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utilitycaster · 2 days

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Re: villain stans, I really do think you're conflating two groups of people and I feel the need to point it out because the art of haterism deserves pinpoint precision. The thing is that I would consider myself, broadly speaking, a villain stan and I also can't stand the people you're complaining about in that post because I think they've missed the point entirely. They've ruined the entire villain-loving ecosystem. I can't even facetiously say "they've never done anything wrong, ever, in their entire life" about characters that may as well be called Murders McWarCrimes, and whose death or comeuppance I am eagerly awaiting alongside everyone else in the fandom, because some of these idiots actually mean it when they say things like that -- and usually about some of the blandest, most disappointing villains I've seen in a long time. It's like passionately defending the storytelling equivalent of a slightly offensive shade of beige.

Look, some of us see the "time to boo and hiss" signs the narrative is putting up, but I'm not looking to experience every story like it's a children's pantomime. Maybe sometimes I want a wrestling match instead. I know the heel is going to lose. That's their job. It's what they're for. But if imagining that they might win is outside the realm of possibility... well, it's probably not a very good story. The stakes are not compelling. There's a reason that I would describe, say, c1 Briarwoods as delicious and c3 Delilah as overstaying her welcome. A good antagonist is a vital part of the story ecosystem and I enjoy seeing that role played well.

But I don't get to relish in characters being terrible people who do terrible things anymore, because now villain fandom is always overrun by people who read one Wikipedia article on moral relativism and want to have debates about what if Murder McWarCrimes is good actually? No! No, they are not! And if they were, that would be stupid and boring!

And so I reach across the metaphorical aisle to you that we may share in one of the hater's greatest delights: the knowledge that no one likes those idiots, and everyone wishes they would just shut up, even the people they think are on their side.

Hey anon,

I will admit usually when I get a long ask telling me I am conflating things I roll my eyes and wait for someone to say "i am feeling uncomfortable when we are not about me" but, the truth is, I very much was, and you are correct to the point that I think we are fully in agreement.

To be clear: I am pro people enjoying themselves in, as you say, the wrestling fan enjoying the heel way! I agree - a good story needs a villain who feels like a genuine threat. I can appreciate a villain for what they are and enjoy them very much as a character! I am personally unlikely in most cases to root for them but people who look at the story, analyze it, and say "this will be a fun guy to care about, even though I know the victory's probably going to the heroes, and I will be normal and not terribly resentful" are entirely valid and my post is not about them (except to say carry on as you were). It sounds like you're in this latter category and so: carry on as you were, you guys are great.

But I am definitely conflating two flavors of annoying villain stan:

the first is, as you very eloquently put it, the Person Who Read One Wikipedia Article About Moral Relativism and ooooooh what if Mr. Murder McWarcrimes was sufficiently sad about bad things in his life such that the murder and war crimes are correct actually.

The second is the person who does understand that they are looking at a villain who is a bad person but seems actively confused that like, a largely hopeful or heroic narrative will probably not end with Mr. Murder McWarcrimes stabbing everyone to death and then evil laughing against a red lightning-filled sky and seems mad that people are like "actually I like Kit the Heroic Hero". Actual Play D&D is not a place where you'll find these people because a TPK is technically possible regardless of the existing themes! But like...for example, I have to imagine theatergoers in 1983 who weren't idiots did not walk into Return of the Jedi like "oh man I think Darth Vader's gonna win the whole thing and he'll blow up everyone and institute more Space Fascism over the nuked out husk of Endor." Like, as you say, the villain needs to have some bite to be worth my time, but deep in my heart, there are stories where I know that victory is assured by the nature of the plot and it's much more about how it will be assured and what sacrifices will be made, and so it's weird when someone seems to be existing in a denial that that's the story and is like NO Mr. Murder McWarCrimes is NOT going to get a comeuppance and everyone is going to DIE at his hand.

#answered #Anonymous #anyway ty anon #i did have to kill one of my darlings (dunking again on otohan's lack of personality) in my response here but. needs must

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ghostofhyuck · 2 months

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NCT Dream when your boyfriend is not your bias.

Mark Lee

Mark would be surprised that Jeno was your bias. He'll be quiet and then ponders it for a moment. Then he'll start babbling about how Jeno's a great captain, talented rapper, and is insanely handsome. You laughed at him but shuts him off with a kiss, telling him that it's just you know how Jeno's fond of cats that's why he's your bias, but your boyfriend proceeds to tell you, "but our fans call me a tiger, aren't they big cats????"

Huang Renjun

Renjun would be half-jealous and half-delighted that Jisung is your bias. That's Jisung! Renjun has a soft spot for the maknae and it's valid that he's the one who caught your attention. But you assured that Jisung used to be your bias before you two started dating. "Of course, you're my bias now since you're my boyfriend." you told Renjun. "Okay but hypothetically, if we're not together, is Jisung still your bias?" you remained quiet while Renjun keeps on bugging you to answer his question.

Lee Jeno

Jeno doesn't know what to react when you told him that Jaemin's your bias. "I mean, I get it, but..." then he thinks about Jaemin's traits that he doesn't have. Jeno thinks that he and Jaemin are quite similar but, he couldn't put into words what you saw in Jaemin. "Babe, it's just a bias, I didn't say yes to you if I don't love you, you know that?" you told him. Jeno is convinced, but then later, you'll see him again thinking on WHY Jaemin is your bias.

Lee Donghyuck

Haechan will be quiet for a while. "Okay, Chenle's your bias...why?" you don't know if your boyfriend's question was a trap hole but you answered him, telling him that Chenle's cute and funny and before you could continue, Haechan immediately reacted, "I am cute and funny too! See!" then proceeds to act cute in front of you. You walked away to tease him, but Haechan followed you, complaining about having Chenle as your bias is cheating.

Na Jaemin

"Oh Renjunnie's your bias," Jaemin said nonchalantly. You only nod, knowing that your boyfriend might be disappoint with your answer. "But you're mine right?" he asked, and it's silly but you assured him that Renjun's your bias because you love his vocals and drawing skills. Jaemin became quiet again, "okay. Then I'll do my best to make me your bias!" he challenged.

Zhong Chenle

Chenle first hunch was that Haechan was your bias when he finds you watching his live one time. So when you did confirmed that Haechan was your bias, he asked why and you said you love his vocal tone. "But what about me??? don't you love my voice too???" Chenle complains to you, and instead of teasing him, you assured him that you love him! and he's your boyfriend! It's not like Haechan will steal you or something.

Park Jisung

Jisung was curious about your bias and when you nonchalantly replied that it's Mark, boy he was frozen. "Is it because he's older and more mature? because he's a great rapper? why? why????" he frantically asked, you laughed at how he's panicking but you told him that because you feel like your personality is much close to Mark's personality and Jisung doesn't have to worry because it's just a platonic admiration.

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traumasurvivors · 2 months

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I wrote a blog post about how harmful it can be to have your emotions invalidated growing up. It's here if you want to check it out! I'll paste the text below the read more for people who don't like links, but if you're comfortable, I really appreciate getting hits on my site! It feels really validating after all the work I've put into it. I've opted to not have any ads or anything to monetize my site, so it isn't like those annoying clickbait articles.

The effects of having our emotions invalidated while we’re growing up isn’t talked about enough and it can have lasting effects. This can happen when people say things like “you don’t know real struggles” when a younger person is upset about something they’re struggling with. This might include being told “I’ll give you something to cry about” which implied that the reason you were crying then “wasn’t a big enough reason”. Other people may have had to deal with “worse” problems and so we were told to be thankful for what we had because of what other children experienced. Your feelings of sadness, frustration, disappointment or anger were still real and valid. And you were allowed those feelings.

You may have been told to “stop being so sensitive,” which taught that you weren’t tough enough. You may have also been told “it builds character” which may have made you feel that you had to find a positive lesson in every bad thing you experienced. This can also be part of how people invalidate the seriousness of abuse, and other things that happened to you that were someone else’s fault. If someone doesn’t want to take responsibility, they may minimize what happened to you. They may say it’s okay because “they didn’t mean to do it” or “they don’t know any better,” perhaps because of abuse they went through. Your feelings may be invalidated because someone wants you to “let it go.” How serious they feel it was, or the reasons it happened, are not reasons that your feelings should be ignored or disregarded. Your feelings are valid. You should never have to “let it go.”

These things that we were told, and many more, taught us that our emotions were bad and wrong. It likely felt invalidating. It may have been damaging And it probably affects how we see the emotions of others. I’ve had people say similar things to me now that I’m an adult, and I think it’s likely they do it because they were told things like these when they were younger, too. Over time, this has led to me invalidating my own feelings. I’ve told myself I should be strong and to avoid such feelings, or that the reasons for them weren’t “big enough”. I told myself that others had it worse than me, therefore I wasn’t allowed to be upset. None of these things helped me. Instead, they actually made me worse off. I bottled stuff up and then began using unhealthy coping methods to deal with the emotions. Having our emotions invalidated as we grow up can be traumatizing in its own way. It also doesn’t teach us how to effectively deal with and process our negative emotions. This can lead to people having fits of uncontrollable rage, spirals of depression and guilt, substance abuse to avoid feelings, and any number of other unhealthy reactions that can cause us more harm and prolong everything or make it worse.

