#respectfully i do not jive with that

[spicyboelives]

I wish I had the time to write a tower fanfic. Ahhh id let Loki run missions with Thor and have goofy antics with the og members. 😔 He needs his own friends though, bro would probably still see it as a warriors 3 situation, "living in the shadow of [Thor's] greatness".

[badsassitude]

The Boyfriend: In which Shun is not not-jealous. (Deep Dive Part 3/3)

Enter Ikuo, who through no fault of his own became the catalyst for lots of jealousy and big insecurity in Shun.  

Ikuo brings change to the existing dynamic of the Green Room. He’s young and confident, with high energy and a vibe that jived with Dai. To add insult to Shun's insecurity, he also seems interested in hanging out with Dai.  

Let me add here that Dai isn’t doing anything wrong. Read that again. I could, definitely go off on a tangent (and may at some point) at all the negativity towards Dai when the man is truly not doing anything wrong.  We are not responsible for how others respond to us.  Dai was interested in Shun from the beginning.  He has made active efforts to pursue Shun and make his interest clear, he has communicated openly and directly (ie, he expressed to Shun that he would like Shun to be more open about his feelings in ep 3, he spoke to Shun directly after the overnight date didn’t happen in ep 5), and when Shun set a boundary he handled it maturely and respectfully and didn’t turn into a great big passive aggressive dick.  Go Dai. During the FRIENDS ONLY PERIOD in which Ikuo joined the show, Dai engaged and responded to Ikuo in the same friendly and welcoming way he has with EVERYONE (which by the way is probably what ultimately netted him THREE letters in episode 1).  I don’t see that Dai could have reasonably been expected to behave any differently toward Ikuo than what we saw in the show.  I also noticed that he attempted to check in with Shun in a directly indirect way during the group beach day (ep 6).  Remember, Shun said 1) I don’t like to be pursued aggressively until I am dating that person, and 2) he just wanted to be friends.  Dai can’t be more direct in asking Shun about his feelings while also being respectful of the boundaries Shun set.  Dai can wonder if Shun is having feelings, and very clearly does.  He is looking at Shun and checking for a reaction, and giving him the opportunity to say something.  Shun doesn’t.

This is an area where I see a lot of negativity about Shun’s behavior, and the jealousy we see as Dai and Ikuo interact.  Let’s consider the context – Dai has dialed back is pursuit of Shun, resulting in Shun feeling more comfortable and instead of having to pull back to protect himself, Shun is actually able to comfortably reach out and engage Dai more.  At this time Shun’s feelings are growing, he’s probably starting to feel a little more comfortable and confident – and I bet money that if a date selection had happened before Ikuo came, that Shun may very well have put down Dai’s name.  I think the connection and intimacy between them likely would have continued to grow.  Even while watching Dai and Ikuo, Shun is demonstrating a level of faith in Dai’s sincerity and feelings for him. (ie, his declaration that Dai will pick him.)  But then we see those negative thoughts get louder and his low-self esteem perk up (damn jerkface brains always being negative) – he starts thinking maybe Ikuo is better for Dai. Meanwhile, he starts pulling back behind those walls, shutting down and disengaging.  Deep down he’s spiraling and he’s hoping for reassurance and comfort from Dai. He needs Dai to initiate it, but ironically, he also may not be able to tolerate it even if Dai does. Anxious attachment is a beast y'all. Meanwhile poor Dai is in an impossible position, because he doesn’t KNOW what is going on with Shun.  He can clearly see Shun is upset, but Shun isn’t talking, and Dai can’t push too much without risking violating the boundary Shun set.

For me, what we are seeing is a misalignment of needs that are not clearly understood and are not able to be clearly expressed.  Can it be exhausting? Yes, absolutely. It can be painful and exhausting both to have an anxious attachment, and to love someone with anxious attachment. Is it fair to Dai? No, of course it’s not. And, it’s not done intentionally or maliciously.  Shun is like a porcupine – he wants to be loved, but his quills poke anyone who gets too close.  Because nobody can/will get close to him, he continues to believe he is not worth it, that he will never be loved the way he wants.  So he curls in on himself, his quills sticking out in all directions, wanting to be held but also keeping the people who want to get close away.  

Public service announcement: Loving someone doesn’t obligate us to accept their behaviors. Understanding the wounds that may have guided and shaped someone’s behaviors, doesn’t give them a pass. Sometimes no matter how much we love someone, no matter how much we empathize and understand that they are doing the best they can or are loving us the best way they know how, we can’t both meet them where they are and be healthy in the relationship at the same time. Sometimes in order to love ourselves, we have to take a step back.  But other times, with empathy and understanding, and a genuine desire to love and a willingness to do the work from both sides – bridges can be built.  Change is possible, growth happens, and we can develop secure attachment bonds – even if it takes extra work and effort.  

Shun is likely doing the best he can with what he knows how to do. His life history has taught him that vulnerability is dangerous, that he has to be the one to protect himself. I truly wish for him that instead of judging him for the dance he is doing between staying safe and being vulnerable, I wish we could all have more compassion and empathy.  Instead of being so quick to judge, make an effort to understand.  When vulnerability is met with empathy and compassion, magic happens, and we have the opportunity to foster growth, change, and connection.

I’m really excited to see what the next episodes bring. The preview flashes we have been given since episode 1 show us that Dai and Shun don’t stay in the friendzone we ended episode 6 with.  I fully acknowledge that I am out here on Delulu Island with my predictions - both for the next couple of episodes and the end game. I also acknowledge I might be completely full of crap and all of this is in my head. But hey, thanks for coming to my TED talk. 

