#too dangerous to go pick them up

[faaun]

procrastination is starting to have its consequences finally

[roobylavender]

i missed that class what dont you like about starlins rendition of their relationship?

(and also like, DID you think he did something in particular well or was it all…meh

the crux of my issues in this regard stems from batman #416. in the post-crisis era you began to see this way more lopsided depiction of bruce and dick's relationship wherein the former was portrayed to be almost.. bitter that dick had moved on to establish his own life. and it stood in great, great contrast to the bruce of the pre-crisis era, who was certainly devastated at the realization that dick was growing up, but also very intent for him to find his own happiness and way in life. they would have their disagreements on occasion (e.g., bruce initially disapproving of dick dropping out of college, bruce immediately taking leadership of a situation where the titans were involved when dick was better equipped to handle it, etc.) but the outcome of those situations was never outright bad yknow. bruce was very much capable of recognizing where he might have overstepped and subsequently stepped back to let dick have his own space. and i think initially max allan collins expanded on that dynamic in the post-crisis era in interesting ways by juxtaposing bruce's desire to see dick flourish against his own constant fear for dick's life. so instead of mike w. barr's comedic and lighthearted backup stories in early 80s tec where bruce disguised himself to keep an eye on dick's shenanigans and assure himself everything was going alright, you got this more serious confrontation within bruce with regards to his position as a parent. i don't think a lot of people read it that deeply but i've always viewed batman #408 as one of the most sensible depictions of that dilemma. the general complaints tend to be that this issue robbed dick of his pre-crisis decision to retire robin on his own, and i'll concede that as a worthwhile concern. but i don't think it's esp damning what with the implication that bruce no longer wants to be the person indirectly making the decision for dick to continue to be in this line of work. their moment at dick's bedside is less about bruce robbing him of the decision and more about him saying, if i let you still be robin, that's a direct reflection on me, bc i'm the one who got you to do all of this originally. i'm the one who put you directly in harm's way. if you're going to do this from now on, you need to do it on your own terms. you need to decide for yourself that this is who you want to be, without your relationship with me even being a factor.

it's a moment contributive to that delicious dynamic between them wherein every decision bruce takes to service dick's agency is inevitably read the wrong way by the latter to imply that he's not valued or not worthy of being seen as bruce's equal (and before the hounds pounce on me this obv does not include the increasingly abusive depiction of their relationship as the 90s progressed). that is an unavoidable dilemma when you're simultaneously someone's ward/adopted son and also their partner-in-crime! dick wants to be bruce's son and to be entitled to all of the love and care and protection that that entails but he also wants to be bruce's brother, his equal, his confidante, the one person he trusts more than anyone else in the world, etc. it's a tough place to be! it is paradoxical! and i'm so, so open to seeing that explored and think the way collins attempted to approach it in #408 was marvelous. but the way starlin (and other writers as well) totally swerved right in #416 to create this sudden resentment in bruce that dick had grown out of needing him was.. so utterly bizarre. like completely out of left field in a way i don't understand why people don't question it anymore bc in light of everything in the immediate fifteen years prior to the crisis it makes so little sense. their relationship with each other was so valued, bruce was so anxious to see dick establish himself while nonetheless maintaining a protectiveness over him, but it was all very much in good will even if he could overstep on occasion. it had all of the potential to allow for a very nuanced, empathetic exploration into the dilemmas of parenthood and esp when you are someone like bruce who has to forever live and contend with the crime of taking kids with him out onto the streets. bc he has to feel guilty! there is no escaping it. this is history, done and dusted forever, can't go back in time, so on and so forth. whatever harm comes any robin's way he has to live with as in some part being traceable back to his own actions. and i frankly believe that would be far more likely to evoke grief and anxiousness and concern than it would be bitterness that his son is charting out his own life

[bsotted]

I have a lukewarm take I’m walking to the microwave to see what happens pls weigh in

When will it be appropriate to suggest we have to pick a new litmus test for basic human decency because I don’t know if putting away the grocery cart you’re done with it should be it anymore..

WAIT DONT GO YET PLWASE HEAR ME OUT PLEASE I PUT AWAY MY CART I DO!!

IM JUST ASKING ONLY ASKING

Because the new grocery carts have an anti-theft feature on them to try to make it harder to steal them and at a seemingly arbitrary point in the parking lot the wheels literally lock… is it just because I live in Seattle now and the housing crisis is just that out of control here compared to other cities?

I want to know because christ alive grocery stores are starting to make it hard as fuck to keep up the universal I’m Not An Asshole baseline behavior.

Also what’s the intention? For stores that have these, are we literally supposed to just leave the cart next to the car, taking up a whole parking space after you drive off, until some underpaid 16 year old in a hi-vis vest in the rain has time to come by with a key to unlock the wheels?? Is that the new normal?

Because if it is god damn we need a new litmus test for “are you the kind of person who does the right thing even if nobody is watching, even if inconvenient, even for no recognition or reward, and also in the absence of any negative consequence” because it was so USEFUL for that and putting the cart away is dead and dying. Ol girl is bleeding out in the Kroger parking lot. Literally.

A ywy is this just something I’m confronting constantly because I live in a city with a wildly disproportionate unhoused population?

