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silverwhittlingknife · 2 days

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So you're a go to source for all things Dick&Tim bros and you tend to write primarily from Dick's POV. So, odd question, but if you were to summarize their relationship from his POV in FIVE panels which panels would you pick? Keeping in mind that one specific aspect of their relationship that you love needs to be clearly represented by each panel (loyalty, trust etc). I hope this is a fun challenge and not an annoying question so if you don't want to answer that's cool! Have a wonderful day!

No more talk. The same thoughts run through two minds... (SotB 29) / You're my equal. My closest ally. (RR 1) / I can't stop thinking how much I rely on him. (GoG 3)

25 Feelings Dick Has About Tim

This was such a kind ask & a cool challenge which I totally failed; here are TWENTY-five panels of Dick's POV on Tim sdfdsfds Look, I got carried away! Marcia and Cindy! The boys!!

OKAY SO BEFORE I GET TO THE PANELS A FEW NOTES:

WARNING THAT THERE ARE SOME NEGATIVE EMOTIONS IN HERE because I love conflict but but but you gotta remember those are not the final word!! They are complicated people and sometimes they get mad at each other BUT ultimately their relationship is so hugely important in both their lives & they love each other and rely on each other so much -!!! <3

Also I have CONCLUDING THOUGHTS at the end about what Dick's POV leaves out (mostly: a lot of Dick defending & protecting & supporting Tim, which Dick does instinctively but isn't very self-aware about most of the time)

I have loosely organized my list into 5^5 format (5 categories with 5 examples each!), so if you want to skip to a relevant one, here are the categories!!

Below the cut:

I hate him and find him infuriating (#1-5)

On second thought, he's endearing & fun (#6-10)

Grief is complicated & he's all tangled up in mine (#11-15)

I love him & think highly of him (#16-20)

I rely on him & though it's hard for me, I trust him (#21-25)

Final thoughts, a.k.a. if you ask Dick to tell you about Tim, you will be there all day and he will never once mention any of the times he saved Tim's life because they will genuinely not occur to him

I hate him and find him infuriating (#1 - 5)

1) He thinks he’s so smart and can psychoanalyze me and Bruce, but he doesn’t know me at all, he should get lost (New Titans 61)

2) He thinks he’s so smart and can psychoanalyze Bruce but he doesn’t know Bruce at all, he should get lost (Gotham Knights 26)

3) He is so nosy about stuff that is MY business (Robin 0)

4) He sounds like an insincere suck-up half the time... but okay, fine, if you push him he's got a sense of humor about it (New Titans 65)

5) I'm sure he's a better vigilante than me. It's my fault for being a failure, but I resent him anyway. (Nightwing 9 - Dick's having a nightmare)

On second thought, he's kinda endearing (#6-10)

6) He worries too much and gets anxious so easily, but it makes him fun to tease (Robin 67)

7) I'm not that competitive - okay, so maybe I'm a little competitive, I gotta make sure he doesn't get a swelled head (Prodigal)

8) I'm supposed to be his favorite! It is not cool for him to be fanboying over my not-girlfriend's not-boyfriend!! (Birds of Prey 19)

9) We have fun together. I can kick back and relax when it's just the two of us. Plus I get to boss him around a bit. (Prodigal)

10) He’s always trying to reassure me, and I guess it's a little comforting, but also he doesn’t really get it. Or me. He makes excuses that he shouldn't, because he doesn't understand that I suck. (Nightwing 64)

Grief is complicated and he's all tangled up in mine (#11 - 15)

11) He reminds me of everything I try not to think about. Sometimes the memories are so strong it hurts to look at him. (Batman 441)

12) WHY IS HE BEING IMPOSSIBLE ALL OF A SUDDEN??? THIS IS SO FRUSTRATING (Nightwing 139)

13) We're the same. He says all the things I don't let myself think about. It's like arguing with myself. (Nightwing 139)

14) He thinks he gets to tell me what to do but he doesn’t, fuck him (Battle for the Cowl)

15) Life sucks, so what. I sucked it up so he should too (RR 1)

I love him and think highly of him (#16 - 20)

16) He’s the closest thing to a brother I’ll ever have. If someone hurts him I will hurt them harder. (Nightwing 6)

17) I can't handle the idea of losing him. (Nightwing 97)

17) He’s so good and I’m not. I'm afraid I’m bad for him. (Nightwing 110)

18) He’s better than me, and it’s kind of a relief because I know no matter what he’ll be okay. (Gates of Gotham 3)

19) In my head he’s the responsible one. (Gotham Knights 10)

I rely on him, and though it's hard for me, I trust him (#20-25)

20) I know I have to trust him but I'm afraid he'll make the wrong choices and get hurt (Nightwing 139)

21) I'm sure I know what he should do because I see myself in him - not that I can take my own advice, but he should (Blackest Night 3)

22) I trust him. When I’m losing my grip on things, he pulls me back. (Gotham Knights 10)

23) I want him to trust me (Red Robin 12)

24) He can tell when I'm lying. Sometimes he sees my weaknesses better than I wish he did. (Detective Comics 874)

25) He’s always there when I need him. (Teen Titans / Outsiders Secret Files)

Final rambling thoughts:

TIM: Uhh, okay, so I'm just skimming this list - do you really trust me? you're not just saying that? - but anyway, I'm confused because you left some stuff out? Like some stuff that's kinda important? DICK: No? I think I got everything? TIM (starts counting on his fingers): The time I was having a bad day but then I called you. The time I got captured by Two-Face but then you saved me. The time I fell off a train but then you saved me. The time I fell off a building but then you saved me. The time I fell off a different building - DICK: I feel like you're trying to make some kind of point but I'm not sure what it could be.

SO THE THING IS, I put 25 panels in here and not a single one has Dick catching Tim when he’s falling!!! But I think that's a central motif of their relationship from Tim’s POV, not Dick’s. I love Dick, but in some ways I think he is spectacularly un-self-aware.

And I think he especially has a lot of blind spots about Tim. He kinda intermittently gets that Tim admires him, and he enjoys it in a playful I-get-to-boss-you-around way. But Dick tends to consistently underestimate all of his own good qualities & skills, and he meets Tim at a point in his life when he's especially down on himself & his abilities. And so he's unable to see his own influence on Tim, & therefore unable to fully understand a lot of Tim's priorities and loyalties and motivations, because you can't actually understand Tim without understanding Dick's impact on him. There's a fascinating moment in Bruce Wayne: Murderer when Dick's completely blindsided & upset to discover that Tim doesn't entirely trust Bruce, even though this has been a definitive fact of Tim's whole thing ever since he showed up with his Batman needs Robin theory, and Barbara has to actively remind Dick of the obvious-to-everyone-except-Dick fact that a lot of Tim's loyalty is to Dick, and Tim loves Bruce but feels free to be more wary of him. (And to give Bruce credit: this is not something he ever begrudges.) But anyway Babs points this out, and Dick manages to sorta process it for about five seconds, but he cannot actually accept it into his worldview so instead he discards it at the speed of light and goes off and has an argument with Tim instead sdfsfdsf

All of Dick's virtues - Dick's kindness at the circus and Dick's determination to fight through grief and Dick's rigid sense of morals and Dick's vigilante skills and every time Dick has ever backed Tim up or listened to him or protected him or saved him from something or just been casually kind to a stranger in Tim's presence etc etc etc - all these things loom really large in Tim's mental story of Who Dick Is, and What Dick And Tim's Relationship Is. Tim meets Dick before he meets Bruce, trusts Dick more than Bruce, aspires to be Robin instead of Batman. And so in Tim's default version of the story, Dick is the super-special and admirable hero and Tim is... nobody in particular, a tagalong outsider who's barely managing to be a hero, not part of Dick and Bruce's family and not part of their story, who, if he's VERY LUCKY and tries REALLY HARD, might be able to fight his way to proving himself and offering something to Dick that Dick will value, if Dick doesn't get fed up with him first.

But that's not Dick's version of the story!!!

Dick's version of the story is almost the exact opposite, a story where Dick's an outcast failure black sheep who's screwing up everything he tries, and meanwhile Tim is The Sudden New Perfect Robin Who's Better Than Me And Probably Bruce Loves Him More And Probably They Gossip About What A Loser I Am, mixed with a complicated edge of Tim Thinks He's So Smart But He Doesn't Know Me/Us At All. Dick gets much more attached to Tim over time, and Tim gets unnervingly better at the know-it-all psychoanalysis so then Dick gets to have complicated feelings about him being right instead of just annoyance at him for being wrong, plus Dick's relationship with Bruce improves a lot, so Tim stops feeling so threatening. But Dick never fundamentally changes his basic theory of their relationship in which Tim is highly impressive and capable, and Dick is not so much.