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

[abnl-on-ao3]

Fanfic update:

I’ve recently finished an outline for a Warrior Nun fic because the urge to write Avatrice has been strong. Here is my current timeline for those interested:

• Avatrice story (working title) (will begin uploading chapters in September, possibly earlier)

• Star Trek: Voyager J/7 & B/7 one-shots are on-going again, part five of my current series will be posted tomorrow.

• Back around to Part II of Odessa by Midnight (Rizzles) (will have a different title) (hoping to begin posting chapters by the end of the year)

…But I need y’all to understand something right quick:

✨I’m gonna write whatever the hell I want✨

Let me explain: No one story anywhere is gonna satisfy or tick every single one of your boxes. I can’t afford to care anymore if you think a character in one of my fics “should have done x” or if you generally just didn’t vibe with the plot. All that does is make me second guess my creativity. You don’t have to tell me about it. Leaving comments like this doesn’t help me at all. I’m not a paid, published author who shells out thousands of dollars for editors to look into flow, grammar, etc. Therefore, I require no concrit at this time. Thank you. I don’t care if I’m long winded in one paragraph and then punchy in the next. Big surprise, I like it that way. It feels good.

What I need y’all to NOT do: Don’t leave comments on my work that begin with a compliment and end with an insult. I have no qualms with turning off comments completely on my works, but I do like to give people who enjoy them the space to leave comments that are nice. That’s literally the only thing keeping them open at this time. (I am still, unfortunately, just one more bad vibe away from deleting my entire fanfiction.net profile) I don’t jive with feeling like I need to write something a certain way because of comments like “I like x but not x” or “but hey, it’s your story”. I’m not going to bury or alter the best parts of my stories because they may be different than what you’re used to reading…

Respectfully, I will not be pulling any more punches. 💋

What I would actually appreciate (no, really!) : See that I’ve used a word somewhere and it doesn’t quite mean what I intended for it to mean? Tell me! I will want to fix it! I like learning new words! Example: Your career field is geology. I’ve written about “shale” when I should have written about “slate”. Drop a comment! Don’t leave me to my incorrect terminologies!

In conclusion: It is every bit my intention to write stories that evoke powerful emotions. They may make you angry. They may make you sad. They may make you question things, yourself, the world… But they’re mine, and AO3 is an archive. That is where I’ll be putting them. You may read them if you like, but you certainly do not have to. ❤️

*whispers* Now… Who wants to read about Ava and a horse named Halo… 🐎

[unknownfanartist]

Update to New followers

I AM an NSFW account and DO post NSFW content as well as the occasional SFW Please unfollow/ban me if you are: -Not vibing/jiving/80's boogying with the content I create -Underage -All of the above If my content does leak into your FYP through the tags, please either DM or send an ask telling me which tags to put in my NSFW pieces because I want to reach out to viewers who do want to see this content but also keep those who don't want to see it out of it. Now I know it's impossible to please everyone so I'm doing the best on my side to keep both parties happy. with that being said, I hope you're all enjoying the community and treating each other respectfully. edit: I do block accounts without pfp

OC ages: Omen- 22

after second gen: Omen- 42 Yolanda- 19 DJ- 15

[fiddlepickdouglas]

You have previously mentioned, several times, holidays you created for yourself that you celebrate now instead of the holidays you were brought up celebrating. I respect it, I respect it. But as a person whose love language is giving gifts to the people I love based on their interests, I have to know... do any of these holidays you've created involve gift giving?

BILBO'S BIRTHDAY!!!!!!

It's a work in progress, so traditions are not set, but because it's actually celebrating both him and Frodo at the same time, and the hobbits are great party people, I figured it was a lovely way to add a celebration that includes the usual call for big festivities. So yes, big yummy meals, large gatherings, and exchanging gifts are all in order, possible dressing up and maybe a DND one shot are some things I've considered too, but of course any LOTR fan is welcome to create their own traditions around it in the spirit of all things Tolkien.

Current holidays so far:

March 15 - The Ides of March. Traditions include getting a tattoo and/or piercing in the event of "getting stabbed", buying Little Caesars pizza

June - Pride Month. Self explanatory.

June 19 - Juneteenth. I'm white and currently don't have any black friends to celebrate with; hopefully that changes. I either donate or support black owned businesses or charity foundations.

August 23 - Chandrayaan-3 Moon Landing Day. Yay space! But specifically landing on the dark side of the moon. Space themed activities encouraged. This is, of course, very new.

September 22 - Bilbo and Frodo's birthday. Food, friends, gifts, general geeky shit of the Jirt nature.

October 9 - Indigenous Peoples Day. Once again, I'm white, so there's not exactly any cultural traditions I've felt appropriate to take part in. I try either donating or supporting indigenous owned businesses or charity foundations. I typically will get something from Ioway Bee Farm.

October 31 - Halloween/Samhain. I mean, that's the accepted time of year. I personally just enjoy Halloween spirited things year round, but October especially is when I can get other people in on the bit. It's Espooky Gay Pride!

November 24 - Native American Heritage Day. Same as October 9th.

New Years Eve - Self explanatory.

This list will certainly be added to and edited in the future. The attitude behind creating these new traditions is to decolonize and de-Christianize the nature of my celebrations. I'm happy to share these with other people and encourage everyone to find a way to celebrate and commemorate life and their beliefs in a way that truly harmonizes with their ideals and their loved ones. If anything here doesn't jive with you, no worries! There's plenty of existing holidays, both religious and secular, to take part in, so long as they're done respectfully. Creating your own is one of the best things about life, IMO. No one can take that away from you.

