d make a great couple” she giggled, fluttering her long, black lashes.

“Why did you confess to him if you thought he liked me?”

“Oh, I was coming to that. You see, I was a hundred percent sure he wouldn’t like me back, so I thought I might as well get these stupid feelings of my chest and move on, you know? It still hurt a lot for a few days, though. Rejections sucks, that’s nothing new. And I kind of liked Semi, so it felt like I was emotionally cheating on him if I still liked Ushijima. So, I finally confessed to him after getting rid of my feelings for Ushiwaka.” She pressed her lips together and looked away, a faint blush blossoming on her cheeks.

“You and Semi are…”

“We’re a thing now, yeah.”

“I’m so happy for you Ririka!” you practically squealed, squishing her reddened cheeks.

“We had a talk yesterday and we decided that we can no longer bear to see you two emotionally constipated dummies pining for each other anymore, so we’re taking matters into our own hands.”

“What?” Your stared at her with widened eyes, praying she didn’t come up with any stupid plans to make the situation worse.

“Do you know Terushima from Johzenji?”

“Yeah, kinda, that tongue-piercing dude with an undercut, right?”

“He’s my friend and he has agreed to helping us.”

“Oh hell no.”

“I don’t take no for an answer, I’m sorry. Babe, you can come out now.”

You choked on your own spit as you saw Semi climbing out of Ririka’s locker.

“How the fuck did you even fit him in there? Was he there the whole time? What made you think sneaking your boyfriend into the girl’s locker room was a good idea?”

“Honey, that’s too many unnecessary questions, I ain’t answering them. And there’s nobody around. So, I don’t think we’ll get in any trouble as long as you don’t snitch.”

“I’m not going to snitch.”

“That’s what I thought. Now babe, tell her about our plan.”

Semi went over with the details of their plan.

Needless to say, it was a recipe for disaster, you were sure of it.

Having an affinity for all things disastrous, you agreed to their plan.

*flashback ends*

𝐈𝐈𝐈

(𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐦𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭)

“Y/N, you there?” Ushijima was done with tying his shoelaces a while ago and now stood in front of you, his tall frame cowering over you.

You snapped out of your trance.

“Yeah, I was j-just busy thinking about some stuff.” You smoothed out your skirt and gripped your bag tightly, and looking down at your feet. You could feel his gaze on your face, but you couldn’t bring yourself to look him in the eye.

“Stuff as in…Terushima? Were you thinking about him?”

You were taken aback by his uncharacteristically direct question and looked into his eyes. His gaze flickered between your eyes and your lips; his brows furrowed together in…concern?

Your imagination must be getting better of you.

“Yeah, I was thinking about our date, tomorrow.”

His eyes seemed duller than usual, lacking its usual lustre.

“He doesn’t have a reputation for being loyal, you know.” His words seemed long-drawn, forced, painful. As if it physically hurt him to get these words to roll of his tongue.

He ran his fingers through his greasy olive-brown hair, his gaze still fixed on you. You became painfully aware of the silence in the empty gym room. Why was your heart beating so loudly? Was his heart beating just as loud?

His breath hitched as you stepped closer to him. You noticed the way his sweat-drenched shirt clung to his body, highlighting his well-built frame, the way his lips glistened when he licked his lips, the way his tousled hair stuck to his forehead. You almost brushed those stray strands off his face. Almost.

You spoke in a low tone, almost in a whisper. This moment seemed fragile, like treading on thin ice. It felt as if you both were in a trance and any loud noise would snap you back to reality. You wouldn’t mind being stuck in this trance for a few eternities. “Terushima is a player, a heartbreaker. You think I don’t know that? Maybe I just want to have my heart broken, Toshi. Isn't it better than loving someone who will never love me back?”

He stared at you with a blank, unreadable expression. You noticed how his adam’s apple bobbed up and down when he gulped, his neck and collarbones glistening with sweat.

He had no business being this hot, godamnit.          

“I just remembered, Coach Washijo wanted to have a talk with me-“ he took a step back, breaking eye contact with you.

