#seriously can we talk about ethics and why they are necessary
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Have you noticed how women are used in the film? Their suffering, grief, ambitions and even deaths. It all benefits the men.
yes, i have! i think it was during the first time i watched with two of my friends that we mentioned how fucked up it seemed to bring in lilly. she was an abused child in circumstances that june describes as inhumane and now she's supposed to come on and chat about said abuse.
to better delve into this though, i'm going to do a little ramble on each female character (i've been meaning to this regardless so this question has me excited!)
Lilly
as i mentioned before, lilly, to the public, is an abused child who has been rescued from a cult and is now the subject of dr. june's book. i believe that june really did care for lilly but she in a way, was still benefiting from her by writing about her. something to study while parenting. reminds me a bit about parents who write about raising troubled children.
jack brings them onto the show almost because he knows how shocking this is to audiences, to have survived what lilly did. i think that fear and shame but also desire kiss on the mouth. the public both fears the occult but want to learn more, there is some sort of fascination with the idea of someone being in it and being able to get out of it (would people do the same?). lilly is a spectacle. she is to go from not knowing the outside world to standing in front of the camera and expecting to behave like a typical girl her age. it's almost like she has to prove herself well-adjusted after her trauma.
june explains to her that everyone having a demon inside of them, acknowledging that lilly's might be a little more literal but because the demon serves as a stark reminder of her time in the cult, it's similar to someone working around their triggers. everyone has hurt in them. like a therapist helping you work with carrying that hurt rather than just suppressing it. clearly the demon leaves lilly exhausted, upset and feel not like herself. she's crying after her scene and asking june as to why she's hurt her, and apologizing for whatever happened when Mr. Wriggles was there. she is not in control of her actions. but jack wants more. he's momentarily sympathetic but realizes that it's getting him higher ratings. the more hurt is displayed, the happier than the media is.
even in the final scene, when the demon possesses her, we can see it in her face that she's distraught. confused. but all the camera does is zoom in on her expression,
June
june is so intriguing to me as a character because it's almost as though her instinct toward things is a calm and collected behavior, one that thinks of the ethics of it, whether anyone will get hurt, but her decisions are so easily swayed by jack. and he knows exactly what to tell her too. Everyone finally take you seriously. It is the 70s so there's no surprise that misogyny is rampant (though the 70s did introduce the second wave of feminism, she may be a representation of challenging attitudes as well). june is a very passionate woman in her studies, she'd be considered an expert in the field but this is almost immediately dismissed as soon as she's introduced as a doctor. you call yourself that. is that what you believe you are? can you prove you are?
i think it makes june feel better if everyone has a distance from lilly - hence writing a book about her. you can know lilly through the pages. you don't need to make her suffer for views then, you can educate yourself on what was happened to her and understand she's hurt more than necessary. she might've felt the need to write the book for them both. lilly need to be understood and emphasized with as more than just a "child of d'abo". but jack invites her with the idea of simply talking about said book, one of her biggest accomplishments and instead wants to treat them like some sort of circus act. do a trick for me, june! you know how to! it's not enough that you tell me you know, you have to show me, you have to prove yourself to me, the camera makes it real.
it is that logic that sometimes makes her feel inclined to prove herself. and sometimes this is at the cost of her own morals.
Minnie
my beautiful wife,,,
i love minnie. so much. i've written a bit about how i think she was prior to her death in other asks but i never quite touch so much on how much she was exploited by both jack and the industry.
to be ill is a personal affair. and it was on all the tabloids whenever minnie was diagnosed with cancer (even if she did not smoke! i mention this because while smoking might contribute to lung cancer, it did feel like an odd mention that they'd pay so much attention to whether or not she did? it might've been to emphasize how sudden this all was but i'd also like to throw in that perhaps she was also just taking care of her voice! she was in theatre.) she has no privacy to mourn the gradual loss of her life. some people believe the cult was implied to be the one who had made this illness manifest for her which is awful in its own regard and more so when one considers the fact they did it to get to jack. almost as though minnie is an extension of himself and not his own person.
jack inviting her to the show could very well be done just because he wanted to invite his wife (though it does feel a bit odd he waited till she was sick to do this. maybe it was some sort of public gesture of affection, they both live to entertain, it's their job) but there's something saddening about the ordeal. it's almost as though knowing minnie was sick was not enough, the public had to see her in order to have some sort of confirmation. and the immediate comment about inviting her over being followed how even then, this wasn't enough to surpass johnny carson is morbid to say the least. almost as though minnie had just been used as a way to gain better ratings. sympathy ratings. i don't want to remove any agency of minnie, it might have been her decision to go on the show but the public's reaction to is that is what is more concerning.
even her death was simply a sacrifice. she was nothing more than a missing puzzle piece to have jack move forward (or downwards?). something that would benefit jack. as all the women in the film have been. each with such distinct personalties and motives to what keeps them going (or who are still amidst figuring out what they'd want out of life) being only part of a larger scheme where men are the benefactors. the grove only allowed men. the cult birthed sacrifices from their women. women are a stepping stone. a chess piece. something that needs to bleed for someone who demands it.
i love writing about how compelling these characters are! so sorry if sometimes my ramblings feel leaning more towards just dissection rather than downright analysis! i hope it gave some insight though!
#late night with the devil#lnwtd#june ross mitchell#lilly d’abo#minnie delroy#madeleine delroy#the women of lnwtd#jack delroy#laura gordon#ingrid torelli#georgina haig#david dastmalchian#character study
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Trumped By Justice 4:
USA'S TOP CAREER CRIMINAL ELECTED MAYOR OF GITMO
– gallery & playlist by the Lone Antifa
– crazed rant by the Canuck Crank
One of DON VETO TRUMPLEONE'S most famous declarations is this venerable gem: "Person. Woman. Man. Camera. TV." We are now witnessing the mutation of this sacred proverb into: "Gaslighter. Insurrectionist. Traitor. Defendant. Felon." One of his most recent pronouncements shows just how nervous he is becoming: “IF YOU GO AFTER ME, I’M COMING AFTER YOU.” Of course, this is merely insolent trash-talk from an arrogant 10th-rate FAILED MOB BOSS. Talk is cheap – and Loud Boy TrumpTalk is the cheapest of all. This TOXIC TODDLER has spent his whole life throwing tantrums; there's no reason to think he'll stop now.
Accordingly, why should we mince words? The wretched ATTENTION WHORE IN CHIEF is clearly the most disgusting white collar career criminal in American history. If his country's legal system cannot hold him to account, the nation will become an international laughingstock – and will stand sadly embarrassed, as a country that is BROKEN BEYOND REPAIR. It would be disastrously idiotic to let him get away with so many obvious crimes. Without genuine and forceful justice, America will never fully heal from the ruination visited upon it, by so many years of MAGA-GOP dirty tricks.
The GRAND QAnon PARTY is no longer merely just another political cabal; that ship sailed at least four decades ago. They are now a RADICAL FASCIST SUBVERSIVE movement, hell-bent on overthrowing democracy – and exploiting Congress to cover up their sleazy machinations. Some of the most treacherous GOP politicians, including Gym Jordan, Matt Gaetz, Paul Gosar, and MTG, participated in a December 2020 White House meeting aimed at strategizing how to overturn the election. The fact that such treasonous scoundrels are currently lawmakers, enabling them to bully innocent people with endless dumbass tribunals, is yet another reminder that American politics has become a dreadfully unfunny MONTY PYTHON SKETCH.
The GOP's latest strategy is to deflect attention from their complicity in BENEDICT DONALD's massive coup plot, by any underhanded means necessary. Their asinine investigation into Hunter Biden's LAP DANCE with ethical lapses is just this year's edition of BENGHAZI and BUT HER EMAILS. Meanwhile, not one of these sleazebags is demanding that JARJAR KUSHY get investigated for enabling Saudi tyrant MOHAMMED BIN LADEN to evade responsibility for ordering the hideous butchery of whistleblower JAMAL KHASHOGGI. That would certainly explain how such an inept slum landlord and COVID SUPER-SPREADER earned that infamous $2 billion we keep hearing about.
Meanwhile, MAGA FASCISM is no longer quietly creeping. It is haughtily trotting, and will soon be merrily galloping – and not long after, will be recklessly goose-stepping full tilt. But I am fervently hoping that this RED STATE MENACE will not win the day. Some fear that the MANCHURIAN CANTALOUPE's ongoing incitements could possibly trigger worse violence than the 2021 insurection. To that, I say: let's test that little ol' theory. Seriously, if Americans don't stand up to these malicious and heartless NEO-NAZI BULLIES, the country will never be restored to sanity.
The most recent example of MAGAMERICAN MADNESS is the revelation that some TEAVANGELICALS are now dissing their very own LAMB OF GOD. According to the editor of Christianity Today, some church-goers have belittled some of Jesus' teachings as being "TOO WEAK". They evidently consider passages from the Sermon On The Fricking Mount to be the biblical equivalent of "LIBERAL TALKING POINTS". I kid you not! In other words, extremists of the RELIGIOUS RIGHT have literally embraced idolatry and apostasy – and you can bet your collection plate that Trump apologist Franklin 'JUDAS PRIEST' Graham won't be denouncing this outrage anytime soon.
Some on social media are hoping this miserable gang's ringleader will be executed for treason. While I empathize with their reasons, I would much rather see the DARK LORD TRUMPELTHINSKIN live to be 100 – in a maximum security gated community. That way, while he's busy making license plates full of typos, he can contemplate the immense duplicity, treachery, and stupidity that got him locked up. And shrinks can study the festering stew of his mutated psyche to learn how such a MORONIC SOCIOPATH got away with so much blatant chicanery for so very long.
Despite my profound disdain, I have tried to avoid wasting good quality hatred on this obnoxious specimen – not always successfully, of course. But once in a while, I even manage to have a smidgen of compassion for the VULNERABLE CHILD that he must once have been – before he was so viciously warped and dehumanized by his sociopathic father. Nevertheless, once he reached the age of accountability, COMBOVER CALIGULA made far too many wrong choices – with the enthusiastic help of Mafia lawyer Roy Cohn and right-wing propagandist Rupert Murdoch. He is now without excuse, and has only himself to blame for his impendings downfall.
His Capitol Riot trial promises to be the most important court case in American history – so I hope it will be televised. If it is, PRECEDENT TRUMPERY will be sure to insist on testifying; he won't be able to resist, because it will give him so much undivided attention. The witness stand will be his biggest-ever bully pulpit, and he will sieze the opportunity to use it – to make his ultimate campaign speech. He will then proceed to systematically sabotage his own case, with every second word he utters. It will be the funniest courtroom scene since Bogart's tour de force as demented CAPTAIN QUEEG in The Caine Mutiny.
It's abundantly clear that every time DOUBLE AGENT ORANGE opens his nasty deceitful pie-hole – during speeches, interviews, and social media posts – he delightfully INCRIMINATES HIMSELF further and further. But clearly, DA FEDS already have a bigly yuge amount of his recorded public utterances – including his entire TWITTER/X account. The should be more than enough to help put him away in DA BIG HOUSE for life. So what useful purpose is served by allowing him to keep on bleating his poisonous blather?
Letting him freely spout off enables him to INCITE MAGANUTZ to more violence – such as the recent wannabe Biden assassin who was dispatched by the FBI. He keeps on getting away with spewing threats that would get ordinary citizens hard jail time for contempt of court. Leaving him free to keep blabbing lies, grievances, and boasts also gives the appearance of an ENTITLED SPOILED BRAT being awarded special treatment. Therefore, on balance, I think it's wiser to give him an outright GAG ORDER, and then lock him up immediately if he violates it – which, of course, he inevitably will.
As I write this, it has just been reported that a Grand Jury will be convened soon in Georgia. This will presumably result in election fraud indictments for CHEETO BENITO, RUDY COLLUDY, WHINGEY GRIME, and a dozen or more other NEO-FASCIST CLOWNS. And in Washington, the Department Of Justice has embarked upon the most astonishing legal battle of this century. Meanwhile, the DEFENDANT IN CHIEF's addled MAGA-GOP MINIONS continue to utterly disgrace themselves with their deranged ongoing support of this malevolent sub-deity. The ideological toxic waste of their incurably diseased party richly deserves to be flushed down history's industrial toilet, along with their DEAR LEADER'S catastrophic Whine House residency – which, if there is any justice, will be officially annulled and expunged.