Being unable to cope with my feelings was a big part of me not being able to cope with conflict in my relationships. Downplaying any “bad” thing that happened and ignoring it meant, for instance, I wouldn’t point out and deal with a small (sometimes completely unintentional) mistake. Instead, I let my feelings build without communicating about them and let my resentment build. By the time I acknowledged and spoke about my feelings, the problem was a thousand times worse than it would have been if I had dealt with it quickly. And sometimes it was too late to fix the damage done.

It’s not too late to learn and do better. You don’t have to be thankful it wasn’t “worse”. You don’t have to find a silver lining. While it’s important not to get stuck in our feelings long-term, sitting with them and feeling them and acknowledging you aren’t okay is okay! It’s okay to think something sucks or that it wasn’t fair. It’s okay to feel frustrated or sad over “small” things. Sometimes we don’t even understand why a situation or something has left us having such big feelings, and that’s okay, too! Your feelings are real and valid, even if they don’t make sense to you. And you deserve patience and compassion. Especially from yourself.

When you have negative feelings, if you find yourself minimizing them, or telling yourself why you don’t have a right to feel them, stop and try to be aware of what you’re doing. And allow yourself to feel it if you can. I've often had to remind myself that while it is uncomfortable, I can be uncomfortable and sit with my feelings. Think about if there’s a healthy response you can have to those feelings. For instance, if someone said something hurtful to you, talking to them about it might be a lot more productive than acting like you don’t care. Your feelings are valid. And invalidating them yourself is unlikely to be good for you.

Try to remember that, and try to be kind to yourself.

#my blog posts #emotions #validation #trauma

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sp1rit-realm · 9 months

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༻¨*:· 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐋𝐈𝐅𝐓 ·:*¨༺

༻¨*:· summary ·:*¨༺ you hate remus lupin, and he hates you. what happens when you get stuck in a lift together?

༻¨*:· notes ·:*¨༺ 𖦹 hour five!!!!! 𖦹 enemies to ?? 𖦹 forced proximity 𖦹 fem!reader 𖦹 remus has chronic pain 𖦹 i did not proofread this bc i'm lazy ⎝(ˊᗜˋ)⎠ 𖦹 ik this is short but next ch will be out very very soon. i am trying to keep you fed, my children, but life is hard and i am busy! 𖦹 again, thank you so, so much for the love on this series!!!!

༻¨*:· word count ·:*¨༺ 𖦹 465

prologue / hour 5 << pt. 6 -- hour 5 >> six months ago

"Shit— That's not—" He struggles out.

༻¨*:· 𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝟓 ·:*¨༺

"No, I get it, Remus. I'm just a human disappointment, aren't I?"

"Y/n," he sighs, "That's—that's not what I meant."

"So what did you mean, Remus?"

"I—" His mouth stays open, but nothing comes from it.

"That's what I thought."

"Y/n," He scrambles frantically, "I didn't— I wasn't thinking straight. Please, listen—"

"Why would you even care? It's not like you enjoy me or anything. You hate me, Remus," Tears coat your eyes, and you're praying to whoever—whatever will listen that they won't fall. They don't listen, "You hate me, and I hate you." You huff, angrily wiping at your tears.

"I," He shakes his head, "I don't hate you."

It's like an invisible fist wraps itself around your lungs and squeezes. You can't breathe. The walls start closing in on you, "Yes, you do." You insist.

He winces, glancing down at the floor, before shaking his head, "No. No, I don't."

He looks up at you, voice dropping to a whisper, almost painfully quiet, "I've never hated you."

You stand up, "You're lying, Remus. Don't lie to me."

He stands, too, "I— I'm not lying. How do I make you believe that?"

"How?" You ask, "Try not being a dick to me!"

His gaze remains fixed on the ground, "I'll— okay. I'll be nice," He decides.

"Actually," You huff, "Don't bother."

He sighs, rubbing his face, "You are being so difficult! Do you want me to be nice or not?"

You want to scream, "I want you to tell me the truth! Do you hate me or not?!"

Remus groans, sliding back down the wall, "You are impossible," He sounds defeated—he looks the part, too.

"So what if I am?" You're being difficult on purpose by now, but you have every right to. He's the one who screwed things up between the two of you. Things could have been perfect, but they aren't. You are stuck in a godforsaken lift with Remus Lupin, and he doesn't hate you.

'I don't hate you.'

The words taunt you—they replay in your mind over and over.

Remus Lupin doesn't hate you.

"Hey," The voice from earlier crackles through the speaker, "Maintenance is," he takes a deep breath, "Maintenance is gonna be another hour or so. Sorry 'bout that. Hang in there!" And with that, he's gone.

The tension is so thick you swear you can feel it weighing you down.

You're both silent for about ten minutes.

"I don't hate you. I— I wish I had a valid excuse for the way I've treated you, but I don't." Remus looks at his palms like there's blood on his hands—and there very well might be.

Your voice is small, "So what's your reason?" You lift your head to look at him, but he's still staring at his hands.

HEHEHEHEHEHEHE

lmk if u wanna b tagged!

@queerpumpkinnn @ay0nha @knaveism @whennyxfallsinlove @freezing-my-brain @starlit-epiphany @inkluvs @t3rritorial-piss1ngs @starsval @little-snow @bubybubsters @zvdvdlvr @venzami-burst @rosalyn-s @ttulipwritezz @fate-posts @sparky--bunny @severegiantjudgefriend @secretdazeobservation @violetteshoneybee @bubybubsters @lina844 @d3adp00ls @daisydark @joeytribbiani18 @thesecretwriter @peachielol @avatarjuno @helloitsmeeeeeee @flores-and-sunshine @mi-reille @kayden666 @sleepybookworm21 @m0rtifiedg0th @jollyjenoo @remuslupinsbae @siriusblackenthusiast @psychobitchsthings @lonaah @djlance-rock @starchaser-lily @odettebarton @mannaornot

#༻¨*:· 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐋𝐈𝐅𝐓 ·:*¨༺#remus lupin #remus lupin fanfic #remus lupin fanfiction #remus lupin fic #remus lupin x reader #remus lupin x you #remus lupin x y/n #remus lupin x reader angst #remus lupin angst #remus lupin imagine #remus lupin headcanon #remus lupin x reader enemies to lovers #remus lupin enemies to lovers #remus lupin forced proximity #remus lupin x reader forced proximity #moony #moony x reader

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oneatlatime · 1 month

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Sokka's Master

pleasebegoodpleasebegoodpleasebegoodpleasebegoodpleasebegood

Strange choice of master but we'll see where this goes.

The meteor shower animation is quite meditative. I wouldn't mind it as a screensaver.

How to describe something exceptional to your blind friend: "You've never not seen anything like this." It's amazing the quality put into even the tiniest of throwaway jokes.

Are meteor strikes flammable?

I love how whenever Sokka's disappointed he gets noodle arms. A surprisingly consistent characterisation.

Momo butt skate.

Iroh. The fuck?

ok. So he's playing a part for the guards. Why?

Pretty.

Funny to think about, but as a former WWE character, Toph's probably had more hero worship than the Avatar.

Lots to say about this! First, I stand corrected! i honestly thought that Sokka would be immune to this specific insecurity by virtue of him not being a bender. I was wrong! Second, I love how, as soon as Sokka expresses that he feels that he isn't as talented as the rest of them, the others respond by listing his actual, invaluable talents, without which the group would be completely at sea. They don't respond with "no you're perfect!" they respond with "no one can read a map like you can" and how he keeps their spirits up with jokes. They're not using false praise. They are using specific facts. I love that an episode that looks like it's going to deal with a character feeling down on themselves establishes from the get go that the character is invaluable, actually. So often, the 'low self esteem stock episode' puts the affirmation of the character's value at the end. Which means the viewer spends the whole episode being convinced that the character in question might actually be useless. Here, we're told from the start that the character is invaluable - the problem is that they do not perceive themselves to be so. Quite on the nose for a show that deals so much with identity.

OMIGOD IT GETS BETTER!!!!!!!!!!

Validating Katara sweeps in and a) validates his feelings, while b) clearly explaining that his self-perception is not in line with how the others see him, which c) doesn't invalidate a) !!!!

Katara has such emotional intelligence when she chooses to use it.

Nuanced intelligent discussion of the complexities of emotions and self-perception in a Sokka episode I am so happy I am blessed the gods are shining on me today I'm sitting here twirling my hair and swinging my feet and doodling hearts on the corner of my journal

SHOPPING!!!!!

btw that's the same face he makes when he says SUKI!!!

"Reinvigorate my battling" this boy. just. this boy.

He lasted a lot longer than I would have with nun chucks.

Aang the Happy Meal toy.

Some say that Halberd is still spinning today.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I present: the 45 degree Sokka.

Some Foley artist had the time of their life with this weapons sequence.

Why thank you for that exposition, Mr. Exposition. Now walk away and we'll never see you again.

Toph does NOT move ONCE this whole scene and it's ever so slightly freaking me out.

Toph tells you she learned from Badgermoles and no one wants to discuss this further?!? We're going to gloss over that?

So this episode has a training montage theme.

