#pushing towards goals

[shitpostdevil]

watching this blog come together is kind of wild

like I would actually perish at this point if it disappeared bc I've put so much work into it

[loriache]

"I've been waiting for ages for somebody to unmask them."

This moment tends to elicit negative reactions in a first read through, and I've got some opinions about why where Kabru is coming from here actually makes a lot of logical sense. So I thought I'd elaborate on that.

I think people hear this and go, "He thinks they must be hiding something because they gave money to someone? What a cynic." Or "he dislikes them because they did charity?? What's wrong with this guy!". And obviously, a lot, a lot is wrong with him. But I think this makes more sense than it seems at first glance! What people evaluating this judgement miss is why Kabru is paying attention to Laios and co to begin with.

Kabru knows of the Touden siblings because (he's a little bit of a stalker-) he is keeping an eye on all the relevant parties in events developing on the island, in order to be able to guide them to his preferred outcome. This includes adventurers because they are the ones actually exploring the dungeon! He's well aware that something as minor as internal tensions between party members could be key to the historical events that are developing. (He would love the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand.)

His desired outcome is that whatever the rewards are of breaking the dungeon's curse, whether that's kingship or the ancient elven secrets of dungeons, are claimed by:

A) a short lived person

B) Someone who will be a good, effective leader and/or use those secrets and the power they carry wisely, with foresight, and to establish a political bloc for short lived people.

The person he can best trust to do this is, of course, himself. But due to his PTSD regarding dungeons and monsters, he's not able to develop the necessary skills to conquer the dungeon. Once he realises this, he starts looking for someone else who he can support to that end.

But most of the adventurers don't have any intentions of conquering the dungeon, don't have the skills, or are unsuitable in other ways. In fact, it seems like some potentially suitable people are the Toudens. There are a lot of good rumours about them going around - they actually seem to have a very positive reputation! That's what Kabru means when he says "unmask".

So when Kabru is observing something like them giving money to an old comrade from their gold-peeling days, he doesn't consider it a problem because "they're giving money to this person who doesn't actually need it" or because they must have some dark secret if they act superficially nice. I think he actually understands this situation and what it implies about Laios (in particular) perfectly well.

Laios and Falin gave money to an old comrade who got injured and couldn't work. That person then healed up but kept taking their money. Then he used the money to start smuggling illicit goods to the island.

The key is that for Kabru, the problem here is the same as with the corpse retrievers - people using the dungeon's resources to fuel dangerous, selfish, or violent pursuits cause problems for the island, attract more criminals and people with motives other than breaking the curse, and increase the chances of the whole situation ending in tragedy.

Kabru is willing to work with the Shadow Lord of the island if it gets him to his goal - he isn't scrupulous - but the criminal element of the island increasing is something he sees as a major issue.

Also, when you're evaluating someone as a candidate for power, riches, secrets, potentially kingship - then being curious about how the money you give to people is going to be used is kind of a relevant trait!

Interpersonally, Kabru's actually very easygoing - I mean, Mickbell isn't exactly an upstanding guy, is he! But Kabru likes him and they get along well. These traits wouldn't be a problem at all in a friend, or a comrade, or someone Kabru was confident he could use. But he can't get a handle on Laios, and Laios is someone who has the potential to be a major player!

On Laios' end, this is the same as with the marriage seeker who joined their party. She kept asking for things and he gave them to her, because he tries to be nice to others. He even gives her money! It's the exact same thing.

That's fine, but it became a problem because he basically wasn't interested in her motives, didn't notice she was trying to manipulate him, and it also didn't occur to him that the other party members would notice or be affected. We can assume the situation with the gold peeler is the same. When Kabru says that "It's not that they're bad people, they just aren't interested in humans," he isn't wrong.

The extent to which this is true of Laios is linked to his autism imo, (because it isn't just disinterest - he genuinely isn't able to notice nonverbal cues that people are lying to him or have ulterior motives) but to a greater or lesser extent I think it's a very common trait. Most people aren't actually that interested in other people who aren't close to them. Kabru is the weird one here. It isn't an issue except as a leader - which is why we see an immediate comparison to the Island's Lord, because that's how Kabru is evaluating them.

And disinterest in/lack of ability with people to the extent Laios exhibits it, it does, actually, make him a worse leader... it's just that as we see in the story, people can help him out. The rest of the party tell him the marriage seeker is taking advantage of him so he tells her he can't give her special treatment anymore. They're pissed and it's a crisis point - he couldn't have recovered their trust without Marcille and Falin - but that's exactly the point. With Marcille and Falin, he was able to recover their trust.

And he has other good traits that make up for it, such as his intelligence, strategic knowledge, open-mindedness and sense of fairplay.

Kabru doesn't disqualify Laios as a candidate based on what he sees about him from afar, though - he still tries very hard to get close to him, obviously hoping that if he manages he can steer Laios to defeat the dungeon and make up for his lack of people-skills in the aftermath. (Which... he does eventually achieve that goal!) He completely fails until the events of the story, so... definitely I think "They just aren't interested in humans" could also partially be a stung reaction to Laios' complete disinterest in him.