Americans who showed up to vote against this gaggle of rogues have nothing to be ashamed of. Unfortunately, there are still multiplied millions of Yanks who are either delusional, willfully ignorant, gullible, or just plain STOOPID. Add to that the estimated 80 million eligible voters who are so apathetic, cynical, and/or nihilistic that they can't be bothered to get off their complacent asses to vote – and you have a recipe for a catastrophic FASCIST TAKEOVER, as GOP governors ruthlessly plunder and crack down on one state after another.
It's amazing to ponder how much damage has been done to the USA, all because a bunch of ill-informed and misled voters were dumb enough to believe the fantasy version of a fictitious billionaire businessman that they saw on TV. How will they feel if THE DON somehow regains the WHINGE HOUSE, changes the national anthem into the CELEBRITY APPRENTICE theme song, trashes all of Biden's CLIMATE CRISIS progress, and helps VLADASS POUTY annihilate Ukraine? I hope they'll be FU@%ING PROUD of themselves.
If America can't put such a barefaced con artist, psychopath, and traitor away for the rest of his unnatural life, it will be time to write off the DIVIDED STATES OF AMERICA as a tragically failed experiment. But personally, I think multiplied millions of Americans are now courageously stepping up to this herculean task – so I refuse to give up hope. If citizens of good will can persevere, I do believe the "BETTER ANGELS" of their embattled country are eventually going to win out.
I may be a mere smartass Canuck outside agitator, cheering from a safe distance. But I want to do whatever I can to encourage all decent Americans to closely watch the upcoming trials – overseen by fearless Special Counsel JACK SMITH, and gutsy Georgia D.A. FANI WILLIS. For those of you who need more good reasons to take a stand against attacks on democracy – or who simply want to access some entertaining resources that may inspire hope, activism, and even optimism – I invite y'all to check out the links below. And may God bless and protect the USA.
DON VETO RIDING HIS GOLDEN ESCALATOR TO OBLIVION
https://musemash.tumblr.com/post/730286574529626112/trumped-by-justice-5-don-veto-riding-his-golden
SACRIFICIAL RITE OF DA BIGLY STABLE GENIUS
https://musemash.tumblr.com/post/653860772025417728/trumpery-swan-song-act-4-sacrificial-rite-of-da
DA GANG DAT COULDN’T COUP STRAIGHT
https://musemash.tumblr.com/post/639339651499474944/photo-gallery-the-coup-before-christmas-meets
FUNERAL PYRE OF THE MAGAMERICAN MESSIAH
https://musemash.tumblr.com/post/650853914324992000/trumpery-swan-song-act-1-funeral-pyre-of-the
CIVIL WAR JUST AIN’T WHAT IT USED TO BE
https://musemash.tumblr.com/post/652682070929326081/trumpery-swan-song-act-3-civil-war-just-aint
DON VETO’S LUNACY HOLDING AMERICA HOSTAGE
https://musemash.tumblr.com/post/665917596709912576/trumpery-swan-song-appendix-don-vetos-lunacy
CLEAR & PRESENT DANGER: A POTUS ABSENT WITHOUT LAW
https://musemash.tumblr.com/post/657180468385546240/resistance-tribute-part-1-clear-present-danger
CRUEL REQUIEMS FOR THE BIGLIEST SORE LOSER
https://musemash.tumblr.com/post/663916506082623488/resistance-tribute-part-5-cruel-requiems-for-the
ANTIFA ARTS THERAPY FOR USA’S DAY OF RECKONING
https://musemash.tumblr.com/post/672616628600635392/antifa-arts-therapy-for-usas-day-of-reckoning
SAVAGE EPITAPHS FOR THE RELIGIOUS WRONG
https://musemash.tumblr.com/post/153445482915/savage-epitaphs-for-the-religious-wrong-by-the
THE TOXIC DANCING TROLL THAT HAUNTED AMERICA
https://musemash.tumblr.com/post/688829628127805440/the-toxic-dancing-troll-that-haunted-america-by
INVASION OF THE BIBLE SNATCHERS
https://musemash.tumblr.com/post/41086231312/an-angry-messiah-is-not-a-nice-concept-or-a
FAUX NOISE GETS A SURPRISE COMEUPPANCE
https://musemash.tumblr.com/post/170478882655/faux-noise-gets-a-surprise-comeuppance-by-david
RUDE AWAKENINGS FOR AMERICA'S FAVORITE GRIFTER
https://musemash.tumblr.com/post/705684336822894592/gallery-1-still-champion-2-the-essence-of
ALRIGHT MR. DEMILLE, I’M READY FOR MY PERP WALK!
https://musemash.tumblr.com/post/713382295673929728/trumped-by-justice-part-1-mr-demille-im-ready
AMERICA’S WORST SEX PEST FINALLY MEETS HIS MATCH
https://musemash.tumblr.com/post/718184769630994432/trumped-by-justice-part-2-americas-worst-sex
TRUMP PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY NOW OPEN TO PUBLIC
https://musemash.tumblr.com/post/720157024444383232/trumped-by-justice-part-3-trump-presidential
WHEN THE ARTS DO JUSTICE TO RESISTANCE
https://musemash.tumblr.com/post/659380468858355712/resistance-tribute-part-2-when-the-arts-do
THE LAST CRUSADE OF UNCLE SAM’S ACTIONEERS
https://musemash.tumblr.com/post/177613773630/the-last-crusade-of-uncle-sams-actioneers-as-we
USA DEFIANCE & SURVIVAL MANIFESTO
https://musemash.tumblr.com/post/178087639820/usa-defiance-survival-manifesto-part-one-by
HOW END TIMES PORN WENT MAINSTREAM
https://musemash.tumblr.com/post/99606825810/how-end-times-porn-went-mainstream-by-david-d
THE UNQUOTABLE TRUMP GOES ROGUE
https://musemash.tumblr.com/post/631721452658425856/the-unquotable-trump-goes-rogue-part-1-multi
THE VEGGIE BOOK OF REVELATION
https://musemash.tumblr.com/post/708476766552047616/gallery-1-thus-saith-the-lord-of-vegan-hosts-2
THE ORANGE SKULL’S BIGLY YUGE VENDETTA
https://musemash.tumblr.com/post/82625540293/the-orange-skulls-bigly-yuge-vendetta-by-the
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Image #13:
This Modern World
by Tom Tomorrow
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The World's First-Ever "Synthetic Embryo" Is Already Causing Controversy
Scientists have created the world's first lab-grown "synthetic embryo," a groundbreaking moment in science that has reignited a fierce ethical debate.
Led by molecular geneticist Joseph Hanna, a team of researchers at Israel's Wizemann Institute of Science managed to create a synthetic mouse "embryo" in a lab without fertilized eggs or a uterus, potentially allowing us to get a glimpse of what happens in the early stages of human pregnancy as well.
This new embryo model, as detailed in the team's paper published this week in the journal Cell, was able to mimic all the makings of an early body, "including precursors of heart, blood, brain and other organs" as well as "the 'support' cells like those found in the placenta and other tissues required to establish and maintain a pregnancy," as University of Melbourne stem cell researcher Megan Munsie, who was not involved in the research, wrote in a piece for The Conversation.
The research could have major implications.
"This is a crucial stage: in humans, many pregnancies are lost around this stage, and we don’t really know why," Munsie wrote. "Having models provides a way to better understand what can go wrong, and possibly insights into what we may be able to do about it."
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The embryo model, however, only survived eight out of the 20-day mouse embryonic cycle, a critical drawback that, given the stated goal of Renewal Bio, the company founded by Hanna to commercially fund this research.
The startup's goal is to develop synthetic human stem cells in an attempt to "solve" human health crises, a science which experts say won't be ready for decades.
In short, Bio Renewal wants to create embryo-stage versions of humans so that it can harvest tissues for transplants.
Critics who spoke with MIT Technology Review said that it wasn't time to talk about the creation of synthetic human embryos, especially given the greater political context and controversy surrounding the research.
"It’s absolutely not necessary," Nicolas Rivron, a stem-cell scientist at Vienna's Institute of Molecular Biotechnology, told the magazine, "so why would you do it?"
He's not alone in his criticisms, either.
"Synthetic human embryos are not an immediate prospect," James Briscoe of the Francis Crick Institute in London told The Guardian in response to the new research.
"We know less about human embryos than mouse embryos and the inefficiency of the mouse synthetic embryos suggests that translating the findings to human requires further development," he added.
It seems that regardless of where researchers fall on the topic, most agree that it's way too early to start seriously talking about the ethics of synthetic human embryos — but it's a breakthrough nonetheless.
READ MORE: This startup wants to copy you into an embryo for organ harvesting [MIT Technology Review]
More on stem cell promises: Scientist Says Humans Will Be Able to Regrow Limbs "Within Our Lifetimes"
The post The World's First-Ever "Synthetic Embryo" Is Already Causing Controversy appeared first on Futurism.
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random kdrama post, but this is bugging me so much.
People who watch Devil Judge and don’t understand that Kang Yohan is a domestic terrorist who
a) collected people who were in pain and seduced them to his side by manipulating their pain in order to get them to commit unethical acts (he openly admits this is what he does in episode nine)
b) manipulated public opinion to consciously erode the rule of law and institute mob rule in korea, paving the way for the President to turn the state fascist
c) asked millions of people to become complicit in murder
d) BLEW UP A BUILDING AND KILLED PEOPLE IN IT...
like.
I get he’s pretty, I get he’s broken, and I’m not saying you can’t love him. Jisung turned in a fantastic, vulnerable performance. Go ahead and love him.
But he literally says himself he’s the abyss. He’s the embodiment of angry mob rule. His actions were both unethical and ineffective: as Ga On points out, none of what Yohan did changed the broken system in the end.
It worries me that people praise Yohan as this savior character just because he sees the system is broken. The difference between Yohan and Ga On is Yohan sees the cracks and tries to smash the whole pot. Ga On sees the cracks and tries to perform Kintsugi.
One way is violent and painful and chaotic. The pieces go flying, random bystanders get hurt, and at the end of it, you have a smashed pot and nothing to carry water in. You could make another pot afterward, but if that pot cracks again later, what do you do? Just smash that one, too?
The other way is deliberate and painstaking and difficult. No random bystander gets hurt, and you have a beautiful pot that’s stronger than it was before, that can’t crack in the same places, and that can carry all the water you need without spilling. If another crack appears, you’ve established a quick and immediate way to deal with it: pour in more gold.
That’s why it’s Ga On -- with his serious consideration of ethics, his empathy, and his compulsive need to care -- that’s the one left at the end to try to change the system. Because Yohan’s methods are incapable of doing that.
#devil judge#seriously can we talk about ethics and why they are necessary#for a just and happy society pls#kim ga on#jinyoung#jisung#kang yohan#i love both of the characters as much as you do but come on guys#don't @ me to argue yohan's the awesomest pls because i won't listen and you'll just be wasting your time
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How do you respond to people who say Batman is just a rich guy who beats up poor people? Not to take it too seriously, I’m wondering if my love for him is blinding me to parts of him that are problematic. Because I don’t see him that way?
Oh sure, I guess I should begin by saying that I don't think you're being blinded to anything. I'll divide my thoughts into two sections here: out of universe and in-universe.
To start, I really can't stress enough that we're talking about a fictional character in a genre that requires considerable suspension of belief.
Batman comic books ask me to accept a world where there are superpowered folks that shoot lasers out of their eyes, an entire universe of inhabited planets and sentient aliens, underwater cultures, and technology far past my current reality. I'm also supposed to accept this improbable, human guy who runs around rooftops in a cape fighting crime.
He's supposed to be one of the best fighters in the galaxy, and he's a master escape artist, and he's the World's Greatest DetectiveTM, and he can hold his breath obscene amounts of time, and he has near-perfect aim, and he can operate any vehicle you can think of, and he's dizzyingly intelligent, and he's unimaginably rich, and all the most powerful people in the universe are his best friends or his worst enemies, but either way they're obsessed with him.
Ah, what a realistic man.
Here's the thing, anon. I really think that any argument that asks you to apply, I don't know, real-world consequences? To Batman is either made in bad faith or missing a pretty necessary piece of framing. Take what I would consider the obvious example: doesn't Batman use child soldiers?