Sokka goes freestyle on those door knockers.

That's one hell of a castle. Must be dark in there though. Tiny windows.

Which explains the several hundred candles. This show. Set up with one hand; slam dunk with the other.

This guy's reciting Sokka's s1 introduction on Kyoshi Island.

Sokka: Actually. I am a dumb. The Master: Sold.

The face of someone who is definitely picking up what you're putting down.

It's been ages since I watched the episode, but is some of what the Master saying here about swords an echo of what Zuko says to the kid in Zuko Alone when he's decapitating sunflowers?

A Sokka-less Gaang. Depressing and they know it.

The way Katara's voice actor says "oh everyone's a critic" is gold.

Multidisciplinary education vs. kid who's never been within a mile of the box he's being told to think outside of. Fight!

Yikes that was a meaty hit. Does Sokka have a nose left?

They're wearing beehives on their heads.

Was Sokka always this short?

The greens in this episode are such a delight.

The way he says "I'm finished!" Sounds like "Am finished" and you can actually hear the smiley emoji he throws in.

He's good.

What do they FEED him?

Sokka's voice actor had a great time this episode. All the voice actors had a great time actually.

Sokka invents the La Z Boy

Katara inadvertently invents a fandom war by attempting a joke.

They're all so useless and it's wonderful.

That was all only one day? That's a lot of outfit changes for one day.

"You mess things up in a very special way." Compliment? Let's go with compliment.

Sokka is so very Sokka this episode.

A reason to live is coming!

*thundering herds of shippers in the distance*

That's clever. The inciting incident gets smelted. Haven't seen that before.

This whole Iroh gets buff montage has been completely dialogue free on Iroh's part. Crazy levels of inner peace, that he'd doesn't need to snark back at the guard.

Seriously. What are they FEEDING these children. Also how is that door that shiny.

Sokka really has it in for those door knockers.

Apropos of nothing, the clouds in this episode are all so yummy. All these soft slate colours and misty layers.

Meteoric iron is actually a thing, right?

Ok but aren't mold made swords crappy?

HI YUE

I love how they managed to made a crafting montage where the character who does the least work is the one who looks like he's working the hardest.

"I saw a heart as strong as my garden decor"

"No it certainly wasn't your skills. You had none."

Creativity, versatility, intelligence, meat, sarcasm.

You've known him like two days and you can already tell he's more worthy than any man you've ever trained? Sounds like you had poor taste in students.

"No. This is my fight. Alone." Bro you are going to DIE. The first time you held a sword was two days ago. You might need the avatar on this one.

Guard who never shuts up actually kind of has a point here. He's a dick about as usual, but it's entirely possible that the rank and file of the Fire Nation army view Iroh's actions as a betrayal. Does anyone remember in Star Wars movie number 7, or maybe 8, when that Trooper sees Finn after he's switched sides and yells "traitor!" and it's the best part of the movie? Yeah, like that.

This episode throws the concept of linear time out the window. In two days, Iroh gets swole and Sokka masters sword fighting.

Do you think Sokka's realised yet that this is his final exam?

Yummy yummy clouds.

One in a million pocket sand shot.

One in a million stick placement.

So this master is like a sword spirit or something. He can't be human. There's no way he could get the scabbard to fly on perfectly without seeing.

"Try Lee, There's a million Lees. There's a tea shop in Ba Sing Se that has a super cranky waiter called Lee."

This guy's just this side of committing treason and I love it.

I see this Master is a devotee of the 'Hakoda school of shoving outrageously over the top compliments into Sokka's thick skull in the hopes that 1% of them will stick.' I approve.

This last scene has gorgeous hills and skies but you'll have to take my word for it because I've hit the image limit.

Sokka's been inducted into the super secret boy band!!!

He saved space earth for Toph! He's so considerate! He's fuelling the ships!

Let's compromise and call it space dirt instead.

Final Thoughts

This episode every two minutes: Sokka, you are currently flawless and you're about to get better. Me: Yes. Yep. Yeah. Seconded. I concur.

I like it! It's great! It's 24 minutes of the writers and characters fangirling over Sokka! Of course I like it! It made me criminally overuse exclamation marks! What else can I say?

Hands down my favourite episode is Bato of the Water Tribe. For Sokka's story, this episode is Bato of the Water Tribe part 2. Of course I'm going to love it. This episode was lab grown specifically for me.

Now let's see if I can say something about this episode that isn't poorly disguised squealing.

I love how the characters respond to Sokka saying he's not special with an evidence-based refutation rather than blanket reassurance.

I love how shopping cheers up Sokka. I love how Katara knows that shopping will cheer him up. This must be something she's learned since the show started. I don't think there were malls in the South Pole. So Katara was paying attention when Sokka and Momo went through the bag saga.

I love how much the master is baffled yet impressed by Sokka. He seems almost charmed by this breath of fresh air. I think it's hilarious that, when Sokka first approaches him, he's expecting early season 1 Sokka. He'd better send Suki a thank you card.

I also really like "The way of the sword doesn't belong to any one nation." It seems obvious to us, but in a world where there are weaponisable skills that are quite literally inseparable from the nations their wielders inhabit, it's probably something no one in the Gaang has ever heard before.

Obviously the episode is a little rushed - half hour kid's show and all that - but it's still pretty crazy that you can apparently impart a solid basic knowledge of swordplay in two days.

Toph going all tsundere is funny, and makes Aang and Katara unapologetically desperate for Sokka's company twice as funny as it already is. Toph's like "whatever" and the other two spent the day making a welcome home banner.

I love how Sokka's happiness is always so loud and shameless. It makes it contagious.

This episode highlights what Sokka's actual strengths are, by instructing him in what he thinks his strengths are. If that makes sense? Sokka is brain, which he's finally starting to realise by attending brawn lessons.

He's also heart, and I'll die on that hill.

Iroh getting swole was honestly just a thing that happened. No comment really, except it was interesting to have a reminder from the guard that a character we perceive as the good guy is currently perceived as the bad guy by everyone but us. When the Fire Nation does inevitably get defeated, a whole nation is going to have to reset their worldview and that will not be an easy process.

More like this please!

#atla #avatar: the last airbender #avatar the last airbender #sokka's master

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veliseraptor · 16 days

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April Reading Recap

Stars of Chaos vol. 2 by Priest. I'm not quite grabbed by this one yet. I'm not not enjoying it, but the main relationship doesn't quite have me compelled, and the politics aren't quite sharp enough to get me either. I'm not totally sure I'll keep buying the published volumes, at least not at this time, and just read the rest online to see how I end up feeling about it as a whole before making the financial commitment.

Medea by Eilish Quin. Listen, I'm a Medea apologist, but I'm a Medea apologist who is very much of the "she absolutely did all the awful things she's accused of and she is valid" and the author here is going "she did all the awful things she's accused of but it's not as bad as you thought it was because she didn't mean it!" and I'm just. I'm not mad, just disappointed (again). I was so hoping for a book that would do something interesting with a Medea retelling but I probably should've known better than to think it'd be this one. Why, you may ask, do I keep reading myth retellings about my problematic faves when all I do is complain about them? Hope springs eternal, I guess.

She Who Became the Sun and He Who Drowned the World by Shelley Parker-Chan. Exceptional. Might be my favorite books I read in April. I'd already read She Who Became the Sun back when it was first published and knew I'd enjoyed it (was rereading to refresh my memory for the sequel), but I felt like I enjoyed it more the second time around, and I might've liked He Who Drowned the World even more than its predecessor. If you're looking for works of just-barely fantasy with delightfully fucked up queer characters, come get 'em here. I won't say most of them are happy (they're not) or that things end well (they don't), but boy is it good reading.

The Death of Jane Lawrence by Caitlin Starling. Decent horror but not particularly outstanding, in my opinion. I liked The Luminous Dead more.

Untethered Sky by Fonda Lee. I continue to struggle with novellas. This was a perfectly good novella but it felt like it could've been a stronger short story, which I guess is better than the other way I usually come out of novellas, which is "this was a fine novella but it should've been a novel."

The Mountain in the Sea by Ray Nayler. I really liked this. It has more of a thriller-ish edge than I expected, but for all that I think it's a thoughtful book with some interesting things to say, and I feel like it's one I want more people to read so I can talk to them about it. It's set in a sort-of spooky, near-future dystopia, but a lot of it is about, like, the nature of thought and consciousness. Anyway, I found myself compelled.

Islands of Abandonment: Nation Rebounding in the Post-Human Landscape by Cal Flyn. I found myself reading this thinking a lot about The World Without Us, a book I read many years ago and would kind of like to reread, and which I think I liked more than this (at least in my memory). I was hoping for more analysis than I got from this book, which was beautifully written but more nature/travel writing than science. One thing I did appreciate was the attention paid to the human cost of the "abandoned" places examined in this book - the pain that abandonment often signifies, and the trauma it indicates, in spite of the beauty that may come after.