And so asking Dick about Tim is kinda like if you asked George Bailey to tell you about Harry Bailey in It's A Wonderful Life; like, you'll be there for five hours while he tells you how great Harry is, and how accomplished Harry is, and how he doesn't really get how or why Harry does the things he does, and maybe George does feel a little resentful or jealous sometimes, but that pales in comparison to all his admiration and trust for Harry who he loves so much, who's better than him in so many ways, and he's not gonna openly gripe but secretly he can't help but feel sometimes like he's such a failure in comparison to Harry, a perfect person who emerged fully formed from Zeus's head with all the virtues and also all the accomplishments, etc. etc. etc. --

-- and he will not actually remember the part where he changed and saved Harry's whole entire life unless you literally send him to an alternate timeline in order to force him to remember it. <3

#i enjoyed thinking about this so much i wrote a novel with All My Thoughts sorry sdfsdfs #tim drake #dick grayson #somewhat tangential but as i was writing this i was thinking about zahri's post #about how different types of stories offer different kinds of emotional payoffs #and i think for me for dick and tim the main two payoffs are:#1) someone who sees & understands your grief for deaths that will never get fixed or get better #and who will face your ghosts with you EVEN WHEN you're also mad at each other #2) someone who you look at and you see all the ways that you suck & he's better & you're a loser who's failed him etc etc #but it turns out that you're wrong. that you're good enough. not that none of the failures were real or that they were all in your head #but it turns out that it's okay that you didn't always immediately do or feel the right thing #and it's okay that you weren't perfect. you can fuck up six thousand ways & everything you did right will still matter #not because of making excuses or allowances or somebody pityingly trying to make you feel better #but because in the end the things you did right are just Genuinely More Valuable than anything you did wrong #all the times you tried & everything that you tried to give - everything you think wasn't good enough - it was.#IN OTHER WORDS they are both convinced they're not good enough & they are both wrong <3 #anyway dick and tim are both INCREDIBLY SIMILAR and also CONSTANTLY misreading each other and i love that for them #and like. they will sometimes totally misread each other & then never figure out the part that they misunderstood #but then they manage to keep going anyway. we love each other on purpose <333 #ask tag #dick&tim

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extensionallydefined · 1 day

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Okay, so, I need to talk about the relationship between Persona 5's ending and Persona 5 royal's ending, because I think it isn't discussed enough how one puts into question the themes of the other and in doing so it elevates everything that came before.

Spoilers are coming, you've been warned.

The main thing that's given me an outlet to think about this is a few quotes from the Phantom Thieves when they're in the Velvet Room after being Thanos-snapped by Yaldabaoth. Specifically these quotes:

Ann: "I... I never want anyone to have to go through what I did!"

Yusuke: "Just as art is meant to break boundaries, people should be saved even if they frown upon it. I won't allow the justice I believe in to be shaken any further!"

Ryuji: "We're doin' this to make sure people don't go through the same crap we did. It doesn't matter if they think we're just or not. We gotta do what we believe in!"

Futaba: "I can't let people suffer like this, even if I don't know them personally"

They mention some core ideas: 1. They want to prevent people's suffering because of the suffering they've felt. 2. They must do this regardless of if people want it, because they think it's the right thing to do. 3. Their justice is worth fighting for by virtue of being what they believe in.

Does this seem familiar? Maybe makes you think of a certain therapist who shows up in Royal?

I think Takuto Maruki serves a decent amount of purposes narratively and thematically, but one of the most genius things about him is that he serves as a foil to both the Phantom Thieves and Akechi, and in being that foil, he is, deep down, following the principles that the Phantom Thieves fought for - In the end, it was largely Joker who inspired him to fight for his reality.

Maruki fights for a reality where suffering straight up doesn't exist, because he doesn't want anyone to feel the suffering he's had to endure. Maruki wants the Phantom Thieves and Akechi to never feel suffering anymore, regardless of their stance on the matter. He is "saving" them regardless of their wishes, and will fight them to keep the reality he wants. He thinks the world is unfair, so his "justice" is to make a perfect world for everyone - and that's what makes it worth fighting for, because that's what he believes.

Maruki's rationale to fight against the Phantom Thieves and Akechi is (partly) the same reasoning that the Phantom Thieves use to regain their motivation to fight the Holy Grail/Yaldabaoth.

So, narratively, Maruki serves as a mirror that's telling things not to be told for the Phantom Thieves to look into and to see the ugly parts of their own way of acting. Can they really fight Maruki, knowing that he is just acting how they did?

I see people sometimes refusing Maruki's reality because it "wouldn't actually work" or "it's imperfect". But as far as I'm aware, it's imperfect because it hasn't been completed yet - I think the game is a lot more interesting under the pretense that Maruki truly has the power to erase all suffering, once his reality is complete, past the deadline. I also see the argument, and even the game uses it, that Maruki's world "isn't reality". But did we listen well to Morgana's speech before he disappeared in the Yaldabaoth arc? The world itself is made up of cognition, reality is born from the points of view of everyone. Maruki *can* change reality, and the real question of the game is not about the logistics or "ontological dignity" of his reality, but rather - Do you want a world where all your wishes are granted and no suffering exists?

In the end, the game shows the Phantom Thieves that "sticking to their justice" will make them fight against people with similar ideals as theirs. It's funny, in a way, how Akechi was the one fully willing to fight Maruki from the start. His rebellion has always been more individualistic in nature than the Phantom Thieves' - he wanted revenge for himself, then redemption for himself and now he wants a reality where he isn't under anyone's control anymore. To him, Shido's country, Yaldabaoth's ruin and Maruki's world are all the same - Maruki just has a nicer, more therapy-speaky way of presenting his proposal, and sees people as his equals rather than as insolent masses, but his goal is the same. They're all worlds that shackle you for the "greater good". And in the end, Maruki, and Royal, force the P5 gang to become more like Akechi - to value their individuality in the face of the public's "justice".

To fight for what you believe in you will face people with the same determination as you. They will be your equals in many, many ways. In the end, you can only stick to your guns and hope that what you believe in is worth more than what they believe in.

I have a lot more to write about these topics but I'll leave it there. Maybe about the relationship between Maruki's reality and individuality next? That could be fun ^^

Btw - Special thanks to @thedaythatwas for inspiring me to write up stuff about Persona 5 Royal!

#persona 5 #p5 #p5r #persona 5 royal #persona 5 spoilers #takuto maruki #dr maruki #p5r maruki #akechi goro #goro akechi #writeup #damn this turned out long as hell

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asidian · 2 days

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One thing I haven't seen talked about is Crystal's character arc, and specifically the way the timing of it interacts with Charles' arc. They stumble over each other in the worst possible way en route to their respective character growth, and from a narrative perspective, it's absolutely genius.

I'm going to preface all this by saying: none of this is a criticism of Crystal. Part of what makes her such a dynamic, refreshing character is that you don't get to see women in fiction written the way she's been written. You don't get to see women with her flaws that aren't throw-away mean girls or villains. You especially don't get to see women with her traits who learn and grow and become better people. So yeah, I'm going to talk about Crystal's character flaws. No, this isn't Crystal hate. We love our girl in this house. Okay? Okay. Let's start.

Crystal's character arc, at its heart, is all about her learning to be a better person because she has good influences that love and support her for the first time.

When the show starts, Crystal is not a nice person. She's abrasive in a way that's specifically designed to push people away. She's used to getting her own way, and it shows. She's used to having no meaningful connections with anyone, and it shows. She's breathtakingly selfish, in the very literal sense of the definition. She is focused on her self. Her problems are front and center to her; everything is about what she needs, and what she wants, and how she's struggling.

Jenny calls her out very early on. In episode one, Crystal is complaining about the boys, and Jenny, for all her cynicism, strikes right at the heart of the problem. She tells Crystal, "Everybody is always thinking about themselves, all the time." People only care about their own problems. And she says, correctly, that that's what Crystal is doing, too.

This moment is a revelation for Crystal. For the first time, she considers what her behavior looks like from another person's perspective. As she says, she gets mad at herself over it, and that awareness allows her to do something selfless for the first time in the series. She takes a step back and insists that instead of focusing on her problems, they go to help a little girl. It's a big moment for her.

But importantly, she's not done growing as a character here. She's only just getting started.

On my first watch through, I didn't realize how often, over the next few episodes, Crystal redirects things to her problems during conversation, but it's quite a lot. She's still focused on herself – selfish, in that most literal definition of the word. The issues most important to her are her issues. She's starting to learn to think about other people, but she's not there yet. The process is still underway.

Which brings us to Charles.

Charles' arc is a different sort of self-reflection. He's terrified that he's a bad person the way his father was and the way the boys that killed him were.

During the course of the show, he gets systematically stripped of his confidence and made to feel helpless, and just like Crystal needs outside influences to help her reach a more stable place, Charles does, too. He desperately needs reassurance that he isn't everything he's afraid he is.

But my goodness, the timing in their arcs is such a trainwreck when you put them together, and it is brilliant.

Let's start with the Devlin House.

Crystal has some amazing character growth here. She displays genuine concern about Charles, makes an attempt at comforting him, and learns to work with Edwin even though she still doesn't particularly like him at this point.

Charles, meanwhile, is beginning to fall apart. He's just had the worst night of his afterlife. He's been viscerally reminded of how helpless he is. He couldn't stop the Devlins from being killed over and over, just like he couldn't stop his own father's abuse. He messed up his attempted rescue so badly that he was completely out of commission until the case was finished. He managed to help not one single thing. He made no impact at all. He couldn't help those girls any more than he was able to help himself, while he was still alive.

So they get back to the butcher shop, and what do we see? Monty immediately coopts Edwin. Niko doesn't know what's happened because she wasn't there and Charles has been all fake smiles with her. And Crystal goes off with Niko, leaving Charles to flounder on his own in the wake of everything. She's still learning how to support other people. She isn't there yet, and it's extremely on display in this moment.