Anyway, that's my read on what exactly Kabru's "issue" with Laios is. Obviously, once he does find out what Laios' true nature is like - about his love for monsters - he develops an entirely new set of fears about Laios' priorities. But since Laios kept that a secret until the start of the story, he has no idea of that yet.

Given all that, I think it's interesting that he says that he doesn't think that the Toudens are suitable to defeat the dungeon, and that he's hoping they'll turn out to be the thieves. As some of his few potential candidates, people who he thinks may play a big role in the island's future, you'd think he'd hope they would be good people!

I suppose it's better, in his eyes, because it means that he's involved in something "interesting". They haven't just had their stuff stolen by regular criminals (boring, puts them further away from his goal) - they've been caught up in the beginning stages of "a historic event". The desperate and dwindling group forgetting morals in their quest to retrieve their lost comrade probably appeals to his sense of melodrama. Because he also just... loves drama.

Despite it being "uglier than anything he was expecting", he still pursues Laios as the person he wants to conquer the dungeon pretty much as soon as it becomes clear that he won't be able to do it himself and they are out of time. That's because... well, to be fair, there aren't any other options. And he fits standard A: he's short-lived!

and Kabru still hopes he can fit standard B, too, and be persuaded to use the power he wins for good. No matter how many nightmares he has about Laios, or whether he thinks about killing him. He doubts him, but ultimately he puts his faith in him and seems happy after the manga's ending that he made the right decision.

[pinguuu-ni]

hello guys <3 i've been absent for a looooong while but i want to know, how have you been doing?!

[orchidyoonkook]

Personal

Hi.

How did you get over your quarter life crisis?

Because I’m trying not to fall into the vast unyielding void. And I’m failing hilariously.

[tkachunk]

every day is a tragedy for tim stützle and he is just looking for a little sympathy from the refs

[mainfaggot]

the problem is that i have the temperament of a caged animal, but i also have no end goal lol haha isnt that funny. everyone start pointing and laughing already

[starryjkoo]

Of course I’m pro-encouraging ARMYs to stream RL more often, but that 1billion project is such a poor idea and the way that it’s being run feels so sinister to me sometimes…

[savingthrcw]

@nomdepen said: "There's really nobody here, okay? Do you need me to show you around to prove that to you?" for cressida !

"Very well," Cressida said, in a tone that was the opposite of very well. She smoothed her nightgown, which being one that had belonged to Francesca before could have brought attention to her nearly ruined condition if recognized, yet she hoped it would remind Penelope that she was so welcomed by Eloise that her sister had allowed her to borrow clothes until the modiste was done making new ones, she was closer to Eloise now. Not her. Still, she supposed Penelope had been slightly kind in trying to wake her from that night terror. Lately she had more and more. "Thank you for coming to check on me," she forced herself to say, because she really didn't have to, then sighed. "Being promised to Lord Greer, even if shortly, has led to some rather creative nightmares."

[wickedhawtwexler]

writing is so funny. when i first started writing this story in 2016, i included a character who was basically a self-insert character. she is now the lesbian biologist version of walter white

[curiosity-killed]

Not to be like a crotchety old grandpa waving my cane at middle school hooligans but I do wish (especially) young, very online queer folks would take a sec to learn a little more about like political movements and social change

[swan2swan]

Do you think this whole "Paw Patrol is copaganda" holds water? I mean, I can see why in that it's careless with its depictions but is it malicious about it?

There's undoubtedly malice somewhere along the line.

Not necessarily from the writers artists, producers, or anyone in particular...but the whole cultual indoctrination of "police are here to serve and protect and help us in everyday life" is the fantasy of a functional world and an idealized society where the only reason one would have to cause trouble is malice. Which is...not the case.

There's malice inherent in the very structure of the world's police system. As long as more money is being funneled to stormtroopers and their weapons and vehicles and their prisons--and not for the sake of reeducation, humane treatment, and improving mental health--the whole concept of police is malicious.

There could be an editor or a screen guild or an S+P rep who saw an episode that--look, I don't even watch the show, so maybe they had a "wow, Police can do Bad Things" episode, but until they have a whole arc where the dogs explore the harm policemen and the role of copaganda plays in rehabilitating and protecting the images of an organization that regularly murders innocent people and faces minimal, if any, consequences...yeah, there's a compliance in silence. And if they've tried and been shut down, then there's your malice.

Reformation is a hope, but I guarantee there aren't--and will probably never be--enough Good People entering law enforcement with the notion to Change Things to overwhelm the corruption that twists its way through the system.

If you want a counterexample, check out Brooklyn 99. That last season lost all of its heart and was lackluster--giving up on the hope from the earlier seasons because they accepted the reality. And then they stopped.

