#you learn and you grow i guess

[critter-wizard]

you are all I have, you are the eyes that see, the air that breathes, how can I worship anything else?

[measuringbliss]

People are acting so weird and possessive of Markiplier for the whole OnlyFans situation. He's an adult. He's an adult who's been a celebrity for years. He knows people thirst on him. That's why he had this idea in the first place. He's not some naive kid you must protect. He's not some innocent soul that the evil sluts of Tumblr and Twitter will corrupt. He knows the Internet, he knows his fans and he knows his job.

He's an adult and he can make his own choices.

[casscainmainly]

I know people love saying 'Bruce is a girldad' and I totally get it, we want to show how much he loves Cass and that she's his daughter. But Bruce's initial love for Cass was largely predicated on how not girly she was. He openly dislikes her girlhood throughout Batgirl 2000 (including but not limited to: dismissing her civilian identity, berating her for any romantic attempts, weakening her friendship with Stephanie, undermining her relationship to Babs, etc. etc.). Cass' femininity interferes with his ability to project onto her, so a lot of the time he just dismisses it. Is it really a coincidence that Bruce's only adopted daughter is one who wasn't raised as a girl?

[mxtxfanatic]

I would also like the mdzs fandom to stop inventing turmoil between Jiang Fengmian and Jiang Yanli just because Jiang Fengmian had a strained relationship with Jiang Cheng. There’s nothing to say that the father-daughter duo had issues, that Jiang Fengmian was neglectful (to either of them, tbh), or that he was indifferent to his daughter's presence. You feeling like Jiang Yanli is disappeared into the background of her family life because she, like her father, doesn't have a lot of scenes is not supported by the canon. While we don’t get a lot of interactions between them (because there is literally no plot or conflict to highlight), what we do get is Jiang Fengmian sticking up for his daughter and terminating a marriage contract that his abusive wife set up, something even Jin Guangshan was afraid to do:

[Jiang Fengmian] told Jin Guangshan, “The engagement was originally made at the insistence of Ah-Li’s mother. I never agreed with it. Given what happened today, it seems both sides aren’t very fond of each other, so it’s best not to force the issue.” Startled, Jin Guangshan hesitated a bit. Regardless of the situation, ending an engagement with a member of another Great Clan was never a good thing. “What do children understand? Let them fight. Fengmian-xiong, we need not take notice.” “Jin-xiong, though we can help them arrange a marriage, we can’t live the marriage for them. In the end, they are the ones who will spend their lives together.” This marriage business wasn’t Jin Guangshan’s idea in the first place either. From the perspective of consolidating power through a marriage alliance, the Yunmeng Jiang Clan would not be his first choice, nor was it the best choice. The engagement had happened only because he was perpetually afraid of opposing his wife. But in any case, since the Jiang Clan had brought it up of their own accord, and Jin Clan was on the male side of the arrangement and thus had fewer things to be concerned about, it was not necessary to remain entangled. Besides, he knew Jin Zixuan wasn’t happy with having Jiang Yanli as his fiancée. After giving it serious consideration, Jin Guangshan found his backbone and he agreed.

—Chapt. 18: Elegance VIII, fanyiyi

We get him hand-making kites with her to decorate for Wei Wuxian, Jiang Cheng, and the rest of the disciples to play with:

Back when Wei Wuxian lived at Lotus Pier, he had played the kite shooting game with the disciples of the Jiang Clan and had placed first many times. ... Jiang Fengmian had constructed the frame himself and Jiang Yanli had drawn the design. Thus, whenever Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng had taken their kites out to compete, they had felt a kind of pride.

—Chapt. 32: Morning Dew V, fanyiyi

We get them having family dinners often enough that Wei Wuxian seems worried that he would miss one right before the Wen show up to Lotus Pier:

Wei WuXian asked, “Uncle Jiang went out so early in the morning —why hasn’t he come back yet? Would he make it in time for dinner?”

—Chapt. 57: Poisons, exr

We get him having no qualms with Jiang Yanli's hobbies such as cooking, even seems eager to partake in her creations—if we assume he hasn't before:

With a smile, Jiang YanLi wiped Wei WuXian’s mouth and chin, and walked happily out with the bowl in her hands. Jiang FengMian sat down where she had been sitting. Glancing at the porcelain jar, he seemed as if he wanted to taste it as well, but the bowl had already been taken away by Jiang YanLi.

—Chapt. 56: Poisons, exr

The reason why Jiang Cheng thinks his father hates him is because he takes any whiff of disapproval from his father to mean hatred, a trait he picked up from and that is nourished by his mother's own insistence that Jiang Fengmian "must" hate her son for being like her:

The founder of the YunmengJiang Sect, Jiang Chi, was born a rogue cultivator. The ways of the sect were honest and unrestrained. Madam Yu’s manners were the exact opposite. And, both Jiang Cheng’s looks and personality took after his mother. He hadn’t ever been to Jiang FengMian’s liking. Since birth, he taught him in many ways, yet he still couldn’t change, which was why Jiang FengMian had always seemed as though he didn’t favor him too much.