“Coach Washijo is on a sick-leave for a week, Toshi.”

“Ah okay, right.” He turned on his heels and stormed out of the gym, the tips of his ears covered in a faint red glow.

How long will you keep running away Wakatoshi?

𝐈𝐕

(𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐱𝐭 𝐝𝐚𝐲)

“Yeah, chocolate will be fine.”

Terushima handed you the ice-cream cone, flashing his iconic toothy grin at you.

This park of the amusement park was quieter and calmer than the other parts. You were seated on a bench beside a  mermaid shaped fountain. Behind you, far off in the distance was a Ferris wheel, lit up in pink and red neon lights, a classic decoration that was put up in this park every valentine’s day.

“Want anything else, babe?” He sat down beside you on the bench, wrapping his arms around your shoulders.

“Dude, you don’t have to put on such a show, you know? You don’t have to make it so realistic.”

He threw his head back and let out another one of his irritating laughs. It was pretty cute, even though you’d never admit it aloud.

“Y/N who said I’m pretending? When Riri asked me to take you out on a fake date to make lover boy Toshi jealous, I thought this would be a pretty good opportunity to score a date with a cute girl, it doesn’t matter if the date is fake or not.”

“You even bought a couple’s ticket, huh?”

“This amusement park has a special valentine’s day offer for couples, fifty percent off for each ride, aint that crazy? I was just saving my coins princess.”

“I swear to god, call me that one more time and you’ll find my foot up your ass-“

“Ooh, kinky!”

It physically hurt you to not punch him and wipe that cheesy grin off his face. “I can’t handle you Terushima-” You hungrily bit down on the ice-cream, gobbling it up in a matter of a few seconds.

Terushima's nose scrunched up in disgust. “The fuck Y/N, who bites ice-cream like that! Are you a caveman or something?"

“Aw babe, didn’t you know? I’m not like other girls.” You dramatically flicked a stand of your hair, as your pretentious, catty tone drew a chuckle from him.

“C’mon now, fake date or not lets a have a good time! I’m done sitting around on this bench, we’re in an amusement park for fuck’s sake Y/N!” He took his black leather jacket off, flinging it around his shoulders, his white shirt clung to his skin. He looked like a stereotypical bad boy out of a wattpad book written by a 16-year-old. You bit down the urge to make a sarcastic comment about his appearance.

“Get up now, you lazy butt.” He offered you a hand.

You slapped his hand away and stood up, brushing the small remnants of the ice-cream cone off your plaid yellow dress.

“Damn, you feisty.”

“Serves you right, pisshead.”

He was about to make a snarky retort when his eyes suddenly landed on someone standing in the crowd beside the ferris wheel. “Looks like lover boy is here.”

“You sure its him?”

“A hundred and twenty percent ma’am! Now go get your man!” He pressed a chaste kiss to your forehead before winking at you. “That’ll get him riled up enough.”

“You’re such a little shit-”

“Shut up, he’s coming here, go talk to him.”

You turned around on your heels to see Ushijima making his way towards you.

“Hey! What you doing here Toshi?” You tried putting on a surprised expression, but after seeing how Terushima snickered at you, you understood that you probably overdid it.

“Uhm, did I interrupt your d-date?” Ushijima looked painfully flustered. His eyes searched your face, looking for signs of annoyance or anger.

He was surprised at how happy you looked. Didn’t girls get annoyed when someone interrupted their dates? Ah, women, such complex creatures, all mysteries of the world seem irrelevant when compared to the mystery of a woman’s psyche.

“No, not at all! Do you want to tell me something?” You cocked you head and batted your eyelashes at him playfully.

But he remained silent, lips tightly pressed together as his eyes kept flickering between Terushima and you.

“Hey Yuuji, I’d like to talk to Toshi in private, maybe you could…you know-“

“Ah that was stupid of me! I’ll leave you two to yourselves. I’ll be at the Haunted Mansion if you need me, a friend of mine works there as a part time zombie.” He pointed finger guns at you and winked. "See ya later sweet cheeks!" You saw his silhouette fade into the distance.