Well, yeah. He's had roughly 2,086,917 sidekicks, several of whom have met gristly, if impermanent, ends. Whether they survive or not, those kids all sustain significant mental and physical damage. If Batman were a real person, I would personally skin him alive for child endangerment. Luckily for me, he isn't a real person-- he's a comic book character in a universe where minor sidekicks are a normal part of the fiction.
Why? Out of universe, Robin exists to give child readers a character to identify with and root for. It expands the potential audience, which means more sales, which means more money. It opens up all kinds of interesting narrative angles. It's also a twist on the Watsonian figure in traditional detective fiction, which is one of the genres Batman came out of.
In the same way that we're supposed to accept that Bruce can do Batman stuff for something like 15 years, surviving the whole time and maintaining a secret identity, we're asked as an audience to agree that in this universe, a child could do the same, and it might be the right thing to let them. Maybe the child in question is already a talented athlete. Maybe the kid can read body language so well that they're near-unbeatable. Maybe this ten year old is so well-trained it's actually not that big of a deal.
In real life? Unequivocally immoral. But that's comics, baby! That's the rules of the fiction. Child sidekick? Fine. Vigilantism? It’s chill, and if the government or anyone else tries to shut it down, they're the villains. Ethical billionaires? Possible, and Bruce Wayne is one of them.
Let me briefly flash my politics here, just so we’re all on the same page: I think that in real life, it’s inherently unethical to hoard wealth. I don’t care for rich folks or capitalism, and I have a lot to say on the subject, though I don’t intend to say it on this particular blog. If Bruce Wayne were a real person, I would want him to give away almost all of his money as fast as possible.
Why is Bruce a billionaire? Out of universe, we’re creating a character that can fight crime without institutional support. He isn’t government, and the money has to come from somewhere, so maybe the best way to justify it is independent wealth. We want the aesthetic of opulent corruption (keep this word in mind)-- balls and champagne and luxury cars-- and our hero slips away from it, into the night where he belongs.
We’re designing a character who everybody knows and recognizes, and he’s American, and our celebrities are the rich. We want him to be, and to have been from birth, one of the most important people in the setting he inhabits, because we need that for a dozen different plot points.
So Bruce Wayne is rich. Why does he get to be a vigilante? Out of universe, we’re writing a response to the institutional corruption in law enforcement and the judicial system-- we’ve got a dark city full of people that the police aren’t helping, and we’re creating something to save them that isn’t the police. He’s going to appear from the shadows and protect folks in the way that he wasn’t protected.
As a recap, Batman is a fictional character in a fantasy universe, and there are narrative reasons for him to be (1) rich and (2) a vigilante that beats folks up. I’d invite you to think of those qualities primarily as creative decisions made to tell a specific story-- a dark knight protecting a city that corrupt powers abandoned. I would also invite you to consider as context the time period (1939, the beginning of WWII) and the folks that created Batman (Bill Finger and Bob Kane, two Jewish men), and why they might be invested in telling that story.
All of that is my out of universe answer to your question, and I do actually think it’s the more important one, because Bruce isn’t a real person. I’ll be brief with my in-universe answer.
Within the fiction of the DC universe, Bruce spends a lot of time and resources on aid and reform that doesn’t involve punching folks. I’m sure you can find comprehensive lists of this stuff, so I won’t go on another research spree to pull panels.
Off the top of my head, he has progressive hiring practices, then pays tuition for employees and their families. He canonically donates far more money than I’ve ever seen a real billionaire give, to the point where he’s almost singlehandedly funding most aid operating in at least Gotham, if not a bigger chunk of the country. He’s proactive about creating community resources and personally involved in city development. He’s outspoken to other one percenters and politicians about his beliefs and projects. He’s also behind anything monetary the JLA puts out, which I have to assume means his international impact is pretty big.
How ever you come down on the ethics of vigilantism, Bruce is not just beating folks up. He seems to canonically understand and acknowledge addiction, institutionalized discrimination, and socioeconomic privilege.
On a larger scale, I would argue that Bruce is canonically driven by compassion and the desire to protect folks, and characterizing him primarily as violent sort of misses the point. As I say that, though, I have to acknowledge a feature of comic books as media: there’s canon that’s “out of character.”
I can’t get around the fact that there are very much real Batman stories that portray Bruce as violent for the sake of being violent, as well as all kinds of cruel. I think of them as the temporary runs of writers who just don’t get it, but they’re canon too, and we may reach a point sometime in the future where those stories outnumber what I think of as “good” Batman characterization. If we get there, I guess I’ll reevaluate.
Until then, here’s a tl;dr
Batman is a fictional character that exists in a fantasy universe. The rules of that universe aren’t the same as ours, and many things that would be immoral in our universe are features of his. We as the readers are asked to suspend disbelief and accept the framing of the fiction.
Bill Finger and Bob Kane, two Jewish men, created Batman at the beginning of WWII to tell a specific story that’s sort of fundamentally about vigilantism-- about protecting a community that institutions aren’t protecting.
There are narrative reasons to make Bruce wealthy.
Within his own story, Bruce is socially aware and active. He does give away a lot of his money, and he does use his wealth to help folks just as much as he uses vigilantism.
Yes, there are stories were Batman comes across very badly, and it’s possible to look at those and think, “wow, am I rooting for the wrong person?” Unfortunately, that’s a function of the medium. Batman comics are contradictory because they’ve been written by hundreds of different people with varying levels of skill and character knowledge, and any discussion of Batman needs to remember that fact.
I hope all of that at least a little bit answers your question. I’d apologize for length, but I figure you knew what you were getting into
XOXO, A
#asks#ah boy let's see#am pol#won't lie kinda felt good to write something like that again perhaps a bitch will check the ole inbox more often
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could i request some (separate) platonic hcs for kaeya, venti, and childe ? 🥺 like if you were best friends what would it be like :')
Friendship!
Warning -> SFW! Fluff :)
Character X GN Reader | Anthology
Includes: Venti, Kaeya, Childe
Venti
He is an incredible friend - just an absolute joy to have around
He’s super fun, giddy, kind, and unexpected - he’d make every day a new experience
Just don’t be too worried if you don’t see him for a while - he is free like the wind and will drift to places that call him, eventually he always comes back
Early Friendship
He is always happy to see you - like he just has this goofy smile on his face, this lightness in his voice and joy in his eyes
There is a high likelihood he will have requests of you - maybe something to help him partake in his wild fantasies or ideas that seem to be fleeting and ever changing - he might drag you all around and see just how far you’ll go before you find out he was pulling your leg all along - he just likes to have a good time and your such a good sport
His presence is kind and joyful. He lifts people up, he makes people laugh, he is silly and unexpected and while sometimes you might feel completely drained by the time you get home, you are always left with fond memories
Best Friends
He would start to show more of himself to you - his joy would shift from surface level to unbound, he’d let you into his pain, his loneliness - you’d learn more about him and hear stories which seemed way to personal to be from the storybooks he says they are from
You might catch him being more reserved and quiet. He’d ask you to visit the places that hold great meaning to him and as you sit there, watching him, you’d notice there was so much sadness and thoughtfulness to him - he’d be able to let himself rest near you and for a restless bard who cannot keep his energy together, it’s nice to have someone to rest his head near
He’d teach you songs and would be so excited if you start to make some up with him - the two of you would often be found sitting near one another laughing and coming up with silly, confusing lyrics which only made sense to the two of you - it didn’t matter if you sounded good or not, he just like having someone to sing with
Venti had asked you to join him under the large tree in Windrise, near the Statue of the Seven. It was one of his favorite places to go, he once explained to you how the air there seemed to be rejuvenating, refreshing and clear. When you made your way down the path and saw him sitting on one of the large roots of the tree he waved at you with gusto.
The two of you sat there for some time, talking about your day and sharing funny stories or strange anecdotes. He may look like he was laughing and having a grand time, but you knew him well enough to know there was something strange about the way he laughed, about the smile that seemed much too sad.
“Y/N?” He asked, his face looking upward into the large branches of the tree.
“Yeah?” You let the grass fall from your hands, the thin blades floating in the soft wind.
“Do you think friendships last beyond a single lifetime?”
You looked up at him but he continued to look up toward the blocked sky. You thought for a bit, considering his question and wondering why he would ask something like this.
“I think the connections we make in our lives last for as long as they need to. People come and go, drifting between in and out like grass on the wind until they come to rest. For how long, I don’t know, and until the wind decides to pick them up again we have to enjoy the time spent there.”
“That’s a lovely thought.” Venti hummed, his eyes shining and the corner of his mouth slightly pulled back.
“Hey,” You called out to him and he looked down at you, “I don’t know what will happen in the future, but I am stronger than grass on the wind, and I plan on being your friend for eternity if you’ll let me.” You stick out your pinky finger and he returns the gesture, your two fingers wrapping around the other in this solemn promise.
“It’s a deal then.”
Kaeya
He is pretty busy, so he might not hear from him from time to time - but don’t worry, he isn’t like this because he doesn’t enjoy your friendship, he just has a lot on his plate - it keeps him busy
He’s totally down to hang out in the evenings whether thats in a bar, in the popular places people tend to gather, or wandering about the town - it’s an excellent excuse to see you, maybe get something nice to drink, and gather information all at the same time
Early Friendship
Kaeya always has something up his sleeve - he may seem kind, just keep and eye on him - he’s tricky
He is inviting and would listen to you, he’d offer you solutions to your problems - just be aware they might not always be the most … ethical of solutions … they might also be difficult to accomplish, his ideas can often be quiet intricate
He’d take a moment to chat with you when he sees you around - waving at you with quick flick of the hand and calling out your name
He’d even offer to assist you on commissions or any adventure you are heading out for - please take him, he’s dying to get out from behind the castle walls and he finds your company very entertaining
Best Friends
He’d find you just to hang out with you - maybe using his breaks to go to the places you usually hang out (maybe your work or favorite spots in the city) and when he finds you he’d be okay to just talk about nothing in particular, even on his days off you’d find yourself surrounded by Kaeya - the two of you share in a lot of great conversations and laughter
He digs that you joke back with him and don’t take him all that serious - it’s nice to just let loose and have someone to be himself without all the extra masks he finds himself wearing - with you he can just exist, no expectations, no push to go one way or the other, he can just be
Honestly, it doesn't matter what the two of you do, it’s just fun to hang out with one another, to spend time together, to laugh with each other, about each other, for each other
Kaeya hasn’t felt this close to someone in such a long time - it’s a feeling he never wants to loose, he values this friendship more than you’ll ever know
The two of you sat on the upper floor of the bar enjoying the evening of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks. Kaeya had started long before you had even gotten there and was already having a fun time.
“Hey! Glad you could join the fun.” He sang, his arms spread wide to greet you. He had already said this to you a few times but you just laughed it off.
“I told you I'd be here and I wouldn’t want to be a liar. I know you’ll never let me live it down.”
“Ah, you know me so well.” He took another drink from his glass and set it back onto the table before looking at you. He was so thankful to have you in his life, you made the days fun and you brought something he was missing, a person who he could just be around, a person he could rely on, a person who valued him for him.
You looked at him, a half-cocked smile spreading across your face. “What, you’re looking at me funny.”
“I’d like to make a toast.” He shouted, lifting his glass up high and inviting the whole room to join in. “A toast to friendship, may ours last until the snow on Dragonspine melts.”
“And even then, you won't be able to get rid of me!” You shout back, adding your glass to the cheer.
“Hah, I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
The bar explodes into chanting and cheers and the two of you spend the rest of the evening laughing away.
