#pls say u understand

[jrueships]

can you please walk us through the relationship between wemby and jabari the people need to know

i think the most notable thing about vic and Jabari's relationship is that they don't have one, when it would be so beneficial if they did. they're like two soldiers fighting for the opposite sides of a war, too loyal to the cause to stop and think about what could have been if they just lowered their respective weapons aimed by cold hands larger than their own. foils by fate, friends by freedom.

' remember, you will Always be Different. '

' remember, you will Always be Replaceable. '

'Replaceable'

Jabari's dad made it in the NBA, then didn't. He was a big that could shoot, but wasn't a post-up man. Back then, post-up was the desired style. Ironically, now, it's all about shooting. But his dad didn't live in the now, and his career in the US was short-lived, to keep it cordial. Jabari's older brother played basketball throughout his whole life, but stopped after college. Jabari's cousin, Kwame Brown, was drafted 1st overall in the lottery, and became a notorious bust for the Washington wizards.

Basketball is a business. Basketball is fleeting.

It doesn't matter that a big with sharpshooter skills is valued as something so 'prized' in today's nba, not back then, not when it would have mattered for Jabari's dad. Making it is one ballpark in its own, but Staying in it? Can perhaps be an even more painful ordeal when the hoops to accomplish it aren't circus hoops, but a plain hill some just don't have the strength, mentality, or the materials to help climb without distraction or pitfall.

Jabari's dad made sure Jabari had this threat forever ingrained in his mind. When he yells at Jabari for misplaced eye contact, for typing the wrong words in a public social media reply, for reacting in a way a camera might misinterpret, it's out of love. Jabari's dad was known for being a hassle to coach back then, maybe because he knew his potential and no one else did because it was too new to the mold. So he makes sure Jabari doesn't follow his same habits. Jabari is polite to authority, simply replies with a 'Yes Sir' or a 'No Ma'am', he holds eye contact, he wakes up hours before he needs to just to jump rope, just to uphold the standards that his family could not. He is Everything his father is and isn't, plus more. When his team wins, he's still talking about his missed freethrows even 8 hours later. Because someone else could have won the game And hit those free throws too . someone from a family that gained success and stayed in that success. Someone who wasn't Just Another Son of a basketball player trying to do what his father couldn't, someone who was Different .

Everyone knew wemby was different. When his literature class was asked to write an essay about your future dreams in life, he wrote a fictional romance about a couple where the woman got in a car accident and was comatosed as a result, but got better in the end. He didn't write about being a great basketball player one day, because his parents don't pressure him to hunker himself into the norm, even though his mother once was and now coaches. If Wemby one day realized this wasn't for him, they would encourage him to leave and follow whatever greater passions propelling him. He's so agile for his size because his dad was an Olympic talent in track and field. He is someone who has hobbies and talents that are considered common alone, but strange combined, because he loves what he has and what he does. He reads every night for one hour before bed not to appear as some pseudointellectual, but because he Genuinely loves it, and when he loves something, he excels at it. He does try to be different, but not out of ego. He just loves to be. He either accomplishes at 200% or zero. It may be 200% in an unexpected direction, but it's His direction and that's what matters. If he somehow does wind up a bust, a possibility he considers without fear but acceptance as potential fate, then he won't go down as yet another failed first pick. He'll fall as he flew, Victor Wembanyama.

' Different '

' Replaceable'

Jabari winces each time he's subbed out, even for a second, even on an injured ankle, he's silently Stubborn, his posture shrunken and his gaze at the ground yet his eyes, big, wobbling, staring up always at the speaker, he's silently scared.

Jabari doesn't Want to be different. He just wants to be what his family couldn't be when it came to fame: irreplaceable . His parents split when he was younger, he tries his hardest to appease them both as to not cause any more issues. The relationship relies on his shoulders more than ever, and he can't fumble it again. He has to be what his dad couldn't so his dad can stay, commenting on commonality or surprises. He wants to support his still working mother, especially after the split. He doesn't Want to be unique, he just wants Security.