It was only you and Ushijima now.

The golden glow from the setting sun and the faint pink lights from the faraway Ferris wheel illuminated his face in a rose-gold glow. He sported a red flannel shirt, more specifically the one you had bought for him while shopping with Tendou last summer.

He looked ethereal.

You cleared you throat. “Toshi? You wanted to tell me something, right?”

He looked started, unsure of himself. You looked at him with anticipation, your heart almost leaping out of your ribcage.

“Y/N, for the next match Yamagata will replace Akakura as the libero because he twisted his ankle in in the hallway today.”

Unbeknowst to you, Ririka and Semi hid behind an ice-cream truck in the distance, keeping an eye on you both. They could hear small excerpts of your conversation. So, when they heard Ushijima saying something about ‘match’ and ‘libero’, they let out frustrated groans. “That dense fucker messed up yet again.” they whispered under their breaths in unison.

Disappointment flashed across your face. Was he serious? How dense could a guy possibly be?

“You came this far, interrupted my date to tell me this, Toshi? You could just have messaged me, you know?” Your voice trembled, vision blurring with tears.

So much for love.

You felt stupid, you wanted to slap yourself across your face for being naïve enough to believe that Ushijima Wakatoshi could ever reciprocate your feelings.

Stupid, stupid, stupid!

You started to walk away, wiping your eyes with the sleeves of your dress, when you felt a strong arm coil across you waist.

Wakatoshi pulled you close, and in an instant his lips were on yours. You didn’t spare a second thought before kissing him back, your lips hungrily melting into his. You grazed your tongue across his lower lip as he pushed you against the fountain, one hand placed on the small of your back pulling your body closer and the other under your dress, grazing your thigh. Your fingers aimlessly hovered over his chest before gently tugging him by the collar of his shirt.

When he finally pulled away, you both stared at each other, panting breathlessly, hair drenched from the light spray of water cascading down the fountain. The warmth of his lips still lingered on your mouth.

The sound of his voice snapped you out of your dreamlike trance. “Tendou and Semi told me that I wasn’t worthy enough of being Shiratorizawa’s ace if I chickened out of professing my feelings to the girl I’ve liked for two years. How could I sit back and watch that guy from Johzenji steal you away? I like you Y/N, and I'm tired of pretending that I don't."

You were about to respond when Semi’s voice rang out from behind the ice-cream truck.

“Oh my god Riri! Did you see that? They kissed! I’m so proud of my miracle boy-”

“Keep it down you dimwit, or they’ll hear us-“

You let out a soft chuckle and took Ushijima’s hand in yours. “Wouldn't it be very surprising if Semi and Riri suddenly popped out from behind that ice-cream truck, Toshi? But that's totally impossible right? Not like they'd ever eavesdrop on us-"

Semi and Ririka slowly made their way towards you, eyes downcast with guilt.

“We didn’t mean to intrude-” Semi started to explain.

“Shut your trap, you shitheads, we wouldn’t be together if it weren’t for you.” You chirped, drawing them into a tight embrace.

“What do you mean Y/N?” Ushijima stared at you, confused. You stifled a chuckle.

“Well, we actually made a plan…” Ririka started explaining.

After Semi, Ririka and you explained your entire scheme to him, he stared at you, confused, open mouthed.

“You could just have told me, you know? All this to get me jealous?”

“I was scared of getting rejected, Toshi.”

“I’d never reject you!”

“And how the fuck was I supposed to know that? You never showed any signs of recognition at my hints, how was I supposed to know you liked me? You huffed.

“Well, I suppose I…nevermind.”

“No, finish your sentence!”

“Would you like to ride the Ferris Wheel, Y/N?”

“Thought you’d never ask. But first, buy some cotton candy for your lady love.” He took his hand in yours, interlacing your fingers with his. "Anything for my girl."

𝐕

Ushijima’s lips softly grazed you neck, his hot breath fanning across your collarbones.

The soft pink light from the Ferris Wheel lit his face up.