—Chapt. 56: Poisons, exr

The founding father of the Jiang Clan of Yunmeng, Jiang Chi, came from a knight-errant background. The family was exuberant, honest, magnanimous, and carefree in its ways —all of which were in complete opposition to Madam Yu’s spirit. Jiang Cheng took after his mother in looks and personality, which had never been to Jiang Fengmian’s liking. He had tried to educate Jiang Cheng in a myriad of ways, but it had all been for naught. This was why it always appeared as though he didn’t favor his son.

—Volume 3, Chapt. 12: Sandu: The Three Poisons, 7seas

Notice how it doesn't say that Jiang Cheng, himself, was never to Jiang Fengmian's liking, but that Madam Yu and her personality type that Jiang Cheng inherited was never to his liking, and it only "seemed/appeared" that Jiang Fengmian did not favor his son because he spent a lot of time trying to correct Jiang Cheng's bad habits, something Jiang Cheng resented. Notice how it also does not say that Jiang Fengmian avoided or ignored his son. In fact, we are told that he tried different ways to teach Jiang Cheng, a futile action we see him still committed to even up to the fall of Lotus Pier. Jiang Fengmian never gave up on his son. Jiang Cheng gave up on himself as Jiang Fengmian's son. None of that has to do with how the Jiang Fengmian and Jiang Yanli interacted in life nor how Jiang Yanli felt about her parents in death, still visiting their tablets regularly to clean and talk to them:

Jiang YanLi was kneeling in the ancestral hall. She cleaned her parents’ memorial tablets as she whispered. Wei WuXian poked his head inside, “Shijie? Talking to Uncle Jiang and Madam Yu again?”

—Chapt. 71: Departure, exr

To say that Jiang Fengmian is a terrible father simply because Jiang Cheng is more comfortable believing his mother’s lies than understanding that unconditional love does not mean unconditional tolerance for poor behavior does Jiang Fengmian’s character a disservice. To say that Jiang Fengmian is a terrible father to Jiang Yanli based on Madam Yu and Jiang Cheng’s own fantasies of victimhood is just an extra unnecessary lie to give credence to an idea that the story proves untrue. At worst, Jiang Fengmian was a man reserved in physical displays of affection that could have stood to hug his son more if that was what Jiang Cheng truly wanted. But if we are being truthful, Jiang Fengmian's just a regular fucking guy juggling raising kids and leading a clan with deterring his abusive wife from turning his home into a battlefield any time she deigns to show her face. Whatever issue you think Jiang Yanli and Jiang Cheng should have with their upbringing, the locus of the problem is named Yu Ziyuan, not Jiang Fengmian.

[codename-adler]

Sumo passes away half a decade after the Android Revolution.

it’s the greatest grief Connor has ever known. it’s only the second for Hank, because Cole, but Connor’s pain hits him hard. he’s barely into his fifties when they bury Sumo, but Hank’s been thinking about it for a long while. how he’s got less time than Connor. so much less.

Connor has outright admitted, in the past, that his deviancy was brought on by Hank. that if not for Hank, he would not have broken through. it scares Hank, how much meaning he has given to Connor’s life, without even trying. it scares Hank, how deep and dark the android’s grief is. he can’t help but think back to what Kara told Connor a long time ago, before he’d released her and Alice; that there was nothing worth going on for in a world without Alice, and that she would simply cease to exist should she lose the girl.

Hank won’t have that for Connor. as much as he tries to rationalize that he can’t possibly be Connor’s whole world, he’s not an idiot. there’s a reason Connor’s never brought up his fear of losing Hank: that’s because the day Hank passes, there won’t be a next one for Connor either. Hank knows Connor. Connor knows that Hank knows. it’s so simple, really, in Connor’s mind. it’s logical.

it’s stupid, is what it is, in Hank’s opinion. but he gets it. if it hadn’t been for Sumo, after Cole, Hank wouldn’t even be there. and how many times, even, had he come close to ending it all despite his good boy? Hank gets it. he really does. he just won’t have it.

so he gets another dog. a pup, tiny little thing, barely a month old. she was from a litter picked up by another squad of the DPD, after closing down an illegal puppy mill near the city limits. Hank thought it was almost too soon, a year after Sumo, but he also felt a sense of urgency, as if it were already too late.

he brings the little thing back to his desk, hidden in his coat, the baby shivering. he sits down and kept the pup there until Connor comes back to his own desk, back from one of his solo cases. he was just that good, now. flying on his own, respected by all. still he preferred to have Hank by his side. partners through and through.

Connor clocks Hank’s strange posture immediately, as well as an odd heat signature on his chest. alarm bells ring in his head for a millisecond before Hank opens up his coat and motions for Connor to come closer. there it is, the little thing, little dog, small and warm, burrowed into Hank’s chest. it brings Connor to his knees. the sight of it all… the pride in Hank’s eyes, the joy in his smile, his face regaining some youth and losing lines, just because of the small creature, just because he was doing it all for Connor.