Childe
He’s such a wild friend
Like be aware that you may never know what is coming when it comes to Childe - one minute things will be normal and chill and the next, tables are flying, people are cheering and mora is falling from the sky
He’s super cocky and sure of himself, this personality of his comes across in his action on a regular basis
Like a torrential rain or unexpected storm - Childe’s friendship is a sight to behold
Early Friendship
He’d be nice enough, saying hi to you and giving you parts of his day - if he had the time - it was hard to make connections with people since he moved around so much, if he did make any connection with a person they were usually short lived - like a burning match or a downpour in the rain
While you may be more open, he’d let you do most of the talking - he’d keep his work to himself and wouldn’t share much with you unless it was necessary. You’d never notice either, he’s very good at getting people to open up without expelling much energy
Best Friends
He recently started brining you small gifts, trinkets or items that you’d like - he’d learned so much about you and even as sporadic as his contact with you was, you were always excited to see him, always happy to share with him things going on and even brave enough to ask him about his own - never pushing him past the level of comfort he was used to
Since he considers you an very close friend, he started to be more open about his own life with you - sharing with you about this family and being vulnerable enough to let you know how much he missed them - he’d make jokes about not using this information against him later and while you laugh, he hopes you take him seriously -- he’s giving you a lot about himself and he can’t bare to see you betray him
He’d also start to be involved more in your life - he’d want to join you on your outings, ask you if there was anything he could do to lift your burdens, often taking care of any issues you bring to him in whatever way was quickest, or most efficient (please don’t kill anyone, Childe…)
The two of you laid out underneath the stars. You found this activity pleasant and after inviting him out once, he’d asked you to take him again and again. He was incredibly curious about the stars in the sky and you did you best to answer him - you weren’t necessarily an expert in the whole thing, but it was something you found a lot of joy in, so you managed to give him a lot of new information.
“You know, I’ve only ever focused on one or two stars my whole life.” He said, looking up at the vastness of the night, his hands extended as if he was trying to capture the little lights in his hands.
“Most people don’t even look up. They're so busy looking at the now or thinking about their next step.”
“Well, I looked at them only out of necessity, nothing more … and now …” He dropped his hands back onto the blanket and you stopped looking at your notebook. The small lantern flicking across the pages, fluttering across his face and in his ginger hair.
“Now, what?” You asked, curious as to what he was going to share with you next.
“Now I’m able to see there are so many possibilities other than one or two. You helped me see that, so thank you comrade.”
“Any time, that’s what friends are for.” You chuckled, looking up at the stars. A bright light flashed across the sky and your heart fluttered. You tapped him on the arm, “Look, a shooting star, make a wish!”
He looked out over the fast, never ending, glittering darkness and wished for this friendship to last until the last star faded.
#genshin impact#genshin impact X reader#genshin impact headcanons#genshin impact musings#genshin impact fiction#venti x reader#genshin venti#venti#childe X reader#childe#genshin childe#kaeya#kaeya x reader#genshin kaeya#genshin impact kaeya#kaeya alberich
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Anon wrote: Hi. I hope you had/are having a great summer break. I (INTP) am hoping for some perspective about an issue. Recently, my mother, whom I hadn’t seen in a while, became incredibly frustrated that I corrected her with an alleged “I know everything” attitude.
It’s an issue of concern because she revealed that I always do this. I guess this was the straw that broke it, especially given that what we were discussing was very trivial. (Maybe the frivolousness of the subject is precisely what made my correction seem more pedantic, unnecessary, arrogant.) She says that my attitude disregards her long life experience, and that if she were a stranger, she would think of me as a “snot-nosed brat who knows nothing about life” instead of as a “wise young person”, which is the viable alternative. She said that I am closed-minded and that I shoot everything down. (The problem of small-mindedness is what you addressed the only other time I wrote to you.)
I don’t know why I come off as arrogant. I’m sure that I’m not. I asked my mother what it was that made her think that, which she thought was a silly question because what she sensed was a general demeanor rather than specific behaviors. In the end we were only able to establish that my lack of eye contact was one of those factors. I can work on that, but surely that’s not determinant. What makes people think of others as arrogant? Should I stop correcting people? I don’t correct others in order to feel superior to them. I do it because I like to debate, in order to keep my thinking sharp, and because there is something painful about friends/family having false notions. I think it’s fair to say that my intention isn’t rooted in arrogant soils.
Granted, my suggestion of stopping correcting people is black-and-white, given that there is the grey option of changing the *way* I correct people. I’m just wondering if it’s an unhealthy habit in the first place. But given how prevalent a thought process it is (i.e. questioning people’s statements and finding faults), the process of getting rid of it may be akin to self-directed psychological violence. I mean, this is the same mode of being that makes me good at what I’m good at. (There’s also the option of keeping the thought process, but not correcting people aloud, but I don’t know what else there is to talk about other than analyzing ideas and their faults. Maybe I should analyze ideas for their strengths too, and express that side more than the faults.)
So anyway, let’s go with grey: So far I’ve tried thinking of an arrogant person that I know in order to understand my behavior, but I can’t think of anyone. Also, no matter how hard I try to put myself in someone else’s shoes in order to simulate an interaction with myself, it doesn’t really work, and I can’t see the arrogance, except if I were to just tell someone “that’s wrong” without any explanation. (I wonder if that’s what went wrong in the conversation with my mother.) Either way, this whole issue boils down to the fact that I’m not arrogant by any reasonable criteria that I found online, but that I come off as such. This was longer than intended. Thanks for your kindness and help.
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Here are some questions for you to reflect on. They are meant to increase awareness of your underlying assumptions, beliefs, and values. Answer honestly:
Do you care about your mom? Do you care about how she's faring, what she's experiencing, what she's thinking or feeling, what she needs and desires, what she hopes for or aspires to, etc?
If you care, how do you SHOW your care to her?
If you don't care, how does that affect your behavior toward her?
Do you believe that the mother-child relationship only goes one-way? (Is it the mom's job to do for you but you owe her nothing?)
You say you like to debate to sharpen your mind. Innocent enough. I like to roller skate to keep myself physically fit. In an ideal world, I would never take my skates off. Does my enthusiasm for roller skating mean that I slap my skates on anywhere, any time? No. Surely it is inappropriate to skate around a hospital or the supermarket. Not only could I seriously harm myself, I would also be exhibiting flagrant disregard for the safety and well-being of others.
What you like to do for yourself sometimes comes into conflict with other people. If you care about people and hope to have healthy and happy relationships with them, you have to take their needs and wants into consideration in every interaction. You have to abide by ethical rules and principles that allow your needs to be met without neglecting the needs of others or interfering with their ability to get their needs met. Without ethics, society wouldn't be able to function, because it would just be a free-for-all.
You mention small-mindedness. It is quite small-minded to walk around the world only thinking about what you need/want. In the best case scenario, you are completely oblivious to others, and they will perceive you as clueless or self-absorbed. In the worst case scenario, you only interact with people for your own personal gain, and that would make you an exploitative or even abusive person. Is that the kind of person you want to be?
Do you basically treat people as though their sole purpose on earth is to debate you and help you sharpen your mind - to serve you? Do you launch into debates with people without asking for consent or checking to see if they want to be corrected? If you do, they will call you arrogant, not because you've put yourself on a pedestal and call yourself superior like an evil cartoon character, but because you are communicating to them that your needs/wants are most important AND you don't give a damn about theirs.
Webster's definition of arrogance: "an insulting way of thinking or behaving that comes from believing that you are better, smarter, or more important than other people". You believe that you know better, otherwise, you wouldn't grant yourself the social authority to intrude on people's boundaries, invalidate their experience, and correct them uninvited. You believe that you are smarter, otherwise, you wouldn't automatically assume the dominant social role of corrector. You behave as though you are the more important member of the relationship because your main priority is YOUR need to feel better (about your skills or about what others believe) while overlooking the other person's needs. Seems like you fit the definition quite well.
Despite that, I wouldn't call you arrogant because I understand that small-mindedness is a difficult problem to overcome. I see the effort that you're putting in to understand it. I'm charitable because I'm not the one who was hurt by your behavior. When people feel hurt, they often have difficulty expressing it. Maybe it comes out clumsily or they aren't able to explain their hurt without hurting you in return. Expressing one's true feelings is to make oneself vulnerable. If someone doesn't trust you to understand and validate their feelings or, worse, they believe that you will attack them for their feelings, they will not be completely honest with you. Your mom is trying her best to give you the benefit of the doubt by saying "if you were a stranger...", but she doesn't feel comfortable enough with you to express her hurt fully and explicitly as it happens. Why? Because the very reason she is hurt in the first place is that you have shown very little regard for her feelings. Following from the previous post of yours, the root of the problem is that you have such a poor understanding of feelings to begin with that you view them as inconsequential in yourself and others (very immature Fe).
I believe you have no ill-intent. I have said before that the typical Ti dom never sets out to hurt people on purpose. Rather, they hurt people unintentionally because their perspective is too small: 1) they don't grasp that other people's needs may be very different from their own and thereby fail to consider them, 2) they don't know how to empathize with different perspectives and validate them, and/or 3) they don't understand that SHOWING love and care is necessary for people to justify continued investment in the relationship.
In other words, Ti doms tend to hurt people out of negligence or acts of omission. Some of them get frustrated at not being able to solve their relationship problems. They might try to convince themselves that doing nothing means that no harm can be done, so they adopt a passive stance in the relationship and perhaps even train themselves to keep their mouth shut (self-violence). They fail to understand that there's more than one way to cause hurt. Instead of learning better relationship skills, they check out mentally and emotionally. Being checked out only makes it worse because you hurt yourself and you keep hurting others by being even less attentive to their needs.
The foundation of meaningful relationships is showing care. In a healthy relationship, people trust you to care for their emotional needs and not violate their personal boundaries. If you only attend to your own needs/wants in social interaction, you are signalling that you don't really care about the other person. This problem with your mom shows that you give little to no consideration for emotional needs and personal boundaries. If you don't want friends, it's entirely your choice to be alone for the rest of your life, pretending that you never leave any footprints behind you. If you want friends, you'll have to put out more effort to be a better friend, by paying more attention to the consequences of your behavior.
Doing things that violate trust and boundaries, even if unintentional, causes hurt. When people feel hurt and don't feel safe to express the hurt, they are liable to say/do negative things. To have good emotional intelligence is to see past the surface of their negative words/behavior and grasp the underlying emotional needs that were unmet and/or the personal boundaries that were violated. Only then can you be a morally responsible member of a relationship, in terms of owning all the ways that you impact people, both positively and negatively.
Arrogant people don't care about the social impact they produce. As long as they get what they want and don't lose anything, the existence of others is of little importance to them. If your mom is important to you, then learn how to show it better by listening to her when she tells you about her needs/wants. You hyperfocus on the literal meaning of the word "arrogant" and whether it is true/false of you, as though proving it false means that there's nothing wrong. You need to listen to the people you have hurt, if you want to understand why your behavior is hurtful. Alternatively, you need to educate yourself about emotional needs, interpersonal boundaries, and what constitutes un/ethical behavior and why.
#intp#intp relationships#inferior fe#arrogance#small minded#communication#social skills#people skills#emotional intelligence#relationships#ask
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PREVIEW - Game Plan: Chapter 3
Artwork by @faith2nyc
Catch up on Chapter 2
Read on AO3
He can’t breathe. Well, maybe he’s being a touch dramatic. It’s not as if the tightness he’s feeling in his chest right now is akin to having a three-hundred-plus-pound defensive end pinning him to the ground, though Steve’s certainly experienced that enough times to know it’s pretty damn close. And just like when he’s sacked in the pocket, he’s uncomfortable – irritated, even. But the worst part is, he doesn’t actually think it has anything to do with the interviewer that’s been trying to cajole him into a cringeworthy sound bite for the last half hour.
The irony that he’s now sitting for an interview does not escape him. When the Avengers had first announced his signing, the reception was a mixed bag. There were some who cheered, delighting in the idea of him mounting a comeback and raving about what a coup the front office had pulled. Nevertheless, many were skeptical. Hardcore fanatics were, at best, lukewarm about the idea of a former NFC West quarterback jumping to the AFC East. Pundits on Sports Center dissected his ability to play pro ball again after a two-season hiatus. Then there were the ever-unescapable critics. He’s sure they had a lot to say (and likely still do), but if he hadn’t paid attention to them back then, he sure as hell isn’t going to do so now.
Fast forward two weeks, one front page cover, and a charity campaign kickoff later, and suddenly the tides have turned. Such was the number of requests Natasha had received from podcast hosts to talk show producers alike to book time with him that they had no other option but to schedule back-to-back interviews while he trains at the Avengers’ remote facility out in New Jersey. And that’s how he wound up in his current predicament – his patience running thin as he sits mic’d up on a plush leather seat in the Press Room in the middle of his third interview of the day.
“Let’s talk about your career.”
