#these should also be in order of signing.

[misaemores]

"𝐦𝐢 𝐯𝐢𝐝𝐚, 𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐦𝐞"

》 𝗉𝖺𝗂𝗋𝗂𝗇𝗀: 𝗂𝗍𝗈𝗌𝗁𝗂 𝗌𝖺𝖾 𝗑 𝖿𝖾𝗆!𝗋𝖾𝖺𝖽𝖾𝗋 (all characters featured are aged up!!)

》 𝗀𝖾𝗇𝗋𝖾: 𝖿𝗅𝗎𝖿𝖿, 𝖼𝗈𝗆𝖾𝖽𝗒, 𝗌𝗅𝗂𝗀𝗁𝗍 𝖺𝗇𝗀𝗌𝗍?

》 𝖼𝗐: 𝗌𝗐𝖾𝖺𝗋𝗂𝗇𝗀; 𝗌𝖺𝖾 𝗀𝖾𝗍𝗌 𝗁𝖺𝗋𝖺𝗌𝗌𝖾𝖽 𝖻𝗒 𝖺 𝗐𝗈𝗆𝖺𝗇 (𝖾𝗋𝗆); 𝗌𝖺𝗂𝖽 𝗐𝗈𝗆𝖺𝗇 𝖻𝖺𝖽-𝗆𝗈𝗎𝗍𝗁𝗌 𝗒𝗈𝗎; 𝖺𝗅𝖼𝗈𝗁𝗈𝗅𝗂𝗌𝗆; 𝗈𝗅𝗂𝗏𝖾𝗋 𝖺𝗂𝗄𝗎; 𝗅𝗈𝗍𝗌 𝗈𝖿 𝗐𝗈𝗋𝖽𝗌; 𝗋𝖾𝗉𝖾𝗍𝗂𝗍𝗂𝗏𝖾 𝗉𝗁𝗋𝖺𝗌𝖾𝗌; 𝗅𝗈𝗇𝗀 𝖻𝗎𝗂𝗅𝖽 𝗎𝗉 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝖺𝗇𝗍𝗂-𝖼𝗅𝗂𝗆𝖺𝖼𝗍𝗂𝖼 𝖾𝗇𝖽𝗂𝗇𝗀; 𝗈𝗍𝗈𝗒𝖺 𝖾𝗂𝗍𝖺; 𝗍𝗋𝗂𝖾𝖽 𝗂𝗇𝖼𝗈𝗋𝗉𝗈𝗋𝖺𝗍𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗆𝗒 𝗀𝗈𝗈𝖿 𝖻𝗎𝗍 𝗂𝗍 𝖽𝗂𝖽𝗇’𝗍 𝗐𝗈𝗋𝗄 𝗈𝗎𝗍 𝗌𝗈 𝗇𝗈𝗐 𝗂’𝗆 𝗌𝗍𝗎𝖼𝗄 𝗐𝗂𝗍𝗁 𝖺 𝖼𝗋𝗂𝗇𝗀𝖾 𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗇𝗀 :(; 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗍𝗁𝗈𝗎𝗀𝗁𝗍 𝗈𝖼𝖼𝗎𝗋𝗋𝖾𝖽; 𝗌𝖺𝖾 𝗂𝗌 𝗉𝗋𝗈𝖻𝖺𝖻𝗅𝗒 𝗈𝗈𝖼 𝖻𝗎𝗍 𝗐𝗍𝗏; 𝗇𝗈𝗍 𝗉𝗋𝗈𝗈𝖿𝗋𝖾𝖺𝖽; 𝗇𝗈𝗍 𝖺 𝖻𝖺𝗇𝗀𝖾𝗋 (𝗌𝖺𝖽) 😓😓

》 𝗐𝖼: 1064 (longest piece of dookie i've written)

you were currently with itoshi sae attending, in his words, “a stupid clout chasing event for influencers to leech on footballers”, listening to shidou ryusei ramble about how he and otoya eita randomly bumped into beyoncé in the shibuya train station, when you suddenly felt the need to go to the lavatory. just when he was getting to the good part. silently excusing yourself, you let go of sae’s hand as you made a beeline towards the venue’s bathroom. 

meanwhile outside, while shidou was telling the group about how beyoncé called him a sweetheart after getting his shirt signed, a young woman approaches the football stars’ table and sits down beside sae, interrupting whatever the loudmouth was going to say next. the whole group looks at her with question marks above their heads as she makes herself comfortable beside the prodigy. 

excuse me but, who are you? isagi yoichi was the first to speak up, eyeing the woman with a raised eyebrow. “oh! my bad! forgot to introduce myself, whoopsies!” she said with a laugh so annoying, sae almost physically winced. “i’m kento mirai! but you can call me mai for short!! i’m currently modeling for abibas!! oh also! i’ve worked with sae before, you could say we have a lot of chemistry together, right sae darling?” her high-pitched voice rings in sae’s ears as he tries not to roll his eyes at the woman. 