Then we get the lighthouse episode, and they both get put through the wringer here. Crystal gets her hopes and expectations jerked around by the Night Nurse in the very worst way, and Charles gets hit with a whole pile full of trauma. All that helplessness wells to the forefront again. Combined with being forced to relive some of his worst memories and the desperation to keep Edwin safe from hell, Charles lets himself act on his anger for once.

And what does he get in the aftermath? Horror.

Everyone who cares about him is horrified by what he's done. Edwin goes so far as to call it extreme. They don't know the half of it, of course; they haven't seen what the Night Nurse just put him through. But in this moment Charles is at his absolute lowest, and all he sees is confirmation that he's exactly as terrible as he thinks he is.

That's why Charles shrugs off Edwin's attempt at comfort, here. When he needed to be able to do something to protect Edwin and also himself – when he needed to believe that he could be better than what his father always was – all he sees is the confirmation from the people he cares about most that when push came to shove, he really is a bad guy.

Then comes the aftermath. And this moment is such a brilliant, awful clash of both of their character arcs. It is so delightfully messy.

Because Charles starts to open up to Crystal here. He starts to lay himself bare, the way he ends up doing with Edwin in episode 5. He's on the verge of admitting something that he's been worried about for literal decades. He tells her, "I've been angry for such a long time."

And what does Crystal do? She's still in the midst of her own character growth. She's still struggling to support other people. She's still learning how to. In a lot of ways, though she's made progress already, she's still that selfish girl that Jenny called out in the very first episode.

And she shows it here it with the absolute worst possible timing. No sooner has Charles started to talk about what's bothering him than she cuts in with her own problems. She's tired of riddles and spirits and demons and not knowing who she is. And the look on Charles' face. The moment when he visibly sets aside his own problems, because Crystal doesn't need any more disasters on her plate? It's heartbreaking. You can actually track the subtle change in his expression there. The actor does a phenomenal job.

And then comes the kiss. And what spurs it? Crystal saying she needs something real.

This moment isn't about light-hearted attraction, the way the earlier flirting is. It's Charles setting aside what he needs – comfort and reassurance and a moment to talk through the things that have been tearing him apart – to give her what she says she wants. He can't even feel it. And Crystal isn't far enough along in her character growth here to realize how selfish she's being. Like Jenny said way back in episode one, she's only thinking about herself.

And then comes the absolute unmitigated disaster of episode 5.

Straight out the gate, Charles leans in for a kiss. From his perspective, they have something together; there's affection there. Charles "I think I'd miss kissing" Rowland, who has been starved for meaningful physical contact for thirty years, is not in a hurry to give this up.

But Crystal is fresh out of a nightmare where she conflates Charles with her abusive ex. She withdraws; she calls what they had a distraction. She cuts it off almost as soon as it's started, so focused on her own worries here that she misses how damn fake Charles' smile is, to cover up that he's coming to pieces.

To be clear, she's absolutely not in the wrong here. It is 1000% her prerogative not to jump into a relationship again while she's still struggling to work through what happened with David. But the arc of her narrative is still early enough that she does it all without so much as the awareness that her focus on her own issues has hurt Charles terribly.

And then the episode really kicks off, and both of them are in shambles in very different ways.

Crystal is projecting her issues with David onto Charles. She has a lot of history, and David seems as though he's exactly the right sort of toxic to leave lasting a lasting impact. But Charles hasn't done anything to deserve her assumptions, and he takes the brunt of her temper here and throughout the episode.

Charles is desperately projecting onto the dead jocks. He very badly wants them to be good guys, because he sees himself in them and he needs himself to be a good guy. He snipes back at Crystal for the very first time in this episode, and he does it in the worst way possible, accidentally prodding her where it will do the most damage.

They're both hurting. They both say some truly painful things to one another.

She does not need to hear that she has unsorted hangups about David still plaguing her while she's unable to move past them. He desperately does not need anyone to tell him that he has rage issues while he's still struggling to think of himself as a decent person.

They apologize, in the end. They start to move past it.

But it's telling that Charles doesn't try to open up to Crystal again. He goes to Edwin instead, even though Edwin is the one who called his actions regarding the Night Nurse extreme. He gets the reassurance he needs so badly; he gets the connection he was looking for with Crystal from Edwin, instead. (I have a lot of thoughts on why Charles initially tries to open up to Crystal so quickly, but it is very much an aside, and this is already extremely long, so it will have to wait for another write-up.)

But the important thing here is, Edwin is the one to offer Charles what he needs to overcome the self-doubt eating him alive. Edwin provides the physical affection Charles was seeking in the form of that long-overdue hug. Edwin is the one who's able to reaffirm for him that he's not just a good guy, he's the best person Edwin knows.

And for all intents and purposes, Charles' major character arc ends here.

Charles has a few last little moments to go on the path to rebuilding his own self-image, after this, but for the most part his concerns have been resolved. He saves Crystal in episode 6 and Edwin in episode 7, proving to himself that he's able to make a difference in the face of overwhelming odds. He's not helpless, no matter what the Night Nurse told him; he can be a force for good in the world. By the end of the series, his crisis of self-doubt seems to have been largely overcome.

But it's the conversation with Edwin at the end of episode 5 that really allows him to work through his most pressing issues. Edwin is there to help support him when he stumbles. Edwin provides him the comfort he was looking for while Crystal was too worried about her own problems to notice how badly he needed the help.

Crystal, meanwhile, still has a ways to go after episode 5. The last three episodes are where she does her most important character growth.

In episode 6, she learns some hard lessons about keeping secrets and letting people help and appreciate you even when you can't offer them anything in return. And Charles, importantly, is there for her every step of the way. He consistently offers her physical and emotional support. He models for her, in a very real way, what it looks like to have someone prop you up when you need the help.

And in turn, Crystal steps in to save the boys. She's the big damn hero at the end of this episode.

The breakthrough continues into episode 7. She's so intent on helping to get Edwin out of hell that she literally goes to face her own demons, not for herself for once – not for her own purposes or needs or wants – but because she wants to help someone else.

And episode 8, at long last, brings her to the culmination of her character arc.

Crystal is at her absolute lowest here. Her family, the people who were supposed to love her unconditionally, didn't even realize she was gone. Her precious memories, that she's spent the entire series trying to regain, have showed her that she's not the person she hoped she would be. She's overwhelmed enough that she means to flee, to cut herself off from her new friends entirely.

Then the boys get kidnapped. And just like that, she makes up her mind.

For the first time since the start of the series, she sets aside her most important issues in order to let what other people need take precedence. She disregards all of her own personal concerns and focuses instead on others. She's finally stepped out of those selfish impulses that Jenny calls her out on, all the way back in the first episode. She's finally learned how to support other people when they need it.

Crystal has finally figured out how to be there for others, despite having troubles of her own.

It's a lovely arc, and it's beautifully done.

Charles' is just as touching.

And god damn, but it was a brilliant narrative choice to have their character arcs line up in exactly the wrong way.

#dead boy detectives #dbda #dbda spoilers #charles rowland #crystal palace #edwin payne #meta commentary

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tizeline · 2 days

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May I ask, what is Leo and Draxum's relationship like? Is it good? Neutral? Or bad?

Uhhhhh well it's not exactly perfect, but I would say it leans more towards good, Draxum and Leo do both genuinely care for each other. I know that in the most recent comics their relationship appears a bit... strained to say the least. Because it is. BUT you should know that this is the most strained their relationsip has ever been up to this point. The reason for that is that this is the first time Leo has really openly and completely gone against Draxum's orders, Leo has never been as much of a rule-follower as Raph or as dedicated to the cause as Mikey, but he generally tends to go along with whatever his father wants. So Leo actively working against his family is new territory for all of them, that paired with Draxum's stubborness and self-rightousness (which makes him quite bad at being diplomatic in this situation) just causes even more cracks in their relationship.

That being said, things weren't all sunshine and rainbows before this, there has been an underlying tension building between the two of them for years which also acts as fuel to the fire in their most recent disagreement. I've brought it up before (and I'm gonna keep bringing it up whenever it's relevant) but one of the biggest dilemmas Draxum is dealing with is his duties as a father clashing with his duties as the warrior alchemist who has tasked himself with saving all of yōkai-kind. He created the turtles to aid him in that task, because of that he puts a lot of time and effort into finding their unique strengths, their "use" for a lack of a better term, to focus on improving and perfecting. It's similar to in canon, Leo feels insecure about role on the team because he doesn't feel like he has a Specific Thing™ like his brothers do. Only this time, it's kinda reinforced by the way Draxum acts.

And listen, Draxum doesn't actually love any of his sons more or less based on their "use" to the team, he views them as his children first and his soldiers second. But regardless of whatever his internal feelings are, because he's so dedicated to the plan he ends up spending more time with helping Mikey and Raph perfect their specific skillsets while Leo has a tendency to get a little overlooked. So from Leo's point of view, he's convinced he's the least favorite child! Oopsie! So again, like in canon, he acts like a show-off in an effort to get attention and praise, which a lot of the time just ends up backfiring on him cuz it makes him appear impulsive and immature.