Emperor of Rome: Ruling the Ancient Roman World by Mary Beard. I really liked the way that Beard chose to do this one - namely, taking it by theme rather than by emperor, and breaking down different areas of the emperor's life over time rather than trying to tell a linear narrative. It also let her do some of the better "skeptical" reading of sources that I've read in a popular book on ancient history, where she was actually digging into the "rather than what this says about what this person may or may not have actually done, what does it say about expectations, beliefs, and tropes that people had" kind of reading. And after some of the other popular histories of Rome I've read, thank god for that.

Metamorphoses by Ovid, trans. Stephanie McCarter. Continuing on with my "reading new translations (by women!) of classical epics" run (started with The Odyssey, The Iliad is on my list). It was fun to reread Ovid! As usual one of my favorite parts of this was reading the translator's note and introduction, and I wanted about 500% more of that through the text (tell me about the assonance you're preserving in the Latin!) but did get some of (thanks for the information on the penis/pubic hair puns!). Overall would recommend as a good translation of Ovid that very much does not flinch away from - and makes/keeps appropriately uncomfortable - the sexual assault.

Dark Rise by C.S. Pacat. Slightly more YA than I usually like, but I enjoyed it! I was a little :\ about it for a while, very much feeling the YA cliches of it all, but the late hour twist got me interested again, and I will be picking up the sequel. Did miss the full balls-to-the-wall iddy joy of Captive Prince, though, since I probably wouldn't have picked this book up without the author recognition.

Subversive Sequels in the Bible: How Biblical Stories Mine and Undermine Each Other by Judy Klitsner. I really liked this one, particularly for its commentary comparing and contrasting Eve, and the other women of Genesis, with later Biblical narratives. I don't know how much I buy all of her arguments when it comes to intentionality of all of the comparisons she's drawing, but it certainly makes interesting food for thought, and a good sampler for me of what literary-based Biblical scholarship can look like (and an indication that I'm interested in trying more of it).

Use of Weapons by Iain M. Banks. I read most of my way through this book continuing to really appreciate what Banks does with the Culture novels and planning to continue on reading the next one, but not enjoying this specific one as much as I did The Player of Games in particular, and then I got to the very end of it and went "hang on what the fuck???" but in a decidedly good way. And I'm still kind of thinking about That even though it's been a while, which I think is a positive. Anyway, I don't think I'd recommend this as a starting place for anyone to read the Culture novels, or as a must read, but it was on the upper end of a three star rating.

Juniper & Thorn by Ava Reid. I wanted this to be more gothic horror and less romance and it ended up being more romance and less gothic horror, was my feeling. Not necessarily the book's fault, but if anyone else is eyeing it wondering...now you know.

A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik. I really enjoyed this one! I was kind of skeptical going in - I'm not a big magic school person, as a rule, and the more I feel like something is hyped to me the more I tend to drag my heels about it - but Naomi Novik is really good at what she does and she clearly had a lot of fun here. It's tropey for sure, but I enjoy the narrative voice (very important, in a first person narration), and the action moves along with what I felt was pretty good momentum. The other thing I was worried about - that it'd feel too much like this was just ~commentary on/against Harry Potter~ without saying anything for itself - didn't materialize for me. I'm looking forward to reading the next ones.

The Monster Theory Reader ed. by Jeffrey Andrew Weinstock. I'm so rusty on my academic/theory reading and I felt it reading this collection, some of which was definitely better than others. Kristeva's essay on abjection was particularly rough as far as "I'm reading words and I know all the words but something about the order they're going in is just not making sense to me." Overall...it was a decent primer? There were a few very interesting essays in there; my favorite might've been the one on tanuki in modernizing Japan's folklore, but there were a couple on "monstrous" bodies that made me wish I had someone to discuss them with. That's probably my main problem reading academic works these days: I want a seminar to dissect them afterwards and I just don't have that.

The Sabbath: Its Meaning for Modern Man by Abraham Joshua Heschel. I'm trying to read something Jewish on Shabbat now and finally getting around to reading some Heschel after years of meaning to. I thought "oh, I'll start easy with something nice and short" - yeah, no, Heschel's got a very particular style of writing and there's a lot of theological depth packed into a very short volume. I'm looking forward to reading The Prophets, though.

The Husky and His White Cat Shizun vol. 5 by Rou Bao Bu Chi Rou. I think we're juuuuust about caught up now with the official translation to where I started reading the machine translation, so I'm very excited for (a) things I don't remember as well (b) reading it not in machine translation. Also looking forward to everything about what happened with Nangong Liu and Nangong Xu making more sense this time around, on account of not reading it machine translated, because I didn't follow it so well on my first read and I feel like I'm already doing better. (Though that could also be because it's a reread, no matter how different an experience of one.) Still feel real bad for Ye Wangxi, on so many levels. Mark that one down for 'characters I'd love to know more about what they're thinking.'

The Water Outlaws by S.L. Huang. I really enjoyed S.L. Huang's other work with the Cas Russell series, and I liked this book a little less than those. It felt like an almost winner, for me. Certainly I read through it quickly enough, and I can say I enjoyed it, but I'm not sure I'd give it an enthusiastic recommendation. It falls somewhere in the middle between "a fun action/adventure story" and "something I can sink my teeth into" in a way that didn't quite satisfy either itch. Still, it did make me curious about the source material, which is one of the Chinese classics (Water Margin) and I might go and find a place to read that, if I can; if I'd had that background going in I wonder if my experience of this work would've been more edifying.

I'm currently rereading A Memory Called Empire so I can (finally) read the sequel (A Desolation Called Peace); I also checked out from the library the next two Scholomance books so I'll be reading those. I'm going to try to throw some nonfiction somewhere in there (maybe The Genius of Birds by Jennifer Ackerman, which I also have out from the library, but maybe something else), but I've still got the sequel to The First Sister sitting on my shelf (also from the library).

Outside of that I've got no big reading plans - I'm working my way through some of the unreads on my own shelf (despite what it may look like, about the library books) and eyeing The Doors of Eden by Adrian Tchaikovsky or a reread of Foundryside by Robert Jackson Bennett so I can continue that series.

#long post for ts #reading recaps #sometimes i read things #sometimes i wonder if i should have more like. summary information on what books are about #but i am lazy and also that's not really the point #important text posts

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jacebeleren · 9 months

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It bothers me so much that the only transfem rep in mtg cards is this like. Soldier military woman, like 'ooh look at this guy's we made a trans woman who's a part of a war machine' fantastic thank you magic very original

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Okay.

First of all, there is no "our" interpretation of the text. My thoughts are my own, and your thoughts are your own. Some of our thoughts might align, but I will not allow you to speak for me.

Second, I am sorry you feel so disappointed in the current state of transgender representation in Magic. I understand your concerns and I think they're valid concerns.

Third, your concerns being valid does not mean I agree with what you have to say, though. Don't come into my inbox complaining unless you're ready for me to honestly respond. Respectfully, your approach to these concerns makes it clear to me that you don't actually understand what you're talking about.

It's apparent that you follow me or have at least seen many of my posts. You appear to respect my opinions / analysis (at least regarding Jace and Tezzeret). So listen to me when I say this:

What constitutes 'good' representation is context-dependent, and it's not something you alone get to decide.

Yes, Alesha is a "soldier military woman", as you said. I understand that you have this complaint because you believe this makes Alesha an example of the stereotype that trans women are violent. But context matters. What you're failing to consider is the fact that she comes from the Mardu Horde, a faction on Tarkir inspired by the Mongol hordes of real-world history. In this context, Alesha isn't presented as violent because she's a trans woman. She's violent because she literally comes from a warrior clan based on one of the greatest military forces in human history. And honestly, with Magic being a combat-centric game, she's not any more violent than any non-Mardu Legends, either.

Do you seriously think a story about a trans woman fighting to proudly declare her trans identity in her culture and later becoming the accomplished and well-respected leader of her clan is bad representation? Does the fact that she's a warrior really outweigh the rest of the lovingly crafted trans narrative they created for her, to you?

It's fine if you feel that way. You don't have to like Alesha or her story. But just because something wasn't made for your taste doesn't mean it's bad writing / bad representation.

Anyway, I highly recommend you read Alesha's story, "The Truth of Names", since it seems like you haven't read it yet. It's a fantastic story-- the most beloved short story in all of Magic, actually. It was the most-read article on the entire Magic website for like 5 years, according to WOTC.

And if you're interested in learning more about transfem characters in Magic who aren't Alesha, I recommend you read about Xantcha, who first appears in the novel "Planeswalker".

Next, I need to make things clear about Ashiok.

Ashiok was never intended to be nonbinary representation. Ashiok was created to be a mysterious, unknowable villain. What makes Ashiok special is that we are not mean to know anything about Ashiok. We do not know Ashiok's species or plane of origin, for example. Another part of that element of mystery is not knowing Ashiok's gender, or how Ashiok identifies. Ashiok's original style guide from Theros explicitly instructs people to not use any pronouns for Ashiok at all (which I still follow because old habits are hard to break.) Official Magic sources did not begin to use they/them pronouns for Ashiok until 2022, in the story "A Garden of Flesh" (another excellent story, BTW.) And they only started using they/them for Ashiok because it is really hard to write a story where the character is mentioned that many times without pronouns.

All this to say: Ashiok as intentional nonbinary representation is certainly not the narrative WOTC is pushing.