[autumnhobbit]

I generally really like your takes, but Greta Gerwig and Narnia are two of my favorite things, and I’m genuinely thrilled she’s slated to make an adaptation! I thought she handled Catholicism respectfully in Lady Bird, and I think it’s a directors job to bring their own point of view to a project. Im Catholic & I went to film school. Books and films are different mediums, line by line adaptations just don’t work on screen. Adaptations need a director with a point of view, who can make an entertaining piece of media with something new to say! Otherwise, why not just read the book? She can honor the source material and still make it her own.

I can’t speak to the quality of Lady Bird as I haven’t seen it, and generally I’d be more inclined to give someone the benefit of the doubt going into a project. Narnia however has kind of been notoriously difficult to adapt (at least mainstream-wise) and the impression I get from most of Greta Gerwig’s work is a through-thread of a very modern ideal system sort of projected into whichever period project she’s working on, which I just don’t think would work for Narnia. For all the complaints about Lewis and sexism, he was actually already writing very well-rounded female characters. Polly he portrays as being right and sensible 80% of the time (and when she’s not, he justifies her fear and nervousness) and it’s actually Diggory who causes most of the problems, directly sometimes because he refuses to listen to her. Jill is interesting too because she’s portrayed as imperfect and struggling and sometimes too brash or harsh but deeply desiring to do the right thing. So any narrative about how the girls are oppressed by the story I think wouldn’t jive well because Lewis has already said all of that practically, you’d just be beating a dead horse.

However that’s just my own feelings on the matter and it could very well be fine, but adaptations, and particularly christian adaptations always have a tendency to be misunderstood or deliberately misinterpreted because of the discomfort/neglect/outright bias of the creative team. My hopes aren’t high, but it’s no skin off my back if it is bad, either.

[devotioncrater]

Top 5 books! 🤗📖

YEESSS let's goooooo

putting this under a break because it got long ahaha oops

Tender Is The Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica.

this book my god. respectfully never reading it ever again 🫶 at first i didn't jive with the prose. it felt staccato and clinical and direct so much so that it was jarring; but the more i read the book the more i understood that it's an intentional choice. it had to be written in a distant way to help further exemplify the dehumanization occurring within its pages. for me, the true horror didn't set in until the last few paragraphs. i got the sense early on that Marcos is an unreliable narrator, so his moral descent was expected, but the ENDING???? HELLO??????? anyways this book left me hollow and empty. 10/10

Craft in the Real World: Rethinking Fiction Writing and Workshopping by Matthew Salesses

if you are going to write a story, or are thinking about writing a story, read this book. it breaks down creative writing to its bones by examining the racist foundations in how fiction writing's taught and written. which voices are heard, which are dismissed, why and how that happens. what to do about it. 15/10 this book is necessary. my copy is marked up to hell & back and i often reread passages.

Men Who Hate Women by Laura Bates

i still haven't finished this book & i started it a month ago. it's...intense. i've been reading it on and off because i get worked up about the subject matter. the book delves deep into the manosphere, the radicalization of vulnerable men, and the violent misogyny centrally imbedded in those communities. Laura doesn't edit anything out, doesn't sanitize anything. the quotes she pulls are horrifying not just from what is written/said, but also from how they're all made by real people who truly believe in their messages. this book puts a name to an issue that's been skirted around in favor of coddling men's egos. the book talks about femicide and focuses on the real life consequences women face due to violent, online, misogynistic rhetoric. furthermore, the book isn't about hating men, either, as it reiterates and shows compassion for the harm men also face at the hands of the manosphere. 12/10, read at a pace you can emotionally/mentally handle.

Villainy by Andrea Abi-Karam

where are my fellow queer arabs at???? because booyyyyy does andrea abi-karam have something cooked up for you!!! holy shit. i love the way their mind works and their flow with words. their style is in a league of its own. unmatched. Villainy is a visceral read. super raw. not safe for work at all. unhinged. it's my favorite poetry book. 1000/10. go read it right now!!!!

The Days of Abandonment by Elena Ferrante

go girl put glass shards in his pasta!! i support women's rights but i also support women's wrongs. if you like a fucked up descent into madness thanks to divorce, then this is the book for you. things just keep getting worse and my god it is beautiful. yet another difficult read though. 9/10

[hwanhd]

we know there's no stopping.

harmonize each other’s notes like now, this music we’ll make together

hwan knows he hasn't been the best leader; much less best in anything. but he did put his best efforts in his practice especially the parts that he lacked the most ‒ his dancing has improved more than before over the given training period and with the help of his fellow rapper peers, he's got his flow down along with good articulation. he only hopes that it pays off in a bit when it's time to perform and be evaluated.

admittedly, it's a little scarier than the auditions he's been through as a child whereby he's given more directions there on what acting styles the panel wanted to see. unlike then, he's worked along mainly and didn't have any burden to shoulder on, but now alongside the lead rapper role he's volunteered for, his leadership skills is being tested. if the group falls, then it would be hwan's biggest downfall.

there were parts where he's been kept a secret from of the rift that his team has and although hwan did not turn a blind eye for, he has not done his best in absolving any issues between them when he should as the leader. part of him thinks that meddling would be bad and that the two trainees involved were grown enough to resolve their concerns amongst themselves, but part of hwan had hoped that if he did indeed stepped in, then perhaps their practices would not be awkward. the very least, the members of the beatbox team were able to keep things professional.

he gestures for his team member to get in their formation, waiting for the music to start and when it does, just like the multiple times they have practiced from day to night, hours after hours and on weekends, they execute the very best they could.

hwan gets his solo part at the start of the song and he does his best to dance with precision yet with enough energy to hit his parts well as mason have taught him over the past weeks and with the help and tips he has gotten from the dance workshop. everything goes through seamlessly without him messing his lines and no one had been making any mistake by far. hwan also passes his second verse easily, confidence arising as he gets a bit more comfortable after the nervousness has settle down.

