#people just need to realize when something is a preference and not a criticism

[autism-purgatory]

Girl help people who’ve never written anything are saying it’s bigoted to give queer, disabled, or poc characters flaws and depth and that its just a watsonian excuse for the writer to be bigoted. Yes that CAN exist (like the “she looks 12 but is actually 1000 years old! Bullshit) but to say it’s bigoted for a character to make stupid decisions or be mean with in-universe explanations (not justifications, explanations) in the writing, then you’re just trying to enforce the Hays Code Tumblr 2012 edition.

[veal-exe]

EDIT

This has gotten a lot of traction so I’m gonna be rude and say that if anyone here has the means, that my spouse and I need help to not be homeless and hungry.

my paypal is Lahoreling@Gmail.com

END EDIT

———

I was discussing the incident mentioned later in this piece with my wife yesterday and I saw another post by someone earlier doing something mentioned in here and I'm finally going to say something about it.

There is a serious problem in leftist spaces, especially online, especially on Tumblr, when it comes to language.

The way people are expected to speak just to even enter these spaces is incredibly complex, to the point of being outright hostile to those who haven’t already spent time in them. And it’s not just newcomers; people who have important things to say, people speaking from lived experiences, people who don’t have English as a first language but still deserve to be heard, are constantly talked down to or even pushed out entirely for not using the "right" words.

This gets even worse when you factor in how often new terms are coined in English, and then people are shamed for not immediately knowing or using them.

I saw someone reblog their own post saying something like, "I know for a fact more than half of y’all didn’t understand a fucking word I said here."

And honestly? That stuck with me, because yeah, I’ve felt that before. Not because I don’t value critical thinking! because I absolutely do! I just made a post on that too! but because so many of these posts are written in a way that makes them Functionally Inaccessible to anyone who doesn’t already have the right background knowledge. And at a certain point, if you actually want your words to have an impact, if you actually want to create meaningful change, then you’re going to have to accept some things:

People will not always use perfect language.

2. People will not always know the exact terminology you personally prefer they use when engaging in discourse.

3. Dismissing or attacking people for how they say something, instead of engaging with what they’re saying, is actively harmful.

And more than that, if you genuinely want people to understand and engage with the things you’re talking about, especially people who don’t speak English as a first language, especially people without access to higher education, especially people who don’t even know where to begin when it comes to self-education (because yes, that is a skill that has to be taught) then you are going to have to be the one to adjust sometimes. You are going to have to let people say things imperfectly. You are going to have to take a step back and engage with the message rather than just the words being used to express it.

One of the experiences that made me realize that I, as a non-native English speaker, was not welcome in Tumblr leftist spaces was when I spoke about real-life oppression I had experienced. I left one word out of my post, a word which honestly, was not even important when talking about an incident that had Happened To Me, not theory, not hypotheticals or any what-ifs of oppression, a story, a story about something that happened to me.

And because of that, people sat in a Discord server, picking apart my words, accusing me of awful things, and then came into my askbox throwing jargon and buzzwords I’d never even heard before, then got mad at me for being frustrated that this was happening.

Think about that. People who are directly impacted by oppression are being pushed out of spaces meant to discuss it because the way they speak doesn’t conform to certain expectations. That is not justice. That is not solidarity. That is not progress.

There is a fundamental disconnect here between theory and praxis. Ironically so many of you do not know what praxis is, because most of you engage with a lot of theory, and not a lot of praxis, you use the word praxis a lot, but, ironically, you have no idea what it means.

{to put my money where my mouth is, it means Doing Something, in the simplest possible terms}

In theory, leftist spaces should be accessible. They should be places where people can speak openly about their experiences, learn from each other, and work toward meaningful change. But in practice? There’s a gatekeeping of language so intense that many people, particularly those who are marginalized in ways beyond just their political beliefs, are outright excluded.

And this is something I need people to sit with: The assumption that the "right" language is easy to learn, or that anyone who doesn’t use it is being willfully ignorant, is an inherently privileged stance. Knowing where to find information, how to process it, and how to integrate new terminology into your vocabulary is a skill that is largely tied to education. Having the time to engage with leftist literature and theory, to stay up-to-date on every new term that gets introduced, is also a privilege. And the fact that so many people refuse to acknowledge this, that they expect perfect articulation from everyone, regardless of background, and punish those who don’t measure up, is a huge problem.

Worse still, the same people who act as gatekeepers of this language often fail to communicate their ideas in a way that is accessible at all.

This doesn’t mean that complex ideas should never be discussed. It doesn’t mean that people shouldn’t strive for accuracy in their language. But it does mean that if your goal is to educate, if your goal is to spread awareness, if your goal is to help people understand and join the movement, if your goal is to engage with fellow oppressed people, then you have a responsibility to meet people where they are. You have a responsibility to make your language understandable.

Because if people can’t even process what you’re saying, then what’s the fucking point?

And before anyone says, "Well, people should put in the effort to learn!" Let me make something very clear: They do.

People who are new to leftist spaces, or who are coming in from different linguistic and cultural backgrounds, are often trying their best to engage. They are listening, they are learning, they are processing. But if the response to every mistake, every slightly off phrasing, every unfamiliarity with a new term, is immediate hostility,

or even if it's just 'hey I see you're sharing a personal moment, but can you change your language to make me, personally, more comfortable with you discussing your oppression?' then you’re not teaching.

You’re just making sure only the people who already think and speak exactly like you get to stay in the room.

Your language, your terminology, your theory? none of it means anything if you can’t make it accessible to the people who actually need it. And it means nothing if you use it to Exclude rather than Include.

[kateschi]

same book, different chapters

synopsis: an ordinary evening takes a turn when katsuki expresses what you've always known but never expected to hear.

pairing: timeskip!bakugou katsuki x f!reader

being with katsuki is a lesson in unspoken understanding. you knew who he is long before you started dating him—loud, brash, and not the type to share his feelings openly.

but it didn’t take long to realize there’s so much more to him than that. his love is quiet, reserved, and shown in the details:

how he pulls you out of the way of a passing car, or how he remembers the smallest things, like your favorite kind of tea or that you prefer your coffee without sugar.

and that is enough for you. mostly.

you didn’t expect him to be the kind of boyfriend who says "I love you" with ease. katsuki isn’t like that. it isn’t something you hold against him either.

but every now and then, a small part of you wonders what it would be like to hear him say it—to hear those three words slip past his lips in the same way they had from yours.

you say it first, a quiet “I love you” in the middle of a peaceful night when the world outside feels still.

his response comes in the shape of hugging you tighter, securing you in his arms. however, he doesn’t say it back, and you don’t expect him to. you don’t need him to.

still, there are times when you find yourself holding your breath, wondering if one day he’ll actually verbalize it.

it isn’t that you doubt his feelings. katsuki isn’t one to waste time on things or people he doesn’t care about.

you know how much he cares by the way he silently takes care of you, always putting you first in his own way, even when his words are rough around the edges.

it’s just that sometimes, words have a way of making things feel more real.

tonight is one of those easy evenings you cherish—one where you don’t have to think too much about anything. the two of you are in your kitchen, making dinner together, though “together” is generous.

you’re doing most of the work while katsuki stands next to you, arms crossed, casting a critical eye over everything you do.

“you’re putting too much salt,” he says, the frown on his face making you smile.

“pretty sure this is the exact amount the recipe says to use,” you reply, amused at how serious he always gets when it comes to food.

“that recipe’s wrong. I could’ve made this better with my eyes closed.”

“then why don’t you?” you tease, turning your head to glance at him. his gaze is sharp as usual, but the small curve in the corner of his lips betrays him.

“maybe I’ll cook next time,” he grumbles, looking away like the very idea of giving in bothers him.

you laugh softly, enjoying the banter. this is something you love about him—how even in these simple moments, his presence fills the space with a sense of ease.

there’s no pressure to be anything other than yourselves, even when his blunt honesty clashes with your more relaxed approach.

as you stir the pot, you can’t help but let your thoughts wander back to the three words. you know katsuki isn’t the type to say things until he’s ready, and you respect that.

but part of you is curious—would it ever come naturally to him, or would it always be something unspoken between the two of you?

still, as you stand there, the warmth of his steady presence beside you, you realize that maybe you’re okay with it remaining unspoken. katsuki shows his love in ways that don’t need words to validate them.

and then, without warning, you feel his arms wrap around your waist from behind, his chin resting on your shoulder. you freeze for a moment, caught off-guard.

“katsuki?” you ask, your voice soft, as you lean into him instinctively.

he doesn’t answer right away, just holds you there. his touch isn’t hesitant, but it is different from the usual casual touches you’ve grown used to.

“you’re annoying sometimes,” he mutters, voice low in your ear.

you chuckle, relaxing further into his hold. “I know.”

there’s silence for a beat, and then: “but I love you anyway, idiot.”

you blink, unsure if you’ve heard him correctly. you turn your head slightly, trying to see his face, but he buries it against your neck, hiding his expression. “did you just—?”

“don’t make a big deal out of it,” he mumbles, voice suddenly gruff, though you can hear the embarrassment beneath the words.

a smile breaks across your face, warmth spreading through your chest. you didn’t expect it, but that makes it all the more special. he isn’t saying it because the moment demands it.

he isn’t saying it because you’re waiting. he says it because he wants to, because he feels it.

“I’m not,” you reply, trying to sound nonchalant but failing miserably as your happiness bubbles up in your voice. “but…I love you too.”

you feel his grip tighten around you and a kiss pressed to your shoulder.

kofi — navigation — masterlist

do not copy, translate, or plagarize

[krems-chair]

Don't mind me, just revisiting the plot (again) and dying over this line (again). (These screenshots are going to be abysmal, but you'll get the point).

"To stop now would dishonor those I have wronged to come this far."