Wiping a piece of leftover cotton candy from your lips, he suddenly asked, “Why do you love me, Y/N?”

You thought of the times he saved extra bento boxes for you after lunch when you refused to eat properly, how he’d stayed awake, sitting in your bedside chair, taking care of you as your body burned in fever, how he’d laugh at your stupid jokes even though they weren’t anything close to being funny, or how he’d show up at your door with cotton candy and cherry coke whenever you were under the weather.

You pressed your lips against his before whispering,

“What’s there to not love, Toshi?”

Author’s rambles notes pt. 2: Ririka Hirai isn’t a very well-known character, but I decided to add her anyways because the girl’s volleyball team characters deserve some love too! You can find more about her here (if it very isnt obvious already, I find her character absolutely adorable!)

N E ways, I hope you enjoyed reading this fic(which has absolutely 0 grammatical errors and i totally didnt write this while overdosing on an unhealthy amount of coffee at three in the morning)

Reblogs would be highly appreciated!

[hellenic-reconstructionism]

Tony Mack: A Lesson in Red Flags

In being online in this age, it is important to know if someone is a bigot as they could reasonably harm you or your dear ones, and accidentally following someone spreads bigots' reach. This level of research isn't for everyone, but if you can handle it I highly recommend it since it adds to your safety and it does help raise awareness to talk about it.

I'm going to use a real-life example to hopefully illustrate some common right wing red flags and how to look for them.

Tony Mack is a guy who makes astrological and pagan-themed jewelry. I'm using him as an example since a lot of pagans and astrologers follow him unknowingly, and he didn't outright tweet anything racist or otherwise bigoted while I followed him.

Step 1: Realizing someone follows a right-wing person.

This can be through opening up a right wing profile to block, or if you are the type to be able to stomach monitoring their moves (definitely not for everyone). In this case, this profile was sent to me by a friend:

Nippon Kaigi is a far-right Japanese political party. Some important corrections -- the surname thing is that she's against married couples having separate surnames (this is a big issue in Japan). The single custody thing is that she is against single parenthood, and the constitutional amendment refers to the amendment of the Japanese constitution so that war is legal. She also tweets out harassment against supporters of the constitution and writes in the same magazine as an article that contains antisemitic conspiracy theories. Note that Tony follows her for some reason. Definitely a red flag, but not enough to say he's sympathetic to right wing causes.

Step 2: Look through their following list. This is public information for public accounts. Look for famous right-wingers, names you recognize from news or social media dunks.

Obviously, everyone's knowledge level will differ. However, due to the January 6 insurrection, I think some names may be now more familiar to people as mainstream media starts taking "alt-right" threats seriously.

Right off the bat, I found Ariel Pink, a formerly well-known indie musician who was at the January 6 Capitol insurrection.

Nick Fuentes is a despicable right wing nut. Groyper is an alt-right dogwhistle. More on him here.

Paul Joseph Watson is a right wing YouTuber and writer for the alt-right conspiracy theory website Infowars. who makes bigoted and incendiary Tweets including some violent anti-Blackness. More on him here.

Didn't bother censoring Housh since he's verified -- Fairbanks is a right wing "journalist" who attended the DeploraBall event in DC (an alt-right event supporting Trump after his election) and is a staunch pro-Trump supporter.

Tim Pool is a right-wing YouTuber. He constantly regurgitates right-wing propaganda on his Twitter, and is friendly with the Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio as well as InfoWars' famous conspiracy theorist and right-wing nut Alex Jones.

Andy Ngo hardly needs an introduction -- he's one of the most well known of his ilk of bad-faith right wing Online Troll types.

This account has come up recently being rightfully dunked on for their shitty right wing takes, including some violent anti-Blackness.

Step 3: Dig a little deeper into accounts you may not immediately recognize.

This one is maybe the most important - this is where you need to now what to look for the most, in my opinion. It helps to know common right wing dogwhistles. The Anti-Defamation League is an okay resource on this (while they are certainly not perfect). I also made a post specifically about racist, white supremacist etc. dogwhistles common in pagan spaces.