The suggestion comes from his left, where a wooden desk with a surfeit of props across the surface has been situated on the makeshift set. Behind it sits Johann Schmidt, the famously mercurial host of the streaming talk show HAIL HYDRA! and known to sports fans across the nation as the Red Skull – a moniker bestowed upon him for his impossibly sharp features and his penchant for dressing in the fiery color.
“7 seasons, 102 games played, 23,671 passing yards, 171 total touchdowns, 73.4% pass completion rate…”
As Schmidt rattles off a list of his career statistics, he steals a glance towards the front of the room, half expecting Natasha to interject that his pass completion rate is actually 74.3%, not 73.4. But she doesn’t, and he realizes that unlike the last few times she’s cut in when an interviewer misstates a fact about him or his career statistics, she isn’t doing so now because her attention is elsewhere. Or, more accurately, it’s being monopolized by the towering stranger she’s been talking to since the start of this interview whose words now have her tipping her head back in laughter.
The thought triggers a bitter taste in his mouth, and right then and there, it hits him. The inexplicable tension in his body, the irritation he feels – it’s nothing short of the green-eyed monster.
He’s always been competitive. He is an athlete, after all, and he’s almost certain that anyone would be hard pressed to find one that didn’t prioritize winning. But jealousy is just not an emotion he’s ever leaned into. It’s childish, nonsensical, and he’s seen the crazy things it’s driven other people to do. Not to mention the fact that right now, he has absolutely no right to feel it – especially when it comes to Natasha. With that in mind, he shifts in his seat in an effort to shake the feeling away, turning his attention back to Schmidt.
“The New York Avengers haven’t had a successful run in the playoffs in quite some time,” Schmidt states into the windscreen covered microphone before him. “That said, it’s still the most storied franchise in the league, which is why it’s understandable that fans may be dubious about whether or not you’re the right man to lead the team back to glory.” Schmidt pauses, his expression bordering on menacing as he leans forward in his seat. “So, tell us, Steve, why do you think you’re the player to do that?” Schmidt lifts a shoulder. “What makes you so... special?”
“We all know I’ve suffered a major injury and that I haven’t played professionally in two seasons. So, I get it,” he acknowledges. “I get why fans are skeptical to give me a chance.” He shakes his head. “You ask what makes me the man to lift this team back up… What makes me so special? The answer, Schmidt, is nothing.” He shrugs. “It’s true that I’m often associated with LA because that’s where my career began. But at the end of the day, I’m just a kid from Brooklyn-”
“Just what every fan base wants to hear, am I right?” Schmidt interrupts, practically reveling in delight as he smirks. “The savior they’ve been waiting for… and he turns out to be nothing but ordinary.”
“Perhaps you see it that way, but I disagree,” he says, prompting Schmidt to raise a brow. “Being a kid from Brooklyn means that I can’t” – he pauses, shaking his head – “I won’t back down from a challenge.” He sighs. “So, while I can’t guarantee fans a Lombardi at the end of the season, what I can guarantee is that every time I put on that uniform, I will leave my heart out on that field.”
Schmidt is stunned into silence, and it’s only when the room suddenly bursts in applause that he comprehends why the man’s glib expression has soured into a scowl. Turning away from the host, he allows his eyes to sweep across the room to see the entire crew – both from the Avengers and from HYDRA – clapping enthusiastically. As he spots Darcy and Wanda in the corner, both of whom offer him two thumbs up, pride begins to surge through him. But it’s only when he sees Natasha next to them, her lips quirking as she gives him a nod of approval, that he smiles – his earlier discomfort all but forgotten.
“You killed it!” Natasha exclaims as he walks towards her at the end of the interview, and he’s surprised when she leans in to wrap her arms around him.
“Think so?” he says, returning the embrace and letting his lips pull upwards into a smile.
“Know so,” Natasha says as she pulls away. “Oh, there’s someone I’d like you to meet.” Natasha moves to his side, and he looks up to see the man she was talking to earlier standing before them. He’s dressed in an impeccably tailored charcoal suit, his stature massive enough that he could easily be a tight end or even a center. “Steve,” Natasha begins, “this is Thor Odinson, CEO of Point Break, the country’s leading athletic wear brand and your new sponsor.” Her words cause the tension in his shoulders to dissipate. “Thor, this is Steve, our starting quarterback.”
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen Johann Schmidt stunned into silence before,” Thor says, flashing his perfect teeth as he smiles and extends his hand out to him. “Seriously, good job.”
“Thank you,” he says, shaking Thor’s hand. “But that was all Natasha. She prepared me well.”
He beams in pride as he turns to Natasha, because if he’s learned anything in the last two weeks, it’s that her dedication to her job is unparalleled. Every day since this media campaign has started, she’s easily the most prepared person in the room – ready to fire off a Plan B, C, or D when necessary. While things haven’t always been smooth sailing, he’s certain that nothing has ever escalated into a mishap because of her quick thinking. If he’s had any success in turning the public’s opinion on him, it’s only because he’s been fortunate enough to have her as his guide every step of the way.
More impressive than Natasha’s work ethic though, is her capacity for kindness, and it’s something he’s witnessed time again throughout their relatively short time together. As his Publicist, she’s often the first line of defense when it comes to the media, and though he’s only been back in the public eye for a brief period of time, he’s seen how brash they can be when they press her for information. And yet, she’s never been anything but professional, even when the person before her does not warrant it. Add to that the way she watches over her team and how lovingly she speaks of her sister, and he’s not sure how anyone can do anything but admire her.
“This one,” Thor says, pointing a thumb at Natasha, “is a force to be reckoned with.”
“Truer words have never been spoken,” he says to her more than anyone else, and as she playfully rolls her eyes, he pretends not to notice the hand Thor places on her shoulder.
“When he can nail interviews like that, my job is basically a breeze,” Natasha says, turning to Thor. “Anyway, shall the three of us discuss the rollout strategy for the sponsorship?”
“Yes, let’s,” Thor says, gesturing towards the door. “Lead the way, Nat.”
He arches a brow as he follows them out of the Press Room. Nat?
Read all of chapter 3 here
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note to subs with ptsd and other struggles related to childhood trauma:
I've had a bit of an Emotional Journey over the week or so, and I want to impart a few lessons. I can only speak for myself and my own experiences, so ymmv, but hopefully this will be helpful in some way.
(obviously, this will have non-specific, general references to childhood trauma. no details are given. this discusses expecting other people to act like one's abuser(s) did/does. but there are no details.)
disclaimer: everything I say here assumes a relationship with a dom who is acting in good faith. also, my dom and I don't play with rules or punishments, so when I say something like I felt like I had done something wrong, I mean it in a regular, everyday, interpersonal relationship way. this post is only talking about kink dynamics that are ongoing relationships. finally, kink is not a substitute for therapy with a licensed and competent professional nor for medical treatment if appropriate. go to therapy.
disclaimer over.
self-awareness is one of the most important skills you need to build in order to practice kink safely and responsibly. sometimes the way we react to things does not seem logical from the outside, so we need to understand why we react certain ways and be able to clearly communicate that. this does not just apply to reactions that may occur during a scene. in fact, I think it's even more important for reactions outside of a scene.
for example, recently, I realized I have not been as supportive to my dom as I would like. it's been a tough month for me for a variety of reasons -- not enough work, pandemic, ongoing health issues, etc -- and although it's understandable to be at limited capacity, I want to be a more positive, supportive person in general, at least towards the people I like. so I had this realization, and it's always uncomfortable to realize you haven't been acting in a manner consistent with your values, but because you're an adult, you tolerate that discomfort, recognize the behaviors you want to change, apologize, and move on.
except...... I wasn't feeling just that healthy discomfort. it was also something else. and what made it worse was that my dom didn't think I had done anything wrong, and at first, I thought I was fine. I assumed it was just the healthy discomfort, so I waited for it to fade on its own over time.
slowly, the situation changed from "I would like to be more supportive" to "I have been so selfish and I've been constantly asking for support and I'm a terrible person and ze must be angry with me for not being as supportive as I think I should be."
and then it became "ze is angry with me but won't tell me and I don't know how to make this better."
so that was when I realized I might be a little off base because that is not what ze is like lol and we had played recently and ze had been as just as amazing as always, everything has been wonderful, nothing had felt different. so something was off.
I decided to broach the topic again, and as I was communicating all of this, I realized:
lmao oh shit I feel like I'm walking on eggshells and waiting for the other shoe to drop and expecting to be punished (like, in a bad way, not a fun consensual way because punishment play could never be fun for me and I will never consent to it) by this person who I love and am close to and wishing for some kind of punishment just so I won't be waiting constantly for it. that's ✨trauma✨. that's not how things have ever worked in this relationship I am having at 29. that's how things worked when I lived with and talked to my family.
it made me doubly grateful that I had been so careful and discerning when deciding to be with my dom. when I have that walking on eggshells feeling, I can't guarantee I wouldn't do something I was uncomfortable with, just to make things right. but that's not something I have to worry about because ze doesn't give orders and would never ask me to do anything I wasn't comfortable with.
power exchange is risky, no matter what role you choose to play. when you have experienced childhood trauma, the risk increases exponentially. power exchange changes a relationship. even when we're not playing and we're just people, I am incredibly sensitive to my dom's behavior towards me. I wouldn't be this sensitive if we didn't practice kink because I wouldn't be as vulnerable.
and if my dom was truly angry with me, if I felt like I was no longer in hir good graces, if I felt like ze no longer wanted me? that would fucking hurt in a way I don't think many people would understand. because it wouldn't just be an argument or something. I consistently bear my soul to this person. I have never trusted another human being like this. I have given myself to hir.
I always say kink is play and that people need to stop taking it so seriously. and this remains true. it doesn't have to be a whole thing with all the bells and whistles. protocols are unnecessary unless you want to play with them. doms have no inherent right to my respect whatsoever.
but just because it's play doesn't mean it doesn't matter. yes, it's play, it's make believe, my partner doesn't actually own me because you can't own people, and it's just stuff we do for fun when we feel like it.
but the emotional stakes are real. the potential for harm is very real. if you have lived through childhood trauma and you want to do kink on the sub side of things, you need to know yourself well enough to be able to communicate your needs to your partner. you need to be able to communicate when shit like this happens.
awareness and communication is how you avoid sabotaging your relationships because you're trying to keep yourself safe. you keep yourself safe by knowing when it's trauma talking and not your realistic view of the situation at hand. you keep yourself safe by telling your partner what you're feeling and giving them the necessary context. you don't have to give details, but you do need to give context because that helps them understand and it gives them the tools they need to take better care of you and keep you safe.
it's not easy, but it's necessary if you want to be able to engage in kink in an ethical way. your dom can't take care of you if you don't tell them what they need to know. your dom can't give you what you need if you don't tell them. unexpected things happen, of course, and people make mistakes along the way and that's normal and fine, and your needs can change over time, and you learn more about yourself as time goes on because that's part of being a person.
but as a rule, you have to know yourself and you have to know what you need, and you have to give this information to your partner. you have to be willing to address issues as soon as they come up. issues might seem small at first, but it's better to have a conversation now rather than later. if you wait or don't fully air everything out, resentment can build.
again, this isn't always easy, and it's okay if it feels hard. but you still have to do it.
it might feel like a lot of work at first, but doing that work now when everything is fresh is better than watching your dynamic fall apart. it's work worth doing if you're in a dynamic you want to stay in. and part of being a human is learning to give other people chances to surprise you. I'm not talking about letting toxic people back into your life. I'm talking about giving partners a chance to give you what you need, and they can only do that if you tell them what you need and how to give it to you.
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Bonding [Niall Horan x Reader]
The thing stared up at them, warning them from coming near it. Its big, brown eyes seemed to be glaring into their very souls. With a sharp beak and those glaring eyes it made a terrifying predator that neither wanted to deal with. Yet the bright pink fur that covered the body of the furry little creature made her want to hold it and play with it.
“What are we naming it?” She questioned her best friend.
“I don’t know. Probably something like Moonflesh or Cynthia the Devourer of Souls.” He said with a shrug of his shoulders. “They’re kind of like those names on tumblr.”
“God, we can’t even come up with a good name!” She sank down into the seat beside her sewing machine.
Niall had brought up the idea of getting Furbies about a month ago. She had one upped him. They had bought the Furby two weeks before, it had just come in the mail two days prior. She had made sure to procure the necessary equipment in order to create the hellbeast known as a Long Furby.