Because this can crumble any moment now, it doesn't matter how high your pick was or how bright the future Could Have been or how the game would later shift to your style if you had just somehow Stayed. Why bet on low chances if you know you can't handle the risk. He shakes any college coaches' hands that showed up to his practices, personally thanks them for coming even though he's one of the best in the country so their presence should be a given to him, it's not. When he picks a college, he picks one that guaranteed their faith in him from day One, and didn't require any further prodding to finally say '.. Maybe we'll offer you a position' like Kentucky did, as big and famous as it is, it wasn't Secured . They saw him as a risk at one point, and that's everything he's been trying to avoid when it came to attention, negatively standing out.

Jabari wants to be known as the strong shoulder to the world. He WANTS to be known as That One Guy who can just carry everything, nameless but Good. He just wants to be Good. Please tell him he's good. Please tell him what he's doing is Good. That basing his entire personality around yet another soldier who ultimately fell in battle but fought nonetheless being nameless is Good. Please feel free to give him all your burdens to bear like he's just some mule, an animal, a Tool .. because that means he's Useful, at least. That means he's Good. And if he isn't good, then he's nothing. Because you can always just buy another one anyways. A better one.

'Different'

Although his parents try not to treat Wemby by simplifying his differences into a strictly labeled, simple FUTURE BASKETBALL PRODIGY box at birth, that doesn't mean that can always stop others from doing it. Wemby signed his first autograph at ten years old.

It didn't matter if he was a kid who was so much more than just his basketball future, basketball fans wanted one thing from him and one thing only: Success. People didn't care about his literary skills or his drawing hobbies. The eyes on his alien needed to be smaller 'so your shoe can sell better, trust us, it's still Your drawing.. your weird little .. not money-making hobby, do believe me, Vic, We know what We're doing. You just stick to whatever you do.'

His differences, in the end, are minimalized just to that. He's just Different. That's what everyone says who wouldn't really care to say anything at all if he never hooped as well as they wanted in the first place. The youtube videos of 40 year old men criticizing his 15 year old games didn't Really care if he was just a kid, they just cared in the 'imagine when he reaches peak physicality? imagine the points (money) he'd make for the nba.' His beautiful differences, artistic, soft, unique but oh-so wonderfully common and passionate.. are all dissolved into 'Different', the Base definition.

he's an alien. Someone you can just dump all your poverty franchise worries onto because don't worry, he's Different. Trust me, he'll save your team. 'He's Different. ..am i talking about how he'd effortlessly answer questions in class while also trying to hide the fact that he's playing on his phone by tucking his bony legs awkwardly in his chair and crouching his spine over that it looked almost scary? HELL NO? what does THAT have to do with BASKETBALL?? no, he's just freakishly long, but like. Gifted. Though. ... I don't know, man, he's just DIFFERENT, okay? you can trust me, i'm a sports podcaster, okay? everything i say is gold.'

A celebrity approaches him because he was different than most famous basketball athletes. He was Different. And yet, when he didn't recognize or notice her presence due to Different cultures ( due to Being Genuinely, Detailedly Different ), he was scorned and ushered out of public eye so another possible pr bomb couldn't injure his reputation as a Difference That They Really Would Rather Not Want.

that's what his reading falls into, his old friends, his family, his art, his personality. If it's beyond ball, if it's beyond Business. The world only cares if it's marketable. Sure, some reporters will ask a question outside of sport, but only because it'll be a Different.. funny little nugget of knowledge for fans to laugh at then soon disregard for what Really made him famous. But, Wemby is what he always wanted to be. He's Different. So What if it's not exactly the kind of Different he actually wants, he actually functions on? No one has the time to perform 200% anymore. Slap the label you wanted and call it quits, stop being so High-Maintenanced. That's not marketable.

You're just different. And to some people, that's all you'll ever be. No need to explore it any further. Who knows, your Consumers might find something they won't like. And we can't risk that happening to our greatest circus freak.

i mean. Generational basketball talent .

If there's a press conference going on that somehow includes the two, then Wemby just wants to be sure everyone can hear what he really wants to say, in his own words, not echoing anyone else's, and Jabari just wants to Be in the Room.