it's until the dance break when he's at the back that he catches one of the trainee slip on a small and hopefully unnoticeable delay in his part. it's not entirely obvious but if anyone from the judging panel had any eagle eyes, the mistake could be caught almost instantly since it's a major part of the song and that trainee had been up in front as compared to the rest of them. hwan tries to cover him by executing his part by singing "everywhere i go bring the beatbox" as confidently as he could, one that he has never even shown to others or from his acting days. supposed it's a bluff but he hope it's good enough to divert the attention of the judge in focusing the overall performance.

thankfully the whole group seem to fall back into their practiced order when the bridge part comes on and hwan sees that the members have also gotten their confidence back as a group as the song is reaching its end. they get into their lined formation before their 'leg swinging jive' part and as the song reaches the end, hwan enjoys the performance as much as he had stripped his jacket out of excitement while being in line with the choreography.

it didn't sink until the song ends and they have all bowed respectfully and saying their thanks before leaving the room that hwan was finally catching his breath properly. whatever the outcome may be, and hopefully the others and hwan would be able to hear good news instead, he's thankful that he's been given this opportunity.

"you've all done well, thank you for the past weeks of working hard. i'm not sure if this would be the last time we would see each other, but i do want to apologize for my shortcomings. i may not have been the best leader, but you've all given me guidance and helped me with what i lacked." hwan says his speech sincerely. it had been something he's been prepping and practicing over and over again when the evaluations were near and now that he's finally got to say it, the ending of the evaluation comes to an end.

[mystomachfeelsawful]

1:04

31 was quieter than 30, but more intentional. It felt like a year of growth, with all the quirks and pains that come with it.

I got to see more theatre outside of Toronto this year. After a 42 days in Winnipeg (still defrosting), I went to New York and kind of marathoned theatre and then spent a month in Peterborough sweating it out. It’s always so interesting for me to see what different communities value, what plays they develop and what works with audiences.

Artistically, 2023 wasn’t a hard year for me, but it was definitely more challenging than 2022. All of my projects had some sort of hard detour that offered a challenge I had to navigate. I think I’m entering 2024 with more of a drive to say no, to establish my values, but also to defend myself more when things get rocky. I think I have a hard time advocating for myself sometimes, especially with long time collaborators. I fold pretty easily and am actually quite conflict avoidant with people I respect or have established relationships with, so I think I want to continue to learn how to stand my ground respectfully when things are exploding. I’m good at removing collaborators from my projects when we don’t jive, but dealing with conflict in longstanding collaborators is something I want to continue working on – and how to hold my ground when I disagree.

Here’s some cool stuff that happened this year:

1) Maddie and I went on a vacation to new York! A first adult vacation! I’m partially doing this because she doesn’t celebrate or acknowledge achievements, so this is specifically for her. I also think there was something kind of cool about just doing something for fun with money I’d saved up. I’ve been pretty lucky financially over the last few years, so having some money I hold aside for disposable trips that I can’t just drive or bus to in a few hours (where I don’t think about work) is definitely something I want to keep doing and budgeting for.

2) The productions I directed were both out of town gigs. I’ve never started and finished a process not in Toronto or Hamilton, so this felt significant. Not only that, but theatre felt like an event to audiences who saw the work, something extraordinary that wasn’t a common thing. I’d never had a response to a show (or audience turn out) like I did in Peterborough for Give ‘Em Hell. Toronto will always be my home, I think, but doing something that seemed so normal (and perhaps would have vanished) in the city, but having it be received in such a radical way in a more rural environment gave me pause in thinking about why and how I make theatre. Who is it for? Who can it change? And what’s the environment where it can have that magical life changing it factor?

3) I kept teaching. Spending time in Toronto after New York, Winnipeg and Peterborough made me see the city in a different light, especially the training of actors and the stories we’re developing and producing.

I’ve taught at 3 theatre schools since 2022 (and in two provinces!) and as someone who’s directed exclusively fourth year classes, I’m currently curious about the role of conservatory training in a university setting. Who are we graduating and why? Is it an actor who’s ready to work? Is it to raise the self esteem of a generation who’s been locked inside because of COVID? Is it to give folks a broad knowledge of theatre? How do we impart rigor and craft onto students while not destroying them emotionally but pushing them? When a student is not engaging in the work in a meaningful way, how do we support them or guide them without giving them an unrealistic vision of the industry?

It’s been 13 years since my first theatre school semester – something that continues to motivate me as an educator - but I think as I keep doing it, I’m less focused on creating rooms where students feel more in control/confident as the sole purpose, rather than rooms that do that in addition to giving them a strong sense of rigor and drive to do the work. I’m worried our theatre students are becoming more afraid than they’ve ever been, with formative years in isolation that have prevented them from taking risks, ownership and feeling brave enough to fail on deck. I’m concerned that we’re not arming them as well as we could. I want students to feel proud at the end of their shows with me, but a pride that we earn as colleagues and collaborators.

I think teaching is such a gift, and I’ll always make time for it in my schedule – I just want to get better in pursuing the educator side of it. When do I push? When do I back off? What material can I choose that feels pedagogically and artistically fulfilling?

I’m directing another dream project at UTM next year (a play that really inspired me and drove me to create when I was young, eager and fresh out of theatre school). It’s a deliciously dirty text and I want to make sure I can support the students in diving into the complex material so we all get as much as we can out of it.

4) I’m dating someone really cool and nice. Someone who I’m really proud of for all she’s achieved this year – changing career paths, going to teacher’s college, advocating for herself in really tough emotional situations. It’s great and I love her a lot.