it’s not a lie though. but it’s not exactly true. yes, they’ve worked together for the brand but the chemistry she was talking about was simply a tale—they had no chemistry at all. everyday at the scene, she was always either beside sae or looking for sae, and even forcing herself into his personal space. it had gotten so bad to the point that sae was very tempted to call the project manager and drop it. but of course, his manager talked his ear off saying if he did decide to call mister PM, he’d reduce the player’s consumption of his beloved ichibo steak to only once a month—what a jerk. 

anyways. 

his trance is cut off by the thing beside him, talking her ear off. my head hurts. sae grimaces as he looks around the venue to look for you, spotting you by the bar ordering some drinks from him and you. perfect. just at the right time, mi amor. 

he stands up but just as he was about to go to you, a harsh grip on his wrist is enough to tear his eyes away from you. he looks down to his captor’s hand with a raised eyebrow. “what do you want, woman?” he jerks his arm away from her yet she doesn’t let go. he looks again at your direction and he sees that you’re gone. he panics. yet for some reason, he can’t get away from this woman’s grip. “saeeee.” she whines. “don’t leave yet! I’m not yet done talking to you!”

now. sae isn’t a fan of hurting women—he’s a fan of women! they’re really amazing, yeah. but at this moment, he suddenly wants to abandon all his feminism and push her off a cliff. tch. 

“hey man, d’ya think we should ya know, ask her to leave?” sae hears chigiri hyoma’s worried voice whisper to oliver aiku. please do. sae inwardly pleads to the gods above as he side eyes the pair. “nah, ‘s getting ‘ntresting.” aiku slurs, clearly under the influence. damn fuckin' traitor. sae feels a harsh tug on his arm, almost dragging him down to the couch. what a strong woman. she whines again. fine. if you want to do it the hard way, then i’ll give you hell. sae thinks.

“let me go, please.” he cringes at his use of words. “i have a wife to look for and if you don’t let go of me now i’ll have to call the security.” he says, hoping for her to get the hint. 

she does.

but just not in the way sae hoped.

“your wife? oh! that y/n l/n? oh please! i don’t even know what you see in her! i mean, she’s nothing but a lowlife! clearly using you for money! i’d be so much better for you, my sae.” erm. okay. what the hell. sae’s hella conflicted now. he doesn’t know if he wants to take the risk and run away from her or beat the living shit out of her. 

he feels her body hug him from the back and before sae knew it, he pushed her away and let out everything he wanted to say to her.

“listen here, woman. my wife is the kindest and purest soul there is on earth. she brings heaven to me and lights up whatever emo shit is inside me. everything she says and everything does makes me all giddy and shit. and unlike you, her and i actually have chemistry. so i suggest you get the fuck out of my sight before i call security to feed you to the tigers or something. also, she's the only one who can make me giggle and kick my feet up in the air. fuck you.”

okay, maybe that was too much. but at least he defended your honor. common sae w. he thinks as he turns around to search for you, only to find you in front of him with the dopey smile he’s loved for eternity. he hears the cheers and snickers of the table, and even someone saying “oooh he popped off” (probably bachira meguru), yet the only thing he really cares about is you. 

“so, my dear husband.” you say with a smirk on your face. “i light up the emo shit inside you”, huh? how romantic.” sae flushes and grabs his drink from your hand, chugging it and putting the glass on the table. 

shut up. it's cuz you took too long in the washroom. did 'ya take a shit or somethin'? he says as he drags you to the exit of the venue. you hurriedly chug your drink and say your goodbyes to the rambunctious group of boys. 

and as you enter the car, sae’s next words surprise you,

“i won’t lie though, i kinda ate that shit up a while ago. maybe we should attend more of these events. what d’ya say, mi vida?” 

what a goofball of a husband you have. 

HELLOOOO i hope this was enjoyable for everyone ahu ahu 😓😓 unfortunately this is NOT a banger and my experiment of adding my goof into a piece failed erm 😓😓 still, thank you for reading!! hopefully, i'll post more bangers once i get out of my silly sad mood ahu ahu 😓😓 as always, reblogs, comments and likes are very much appreciated!!

[seafoamreadings]

week of june 9th, 2024

these are written predominantly for the *rising* signs but they are also intuitively "channeled" enough that they should work for any dominant energy you have! (try your sun if you don't know rising, or more advanced readers can try moon, anywhere you have a stellium, etc and see what works best for you!)

aries: mars is square pluto. for you it's on virtually all week. others may feel the effects wear off more quickly, though. they may not be very patient with you and you certainly won't be in the mood to remain patient with them. be very careful to avoid accidents or violent situations. otherwise, this is a good time for deep spiritual or shadow work.

taurus: mars has not been long in your sign but he's already squaring off with the king of the underworld, pluto. this can make for upheaval and turbulence in your public life or your reputation or can unearth (likely unpleasant) family secrets. stay grounded and keep yourself safe.