His brother stopped playing basketball because his family said he didn't try hard enough. Jabari Can't have that. His whole life revolves Around basketball, around sport. He doesn't WANT to be DIFFERENT if that isn't the soundest option, he just wants to be GREAT. Because GREAT is SUCCESS. Jabari Smith is not success. It's just a retry at it . His father shares the same name.

Wemby's life did not always revolve around basketball, to people, at one point. At one point, Wemby's life was just his life. Now, it seems like only his family think that, and they're from a whole other country. When he comments on videos critiquing his playstyle, he doesn't do so out of anger or questioning, he does so because he genuinely Wants to improve. He Does want to be great. But, he wants to be great in Everything that he finds interesting. He always did. When he likes an author, he reads All their books, not just their most notorious novel. He wants to be transported into other people's worlds so he can learn, so he can change, so he can be Different. Even if he somehow were to lose all of this fame, this Greatness, this job, this opportunity, he will never really lose. Because he's someone who's always taken opportunities to the fullest, so even if they pan out a little differently, that's Fine, really, because he's different. Not in the minimizing, dictionary definition then leave the meaning at that different, but in the butterfly effect. What he once was ten days ago is not exactly the same of what he is now, and it hurts, sometimes, when people fail to see that, or simply don't want to because textbook different is easier to digest than worldly different.

IN SHORT.. theyre foils. i can't Exactly walk u thru their relationship bcs .. there Isn't one.. & that's what's so Interesting about them. That's what makes their relationship, to me. Because if they WERE to be friends, if they somehow in some alternate world WERE to get paired up on the same team... they would be friends. I really think they would be. Not only because their signs are so compatible, or their differences are so stark, but because their similarities would triumph everything beautifully. Maybe. We don't know because they Weren't paired together, we can only speculate. But i think it would be big and beautiful, whatever they would have, it would be Something.

unfortunately, we don't live in an alternate world where they're teammates though ! Double unfortunately, Jabari and Wemby's biggest similarity is their loyalty to the game (a double-edged sword in both their lives from Jabari's silent unhealthy desire to be limited and Wemby's silent desperation not to be) Wemby, in Jabari's eyes, is Indeed a powerful...

Problem.

He's not really a person to him . In all fairness, no one really is when they're involved in the basketball world, not to Jabari, not from the way he's been taught. Everyone's supposed to be Replaceable, a faceless tool in the pocket of good business.

.. except for This freakazoid. Apparently.

APPARENTLY, he's some supposed 'saint'. someone to be feared for being more. APPARENTLY, the reporters just LOVE yapping about him SO much, that Jabari HAS to take the time out of his training just to talk about some guy who doesn't even GO here, yet when they ask him about his opinion on future prospects. WELL, that's ALL wemby IS to Jabari, just another future prospect. Just another problem.

A problem he'll be sure to check off his list.

... okay, so Maybe he's a bit more than a problem.. maybe.. he's just a really persistent problem? yeah, that's it, nothing more. Jabari will work through this. He Always does. That's what he does well, Work.

Wemby wonders if that's all he ever does .

But he doesn't have long before Jabari's marching down the tunnel to beat himself up over all his mistakes other people would never make, and Wemby's being escorted to an interview that other people would never make solely to show how Much he just Stands Out as a soul... in basketball .

I hope they find each other in basketball, and out of it as well. I just feel like

Something would Happen

[kangals]

friendly advice from vetmed: I know that when your animal has an infection that is generating a lot of discharge, you want to describe that to the veterinarian, because it’s a concerning sign. that is true. I also know that the most common word for this type of discharge is “pus,” so it’s logical that that’s the word that you’ll use when describing what’s going on. and in English, we often add a “-y” when we’re using a word as a descriptor.

but. the word. the word you are looking for. is purulent.

please stop sending in messages telling the doctor that your dog has a “pussy wound.”

[whalebearr]

AND THEN WE JUST KEEP ON WINNING ????

[svnniesideup]

dont worry he doesnt bite :) (YES HE DOES!!!!)