Yeah he's talking about Mythal (earned or not) and Felassan and Lavellan and Varric...but the way it applies to HIM, too, is what absolutely guts me.

Long post ahead...

Solas realizing that Lavellan doesn't care about how others see him or want to use him under the inquisiton, that HIS motivations as he has shared them are enough for her and worth defending against those who would tell him he's something he isn't. Solas, for the first time, being confronted with the realization that one these new elves he does not see himself in will still go to bat for him.

(Is he duplicitous? Yes. But intent on working against Corypheus? Undoubtedly).

"You came here to help, Solas, I won't let them use that against you."

“How would you stop them?”

“However I had to.”

“...thank you.”

Solas grappling with the fact that it wasn't just a one off, that this Dalish woman being faced with "hypotheticals" he's desperately been trying to get her people to entertain is jumping in head first, pushing back and disagreeing with him but never treating him worse for their differences and always admitting when he's helped shape a changing perspective. Solas daring to ask for help and marveling at the fact that he receives it, that the same woman who asked if it might some day be possible to live alongside spirits, who did not immediately shoot down his critique of THE CHANTRY REFUSING TO ACKNOWLEDGE SPIRITS AS LEGITIMATE BEINGS (GAH), who did not laugh at him for saying he preferred their company most days, this woman, is going to drop time and resources during war time preparations to personally help his friend.

And then, when he is too late and has once again failed someone he considers a friend, he disappears within himself, where he has always gone to exact punishment for the weight of the lives he believes he's betrayed. It almost works, too.

Psych. Lavellan doesn't want him to grieve alone, to stare at the place in the Fade where his friend used to be and think of all he should have done differently.

“The next time you have to mourn, you don’t need to be alone.”

“It’s been so long since I could trust someone.”

“I know.”

“I’ll work on it. And thank you.”

But does she stop there? No. She doesn't chafe at this random apostate who speaks with certainty and unapologetically delves into a past he believes worth preserving, even at the cost of questioning her culture as it currently stands.

The very woman he once thought of as a mistake that HE unleashed upon the world is asking to be a part of his, not because of what he can bring to the table, not because she needs a right hand man, and certainly not because she thinks he has some well of power and intelligence critical to winning over enemies she’s willing to join for "supervisory" purposes (cough cough hi Mythal). She bears the weight of choices that can and will lead to death, to pain, and when it wears on her she relies on him, not for solutions but so that at the end of it all she might smile with someone who knows her heart and the good she tried to do amidst a sea of terrible options. She wants to be known, no inch of her unturned, and worse, she thinks she knows him. But how could she? This is no longer who he is, it is merely the remnants of what he destroyed to make a world at Mythal's whim.

And still she unbalances him, accepts him, wants more. Solas is sharing a personality that brings him the closest he has ever been to his spirit form, and it is ENOUGH for her. Existing as he has always dreamt of is all takes to earn her loyalty, respect, and eventually love.

“You’re an admirable man. Not many people know who they are the way you do.”

“Thank you. Both for saying that and…for seeing that. Few in this world can see me instead of just seeing a pair of pointed ears”

She. Sees. Him. Every part he slowly is realizing he wants to be known for and even a few he thought he could hide. And then he gives it all up. Because he woke to a new world where spirits and elves and mages were so far removed from the role they played in Arlathan that it can only be yet another mistake he caused and must fix, never mind the fact that the dwarves have forgotten why they fled underground millennia ago in the first place.

The friend who tore him from the world he loved, urged him to take physical form? She is dead, too, never mind the fact that she ignored his urging for a different path, nevermind that he killed and tore and hurt in her name because otherwise what was losing the part of himself he loved for?

"A spirit becomes a demon when denied its original purpose.”

“It hurts. It always does, but I will survive.”

“You bound it to obedience, then commanded it to kill. That is when it turned.”

He may no longer recognize where the Dread Wolf ends and where Solas begins, but if he gives up now and permits himself the chance to remember, the pain he caused himself and others means nothing, because he did it all for Mythal and in his final discussion with her, regardless of what Veilguard tries to convey, she does not release him from his position as her agent.

And maybe that's part of why I'm so angry, because EVEN BEFORE TRESPASSER, the fragment of Mythal that ends up in Morrigan could have freed him, but she does not.

"The failure was mine," he tells her, voice trembling. "I should pay the price."

Silence.

"I am sorry." He whispers.

And do we get that "what we did, we did together" psuedo-fake ass-absolution, the one that, if given enough time and safety to put himself first he may have realised he doesn't truly need to pursue the things he deserves, that make him feel finally like himself again? No the fuck we don't.

"As am I, old friend." She murmurs.

Looking through the lens of Veilguard, this isn't an apology, it's a condemnation. It's Mythal tormenting him one more time, twisting the knife deeper, agreeing that it is Solas alone who has brought them to this point, who deserves to be punished. And then she reminds him what they are to each other, what he is supposed to be to her. What he must become again.

"It isn't abuse if I ask," Cole says in his personal quest.

"Not always true," Solas shoots back.

Var lath vir suledin. Our love will persevere.

I wish it could, vhenan.

And so he pushes onwards, spending almost a decade denying himself his true nature and regretting that he ever gave it a chance to come through because now he KNOWS that this world is different and a little broken, but it's a world he could be a part of because of the woman and the friends that made a place for him. It is a world that doesn't necessarily need to be restored as much as it might need renovation, but that is not the world Mythal demanded of him when she let him kill a remaining piece of her. And any solution but that means the hurt of taking a body, of hurting the titans, of time and time again being called on by one evanuris to fix a problem they all caused, was for nothing.

And a Pride of that magnitude, that sinister an origin, has a long, long way to fall.

So he recommits to the friend he gave up his nature for, he refuses to let himself remember that Lavellan learned the full truth of his identity and still begged him not to mourn alone. Even so, he still cannot quite forget.

He kills again. He kills again. He kills again.

He kills a friend.

He fails to prevent the Evanuris from wreaking havoc a second time, wrenches another innocent into his war, and when they ask him about the woman he calls vhenan, he feels the mask stifling him begin to suffocate. But he never lets it fall, because to surrender now is to place her broken heart atop the pile of regrets he's been holding up like Atlas crumbling beneath the weight of the world itself. Because he still thinks it selfish to want the things that make him feel like himself again, so they need to be taken off the board entirely.

And then that same uppity little shit has the audacity to tell him it's not too late, that he can turn back.

"To stop now would dishonor those I have wronged to come this far."

If he gives up now, his entire corporeal life has been a betrayal of many, but worst of all, he will have ruined himself for nothing.

But then she's there. A little older, a little sadder, and still looking at him like she did the night he almost broke and instead carefully removed any suggestion that she had ever belonged to anyone but herself.

"Didn't you hear me?" Her every action screams as she kneels to meet his gaze like he did the day he took her arm (another failure, another sacrifice he cannot let be for nothing).

The tombstone in the fade is his greatest fear, but it is not his fate. Why? She will not let it be. It cannot be his din'anshiral if she is not beside him.

Lavellan may not have understood the depth of exactly WHEN Solas first came somewhere foreign and uncertain to help, but she never once failed to keep her promise. She refuses to let his initial desire to do good be held against him any longer. And when she sees him accept that not-quite-absolution-definitely-more-of-a-power-play from the god that saw what he was capable of and molded him into a weapon, she finds her in to make sure he doesn't walk off alone to mourn again, never again will she lose him to the expectations others have of him. No doubt she wants to find a way to sink the fingers of her good hand into that spectral visage and tear it away like he wishes to do to the veil. But she is not here for Mythal. She is here for her heart, and for the man who has been carrying it since the moment her lips met his in the fade ten years ago.

“No orders to kill, no conflict with its nature, no demon.”

"There is no fate but the love we share." She tells him as soon as Mythal's too-little-too-late platitudes send shudders through his body.

Banal nadas ar lath'ma vhenan.

She forces him to see that the only remaining betrayal is to lock himself away one more irreversible time. All that's left to lose is the piece of himself he cherishes more than his greatest victories: all that he has to gain comes from making sure the love that was given to him at Skyhold, in the moment where Varric saw all he was capable of and still tried to bring him back home, was not given in vain.

It will not be so terrible a place, so unforgivable a betrayal if he can finally dare to put himself first. If, unlike that night in Crestwood, he finally gives in not to break, but to make himself whole.

There's a codex entry in Inquisiton about a spirit of wisdom who is summoned by researchers and only after a very pleasant conversation do they realize they made a mistake and never successfully bound the spirit in the first place, that it chose to speak with them of its own accord.

"I am not certain the spirit would have talked so freely had it been shackled at the time," writes the author of the entry.

I keep thinking about this alongside the datamined line of Morrigan saying, "And so, the Dread Wolf is stopped by, of all things love."

But that isn't quite right, is it?

Because in the end, of course the Dread Wolf could only ever freed by, over everything, love.

[blckbrrybasket]

ᯓ★ 𝐒𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐤𝐚 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐧𝐬

MDNI

SFW

- Lesbian (canon)

- Heavy metal is her favorite genre of music.

- Doesn’t have a hand towel in her bathroom. She shakes her hands to dry them and wipes them on her pants.

- Keeps her nails short and hates keeping them painted. She sees it as a waste of time since it chips so frequently.

- Has horrible long term memory but can remember the most random, specific memories or facts.

- Got hit by a motorcycle once and got into a fight with the driver.

- Would have had an emo phase when she was younger without knowing what being emo meant.

- Secretly not so secretly the biggest hater. Does gossip just in her own way of posing things as a fact.

- Hated any type of schooling with a burning passion. Did not do well with the structure it demanded and most likely did not do any schooling after the required amount.

- Snores so loud like a dad and will wake herself up with her own snoring at times.

- Ungodly high tolerance for alcohol…we all see how frequently she drinks.

- Also has an amazing spice tolerance and can eat basically anything. Human vaccum!