gemini: it's an intellectual week for you although you may find that you encounter some mental blocks or intellectual struggles, even in areas you normally find easy or flowing. this is, fortunately, quite temporary and after this week will be much more convenient and fluid.

cancerians: your inner world is rich and abuzz. externally, your relationships with others are given longevity if they are healthy, and may feel constricting like a trap if they are not.

leo: this is not an easy time for leonic sorts such as yourself due to a lack of elemental fire in the sky at this period. on the bright side, your ruling luminary the sun is meeting up with mercury this week, making you rather eloquent and charismatic, especially around friends and acquaintances who may well turn out to be helpful people.

virgo: an academic situation or philosophical belief you hold might make some chaos in your day to day life somehow, but this can ultimately be used for good things, especially with both ceres and saturn on your side. do yourself a favor and stay out of arguments this week.

libra: this is a wonderful period for personal development and brand new ideas. keep your mind open. not just to possible opportunities, but to the possibility that you are wrong about some things. that could even be a relief in some ways, couldn't it?

scorpio: your ancient and modern rulers are in a confrontational stance all week. you may likewise find yourself quietly seething over an injustice, engaging in a verbal altercation, or even in some dangerous situation. be especially wary of abusive relationship situations.

sagittarius: the focus these days is certainly to do with other people, and especially romantic partners, although not exclusively so. it may seem counterintuitive or simply irrelevant, but this week especially you can really bolster this by having your financial resources in order and keeping your home base stable, clean, and peaceful.

capricorn: guard your bank account and be careful about scams or identity theft issues, or regular old theft. on the other hand, the overall vibe this week is quite favorable for you especially if you stick to following your bliss.

aquarius: gemini season suits you anyway, even if it requires coming out of your shell (or secret laboratory, or whatever) a little bit. go ahead and gently expand your comfort zone. your usual haunts are not the best place for you to be this week.

pisces: if you need a break from family or roommates, you can fall back on your friends at this time. maybe some great idea or opportunity comes to you while you are out and about just having a great time.

[zumiiisumsum]

I see a lot of discussion about Luke and Nic’s relationship and how it seems to be “problematic” how the bridgerton and netflix social media accounts are encouraging the fans to ship them knowing full well about Luke’s private relationship with his gf. There are valid points but also ridiculous ones so here’s what I’ll say:

First of all, it isn’t our business to mind their private lives as much as it isn’t our duty to “protect” their private relationships (particularly Luke’s). A lot of you need reminding that these are adults and professionals doing their jobs in order to ensure the success of the show. They have probably had prior mature conversations about this including ALL parties and it’s literally none of our business how they’ll handle things if issues arise. If there are insecurities in these relationships, it is not our problem and we should never even get involved. We are not their friends, we are merely fans. We should only be here for the show and entertainment.

Second, I think it has always been clear that the shipping between the two of them has been green lighted by the actors themselves. The purpose of the press tour is to encourage the audience to watch the show and what better way to do that than to show how engaging the actors’ relationship are in real life. All the flirting, fan service and banter is something that the actors have signed up for since the very beginning. THIS is what a consensual work relationship looks like. There are boundaries to be met that’s for sure, but generally the act of shipping them was never wrong or problematic in any way. For them, it’s a testament to a job well done and AS FANS, it’s something we can and should admire them for.

Lastly, we can both be aware of the boundaries we have as fans while also enjoy the chemistry and relationship of the actors, as an extension of enjoying the show! We have been waaaaiitiingg for this specific love story for years now, let’s not do anything that’ll ruin the experience for us. I say we are very lucky to have been given a press tour like this one in the first place in order to absorb everything in, with one of the most talented and charming leads we can have as Colin and Penelope. We are very VERY blessed to have Luke and Nic as our main leads this season who are not only great co-workers but also great friends off-screen. They seem to be very secure in their own friendship which is very rare in it of itself and it’s the reason why it’s been so easy to root for them. Of course, the line is drawn when fans harass or insult anyone they are rumored to be romantically involved in just because of shipping. It’s never okay for any fan to get involved in their private lives like that. Ultimately, we just don’t know any of these people personally beyond their public persona and it should stay that way. What happens in their private lives is of no concern of ours. There are a lot more things to appreciate and be grateful for and that’s what we should focus on! Also shipping has been very fun come on now. They’re adorable!!

[waytooinvested]

Forgotten, Not Forgiven - Chapter 15

This and previous chapters are also on AO3

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Once they were outside Kara steered them confidently to a cosy little cafe a few blocks away, and insisted on going up to order while Lena sat down on one of the saggy sofas tucked into a back corner. It wasn’t somewhere she would normally have gone into, or even really noticed to pass it on the street. It was a little down at heel, the couch wearing threadbare in patches and some of the paint peeling around the windows, but they had a huge bookshelf filled with an assortment of tatty paperbacks and board games, the whole place smelled welcomingly of fresh coffee and newly baked cakes, and Lena found herself relaxing back into the cushions much more readily than she would have somewhere more upmarket.