[wellvak]

i’m so weak to rage baits you could just say you dislike alex cabot or casey novak and ill lay awake at night clenching my fists shaking in anger and thinking of cursing you for seven generations

[sukibenders]

Is it just me or does the way Hera is portrayed in the PJO/HOO series feel out of touch? By that I mean, while it plays into the idea of Hera's relationship with her husband's children and ideals of family, it seems like Rick just took that and ran with it without actually wanting to dive into those aspects and develop them more (ngl, his writing for his female characters, especially the goddesses, could use some work even if I do enjoy them). The reason Hera is the way she is with her husband's children is because she can't punish him [Zeus] directly due to him being more powerful (and the last time she turned against didn't he literally hang her from the sky)? And even while I'm not justifying her actions, there's a method to them, so why would she go after other random demigods like Percy and Annabeth? Or at least in a way that was written better than her falling into a trope (I enjoy this series with my heart, but the criticism about how the gods are written holds some value that shouldn't just be ignored either). Like, I don't know, it just feels like there was more that could've been done with her character instead of just immediately writing her off as the cruel, cold-hearted, evil stepmother (a trope that's overplayed, especially when not even bothering to give them any depth). I could write ideas, but then we'd be here all day.

[loafofryebread]

Treebark botw au IS ANYONE HEARING ME

[lynn-tged-posting]

tged webtoon ep 178 spoilers and thoughts that i'm late on again whoops but it's okay we're here now and there's a handful of mixed feelings in here, more yapping than anything, and more below the cut,,,

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the main thing i liked about this episode was honestly the panels of lloyd and javier, they were cute,,, lloyd's poses specifically in this ep,,, i liked them :3

unfortunately for the rest of the ep i'm honestly not sure how to feel (even after a full week of mulling on it),,,

in this ep, we meet the veneto? beneto? people,,, tribe? and we get to see a little bit of the way they live their life. the ep goes over a bit of their past too, and their ancestors were supposedly magentano people who were banished for a reason that hasn't been specified. they pride strength over all else, and disregard things that they consider "weak" or "not manly" or something like that...

i don't have a problem with introducing new characters - i mean i kinda figured that after the events of 177, we'd have to get back into the build up into the next plans of action - but this introduction left me feeling,,, very confused. i'm not sure why they opened things up this way,,, let me try to explain.

the episode opens with a wife and her child, and her child had picked some flowers and she was complimenting how pretty they were, when the veneto chief (husband/dad) bursts in and immediately starts berating his wife and child for doing so. he emphasizes that strength is the only thing that matters, that warriors dont make pretty things. he kicks the flowers out of his own child's hands, and scolds his wife for not teaching his child better, makes his child apologize with an upside down plank thing? idk what pose that is, and demands his wife to give him beer.

,,, what an opener, right? honestly i was caught off guard, i wasn't expecting anything like that. i'm not sure whether the appropriate/correct term for this scene is domestic violence but either way i was very. lost on this opening of the ep, bc the entire time there's a weird emphasis on the chief's face and poses. the chief is, objectively, drawn to be incredibly pretty and beautiful, with long luscious hair. this scene is also followed by more of this gag, as the warriors of veneto dance and sing as they hunt and steal, and they all have pretty features and the like.

i genuinely, genuinely can't tell whether or not this is simply a gag or if it's some kind of satire,,, i'm not sure if we've ever had gag or satire presented like this before, either. this is the reason i am on the fence about this episode, bc depending on what the adaptor's intentions are my feelings would change.

on the one hand, this could possibly be a criticism of traditional views on masculinity/femininity, how doing "pretty" things doesn't necessarily mean you're not strong or you're not a warrior, etc, bc of all these random "pretty" things that we see the veneto warriors do like dancing and singing. i am aware that there is a large issue with misogyny and like, idk what the best way to phrase it is, male supremacy? in korea, i remember seeing posts about an orv panel that had to get changed bc of men overreacting to being "emasculated" (though do correct me if i'm wrong, i'm not korean so i'm not the most educated about this topic). it's possible that this is a direct satirical criticism of those men who are emasculated by "pretty" or "feminine" things,,,