- Loves reptiles

- Hates clowns

- Tries to shower often and hates when she’s working for long days without being able to go home to clean.

- She has never done taxes

- When Sevika was younger if she caused something to go wrong she would flee the scene and let someone else take the blame. She isn’t above doing it now.

- Likes being alone. Give her a cigar and some whiskey and she’s set to be alone for the rest of her life. She’s had enough human interaction for one lifetime.

- Honestly bad at handling criticism and tries to rationalize everything she does in her head.

- Gets offended when people incorrectly assume things about her.

- She is completely oblivious to anyone liking her romantically or showing interest in her. She isn’t very conscious of being romantic so it goes over her head if she isn’t actively deciphering if someone is flirting.

SFW (serious)

- Hates hugs but will reluctantly give side hugs to someone very close to her.

- Sevika finds herself blaming Silco some nights and other nights she wants him to come back so she doesn’t have to deal with the chaos Zaun has fallen into.

- She has a love-hate relationship with her parents and ultimately wishes her childhood was better.

- Raised stray dogs on the streets as a kid because she thought of them like her.

- Has insane troubles trying to fall sleep.

- When she does eventually get to sleep she keeps a knife under her pillow. Do not wake her up unless you want to get hurt 😭

- Doesn’t verbally say i love you much. She prefers relationships where you both silently know how much you love each other.

- She can like physical touch at times and seek it out, but she doesn’t like it all the time. Sevika can love deeply, but she doesn’t do well with clingy people.

- She gets overwhelmed pretty easily. Though she doesn’t show it much on her face, it’s easy for her to feel suffocated by lots of things happening.

- She has to get used to cuddling and only cuddles with people she highly trusts where she doesn’t feel as if she is physically trapped.

- Would not be into toxic relationships. She hates situationships where she isn’t secure and/or doesn’t exactly know what she is with someone. Sevika needs something stable or she will not open up.

- Views her childhood self as a completely different person than herself. She mourns the kid who lost their happiness.

- Doesn’t fall in love easily because of the walls she has built up for years.

- Hates receiving help. Hates asking for it even more.

- Was called scrappy when younger and grew up to become ‘a scary lady’. When she’s able to settle down more she realizes how much she hates being stereotyped as this always angry and violent person.

- After becoming a councilor and being alone again years of pain came back. It took her a long time to work through all of it. She could be doing the most random thing and would burst into tears.

- When she hangs out around people she prefers to be in silence.

- Is hard of hearing after the amount of head trauma she has had. By the time she was in her late 50’s she lost complete hearing in one of her ears.

- Works really hard to teach herself how to act in a committed relationship and expects the same from her partner.

NSFW

- Likes using her strap but prefers feeling you on her skin.

- Loves scissoring, but only does it on special occasions because hit makes her hips ache.

- Likes being bit (are we surprised?)

- Manhandler.

- Loves seeing you drip over her fingers, stretching you out is her favorite part because she always takes her time.

- Is a masochist, not so much a sadist. She sees enough people getting hurt every day by late season two she wouldn’t inflict pain on you in bed.

- Bush!!!! Loves bush, has a bush, wants a jungle.

- Prefers you dressed down. Never complains when you dress up but seeing you in every day clothes, her clothes, or pajamas is her favorite thing.

- It turns her on when you are at equal positions in your relationship instead of one being over the other, but doesn’t mind your subbing or domming more. switch sevika is real.

- PRAISES! Comes up compliments in bed that you didn’t even know she appreciated.

- Loves you dominating her. Giving up all the power she has to constantly hold it turns her brain to mush.

- Every time she is buried between your thighs she will massage them as she gives you head.

- Wears boy shorts underwear and briefs. Keeps them low cut to show her happy trail.

[krennicswife]

some krennic headcanons during andor ❤︎

i am perfectly aware he has like 2 minutes of screentime during the 1st act but this man has me on a chokehold ever since i was 12 & the lack of his on-screen presence can’t stop me from forming lots & lots of headcanons in my head (also: reader is female and there’s like a huuuge age gap & power imbalance so if u don’t like it, don’t read it !)

you’re an admiral’s daughter; you’re young, spoiled, bratty, quite intelligent too but you prefer to rely on your looks and privilege to get what you want because: that’s just the easy way. from the day you got promoted from the position as an intern to a proper worker in the ISB, you began to have your head poking into things that are none of your business. whether it’s you sneaking into high-level briefings, leaning over the shoulder of officers way above your pay grade, or constantly pestering people for information you absolutely don’t need, you’re always there. this would be the first aspect a certain cape-wearing director would notice about you.

the first time krennic sees you lingering outside a briefing room, pretending to read your datapad but actually listening to classified conversations? he’s fuming; it’s like you’re trying to be part of the grown-up conversation, and it pisses him off. you're unprofessional and immature, trying to maintain your relevance with desperation while he had to work for years trying to get into the position you're in now.

his first instinct is to remove you (how romantic ikr). you’re a distraction, an intrusion, and frankly, the sheer audacity of your presence makes him bristle. he steps into the room, locks eyes with you, and with a sharp tone that matches the icy glint in his eyes, he says, “move, child.”

krennic genuinely considers you a pest at first. like, he uses that word in his head; “she’s like a fly in the mess hall. no purpose, just noise and irritancy.”

at first, he’s convinced you’re just some naive intern trying to climb the ranks by riding on your father’s coattails. but then there’s something about you. you never ask directly; it’s more like a casual, persistent probing. you drop little comments here and there that make him realize you’re not as stupid as you seem. you might be spoiled, bratty, and a bit too eager to impress, but there’s an intelligence there. something sharp, underneath all that arrogance. that’s what gets him in the end, as he doesn’t seem to be like that type that would fall for bimbos.

you catch him staring once. he looks away instantly - you grin for the next three days straight.

he starts seeing you in a different light when you actually speak up. not in a bratty way, but in a sharp, calculated way that surprises him. your questions aren’t just curious; they’re insightful. you start pulling pieces of information together, drawing conclusions from small details that most people in the room completely miss. he takes his initial impression of you as a miscalculation in his brain and wants to be more annoyed of you, but surprise surprise, the absolute opposite occurs.

at the ISB, you’re nothing special, but you’re ambitious and persistent, and that truly sticks with him. of course, you’re also gorgeous as hell, always wearing those polished uniforms and, at special occasions, the most expensive luxury gowns gifted by your father. but that is secondary (at least that’s what he tells himself).

at some point, whenever you're missing, krennic finds himself wondering where you are. he shouldn’t care, but after seeing you around a few too many times, he starts feeling the need to know where you are at all times. he’s not watching you. he’s just keeping track of your whereabouts.

one time, during a tense ISB debrief, you dare to casually ask a question that no one else even thought to raise. it’s phrased innocently - but it exposes a flaw in the current operation, something small but critical. there’s a long pause in the room. krennic hates how impressed he is. he hates that it turns him on a little.

from that moment on, he actually starts using a slightly softer tone with you, but only when you're alone. in public, he’s still giving “disdainful professional disappointment” energy.

after that, a shift happens, and the more serious it gets, the more you start to change. you’re no longer the confident, teasing intern who used to saunter around with a grin on her face, throwing questions and remarks at anyone who crossed your path. you’ve become quieter, more calculated. your peers are even starting to tease you; “you’ve spent too much time with the director. you’re practically turning into him!” “now i’m just waiting for you to grow a white cape on your own”

to him, the change in you isn’t just external. it’s subtle, but noticeable: your posture is straighter. you speak less, but when you do, your words are measured, chosen with purpose. you seem sharper in a way that makes krennic realize just how much you’ve grown since the first time he met you.

as your supervisors and parents got more strict with you, you’ve learned when to speak and when to stay silent. you’ve also learned to anticipate krennic’s expectations. you’ve become more attuned to his preferences, responding with quiet obedience and even anticipating what he wants before he says it. your submission is subtle, but it’s noticeable, and it makes him feel a strange sense of satisfaction. we all know how much the director likes to be the one in control, don’t we?

and from that moment on, you’re bound to stay by his side.

-end of part 1-

[siilent-wanderer]

Your Argument, My Weakness

Summary: She wasn’t supposed to matter. But between late-night practice debates and quiet stares that last too long, Wonyoung realizes her greatest challenge isn't winning — it’s not falling for her partner.

Genre: slow-burn, rivals-to-something-more??

Word Count: 1.7k words

debater!Jang Wonyoung x reader

A/N: always thinking about law student!wonyoung so it's time this escapes the drafts

The first time Wonyoung really noticed Jeon Y/N was during a philosophy lecture. Not because Y/N was loud — far from it. In fact, Wonyoung had never heard her speak before. But that day, when the professor posed a question about moral relativism, Y/N had responded so quietly yet so decisively that the entire room had gone silent.

"It’s not that morality is subjective," Y/N had said, her voice steady despite the sudden attention. "It’s that humans are subjective in how they interpret it. We like to believe we’re rational beings, but emotions cloud even our most logical choices."

Wonyoung, who had been half-listening while scrolling through her phone, looked up then. She studied Y/N for the first time — the way she fidgeted with her pen, the way her gaze flickered downward like she wasn’t used to speaking up. She was the kind of girl people overlooked, the kind who blended into the background.

So why was Wonyoung suddenly unable to stop looking at her?

Later, in the campus debate room, Wonyoung found herself distracted. She was the star of the university’s competitive debate team, the reigning champion who rarely lost an argument. But as she sat across from her teammates, preparing for their next tournament, she wasn’t thinking about strategies or counterpoints.

She was thinking about Y/N.

The way her voice had been so soft yet unshakable. The way her words stayed, pressing against Wonyoung’s mind like an unsolved puzzle.

"Earth to Wonyoung?" Liz, her teammate, waved a hand in front of her face. "You good? You’re never this quiet."