In here it didn’t seem to matter that she was still wearing her harness-rumpled theatre t-shirt and sports leggings, or that her hair was a little bit sweaty. It felt like somewhere you could just flop down onto the shabby furniture and be yourself.

It was kind of perfect.

A couple of minutes later Kara was back, a massive mug topped with mounds of fluffy cream and studded all over with mini marshmallows in either hand.

‘What is that?’

‘It’s the deluxe chocolate special, and it’s medicinal, so no complaints.’

Kara plonked one of the mugs down in front of Lena, then took her seat beside her on the squashy couch, knee crooked up onto the cushion so that she was half turned towards her.

‘So… do you want to talk about what happened up there?’

Kara’s expression was all gentle compassion, but Lena found herself unable to meet it. She looked down at her drink instead, nudging the marshmallows around with the edge of her spoon so that all the pink were on one side, all the white on the other, just so she would have an excuse not to look up and meet Kara’s eyes.

‘You don’t have to if you’d rather not tell me. We can talk about something else.’

‘No, no it’s not that. Honestly I’m just so embarrassed. I can’t believe I reacted like that when I knew perfectly well I wasn’t in any danger – it was completely irrational.’

Kara was quiet for a moment, scooping cream from her own hot cocoa while she considered Lena’s words.

‘Did you know that I’m claustrophobic?’

‘I- no. I didn’t.’

‘It’s not something I really tell people if I can help it, but yeah, I am. More so when I was younger. I used to have panic attacks all the time when I first moved in with the Danvers’. It got better over time, but I still feel it sometimes, in elevators, or small places I know I can’t easily get out of. It’s not rational, but my body doesn’t care, and it feels impossible to just logic my way out of it while it’s happening.’

Lena thought of all the times they had shared an elevator. Kara had always seemed perfectly composed, and she wondered what signs she might have missed that she should have been looking after her friend in those moments, rather than casually flirting with her. She wished she had known before so that she could have been more supportive, but she also understood this being something that could feel intensely private, and was touched that Kara was willing to open up to her about it now. It made her want to offer the same in return.

She put her mug back down on the table and turned to give Kara and the conversation her full attention.

‘Do you mind me asking- do you know why it happens? Did something trigger it for you, or has it always been that way?’

‘Not always. It started after an accident I was in as a kid – I was in a car that went off the road and ended up in a ravine. Somehow I wasn’t hurt at all by the fall, but the doors were crushed in pretty badly, and I was trapped in there for- I don’t even know. It felt like years to me then, but I know it can’t have been all that long really – a couple of days maybe. Not long enough for dehydration to become a major danger anyway. I was definitely there for at least one night though, because I remember it being so so dark, and being sure that there were Things right outside trying to come in and hurt me. I was so afraid and so sure no one was ever coming to rescue me. It was not long after my parents died, though I don’t know where I was going or who was driving me, because I can’t remember anyone else being in the car with me or how they got out when I didn’t... I think I’ve blocked a lot of the details out honestly. I just remember how scared I was, and how trapped I felt, and sometimes that all comes flooding back out when I least expect it.’

‘Oh my god, Kara, that’s horrific. I didn’t know…’

But of course, she had known.

Lena had done her research on National City’s resident Kryptonian years ago, and unlike her true identity, the story of how she had come to Earth was hardly a well kept secret. She knew that Supergirl’s pod had gone off route and ended up stuck in the phantom zone for years with the thirteen year old Kryptonian sealed inside it, entirely alone with the knowledge that her whole planet was dead and there was no one left to come and save her. She had just never fully made the connection that that had also happened to Kara – her Kara. Potstickers and trivia Kara. Sunshine smiles and long hugs and ‘I will always protect you’ Kara. She couldn’t bear to imagine her young and afraid, alone in the dark and unable to move from the small space she was trapped in. The story had always been awful, but when it was Kara’s, it was unimaginable.

‘I’m so, so sorry you went through that... And I also cannot believe that you told me a couple of months ago that you “didn’t really have any trauma”.’

Kara exhaled a soft laugh, in spite of the serious subject matter.

‘When you put it like that it does sound kind of ridiculous to claim. I guess I just try not to think about that time in my life too much. I was fostered not long after that, and they were brilliant with me. I got this new wonderful, loving family and a big sister who looked out for me even when we fought, and I was so lucky compared to so many other kids, especially ones who lose their parents at that age. It’s not easy finding a new family as a teenager, and I could so easily have ended up lost in the system, but I didn’t. I think part of me always feels like I can’t complain about any of the bad stuff because I know how good I had it in so many ways.’