This is something that starts off as a relatively small problem that just keeps getting more and more serious the longer it goes unadressed. By the time of season 1 Leo has more or less accidentally cemented himself as the "class-clown" of the family, so when he tries to argue about Draxum's plan neither his dad or his brothers really take him seriously. It's just Leo being Leo again, no biggie, he'll get proven wrong like he always does and they can all have a laugh about it later! But verbally disagreeing with Draxum is one thing, the fact that Leo actually goes and takes direct action against his family in such an extreme way is completely new, and it definitely throws them off. So Leo's hurt that his family refuses to listen to him and his family is hurt because they feel like Leo betrayed them.

So overall... yeah things are pretty dire in the entire Draxum family right now, especially between Leo and Draxum. They ARE gonna reconcile though! Leo's insecure role in the family has been a problem that's been going ignored for years now and the situation boiling over is gonna force everyone to actually adress it. It'll take some time, but Leo and Draxum are gonna talk things out, despite everything they do love each other, they both want to get along, they just need time to figure out how to actually accomplish that lol.

#i've talked about this subject before but i might as well answer it again #it actually helps me get a better understanding of my own au to but my thoughts into words #so i like answering asks such as these just because of that honestly #Tiz Sep AU #tizel talk #tmnt #rottmnt #rottmnt au

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mossmittens · 3 days

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i have this headcanon that laios winds up helping in the castle's kitchen gardens in his (infrequent) spare time. he does a lot of heavy lifting in the manga and i just don't get think he would enjoy being super idle as a king, ya know? he'd help the actual gardeners by moving stuff around, watering, weeding, small stuff. he'd also be interested in helping choose what's planted and he could specifically choose to plant herbs and veg that his friends like.

actually, i don't think laios would stop at just the kitchen gardens. you know what decorative gardens have a lot of? shrubs. you know what you can do with shrubs? trim them into cool shapes. you know whats a cool shape? monsterrrrsss. my guy would love a garden full of monster shrubs. or even just parterres that have cool monster-relevant designs.

and it's not just laios! early in the manga, marcille talks about using natural dungeons (like the one falin showed her) to plant mana herbs like mandrake without the danger of artificial dungeons. maybe marcille and falin have a greenhouse dedicated to experimental mana plants!

#dungeon meshi #dungeon meshi spoilers #laios touden #i love castle gardens ok i want melini to have a really cool one #now that i have tricked some new people into following me with chilchuck cock check #i can discuss my true interests -> very specific laios headcanons #stay tuned for my 'laios is a shark at cribbage' hc

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oblique-lane · 1 day

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"Just a bunch more biblical paintings then I'll go back to drawing yaoi" Or you can do both, renaissance style, Michelangelo or Raphael I honestly forgot who drew those naked men on the Sistine Chapel's ceilings ok bad joke aside: I'd love hearing more about your headcannons, specifically about the childhoods of the characters (ranging from the mercs, to Miss pauling, the Administrator, hell anyone you have ideas about!)

Childhood headcanons... How did you know I've had something about that on my mind? Alright, let's talk about...

Little Sniper

(Lots of trigger warnings ahead, check tags!)

Mundy was obviously an unhappy child. When I imagine the surroundings he grew up in, I see miles and miles of empty landscapes, dry yellow grass, unkept barns destroyed by rust and a deep choking sense of loneliness.

The closest neighbour woul be so far away you better bring a bicycle with you if you want to visit. School and Church were the only places to go, which were also very far away. No kids his age nearby. And even if there were peers at school, no one wanted him anyway.

Mundy was "weird", he didn't quite understand other kids' jokes, didn't get what was so fun about what everyone else enjoying to do; he was weaker, always loosing in close fights; he didn't even look very local for whatever reason. Even if he tried to get along with someone, it either ended up with him being ostracized or with him experiencing the greatest boredom imaginable. And the kids quickly picked up on his "difference", making him an object of bullying.

It started making fun of everything Mundy does, his habits and speech patterns, his morals and ideas... Which wasn't anything too big for him but it was still very annoying and upsetting, he grew to hate school very quickly.

Coming home being exhausted from this kind of socializing, no one would really comfort him. Being very little, he used to tell on his bullies to his parents, telling how hurt he was by their words... And it would only made a mess in his family.

Overreactive mother: "Poor baby, I'm so sorry, I'll tell their parents to stop being mean, my little little baby, maybe we can go homeschooling..."

And a strict father: "Are you a man or what? Yeah, he will end up a bloody baby if you keep spoiling him like that! Suck it up! Of you can't stand for yourself, no one will. At this pace you'll end up a nobody, with no home nor respect from the world".

Mundy didn't want to be neither a baby nor a disappointment. He figured that sharing his feelings with parents wouldn't be that good of an idea, they won't understand anyway. And also that he must fight somehow.

If he can't win in close fights, he thought, he could hit them from a distance: throwing small rocks at the bullies from up the tree...

–He was punished for that. For some reason, every time Mundy fought back, he was scolded by the elders, who for some reason always believed the bullies that HE was the one starting the fights. They forbid him to fight back. He closed his feelings shut and stopped paying attention to almost everything around him.

Why was it like that? Why was he so different from other kids, why couldn't he understand them? Why couldn't he understand anyone in this world? The world was a mess of unspoken rules and suffering, overcoming oneself, pain; he couldn't fit in. He was always on the wrong even if he didn't do anything. He felt like an outsider everywhere he went.

Sometimes he wondered if he was born into a wrong family or that he wasn't a human at all. Looking at the night sky, he was thinking about aliens, maybe they would come to him someday and take him to the planet he truly belongs, being accidentally swapped at birth. Maybe then he will be happy, he will leave this sickening place and finally start living. He thought about dying, too.

He started to spend a lot of time in the forest any chance he got. He was alone here, unwatched, somewhat free. It was easier to breathe here. He was alone but it didn't feel worse than being with those people. He played by himself. He started to believe that he actually likes loneliness.

As Mundy and his peers grew older, the kids started to become more and more savage, thanks to the hormones and age crisis. Bullying intensified as those kids started to feel the need to assert themselves. Mundy was maliciously beaten (he fought back as much as he could and even win sometimes, but the beating only got worse each time). They used any chance to humiliate him.

And each time after that Mundy would take the knife or his father's shotgun and go to the forest to take his anger on animals, "hunting", since he couldn't do anything to fix the root of the problem.

He would hunt for something small, like birds or feral rabbits so he could butcher them and cook on fire to eat. At moments like this he felt like a beast, and somehow it was the most pleasant state for him to be in.

There were no words available to form his pain into, so the pain came through violence. The more violent his abusers became, the more violent he was at his "hunting". The more he felt his father's gaze piercing him with disappointment, the sharper his knife movements would get. Sometimes he would let the bodies to just rot like that, completely butchered in a very non-culinary way.

(Maybe someday he would lure one of those bastards to the forest and kill him the same way and blame it on an animal attack)

And at some point... His classmates would came up with something that would cross all the lines if forgivable. Somewhere there was the peak of what they could do. Something beyond.

There wasn't a known way to him to deal with that. No known words. Everyone would be so grossed out of him if they knew. He was beyond disgusted with himself, too. What was the point of living now?

That day he would shot a wild boar, take his machete out and cut it open, butcher it the way his father would when they wanted a pork dinner for the night... And reached to the its heart.

The heart is where the love is stored, right? That's what people say when referring to this "love" he'd never seem to know. A dark read bloody organ that feels like sponge inside of thin rubber. There's something about this that Mundy lacks. He has a heart too, it's pulsating inside him, but for some reason it was unable to produce the "love", a very necessary fluid for a human body. He wondered if it's sweet. He wondered if he was even able to taste it.

He took a bite... And realized what he was doing.

He was, indeed, a monster.

When he went back home, later than usual, he would be met with his father's gaze. He was always throwing gazes, for every occasion, Mundy was used to feel small and guilty under them. But this time... It felt somehow more personal. More disturbing.

His father looked at him as if he was a dirty little creature, a rat, a maggot. He looked at him the way one would look at a criminal who wronged their whole family. He looked at him like he knew.

His father didn't say anything that day and it wasn't brought up ever again.

Mundy was indeed a monster who was utterly terrified of this though. He didn't want to be one. He made a promise to himself that everything he does will be morally justified, he promised himself to become a good... decent person. He would earn his place in the world, even if his father, everyone else denies it.

It gets blurry at this point. Sniper doesn't really remember his life before about 17, when he was finishing school and starting to work on his sniper licence. For some reason he always knew he would be good at shooting and killing. When remembering his home, Sniper would recall the smell of grass, mother's cooking, the warm sun, and a steady life he had. He knew it was boring, but it still somehow felt like home. Home he felt was lost somewhere he didn't remember.

Either way, he was always a loner.

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animeshotsh · 1 day

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How they cheer you up 💞| HCS | Various! x Reader |

Summary: They notice you are not feeling well, so they decide to try and help you feel better.

Lucifer

Lucifer its the one who notices your mood change first, as well as your new routine of oversleeping as well as getting yourself with lots of work. He knows what is going on (he has faced it before) and knows he would have wanted help or someone by his side.

His way of helping you is soft and also calculated in order to not make you feel like you must tell him what is going on or to feel pressure from him. Will invite you to have tea with him, will ask you what you would like to do for the day and encourage. If you want to staty in bed then he asks you if you need anything. Is going to get your favorite food and ask for extra soft pillows and blankets. If he notices that you are staying inside too much he will ask you to help him do some errands in town. Will offer to fly with you in his arms and play the violin for you if you like it.