Yes, there are many fans of Ashiok who interpret Ashiok as nonbinary, but those are their thoughts and you need not concern yourself with that, if it bothers you so.

As for Niko, it's weird that you say they're "non-existent" in Magic story when 2 of the 5 side stories ("Know Which Way the Wind is Blowing" and "Aim Through the Target") in their debut set Kaldheim were entirely focused on Niko. They're also a starring main character in 15 of the 25 issues of the BOOM! Studios Magic comics.

I'm glad you like my analysis of Jace and Tezzeret as transgender characters. Thank you for that, genuinely. But I want you to understand that the reason I have these interpretations is because I love Magic Story. And more importantly, I actually read it. I love Magic Story, and I have so much respect for the Magic Narrative team and the work they do.

What most people don't understand is that the Magic Narrative Team is in fact very careful and very loving in their approach to queer representation. You may not know this about me, but I'm friends with A LOT of people who formerly or currently work on Magic / Magic Story. Knowing these people personally, I know for a fact that the Magic creative Team does not create queer characters for "diversity points". They're not just checking boxes. The Magic creative team creates queer characters because the Magic creative team is full of queer people and allies who want to tell stories that reflect their own + fans' experiences. And they have to constantly fight to include more / better queer representation in Magic. They want good queer representation in Magic just as much as we do.

Am I going to defend everything they do? No! Are they perfect? No! They are just people. They make mistakes and they have blind spots. For example, in my essay about my analysis of Jace as a trans man, I explain that the reason my interpretation means so much to me is because there is currently zero meaningful representation for trans men in Magic canon. There are zero transgender male characters in Magic canon who have names. That's a HUGE blind spot considering the number of canon trans characters! That's something that disappoints and upsets me.

I'm not afraid to criticize Magic Story, and I do so very often. But I am critical of Magic story because I love it. My criticism does not equal hatred or unhappiness.

Sorry to hear that their efforts at including better trans representation in Magic would piss you off. I'm sorry that you've given up.

Lastly, I think Liliana is cis, but that's just my headcanon.

#mtg #gwunky #long post

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thynisia-pac-readings · 8 months

Text

This post is part of a Pick-a-number aesthetic reading. To choose your group, please check this post.

Group 1

Very youthful, very light. Colours are more in the lighter tones, especially in yellow, green, white, purple. You could prefer long hair and flowing garments. There's a sense of not overthinking things, making life simple and staying youthful and happy. Your core aesthetic values community life, compassion for yourself and others, and a simple lifestyle. Most of all, you believe that you are enough and don't need anything else. Your aesthetic core could be cottagecore or anything that fits the description above.

Group 2

Wow. Group 2, you're very driven. Your aesthetic revolves around being successful and determined. Could be businesscore or something similar. Living in success and luxury, but doing so independently. A self-made person. What comes to my mind is this type of woman/man who wants to re-create herself in that process. Your group doesn't want to use the girlboss term though, it feels like you're more serious than that. You have goals, you have ambitions, and you're not letting anyone or anything stand in your way. Actually, you're convincing yourself that nothing and no one can. It's you first. You have this grand image of yourself that you want to be. I'm getting that not even love is in your plans. You could be avoiding any situation as you want to stay in control of your life, and love feels like you'd lose that complete control. Your aesthetic could look like formal/business look with a feminine touch, luxury brands, luxury accessories, a clean look that is simple but shows success and feminity. No matter your hair type, your skin and body type, you do your best to fit those criteria according to yourself.

Such an intense group for an intense person. You're perfect just the way you are. Wishing you the best!

Group 3

As I was shuffling the cards, I kept having the feeling that you are a very interesting group of people. I mean, interesting in that you're unapologetically different compared to others and you might not even be aware of how interesting you are. People find you very charming and funny. You give me the same vibes as the girl lead (Hong-jo?) in the kdrama Destined With You. Love her. Even the guys can't help but fall under her charms eventually.

Your aesthetic/vibe is like a shrug of shoulder in the face of life. You just roll with it. Go with the flow. It's like "oh did that just happen? Oh well". Yeah if you had a motto, that'd be "Oh well."

Yeah you're very unique, even in how you dress and do your makeup. You don't fit into standards and you don't try to. You do your own thing. Whether that'd be looking like a goth or a mermaid, lol. You ride your own wind/current. You're very positive, uplifting yet strong. Your light is strong, no matter what your aesthetic looks like. Whether you're dressed like a goth or wearing a pair of angel wings, lol.

You could be wearing red a lot, and you pay a lot of attention to balancing colours and garnements. Feels like people may not see the real you through your appearance, but you actually put a lot of efforts in your aesthetic/appearance so that could disappoint you at times. Sometimes, you wish people would see through to you.

The thing is, people will always see a different aspect of yourself and they will find that version of you charming. You're beautifully unique and different so keep rolling with life without worrying about seeking the acknowledgement/validation of others for who you are.

Group 4

As I was shuffling, it felt like there was a lot of heaviness and emotional energy in this group. Not in a bad way, it might just be because you're very sensitive and it's easy for you to get overwhelmed emotionally. I'm sending you all my love. ❤️

This is my sensitive, delicate group. You're always cleansing and healing yourself ... And perhaps your surrounding too, though you might not be aware of your doing.

There might be a few males in this group. I have to say that the males are more delicate and the females exhibit more strength than the norm. It's actually showing that this group is more balanced in their masculine and feminine aspects and they're exhibiting both aspects in a healthy way.

This pile is really giving me the vibe of starseeds or crystal children. Or your higher self is from a very very high density. Very sensitive people who are, by nature, healing their surroundings and being an example for others in their own way. I'm also saying this because I sense a lot of wisdom in this group, due to your many past lives. You might actually remember your past lives. You could also have some gifts, perhaps Clair abilities or being able to do astral travelling. Or any kind of gift that helps you make a difference, even if it's nothing spiritual. I.e. your ability to analyse statistics or do coding, you want to use them in projects that will do good.

In your aesthetic/vibe, you tend to look at things from a higher perspective and aim at improving yourself. You might want to change the world.

You may come across as very nurturing and caring, your high sensitivity is not missed either. That is no matter what you wear. I don't actually see any specific type of aesthetic in this pile. You're all so different. Your aesthetic might be more of a perspective/mindset than a look.

#oracle #tarot #card reading #divination #tarot reading #oracle reading #pick a card #psychic reading #pac #pick a pile #pick a number #pick a group #free readings #aesthetic

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shadowwolfmemes · 4 days

Text

I'm disappointed in you, @mean-bf777

Okay, Mean, I'mma need you to start explaining right now. I don't give a shit on how old your reblog was, this is just SICKENING! Telling people to kill themselves just because they said something you don't like is just absolutely vile!

If I knew the type of person you currently are sooner, I would've never defended you from getting your precious little feelings hurt. But that's not all!

You hate bad dramas and bullying, huh? That's funny considering that you're saying shit like this:

I get that you're 12 years old, but there's no valid excuse for this disgusting behavior. If you come to me talkin' about "I was just feeling dEPreSseD", then this is a horrible way of venting!

You have NO IDEA what someone might be going through behind the screen! If you're going through a hard life as well, then I'm sorry, but you have no respect towards people whatsoever. You don't need to inflict your pain towards other people!

Not to mention this:

And when I tried to talk to you maturely, you pull up with this bullshit:

Oh wow, you got me quivering in my leather-made boots. What am I ever going to do? 😱

But seriously, you're not making this situation any better for yourself. I just have one genuine question for you, Mean-bf.

Are you feeling proud of yourself right now? I'm sure you do. If you want respect, you give respect.

I also want to mention one more thing before this rant post ends: @sillay-silly-blogz, I'm sorry for cussing you out on a post. I didn't realize the type of person @mean-bf777 was until now. I know I apologized to you in private, but I wanted to make it formal at least.

And as for you, bf, I don't feel a single ounce of empathy for you anymore. You lost every ounce of respect I had for you.

#Rant post #Tumblr drama #Public exposure #Please explain

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leandra-winchester · 19 days

Text

So. There's been a lot of speculation, and a lot of hot and lukewarm and some honest and valid takes about the new trailer and the potential of what might go down next ep.

I've been thinking thoughts, and I have my own personal stance on the matter. And no, I will not be 'taking criticism', because this is the way I view things in general, and it won't change. So this isn't me opening up a debate about this, this is just me sharing my personal views, which you absolutely can agree or disagree with. (So if your views on cheating are vastly different from mine, don't come at me telling me how wrong I am, I'm not doing that at you either)

That being said, here are my thoughts and beliefs.

Kissing isn't (automatically) cheating. For me, it highly, highly depends on the accompanying circumstances. There are kisses for shits and giggles that are not cheating. There are kisses happening under heavy influence of whatever substance - something that can render you legally not responsible for a lot of things, so how does it make you responsible for a moment's poor choice? There are kisses that are done deliberately with intention and feelings/high physical attraction involved, and THAT is cheating. When we look at the Buck/Lucy kiss, I didn't see it as huge a deal as many of the fandom did. The kiss itself somewhat fell into the second category. But what made it at the very least borderline cheating was the fact that Buck made a secret of it afterwards. Had he said "Look, something happened last night. I was drunk, then Lucy kissed me, and I didn't instantly pull back, but I didn't want to kiss her again or anything. I have no feelings for her whatsoever and I will watch myself in future a whole lot more to notice any signs of flirting, which, in hindsight, there were. I'm sorry." - then I think that's still grounds for a partner to be mad, sad, disappointed, but it's not really full-on cheating. Not in my book, by my definition.