5) As I continue my adventure into my 30s, I don’t think I’m really looking for big takeaways as much as I did in my twenties. I have a thing I do that I know I’m okay at and I do it. I have a process that I can implement whenever. I’m learning when I’m not wanted in rooms and environments and when I am how I’m valued and treated.

I remember my cousin once told me that I had an opinion that “only I thought was true.” I think at the time I felt kind of upset by this, but I look at this as a strength now. It’s something I tell my students and my peers. It’s your unpopular, your weird opinions, your strangeness that makes you you, your art stronger and if the opinion is honest, you powerful.

More power in 2024. Less things that make you feel less like yourself. More weird. More strange. More power.

I saw a lot of theatre this year! I loved

Master Plan

Appropriate

Assembly Hall

Fat Ham

Love You Wrong Time

I played a lot of video games this year, I loved:

Dragon Age Inquisition

Persona 4 Golden

Tears of the Kingdom

Baldur’s Gate 3

I watched a lot of things this year. I loved:

Beef

The Bear

Tar

I like Movies

The First Slam Dunk

Barbie

[deerydear]

I used to be mentally ill.

I used to skin roadkill animals, to tan their pelts.

I think that plenty of people do this, and they don't go crazy from it. It's embarassing to admit, but I think that they acted with more respect for the animal than I did. I charaded respect, but it was empty. I wanted to "look cool".

I wanted to "look hardcore".

...I could name all these different words for different personas I wanted to pull over my head, and snug myself into... like stage costumes.

I developed the symptoms like "PTSD", literally. Another way to phrase the conundrum was that I was being haunted by spirits. I was haunted by my inability to put spirits to rest... and lay them how they wanted to be.

I see other people who do taxidermy, and they seem to have a jive with the spirits of the animals.

For me, I don't think it necessarily has to turn out the same way again. I could act respectfully, maybe....... I don't know if I want to do the work of a tanner, though.

Leatherworking did give me something objective and tangible to work on, while I was slipping and sliding on a wide river of slime. I had something to get better at -- to understand more of...

Skills are good, no?

It doesn't have to involve a dead body.

For years, afterwards, I had obsessive-compulsive sorts of thoughts where I wanted to skin myself as if I was some sort of external to my body. I feel like it illustrated a karmic principle in my mind.

Sometimes, I still see paintings of bloody animal skins, and this crazy voice in my head starts shrieking.

[cloakicons]

HELLO! this is @cloakicons, a blog run by claus specializing in icon-grabbing for the general public.

all icons are generally 100x100. please make your requests respectfully, and know that my output rate is very slow due to real-life factors. do not ask about fandom drama or my opinions on things; the sole purpose of this blog is to provide icons.

...but, you know. lgbt rights, acab, that sort of thing.

requests are: OPEN! (0/3 TAKEN)

currently capping: THE OWL HOUSE (s1)

below is a list of media i will not icon grab from. no harm meant, it just doesn’t jive with me. take care!

ANY porn-based media

Vivziepop’s works

Rick and Morty

Killing Stalking

Lore Olympus

South Park

Danganronpa Anime

[comebackali]

i cannot believe i am going on a whole ass rant about this but here we go. so i’m in the tags for a certain ship, where one is say, a 16 year old witch, and the other is perhaps, a centuries old mother of all demons and ruler of hell. and i’m finding all these blogs that are dedicated to the ship all, “they are endgame” etc. etc. but every single one of them is also like “i only ship them when the younger one 18+” and absolutely maintaining this stance while simultaneously posting edits of them kissing and tagging gifsets of their current dynamic w/ “wow they really are in love” or whatever, and i’m like???

i just DO NOT understand this fucking bizzaro shipping culture that we’re living in rn, where there’s this OBSESSION with making ships “pure” or “unproblematic” or whatever, and a true inability to own them when they’re not. it’s like, “i can excuse racism, but i draw the line at animal cruelty” and i’m like really?? you can excuse one party torturing and trying to kill the other and generally making their life a living hell lmao, but you draw the line at one of them being 16?? which is fair, I GUESS, but LOL we know the inherent power imbalance is not gonna ~magically~ change when they turn 18 so why make that distinction? is it just to make yourself feel better? because you don’t want to feel like a creep? as if the inherent power imbalance isn’t the reason y’all are drawn to this ship in the first place. and like fine, ship them however you like. all i’m saying is the minor thing is not the THING that makes this ship fucked up. IT’S ALL FUCKED. it’s one fucked up candle on top of an entire fucked up birthday cake. you take away the candle, the cake’s still fucked up. just own that shit, ya know?

[gisellelx]

Hi! For the sake of not making one post too embarrassingly long, I'll ask instead of reblog.

In this post you say the kind of Christian that Carlisle is would be fine with murdering non-innocent people. I respectfully disagree, but you have my curiosity peaked, so if you don't mind elaborating, I would love to hear your thoughts on this.

- Vinelle

So this rests on a central presupposition that is not explicitly stated in canon, which is that by what SM has laid out, Carlisle was raised as a nonseparating Puritan.

But I also want to be clear about the rephrasing here. What I said was that by all accounts "for the kind of Christian he was raised to be—murdering non-innocent people would’ve been totally fine." Which is not the same thing as "Carlisle would be fine murdering non-innocent people." This disconnect is actually something I consider central to his character and the way that I write him--if you combine actual history with what Meyer laid down, the kind of Christian he was raised to be should not have big hang-ups about murdering people who "deserve it" but Carlisle does and that tells us a lot about who he is.

Nonseparatists, who arrived to the US as the Massachusetts Bay colonists (as opposed to the earlier migration of separatist colonists who settled Plymouth) in the 1630s, made up over 70% of the Church of England clergy in the 1600s when Carlisle was born. They came later and many were still in England in the 1640s, making it perfectly reasonable that Carlisle's suddenly widowed dad hadn't attempted to make the jump with this kid he barely knew what to do with. They didn't aim to denounce the Church of England, but rather to reform it from the inside. They recognized many things as capital crimes, including many things we would not consider to be capital today, like blasphemy, counterfeiting, and adultery.