Connor rests his forehead on Hank’s knee, trying to hide his tears of both grief and happiness. Hank transfers the little dog into one hand only and uses the other one to card through Connor’s hair. Connor is too curious and overjoyed to hide too long; he lifts his head to look closer at the puppy, in awe. he delicately holds out a finger and brushes it between the baby’s eyes. he loves her instantly. when he looks up at Hank and nods, eyes still watery, Hank holds out the dog to him, insistent, until the little thing lays in Connor’s arms, snug as a bug, for the rest of the work day, then in their car as well, and into their home.

there would only ever be one Hank Anderson, Connor’s Hank; there will never be another Sumo; and this little thing there, she’ll be the only of her kind. but there will always be dogs for Connor to take care of; always another one to move forward for, another one to save, to raise, to love. and technology’s progressed so much more still, no one knows the limits of human and android lives anymore. it’s hard to count the time.

it’s not hard to be in the now, when you’ve got a dog full of life eating at your socks and sofa. and Connor really does like dogs.

[skunkes]

[monstersinthecosmos]

the most rancid drama starters in fandoms are always like "gee i wish this fandom was nicer, why do we have to fight all the time :("

[rhymesswith]

Out of curiosity;

[psychiatricwarfare]

i wish i could know everything. like, sure, it might break my brain but im just so curious about everything and how everything works down to mircoscopic and macroscopic levels. i want to know the history of every culture, every historical figure, every poet, everyone whos ever made a footprint in the sand. i want to understand the combination of chemicals and electric pulses throughout a brain that make up what a consciousness is and what it means to be a self aware animal. i want to dive into a black hole and come back unscathed. i want to die and come back. i want to feel everything and learn everything there is to possibly know. i want to understand the secrets of the universe and i will never have enough time. i will never be able to know absolutely everything and it kills me. i just want to understand

[musafirr-x]

Many things inside, but nothing to say.

[blujayonthewing]

if a human asks a gnome when gnomes reach adulthood, they'll probably pin it somewhere between 20 and 40, depending on how they're interpreting the question; if an elf asks, they'll say "oh, we don't"

[uncanny-tranny]

The response to transphobia is not to perpetuate other forms of bigotry. It is never okay to be racist, Islamophobic, Antisemetic, fatphobic, sexist or intersexist, any combination of the above or with any other form of bigotry when somebody is transphobic.

Combating transphobia can look like admonishing transphobic arguments made by somebody, but it is never a pass to be bigoted yourself. It is just as bad to be racist as it is to be bigoted against any other group.

Trans liberation will never be achieved through stomping on other groups. It is understandable to be angry about transphobia. It is not understandable to use that anger as a justification to be bigoted. You will find trans people in those same groups - you will find Black trans people, trans Muslims, trans Jews, intersex trans people, fat trans people, literally any type of trans person because we don't have a universal "look".

[freakadr0id]

Hey minor spoilers for LMK Season 4 here. You’ve been warned.

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This screenshot has lived rent free in my head for the past 13-ish hours, so I did the only thing I could and sketched it. I cannot get over these two.

I’m not super happy with this, but my hand is horribly shakey today so I don’t feel like working on it more right now. I’ve been pushing myself to draw more by posting the crappy drawings I do (no matter how bad) and forcing everyone to suffer with me. I’ve been pretty good about it on Twitter so I guess I can do it here as well.

[zukkaoru]

fic research is like [six tabs of information about chess] [two tabs of information about anemia] [search history: starbucks prices in japan, yen to usd converter, tamagawa aqueduct]

[ducktracy]

thoughts on the online cartoon reviewer community? (e.g: mr. enter, ls mark)

boring answer, but i don't really have any thoughts because i don't engage with it! i'm much more of an interview/book/article/MAYBE podcast person than a YouTuber or video essayist fan... i will say though that i have seen many interesting and, shall we say, colorful opinions and assumptions about The Sponge Show and the people who work on it in the cartoon reviewing community. i deliberately try to keep my distance for that reason. but i haven't really watched any of them (outside of i.. did Mr. Enter do Animated Atrocities? because i do recall watching those as a t(w)een and just not really thinking much of them other than "someone talking about SpongeBob!! i like SpongeBob". this was also like 11-12 years ago)

more power to fans of cartoon reviewers and cartoon reviewers though! cartoon analysis is a lot of fun and i hope at the very least it's inspired folks to be able to view their own favorite cartoons with a new intimacy and enjoy the bonuses of that. the discourse and Internet-ness of it all is not for me though

[frenchibi]

microdosing on exposure therapy by not only tolerating the small spider that lives on my bathroom window sill and letting it stay, but actually looking at it when it comes out of the corner even though it makes me uncomfortable. desperately trying to conquer my disgust of insects and specifically arachnids and being so brave about it