Emotional cheating is much worse than physical cheating Being in love with someone and knowing it, imagining yourself to be with that other person, THAT is much more cheating by my definition than a fleeting kiss. And sometimes, depending on the circumstances, maybe even more than a drunken fumble or one night stand, but that is a very complex question. However, emotional cheating means you're not really in it with your current partner, pining for someone else but settling for what you can have out of convenience, fear of being left behind or some other highly egoistical motivation. That really sucks. (I've seen that take expressed on my dashboard as well, though with slightly different nuance to what I feel and believe, but pretty close)

So, taking these two of my underlying beliefs as the basis, what can I see happen in the next episode that would leave me feel okay with it, or happy about it, and what would make me feel iffy about it?

Let's start with the iffy.

Buck:

If, at any point in their drunken Hangover-movie escapades Buck and Eddie kiss, full on kiss (with maybe a little bit of tongue), and that kicks something lose in Buck, I would utterly hate that. Not that I wouldn't find it plausible that a kiss like that would trigger him realizing romantic feelings for Eddie, but that it happens now.

Someone else made a long post about negative stereotypes about bisexuals, and I agree. This is the promiscuity/bisexuals can't be trusted to be faithful stereotype, and I don't want Buck to ever be seen in that light.

Also, Buck JUST (and that post mentioned that too) convinced Tommy to come with him to the wedding, that he's ready for something... only to emotionally cheat (because it's that aspect for me rather than the kiss itself) on him the very next opportunity?

"But Tommy and Buck aren't in a relationship yet," I heard someone say, and well, yes. But this isn't REAL LIFE. It's writing. Things are crafted in a certain way to form a story, and stories have a purpose. The narrative gave us an arc where Buck seemingly wasn't ready for a relationship with a man yet, where he fucked up and had to fix that, had to take a leap and take some courage to make it work.

Just purely from a narrative standpoint, it would be so inconsistent to reverse that healthy step forward just one episode later.

From what we know about the episode, it also doesn't look like he's breaking up with Tommy in that episode. A lovely, potentially dramatic moment where Buck kisses Tommy in front of everyone as a means of 'coming out' is highly implied/likely. So that would mean him being aware of some feelings towards Eddie and still going through with that. And yeah. No. I'd really, really fucking hate that.

Eddie:

If they kiss at some point and it kicks something loose in Eddie, and he then goes back to Marisol... I'd have much less of a problem with that because it could still be explained and justified with him just being in utter panic about coming out. It would match the catholic guilt arc, and all his previous attempts at conforming to heteronormativity... BUT, if the relationship just continued as is and he'd actively use her as beard that would be shitty, even for poor confused, repressed, closeted Eddie.

The Not Iffy

On with Eddie:

If that kiss brings something to the surface in Eddie and he then breaks up with Marisol one episode later I would not consider that cheating or poor morals or anything of the sort. He wasn't aware of it until that moment, and as soon as he is aware of it and has had a little bit of time to process it, he draws the right consequences from it and breaks off a relationship he's not fully in.

So this would actually be fine to me. This could be the kick starter for a potentially long and complex arc for Eddie to a) come to terms with his sexuality and b) pine for Buck from a distance, because Buck is with Tommy and c) eventually, when the time is right, for Buddie to go canon.

Buck:

The kiss itself wasn't a serious or real kiss. I'd be okay with it, if it was some silly, exaggerated "MWAH" smack of the lips kiss, prompted by someone or something around them - I dunno, maybe one of the women there saying "Aww you're such a cute couple" and they going in for it just for shits and giggles; or Buck gushing about Tommy and what a great kisser he is and Eddie drunkenly, outwardly jokingly saying "Hey, I'm a great kisser too!" and them jokingly leaning in for a smooch, again, for shits and giggles.

Buck afterwards doesn't even remember it because it meant nothing in that moment, and so he's neither seriously physically nor emotionally cheating on Tommy in the slightest.

"But Buck has deep feelings for Eddie. How can he kiss him and not realize them?"

Well, see, Buck has been around Eddie for almost 6 years now and not realized them. They are so, so far past that getting to know and falling in love phase that it makes it a bazillion times more complicated to distinguish those deep platonic feelings from deep romantic feelings (because, what it comes down to in both instances is a deep bond; the bond of love you feel after years of dating isn't that different from a deep platonic bond. Again, Eros vs. Pragma and all that).

But Buck is *in love* with Tommy, he's just entered that exciting, chemically turbulent process of falling in love with someone which, with all the newly formed neural connections and all those hormones overrides anything else that has long since been present and is only now presented with the opportunity to take on a new nuance. Of course he doesn't get it, and he likely won't get it until much, much later, when he's falling out of love with Tommy again for whatever reason, or they break up amicably for whatever reason.

And THIS again is something that could easily go into the iffy, because I would really fucking HATE the implication that Buck needs to break up with Tommy to be with his One True Love. I don't want this to be a difficult and painful choice.

IF (when) Buddie goes canon, I want them both to be ready and free for it and not accidentally pushed towards it, or struggle with a guilty conscience for it, or hurt someone else about it. (Marisol wouldn't count in that context as Eddie would have broken up with her months ago and gone on his own long self-discovery trip).

So yes, even if for slightly different reasons, and even if my views on what constitutes 'cheating' may differ from a lot of yours, I agree that any actual MUTUAL feelings realization right now, under these external circumstances, would totally tarnish the beginning of the Buddie relationship.

Which also makes me hopeful it won't happen in such a way. Up until now, the writing has been extremely solid, and Buck's coming out arc has been done with so much care. I doubt they'd do something that ruins it. (But I'm not 100% sure of it either).

#buddie #evan buckley #eddie diaz #911 spoilers #this is not an invitation for debate #respectfual nuanced exchange and dialog #yes #but don't lecture me on my morals #I'm very solid and confident in them

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kyouka-supremacy · 2 months

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Yeah, Teruko was the one that made me realize the sexisim that existed in BSD when I first binged it. Or, more accurate, what TYPE we're dealing with. The female characters can exist and have their own moments, but they can never outshine the male characters and Asagiri can also allow himself to forget them if he needs to. When I read Stormbringer, one of the things that stood out to me is the fact that no female character has any prominent role until like, 200+ pages in, and what role Kouyou got was so minimal she might as well not have shown up at all. Yosano has a huge important backstory that doesn't become relevant until SEASON 4 while most of her male companions have had theirs explored way before her. It's disappointing, but I genuinely find Teruko intolerable and find her to be the worst written character in the entire series. It's not her fault, but her behaviour around Fukuchi and her ability was just horrid to me. Her ending here just enhances all the issues that already existed in her character for me. She's the only female character in this series I can't stand and that SUCKS because I want to love them all, but Asagiri is making that mighty difficult when he pulls stuff like this :/

(´；ω；｀)

The almost complete lack of female characters is personally my greatest disincentive to reading Stormbringer (together with the lack of ss/kk. Discredit where it's due).

Teruko's role this whole doa arc has been.. Saddening? I feel all the hd have a lot of untapped potential; but whereas with Fukuchi and Tachihara and even Jouno it's like, you know what's their deal, there's so little we know about Teruko and Tetchou's motivations and backstory. And even when both had their occasional times to shine - I like Teruko's scenes in the Sky Casino arc! A lot! I think they make for a very cool character! -, there's the whole deal with Teruko in the airport arc which is just :/// Like, she's just there to move the plot forward. She was very pretty in chapter 105 and made me feel like she had some further insight in the whole picture, like she had taken a stand and had a motive, but in the end it was never elaborated on, and I'm very sorry for that. Way worse, she was exclusively delegated to the role of numbly moving the plot forward, which is just wholly unfortunate. Why did she let Atsushi go just like that, like, really?? Oftentimes women's role in this franchise is truly meaningless. I don't really care for what side she was going to take in the end, I just wish she was just handled more sensibility, more respectfully. But alas. Hoping she'll get some spotlight in the future, because I really like her.

I like Teruko! Like, I genuinely get where you're coming from, and your reasons for not liking her are very valid. To me it's more about straight-up ignoring some stuff I don't like (REALLY can't vibe with the Fukuchi worshipping, I find it quite gross to be honest) and emphasizing the aspects I do like. I like how she's unapologetically mean - honestly, not many female characters get to do that. She gets to be a villain -, but I also like how it's compensated with a very strong moral code and genuine intent to protect citizens. I love lots of her scenes in the Sky Casino arc: her interactions with Tachihara are funny and vaguely wholesome, her determination and resourcefulness to win over Sigma is so cool, and her reluctance to hurt citizens, and the scene where she stopped an aircraft with her bare hands!!!! Honestly, banger after banger after banger, looking back at it that's probably why I held such high expectations for her character. Despite personally wholly disagreeing with bsd's morale, even Teruko's enouncement of her Hobbesian principles is enjoyable for me, because it's quite rare to see a woman preach such realist, cynical worldviews; if anything, it's refreshing. I think her ability is super cool and original, I love it tons!! I really like her character design, too. I like how she's of the highest grade compared to all other hd members minus Fukuchi and I like how she can be childish and keep them in line at the same time. I like how more mature and savvy she looked in her latest airport arc appearances, how she looked tired of war on par with Fukuchi. I wish she was given more screentime and importance and agency, and I wish the mess of the last chapter didn't happen, but I like her personality.