So if Carlisle really was an "obedient son" (TW 331), all signs point to him being obedient to the laws of Puritanism, which should've included being perfectly fine with some people dying for their egregious sins. So either he wasn't Puritan, or he isn't obedient. Let's test these in turn.

Q1: Was Carlisle a nonseparating Puritan?

We don't have a lot here--there are only a handful of pointers in the saga, even including Midnight Sun, which in instances where it Josses the original canon, I am inclined to side with the original canon, messy as it is.

We know the following about Carlisle's upbringing:

He was born in the sixteen-forties (TW 331)

His father was an Anglican pastor (TW 331)

His father was "enthusiastic in his persecution of Roman Catholics and other religions....and believed very strongly in the reality of evil" (TW 331)

The other thing we know about Carlisle is that he was born "just before Cromwell's rule" (TW 331). Vampires supposedly lose their human memories, except for the strong ones. So...let's assume for a second that Carlisle does not actually know when he was born (which makes no sense whatsoever, but fine, Stephenie, it's your world) but what he remembers and passes on to Edward is his birthdate relative to Cromwell? Well either his father hated Cromwell, which does not jive with the "persecution of Roman Catholics" part, or he loved Cromwell, which suggests he was in support of Cromwell's Calvinist reforms of the Anglican church.

In the sixteen-forties huge swaths of the Anglican priesthood in Britain believed in Puritan ideals, and these usually went hand-in hand with the latter two bullet points above. Add that to the Cromwell thing, and what SM has described, inadvertently or not, is a Puritan minister, not an Anglican priest who considered his fidelity to be first and foremost to the Church of England.

This boy is as Puritan as they come.

Q2: So why isn't he okay with killing sinners?

I attribute this to Meyer just fundamentally not bothering to research or think much about what she was writing until it spun out. She not unsurprisingly took a very LDS approach to murder, ignoring the fact that even by her own writing, there were lots of reasons that Carlisle should think it acceptable to murder someone (and maybe he did! We never did get inside his head about what happened after Edward returned!)

What I take issue with is Meyer's seeming thinking of the idea "he's a Christian ergo good and compassionate" when that is incongruous with the very brand of Christianity she otherwise laid out. Puritans were not interested in compassion and goodness, they were fundamentally interested in righteousness.

So it’s not because all Christians are good; many are not. It’s certainly not because Carlisle was taught to be against murder at all costs; he was not. Carlisle is not down with killing people…because he’s Carlisle.

And this gets you to why I'm still writing about this goofy series that on balance, I think was quite poorly written, going on 14 years after I read it for the first time. It's the disconnect between how Carlisle was likely raised and the man we meet in canon that actually gives a ton of insight into his character. From this break you can infer that he's not a milquetoast "Every life is sacred" kind of person (which is what I think SM had in mind and how he is written and acted in the movies), but rather that his whole life has been a struggle against people who thought that at least some lives were beneath them--first his father, then Aro, then Edward, and as you've pointed out, the rest of his family to a certain extent.

"So I didn't agree with my father's particular brand of faith" (NM 36) doesn't even start to explain this guy. He is fundamentally a rebel; a stubborn man driven by his own internal compass and not by what other people tell him is acceptable, and that's the kind of characterization that I find rewarding to sink my teeth into.

[writingwithcolor]

WLW Japanese Buddhist Who Uses Ghosts for Powers, has Ghost GF

@kanehon submitted:

Hello! I’m Latinx, planning a story set in a Urban Fantasy-equivalent of my own city. One of the main characters is Japanese-coded, as my city also has a large immigrant population, I plan to include her family as background characters too. In this setting almost everyone has some kind of magic power, or is a magical creature, so that is seen as normal and common. For this character I planned for her to be able to interact with ghosts and, only if she allows, they can possess her to do things she wouldn’t be able otherwise.

In the story she’s a Coroner and her powers would help with that, talking to them, viewing their side of the story, etc. Not only that, but there is the ghost of one woman in particular who is often with her, with them being lovers.

However, when considering the character’s religious beliefs, I could only find that in Shinto, Death is seen as impure so it seemed disrespectful to go with that. On the other hand, when I looked up at Buddhist views, the best I could find was that Buddhism views organ donating positively as a way to help the others.

Can I respectfully keep those powers/profession with her being Buddhist, being that she uses it to help people, or would it be better to not mix the two things and take a different route entirely? Is there something I’m overlooking and should be aware of?

Secondly, the ghost lover is a butch Japanese-coded woman, Are there any stereotypes I should be aware of and avoid? This is not the only queer relationship or character in the story, and I want to make sure those are shown in a positive light. Ideally, I also want to avoid it seeming like “bury your gays” by showing that, she is as much “There” as anyone else for my character thanks to her powers.

I think a key difference between Japanese versus Western views on ghosts/ spirits is that we differentiate between 幽霊 (yuurei) or specters and 精霊 (seirei) which are the spirits/ souls of the dead as a whole. Yuurei are almost always viewed negatively, while seirei are simply dead people who haven’t moved on. While seirei may have general attachments to the real world, yuurei have particularly negative attachments: desire for vengeance, memories of betrayal, histories of pain and oppression. The key point for both, however, is the cultural belief that both should move on. 