Wonyoung snapped back to reality, tossing her hair over her shoulder as she leaned back in her chair. "Obviously. Just thinking."

Liz narrowed her eyes. "About?"

Wonyoung smirked. "None of your business."

But as much as she tried to brush it off, Y/N ran in circles in her thoughts. And when Wonyoung set her mind on something — or someone — she didn’t let go easily.

Y/N had never been one to seek the spotlight. She preferred to sit quietly in lectures, taking meticulous notes and absorbing every detail while others eagerly raised their hands. It wasn’t that she lacked confidence — she just didn’t feel the need to broadcast her thoughts unless necessary.

Which is why she wasn’t expecting it when Professor Choi called her name.

“Miss Jeon, your insights during class discussions lately have been exceptional. Have you considered joining the university debate team?”

Y/N blinked, feeling the weight of the entire classroom’s attention shift onto her. “Um… not really.”

Professor Choi smiled knowingly. “I think you’d be a great addition. You have a sharp mind, and we need more critical thinkers. Why don’t you attend a practice session and see how you like it?”

Y/N hesitated. Debate? That wasn’t exactly her scene. But before she could decline, she caught a glimpse of Jang Wonyoung from across the room.

Wonyoung, the untouchable it-girl of their university, star of the debate team was watching her. Not just watching — scrutinizing. Her sharp gaze was unreadable, but it sent a shiver down Y/N’s spine. It wasn’t the first time Wonyoung had looked at her like that, either. Cold. Analytical. Almost as if she were dissecting her every move.

Y/N had never spoken more than two words to Wonyoung, but she was certain of one thing — Wonyoung didn’t like her.

“Alright,” Y/N heard herself say before she could stop. “I’ll give it a try.”

The professor beamed. “Great! The team meets every Wednesday evening. I’ll let them know to expect you. Miss Jang?”

“Okay, sir,” Wonyoung replies with a smile before turning back to look at Y/N.

As class resumed, Y/N felt someone's gaze bore holes through her head. She turned slightly, only to meet Wonyoung’s piercing eyes once again. But before Y/N could react, Wonyoung looked away, expression unreadable.

What had she just gotten herself into?

She wasn’t sure what she had been expecting when she first stepped into the debate team’s practice room, but the sharp, assessing gaze Wonyoung shot her certainly wasn’t it. It wasn’t outright hostile — just cold, calculating, like she was already mentally picking apart every possible weakness Y/N had before she even said a word.

Wonyoung was a force in the debate team, known for her poise, her ability to turn any argument to her advantage, and her ruthlessness in dismantling opposing viewpoints. Y/N, on the other hand, felt like she had stumbled into the lion’s den with nothing but a notebook and sheer nervous energy.

“Welcome, Miss Jeon,” the debate adviser said, smiling warmly. “For today’s practice, you’ll be participating in a mock debate. We’ll split into teams, and since we want to see how you perform under pressure, you’ll be arguing against Jang Wonyoung.”

Y/N’s stomach twisted. She was debating Wonyoung? Already? In front of everyone? Wonyoung, whose mere presence in a room commanded attention?

Across from her, Wonyoung arched a brow, clearly unimpressed. “Fine by me.”

Y/N barely managed a nod before everyone took their places.

The debate started, and to Y/N’s surprise, her nerves settled as soon as she began speaking. She had always been good with words, and though Wonyoung was sharp and quick, Y/N refused to be intimidated. They went back and forth, their arguments clashing like swords, neither willing to back down. And for the first time, Wonyoung found herself actually challenged.

By the end, Wonyoung was silent, watching Y/N with something unreadable in her gaze. It wasn’t irritation. If anything, it was… intrigue.

The adviser clapped. “That was excellent. Y/N, you have potential. I think you and Wonyoung could make a strong pair for upcoming competitions.”

Y/N’s breath caught. She had to work with Wonyoung? But she had barely even started?

Wonyoung, meanwhile, didn’t protest. She simply gave Y/N one last look before gathering her things and walking off.

Their first few practice sessions were painfully awkward. Wonyoung was distant, never speaking more than necessary, and Y/N didn’t know how to bridge the gap. Whenever she fumbled over a point, Wonyoung would sigh and correct her, but never unkindly — just efficiently, as if trying to get through practice as quickly as possible.

But Y/N noticed things.

Like how Wonyoung would subtly redirect conversations when another team member criticized Y/N too harshly. Or how she always made sure Y/N’s points were structured well before moving on. It wasn’t warmth, but it wasn’t cruelty either. It was… something.

One afternoon, as Y/N was leaving the debate room alone, she found herself cornered by a group of students near the lockers.

“You really think you deserve a spot on the team?” one sneered. “You’re just some professor’s favorite.”

Y/N swallowed, trying to step past them, but another blocked her way.

“Maybe you should quit before you embarrass yourself against actual competitors.”

Before Y/N could respond, a sharp voice cut through the air.

“If anyone’s embarrassing themselves, it’s you.”

Wonyoung.

She stepped in with effortless confidence, her cold gaze sweeping over the bullies. “Y/N earned her place. If you have a problem with that, take it up with the adviser. Oh wait, you can’t — because none of you even qualified for the team.”

The students muttered amongst themselves but ultimately backed off, scowling as they disappeared down the hallway.

Y/N exhaled, still shaken. “You didn’t have to do that.”

Wonyoung rolled her eyes. “I’m not letting idiots like them ruin my debate partner.”

Y/N looked up at her, startled by the possessiveness in Wonyoung’s tone. And for the first time ever, she heard Wonyoung say her name. Maybe, just maybe, Wonyoung didn’t hate her after all.

As the days passed, Y/N started noticing small shifts in Wonyoung’s behavior. She was still reserved, but there were moments — fleeting, almost imperceptible — where she showed something softer. She started waiting for Y/N after practice, sometimes walking beside her without a word. When Y/N forgot her water bottle, Wonyoung tossed her an extra one without comment.

Then came the turning point.

They had a big competition coming up, and Y/N found herself spiraling into self-doubt. No matter how much she prepared, she couldn’t shake the feeling that she wasn’t good enough.

And Wonyoung had caught on.

“Stop doubting yourself,” she said one evening, catching Y/N off guard. “You’re the only person I’d want as my partner.”

Y/N blinked. “What?”

Wonyoung sighed, clearly annoyed she had to repeat herself. “I don’t repeat compliments, Jeon. Just take it.”

Heat rose to Y/N’s cheeks, but for the first time, she believed it.

Their study sessions became more intense. They spent long nights poring over arguments, refining strategies, and somehow, learning to navigate each other’s quirks. Wonyoung was meticulous, but she also started easing up, allowing moments of quiet banter. Y/N, in turn, learned to match Wonyoung’s confidence, standing her ground in ways she never thought she could.

One night, Y/N realized something strange — Wonyoung’s gaze lingered longer than necessary. And when Y/N called her out on it, Wonyoung smirked, looking entirely unapologetic.

The competition arrived, and they crushed it. But the real moment of change came afterward.

As they walked off stage, still buzzing with adrenaline, Wonyoung turned to Y/N and murmured, “I don’t know what I’d do if you weren’t by my side.”

It wasn’t an outright confession. But it was enough for Y/N to know that, somewhere along the way, they had stopped being just rivals. They had become something much more.

A week later, the university put up a poster featuring Wonyoung and Y/N as the faces of their debate team.

Wonyoung smirked as she caught Y/N staring at it. “I’m sure you have that poster of us saved on your phone so you can look at my photo every day.”

Y/N scoffed. “Tss. Got quite a mouth on you now, don’t you? Someone should teach you what to do with it.”

Wonyoung leaned in slightly, her smirk widening. “Do me the favor then.”

Y/N’s breath hitched. Oh, she was in trouble.

And later, when they found themselves alone backstage after another practice, Y/N, emboldened by their teasing, tried to fire back a bold remark — only for Wonyoung to silence her with a kiss. It was quick, teasing, yet undeniably real. When Wonyoung pulled back, she grinned at Y/N’s flustered expression.

“I win this round,” she whispered.

Y/N wasn’t sure if she wanted to argue — or kiss her again.

part two here | debater!wonyoung headcanons | spinoff drabble

[acatwithstockings]

Controversial Good Omens Takes and HC bc I like to see the world burn. (The last one will make you question my sanity)

I prefer Bond obsessed Crowley over queen fan Crowley. Don't get me wrong, it's cute and the fanarts with him and Freddy are always a treat HOWEVER it just doesn't line up with my reading of the text and Bond obsessed Crowley is right there. I mean he literally got petrol ONCE to get the promotional bullet hole transfers that he put on his Bentley.

Personally I hc Crowley as tech illiterate. Hear me out. So in the book he basically gets tech gadgets (his watch, his computer, his stereo) bc they are stylish, not bc they are practical. Literally his stereo is missing something critical yet still works bc he believes it should. So I think he is just great at pretending to know how tech works and things just seem like he does bc he believes that's how things should be. Actually he doesn't even know where to set his lockscreen. His phone just never dared to not have the correct one. And yes I know he hacked a few computers for the M25 well jokes on you, in that one deleted scene he does all those theatrics to bring down the phone network only to ultimately dump coffee over the server. He literally could have achieved the same thing from home. His hacking back in the day probably involved braking and entering and switching out the storage mediums manually. Not very tech literate if you ask me.