[beachesgetpeaches]

nothing says dignified loss better than shitty comments towards a team who stood their ground for 105 minutes, had the psychological (and physical) strength to RETURN to 1:1 after the opponents scored 10 min earlier with like 5 minutes till the game was over. like im sorry but croatia scored because brazil nt messed up big time, how are you going to have 6 of your players on croatias half with semi-finals basically secured...

nothing says dignified loss better than saying the ref robbed you and that croatia bribed refs (with what money babes?)... when the ref was pretty equally bad for both sides. (i mean if we had lost I would have said that ref has called many breaks bcs some brazilian player decided to stay on the floor while croatia was moving forward - a few situations happened where as soon as the game was stopped everything seemed fine)

ngl, brazil plays well and they play imo wonderful football, but it is what it is. there were quite a few chances for brazil to score during the 90 minutes, and then again in ET, but they didnt because croatia had solid defense, and thats about it.

doubt that anyone would be that bothered if brazil won the cup, I mean they are the ones who have every right to say the cup would be "coming home". it is what it is. dont diminish another teams success because yours didnt manage to go ahead this time.

[meownotgood]

Please don't worry about posting on time and focus on yourself, take your time and relax. Writing is a hobby and the more you put the pressure that you want to finish this piece before that or whatever, takes the fun out of the hobby, now it feels no different than a school assignment or a work project. So write at your own pace and don't worry💗💗💗💗

thank you anon... I appreciate you... you are right... I don't want to push myself too much, although setting a deadline sometimes helps me to work harder ><

I'll try not to put so much pressure on myself... I want to have fun with the writing process... I hope you guys will enjoy the things I have planned when they are eventually posted... and thank you for understanding!!!!

[rubyintheskywithdiamonds]

apparently "being like Roy Mustang" is not a healthy way to deal with your problems. Who knew? Certainly not me, and certainly not Roy Mustang.

[fazcinatingblog]

Remember when Brodie Grundy and Tim Broomhead were broommates

[nerdygaymormon]

The LGBTQ community has seen controversy regarding acceptance of different groups (bisexual and transgender individuals have sometimes been marginalized by the larger community), but the term LGBT has been a positive symbol of inclusion and reflects the embrace of different identities and that we’re stronger together and need each other. While there are differences, we all face many of the same challenges from broader society.

In the 1960′s, in wider society the meaning of the word gay transitioned from ‘happy’ or ‘carefree’ to predominantly mean ‘homosexual’ as they adopted the word as was used by homosexual men, except that society also used it as an umbrella term that meant anyone who wasn’t cisgender or heterosexual. The wider queer community embraced the word ‘gay’ as a mark of pride.

The modern fight for queer rights is considered to have begun with The Stonewall Riots in 1969 and was called the Gay Liberation Movement and the Gay Rights Movement.

The acronym GLB surfaced around this time to also include Lesbian and Bisexual people who felt “gay” wasn’t inclusive of their identities. 

Early in the gay rights movement, gay men were largely the ones running the show and there was a focus on men’s issues. Lesbians were unhappy that gay men dominated the leadership and ignored their needs and the feminist fight. As a result, lesbians tended to focus their attention on the Women’s Rights Movement which was happening at the same time. This dominance by gay men was seen as yet one more example of patriarchy and sexism. 

In the 1970′s, sexism and homophobia existed in more virulent forms and those biases against lesbians also made it hard for them to find their voices within women’s liberation movements. Betty Friedan, the founder of the National Organization for Women (NOW), commented that lesbians were a “lavender menace” that threatened the political efficacy of the organization and of feminism and many women felt including lesbians was a detriment.

In the 80s and 90s, a huge portion of gay men were suffering from AIDS while the lesbian community was largely unaffected. Lesbians helped gay men with medical care and were a massive part of the activism surrounding the gay community and AIDS. This willingness to support gay men in their time of need sparked a closer, more supportive relationship between both groups, and the gay community became more receptive to feminist ideals and goals. 

Approaching the 1990′s it was clear that GLB referred to sexual identity and wasn’t inclusive of gender identity and T should be added, especially since trans activist have long been at the forefront of the community’s fight for rights and acceptance, from Stonewall onward. Some argued that T should not be added, but many gay, lesbian and bisexual people pointed out that they also transgress established gender norms and therefore the GLB acronym should include gender identities and they pushed to include T in the acronym. 

GLBT became LGBT as a way to honor the tremendous work the lesbian community did during the AIDS crisis. 

Towards the end of the 1990s and into the 2000s, movements took place to add additional letters to the acronym to recognize Intersex, Asexual, Aromantic, Agender, and others. As the acronym grew to LGBTIQ, LGBTQIA, LGBTQIAA, many complained this was becoming unwieldy and started using a ‘+’ to show LGBT aren’t the only identities in the community and this became more common, whether as LGBT+ or LGBTQ+. 

In the 2010′s, the process of reclaiming the word “queer” that began in the 1980′s was largely accomplished. In the 2020′s the LGBTQ+ acronym is used less often as Queer is becoming the more common term to represent the community.