As you say, in Shinto traditions, death is unclean, and so ghosts should be purified and go to the underworld (i.e. Yomi/ Yominokuni/ Yomotsukuni). In Buddhism, attachment is viewed as a barrier to achieving enlightenment (Nirvana/ Nehan) and thus, for a ghost, attachments to a previous life delay their re-entry into Samsara, the cycle of death and rebirth necessary for their soul’s spiritual progression. Thus, even if your coroner character is only culturally Japanese-coded (and not religious in any way), I imagine they would feel some level of discomfort doing anything to allow a dead person’s spirit to linger. Thus, I question the utility of having their love interest character be a ghost. I can picture more transactional relationships where her interactions with ghosts and use of their powers are done in the interest of helping the ghosts move on such as: 

Completion of a task left undone

Resolving regrets

Pacifying malevolent specters

However all of the above are poor fits for a long-term love interest, particularly one who is Japanese-coded themselves. A short, intimate fling with a ghost would certainly be an interesting pitch, but the distinct expiration date would make it quite bittersweet.

- Marika

One thing that stood out to me was that you are Latinx writing a story set in your own culture, which I figure has its own beliefs around ghosts. Considering, as Marika said, that you’re employing ghosts in your story in a way that doesn’t jive with Japanese Buddhist-Shinto beliefs, I think it may be better to draw from your local religious lore rather than to push a round peg in a square hole. Is your character’s Buddhism important to the plot, or did you make her Buddhist because she’s Japanese? Is your character’s Japanese-ness important to the plot, or did you make her Japanese because it was one of the more populous minorities in your home city/country? 

Second: with regard to the girlfriend herself, I must stress that a deceased gay character does not inherently a “bury your gays” make. You do appear to have a sense of this as you mention her “there”-ness in the plot, but that’s exactly why you had nothing to worry about in the first place. The trope, and the issue with it, is withholding the happy ending of, AND screentime for, a queer character, because they are seen as disposable. A story can even bury-its-gays without actually killing them (comas, disappearances, abruptly written off the show, etc). Death is not the important component. 

Also, I don’t think we are able to answer to the point of the girlfriends’ butch Japanese-ness because you gave us no other information about her personality, ethnic/immigrant background, or relationship dynamic with the coroner. 

~ Mod Rina

Note: Due to Japanese pop culture, the notion of the yuurei vs. seirei divide has blurred, particularly as Westernized notions of ghosts/ apparitions have made their way into urban legends, manga and anime, however, I advise against going with these interpretations as we have more than enough of them in Japan already.  

- Marika

[high-functioning-lokipath]

Song of the Heart - Loki x Non-Powered!Reader - Words: 1,518 (including song lyrics from: Rise by Katy Perry, Dancing Queen by Abba, & Perfect by Ed Sheeran)

"Ugh, why did I have to wake up today," you groaned, turning off your alarm clock. You rolled out of bed and begrudgingly put on your clothes for the day. "I hate working early." You schlepped down to the kitchen to make some breakfast but found someone was already there.

Cause when, when the fire's at my feet again

And the vultures all start circling

They're whispering, you're out of time

But still, I rise

This is no mistake, no accident

When you think the final nail is in, think again

Don't be surprised, I will still rise

"Oh my goodness," You whispered to yourself. The music was blasting in the kitchen and there, in the middle of the room, dancing and singing as he cooked, was none other than Loki.

Don't doubt it, don't doubt

Oh, oh, oh, oh

You know it, you know it

Still rise

Just fight it, just fight it

Don't be surprised, I will still rise.

"You made me breakfast?" You interrupted, attempting to keep a straight face. Loki whipped around, shocked. That's when you noticed what he was using as his 'microphone'. "Is that a spoon?" You laughed. 

"Laugh at me again and I'll cut you," He threatened, suddenly brandishing a knife as well. "Now leave, mortal," He growled. 

"Fine," You grumbled, only mildly scared by his outburst. You'd really been looking forward to a nice breakfast but now it seemed like you'd have to wait or stick with granola bars. On your way back to your room, you bumped into Thor in the hallway. "Oh! Sorry!"

"It's quite alright, Lady Y/N," He grinned. "Is Loki in the kitchen?"

"Quite. He threatened me with a knife before ordering me to get out. Should I be concerned?" Thor looked away embarrassed.

"He’s my brother, don’t worry. That's just his style. He," Thor sighed. "He truly wants to be accepted but I think he's afraid of being betrayed again by those he chooses to trust."

"I see," You said. "Well, sorry again. See you at dinner?"

"Of course, m'lady!" You nodded and headed to your office on one of the other floors. Stark had hired you to do graphic design for his fundraiser events and Avengers merch and, after finding out you had to commute all the way across town, offered you an apartment in the tower.

Later on in the morning, a delivery boy knocked at your door. "Miss L/N?" You nodded and he handed you a long, thin box. When you opened it, you found a single long-stem red rose with a note. 

Lady Y/N,

These past months since you've taken residence here have been considerably more enjoyable due to your presence. If you would allow me to be so forward, I would like to invite you to join me for dinner on the rooftop at 8.

Respectfully Yours

You flipped the note over to see if there was any signature and checked the box twice over but to no avail. There was simply no clue as to the sender. You reread the note, however, and smirked. "Lady Y/N," You murmured. "Well there are only two people I know who speak that way. And I'm meeting one of them at 8." You decided to text Thor and tell him you likely wouldn't see him tonight at dinner as you had other dinner plans come up. He never replied though so you couldn't get any clues from him.

That evening, when you walked out onto the roof, you were surprised once again. There were beautiful fairy lights and flowers strung up everywhere, candles flickering on the table, and you could faintly hear classical music playing. "Wow," You said under your breath as you stepped out further and looked around. "It's beautiful."

"Not as beautiful as you, my dear," a deep voice said from behind you. Turning around, you saw the mischievous grin of your favorite Tower resident. 