Needless to say they hadn’t slept in days, too busy sketching up designs and arguing over what the damn thing should look like. They’d also spent ample amounts of time trying to figure out who would own the cute little guy once it was complete.
“Hand me the scissors,” Niall said as he sat down across from her. The two were in her living room. It was small, cramped and smelled like her favorite pecan pie candle. It didn’t matter what time of year it was she was always burning that damned candle. Niall often wondered how she had so many of them. But he wouldn’t put it past her to stock up on the damn things during fall.
She had brought as many lamps as she could into her living room, cramping the already cramped space. She had made sure they would have plenty of light. Although she had kept the curtains closed as she had told him it would be easier for her to see what she was doing with a constant light source instead of one that was constantly changing. Niall had just assumed she didn’t want anyone able to see what they were doing to a children’s toy.
She handed him the scissors. As she did he couldn’t help but notice that she held a needle between her lips. He was somewhat worried that she would end up accidentally swallowing it. With a lack of sleep and her normal accident-prone self he was certain that she would do something stupid.
“Careful with that,” he stated as he began to make a cut along the seam of the Furby.
She did not say anything, instead just flipped him off. It was obvious that she wasn’t in the mood for him teasing her like that. She never was. He just always found it rather amusing.
The two worked in silence, Niall cutting the Furby into small pieces and making sure to be careful of the electronic elements and the face plate. He was certain that if he even scrapped the eye with the blade of the scissors, she would kill him. He wouldn’t even feel bad about it. She would have every right. They had been looking forward to this for weeks now.
Making bad decisions was the height of their friendship.
“That’s starting to look good,” she said as she began to trace some lines in chalk on what would be the body of their Long Furby.
He looked up from what he was doing, the face plate had just fallen into his palm. “What does?”
“The demon eyes that are staring up from your hand.” She gestured once towards the face plate in his hands. “Seriously, I’m going to have nightmares about that for months.”
He would have been offended had she not started to giggle afterwards. A bright grin spread across his face. “Oh yeah? I’m gonna have nightmares about the faceless Furby.”
The two looked each other in the eyes for approximately ten seconds before they both began to laugh about the whole thing.
“Hand me the spine,” Niall said after his laughter had subsided. She continued to giggle as she handed over the long, five foot spine. He had joked that the Furby was going to be taller than she was. She had told him to fuck off.
As Niall glued the face plate to the spine, she began to sew the panels of the back together.
Once the two had finished their prospective tasks they decided to call it a night.
“Are you bunking over?” She questioned as she walked back into the living room. She had disappeared into the kitchen five minutes before. He’d listened as she made several clanging noises and had cried out when she stubbed her toe.
“Might as well,” he said as she handed him a beer. He gave her a grin as he popped the cap. “Thanks.”
“Don’t mention it. Do you want some dinner? I have literally nothing in my fridge but I do have pizza coupons,” she sank into her recliner in a cross-legged position.
“We really have to talk about your food habits.” He shook his head once as she took her phone off the coffee table. She paid him no attention as she began to order their usual.
Sleepovers had been a near constant thing when the two had been growing up. They had both assumed they would be over after his time on the X-Factor. Then they had thought it would change after they grew up. It hadn’t. They were still the same people that they had been when they were kids. Best friends who were unable to be away from each other for long.
Niall had always appreciated her friendship. She had always been certain that he was going to be by her side forever. This was just another reason why they had decided to make this stupid thing. It was going to be a long, hard task but it was worth it to spend some time with each other.
The pair soon ate their pizza, talking and joking about whatever they possibly could. Niall ended up passing out on her sofa while she texted some guy that she was interested in. Niall hadn’t thought he was good enough but he didn’t think any of the guys she was interested in were good enough for her. He just hadn’t told her about it.
The morning light hit him in the face, causing him to blink twice as he began to wake up. He wasn’t sure what had led her to opening up the curtains but he was happy to see the sunlight. He looked over, ignoring the crick in his neck as he did so. She was sitting at the sewing machine, finishing up the panels and sewing it onto the headpiece.
The sunlight glinted off of her hair, turning it almost golden in the light. He had never actually seen her in this lighting before. He’d never seen her so focused on something before. He knew that her work ethic was one of the most amazing things about her but he’d never actually seen her in the midst of things. His experience with her work ethic was her telling him to stop sending her messages as she was working on homework.
She didn’t notice him for a while. Instead, he had enough time to just watch as she worked. He had enough time to take in the way she moved, the way she breathed. He’d never noticed just how beautiful she was. He’d never noticed the way her hair fell over her shoulder, hiding part of her face as she worked. He had never noticed the crinkle by her eyes and the way she would chew on her lip while she concentrated.
God, he wished that he had noticed it before.
He cleared his throat once as he stood up from her sofa. She jumped slightly, turning her head to look at him as he slid on his jacket.
“Uh, I’m going for coffee. You want anything?”
“Yeah, can you get me my usual?” She pushed the hair that had hidden her face behind her ear. His stomach flipped wildly and he wondered why he had never noticed the way she smiled at him before.
He figured this whole thing was because they’d been staying in close quarters for the past few days. This damned Furby was changing their relationship. He wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or not.
“Yeah, course,” his accent was gruffer than normal. He didn’t say more as he left her apartment. His thoughts were running wild as he walked the three blocks down to the nearest coffee shop. It was a local place that they’d been going to since they’d moved to London. He was certain that it was the best coffee in the world. However, he was not thinking about the robust dark roast. Instead, he was thinking seriously about the way she had looked in her pajamas working on their Furby son.
He was a mess.
It took Niall about twenty minutes to get their coffees and head back to the apartment. He wasn’t sure if he was going to say anything about his current feelings and the wild thoughts that he was having.
“You’re a lifesaver, Horan,” she stated as he handed her the coffee. She took a sip of it, a look of pure bliss crossing her features.
“Yeah, I know it,” he winked at her before he sat down on the sofa. “Did you get any sleep last night?”
“Uh,” he shook his head slightly as he heard her. Of course, she hadn’t.
“Let me guess, you were too preoccupied with the Furby thing?” Niall questioned, grabbing the open bag of polyfill from where it sat on the recliner.
“You know me far too well.” She stated as she brought the Furby’s body over to the sofa. She sat beside him, moving to rest her legs on his lap. It was a normal action, but it made him pause for just a moment. If only because he had not been expecting her to act so normal.
“If I didn’t no one would ever yell at you for your sleep habits.” As he spoke the two began to fill the Furby with the polyfill, making sure to make it as huggable as possible.
The two worked in silence, which was broken occasionally when she yawned. He was concerned that she wasn’t getting enough sleep but he also knew that she wouldn’t sleep until she was damn well ready. That was one of the many things that he loved about her.
She began to stitch the bottom of the Furby, closing it up and making sure that none of the stuffing would fall from their adorable little monster.
“Just like that, we’ve created a hellbeast.” He said with a light laugh, looking over at her for a moment.
“Cynthia the Devourer of Souls,” she said sleepily.
Niall looked over at her, watching as her eyes fluttered for a moment. He took his jacket from where it laid over the arm of the couch, laying it across her shoulders. “Get some sleep. We can celebrate later.”
Without thinking about it, he leaned over and kissed her forehead. He wouldn’t say a word about his feelings or the thoughts that he had been having about her. Their friendship meant more than anything to him.
It was why he had brought up the idea of the Long Furby. It was a bonding experience. One that they had both needed.
#long furby#one direction#niall horan#niall horan x reader#one direction fanfic#niall horan fanfic#one direction fanfiction#long furby fanfic#what have i done
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First Kiss
Follow up to the last fic (Breakup)
A friendly guest visits Ash to talk about the latest news.
This one ha a trigger warning right from the start, so I’m cutting it right after this. There are also spoilers for Rebirth and Retribution.
-Past abuse (non graphic)
__________________________
“Stupid doll! Why did you stop?!” he asks, furious. You’ve never seen him so mad.
“I-I don’t know… I didn’t expect…that you..” you stutter confused, the tip of your fingers reaching for your lips, still trying to process what just happened.
The jolt is sudden, painful and frantic, and has you panting, holding onto the wall as it ends. No pain gate to hide behind when they do that.
But you didn’t expect that he would do that.
“You only stop when I tell you to stop!” he yells
“I’m sorry sir!, Please don’t do that...-” you add quickly but begging is useless now.
He presses the button again. And again. And again.
You’re lying on the floor, trying to regain your breath when it finally stops, your body still trembling.
“Get back up now, dog” he orders, “I mean it”
You struggle to get back on your feet, wobbly legs, and heavy breathing
“I’ll… I’ll do it again! It’ll be better this time!” you plead.
“It damn well better be,” he says, glaring at you. “Let’s start from the beginning… and I want you to get her hair right this time.”
“It’ll be perfect. Just like you remember her, I promise” you say quickly
“Good. Begin!” he gives you your cue.
You focus on his eyes, into his mind taking in his memories, giving it all to recreate her once more, bring her back to life for him.
Every detail, every aspect of her mind he remembers, her personality… and then…
She smiles
----------------
The banging on your door breaks you from the nightmare.
It takes a lot more than usual to come back to reality and scan to see who is it that’s knocking there.
“What?” you hate verbal telepathy but It’ll take some time to get dressed with all the necessary layers.
“Was just passing by and stopped to say hi” There’s something inherently funny in the single line of their response.
“Cut the bullshit, we’re literally on the opposite end of town from where you live” you think back, as the struggle with pants continues, very real. Legs still hurt like hell, and you had to do your own stitches last night, because who else would?
Steels ambulance? Fat chance...
“Ok, maybe I got a taxi and two buses to get here tosay hi and check on you”
You grab a can of beer from the small fridge in passing and head to the door, opening it, staring up at Themmie, smiling at you on the other side, some newspapers, and magazines under their arm.
“Hi, there!” they wave.
“Good. You said hi, you saw I’m still alive, so now you can go” you say, opening the can and taking a sip.
“Aww, you won’t even let me come in?”
“Ortega obviously sent you,” you say, crossing your arms
“Of course he did, but I would have come anyway”
You narrow your gaze. If it was anyone else, you would be having this conversation trough a locked door, but this is Themmie… They are a special case.
“What do you want?” you ask, raising your chin.
“Just to chat”
“About?”
“The current headlines? You made it to the front page! You’re a big boy now!”
“Wha…” you start, but they hand you a newspaper, with your picture on the front page as they said. Under it, in bold, underlined letters is your statement from last night.
FUCK THE RANGERS!
“Oh fuck me…” you groan.
“Oooh, so that offer really extends to all of us? I have to say it’s a bit too early in the morning for me. Mind If I come in?”
“I can’t believe they actually published that,” you relent, moving away from the door, turning the page to skim at the article.
“Wow… this is a DUMP” they ponder upon walking past the door. “But it’s better than the last dump I guess, so kudos on that”
“Are there other articles?” you ask, annoyed, handing him another cold beer as you sit by the old table.
“ I just brought a few, but there’s plenty more where this came from,” they say taking the only other chair and passing you the rest of the magazines and papers.
Frontpage, same message, every single one of them.
“Shit”
“Hey, you shouldn’t complain! There’s plenty of decade-old heroes that never get a front page!”
“I got really mad last night ok? I didn’t mean for… any of that” you say tossing the papers back his way.
“Was it about the bait thing?” they ask, taking one of the magazines from the pile. “There’s a whole interview with Captain Blaze dragging Ortega’s ass about using his sidekick as human shields and live bait”
“Let me see that, and I’m not his sidekick...” you say taking it from them
The whole article is a disgusting little hit-piece whit Blaze using you as ammunition to hit Ortega with and basically gloating about it. But with both Steel and you getting shot while Ortega came out unscathed, the evidence’s on his side.
“If you want to join the Guardians man, I bet they’d take you right now” They grin.
“I don’t want to join a team… and how did they even know about the bait thing?”
“You yelled it at Steel, remember? Then the sarge tried to explain how baiting the enemy is a valid strategy and that Charge did the right thing in coming up with it…”
“How did that go?”
“Read it yourself” they add passing another article your way. The title says it all.
Loyal friend, or Devil’s Advocate? An opinion piece published by Deveraux, one of the mayor’s closest allies in the last years, trashing Charge’s ethics and field abilities.