By the way please feel free to use that “other” option to cast a “Sometimes” or “none of the above” or “misc nuance” vote and expand on that in the notes I am invested in this conversation and will be circling back to read what ppl say

[pepprs]

like it’s VERY very important to not text and drive. and i understand how dangerous it is to do that and to be distracted at all in any way for any amount of time on the road. i know it’s important to learn about these stories and bear witness to them. but i just think. like idk. watching multiple of them every day for 10 days (with a two day break halfway through for the weekend) is realy… like idk. i think after seeing a couple you can get the point. i don’t want to sound dismissive or lackadaisacal and im scared im sounding like that but i just am so freaked out by all of this and witb every new horror they’re showing us it’s scaring me worse.

[yeonban]

CHRISTMAS GIFTS 2023 : Ango & Edward (+ Alphonse), @lunargifted

EndlessRoadHome (Tumblr) | SaatchiArt - The Father Painting | A Collage about True Love (Tumblr) | Bear's Den - Above The Clouds Of Pompeii

[quietwingsinthesky]

out of all the crew, romances and all, my favorite relationship is still shepard and joker, and probably always will be. the interactions with him in mass effect 3 are some of the best in the entire game.

[dootznbootz]

There's something so specifically infuriating when someone uses one of your experiences or your demographic in an argument, especially if said argument is about spreading hatred or is just so wrong. They "speak on behalf of the ___" to say such fucked shit.

"You're not thinking of the ___!"

"I literally am ___. You saying that adds nothing as you do not speak for me or for other ___. Shut up."

[cosmic-cd]

late night oc thoughts again!

[fionacle]

I still have homework to do. I’m going to throw up.

[lunapwrites]

TOTALLY unrelated aside, but the reason I never played the Sims before now is because I knew it would get its shiny little hooks into my brain. It hits WAY too many of my dopamine buttons to be healthy.

On the plus side, it's actually been helping me get over some mild writers' block I was running into? So that's nice. Nothing like effectively writing a visual crackfic to warm up the old brain wheel.

[catmaidetho]

etho's work ethic genuinely improves my life as a creative so much. like i feel much less awful about the number of projects i start and dont pick up for months. like i go with the flow! i work on what i feel inspired for! these fics arent scrapped, they're works in progress. they're on the backburner. maybe i'll come back to them, maybe i wont! who's to say!!

[transgaysex]

theres a post i see going around every once in a while abt how we should make trains more common (which i do agree with) but one of the arguments bugs me so much i just dont reblog it

[bitegore]

i had the wildest fucking dream last night. Tfw your friend group goes to a maze, it's really boring, decides to have an orgy instead, and then after tries to leave the maze but the maze is now really mad and wants to kill you so the rest of it is like a slasher horror where the "slasher" is a building that can only move in certain ways moving at the right time to kill you super gorily and super dead

[emmaswanned]

Playing Control and I’ve already picked up the Hotline which is actually much further than I got last time I tried playing it several years ago. Last time I quit while trying to get through the cafeteria on my way to the Hotline, I think (?) bc i thought it was too hard. Well I guess I’ve improved as a gamer bc now I almost wish it was harder.

[foone]

I love snake handling, as a religious practice.

Because while they can point at some Bible verses to justify it (a couple gospels use "snakes can't hurt you" as a metaphor for strength of belief, and they took it very litteraly) it's basically a modern invention. Like, the American Christian practice of snake handling is barely over a hundred years old! That's very young for a Christian practice.

It's younger than Mormons and Christian Scientist, and it's mostly limited to my area: the Appalachians.

It's basically just a regular Pentecostal service (which often involves laying of hands for healing, and my favorite Christian tradition, glossolalia!) except they add The Snake.

Like, you're at church, and there's the pews, and people are going up and Feeling The Spirit, and some of them are Picking Up The Snake.

That's alright, it's a harmless snake, right?

NOPE! They use venomous snakes. Usually American ones (your rattlesnakes and copperheads) but sometimes they import cobras and the like.

The venomous nature is the point. They believe that if they're blessed by God, they'll be able to handle the dangerous snakes without being hurt.

And given that this is a relatively rarely practiced thing, and it's connected to faith healing, you might think it's just a con. There's some traveling "holy man" with a well-trained snake that he can "miraculously" handle without being attacked, right?

Oh god no. It's a bunch of different guys and they get bitten all the time. Wikipedia has a list of 15 of 'em who died because of it, and that's just the "notable" ones.

People are allowed to just come up and touch the venomous snake! No training or safety equipment needed, just Jesus. Reportedly people who get bitten are not considered to be lacking in faith, just "it was their time to go". Like, they don't even call the hospital about anti-venom. You just die.

(Did I mention sometimes they drink poison too? Mainly strychnine, possibly because it's survivable in small doses. Same reason: their faith will protect them)

Anyway I really do love it. It's such an unusual thing to jam into Christianity, that I can't help but be mesmerized by it.

But it makes up the majority of 20th and 21st century American deaths from snakes. Most people avoid snakes so even the most deadly venomous snakes in America usually only ever kill by surprise, like someone reaches into a gopher hole and gets bit, or they accidentally bother one trying to piss in a bush. And even then, we've got anti-venoms! Lots of people bitten make it to the hospital and get treated.

So naturally the main group that ends up dying from snakes is the ones who are constantly handling deadly snakes and then refuse medical care.

[hurtcomfortficstilltheend]

Did I just spend half an hour in an internet dive to find out if a character would be able ot pick another caracter up from the bedroom to the bathroom in a state of feverish unconsciousness (and how much exercise would be implied they do on a regular basis to get to do that)?

...no?

Also, she wont be picking him up, I'm afraid, it will be more of a push on the back so he walks kind of situation.