On her ability, I think it's pretty cool, and neutrally problematic by its own; but I do agree that between Teruko having child appearances and being obsessed with a grown-up man, the whole Mori deal, Aya proposing to Kunikida in chapter 40, the chapter 107.5 page that left everyone perplexed and was only later on clarified by the anime, (and, regretfully, even how the Kyouka / Atsushi dynamics are framed in some of the earlier chapters), it creates a very distasteful pattern.

I really like Yosano's backstory (really. I've said it a lot of times before, but I think chapters 65-66 are the best written chapters in the whole manga.), but it's not like just because of two small chapters that center around a woman after 15 volumes of male spotlight bsd suddenly stops being sexist lol. And that's something I've already said before, but: Yosano's chapters are beautiful! But they don't really help empower female characters in this franchise. Yosano completely lacks agency in the story, which is FINE for the story on its own, yet in the context it simply does nothing but reinforce the fact that women can't be masters of their fate.

I also strongly agree with the fact that female characters are accurately written as to never outshine their male counterparts. As someone else has pointed out before, both Kyouka and Higuchi have respectively saved Atsushi and Akutagawa's lives (in Kyouka's case, multiple times), so why is it that Atsushi and Akutagawa don't serve them the same respect and admiration that they hold for them? The double standard is really blatant once you start seeing it.

I've written more on bsd's sexism here, if you'd like to check it out. Even though it's very important to read things critically and acknowledge franchises' faults, I still can't help but feel bad for spreading negativity (╥﹏╥) Here's to hoping the bsd writing of female characters will improve in the future!!

#I really get the frustration of disliking a female character but wanting to like them SO BAD because sis it's not their fault–#the author can't write women to save their life.#It happened to me with Lucy because the whole “Live‚ and save me from this place one day” deal was a very hard pill to swallow.#Which doubly sucked because I really felt stereotype of hating on a female character just because she gets in the way of your mlm ship ಥ_ಥ #teruko ōkura #bsd #bsd negativity #mine #people asks me stuff #4am has apparently become the prime time to answer asks lol

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kairiscorner · 9 months

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Gonna request 🔥🔥🔥 (don't do this if you don't want to or if someone else requested this before)

So, HCs Spider-Noir with a sensitive (or just cries easily) s/o

like, they make small mistakes but they feel really bad about it, crying when they feel pressured, feeling pressured easily (like, when playing a game of teams and they feel nervous because they don't want to make the team fail for their fault), crying easily when someone is mean to them, feeling bad with jokes towards them even if it isn't serious (an example is that one time my sister told as a joke that she hated me and I cried) and etc.

(This is based of me, one time I cried because I accidentally bought a more cheap soda when I had more money for a bigger soda)

HIII wait that's also like me what.......... like man, i am so easy to overwhelm, i'm sorry you feel that way sometimes too ;-; but know this, if you wanna cry, fucking cry if you have to. it's free and it feels good, but also feels bad, but in the end, you'll feel way better than you would if you held the urge in. i hope you like this and always remember your feelings are valid 🫶🫶🫶

(reblogs are greatly appreciated, it helps get my content out there! if you guys like what you see, please reblog it too <:D)

noir x sensitive!gn!reader headcanons

it hurts noir when you beat yourself up over small mistakes, and seeing and hearing you cry about it aches his heart tbh :( he wants to tell you so badly he loves that you're trying even if it looks hard and that you don't have to be the best at everything or get that many people to like you because you're perfect already the way you are.

he feels so bad when you start to overthink, but for every bad or negative thought you have of yourself, he has an honest to goodness truth to counter them. thinking you're disappointing your whole team if you do badly? well, you aren't the only member, you won't be the cause of their failure. you're worried other people won't like you if you make an impulsive decision because they're rushing you? well, he likes you and wants what's best for you, think it over, he'll deal with those people rushing you to make a decision.

if you're okay with it, noir would pat your back or head, hold your hand, wrap his arm around your shoulders or waist and just hold you to calm you down. he feels over your knuckles and the back of your hand when he does that, it's kind of his way to assure you everything will be alright, you have time, you don't need to do things too quickly, don't feel bad that you have needs, and of course you have wants that might not be what everyone else wants--and that's okay.

he doesn't get mad when you cry over a mean joke, he himself gets pissed off when other people think you're easy to fool or too sensitive or a crybaby when you cry about it. he would not hesitate to beat the shit out of whoever messed with you, but of course, he'd reason with them first. if words don't get through them, you know his fists will be.

but honestly, those people don't matter to him, because all that matters to him is you being okay. he doesn't want you to dwell too much on the bad things they did to you, so he tries to help you get past it, help you forget it and distract you if need be. he reminds you that your crying is valid, not everyone likes mean jokes, and you just happened to be one of those people.

"love, it's okay to cry about it. they didn't know you didn't like that, and they'd better learn that you don't... but your crying is valid, if they say otherwise, i'm beating their jaws in."

overall, noir just wants to be there for you and be the shoulder you cry on. he understands you're not the toughest person out there, but you're strong enough to admit to your vulnerabilities; and noir definitely looks up to you for that. he's here to provide you both all the comfort and space you might need, just say the word, he'll do any and everything he has to to keep you happy and wipe those tears from your eyes.

tags !! @thecoolerdor @miguelswifey04 @sabcandoit @binibinileonara @k4tsu3 @luvstarrstruck @maxoloqy @thee-fantastic-mrfox @fiannee @arachnoia @ophanimgold @fictarian @yuridopted0

#spider noir #spider noir x reader #spider noir x you #spider noir x y/n #spider noir fluff #atsv #atsv fluff #atsv imagines #atsv x reader #atsv x you #atsv x y/n #spiderman across the spiderverse #spiderman across the spiderverse x reader #spiderman across the spiderverse fluff

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rutadales · 2 months

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I'm gonna delete this later but I will say I think a very very important skill to have, specifically for autistic people with special interests/hyperfixations in content creator fandoms is the ability to disengage when necessary for your own health. and it is absolutely a skill, like you can't just stop caring about something and be able to distance yourself whenever something triggering happens without practice. I'm saying this from experience.

i have hyperfixated on content creator's media since I was eleven years old. I was in the trenches over Markiplier when he had controversies every few months, I had would literally have nightmares over the idea of him being a bad person. Which isn't healthy!

Not even talking about parasocialisms or whatever because that's been talked to death, but I mean for me! For 11, 13, 17, 20 year old me that is not healthy! It is exhausting being stressed out and worried that someone who makes stuff I like is a bad person, especially when you engage with the fandom on twitter. It is fucking vital to unplug in these situations, and to learn how to. And it's not an easy skill to learn it has taken me since I was a literal child to know to develop that skill. But it is important.

And it's not just suddenly not caring about something, but it's disengaging in the moment if necessary, and to be honest I think for a lot of people it is necessary.

Listen, you don't have to explain yourself, you don't have to say goodbye or give a reason why you'll be staying, you don't have to make a statement on your blog or answer anon asks. you owe everyone literally nothing when it comes to online fandom. It is a hobby and sometimes you have to be okay and stepping back when necessary. Undownload twitter for the next three weeks. Block every tag under the sun that'll upset you.

This is rambling but the last thing I'll say is you are a whole complete person without your special interest, and if an interest disappoints you or hurts you that is not then inherently a reflection of you. you are a full complete complex person without it, and you don't have to loose it completely even if right now it might be important for you to step back and regulate yourself. and it is hard and it can be incredibly upsetting and you are valid and real for feeling whatever you're feeling. it's okay.

anyway im going to go read national treasure yaoi now✌️ xoxo gossip girl

#tldr take care of yourselves guys #learn how to take care of yourself #it's hard. and it can really fucking blow but I'm handling this so much fucking better than I did back in 2022

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madlori · 13 days

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Please take this ask in the nicest way possible and not as an attack to you or your opinion/thoughts on Buddie/BuckTommy because I am not trying to do that! I just wanna share my opinion with someone who might be willing to hear me out?

But personally I'm gonna be kind of upset and honestly maybe sort of offended if Eddie never becomes canonically queer? It's just that I've heard the sentiment that people should be content with the fact Bi Buck is even happening as if it's wrong to ask for more...

But queer Eddie is as important to some people and while someone can be happy with Bi Buck and glad that it is happening- it doesn't mean they feel represented, like Eddie is Mexican American which is so important and him being queer would be so meaningful for the people who would see themselves in him as that kind of representation is very rare!