at the same time, and on the other hand, it leans a little bit too close to "gag" territory for me to say so for sure. tged in the past has drawn up their antagonists well because their actions speak to their character from the moment we meet them; lacona arrogantly speaking to lloyd when they first meet, asfahan making the magentano envoy wait for way too long to negotiate, worthroad's whole. situation.,,,, etc. we see these guys and even if they have silly moments, it's clear that we are to see these guys as antagonists. however, it's hard to say the same with the veneto chief. we immediately see him being very Terrible to his family, but then... are we supposed to laugh at them actually being incredibly pretty? and then shortly after that, we see them all get scared of and then swiftly beat by lloyd and javier. then we're quickly told that lloyd has plans for them, in a way that doesn't seem like they're set up to be antagonists? it's so immediate and short in the punch that i really, really can't tell what the tone is, what the status of the veneto's to our main characters are. i can't tell if this is a mere gag (which means wow. the tact of this episode's messaging is little to none) or if it's actually a commentary (which i don't know much more about because i am the international audience, and i'm not korean).

to wrap this up,,, i do wish this opening was done differently. i don't mind swift introductions, it's not the worst thing in the world, and i dont think it'd be right to completely ignore this kind of behavior that traditionalizes masculinity/femininity and harms people for it - it's an important point of discussion - but the swiftness of this opening and how it was executed makes me feel,,, what's the word,,, disconcerted? i really don't know what the tone is! should we be laughing or not? are we taking this seriously, or not?

i understand too that satire can be both, it can be humorous and also lean in to serious discussion,,, again though, it's just the pacing of this is throwing me off. it's fast and loose, and considering tged's track record (and notable lack of direct satirical commentary like this) it worries me that this is a gag attempt, not a satire attempt.

maybe i'm thinking too much (or not enough at all), so if you have thoughts feel free to leave them in the notes. i'd love to hear more feelings on this (though do please leave out novel spoilers/bias,,, sorry ill finish it soon!) as my perspective and knowledge can only cover so much. again, i'm not korean nor do i know much about the korean tged audience. if i missed the mark on any of this, do let me know! and i'll edit in updates as needed.

as for the rest of the episode, it was okay! i am Very curious as to what lloyd is plotting to do with the veneto people,,, and i'm wondering too how lloyd would react to the way the veneto people run things, especially w their families. though it's unclear whether or not the chief is the one exclusively being awful to his family or if its a whole tribe thing,,, i'd like to see a little bit of justice on that at least

i did like this panel a lot, i like when artists do this thing where movements cut beyond the panel borders,, coolest thing ever. lloyd it's so silly that u only look cool when ur really not trying to be hehe

also lloyd saying he's a pacifist was incredibly funny to me LMFAO i'm pretty sure that's lowkey a lighthearted joke (though he is right about detaining the venetos being more trouble than its worth)

though i mean,,, arguably he does love peace! he does like not fighting, because if there's no fighting then he can live a relaxed noble life,,, so real of u lloyd nod emoji nod emoji

i also like the way he's sitting here. god what a creature. he didn't have to sit like that but he did. i also tend to sit like that it's very comfortable lloyd ur so real

wow okay that's all i have actually. this liveblog prolly has the least number of images compared to all my previous ones sob sob sob

all in all,,, i don't want to say i'm disappointed in this ep. i understand that buildup has to happen again (177 was SOOO so good; it makes sense that we'd have to come down from the high and set things up all over again) i just wish it happened in a way that's a little bit more tactful, a bit more organized and slower paced, a bit more thought through. i just wish i knew whether or not it was satire, i'm horrible at reading tone!! i don't even know if i understand satire correctly man,,,

again if anyone has thoughts to share (or would like to help me out in my understanding alskdjfljasdf) please please please say something! i love chatting about tged, genuinely!

in any case, i'll see u guys for 179,,, i really hope that 179 goes well. reading weekly is very different from reading all at once, the pacing will always feel different, so i'm hoping that the context of 179 will help me better understand the reasoning behind 178's opening. alright i've said too much SEE YALL NEXT WEEK

[saturnniidae]

"I should've seen the signs" I feel like Stoick was basically reliving the way he lost Valka.

To him, after a lifetime of wanting nothing but to kill a dragon, Hiccup's suddenly and inexplicably changed his mind. To him, Hiccup saying he can't kill them is just like when Valka refused to and tried convincing others as well, then as a result was 'killed' by one herself.