‘Well I definitely think that you have every right to complain because I can’t even imagine how awful that must have been for you on top of losing your parents so young… But I also know what you mean. With the Luthors I grew up with immense privilege. I was raised in a mansion, got the best education money could buy, and physically I wanted for nothing. I thrived in a lot of ways, and now I’m a billionaire in my own right, so I never really felt the right to claim a tragic backstory. But… you know my birth mother died when I was four?’

‘Yes. She drowned, right?’

‘She did. I was there.’

‘What?’

‘When it happened. I was with her. It’s one of my earliest memories.’

Lena closed her eyes briefly while she gathered the courage to tell the next part. It was one of her darkest truths and she almost couldn’t bear to let the words out into the light of day, but Kara had shared her own painful past, and Lena wanted to reciprocate in kind no matter how much it might hurt. She opened her eyes, took a deep breath, and continued.

‘I saw her out in the water and I knew that something was wrong, but... I just watched. Silent. I could have screamed or run for help, I could have gone in and tried to rescue her myself, but I didn’t do any of it. I just stood there on the bank and watched my mother die, and ever since I have been trying to come to terms with what I did… I still see it in my dreams. Her swallowing water, struggling to breath, and me watching and doing nothing. What kind of child would do nothing while her mother drowned before her eyes?’

Lena’s eyes had flooded with unwelcome tears, and Kara pressed a wodge of paper napkins into her hand, holding onto her a few moments longer than strictly necessary.

‘That must have been so horrendous for you to witness, and I am so sorry that you went through that. But Lena, you were four. You were so, so little, you couldn’t have known what was going to happen.’

‘She was dying. How could I not have known?’

‘Because you were a baby. At four you barely grasp the concept of death as a thing, let alone that it could ever happen to your parent. Parents are invincible, permanent things to four year olds, there was no way you could have understood. I was thirteen when I lost my family, and I still felt like one day they’d turn up and tell me it had all been some huge mistake after all. What happened to you and your mother was an awful, horrible tragedy, but it wasn’t your fault, and the last thing your mom would have wanted was for you to spend the rest of your life blaming yourself for it.’

If she was being objective about it, Lena knew that Kara probably had a point. Developmental psychology might not be her field, but she knew enough about the maturation schedule of the human brain to understand that at age four she couldn’t have been at a stage where she could fully comprehend what had happened to her mother, let alone have the capability to form a rational plan to rescue her in the few minutes it had taken for her to die.

But Lena’s guilt over her mother’s death and the years she had borne the burden of her own inaction were too big and complicated a thing to simply set down, or even acknowledge aloud that maybe they hadn’t been entirely justified. So instead she confessed a related but less intimate truth – one that was the most she could manage to offer up in this moment.

‘I’ve been deathly afraid of drowning since then. Of course, with the Luthors fear was something you overcame as quickly and quietly as possible lest it be used against you later, so I was enrolled in private swimming lessons when I was five, and even ended up swimming competitively for a brief period before I was allowed to quit to focus on fencing... but I still hate deep water.’

‘So… is the fear of heights more a fear of depths? Because it reminds you of deep water?’

‘I think that’s where it started. I have this vivid memory of a family trip somewhere in the Luthor jet – I’m not sure where, but it can’t have been long after they took me in. Lex had made me this model airplane with a fully functioning propulsion system so he could teach me how a plane stays in the air, and I was excited to be flying for – not the first time, but the first time without being a newly orphaned child on her way to live with strangers. And I really did enjoy it at first. Lex was in his best big brother mode and didn’t even seem to mind when I accidentally broke his plane, he just distracted me by pointing out the view from the window. He talked about it like it was our own private play set that we could reach out and touch if we wanted, and I thought flying was going to be my new favourite thing. Only then the land ran out and there was nothing but blue water as far as I could see, and I started to worry that our plane might fall out of the air the way the model had, and if it did we would all end up down there in the water and I wouldn’t be able to swim back to shore, and I would drown just like my mother. Of course I knew exactly what that looked and sounded like by then, so I could imagine it only too vividly... I always hated flying after that, for all I’ve done so much of it. It isn’t just that though. As an adult I have had some… bad experiences with heights. I would have died several times over if Supergirl hadn’t been there to catch me.’

Lena paused, her eyes meeting Kara’s. She wanted to say thank you for all the times she had saved her without her realising who it was, and for making her feel so much safer flying than she ever had before, despite what seemed like near constant assassination attempts. But she couldn’t, so instead she settled for:

‘But not this time. This time you saved me.’

‘I wouldn’t go that far. You’d have got down fine by yourself eventually, I just helped a little.’

‘You did more than help a little. Seriously, Kara. Thank you. You’re my hero.’

Kara gave her the softest, sweetest smile then, and the moment between them felt so intensely pure and open that Lena found she had to break it or she would do something stupid.

Like cry.

Or lean over and kiss Kara.