This one is a good example, because it combines several red flags: the glowing eyes edit and the 88 (which stands for Heil Hitler).

[symphonic-scream]

Digimon au Group 3: Juleka, Rose, Chloe, and Sabrina

Yeah they get pulled into this whole mess too. Juleka and Rose were watching a livestream of a concert with Luka when the portal opens, and Chloe and Sabrina were doing some online shopping in Chloe's room

Juleka and Rose are not quite dating, but they're at that point where like, they just have to say it to make it real? Like they're dating but neither will admit it and they just continue on like that until one breaks

Sabrina and Chloe are pretty close to how they are in canon I guess. Not a very healthy friendship, Sabrina thinking she only has value if she can do stuff for Chloe, and Chloe trying to emulate her mother in hope of making her proud for once

They start off in a mountain range, all four waking up on a little rocky plateau in the centre of the ring of mountains. Chloe starts to get a little panicked right off the bat, with Sabrina trying to calm her down, while Juleka is more concerned about where her brother is. He was with them before this happened, shouldn't he be there too?

She goes to take out her phone to call him and yep that's the tablet digivice things the others had too. When they hold them for the first time, the symbol on the back glows on their hand. Chloe is the only character that has the symbol on her left hand, since I just make her left handed in general now

In terms on colours, Rose got gold, Juleka a vibrant fuchsia, Sabrina navy, and sky blue for Chloe. With them all out they start to glow, and their Training stage digimon partners appear

For Juleka, Bukamon

Rose gets a Kokomon

Chloé's is a Puroromon

And Sabrina has Babydmon

They all freak out, go through the same explanation thing as the others and all that jazz. Rose, once over the shock, just marvels over how adorable they all are, giving her Kokomon and Juleka's Bukamon a big ol hug

Chloe is still tapping away at the little screen on her device trying to call home, when two bigger bird digimon, fighting each other, get too close to the group. One of them crashes into the rock near them, and turns it's eyes on them once it pulls itself up

Rather than continue fighting the two bigger birds start trying to catch/kill them instead, so their partners square up to digivolve as the screens glow white

Juleka's Bukamon turns into Betamon

Rose gets Lopmon

I couldn't help myself, Chloé's is FanBeemon

And Sabrina gets Dracomon

They manage to escape by getting the two birds fighting again, and duck into a cave. Juleka wants to go look for Luka, fearing he could be in danger out there on his own, and Rose convinces Sabrina and Chloe that it's safer if they stick together, so that's their goal

Rose gets the crest of Hope. She's treading the fine line between keeping Juleka's spirits up about finding Luka and getting home, and not giving her false hope. She has faith in their partners to protect them, but she worries that by doing so, she might be putting too much pressure on them to save them

For Juleka, hers is Compassion. She is so worried about Luka and Rose and Betamon, and even Sabrina and Chloe, that she has no left over concern for herself. She spends so much energy trying to comfort and protect her friends that she completely ignores her own needs, even taking less food to make sure someone else gets more. She's gonna learn that meeting her own needs isn't selfish, and that she can look out for others and still care for herself

Sabrina, she got Pride. She's starting in a place where she has no faith in herself or her abilities at all. She believes she's the weakest link, and has to work extra hard to compensate. Girl's gotta learn to respect herself, and have a sense of self pride without going too far the opposite direction,

And lastly, Chloe with Forgiveness. She was raised in a system where she could only do wrong in her mother's eyes, no matter how much she said she was sorry, Audrey wouldn't hear it. Chloe has spent years forgiving her mother again and again, believing she has to. She's gonna grow and learn about letting go of the weight seeking her mother:s forgiveness presses on her, and turn her sight to people who have the capacity to grant it to her

Oh boy designs time

Rose has this pink sundress, one of those big summer hats? Like, big brim, sun hat kinda thing, and her Kokomon loves to sit on it. Also, she's totally still got sandals on. If her feet start hurting from walking, oh no, a big tall goth might just have to carry her oh no-