Charlie

Despite she being hyped all the time and with lots of work she notices your change. How you seem to be out of space a lot, or how you avoid the rest of them. Charlie will wait for a moment where you two can talk alone. She wont pressure you on telling her whats wrong, will tell you to take your time. Is going to be around you a lot, unless she sees that she is over passing. Will ask for your help with easy tasks and ask you to have lunch with her.

Alastor

He may be slow at first at seeing your mood change, till he notices how irritated you are getting or how you seem to stay in your room all day not coming out unless its for eat or do some work.

Alastor comes from a time where this type of things were not adressed, however he feels like he must offer you some help, even if he does not know what he is doing.

His approach may be a bit agressive at first, teleporting you outside the hotel and making you take some walks with him as he talks about different stuff.

He will invite you to have dinner with him, playing soft jazz and even reading with you. Will leave a shadow of his to follow you and order it to help you with whatever task you may need.

Husk

Husk has his own inner fights so he is also quick to cath up with yours. He is not that good at talking or with feelings but its an amazing listener and will tell you that you can share with him whatever fear or thing that is making you feel bad.

He may not know what to do if you cry but will give you an akward hug and even put his wings around you.

Vox

When he is alone he is less of as ass than when he is with the V's.

Vox will notice how you are not doing your work. like you used to do and will find it strange then he will give you more hours to rest and send the best food on your way. Is going to play your favorite shows 24/7 and anyone who does not like it can go and fuck themselfs.

If social media is making you feel bad then he will remove your social apps and say they are unavailable at the moment.

Vaggie

She will be the "together". Basically wont leave you alone unless you ask her to. She wants to support you and be with you if you need her to.

Stolas / Mentions of medication

As someone who has to live with it and has to take medication for it Stolas will notice. He will ask you whats wrong and to please share with him what is going on.

Will ask you if you want to visit a Doctor and offer all his mansion for you to stay in. Is going to make plans to help you pass the time and distract you. Do you want to see a sun born ? He is taking you there. Do you want to help him with his plants? Of course he will say yes!!

Do you want to cuddle and watch a movie with snacks? He is preparing the best nest ever.

Rosie

Best friend in all circles. May ask if someone hurt you or if you need something specific from her. Will get you the best food and clothes to try and cheer you up. Walks with her in cannibal town are a must as she tells you the last gossips that are going around. If you want to cuddle she will do it just for you.

~☆~☆~☆~☆~☆~☆

Other characters I think would be great supporters/help you.

Emily (she is an angel of course she will let whatver she is doing to try and make you feel better).

Moxie (he is gentle, is going to make you stay home and away from work. Gets protective of you and will not back off on telling Blitz to stop mocking you).

Angel Dust (may be tricky for him but will try his best. Knows everyone has problems and they are different. But having someone by your side its important. Will let you cuddle his pig pet).

Zestial (I think he is a softie with these who he likes. You are close to him, he notices how you are not being yourself. Will use his power and status to help you).

#hazbin hotel x reader #hazbin hotel x you #alastor x reader #lucifer x reader #charlie x reader #vaggie x reader #husk x reader #stolas x reader

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multifandomlover01 · 2 days

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The Seduction of One Spencer Reid

For cmkinkbingo2024

Square filled: Virginity/Celibacy

Season 1!Spencer Reid x reader (not afab specific?)

WC: 2654

Warnings: 18+ MDNI - sexual themes - sexualization of virginity, sxualization of Spencer, sexualization of Spencer’s virginity, discussion of virginity (and later sex is discussed), flirting (including touching), attempt to seduce him (which is successful), maybe reader is a little too pushy, Spencer may be a bit uncomfortable, naked people touching, kissing each other

Summary: reader suspects Spencer is a virgin and seeks to be the first woman who beds him

Gif cred: heartsloving

(Gif accurate to season 1 timeline placement)

Spencer had to be a virgin. He just had to be (or at least that’s what you figured). Sure, he probably knew about sex, he read so much it was impossible for him to know nothing. But you doubted that he had any actual sexual experience so far.

The poor bastard was cursed with being painfully pretty but also just as painfully shy. He couldn’t flirt successfully with a girl if his life depended on it. Luckily for him and for you…he didn’t have to. You’d already set your sights on him. All you had to do was seduce him (something you were expecting was not going to be very hard to do).

One day, you wore a blouse that accentuated your breasts and unbuttoned a couple of buttons. You also wore a bra that covered your breasts (less) at a lower point than the ones you usually did. You also wore slacks that fit you just right.

You were usually fairly modest or conservative in your work wear (as that’s what was expected of you). You hoped Hotch or Gideon (or Morgan) would not say anything about it. You wore this for Spencer and Spencer alone. You had been very subtly flirting with him up until this point. You didn’t want to scare him off so you knew you couldn’t do too much. All you’d done so far was smile at him a lot, listen intently and engage with him even more so than usual when he rambled.

You could tell he liked you. You were nice and kind to him. You listened to him when he talked, you complimented him. You two naturally got along very well. So knowing he already liked you, you knew the blouse and slacks would catch his attention.

And indeed they did. As soon as you walked into the bullpen, his eyes lifted from his desk to look at you. He immediately averted his gaze before glancing back at you every so often. You made sure to deny him your attention right now as you made your way to your desk. But you could tell from your peripheral vision that his eyes stayed on you.

You smirked slightly as you sat down at your desk. Tomorrow, you thought, you’d wear a skirt or maybe even a dress. That would really get to him.

In the kitchen area getting coffee, he noticeably stiffens when you slide up next to him. He does not meet your eyes as you reach for your mug in the cabinet. He is looking down at his own, trying not to stare.

“Good morning.” You greet him with a smile as you go to make your cup of coffee (he’d already made his and was putting sugar in it).

“M-Morning.” He smiled back as he nodded.

“You have enough sugar there?” You chuckle as you point to his mug.

“What? Oh!” He looks down. He’d been so distracted by you that he’d put way too much in (even more than he usually did).

“How are you this morning?” You ask as you take the sugar from him to use yourself. Your fingers brush against his hand as you take it from him. If his cheeks were tinged pink before, they were definitely flushed now. You think he looks very cute.

He hasn’t answered your question yet. He’d just been staring dumbfounded at you. His gaze drifts from your face to your neck and finally to your chest. You aren’t showing a whole lot of cleavage but it’s definitely more than you usually show. And it’s absolutely having the desired effect.

“Spencer.” You say in a sing-song voice. “Are you gonna answer my question?”

“I’m sorry, what?” He blinks a few times as he refocused on your eyes. Which he’d gotten lost in more than once so maybe trying to focus on them wasn’t the best idea.

“I asked you a question. You haven’t answered it.” You smile as you tilt your head.

“Oh I uh um…I’m sorry. Wh-what was the question?”

“I asked you how you were this morning.”

“Oh um…good. I’m good.” He smiles and nods.

“Yeah? That’s good.” You smile back at him. “You look a little flushed. Are you feeling ok?”

“Hmm? Oh uh y-yeah…I’m fine.”

“Are you sure?” You take a step forward.

He takes a step back. You take another step forward. He takes another step back but hits the wall.

“I just wanna check your forehead, silly. What’re you running away from, hmm?” You tease lightly as you grasp his wrist lightly in one hand while you raise your other hand to his forehead, feeling it and then his cheeks.

“Why…you are a bit warm. Are you sure you’re feeling well?” You ask, slightly feigning concern as you squeeze his wrist a bit, caress his cheek with the back of your hand and press him into the wall just a bit.

He nods. “Um…mhm. I’m sure.” He says softly as he looks into your eyes, his voice wavering a bit. He’s trying to see why you’re acting the way you are. After all, you’ve never gotten…this close to him before. He’s sure you can hear his heart thumping in his chest (your chest is practically pressed against him). He knows you can feel how warm he is and he wonders if you can also feel the thin layer of sweat that’s appeared on his face and neck.

You lean in just a bit closer to him. “You’re sweating too.” You whisper softly.

“I-I’m fine, I swear!” He stammers.

“I don’t think you are. You’ve either got a fever or a woman you’re not related to has never been this close to you before.”

“What? I’ve uh I’ve been close to…to a woman before.” He chuckled awkwardly.

“No.” You shake your head. “You haven’t.”

“Yes I have.” He insists.

“If you had…you wouldn’t be so flushed and sweating. If you feel fine and have no fever…are you nervous, then? Having a woman so close to you? Does it excite you?” You raise a hand and trail a finger down his nose, tapping it once you get to the end.

“I…I don’t really think this is the right place for this.” His gaze was on your hand before it flirts back to your eyes.

“But you like it? Me being this close to you?” You look back into his eyes, voice still soft.

He nods. “Mhm…I do. A…A lot, actually.”

“Good. Now…how would you feel if I wore a maxi skirt or a dress tomorrow, hmm?”

“Oh, I’d…I’d love that.” He chuckles, smiling. “You’re gonna look so…so um…beautiful. N-not that you don’t now or that you don’t always because you definitely do.”

“You think that I’d ever think you’d think I was ugly? You’re far too much of a gentleman to think that about a female coworker. You definitely wouldn’t say it even if you thought it.”

“I…I don’t think it. I think…that you’re…very beautiful and I really can’t believe that you’re um…so close to me.”

“Yeah? You think I’m beautiful.”

“Very.”