She looked back down at her hot cocoa instead, its cream now dripping down the sides of the mug, and took a messy sip, trying to bury her swelling emotion in chocolatey escapism. She stayed like that for several slow, sugary swallows, until melted marshmallow was adhering to her lips and she felt she had regained enough composure to meet Kara’s eyes again without doing something she shouldn’t. She tried for lightness instead, as if they hadn’t just had the most intense, honest exchange of her recent past in the corner of a chintzy little coffee house.

‘So. I think it’s safe to say that I shouldn’t come with you next time you do this.’

Kara must have realised that Lena needed to be done with the deep conversation, and switched gears without missing a beat to match the joking tone of her comment.

‘Darn, really? I was going to suggest we try base jumping next week.’

Lena gave a theatrical shudder.

‘You know what? That sounds like it would be a great sister bonding opportunity. You should get Alex to go with you.’

‘Oh, that is a FANTASTIC idea.’

[bbygirl-obi]

Hello, I just wanted to say I appreciate your detailed and thoughtful response to my reply. I do think I accidentally fell into an ongoing discourse I'm not really familiar with so I'm taking responsibility for that miscommunication/misunderstanding on my part. I in no way ever meant to imply, nor do I believe, that the genocide on the Jedi is anything other than a tragedy. Even if people have faults that never justifies violence. I'm very sorry that was not clear. I don't identify as an anti and I am chill with the Jedi. Lots of things you wrote about are reasons I like the Jedi and SW in general.

Since it seems I've caused harm I don't really see value in me trying to "defend" where I was coming from but I might be wrong, I'm not sure. The interpersonal relationship section of DBT has always been the hardest for me to grasp and I think that's really showing right now. So, sincere apologies again for my miscommunication.

(This ask is in reference to this post)

Hi, thank you so much for reaching out! I was a bit heated when writing that response, so kudos to you for not getting defensive and for hearing me out. I do really appreciate it. I'd love to help you understand a bit more why this hit me so hard, especially since this was unintentional on your part. There are three things that I think are important to understand here. I'll talk about them below.

1. There's kind of always been a worrying amount of racism, sexism, and anti-Semitism that's baked into big parts of the Star Wars fandom. It's unfortunate, but it's there. Many of the women and/or PoC characters/actors have experienced awful slews of online hate throughout the course of the franchise, specifically for being women and/or PoC. Ahsoka, Reva, Rey, Finn, Rose... the list goes on and on. There are also communities of fascists or incels who use the Empire as inspiration porn. These groups do not make up the entirety of this fandom, but they are a very loud part of it. AND their influence extends beyond their circles into the rest of the fandom, in the form of things that other people with privilege do not always register as bigotry.

2. Star Wars is unfortunately one of those fandoms where a lot of the discourse tends to step on the toes of real-life cultures. As I mentioned, the Jedi are based heavily off of Buddhist culture (George Lucas has been very explicit about this), and the targeted genocide is very similar to the real world's Holocaust. The rise of the Empire is pretty directly based off of the rise of Nazi Germany, to the point of the Empire's aesthetic being based off of the Nazis and Palpatine's rise to power directly paralleling Hitler's. Because the real-life connections are both significant and explicit, Star Wars intersects with the real world a lot more than other fictional or sci fi franchises do. There's a greater burden on members of fandom to investigate things before speaking on them as a result.

3. There are a lot of fandom misconceptions about the Jedi, including that they stole children, that they erased cultures, and that they were emotional, unfeeling people with no relationships. There are also a lot of sentiments that the Jedi were at fault for, or deserved, what happened to them (either because it was "balance" or because they created the man who genocided them). Some people arrive at these conclusions because of the racism mentioned in #1 intersecting with the non-white cultural influences mentioned in #2. Some people arrive at these conclusions because they see it elsewhere in fandom (from group #1), and don't recognize the dogwhistles because they aren't familiar with the cultures being trodden upon.

So when someone says the kinds of things you said in your post:

Jedi children are "stolen from their homes and raised devoid of their culture and families"

All Jedi initiation "traumatizes their subjects"

"Attachments are human relationships and…are integral to mental health"

All Jedi "have absolutely nowhere to turn to for comfort"

"The Jedi order is more akin to a cult"

The Jedi "sterilize" and "manipulate" DBT and force their practices upon their members as "the one true way to live"

The Jedi are "about eradicating big emotions"

Their "goal [is] indoctrinating the children they stole"

"Anakin is the direct product of their failure"

Sure, the first thing that jumps out is the misinformation. But since almost everything you're critiquing about the Jedi is something that also exists in Buddhism, you are simultaneously deriding Buddhism as something that is detrimental to mental health, that provides no support network to anyone, that is sterile and emotionless, and that is a form of indoctrination.

The paternalistic idea that Buddhists were victims of backwards, harmful cults, and needed to be "saved" from their own culture by white people, is both old and insidious. These are things that have been said about Buddhism with the intention of painting it as stupid and even harmful, so that white people could justify oppressing both Buddhism as a religion and the PoC cultures who originated and practiced it. This is still used today as a justifier for modern-day forms of racism, but it's also been used for centuries as a justification for the colonization of entire countries.