To him, way Hiccup tossed his weapon and shield to the side then approached Hookfang while speaking about how dragons aren't what people think they are probably bares an uncomfortable resemblance to the way Valka put down her weapon and stared a dragon in the eyes and as a result was taken.

To him, attempting to do anything but preemptively defend yourself against a dragon will only end in tragedy, so he has to do anything he can to stop Hiccup before it's too late.

(And just like with Valka, he unintentionally escalated the situation by trying to protect Hiccup but only agitated the dragon, causing it to panic and react, inadvertently putting someone he loves in danger. again)

Stoick of course, wasn't acting rationally, but it makes sense when you think about how traumatizing Valka's 'death' must've been for him (and how much Hiccup reminss him of her); he watched her get taken, presumably killed, and couldn't do anything about it.

[darthkote]

Actually can't believe they'll give us an episode like Rookies and show us rishi outpost and not tell us every single detail of each clone on the damned moon like-

[shepcdr]

mun is not muse obvsly. but...... i still rly do feel so bad every time i have to be mean in character.... which unfortunately is shepard most of the time in mass effect 1 and in verses during that narrative "first phase." exceptions to his coldness during these times are Rare

[p4nishers]

idk how many times i can say this but: it CANNOT BE QUEERBAIT IF THE CHARACTERS ARE QUEER!!! please stop this "i saw the leak and im worried it still might be queerbait" ????? HOW ??? they're both NON BINARY!! HOW can it be queerbait if they're, in canon, genderless beings?? SHUT TF UP EVERYONE PLEASE

[thelilylav]

Thinking about Daring and Lizzie. Thinking about Lizzie breaking up with him because he would never feel at home in Wonderland, and she would always feel guilty for it. Thinking about her choosing her people over her prince, her responsibility over her happiness. Thinking about her telling him that he has his siblings in Ever After, but she has no one, and vice versa. Thinking about Daring pleading with her to not let him go and her telling him that it will be for the best, that one day he'll find someone who will make him happier than she ever could. It's for the best.

Thinking about her seeing him a year later, standing hand in hand with a brunette and smiling ear to ear. Thinking about how she'd turn away from them and smile, happy for them even as her heart ripped open. Thinking about how he found someone who would let him be their world when she couldn't. Thinking about how she'd whisper,

"I told you so."

[oceanwithouthermoon]

i think its weird that i have to make this disclaimer but the internet is crazy so wtvr,, anyway,,

if i say i dont like something, that doesnt mean "that thing is bad and nobody should post it.."

i swear literally every time i even mention that i dislike something, people will go "wow does that mean u fucking hate me cuz i post that thing? ur a fucking stupid bitch and all ur opinions r wrong" LIKE ?? er.. no. just because i say i dont like certain characterizations of certain characters (the saiki k fandom is CRAZY about this cuz i can state an opinion on literally any character and a group of people will still go 'well only we're allowed to post our opinions about them because we're always right!1!1!'), or certain ship tropes (mentioned my hatred of toxic yaoi maybe once or twice on here months ago and people STILL get mad at me as if i said toxic yaoi lovers r evil or something), or certain ships, or WHATEVER, does not mean that i HATE the people who are posting them or that i think they shouldnt post them at all, NO, im just posting about my personal tastes on my personal blog and it would be extremely weird and hypocritical if i decided that i was the ONLY person that was allowed to do that,,

i think the only reason people assume that is because there are a lot of other people on here who ARE like that, and a lot of people toe the line between posting that they dont like something and posting that they think everyone who likes that thing is stupid, annoying, and wrong,, so i guess all i can say is, sorry for whatever made you make these assumptions but they arent true about me so plz leave me alone ʘ‿ʘ ur doing the same thing to me that ur accusing me of but i didnt do it in the first place so ur just actively being a dick for no reason

[milflewis]

days with frog and toad by arnold lobel // dutch gp 2023

[6okuto-moved]

lost track of time. art 3. KACHOW!

@reverie-starlight + keigo // @dreamtydraw 's cerise + cove !! :D (stole the look from this doodle. LOL)

they r my lovely awesome friends pleak check them out 🙂‍↕️🩷🩷