I know it's kinda ridiculous but I don't know how I'd feel with them bringing in a blue-eyed All-American to be Buck's endgame or sole male love interest, and ditching canon queer Eddie (because at this point I don't know how we'd get that without Buddie) especially when queer Eddie was considered at least a little bit at the beginning (with the whole 'it was supposed to be Eddie and Tommy at first')

Sorry for the long ask (and my maybe terrible wording, I'm not the greatest writer) and hope you're able to understand my thoughts on this! Queer Eddie just matters a lot to me :')

Thank you for the ask! I think this feeling and opinion about it is very valid and a valuable position to hear.

I'm in no way saying that we "should be content" with Bi!Buck...but I am saying that it's all we may get. You can choose whether or not to be content with it, or to hope/advocate for more, but I also think it's worth enjoying what we have now, which is a pretty big deal.

Eddie being queer WOULD Be meaningful to a lot of people, for all the reasons you state, and it would be amazing. I think being disappointed if it doesn't happen is a totally valid response...I might stop short of that for being offended, as nothing has been promised to us, and Eddie as a straight man is still an awesome character who we love.

Just as a note, I don't put much stock in the "it was supposed to be Eddie who kissed Tommy" reports. A lot of ideas get tossed around in the very early stages of writing. Much like "Maddie was supposed to date Eddie," we don't use that as evidence that Maddie and Chimney aren't good or weren't intended. What we see is what was intended.

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chaotic-archaeologist · 1 year

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hey i followed u for archaeology but since you seem to be open to sex ed questions i thought i'd shoot haha.

so i'm a trans guy, i don't have bottom dysphoria, i would like to use my vagina during sex for bottoming. but i have vaginismus. real bad. and possible vaginal atrophy. not looking to treat it with advice from this blog, not coming here for medical assistance, but to put it simply there is no way i can use that thang. hole is closed for business. even to pinky fingers. that shit hurted.

i can and have topped, and bottomed for anal sex. so that's not an issue. i'm open to doing those things. but damn it i would like to use my pussy once in a while and just can't. and i have virgin-adjacent prowess / confidence / experience in sex so i'm bad at communicating my needs and wants.

you got any.. i dont know.. tips? advice? for telling a potential partner that the front hole's off limits without making them think im unsexy? the anxiety's so bad i've fully rejected people i really liked for serious relationships, and turned down hookups, because some part of my brain thinks i'm not worth having sex with if my partner can't use my vagina. especially since testosterone has given me "abnormal" anatomy that i only trust other trans people with and being t4t means i get a lot of people who expect vagina from me, who i then have to disappoint.

this is a stupid specific question so i apologise it isn't really general sex ed but i guess i just need some communication tips because i dont even know where to start.

Okay, first off, I'm sorry that it's taken me a while to respond to this, but I wanted to really think about my answer. Also, for the record: this is always the kind of sex ed question that I am willing to answer. I think more people need to be willing to talk about this sort of stuff.

The primary thing I want to address is wherever you're getting your definition of normal, both in terms of anatomy and sexual function. Because the circumstances you describe are wholly within the realm of 'normal experiences' for people who have a vagina. Vaginismus, vulvodynia, and vaginal atrophy are not relegated to trans men. You are not abnormal. There is nothing wrong with you.

A lot of the porn out there featuring trans men does have them receiving vaginal penetration. Porn is not a representative sample of the population. Do not let porn define what sex is for you.

Personally, my advice would be to treat this as a litmus test for potential sexual partners. If someone wants something and doesn't care/is put off that it hurts you, that is not a person you want to be having sex with. If someone is "disappointed" because you won't receive vaginal penetration, that is their fucking problem, not yours. There are so many things you can do that do not involve vaginal penetration—be excited about those!

As for bringing this up with potential partners, I'm a big advocate for early and honest communication. If it looks like you might be getting down and dirty with someone, you can just say something along the lines of "hey, heads up, but I don't do vaginal penetration/front hole is closed for business/etc." If you really want to get ahead of the issue, you could even put this in your bio on various apps.* *You don't owe anyone an explanation, but you can choose to elaborate as to why.

I'll also point out that there's a halfway option here. It is totally valid to say "look, I am into this thing (vaginal penetration) in concept, but not in physicality." You can talk about it. You can text about it. You can do these things while you're doing other stuff! It doesn't have to be all or nothing.

To me, it sounds like you have 100% of the necessary components for having sex: the desire to have sex in the first place, activities that you can/do enjoy, and a willing partner. That's it. That's all you need.

You are worth so much more than what a single part of your body can/can't offer. Sex does not equal any sort of penetration, vaginal or otherwise. Find someone you trust, get creative, and don't be afraid to enjoy yourself.

-Reid

#he speaks #sex advice #sex education #sex ed #transgender

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neoyi · 4 months

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For the ask game: King Knight for 002? He's a pretty divisive character so I'd like to hear your thoughts on him.

002 | Give me a character & I will tell you

How I feel about this character: King Knight is very easy to shit on whenever I make comics with this guy, I'll say straight up. And it's not because I hate him, he's just so thoroughly unable to see the forest from the trees that his shtick, that of a witless idiot who nonetheless powers through out of sheer determination and ignorance, is arguably his funniest quality and his most fascinating. Being a King means being a leader, to be charismatic, beloved, and benevolent by working for the people. On paper, King probably models this in his head, but in practice, he's every argument for the follies of monarchy. He's bad at what he does, but he's so damn good at everything else he puts his mind to it. Little things we see in the game: *He's handy, having built a makeshift throne on his bed frame. *He's proficient with animals, with the propeller rats taking to him and vice versa. *He IS charismatic and Doesn't Afraid of Anything. Along with his physical strength and pride, he's an unstoppable force. *This is more gameplay segregation than anything (and you can also cheat), but King is, also, apparently, a really damn good Joustus player. ALL of these are talented and worthy of note and if King can just see what he IS good at versus what he isn't, he'd go a lot further in life that would simultaneously benefit him and those around him. The comedy and tragedy is in knowing he doesn't and refuses. King of Cards is the most lighthearted SK game in the series, but only so it hits you with that much more punch in terms of disappointment and expected frustration that you, the player, might feel by the end. Like you know what is to come, but I think, judging by people's reaction (both in-game and by players), they still felt betrayed by his actions. Hey, that's not a bad reaction for a prequel to have. (On a slightly related note though, I am very much ready to move on from SK prequels/midquels though.)

All the people I ship romantically with this character: I flirted with the idea of King/Bard, but ultimately, I think King isn't in a position where romance is a factor in his life (yet.) I think he needs to work on himself first. If he can't handle his own mommy dating another man because he's too self-absorbed and (though he may not admit it) reliant on her, then he has no chance in hell dating anyone successfully. Basically, King Knight? You're, like, 33 years old. Stop acting a 12-year-old.

My non-romantic OTP for this character: This question kind of confuses me? As in, who is this guy's bestest buddy in the whole world? The person King loves the most, but purely in either a familial or friendly platonic sense? In which case? Hmm. Honestly? I really do like the relationship he has with his mom. It is genuinely sweet this goober has such a loving parental figure in his life (one he takes for granted), and I'd like to see a potential Shovel Knight 2 revisit that. Course, I also think King Mom needs a bit more than just "mom." Furniture and objects in King Knight's house (and the, granted, April Fool's joke, tabletop RPG sheet for SK) implied she was once an adventurer, notably the aircraft. I'd like to hope we get to see more of that side of her. (Note: Though I think ycg also stated that aircraft belonged to King's father, which may or may not be a future plot they're planting for themselves, but it'd be super lame if this went to yet another male role. I like King Mom and I love that she has her own autonomy to date whoever she wants regardless of her son's whining, but ultimately... she's A Mom, and it'd be a shame if the materials around her household could not validate her own spirited side.)

My unpopular opinion about this character: Not necessarily the character, but his campaign. King of Cards is a worthy send-off to Treasure Trove, serving as a riveting finale until the inevitable Shovel Knight 2 potentially refreshes the franchise and takes it to newer courses. It is also an overwhelming, bloated game. It felt like they added as much content as they could in order to send it off with a flair, with not as much restraint as the previous entries. And ycg's resistance to any storyline past Shovel of Hope meant by the time KoC came out, the plot beat that occurred in the latter felt constrained by its prequel nature: coincidentally frustrating at its best and unnecessary explanation of certain scenarios and situations at its worst.

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon: Well, actually, what I want him to do is get over himself and realize he's not fit to be King, but he can choose to be someone else and do a better job, but that's likely future sequel material. But also, even when he is at his best, I love the idea that he is still just a wee bit delusional and/or prideful. Don't want to get rid of too much of his general character trait. In which case, he's not a self-serving glory hog. He's a glory hog who has well intention.

my OTP: See second question answered above.

my cross over ship: N/A

a headcanon fact: I like the idea of King Knight actually having a college degree in, like engineering, or something S M A R T. But he either uses it for his one-tracked mind to be King or not at all, so it shocks everyone (or Tinker, at least) when he can repair or build machinery. Doesn't have to be engineering, just something unexpected that you absolutely wouldn't think this fucker would know, but he does, and it ends up being useful.

⭐(Ask Me for my Hot Takes on fictional characters! https://neoyi.tumblr.com/post/739152893490364416/estelanel-001-send-me-a-ship-and-i-will-tell) ⭐

#shovel knight #king of cards #order of no quarter #neoyi talks

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