“The bait wasn’t even his idea” you sigh. “I’m the one that came up with it”
“Whaa… you being serious?”
“Why didn’t Charge just tell them?”
“Charge made no comments, said nothing, just walked past. I don’t think they’d have believed that if he did anyway, but he didn’t even tell us what happened back at the HQ. He just wanted me to bring you a message, and then locked himself up in his office and hasn’t come out. I think he slept there.”
“Huh. And what message is that?” you ask, pretending disinterest.
“He just wanted me to tell you he’s really sorry about what happened up there. That he wasn’t thinking, and that he’s an idiot, and wants to apologize”
“He is an idiot,” you say, not looking at them.
“So you’re not mad about being used as Psychopathor-bait?”
“No”
“Then what the hell’s going on? Why did you storm off like that” they ask.
“I can’t tell you.”
“Why not?”
“Because it’s… it’s...” How can you explain what you don’t understand?
“Because... it’s what? Bad? Twisted? Secret?
“No… no it’s just…”
“Problematic? Embarrassing?”
“It’s personal dammit!” you raise your voice.
“Well, lucky you, I’m your friend! You can talk personal stuff with me!”
“How do I know you won’t tell anyone else?”
“Seriously?” they ask, glaring, making you flinch with guilt.
“Sorry” you avoid the gaze. “I shouldn’t have said that...I know you won’t, Themmie”
“It’s ok”
“Alright, I’ll tell you. But promise me you won’t tell a living soul!”
“You already said you know I won’t!”
“Promise!”
“Fine, fine, I promise I won’t tell anyone. Now tell me!”
“Ok… when I tried to bait Psychopathor, I dodged a few blasts… but then he got me. Vaporized the wall I was using for cover, got covered in debris, couldn’t get up… then Charge came from behind, and zapped him.”
“Uhu. Uhu” he nods “Go on”
“So Charge… Ortega.. He got closer and helped take all the shit off my legs and lifted me up… and then… and then...”
“And then what?” they ask.
You walked yourself up to the edge on your own, and now there’s no turning back it seems.
“And then he kissed me”
“HE DID WHAT?!?!!?”
“Don’t make me say it again”
“WHAT? ARE YOU SHITTING ME??”
“I TOLD YOU HE FUCKIGN KISSED ME, OK?!”
“And then what happened?!?!?!”
“I don’t know … I didn’t expect it!”
“So you didn’t want it?!”
“I don’t know! It was too fast!”
“YOU DON’T KNOW!?”
“I don’t!”
“What did you do?”
“I think I might have kissed him back”
“YOU DID WHAT?!”
“STOP YELLING AT ME!”
“Ok. Ok….” they take a few moments to cool down, the thoughts running wildly in his brain. “So let’s go over this again”
You sigh and nod.
“He. Charge, Ortega, Marshal Sparkles,... He kissed you”
“Yes, without warning”
“After saving your life”
“He didn’t save my life it was all part of the plan!!”
“So after saving your life, he kissed you without warning”
You grumble, but still, nod “More or less”
“And you. Sidestep. Ash. My buddy… you KISSED HIM BACK?”
“I might”
“Alright,” They nod, taking a few deep breaths, too excited. “So… tell me how… how do we go from there… to this?” they point at the newspaper front page.
“He.. uh…”
“Did he do anything else?”
“After we kissed… His mods malfunctioned. Shocked the hell out of me” And brought back memories, but you don’t say that.
“Whaaaa…”
“He started apologizing, and that’s when I realized what just happened… I pushed him away… told him to get off me, told him to fuck off, and got the hell out of there”
“You… oh my god…you just left? Didn’t he follow?”
“Well, he tried, but I was faster”
That’s when you realized what was really happening.
After all, you went through, after all the shit they put you through… After all that you had to go and make out with a human again? And not just ANY human but an actual walking taser?!
What were you thinking, getting so close to him in the first place? Risking your cover for what?!
And then you kissed him back! Idiot!
But wasn’t it nice for a brief moment…?
No? yes?
“He kissed you and it freaked you out”
“Yeah, I panicked! Didn’t know what to do, then Steel was down there being an asshole, the media was all around and It felt like there was no one on my team…” There’s never anyone on your team.
“Hey, I’m team Sidestep!” Except for Themmie of course
“Thanks” you give him a weak smile.
“Do you want me to talk to him?”
“I don’t know...”
“Do you want to call him yourself and talk this out?”
“I don’t know what to say to him”
“Do you want me to kick his ass?”
“NO!”
“Well do you want to kiss him again?”
“...” you stare at him, narrowed gaze.
“Hey man, just naming all the options here!”
__________
If you want to read more: My Fanfiction: https://chaniters.tumblr.com/post/181692759294/my-fanfiction-for-fallen-hero DISCLAIMER: This is a work of fan fiction using characters and the setting of the Fallen Hero: Rebirth and upcoming Fallen Hero: Retribution games written by Malin Riden. I do not claim ownership of any characters from the Fallen Hero wold. These stories are a work of my imagination, and I do not ascribe them to the official story canon. These works are intended for entertainment outside the official storyline owned by the author. I am not profiting financially from the creation of these stories, and thank the author for her wonderful game/s, without which these works would not exist.
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I have a lot to say and not enough time to say it. It hurts, but ya’ll know what this is about so if you want my full fandom retrospective opinion thing guys, here.
I’ve been following Vivienne’s art and career since I found her on dA in 2009. I’ve basically grown up with her and have a wide range of opinions up and down her collective work. I must stress that I do not know her as a person and no matter how critical I get in my personal time if I somehow met her in real life or converse with her online again (like, back in the day we went back and forth. She was pretty nice to me), I’d be humble and congratulate her for her success.
Critique does not, EVER equate to attacking people.
But
the reason I don’t call myself a VivziePopVivzmind-fan is the exact same as to why I don’t like the proud use of ‘anti’. Let me try and explain -
The vast majority of Viv fans are just that: fans. Viv’s one of their favorite artists and they’re happy for her and obviously defensive when some mouth breather pops into their fan discussion calling her and all of them trash. Quite a lot of the Hazbin fans I know in my circle of friends are all pretty accepting and agree on the problematic notions and implications of her work.
HOWEVER, there’s a vocal minority in the VivziePop fandom that were and still are toxic. Their specific interest in Viv back in the day was toxic...and now that she’s moved on into a successful career I doubt they’ve gone away, considering the things I’ve heard. These people - they’d flood Viv’s comments sections and stuff with messages like they were talking to her when they weren’t and they’d unironically call her a god in a way that feels like gaslighting, ex: “I’ll NEVER be as good as you Viv! My art is just sooooo unpopular oh god you are incredible no one will ever like you as much as meeeee”. It made me uncomfortable. It made me not want to be around her because these people took Viv’s role in their lives so seriously and their demand for her attention...it struck a nerve.
These same fans have been around long enough to see actual shitlords - the likes of Kiwifarms and tapatalk wikis - come in and actually harass Viv. Viv’s been sent revenge porn by sick freaks who think they’re funny and believe she deserves it. No. In my non-name fan bystander opinion, Viv’s got some shit to work on, but no one deserves raperevenge porn. EVER. It was genuinely bad and yes Viv and her base have every reason to NOT TRUST these communities. Unfortunately, when these incidents happened, these particular fans took it upon themselves to gatekeep the fandom and act like Viv’s unofficial guard against any kind of decenting opinion of her, all without her say so.
((to the critics who will be all “but Viv or Faust said THIS to their fans-”, like I said, Viv’s far from perfect but regardless of how much she prolly wanted people to side with her I’m gonna guess that she didn’t want people sending transphobic death threats to DollCreep. Again, and this is coming from a bystander here, I have a feeling Viv knows about some of the toxicity but doesn’t know how/want to address it - which is a conversation all it’s own.))
This particular breed of VivziePop “fan” holds so much toxicity in her fandom(s). They aren’t the only cause, but they’re there. They feel entitled to her attention and her approval. They creep me out. Having spoken to other much-less critical admitted fans of Viv around me, these fans appear to creep everyone else out and put the rest of the fandom on edge. They’re gatekeepers. They’re creeps. Like the bronies and SU fans of yestertodayyears, they know harassment exists and that people have crossed the line - so they think any means is necessary to prevent that is automatically good. I could pile together all the incidents and folks who’ve had bad runs ins with this aftershock of Viv-obsession, but I do have a life of my own and this post is already stupid long so I’ll just list out the biggest examples and provide receipts when asked.
Critical blogs have gotten RAPE and death threats because they don’t like Viv’s art. HonestZoophobiaCriticisms, a blog I interracted with back in the day, def got one. Now Viv’s opinion of crit-blogs is that they’re “bad takes” but I can assure you she doesn’t want that shit being said on her behalf.
I’ve seen young artists get blacklisted from sites and forums cause they so much as post a redesign. Viv and co get told through the grapevine that someone’s making hatespeech and so preemptively block said person (prolly cause they’re in the middle of WORKING and can’t deal right now) only to find out after the fact that no, it was just a kid drawing their version of her characters. There’s serious miscommunication issues within the fandom about who’s ‘good’ or ‘bad’ and once you get the actual staff involved in this game of telephone you’re begging for trouble. The problem acknowledged, however, it’s souly from the “Viv never did anything wrong camp”. No word is said about how ugly the fandom is under the surface it’s all one type of person’s fault and not complicated’. Blah
I’ve only ever had ONE obsessive ‘fan’ who’d stalk me, mock me, and then redraw my art just to get attention from me. That shit fucked with my head. As a follower hundreds of miles away from Viv who’s agreed/disagreed with her through the years - I absolutely believe her when she says she hates ‘creeps’ and that she doesn’t want anyone in her fandom spreading hate on her behalf. It’s the one thing about her I’m POSITIVELY sure of. Whether she believes that said underlying harassment exists and/or is even a problem within her fandoms is anyone’s guess. That’s not what I’m here for. I’m here to write stupid blog entries like this, talk about fandoms and media and how they and the real world affect one another, and rb fan art I like. I’m cautiously optimistic fan with a side of salt.
Mixed opinions and critique within a fandom CAN and SHOULD exist. Hazbin Hotel has been greenlit by a studio! It has a product line of merchandise you buy. Helluva Boss is getting eight more episodes this coming year (yeeee:3yeeee). Two of Viv’s properties are now products. Nothing is immune from critique. And in critique you will find a lot of people who are not ‘nice’. Critique or analysis doesn’t have to be nice. There will be, in Viv’s words’ ‘bad takes’ on her writing. Maybe they will be actual CinemaSins-styled bad takes or maybe Viv is just mad that people don’t love and feel inspired by her characters the way she wants them to - it’s a fact she’s going to have to get used to.
((TBH, I’m pretty sure she’s already realized that criticism of all types need to exist. It’s just that, again, her and the SpindleHorse staff are kind of overwhelmed by all matter of takes and opinions coming their way they kinda can’t deal weeding out the fair ones from the assholes, so she lumps them all together.))
Shitposters, ironic fans, unironic fans, critical fans, just critics of Hazbin and Helluva CAN and WILL exist. They should exist and not feel threatened by the megafandom. There are people out there who are one step further and rightfully bothered by Hazbin/Helluva’s use of incorrect symbols, portrayal of certain topics, and the response by creators. These people have strong opinions and are actually disgusted by Viv. They deserve to exist too and should not be vilified because, like me, they’re commentary doesn’t consist of anything personal towards the people at Spindlehorse or the fans of her works. They can rant, they can be professional, they can be petty and they can be fair. But they will exist. You have to deal with it.
I am an ADD/OCD ridden autistic woman with serious anxiety issues who has no one to talk to half the time and so only HAS my fandom to communicate with. But that’s just it - it’s a fandom. A community. You have to learn to not think souly of yourself and of others in a community. A fandom doesn’t exist just for you or any one person. You have the right to be angry and defend or be offended. And it’s in the spirit of that that I ask, prrraaaaaay even, that I please
NOT BE CALLED AN “ANTI-ANTI” for not liking the moniker?!
I DON’T TO BE AN “ANTI”. Not ironically, not unironically. ‘Anti’ should be for politics and shit like pedophiles, necrophiles, nazis, serial killer stans, Trump, racists, antisemites, terfs, animal abusers, rapists, and antivaxxers. Anti should only come into critical media analysis when these ethical issues follow suit IN TO fandom discussion. ((EX: Anime and MLP proudly waving their cp and non-con into the public eye; Hazbin appropriating cultural symbols which are not satanic; Basically anything that concerns John K or Butch Hartman.))