Speaking of a big tall goth, a black tank/muscle shirt with some rock band logo on the front, maybe a homemade Kitty Section one Rose designed for them (since they don't know Marinette), and over that is like a sheer dark purple shirt? Full sleeves, the kind you can see right through. Gotta keep the classic hair dye, and she's got ripped black jeans and black boots, coincidentally perfect for traversing that mountain they're on

Sabrina Sabrina Sabrina~ white collared shirt under a pale teal knit sweater, high waisted brown shorts with a belt she probably got from Chloe. Long black socks, and hightop shoes, a nice mellow purple colour. Maybe a little simple silver chain necklace, and I like her glasses so keeping those the same

And lastly, Chloe. Black long sleeve shirt, paired with a yellow and white plaid skirt, I think the style is called pleated? Yeah, pleated. She's got some tall, black boots, with a little heel on em. Hair in a ponytail for sure, but a little curlier than canon. Probably has some big sunglasses with her too

--

Wooaaaah, we're half way there. WOOOOAHHH Squidward with a pear~

3/6 groups done. Yes I'm still going with this au that next to no one wants, this is a treat for myself. The remaining groups are all smaller, 2-3 people, so they'll be shorter.

Once more, if you have any comments or questions I'm all ears, or eyes in this case, cause, reading

[whybaddecisions]

To the one that got away:

It was winter when she first came to picture, I was just an ordinary guy that worked abroad didn't know what to do no goal, ambition, or even dreams if I can consider it, Was making money but I can't feel satisfaction while doing it soulless and partially lifeless in the process, before I came home I was in a long distance relationship with someone from France and everything worked out just fine but eventually we lacked personal intimacy, to the point that were not even trying to communicate with each other just went with our days without even saying "Hi" or "Good morning" to be honest I thought that she would be the one for me and I'll be the one for her, I was greatly mistaken to have thought that, because if u truly wish someone to be with you till your last breath it must have the right amount of perseverance, the strive to push forward and not to quit and fight! One day we came to an agreement that the thing we have isn't working out anymore, so we broke up decided to be friends, just like that in a snap of a finger she was gone and so am I.

I know that it's rough on both of us but on the other hand it felt that the chemistry wasn't there anymore so it's better to leave that be.

After a month I decided to focus more on my career first since I'm waiting for my agency to call and kick me out of the country again but with a new job on a cruise ship around Us and Europe, while waiting i knew that my brother knows a lot of people here in the Philippines that has a company related to my forte so I asked him

"Man do you know anyone in the industry looking for a waiter?"

He told me that there was one here in Batangas and she was a good friend of his.

"yeah I know a place just a 5 min drive from here"

So I was excited cuz I'm going to work my ass off and forget what has happened.

So there it was "TRICIA'S" name of the workplace my brother told me about, and on December 17, 2019 I started there as a waiter, it was an open house bar kinda rowdy but in a good way but damn do these kids party hard! My shift was from 4pm to 4am and it was messy as hell always but I had fun in the process.

Then that faithful day came to place, all the stars were aligned and the soothing falling of leaves was upon me, I didn't expect any less from that day than any day cause for me it was just goin to turn out as an ordinary day, but then u came and I saw you with my best friend. 🙏 well I couldn't care less at first if u talk to me or not, but the first time you shut me down is when you were passing by my side I thought that u are going to get a menu off the bar, and I was psyched and told myself "now's my chance to like give her the menu and make small talk" Then u said "No" off the bat cuz u were just going to grab that box of tissue, boo me assumer! Then I remembered u were with my best friend so time to show off I think? Like provide them with the best service possible, bring the drinks on time, food must be hot, bucket of ice must be full all the time, no delay in anything like to the fullest service a server can give them, after all was served I was shocked that u said Hi and Hi again and again complimented my cologne called me by my nickname which wasn't really needed, I was shy just making a grin of my mouth just to show her I'm not bothered, but I'm to the fullest extent cause I already asked for ur name, checked u out on Facebook through my best friend that's why I was shy.

The u guys left. And I asked my bff

"should I add her on FB? What ya think?"