Aziraphale on the other hand is surprisingly tech literate, he is just a few decades behind. This one needs another explanation. So basically Aziraphale knows how things work, could probably explain to you in excruciating detail the program structure of any given application. He just struggles with graphical user interfaces and doesn't like non tactical inputs. He prefers to start his programs via console commands and probably finds it silly that people stopped memorizing where their files went. He'd probably run circles around any expert once given woefully outdated tech. So basically he understands how the fundamentals work and what's under the hood, so to speak, but he just really doesn't see the point in making it all work via pretty pictures and without clicky keys. I mean he still files his very accurate taxes on an Amstrad (was it an Amstrad ? Idk old computer, currently too lazy to look up which one he has)

(this one is probably not quite as controversial) No human in modern times will recognize what they are and remember it. So basically even tho Madam Tracy literally got possessed by Aziraphale, and had things explained to her, she probably forgot about the incident right after or if she remembers she believes Aziraphale to be a ghost and would not recognize him if she ran into him again. Simply bc that would fit her interanized world view better. Something, something about the human mind finding 'rational' explanations for the things they have been through. So basically Aziraphale and Crowley are real dumbasses when it comes to pretending to be human but they don't realize it, bc they just assume they are good at it and reality makes sure nobody proves them otherwise.

This here concludes the HC portion of this post. Turn around now, beyond this point only literary and fandom takes can be found pfff

The novel has the better ending. Don't get me wrong I love the show and the body swap. But you win some you lose some. Personally I think having their headquarters even attempt to execute our two idiots takes away from the overarching theme of the story. The whole point of having angels and demons be involved and having hell and heaven be dead set on the apocalypse is to basically frame humanity as the driving force. Aziraphale and Crowley are useless and so are their headquarters. They are detached pencil pushers obsessed with the illusion of control without actually having any. They follow their plan bc that's what they think they have to do, without ever considering the thing they have been entrusted with. They have as much of an idea what's going on as everybody else but make a point about pretending they the answers. They are all powerful but in the grand scheme of things barely move the needle. Them just pretending everything was fine and not punishing Aziraphale and Crowley to keep up face bc it's easier to pretend that THIS was the great plan after all, is hilarious and fits their role in the story better in my opinion. Then again they got more involved in the show so their role shifted slightly anyway soooo ehhhh.

While we all (hopefully) have disavowed Neil Geiman at this point, there is a conversation to be had (and a bit of unpacking to be done) on how much that person influenced and shaped the Good Omens fandom as it is today by positioning himself as the defacto authority over the story for DECADES. It actually insane how far back this goes. Just look at the Terry Gilliam adaptation that never happened. NG posted more about it than official sources despite also being on record stating that he doesn't want to be involved with another adaptation attempt at the time. Going as far as mentioning it in a completely unrelated context on occasion. That dude literally reshaped the narrative around the whole of Good Omens whenever it seemed to give him browney points. He even had a habit of dropping in other Terry Prattchet properties in a very strange way (in retrospective) and sure we know the two of them were friends and we can't judge their relationship bc we were not there BUT it's just very funny to see how Sir Terry had a consistent narrative the times he mentioned Good Omens on record, while NG not only talked a whole lot more about it, constantly, but also seems to reshape the narrative continuously in small ways.

(This point will make you question my sanity) There are influences from the 1992 movie script that made their way into the TV adaptation we finally got and possibly shaped the discussion about the sequel. Examples of that are Crowley's habit of snapping/him having anger issues , the concept of them being punished, Adam's dialogue with Satan, the starting point of the sequel/S3 aka Crowley being no longer affiliated with hell while Aziraphale is still affiliated with heaven. There are a few other things that are not in the novel but make a first appearance (as far as we know of bc I don't think we will ever get to read the script that was written in collaboration before the shit!script) in that version of the story. Sooo yhea you can say there are at least some subconscious influences.

[meowo-owo]

Chishiya Shuntaro × fem!reader!!

(open for your inquiries~)

word count: 1639

Chishiya was always an observer. At medical university, he did not seek to make friends or join the team. He preferred to stand aside, assessing people the same way he studied anatomical atlases-carefully, coolly, with cold interest. Most of the students acted predictably: they were stressed before exams, formed friendship groups, fell in love, became disillusioned, and burned with ambition.

(Y/N) has always been out of this rhythm. She didn't just memorize the information - she absorbed it, trying to see a real person behind every line of the textbook. When the others were immersed in the competition, she helped those who were lagging behind. When someone lost hope, she found the right words. Shuntaro initially thought she was naive, but eventually realized that he was wrong. She wasn't simple-minded-she was strong. Her humanity didn't stop her from thinking logically, but somehow she managed to combine both qualities.

They were working at the same hospital now. Chishiya chose neurosurgery, following his intellectual curiosity, and (Y/N) became a cardiac surgeon, of course. She has always lived with her heart, literally and figuratively. Their working approaches were radically different: Chishiya was calculating, precise, and worked coolly, like a living scalpel. The girl is passionate, emotional, involved, always putting patients first, even if it required going beyond the protocols.

Despite the difference, they often clashed.

- You were particularly cynical today, - she said one day after surgery, taking a cup of coffee from the tray, - When you tell patients that "their chances are average," it doesn't really help.

- But it's true,- Chishiya replied calmly, lazily leaning on the counter.

- It's also true that the support of a doctor can help a patient struggle. Aren't you curious about what's going on outside of statistics?

- I'm interested in how the brain functions, not irrational emotions, - he retorted, but there was something like mocking recognition in his gaze.

She snorted and turned away, but she knew he could hear her. And, more surprisingly, sometimes he did change. Unnoticed. Barely noticeable.

The romance between them did not suddenly arise. There were no passionate confessions, no dramatic scenes in the rain. Instead, there were small moments. Chishiya always knew when she was tired, even if she wasn't complaining, and left her an energy bar on the table without a word. The girl, in turn, somehow guessed when he stayed late at the hospital and brought him coffee, even though he never asked for it.

— — —

There was a night when they both stayed in the hospital. The operation lasted longer than expected. All the staff looked exhausted, but (Y/N), although tired, did not lose her soft smile.

- You know that for someone who claims he doesn't care, you're too often there when you need to be, - she remarked, warming her hands on the cup.

Chishiya raised an eyebrow slightly, the corners of his lips twitching in a barely noticeable smirk.

- Maybe it's just a coincidence.

- Or..., - she paused, looking at him a little more closely, - You're just not as insensitive as you want to appear.

He didn't argue. Instead, after a moment, he moved his cup closer to hers, creating a space between them that became slightly less cold.

And that was enough. While.

— — —

They continued to work together, day after day, night after night. Their world was full of chaos: critically ill patients, emergency calls, hours without sleep. But in this chaos, they have their own rituals.

She always brought coffee, even if Chishiya said he didn't need it. Shuntaro always stayed by her side during her difficult surgeries-even if his presence wasn't required. He was watching her as intently as he had at the university, only now there was a barely perceptible warm note in his gaze.

But, of course, change does not happen without shocks.

/One night/

It happened during heavy duty. The patient, a ten-year-old boy, was admitted with heart failure. (Y/N) fought for him for several hours. She held herself as she always did, but Chishiya could see the tension in her every move. I saw how her fingers trembled when she finally completed the operation, how she took a deep breath when leaving the operating room.

- (Y/N), - he said softly when they were alone in the hallway.

She didn't answer right away, just leaned against the wall, tilted her head back, and closed her eyes.

- He's going to survive, - she said at last, but there was no joy in her voice. Just fatigue.

Chishia was looking at her. He knew he could have said something cool and logical to her. Something like, "you did your best," or "that's the job of a doctor." But that would be a lie. He knew it was more than a job for her.

He wasn't a comforting person. He didn't know how. But he could have done something else.

Silently, without further ado, he reached out and gently squeezed her wrist. Just a little bit, just a touch, but there was everything about it that he couldn't put into words.

The girl froze. She opened her eyes. She looked at him, intently, scrutinizingly.

- You..., - she smiled a little, but there was something else in her eyes, not surprise. Understanding, - Thank you.

He didn't answer. He lingered just a little longer than necessary before removing his hand.

And at that moment, she realized that something in him had already begun to change.

— — —

A few days later, they worked late. The hospital was quieting down, the corridors were emptying. The girl was sitting in the resident's office, sorting through papers, when Chishiya came up to her and, to her surprise, sat down next to her.

- Aren't you going home? - he asked.

- And you? - she retorted.

He didn't answer, just put a package of her favorite chocolate on the table in front of her.

- Do you remember such things? - she grinned, but there was no mockery in her voice, but gentleness.

- I only remember what matters, - Shuntaro replied calmly.

She stared at him a little too long. There was always a mystery about this man. She knew that he was good at manipulating people, that he preferred to stay one step ahead, not letting anyone get too close. But now she saw something else: he was letting her see him in a way he hadn't shown himself to anyone else.

The silence between them was no longer awkward.

- Chishia..., - she said softly.

He looked at her-without looking away, for the first time allowing emotions to flash in the depths of his eyes.

- Yes?

She smiled a little.

- Nothing. Just thank you for being here.

He didn't answer. But the next time he took her hand, he didn't let go right away.

And that was enough. While.

— — —

It was one of those sleepless days when time loses its meaning. Operations followed one another, blood, numbers, decisions on which life depended. (Y/N) I've been used to this rhythm for a long time, but today everything felt different. Heavier.

They lost a patient in the afternoon. The middle-aged man she was trying to save. She did her best, but it wasn't enough.

Chishiya knew that this was not just another case for her. He didn't try to say that it wasn't her fault-he knew that such words didn't make sense. Instead, he was just there.

When the night was already approaching morning, the girl went out onto the roof of the hospital. It was quiet here. The city below was ablaze with lights, but the air was fresh and clean. She took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and tried to pull herself together.

Chishiya found her without difficulty. He knew where she was going.

- You're running away again, - he said calmly, coming closer.

- I'm not running away, - she muttered, not turning around, - Just... needed some air.

He stood next to her. They were silent, but this silence was filled with something new. The blond man looked at her, at the dark circles under her eyes, at the tense shoulders.

- You can't save everyone, - he finally said.

- I know, - she replied softly.

- Then why do you experience it like this every time?

(Y/N) smiled bitterly and turned to him.