I've discussed the genocide aspect in my other post, but I'll just reiterate that the sentiment "the Jedi are not to blame for their genocide" cannot coexist with the sentiment "Anakin, the perpetrator of said genocide, is the direct product of the Jedi." The idea from your tags that the Jedi "killed" Anakin is also a tricky one, since the idea that Anakin's death was Vader's creation is a popular fandom trope turned canon with the "you didn't kill Anakin Skywalker, I did" line in the Obi-Wan Kenobi series, and to say the Jedi killed Anakin is therefore to say the Jedi created Vader, their genocider.

I guess part of me also wonders why, even if it is true (I think it isn't, but people can and do disagree), it's relevant to bring up under the type of post I made. Take the example of a school shooting. People have died, children have died, a member of their community has betrayed them, and the community is hurt and grieving. Let's say someone makes a post celebrating the community, celebrating how kind and supportive they are to one another. And let's say someone decides to comment below that post saying that the other kids in the school were mean to the shooter. Even if it were true, I hope this example helps illustrate how (1) it comes across as excusing the shooter's actions, and how (2) that sentiment is just so incredibly tone-deaf and victim-blamey. That's kind of how it feels to have someone comment these misinformed things (of racist origin, even if they are not of conscious racist intent) below a post that I made celebrating the practices of a culture that was genocided. It's neither the time nor the place.

And remember what I said in point #3, about how people arrive at these conclusions one of two ways? When I read stuff like this, it's really hard to tell which of the two groups a person falls into. It's hard to tell if the coded racism is simply going unnoticed, or if it's there intentionally. But it's there, regardless. And in my experience, the hidden or unintentional racism can be the most dangerous, because people will often get defensive and gaslight the hell out of you when you try to call it out. Thanks for not doing that, but you're unfortunately the minority.

So when people say these things, I usually have to assume that they are not a safe person. Because like I said: Whether or not the racism was deliberate, it was still there. You might have not originated these ideas, but you were willing to accept them without investigating further, to adopt them as your own, and to spread them further online. I think there's something to unpack there for you. Some great next steps would include doing research into the following topics:

The nuclear family and how it ties to white supremacy and homophobia (this gives context for the institutional aversion to the Jedi's form of community; you can find an article by a Black man about this here)

The American Jewish Committee's resources on identifying subtle or hidden forms of anti-Semitism (this gives context to how seemingly innocuous statements can have very problematic histories; you can find it here)

The phenomenon of "Holocaust Distortion" (a real-life example of how harmful it is to distort facts to place greater blame on the victims of genocide; you can find an article from the Holocaust Remembrance Alliance about it here)

The history of Buddhist groups suffering religious persecution (this gives context for ways in which the religion has been deliberately misrepresented for the purpose of harming Buddhists; Wikipedia is a great place to start, here's an introductory link)

The colonization and oppression of countries with large Buddhist populations (this gives context for the global racism I mentioned; look into the countries of Japan, Cambodia, China, India, Vietnam, etc.)

Though there can also be room for excitement, not just depressing homework, because it seems there's a lot of great stuff about the Jedi (and Buddhism) that you didn't know about, and now you get to learn all about it!

[volivolition]

gotta draw more voli and echem being little haters to each other. i know their canon interactions are arguing over temptations vs abstinence and i LOVE that dynamic. unfortunately i am also the world's biggest fucking softie and i go weak in the knees for them working together and being affectionate.

[mokeonn]

I'm playing bg3 again and trying out the honor mode (which as it turns out, might be a bad idea if you never beat the game in general, much less beat it in tactician mode) and I have been confronted with the fact that I absolutely have dnd race favoritism and it absolutely is contributing to my need for many many bg3 saves because I constantly think "hmmm I want to try playing as a deep gnome to see if I get special dialog with Barcus Wroot, the Iron hands, and the underdark" before picking Drow for the 4th time.

[mimbotomy]

I'm sorry to hear that planning has been stressful, but best wishes this Saturday!!! I'm so excited for you and your wedding and your marriage and wish you every happiness 💕.

Thank you! I am very excited too! Mostly because I get to marry the love of my life 🩷🩷🩷 but also because there are only four days left and judging from my track record this last month that means I will probably have to deal with🤞🏼only🤞🏼four more things going wrong! 🎉 And then I’ll be married to my favorite person and the stress will probably be gone! ✨

(Please send good vibes my way it’s been a very weird hectic month 😂)

[fuckitfireeverything]

so tempted to buy myself a small sewing machine but I KNOW it’s a bad idea

[marmorenshud]

should I go to ikea tomorrow, saturday, or monday

[hatters-workshop]

Burning the candle not only at both ends but also somehow a secret third end.