“How does it feel to have a very beautiful woman so close to you, Spencer?” You whisper, your warm breath fanning across his face.

“Exciting…like you said. E-Especially considering we’re at work. I never understood the thrill of doing things in public that I’ve heard and read people have but now I uh I think I get it.”

“You silly goose…I’m not going to do anything to you here. That comes later.” You wink at him.

“L-Later?” He furrowed his eyebrows. “Wh-what comes…later?”

“Don’t you know…genius?” You tease lightly. “Don’t you read?”

“Of course I read. I just…you can’t be…implying what I think you’re implying.”

“Oh? Why can’t I?”

He looks into your eyes for a few seconds and sees that you’re sincere.

“You’d really want…that with me?”

“Of course I would. You’re kind, sweet, handsome. Why wouldn’t I want to do that with you?” You raise a hand again to trail a finger over his cheek.

“Well it’s just I uh I’ve never…” he trails off as he averts his gaze.

“Never…what?”

“Never…you know…”

“You’ve never…been with a woman before?”

“No. I haven’t. My teen years were not spent amongst people of my age.”

“You were amongst people older than you.”

“A 12 year old amongst 16, 17, and 18 year olds isn’t the best environment for a healthy sexual development.”

“And a 14 year old amongst college aged students didn’t help either, I’m guessing.”

“No. It didn’t. I’m 24 now, a working adult and still I’ve never…” he frowns.

“Hey, that’s ok.” You caress his cheek with the back of your hand. “It’s nothing to be ashamed of. I promise.”

“Really?” His eyes started to water slightly.

“Yes, really. When do you think I lost mine, hmm?”

“Oh I uh I dunno. That seems…rude to speculate about.”

You chuckle. “You’re sweet. But I’m asking you now. It’s ok to answer.” You assure him.

“Well…based on the average…17?”

You shake your head. “Nope.”

“Younger?” His eyebrows lift.

You chuckle again. “No. Older.”

“18?” He ups it one year.

“No.” You shake your head.

“21?” He ups it two years.

“No again.” You smile.

“When, then?”

“When I was 24.”

“Really?” He seems genuinely surprised. “Wow…I would’ve guessed sooner.”

“Oh? Why is that?” You tilt your head.

“Well it’s just…you’re such a beautiful woman, I would’ve thought that you’d have lost it earlier.”

“Well I didn’t.” You shrug.

“May I ask…why?”

“Maybe I was just waiting for the right time…the right guy.”

“And was it?”

“No.” You shake your head. “It wasn’t, unfortunately. I’m still waiting for that special someone. Because he most certainly wasn’t it.”

“Oh…well I’m sorry. You um…you deserve someone who appreciates you and will treat you right.”

“Doesn’t everyone?”

“That’s a good point. Everyone does. But my point was…that I’d treat you right.”

“I know that, love.” You caress his cheek with the backs of two of your fingers.

“I’ve never really been in a relationship with a woman before but…I’d be honored if I was able to be with you.”

“Do you want to be?” You ask curiously.

He swallowed thickly. “Honestly? Yes. I’ve thought about…what it would be like…to be with you.”

“Really? You have?” You smile at him.

“Yes.” He nods. “Is that…weird?”

“No.” You shake your head. “I don’t think so. I’ve thought the same, actually.”

“Really? You have?” He smiles back at you.

“Mhm.” You nod. “I have.”

“So…you’d entertain the thought of being with me?”

“I’ll do more than that.”

“Even if I’m not…experienced.”

“Especially because you’re inexperienced. I want to be your first. I want to see you experience pleasure by a woman’s hand for the first time. I want it to be by my hand.”

“Oh…I’d love that very much. Thank you.” He chuckled softly as he smiled.

“Don’t worry…you’ll be in very capable hands, dear.”

“I…don’t doubt that.”

“So…you’ll let me be your first?”

“Absolutely.” His eyes sparkle with affection.

And so that’s how you found yourself naked on Spencer’s bed with his hands on your waist. He was holding you so gently. It makes you chuckle.

“You don’t have to be so scared. I’m not going to break very easily.” You smile at him.

“I know that. But I just think that my first time with a woman should be…gentle.”

“I shouldn’t expect anything else from you, I suppose.” You raise a hand to touch his cheek with the back of it.

“Is that…disappointing?”

“Just because something is predictable, that doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s disappointing.” You caress his cheek with the back of your hand. “Sometimes you’re disappointed if what you expect to happen doesn’t.”

“And what do you expect to happen?” He asks you softly.

“Sex.” You shrug.

“But what if I’m…bad?”

“You won’t be. I promise. My only expectation is that you be you. After all…you don’t know how to be anyone else, right? Nor should you feel the need to be.”

“So I just have to…be myself?”

“That’s all. I promise.”

“Ok…good. That makes me feel a lot better.”

“Good. That was the intention. You don’t need to be so nervous, ok? I promise that you are enough as you are.”

“Thank you.”

“You’re quite welcome.”

“So um…what do we do now?”

“Well…” your hands run up his chest. “Now…we make love to each other. Now you get to feel a woman touch you…intimately…for the very first time.”

Your hands run over his neck.

“Oh yes please. I’d like that very much.”

“Alright then, hon.”

You lean in to press a kiss to his cheek. Spencer’s eyes fluttered closed and he exhaled softly. “Oh…”

You continue to press soft kisses to his face. “Mmm…you like that, Spence?”

“I love it. You’re being…so sweet.”

“What’d you expect? That I’d immediately jump on you in a frenzied act of passion?” You chuckle.

“I dunno…maybe…” He murmurs.

“Have you been reading too many shitty romance novels, perhaps? Those things aren’t realistic in the slightest. You have to take your time, go slow. Trust me. It lets things build up.”

“I don’t think…that I’ll need very much build up.” He murmurs.

“Hey. That’s ok. As long as it’s enjoyable for the both of us. Oh, that’s another thing…don’t worry too much about well um…getting each other off, ok? That’s not the most important thing, you know.”

“But I thought…that was the goal.” He furrowed his eyebrows.

“You wanna know a secret?” You whisper softly, your warm breath fanning against his face.

He nods. “Anything that would help me understand.”

“The goal should be connecting and bonding with your partner.”

He contemplates this. “I suppose…that that makes sense. Chemicals and hormones produced and released during sex can help bring about a sense of connection.”

“See? The science backs that up. While orgasms definitely can contribute to that feeling of connection…for your first time, I think it would be best to just focus on doing what makes each other feel good. I know that brilliant brain of yours will latch very hard onto the idea of giving me an orgasm and it could ruin the experience for us. I want your first time to be stress free.”

“Thank you…I really appreciate how…considerate you’re being.” He smiles.

“Mhm…now…how about we stop talking and start kissing.”

“I think that I’d like that very much.”

You press your lips to his, applying a bit of pressure but not too much so it wasn’t overwhelming to him. Even if you wanted to devour him, you needed to contain yourself. You needed to be considerate. You really did care about him and about making his first time a memorable one.

He presses into the kiss, his hands brushing up your waist, feeling the soft skin there. He had to contain himself as well. He wanted to explore every inch of your body. But he had to go slow. He didn’t want to ruin things by going too fast.

Your fingers grip his hair at the back of his neck. This causes him to shudder and whimper slightly. Your lips part slightly and your tongue pokes at the seam of his lips. He parts his lips and allows your tongue to enter his mouth and brush against his tongue.

Spencer would’ve thought that he’d be disgusted by having another person’s mouth on his like this…by having another person’s tongue pressed against his but his lustful need to feel you supersedes his aversion to such intimacy. He craves it. He craves you.

His hands grasp your sides. A moan from him is muffled by your mouth on his. The kiss breaks and you are both breathless (him more than you).

“Please…I need…more…” He rasps, his hot breath fanning against your lips.

“And you’ll get more…so much more, hon.” You thread your fingers through his hair. “Are you ready to lie with a woman for the first time?”

“Very much so, yes.”

“We…are going to have so much fun.”

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v-arbellanaris · 23 hours

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so!!! i've talked a bit abt why i think rook might be part of the executors, but let me elaborate some more:

FIRSTLY, i thought that harding and varric were actually in kirkwall in the teaser - based off the architecture, and things like that - but thinking on it a day later, i think the little slave statues + the qunari architecture i noted here does support the idea that this is minrathous...

the first mentions of the executors as a group that we hear about is in inquisition - there's a whole wartable questline that, if you follow with leliana, shows the inquisition tracks the executors to a location in tevinter (though not minrathous specifically) until the executors ask the inquisitor to call leliana off.