She replied with so much enthusiasm

"Gooooo! Add her, she wants to be friends with you also"

And boom it hit me like the biggest meteorite just punched through earth, I was so overwhelmed and cannot wipe the smile of my face that morning.

I'm not normal I can say that proudly in a good way of course, but if someone overwhelmed already with the thought of his/her crush wanting for them to be friends and then out of nothing she says that do you want me to bring you coffee, that would be the most awesome thing that would happen to you, you'd probably be smiling for the whole day like legitimately smiling at everyone with the upmost feeling. For me coffee is sometimes is more important than people but for what she did LFU!!! And she brought me my coffee that morning and she insisted on bringing it , on that day she already got me.

Time passed and things were going accordingly, perfectly some bumps along the way, but we were happy and contended to what we had and a few dates, I remember on the night before Christmas I was supposed to give u your present and you stood me up because of a party your family held and I understood that situation of yours, kinda sulk tho that we didn't get to meet but one of my favorite memory is when you asked me out on a date and it was Christmas, you got to meet my parents also sorry if your hills was soaked in water cuz it was pouring heavily that day. We ate at "Romantic Baboy" a Korean restaurant with unlimited pork skin, chicken strips and cheese on the sides, and you know what's my favorite part of that particular day? Is when I took a picture of you smelling a rose and thought to myself that I don't want this to end may the universe hinder us from us but I'll fight with my last breath to preserve what we have and what else will happen. Then I fucked up.

Scribbled words, nauseated, anxious, crippled, out of way, bothered, stressed,fretful,fretting, disturbed, agitated, irritated, apprehensive, to the point that I don't even want to look at myself in the mirror so disgusted to what I did, execute me if the universe wants to, the feeling of overly doubting my self worth was inevitable, brought to me by my own decisions that messed me up entirely.

Wondering what happened haunts me in the most gruesome way possible. So here it goes, I lied to her big-time which I didn't know that it was possible since I did it already not multiple times but only ONE THAT GOT ME REAL FUCKED! Is when I received a message from my longtime best friend from way back as kids, 20 years to be exact . On the message she told me

"when are you going to show urself I haven't seen u in forever"

Then I was shocked cause normally she wouldn't Pm (Private Message) like that in the past, then I told her.

"one of these days when I'm not busy cause of work"

Then she asked about my love life and u were the first in my mind so I told her about you.

"there's this girl that I'm seeing, my other best friend introduced me to her and she already met my parents last Christmas then we ate outside and we had a great time"

That's what I said then I also told her to help me find a perfect present for you.

Then on December 27, 2019 I told you that I'll be visiting a long time friend with a kid and I didn't tell you if it was a girl or a boy cause I don't want you to get angry at me but then again I should've told you that in the first place. When I was there at her house since we were long time friends we had a great time also with the kid in the picture, happy and overwhelmed at the same time, then her mother came down gave me a hug and greeted me welcome home or back to the phil, cause she hasn't seen me for over 4 years I think. After the the greetings my best friend told her mom that I'm seeing someone which is you. Well I didn't expect that she would be sly about it and drop your name so casually, so I just came right through it and said yes I'm dating this girl and she's wonderful, but her mom told me that r u taking things way to fastly you just got out of a relationship, I told them that also I was off with someone before I met you. So after they told me not to deepen anything with anyone yet, assuring that I would not get hurt cause for them I'm family also, cause her dad was the godfather of my brother that's why our families was close still to this point they are.