-Why don't you ever worry?

He didn't look away.

- Because I'm not you.

She nodded, accepting his answer, but there was another question in her eyes. Then why is he here? Why did he come to her again if he didn't want to get attached?

The wind touched her hair, and Chishiya stared at her for a little longer than usual. And then, before he could think about it, he reached out and brushed a stray strand of hair from her face.

Her breathing hitched. It was unexpected-not the gesture itself, but how carefully he did it.

- Chishia..., - her voice was barely audible.

He didn't let her finish.

The next moment, he leaned closer and kissed her.

It wasn't an impetuous or greedy kiss. It was the kiss of a man who had resisted for too long, but eventually allowed himself to succumb to the feeling. Careful, measured, like everything he did, but at the same time - real.

The girl froze for a second, then reached closer, answering. Her fingers tightened on the sleeve of his robe, as if she was afraid he would pull away. But he didn't pull away.

When they parted their lips, she looked at him, a little confused, but with a warm smile.

- It turns out you can feel, - she said softly.

He chuckled.

- Maybe you've infected me with your humanity.

She shook her head, still smiling.

- What do you think?

He didn't answer. He just bent down and kissed her again.

This time, he had no doubts.

[beigetiger]

Honestly part of the appeal in TGD's family dynamic for me is the fact that nobody reeeally wanted this to happen in the first place, and yet they all found a way to make it work.

We don't know what Mud and Ken's dynamic was like before Mel and Breadhead were a thing, but I imagine that there was a definite strain on their relationship after the two kids showed up. I don't think Ken ever really wanted to be a dad, and I don't think Mud wanted to be an uncle. Breadhead was literally created by sheer accident and it may turn out to be that Mel was forcibly given to Ken as a baby by Temperance. There are pretty much no kids in the Gaslight District, and the few that do have them (golems, etc) probably go through a hell of a time trying to raise them because of the lack of resources.

But in spite of that, it's really clear that they tried their best, and they honestly did pretty good with what they had. But I'd like to highlight one thing: their difference in parenting style.

Obviously they're going to have different ways of approaching Mel, since Ken knows she's human and Mud does not. But even without that, Mud and Ken are written to be pretty opposite people. Ken mostly has his life actually together, but a mental disability makes him blow up at his family members sometimes, even if he does his best to curb it. Mud, on the other hand, absolutely does not have his life together but is also very lax and doesn't lose control of his emotions. They're written and designed to be opposites, so of course their parenting styles oppose each other as well.

And this leads to Mel and Breadhead. Mel really feels the brunt of all of this, because she's the smallest person in her family and is the only one who can die, so she's not bringing that much to the table. She wants to, though. Anything that will get her dad to say he's proud of her like he says it to her brother. She pulls elaborate tricks, makes genius plans, all to try and impress him, but each and every time there's something that keeps him from expressing pride in her. The first time is the time with Jack, where she got out, car-hopped over to him, and then survived a car crash and helped cement him. It's all very impressive, but Ken is hung up on the fact that she didn't follow the orders he gave her. She makes an elaborate plan to steal the angel egg and it all goes perfectly, but Ken's too busy thinking about Temperance to care. He gets upset that she broke his promise to him like he didn't break his first. It's a double standard, and one that he doesn't even fully realize he has.

This is all in stark contrast to how Mud treats her. He repeatedly expresses that Mel should be allowed to do more within the group. He explicitly compliments the skills she showed when they were hunting Jack. When she goes to them with her angel egg scheme, he votes in favour of doing it. And he doesn't mind her breaking promised occasionally, it's all just a part of changing plans as they go along. While Ken criticizes every move that Mel makes, Mud is out here constantly affirming his niece, giving her pretty much all the positive attention she gets from her guardians. He's also somewhat rubbed off on her too, we see in the pilot that she mimics the coin tricks he does well enough to impress even him. I suspect she's his preferred of the two kids, the two have a lot in common.

And, of course, there's Breadhead. He's much lower needs than his sister, he's the biggest and the strongest of his family, and he makes his dad so proud with everything he does. An absolute golden boy. But while he may be Ken's favourite, the consequences of needing so little is that people don't really check up on him. If we check the card that says The Smiling Dead during the pilot, we can see that Breadhead is there, carrying all of them on his back. This is affirmed in the pilot too, when he's really the one who pulls them all out of heaven safely. But another detail on the card is that there are chains around his arms. He's the parentified child, the perfect one. He needs to help take care of his sister, help run the restaurant, kill people for his dad, the list goes on and on. But even though his dad may love him more, he pays more attention to his sister and Breadhead's emotional and mental state is often left in the dust.

Breadhead and Mel both have something that the other would want, but in spite of that, they don't hold it against each other. It's a rough world and they both understand the importance of sticking together, and it seems that they both use each other's strengths for the benefit of the whole family. Their guardians have had it rough, but they're making it work out anyways.

Because really, the family is about two sets of siblings and the similarities and differences between them. Mel is just like Mud and Breadhead is like Ken, and the younger ones can see the possible future that awaits their relationship in their dad and uncle and try their best to avoid that. Mud and Ken have to work with each other to try and raise the kids well. It is a rough, cruel world out there, and the family that was born from sweat and blood and pain is determined to stick together through all of it. Because hey, what is family for.

[grims-local-pkmn-irl-hub]

How to Write Engaging Anons

I’ve spoken to a lot of people behind close doors and we have all come to a realization: PKMN IRL as a community isn’t the greatest at sending engaging anons,,,

A lot of anons tend to get off track from what the blog runner is trying to do or will send completely unrelated anons during a plot moment on someones blog which can be incredibly frustrating for the blog runner.

So, I’ve decided to compile a little “guide” to help.

Look over the recent posts of a blog to see if they’re doing anything that could be considered plot relevant before sending an anon. Are they vague posting about something? Did they cut off a tangent too short? Did they mention they have stories to share if anyone wants them? Did they say something off or slightly concerning? ASK ABOUT IT! Ask them to elaborate! Ask for more detail!

Try and keep asks on task if a plot hook/point is currently happening. It is incredibly discouraging for a blog runner to see the notif for an anon only to open it and it have nothing to do with what they are currently trying to reveal/be engaged with. Do not latch onto a bit like your life depends on it because you are most likely just tiring out the blog runner who just wants to share interesting character/story info. Bits have a time and a place.

Don’t have a character that would realistically send that anon? Then don’t send it as that character, send it as yourself. The blog runner and character will not know the difference. This also has an added benefit of baiting a character into talking about something you know your character can then interact with. Anons are great for interaction in more ways than just asks.

Worried someone already sent the ask you’re about to send? SEND IT ANYWAYS! A blog runner would much prefer two of asks of generally the same question than zero asks! And it shows that people care enough to ask that question twice! It gives the blog runner something to think about when writing!

Don’t have any idea of what anon to send without an ask game? SEND THE SUPER “BASIC” ONES! I promise you that very basic questions like “how do feel about this”, “why do you say that”, “you mentioned [this], can you elaborate more” ARE LOVED BY BLOG RUNNERS!!! So much can be understood about a character’s mental state or attitude depending on how they choose to answer these questions. They’re “basic” and “overused” because they are really good questions to ask!

Try and engage critically with a character! Remember! This is an RP community! We are playing these characters as if they are real so you need to treat them like people! For example: Telling a very clearly mentally ill character that their thought process isn’t healthy and that they should just go to therapy isn’t the most helpful anon and it especially isn’t when that seems to be all the blog runner gets when they’re character gets like that. A good way to try and engage critically is to ask similar questions as above such as “why do you think that” along with some others like “can you walk me through your thought process”, “do you know when you started acting/thinking like this”, etc.

IC Hate Anons. These anons are fun and good! They can be very useful for story telling and showing off certain aspects of a character! They can also be super draining especially when that seems to be all that a character gets when trying to do plot hooks/points. It can make a blog runner’s motivation wane and deplete when all it ever seems like is that anons want to use their character as a punching bag. A good way to negate this is if you send an IC hate anon is to quickly follow it up with an anon that’s trying to engage critically and is asking questions and treating the character as a person. This allows for a blog runner to have choices on whether they want their character to be a punching bag right now and get beat down or would rather follow the anons line of questioning.

Ask games. I know I’m beating a dead horse here but SEND AN ASK TO THE PERSON YOU ARE REBLOGGING FROM. The blog runner will see you reblogging it from them and be waiting for an ask to come in and then it never does. Send an ask. They are literally pre-written most of the time. Okay that’s all I have to say here. 👍

Make sure the anon has some sort of substance. Even when sending anons outside of plot periods make sure the anon has something the character and blog runner can actually feasibly answer. One word anons that are just “yeah” or “okay” are incredibly difficult to respond to. So is randomly being sent quotes or things that just generally have nothing to do with the blog or pokemon in general. People have an easier time when being sent asks about their character’s pokemon, family, friends, most recent stupid post, etc. I have about 40 anons rotting in my inbox for @/espers-n-espurrs because they have nothing to respond to. And this isn’t to say silly/dumb anons shouldn’t be a thing. They should be but they should also be something someone could reasonably reply with besides just replying with “why the fuck did you send me this”.

In all, remember you are not only engaging with a character and their story but you are also engaging with a blog runner. You may never know their name or have a one on one conversation with them but the asks you send their characters do have an effect on the blog runner.

Show that you are engaging with their character, show that you care about the story they are trying to tell.

Reblogs are important for interaction but in my mind asks are the backbone of this community. A good ask and a good response allows for a good chance for others to be able to interact with the response IC.

But yeah, remember, the blog runner is still there behind that screen, you are still interacting with them when you interact with their character. Give them something to work with when you send an ask.

[szhmidty]

I can never really get over how much of the resentment towards modern art is based purely on some group of art nerds liking art you hate and disliking/dismissing art you like, and being strident about it.