BUTTTTT. absolution ended on kirkwall, and red templars in kirkwall having a new red lyrium source, and these guys in the beginning of the teaser are carrying red lyrium weapons and wearing red lyrium-embedded armour, so it COULD (to me) still be kirkwall and rook could STILL be an executor....

there's also another mention of the executors in varric's wartable questline in da:i, where you investigate someone who is writing sequels to the hard in hightown books, who is not him. in the process of investigating this hack writer, you find that a magistrate is the courier getting these books out of kirkwall - but by the time you investigate him, he's found dead and stuffed in a closet with a knife in his back, just like out of a scene in varric's book. investigating the murder further leads to a break-in at skyhold where someone leaves a letter like this:

'YOU ENCROACH UPON THE DOMAIN OF HIGHER POWERS. YOU WILL ANSWER TO US.' The letter is unsigned, except for a wax seal depicting six crossed swords.

leliana investigates the scene in the book and cross-references it with the murder and finds inconsistencies in the scene. it's at this point that we find out that there's a mention of the executors in varric's hard in hightown:

"Well, this doesn't look very interesting at all." Maysie frowned, disappointed. " 'What you have claimed belongs to greater powers. You will answer to us.' That's a lot of rubbish." ... "Oh, it's the Executors, of course!" Maysie peered excitedly at the wax seal, holding it up to the window for better light. "I should have guessed it from the silly 'great powers' nonsense. There's only been one example, on the letter claiming responsibility for the assassination of Queen Madrigal in 5:99! And this one is so much better! Just look at that imprint!" "Any idea how I'd contact these 'Executors'?" Donnen asked. "Oh, they're not real, of course. Everyone knows that."

additionally, the rip-off book consists of a lot of errors, and these errors seem to be a double-encrypted cipher. eventually, you crack the code, and it leads you to worthy, the runes guy in hightown, and it seems to conclude that he was both the killer and the author. HOWEVER, worthy himself says he didn't send the letter to skyhold, and i do wonder WHY worthy would lead a trail back to himself - especially since he has a whole little scooby doo villain line abt how he would've gotten away with it, if it wasn't for the inquisitor. so what if he didn't, and the executors really had gotten involved somehow and possibly assassinated the magistrate, and this whole thing was a ruse to cover up that murder? AAAAAAA

edit: as i'm writing this post, i just saw a sneak peak of the trailer which does seem to confirm early-game minrathous setting! i don't think this EXCLUDES rook from being an executor at all, nor does it necessarily mean he is not a kirkwall-based executor, but either way, the executors seem to have a presence in both areas!!! so!!!! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA continues!!!!!

DOUBLE EDIT: I ALSO FORGOT TO MENTION i think it's kind of weird we keep running into this faction and bioware keeps writing ways for us to NOT find out more about them as a group of people and i dont THINK we've actually seen them as a group in the trailer yet (i feel like ive seen venatori and POTENTIALLY red templars, unless im horribly wrong BUT I DONT THINK I AM because of the templars/andruil parallels around hunting!!!!!!!! and the probably link between andruil and the origins of the blight!!!) which makes the most sense if WE'RE GONNA FIND OUT ABT THEM AS AN EXECUTOR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

#dragon age #da4 #da4 spoilers #davg spoilers #da4 speculation #absolution spoilers #i guess???

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gryficowa · 2 days

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Watching videos commenting on miracolous episodes talking about racism is interesting (Especially when I'm older than when I watched them + I'm European, specifically Polish)

Note, if you are outraged by Chloe's defense, I'm sorry, but Europe and the US don't really have the same approach (Which can be frustrating for non-white Europeans)

First of all, the text about sushi… Sushi was created in China and then came to Japan, which means that this particular text by Chloe is not entirely racist, I know, shocking, but Thomas didn't do his homework before writing the episode, so it came out strangely

As for Chloe confusing a Chinese with a Japanese, unfortunately I have an explanation, it is related to the fact that in Europe they speak collectively, i.e. "Asian", so yes, if we assume that Chloe only dealt with Japanese, and not Chinese, it was unconsciously confuses them with each other (I remind you, this is Europe, not the USA, here the topic of racism is more complicated), anyway, I don't believe that she's the only one who confuses Asians with each other, because we're talking about Europe, where such confusion is more "Normal" (however it sounds), why is she the only one? Why don't any adults do this? This is unrealistic and distorts the reality in Europe

Besides, the very fact that the series is written by a Frenchman who has no clue about racism says a lot, hello, you live in a country where Muslims are persecuted (There is a ban on wearing hijabs), so what more can I say about all this?

It's unrealistic that only Chloe confuses a Chinese and a Japanese with each other, older generations should also have a problem with it, because the action takes place in Europe, not in the USA, plus, older generations are more racist than the younger ones (Because the younger ones have access to for information), so it doesn't make sense that none of the adults are racist, Thomas, do you know what country you live in?

So yes, taking the action in France, i.e. Europe, in practice made Chloe's racism seem even more strange, because they could make it seem that she is not the only person in the whole country who has a problem with it, but it is known that Thomas Astruc prefers to pretend, that in his country and in the whole of Europe racism does not happen (And only a white fourteen-year-old child is the only racist… Yes, it sounds bad)

Europe is not the USA, you could have searched the Internet for information about current acts of racism in your country or Europe itself to present them in your series, but you decided to do something that makes no sense because of the place of action which is France, it looks so unrealistic, when you are European and you know the approach of people from Europe, antagonizing Chloe for racism when she is a fourteen-year-old living in Europe (where such racism is more common, because it is not the USA), to punish her for… As a European, she does not have an attitude like Americans and she took bad examples from adult Europeans

Thomas' attitude towards Chloe is even worse for this reason, he forgets that children are not born racist, they acquire this through adults, the Internet and other media (Like the news), throwing Chloe on the pile for being racist is harmful, yes, we should talk about racism and fight it, but hate a child for being a racist, because adults taught her that? A child's mind is still developing, it shouldn't be done, educating children is necessary, so Thomas, you fucked up the whole series

As a European, I have more reason to criticize this series for how it ignores the very topic of racism in Europe in order to antagonize a child (Fictional, but a child), if you want to show racism, then use information about it, not create worse versions of racism from the 70s -those from America

I had to describe it because it's frustrating how Americans hate Chloe for racism and they have no idea what it looks like in Europe, instead of bashing Thomas for showing racism in such an unrealistic way, they attack a fourteen-year-old cartoon girl, it's fucked up on many levels

Thomas doesn't know anything about racism, especially in Europe, if he did, only Adrien and Marinette would know it's racism, and the adults, including Chloe, wouldn't see it as a problem because they're fucking adult Europeans and we have unrealistic shit that pretends to be that it is progressive because it talks about racism, but the truth is that there is nothing there, no realism in this topic (Compare to US productions from the 70's, even they did it better…), this episode would be better if it showed real racism, and not the one just to show how stupid Chloe is -_-

Yes, I had to get this out of the way because a lot of people in the fandom are Americans and they look at Chloe from an American perspective, the problem is that Chloe is not American, she is French and that changes the perspective, yes, racism is bad, but remember that in Europe operates on different levels and Thomas Astruc presented it so badly that if you are from Europe, you it hurts

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thelavendernarwhal · 3 days

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I received an ask that a person wanted answered anonymously, so:

But I really, truly cannot stop thinking about this one scene in Legacy. It’s around page 351.

“You mean having Dizznee pull some money from your birth fund and then hitting up a shop for a couple of minutes?” Keefe asked. “Yeah, Dex told me all about how not exhausting that was last night, when he checked in to tell me how things went for you two in London, while someone was off doing something with Mr. Forkle…”

So what I’m hearing is sleepy Dex on call with Keefe? Dex telling Keefe that he’s tired? A cute little nightly convo?

Side note, why was Dex tired? Does his ability make him tired? I need more elaboration, Shannon.

This scene is hella interesting to me since you look at it and it immediately seems like a Sokeefe scene, but in the middle, it has this seemingly random shift into talking about a completely different character dynamic. The context this snippet falls into is Keefe trying to cheer up Sophie after she had an argument with Mr Forkle. It all makes sense within of their relationship and dynamic, but this bit of dialogue is communicating something pretty different. It’s pointing out that Keefe and Dex have a close friendship that Sophie isn’t super aware of and that Sophie doesn’t spend a lot of time with/pay attention to Dex.

Both of these things can be chalked up to the fact the story is from Sophie’s perceptive. The big plot details have to happen or be explained to her or else they won’t make it to the reader. That doesn’t leave a lot of page time for banter, especially for a character like Dex who’s narrative role can mostly be done off stage. Of course, Dex’s character can be used for a lot more than ‘cool gadget guy’ (ie class divides, matchmaking/queer allegories, parallels to many other characters, etc), but that’s a whole different can of worms. Having moments like this that show things happening outside of Sophie helps establish a larger, more lively world. It shows that Sophie isn’t the center of the universe.

But these little moments can be established with many different characters. There are so many background dynamics and friendships that can be leveraged for this purpose which makes it interesting that specifically Keefe and Dex are highlighted. In fact, these two are highlighted in this way fairly often. Back in book 3, the two of them hit it off quickly and spend more time together outside of a group setting which then translates into many Keefex moments (including getting their team/ship name). Late night calls are probably pretty common.

But what really gets me about all of this is the casualness and I think it's because few other relationships in this series have that. Even characters that are established to be best friends have a good amount of tension between them (ie Fitz and Keefe, Sophie and Dex, Stina and Marella), but Keefe and Dex don’t have that. There’s a sense of stability and trust. They hang out and talk to each other without a practical reason to do so. Dex feels okay complaining to Keefe about projects and, presumably, feelings of isolation. Especially seen in Unlocked, Keefe trusts Dex to help him and hear some of the ugly things he doesn’t want to say to Sophie. There's definitely a lot of room for cute late night conversation on call, but also for a chill relationship in a sea of high-tension dynamics.