Then the next day came I went again to her house because I was having fun playing with her son and missed talking to her a lot, because in the longest time I had a crush on her and knowing me I couldn't seal the deal from before, but this time I thought to myself maybe this is it when she'll notice the man i have become, and you passed my memory, in me saying that I'm dating this girl and why should I break her heart? Did u deserve to be treated that way Nooooo! In fuckin million years no! But I did anyways. Without even consenting my best friend, myself and most importantly God. I messed up 😭

So then it happened the happiest'sh and the worst'sh decision in my existence trampling over someone that didn't deserve any hardships cause you were the most beautiful soul ever seen. Yeah I misunderstood the fact that she'll replace you over and over again because of the thing we had in the past like 20 years of friendship over something that just happened recently was a very wrong thought to even deliver in a person's mouth crippling fear came over me I didn't know what to do my life was in chaos lost in the path, I part take wishing it all away silently murmuring to myself that if had the power to change it all I would, I was blinded really blinded by that stumbling and staggering in every situation possible, even with work I wasn't happy anymore so I left, it's not like me to leave unprofessionally but I did cause it broke me down to my core knowing that I did something to hurt the most, I don't know if it's faith that we met or just me knocking on the door of heaven praying and longing for someone to bump in my life and there you was. But I was too blinded by the fact that I thought that she'll be the one to save me but you were there standing without flinching and with the unyielding love that a human person can give to another and I wasted it all away. Knowing that we were supposed to go to an amusement park, and guess what? That Jan 3 was the day destiny punched me in the face for me to tell you what I got in stored deep inside the dark and deep corners of my heart which was hard to let it out, but I was willing to get out of my comfort zone, break boundaries and say what I really mean.

But then again it didn't happen because of me. But why is that I don't have a perfect checklist of good things in life and almost all of it is on the bad side, really looking inside I didn't have any intention of hurting you, but when I came to see you coming from manila was one of the blurriest decision I've made cause I was going to fix everything but was still blinded, so I did see you but what I said that day when we were inside the car was all true, you mean the world to me but how dumb can a human be maybe I'm the epitome of that, knowing her and thinking she was the one was greatly poor on my side, some people are worth suffering for and I'll suffer for you anytime of the day, week, year or anywhere.

Saying this honestly you are the one with a pure heart on the other hand she also has but like only in a normal state and I thought she was a diamond but day by day she turns to coal slowly breaking and burning me in the process I don't blame her for that but knowing her I didn't expect that a shallow river is bound to drop over me and drown me, because in your eyes I saw a girl swimming in a vast ocean with many things to look after but was calm about it, and composed in a way that anything can turn out good and without harms way. Simply saying that u r different really different in a good way of course.

The self realization made it clearer than the brightest day, clarity filled up inside,b the blindness was cured and I can see far from what I saw before straightforward only walking in one path never turning right or left staying on a pace that'll last, growing abundantly in each other's presence. point here is i really know that u are the perfect illustration a right decision

I hope and pray eventually time will get us to see and feel that something happens for a reason, it's not just the way it was given but on the way it ends and begins again, hoping,praying, begging, pleading, that when that time comes even if it's on a reciprocal I will greatly cherish it and give it as grace without asking for anything in return like a river splashing water on the ground with the little weed sprouting through time, it doesn't have to be the entire ground but the important parts only, perfect timing, right alignment of stars and even if the wind blows strongly or a single rain drop I'll always bring you close by my side and wanting you to stay beside me. I just wish in time we would see each other in our arms again.

And to the one that got away.

Looking back to those days we were so happy I really wanted to tell you how much you mean to me, and the simple things u did, like looking at me with those mesmerizing eyes and the captivating depth and clarity it shown, the way you cling was warmth beyond any parka or furred jacket I've worn before saying slowly while you hug me that you'll never let go. And the way you pull your hair back showing roaring waves but calms me up to the core while the strands of your hair graze my face tingles my curiosity to kiss you in the forehead. And I never felt an urge every time you kissed me on the cheek and while you ask me to kiss you back was the sweetest tune my ears can imagine like angelic figures playing the harp or something like that. And the way we used to drive with ur friends feels like ecstasy having fun and in a euphoric way, I like seeing you laugh a lot, curse a lot at people, things or anything cause im not finding any wrong in that, because that's who you are and what you represent. Also the times we had so much fun singing those songs you recommended me. And to this particular song which made me see you in whole different level, cause you were the first one who dedicated something for me, those giggles that both of us shared is more important the . The unparralled and unrequited feeling that those gestures are simply producing, but what I say is the manifestation of genuine love is you.