With architecture, I kinda get it. You are forced, in some sense, to engage with architecture. It's funny to me that there seems to be widespread ignorance about the fact that large bricks of steel, glass, and concrete keeping getting made for economic reasons rather than artistic ones, but the distaste and frustration for it makes sense.

You just don't have to go to an art gallery full of modern art, though. Duchamp's fountain is not hiding in your closet ready to jump you.

"But szhmidty, all these hoity-toity art critics say that bullshit, degenerate modern art is supremely important, some of them even insult your intelligence or proclaim you ignorant for not liking a painting with 3 stripes or a "sculpture" that's just a lamp with a barbie doll shoved in the bulb socket."

So? Why do you care? Why do you worry about their opinion? They don't matter! They don't determine the direction of commercial art, and their relevance outside their narrow field is negligible. They don't matter, or they wouldn't if you'd just get over your seething hatred.

Why do you care if this person called you a baby for your art taste? In what way does it affect you? Why does it make you so angry? I truly do not get it.

At a certain point, I need you to realize that you're trolling yourself.

==========

You know what art I "love"? Christian art. Well, the stuff that's well crafted and coherent enough to be somewhat entertaining on it's own merits.

I didn't bother watching God's Not Dead 2 though 46 or whatever, but I thoroughly enjoyed watching the first one. That movie evinces a level of contempt for me, me as a person, me as someone who thinks like I do, in a really pure, unadulterated way.

The studio, actors, and champions of God's Note Dead deeply hate me and everyone like me.

But for the life of me I cannot muster resentment towards that film that comes within an order of magnitude of the resentment towards modern art and it's defenders.

There is, I guess, the unpleasant fact that I share a world with millions of people like that, that such people ultimately decide national policies. I would prefer that not be the case.

But on a personal level I just don't value or care about their opinions enough to be insulted by them. It's like being insulted by a toddler. I would genuinely be more upset if a friend's kid called me a butt-face in anger. At least I want the kid to like me.

==========

I have a similar dynamic with "subs only" anime fans. You have specific cases where the dub is more of an adaptation of the original, where there are strong differences between the sub and the dub, and for those I'll grant that the sub is probably better.*

I'd originally written up a paragraph on subs vs dubs here, but actually it just doesn't matter. I basically never watch a sub unless the dub is genuinely horrible, or the story is wildly different because the dub got censored for american audiences or whatever, or if a dub literally doesn't exist.

There's a large contingent of anime fans who feel contempt for me as someone who defaults to watching dubs. They will openly mock and belittle dubs preferers.

And like. I just can't care. Outside of a personal enjoyment in having arguments and yelling about things I do and don't like, I simply feel nothing when I see contemptuous comments from subs preferers.

*The exception is Ghost Stories. Anyone who recommends the sub over the dub isn't merely a disciple of the holy art of subtitles, they're just delusional. Or they hate the very specific brand of humour that the Ghost Story dub is going for, but if I'm being honest I would not believe the average crunchy roll subscriber if they claimed to dislike it. I've seen what makes them cheer.

==========

There's something of an irony to writing 10 paragraphs dedicated to people who insult me only for me to end each section with "I don't care." Like why would I write so much if I didn't care?

Mostly I'm just trying to look for cases where I might be on the other side of this issue, the side of the insulted, belittled, and demeaned, to put myself in the hot seat, as it were.

You can believe me when I say "I don't care" or not, I don't care.

[flippinpancakes64]

cullens reacting to reader being distant

Cullens with a distant S/O

Thank you for requesting and I hope you like it!

I plan on opening my requests soon so please bear with me everyone, I'm almost through with what I have in my inbox

And sorry I got a little carried away on some of these.... I love you Jasper <3

Edward:

He would know why you were acting this way

Whether it is because you're upset with him, upset with someone else, upset in general, or maybe feeling sick

That doesn't change the fact that he is still concerned

The good part about reading minds is that he knows what people are thinking

Unfortunately it doesn't help him when he needs to actually say something to someone

He has a brief moment of self hatred

He still thinks he's a monster

And if you're pulling away from him for whatever reason then it must be because you think he is one too

But then he just thinks back to the actual reason why you're upset and calms himself down

If you're upset at him about something he did, he is working on fixing it immediately

But I feel like he wouldn't be too good with words

Like he would give you a bunch of gifts and hope that helps

You're gonna have to be the one to sit him down if you wanna talk through it

Now if you're just upset in general he also wouldn't know what to do

He would bring you stuff again like your favorite food, a new outfit (picked out by Alice), or anything else he knows you like

Or if you're feeling sick he'll start taking care of you immediately

(Unashamed plug to my other story about reader being sick 😼 )

Whatever the case is, he is not going to let this blow over naturally

As soon as you start pulling away from him or acting distant he is trying his best to fix it

He has a bit of an obsessive attachment style...

Alice:

She was out running some errands with Esme when she gets a flash into the future of you pulling away from one of her kisses

She immediately drops whatever she was holding and she is on her way

She plays stupid when she gets back home to you

Acting like how she normally would to see if her vision was right

And when it is right, her mind starts going a mile a minute

She didn't get any predictions before this about anything that happened to or with you

She is confused

And hurt

But she will also not let this linger

She wants to get to the bottom of the problem right now

So she sits down wherever you are and just straight up asks what's wrong

And she's not going to leave until you tell her

She may have eternity with you

But she doesn't want to spend a single moment of that apart

If you are avoiding her because of something she did, she would prefer that you just say what it is

She doesn't need sugarcoating

And she will fix it

It doesn't matter what it is

She's very receptive to criticism

For, like, the next week or so she is all yours

You want to do something that she has expressed no desire to do before? Get ready she already has the car packed

She might even let you pick your own outfits if it will make you feel better

She will not leave you alone, though

Another one who is just a touch clingy

Jasper:

Oh don't hurt me

The moment you pull away from his touch or from one of his kisses, his mind immediately starts to assume the worst

You realized how much of a monster he is, you decided you didn't want to look past all of his scars, he isn't making enough progress with being a "vegetarian", you found someone better, you realized you deserve better

Ouch

He leaves you alone immediately

And leaves the house

And maybe the state

And maybe the country

But more than likely he just goes and sits in the woods far away from the house

If he could cry he would

If you're a human, this hits him especially hard

He has been working so hard to be safe and cautious around you, challenging himself every day because he wants to be better for you

But there was always a voice in the back of his head that was saying he would never be enough

And now he feels like it's right

You are going to have to be the one to go get him

If the problem you had was with him, sorry you're gonna have to be the one to make amends

Whatever the problem is that you have with him, big or small, he is changing it immediately

Like I'm telling you if you told this man that you think he's too tall or smthn he is going to Carlisle and asking for his spinal vertebrae to be compressed

If it's just a different problem that you have he is so relieved

Like again he would cry if he could

But out of relief this time

He would pull the moon out of sky and force the sun to stay up longer if you said you didn't have enough time in a day

Rosalie:

Instant flashbacks

Seeing you pull away from her, turn over in the bed while cuddling, give her only a light peck instead of a full kiss

It reminds her of how she was with her old fiance

She didn't truly love him, and he didn't truly love her

She shied away from him, and he never really initiated

Seeing this in you reminded her of herself

And that is not something she wanted to see

She mostly leaves you alone about it

Of course she still tries everything she can

But the more you pull away, the more she stops trying

She doesn't want you to pull away or for your love to end

But tbh she's at a loss for what to do

She has no clue what to do in this situation

About a week passes and it gets to the point where you're hardly talking to her, fully turned away on your side of the bed, not walking with her at school

The final straw that makes her talk to you is when she sees the necklace she got you that you never take off sitting on the bathroom counter

She isn't gentle when she confronts you, she literally walks up to you and goes "what's the problem?"

Very blunt, but effective

She won't let up on it until you tell her what's bothering you

If it's something small that she did, she starts laughing

Like if you say something like "You were talking to Emmett last week more than me" then I'm sorry but she starts giggling

But if it's like an actual problem she gets so serious and vows to change her ways

Emmett:

He's not stupid

The moment he did something wrong, he sees the look on your face, even if it's only for a brief second

So when you pull away from him later, he knows exactly what happened

And he stops it right there

He explains that he knew what he did was wrong the moment he did it

And that he's sorry and will never do it again

And he doesn't do it again

That's what happens 9 times out of 10

But if you catch him off guard?

Okay yeah he is a little stupid

If you start pulling away and acting distant he immediately starts to rack his brain for things that he could have done

If he finds nothing, he is truly at a loss

He lets it fester for a bit, hoping that you'll come to him when you're ready to talk

But he only really gives it like three days max

And then he just goes up to you like

"... So.... uh.... everything okay?"

If it's something he did he curses himself for not thinking of that

And if it's something else that he could have helped with he curses himself for leaving you alone for so long

Either way he makes up for it :)

Esme:

Another one who notices immediately

And gets worried immediately

She is not someone who will let it sit

Like at all

She wants to know what's wrong

If it's something she did she instantly tries to fix it

And she starts apologizing profusely

Like it could literally be something as stupid as her walking on the other side of the pole while you guys were out shopping

And she is on her knees begging for forgiveness

But if it's something else she is on the case to help

If you're pulling away from her because you're stressed with school, work, life in general, literally anything she is now taking at least half of that load

If you work she starts doing your paperwork for you

If it's school she starts doing all of your assignments

It's not like either is hard for her

She will take over responsibilities until you feel like you're ready for them again

And even then she still might keep a couple of them for herself

Carlisle:

He might not notice as quick as some of the others

If you're a human, his schedule is rough on you

He's gone almost the entire time that you're awake

And he gets back super late

So he doesn't find it weird if you refuse one of his hugs or turn away from one of his kisses

He just thinks you're tired

But if this continues for a couple days?