[mey-rin-is-fabulous]

I just finished Cobra Kai S5 like Friday with my mom and the Sam/Tory and then Devon team up was probably one of the best parts of S5

Honourable mentions to

The Johnny Robby roadtrip to get Miguel

Any Lawrusso moment

Terry getting his comeuppance by getting crane kicked to the face

Chozen

Drunken and high idiots going to beat up Terry

Every single time Daniel dropped an f bomb

The kids protecting the eggs against Chozen

Miguel Robby and Eli all agreeing Eli should fight

Moon

Demetri and Yasmin still being together

Moon

Amanda taking Daniel into Miyagi's room

Also the Daniel/Chozen/Johnny team up

Dishonorable mention

The Johnny/Carmen having a baby plot line

[littlecafe]

oliveyoung global shipped so fast omg my package came within a week of me ordering?? that’s like 5 business days??? and i ordered after lunar new year when they were off for a couple extra weekdays

damn their prices are expensive but $60 free express dhl shipping almost makes it worth it (to the USA)

but money saving tip if you ever want to order from them though is to browse the website first before signing up since they give you some coupons for signing up ($5 off $70 and $10 off $80) and if you download the app you get a free $5 worth in points, points can be used in conjunction with one coupon so you can get $15 off of $80 instead of just $10

if you’re trying to save even more then wait until they run an event where you have the chance off getting free reward points so you can stack them (actually they have one going on right now for 3 days!! they do them every now and then so don’t stress it), but to stack with events you seriously have to plan beforehand because those points expire within one day so you basically have to be ready to order within 24 hours

idk if it’s timezones or if they’re nice and give you a full 24 hours on the event points, but either way there was some overlap for me at least so you might be able to stack up to 2 days worth of reward points if you’re lucky and get points on 2 consecutive days!! or ur unfortunate and pull a coupon instead of points if so then it won’t stack due to the one coupon per order limit :--( but this was how i got like $20 off my order since they did a similar lucky draw points event for lunar new year

and another good thing is that they base the free shipping on your original cart amount, so if your points bring you under $60 you still get free shipping if you’re original amount was $60+ unlike some other websites (cough jolse cough i’m sorry i was hurt)

[cigarette-room]

i cannot explain how much you need to run when you tell someone they're being bad to you and they go like "oh you haven't met the REAL bad yet" mf ur not the joker from the movie joker i promise u 😭

[a-very-fond-farewell]

me: *tries to watch a 8min video while eating*

the video: *plays 6 whole ads during its runtime*

[alex51324]

So, the NDA signed by producers of The Apprentice just expired, and one of them has published a tell-all article. Most of the article is about how they used standard reality-TV tricks to portray Trump as being wealthy and intelligent, when in reality he was, and is, a deeply indebted buffoon.

The money shot, however, comes when Trump and the producers are preparing for climax of the final episode, when the winner will be decided.

Per the FCC's rules for game shows, producers could not be involved in deciding who would be fired each week, or who would ultimately win: it had to be Trump's decision alone, like contestants and viewers were told it was. The producers could, and did, give him a presentation about the strengths and weaknesses of the contestants each time he had to make a decision. These were recorded, in case questions ever arose about whether the producers had crossed the line.

So, for the final episode, there were two contestants remaining. Both were men, one white, the other Black. They'd both done well in the final challenge of the competition. As the producers were summarizing the points for an against each candidate, this happened:

“Yeah,” he says to no one in particular, “but, I mean, would America buy a n— winning?” Kepcher’s pale skin goes bright red. I turn my gaze toward Trump. He continues to wince. He is serious, and he is adamant about not hiring Jackson.

In the finished program, Trump chose the white contestant as the winner.

(Four years later, Trump would propagate the baseless conspiracy theory that Barack Obama was not a native-born US citizen and therefore had not legitimately won the presidency.)

The article also describes how women working on the production faced discrimination based on whether or not Trump wanted to look at them while they did their jobs:

While leering at a female camera assistant or assessing the physical attributes of a female contestant for whoever is listening, he orders a female camera operator off an elevator on which she is about to film him. “She’s too heavy,” I hear him say. Another female camera operator, who happens to have blond hair and blue eyes, draws from Trump comparisons to his own Ivanka Trump. “There’s a beautiful woman behind that camera,” he says toward a line of 10 different operators set up in the foyer of Trump Tower one day. “That’s all I want to look at.”

And there's a third anecdote where he pressures a woman producer to break the FCC rules, while being casually misogynistic toward a contestant:

Trump corners a female producer and asks her whom he should fire. She demurs, saying something about how one of the contestants blamed another for their team losing. Trump then raises his hands, cupping them to his chest: “You mean the one with the …?” He doesn’t know the contestant’s name. Trump eventually fires her.

This information is pretty unlikely to persuade anyone who wasn't already persuaded by any of the other things Trump has done and said, which would for anyone else be a career-defining scandal. But it is a useful reminder of who we're dealing with.

(Link is to Slate, an x-number-of-free-articles-a-month site, but the incognito window trick works.)