"Good evening, Loki," You smiled. "Pray tell, what is the purpose of your invitation this fine night?"

"My my! So formal!" He smirked. You blushed brightly and looked away. 

"Sorry. I-I tend to get a little dramatic when I-well, just sorry."

"I quite liked it," He assured you quickly. "It suits you." 

"Thanks," You grinned. "Really though, what's all this for?"

"I wanted to make up for the inconvenience I caused you this morning."

"Is it just my imagination or did you just apologise?" You teased. He chuckled and nodded. "You know, you really don't have anything to apologise for," You said slowly. "I know it's just kinda who you are and," You shrugged slightly. "I really don't mind."

"While it is true that I threaten my brother and his teammates quite often, I never do so without proper cause. This morning was unjustified." He leaned on the edge of the room and looked out over the glittering skyline.

"You were embarrassed. I think that's due reason," You smiled, stepping closer to him. "I caught you acting mortal." He laughed once again, shaking his head. 

"You are more than kind."

"Why shouldn't I be? You deserve it just as much as everyone else." You reached out and inched your hand closer to his. "Maybe more," You added. He glanced down at your hand next to his and a light blush rose to his cheeks.

"You think so?"

"I know so," You replied. He took your hand in his and kissed it. 

"Thank you," He said. You giggled lightly and glanced at the table. 

"So, can we eat now? Because as much as I love being all mushy and emotional and stuff. I'm starving!" He laughed heartily and he led you to the table, holding the chair out for you and all.

After you'd both finished eating, you were sipping on the glass of wine he'd served you when you noticed he was staring. You raised an eyebrow curiously and he looked away. "Sorry," He said quickly. 

"It's fine," You replied. "So, what does all this mean? Like was this just your way of apologizing to me? Or-" you trailed off, unsure of how to finish that question. 

"I was hoping it could be more than that," He said nervously. "I've been watching you for quite some time now. As I said in the note, I've very much enjoyed your presence. You bring a different kind of happiness to the tower. Or to any room you walk into really," He added. "If you would be amenable, I wish very much to court you."

"I think I would be ok with that," You mused. "On one condition."

"What's that?" He asked worriedly. 

"That you dance with me tonight," You replied, standing and holding out your hand. He grinned and took your hand, leading you out to an open area. You let him lead for a few minutes, of course. An elegant waltz that matched perfectly the music playing. "Where's the music playing from?" You asked. He held out a smartphone and you grabbed it. "May I play one of my favorites to dance to?"

"Of course!" He replied. 

"Even if it's a little," you paused. "Different than what you're used to?" He hesitated only for a moment before nodding once again. You smirked and quickly brought up youtube. "Now here on midgard this is somewhat a cliche dancing song but," You chuckled, "I like it." 

Ooh

You can dance

You can jive

"What exactly is jiving?" He asked. You laughed and took his hands.

"It's slang for dancing and it goes something like this."

Ooh, see that girl

Watch that scene

Digging the dancing queen

You danced to the music, trying to pull Loki along with you. He eventually sorta got the rhythm and started to follow your moves. "This is quite different than what I've learned." You laughed and smiled at him. "If I did this back on Asgard they would say I wasn't actually dancing."

"Oh really?" You replied. "So this isn't dancing?" You bopped and twirled to the music, making Loki laugh loudly. 

"When you do it, how could anyone say it was not?" 

"Oh stop it!" You exclaimed. "I'm sure some version of you in another universe would be simply wonderful at this!"

"Meaning?" 

"You just have to practice a little more! You were doing wonderfully this morning!" He shook his head and smiled affectionately at you. "In the meantime," You scrolled again through YouTube and brought up another song. "Perhaps we can dance a little slower for now."

I found a love for me

Oh darling, just dive right in and follow my lead

"That would be perfect," He replied, completely innocent to the song title. The two of you swayed to the music and you sighed happily. 

"I still want you to make me breakfast one day."

"Alright, how about breakfast in bed tomorrow?"

"Glorious," You smirked. He gave you a light kiss on the forehead before twirling you around and pulling you close once again. 

Now I know I have met an angel in person

And she looks perfect

I don't deserve this

You look perfect tonight

[luckthebard]

Do I think that there’s something going on with Essek we don’t know about? Absolutely.

But Caleb and Cad’s prior over-25 insight checks in other dangerous and delicate situations didn’t indicate anything nefarious about him. He’s helped the Mighty Nein a lot, possibly at the risk of his own job and standing. He’s shown signs before of being young and overwhelmed. He’s more than once subtlety, respectfully indicated that while he “understands where [the Bright Queen] is coming from,” he doesn’t share her point of view on the necessity of continuing the war. 

Essek also hadn’t even told the Queen yet about the “confession” from the supposed traitor before talking to the Mighty Nein. If he were trying to cover himself, why on earth would he sit on that? Holding off on giving a report that would clear his own name is an action that to me indicates far more that he doesn’t trust something about the information he uncovered, an understanding of that situation that I think is only strengthened by his quick agreement to let the Mighty Nein try to get more/different information out of his source. He also showed up with the Mighty Nein to make his report, almost like he was waiting for backup. Matt narrates that “even Essek” lets out a sigh of relief that their meeting with the Bright Queen went so well. He confesses that he needed the aid to advance a peace agenda.

Is it possible he’s a traitor? Yes, it’s possible a lot of people are, ‘cause we just don’t know yet. But I’m not currently inclined to think his recent mysterious evasiveness points to that, specifically. I just don’t think it jives with any of his previous actions, particularly related to the Mighty Nein and the Angel of Irons cult. I continue to desperately want to know more about what he’s up to, but I don’t think this is as simple as “he’s a Dynasty traitor trying to cover his tracks.”