That's when he gets concerned

He takes one of his super rare lunch breaks from the hospital to come home while he knows you're up and awake

If you still act distant then, that's when he knows

And he wastes no time

He's super sweet about it, he starts by asking if you've been more tired recently

But he will pry further if he notices that that's not what it is

If it's something that he did, maybe him being at work so much, he works quickly to fix it

Taking more days off, actually taking his breaks, just being home more in general

If it's something else that he did (*insert whatever scenario here*), he gets upset at himself for not seeing that sooner

He is a caring, compassionate man

And the fact that he did something to hurt you and then completely forgot he did that or didn't consider that it would hurt you

He's disgusted at himself

Name what you want him to do, and it's done

Vampire! Bella:

She's a little clueless

Not as in she doesn't realize that she did something wrong, but moreso that she didn't realize it would hurt as much

She didn't get bothered by too much when she was a human

People making digs at her, people not showing interest in wanting to hang out with her, it didn't really get to her

So her mind doesn't immediately go to that when she sees that you're upset

She's at a loss for what it could be tbh

She doesn't let it go on for too long though

After all she does love you and she does realize that she misses being able to hold and kiss you as much

If it's something she did, she apologizes

Will want to have a talk with you about what you need from her

Like I said she wasn't and isn't as bothered by a lot of things as you might be

And she wants to be on the same page

If it's something else entirely then she will be more than willing to be there for you and comfort you

And help you out if that's what you need

[thousandyearphantombunker]

The Owl House Critical Post, scroll away now I don't know if I am being too harsh in this post but I wrote it anyway so if you don't wanna read something potentially upsetting this is a warning (to those who decide to read please tell me if I'm being too harsh)

I remember initially hating how the show handled its villains, they all felt like jokes, they never felt like threats or like they provided a meaningful challenges for the main cast, they never had any real depth or complexity. but i bit my tongue, I was told that I was basically a dumbass for complaining that Bump openly breaks a law that's supposed to be punishable by death so that Luz could fulfill her witchy fantasy and that he wasn't arrested. the show could've had him make the multiclass student thing be something underground- boom it lets luz live out her fantasy but doesn't ignore what was established about the setting and creates potential stakes if these underground classes ever got discovered! That already made me angry but the cult thing is what I wanted to complain about- i only had basic ass knowledge about cults and TOH fails at portraying that crap, most people in the EC can just quit and do so in a way that makes it feel like they're just quitting a job, it doesn't feel like they fear losing their friends or sense belonging and community, they don't feel like they're anything but jokes. Leaving a cult is scary, often times cults will send their followers into the real world and set them up to have bad experiences so they'll come running back, they'll hire thugs to scare them into staying or position them in away so that they suffer (sending them out without money or the skills to survive), they humiliate those who begin to ask questions so that they stay in line. guilt tripping, putting members against each other, cutting off contact with the rest of the world! The show only adds the whole 'forced to fight on a mountain' thing for flavor! Everytime it brings up actual stuff cults do it feels like it's more for flavor than actually writing this topic with sensitivity- look at how they treat Lilith! Imo It feels like the show insulting people for ever trusting belos, treating them like they're braindead and could've just realized fairly easily that he was evil. It's the most egregious with hunter who was basically fucking born into the EC. the show is also pretty black and white, which is curious for a show that gets praise for its portrayal of religious trauma. You think the show would be more grey. I did deeper research into cults and just got SO tired of people talking about how good the show was at conveying such a heavy topic. The titan reveal also doesn't help- Luz is told by an all powerful deity that she is the chosen one basically and is told that old man is evil and needs to go down- isn't that the same justification that belos uses for his actions- not saying belos should've gotten redemption or forgiveness but this feels wrong. He deserved to die don't get me wrong but using this justification feels gross. What's even worse is that the titan made Philip's life harder on purpose- ah yeah that brainwashed cult victim would totally change his mind especially if you make his life harder- yeah I would've preferred if belos was depicted in a flashback just having a bad time on the boiling isles and cherry picked those bad experiences to justify his actions. Also I hate that the show just writes belos off as greedy and glory seeking when it could've conveyed a message about how people can get absolutely get warped by religious dogma. I do wonder though if I'm being too harsh because TOH is for kids and I was told it would be hard to portray this stuff in a way kids could understand. I can come up with ways to make the breaking the law openly thing less egregious but I am struggling to think of ways the show could have handled the cult thing, I am aware that maybe I'm accidentally saying stuff that is kind of bad faith but this is my truth. I feel like TOH wasn't good at villains and it sure as hell didn't write cults well

[legacygirlingreen]

Can we just take it down a few notches… try and be ✨ positive ✨

I almost never respond to anonymous hate, and I certainly don’t let faceless comments bully me into silence by turning off Anon. However, I do have a low tolerance for spam.

If you have an issue with me, my stories, my characters, or my artistic choices, I encourage you to address me directly. I have a bachelor’s degree in creative writing and film, as well as a master’s in English. I’m well-versed in criticism and understand its role in the creative process. That said, sending multiple messages in quick succession under Anon isn’t the way to engage in meaningful discussion. Certainly when one openly was mean spirited.

I’m always open to conversations about my work, and I don’t think I’m above criticism. But this approach doesn’t foster understanding—it just creates negativity. As a result, I plan to block this account after giving them time to see this and have temporarily disabled Anon. Not because I’m hurt, but because I don’t want this kind of behavior to be left in my inbox unanswered. Some people might not be as thick skinned as I am, and words—especially when sent in anger—can leave lasting wounds.

That said, I don’t want people commenting on this person’s English or the fact that they used Anon. Those details aren’t the issue here. I also don’t need reassurance or validation—I’m addressing this because these kinds of interactions can be harmful, and I’d rather try to shift the conversation in a better direction.

If you are the anon, I hope you’ll take a moment to reflect on why you felt the need to send those messages. If you’re frustrated with my work, I welcome thoughtful discussion. But if this is coming from a place of personal pain, I want to gently remind you that being hurtful to others won’t make that pain go away. It just puts more negativity into the world. Instead, I encourage you to find an outlet that helps—whether it’s talking to someone you trust, writing your feelings down, or finding another way to process those emotions in a way that brings you peace rather than more negativity. You are also a person with feelings, and I want you to know that I respect you both as an individual and recognize there may be more to the story than surface level shows.

At the end of the day, we all have feelings and struggles. I hope you find a way to express yours that leads to life of peace and joy.

That being said, I planned on leaving it be but after talking it out with my friend @strawberrypinky I realized I don’t want to sit by and leave this kind of behavior go without a different perspective. I want to thank both her and @leenathegreengirl for both being ready to “ride at dawn” so to speak but that’s not my style…

So ✨

I would like to take this opportunity as a chance to address my concern and then spread positivity. I encourage anyone who sees this to comment below with a story or art piece they really like. Maybe tag a creator they love. Share something good from their life right now. Anything your heart desires. I personally prefer to drown out negativity with positivity.

Thank you for hearing me out, peace and love - M

[aerinmoriarty]

In the current cultural climate of “eat the rich,” more and more ultra-wealthy are turning away from recognizable luxury brand logos in favor of subtle quiet luxury. And in fairness, the ultra wealthy have always tended to be less flashy in their flaunting; they keep their money because they don’t waste it on garish trend cycle pieces that convey a desperate need to be seen as rich.

There is no way Taylor is unaware of that fact.

Likewise, there is no way she doesn’t realize that a LOT of her fans would prefer it if she toned down some of the more obvious displays of wealth. Taylor knew which shots were going to go viral, which angles would be visible.

Why, then, come to so many recent coworking events… I mean romantic evenings with Travis in such obvious displays of brand? Especially since her fashion (or at least her logo flaunting) seems to err away from plastering herself like a NASCAR car most of the time.

Again, I have to assume this is to try and force her more critically-minded fans to look at her involvement with Travis, and the way she’s molded herself into a wholly different person for him and for the NFL games especially.

And that’s not to mention the number of times she’s shown up to events with Travis, red-nosed and glassy-eyed, head craned back in the “fawning posture” Fundie-wives like the Ofduggar’s affect.

People have such a powerful ability to fall in love with the idea of something; it’s how I was able to beard the way I did. I didn’t love the men, I loved the idea of the relationship. No one around me loved the men either, but they fell in love with the idea of the relationship. And so they didn’t pry, even as it became ever more obvious that things were not as happy as they seemed.

The idea of Taylor and Travis is powerful in a way the details we can see are not; it is a polished turd, a gilded cage. But a polished turd is still a turd, and a gilded cage isn’t even gold, it’s just gold plated. And it’s still a cage.

And her relationships with men often function as cages too, especially when even her own fans will cheer louder for Travis than Taylor, get more excited about his brief appearance than her extended performance, and view the career that she loves more than most other things in her life as something she should treat as secondary to her “real priorities” of pushing out babies for a man who cannot convince me he likes her that much.

And there’s this interplay, where often her fan’s internalized misogyny prevents them from liking Taylor as much as they like the man she’s dating. Or they like Taylor more while she’s with the man because she’s doing what she’s supposed to do: being a Good Girl. They want her to settle down and get married and have kids because that’s what’s been expected of THEM.

And as a Gaylor, as someone who has observed the fandom’s opinion of Travis, Karlie, Dianna, etc… I believe one of the points of the performance art is that many of her own fans would be much happier with her entirely submitting herself to a man and engulfing herself in his image than being happily accepted as herself with a woman.

They would rather Taylor chisel off the points of her star until she’s a cog who can fit a man’s plans than find another star in a woman and exist in one another’s orbits.

And I could go on for thousands of words about why that is, but I do think it is emblematic of the fact that a good number of women in our society are accepting less than they should from their relationships. When Taylor does the same, it makes them feel more comfortable about the decisions they’ve made.

And people don’t typically like being pushed out of their comfort zone.