The length of this thing kind of got away from me but that's my take :)

(Also, I'm exploring a lot more of the mechanics of technopathy in my own writing, so I think that it's possible that Dex’s experience is something very similar to Keefe’s as the Forbidden Cities has more integrated technology that seemingly ‘speaks’ to Dex. That could be very overwhelming for him, hence why he's tired.)

#kotlc #kotlc analysis #keefex #kotlc legacy #kotlc dex #dex dizznee #kotlc keefe #keefe sencen #I present to you: my takes #for more technopathy ideas plz see my fic 'Bittersweet and Strange'#plz im lonely

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raviosnumber1fan · 1 day

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I want more of Ravio and Link just doing normal Roomate things

As someone who has literally never lived alone I think the fandom (both the ALBW and LU) is missing out on a lot of potential Ravio and Link/Legend shenanigans. Note: Everything is something I have done with a Room/Housemate. Examples will be provided

-having a chore rotation: Link does dishes on “X day” and Ravio does them on “Y day” etc etc. It is also routinely viciously argued about

-subconsciously learning each others little quirks due to forced proximity alone: Like Ravio knowing that Link fiddles with his rings when he gets bored/anxious and Link knowing Ravio hums when he’s concentrating on something, just little stuff like that

-leaving notes for each other when the house runs out of something or when one of them has to leave unexpectedly: “Ravio, I know you used the last of the jam and if we do not have more by the time I get home I will take it as declaration of war and respond accordingly. - your enemy? Link.”

-each knowing what the others Do Not Do Under Any Circumstance rules are: Ravio knows he is never supposed to touch Link’s adventure things, Link knows he’s never supposed to mention/question Ravio’s “trade secrets”

-having to work around the other when they fell asleep somewhere Not Meant For Sleeping: Ravio trying to clean around Link who passed out on the middle of the carpet or Link sitting on the floor because Ravio decided to take a nap sprawled out on the couch again

-constantly having to stop the other from bringing home random animals: (In their friendship specifically I imagine Link as the animal lover & Ravio only likes Sheerow but users choice) Ravio has already stopped Link from keeping: A cat, a squirrel, a chipmunk, a hawk, a rabbit, and an actual hive of bees Link why-?? Link is never permanently dissuaded and is bringing home some other animal by the next week. Ravio is tired

-automatically accommodating for the other out of habit even if they are not there: Link always making two cups of apple cider because Ravio always wants one too only to remember he’s in town or Ravio automatically putting things away a very specific way because That’s How Link Likes It and doing it any other way will result in a fight before remembering he’s across time or smth

-having certain things that “belong” to each other: like Ravio avoiding occupying a certain spot around the house because That’s Link’s Favorite Spot or Link never using a specific dish because That’s Ravio’s Cup even if whatever it is doesn’t actually belong to anyone

-hiding the good food from each other: This one’s more self explanatory but, Ravio hiding his bag of chocolate covered almonds in his money bag since Link won’t go in there or Link hiding his favorite apple candies behind an assortment of random food and with a note that says “eat this and you die” for good measure

-just so many inside jokes: the person you live with is probably the person you spend a good majority of your time with, as such your bound to see each other do some pretty stupid/silly things at least once or twice. And also occasionally be bound to secrecy. Ravio: “Hey this reminds me of when you-“ Link: “Ravio if you finish that sentence I will fight you.” Ravio: “We’re in a library.” Link: “It’s funny you think that’ll save you”

-having random house rules: like a “Your Closer” rule where if something needs to be retrieved/done whoever is closer has to do it or a “Blanket Tax” rule where if it’s really cold and you’re both sitting right next to each other you’re legally obligated to share some of your blanket with the other person

-having unspoken deals about random things: similar to the last one but like if one or both of them are eating and Ravio doesn’t like the carrots but Link does or Link doesn’t like the green beans but Ravio does etc, they have a standing agreement that the unliked food is automatically promised to the other. They will not talk or ask before just taking/putting things onto each other plates and that is acceptable

-ongoing petty disagreements/feuds: Ravio absolutely hates when Link leaves his weapons outside their designated spots but Link keeps doing it because he hates when Ravio borrows one of his books and messes up the order. (Ravio has no idea how the order goes and refuses to learn out of spite) Neither of them are backing down. They will always do it and the feud will never end

-knowing each others preferences without trying: Link will be shopping and just instinctively avoid certain foods because “oh Ravio doesn’t like that” or Ravio will see someone (maybe one of the Chain or Zelda) going to get something for Link and being like “Link doesn’t like the way that material/fabric feels”

These are just a few things but I just really want to see more platonic normal roommate things with Ravio and Link/Legend, it could be so fun

#not a ship #Ik it is not a popular opinion but I think Ravio/Legend or Four/Shadow counts as Linkcest #Since they’re all technically a Link #Same with The Colors being shipped with each other #it just makes sense #but that’s just my opinion #headcanon #legend of zelda #a link between worlds #linked universe #legend lu #albw ravio #lu ravio #linked universe headcanons #A link between worlds headcanon #roomates #they’re brothers your honor #Those are real house rules I’ve had #I was the animal gatherer unfortunately for my poor allergies ridden roomate

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renee-mariposa · 1 month

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So I'm reading Utopia For Realists

This book feels very frustrating to read because he talks about social phenomena, wonders aloud about them, then puts forth his conclusions - and it feels like he's missing a huge piece of the social phenomenon, and as a result, I'm wondering if his conclusion is flawed. And it's infuriating!

Most recent example I've read so far: he talks about the history of the Reduced Hours Work Week (4 day work week, 15-hour work week, etc), noting the rise in popularity of the idea in the twentieth century, then the sudden halt of progress in making the idea reality, noting that women entered the workforce in the 80s (attributing it solely to "the feminist revolution") and workers in the Netherlands ("the nation with the shortest workweek in the world" he claims) being expected to be on-call more and more in the 2000s. He presents these things without any context or commentary, as if they were just an incidental finding in 'our modern life'. Like, 'gosh, everyone wanted a shorter work week but then women entered the workforce and now everyone is just required to work more hours! Crazy stuff, huh?'

Along with this, it really feels like he's looking at populations in a country as one unified whole, wealth-wise. So, for example, he makes claims several times to the tune of, 'the US is several times as wealthy [today, in 2014] as in XYZ time." So he goes on to ask aloud, 'how are Americans so wealthy and yet so overworked and stressed?'

And like. It feels like there's this huge elephant in the room he's missing: why is he not addressing the presence of and effect of stagnant wages and skyrocketing rent/grocery/daycare/medical costs when talking about these social problems he's addressing? Why is he not addressing Regan's empowering of corporations to be as greedy as possible i mean the effect of Trickle Down Economics on the US economy? Why is he not addressing the fact that 1% of Americans hold, what, 99% of the wealth in the USA? Why isn't he addressing the decline of unions? Why does he make it sound like 'the people' loved these ideas then turned away from them, when it was more likely 'the people' have always loved these ideas and it's corporations who hated them and gained enough power to stamp the ideas out? I know that the term 'enshittification' didn't exist when this book was published but I can feel the absence of the idea like a cardboard cutout in almost every argument he makes. Has the US econonomic situation really gotten so much exponentially worse in the last decade that these problems are only clearly visible now vs 2014???? I read his book and all I can think is, the problem is unchecked corporate greed, the problem is corporations being allowed to grind people up for profit, the problem is the government being allowed to treat the poor as less than human because "people can only be poor if they're bad people, and bad people don't deserve any help".

Like. I can accept that I am probably not the target audience for this book. I already believe that laziness does not exist, and if we give people UBI and more leisure time people will be happier, healthier, and more 'productive' (i.e. do the things they actually want to do). I already believe whole-heartedly that to improve the health of the population, poverty must be alleviated, and to alleviate poverty, you just gotta give people enough money to live on with no strings attached. I am convinced that we need to crack down on corporate greed, but I'm absolutely overwhelmed with how much legal power corporations have in the USA. I feel utterly defeated by how my corporate employer treats the entirety of their workforce (cutting the budget at my hospital while the CEO of the head corporation makes 395 times the median wage of non-C-suite employees), how much bitching and moaning and furious lobbying they'd do if they had to comply with a four-day workweek or even a four- or six-hour workday for all employees. And if that got passed into law they'd find a way to make an exemption for nurses, so nurses would have to keep working 12- and 14-hour days. Mega corporations - unchecked corporate greed - monopolies - are a fucking tumor on the human race, but shrinking them would fundamentally alter our economy as we know it.

I guess this book is frustrating to read because it feels like he's trying to convince regular people that these ideas are good. Which is admirable! If I would've read this book in 2014 it would've blown my mind. Convincing people that helping the poor helps everyone is very admirable! And I suppose if enough regular people become convinced of these ideas, then there will be more power on our legislature to actually implement them. It's just frustrating to me that he's utterly ignoring the presence and effect of corporate greed. And he's not necessarily addressing the people who have the power to get the ball rolling on these changes.

#i had to talk through this to realize what was bothering me #i didn't realize i was being so cynical #long post #corporate greed is constantly on my mind these days bc of the shit my employer is doing #because i'm stuck in it right now it feels inescapable #the author is from the netherlands so i can understand not focusing on the USA i get it #but he does talk about the US specifically a lot!#and he has the fucking gall to say 'well if we didn't have inequality then society would stagnate!'#fuck you #you only say that because the inequality doesn't affect you asshole #inequality is a part of the human condition but that just means it's our job to combat it ceaselessly

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