If your DNI list unironically consists of the entirety of one fandom: CONGLATURATIONS! You have done the exact same thing these particular creepy Viv fans have done: monopolize the conversation. And yes, people I’m referring to, IT’S STILL A PROBLEM EVEN IF YOU’RE FIGHTING RACISM/SEXISM/HOMOTRANSPHOBIA.
There are hundreds of Vivziefans who ARE more critical, accepting of faults, interested in discussion and especially rewrite and redesign stuff who would LOVE to engage with you and give you a follow. There’s hundreds of people who no doubt agree with you!
But the thing I’ve seen these very proud AntiHazbinVivzieHelluvaWhatever blogs do is lash out at fans for continuing to like Viv and consume Viv’s art in a healthy way. What the actual fuck is your problem?
I get it. Say a crazy Hazbin fan gets on your case for even SUGGESTING Viv could be homophobic ((”SHE’SBIANDWORKSWITHGAYPPLblahablahblah”)). They get in your face, make some callouts, try to rile up support against you, leave disgusting harassment throughout your social media? Absolutely ban worthy. After that it’s perfectly understandable why you don’t want to engage with anything HHHBZPVivzierelated because you’re so fucking tired of being labeled an abuser or “just jealous” for having an opinion on a show you don’t like. I’m with you!
But,
A fan agrees that something in the canon is bad or that Viv did something they don’t like?
A fan likes your silly shitpost meme?
A fan asks if they can like Hazbin and follow you at the same time?
A fan does fan art of something you don’t like?
If your response to any of these ^^^ things is to get LOUD and accusatory, Vivsplain them about how they’re an absolutely awful person to ever question YOUR opinion, or just block them without a second thought? You’re a petty, vendictive shit and you also need to learn to let things go. I’m sorry but you do. As I already said, Viv’s work is a brand at this point, not just the work of a singular person. As such, there are gonna be mixed opinions and you can’t judge every single one of these people by what they like. You’re a shitty critic with a shitty attitude and yes that will demean the value of what you’re saying. This is bad because, if you’re trying to point out how Angel Dust’s abuse IS handled terribly; gay rep in Viv’s work is weak and terrible; the show appropriates closed practices; the fandom makes excuses for predatory artists and creepy behavior and individuals who have sketchy pasts - I’M WITH YOU. WE NEED TO BE TALKING ABOUT THIS SHIT. JUST BECAUSE THESE ARE ADULT CARTOONS SET IN HELL MEANS THERE SHOULD BE ANYTHING CLOSE TO 2013 PONY-TUMBLR. <<<---- this shit is as important to me as it is to you and I really don’t like being called an abuser or apologist for saying “hey maybe blowing up at ppl for the shows they like ISN’T the way to go about this”.
But I have, just like the good old days of 2015 Zoophobia of yore, been blocked because I admit to being tired of ‘Anti’ being equated to ‘critical’. Same with hater.
Critical DOES NOT = Anti+Hater. I’m fucking tired of people saying it does and I’m tired of people taking up the term as some weird form of fandom reappropriation. It’s stupid.
Tl;dr: Once upon a time, I was in a budding fandom for something I liked made by an indie artist I watched on dA. I wanted to be a bigger fan than I was already, but was told by toxic people within said fandom that I couldn’t be part of it for reasons they’d made up in their head about my ‘motives’ against Viv. My admiration for Viv or what I liked about Zoophobia didn’t matter because I thought the story was really rushed and people weren’t being truthful with how they really felt about it - ergo, I HAD TO GO.
Flash forward 8 years later- My opinion of Viv’s body of work has changed but I still find myself in love with her style and some of her characters. I want to be on a forum or service that gives a healthy look at the problems there are with this series and fandom...and I’m met repeatedly by petty bs where people are again at each other’s throats. And yes, I do think it’s causing more harm than good especially when you insist there’s a “x person shouldn’t be trusted” mentality when fighting actual fucking racist, xenophobic, predatory bullshit.
#vivziepop#vivziepop critical#vivziepop drama#hazbin hotel#hazbin critical#hazbin hotel critical#critical hazbin hotel#anti anti#antis#anti hazbin hotel#cause I want both sides of this debaucle to see this and I'm tired#K?
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A Problem Shared - Julian Bashir X Reader
A/N: To the lovely Anon who asked for this, I thank you, I adore writing for this lil doctor, he’s definitely one of my favourites, it’s any excuse at this point, haha! I sincerely hope you, and everyone else, enjoys! :)x
TW: Mentions of bad mental health, if this makes you uncomfortable, feel free to skip this one!
Travelling space, seeing the stars, discovering new worlds. All of this to anyone would seem like a dream. And it was, it truly was. Never had you felt more grateful to have the opportunity to study and work in space. Seeking out new planets, carrying out new experiments; it was all in a days work for you, and you couldn't be happier.
Though, while it was truly a blessing to say that this was your job, there were days and weeks where the whole galaxy seemed like it was falling apart.
For years, you had struggled with some issues pertaining to mental health, and it took its toll on you more often than not. Before you enrolled in Starfleet, you had gone through many rough patches, and many unpleasant experiences. The results were lasting, and the damage never seemed to cease. You joined Starfleet, an attempt originally at distracting yourself from your problems, and fell in love with it. After being assigned to Deep Space Nine, you vowed that you would no longer let your internal issues affect you in ways that meant you couldn't do your job.
You'd been on the station for just under a year, and had met and worked with the best set of people this side of the universe. Every single one of them were friends to you, genuine and true friends. Some you were closer to than others, but every one of them meant the world to you. The doctor, Julian Bashir, was one such person who you connected with.
Originally, you found him to be very full on, very facetious. Alas, you realised quickly that you were more or less one in the same. You shared the same interests, had the same sense of humour, and the same palette when it came to food. Slowly but surely, the bond strengthened and before you knew it, you were walking round calling Julian your boyfriend.
That made your situation all the more awkward, and you felt guilty. In the recent days, you hadn't been feeling yourself, and you knew that it was another bad phase that was oncoming, one you had promised yourself you would let in no more. Still, it came. You became quiet, almost avoidant of your peers, which caused them to grow concerned. Not only that, you pushed Julian away, too, spending less time than normal with him. Your friends turned to the good doctor for answers, and were just as shocked to find he had none as he was that you had been avoiding everyone.
Julian didn't understand; you had always been such a happy and free spirit. It was very rare he would ever see you sad, though when he did it was usually a nightmare, or a past memory, or even a bad away mission. All things he helped fix with a good cuddle and words of reassurance. Though, this time, he felt there was something more underneath, he didn't need to be a doctor to see it. This wasn't an ordinary sad spell, and you'd be a fool to try and hide it from him.
All day you sat in your quarters, tears rolling free and fast. You were exhausted, however you weren't sure if it was from the lack of sleep, food, or the amount of crying you had done. Dragging yourself up, you traipsed over to the replicator and grabbed a glass of water and a bagel. Unable to force yourself to eat, you instead sipped on the water, standing against the wall and staring into space, as it were.
The ringing of your door took you out of the trance you were in, and you just stared at it. You couldn't say you were certain who it was, but you had a feeling it was Julian. And if you were honest with yourself, the last thing you needed was a lecture. Feeling bad for even keeping your issues from him, though, your heart decided it was probably best to open the door. Your brain said otherwise, and kept you stood on the spot instead.
"Please, Y/N, don't make me use the override." Hearing his voice sent a rush of calm through you, even in your drained state, and you picked up on the exasperation of his tone. He was stressed. You remembered when he had told you that he wouldn't ever use the override code on your door unless it was absolutely necessary; he saw it as invasion of your privacy. But, even if he did, you couldn't blame him, knowing he must be worried sick.
Silence fell again and the door still hadn't opened. Figuring he had left, you took yourself to your be and wrapped yourself entirely in your blankets, feeling the warmth as somewhat of a comfort. You were between sleep and consciousness, and the sound of the door opening this time caught your attention. You laid still.
"Y/N..." the familiar voice spoke in almost a whisper, and you were met with Julian's concerned face as he knelt before you. You stayed lay down, cocooned within your blanket, and he reached out to run a hand through your hair, concern lacing his face. "What's wrong?"
You sniffed, having no answer. You truly didn't know, you had nothing to say. Your thoughts ran away with themselves, and you felt like you were slipping into past mindsets, something that scared you.
Julian looked down, almost as though he was going to cry himself, and even in your current state, it broke your heart to see. He cared so much, and you still hadn't told him anything.
"Julian," you began, reaching a hand out of the blanket to cup his face. "Come here." It wasn't so much of a statement as a question, your voice hesitant and low. He looked at you with shimmering eyes, and you lifted the blanket up. Julian realised, and climbed in beside you, immediately encasing you in his arms. You buried your head into his chest, arms resting around his middle, and cried. You cried out everything you had left, every single thought and feeling you had running round, and he let you.
Julian knew you needed this, and he lay with you without question. Feeling your crying had ceased, he spoke ever so gently so as not to startle you.
"Y/N-" he began, but you looked up at him and cut him off, not impolitely.
"I should have told you a long time ago," you started, shifting so that Julian could hear your words. "I've struggled with mental health issues for almost ten years now, and I've had a troubled past. Every now and then, it get's bad, really bad. Some days, I can't even leave my bed, some days I can. It hasn't been this bad in over three years, and I got scared, which is why I shut myself off from everyone. I- I panicked, Juli, I didn't know what to do, I-"
You stopped as you felt your head twang in pain and you choked up. Having no tears left to cry, you laid your forehead on his chest again. He stroked the back of your head, running his hand through your hair once more.
"Y/N, listen to me. This, isn't an issue. This isn't something you ever have to deal with alone, it's not a nice experience. You have a great support unit around you, everyone was asking about you and if you were well, you know? They all care. And so do I, as well you know. This breaks my heart to see, the fact that you thought you had to go through this alone. You aren't ever alone."
"I know, but I just didn't want to push my issues on anyone else. I vowed to myself that when I finished at the academy, I wouldn't ever allow these kinds of mindsets to ruin my work ethic, and I guess that didn't work out well, did it?"
Your dry humour made him chuckle; he marvelled at how you handled situations with humour, even when the circumstances were dire.
"You are far too proud, Y/N, you astound me," he chuckled slightly, before returning to his previous seriousness. "In all honesty, you needn't ever have to worry about talking to me with things like this. Not only am I a doctor who's trained to deal with this, I'm your boyfriend, and I love you far too much to let you just suffer. Why didn't you tell me? Why didn't you com to me? I could have given you a prescription.."
"I- really, I don't know. I just panicked, I never wanted these feelings, these thoughts, to ever come back, and when they did, I didn't know how to react, I'm sorry, Julian."
He wrapped his arms around you again, burying his head into your hair. Kissing the top of your head, he spoke once more, the same softness his voice always carried with you.
"Never apologise, I understand. We are going to work through it, and we are going to be alright. I'll prescribe you something to help in the morning, alright? You have to promise me that this is the last time you struggle alone. Don't hesitate to call on me if you need me, it's why I'm here. I can't stand the thought of you keeping this battle to yourself. We'll win together, we'll get through it. Promise me?"
You managed a smile up at him, your mood already somewhat lifted.
"I promise, thank you, Julian. Somehow, you've always got the right thing to say."
"Anything for the person I love the most. You are never a burden, remember that. A problem shared is a problem halved."
You stayed like that for the night, cuddled into Julian's side as he told you stories of his past ventures to take your mind off things. It worked, and you couldn't have been more thankful. You promised yourself things once again, but this time, you had told yourself you weren't ever going to keep things from Julian. You couldn't break his heart like that.
"I love you, Julian." Your voice was heavy with tiredness, and you felt him smile into your hair.
"And I you, Y/N. I always have, and always will."
You slept that night in content, knowing that any battle you faced was won with Julian by your side. He was your rock, and with him, you were safe.
#tw: mental health#tw: depression#star trek#star trek imagine#star trek x reader#star trek deep space nine#star trek ds9#deep space nine#ds9#julian bashir#julian bashir imagine#julian bashir x reader#x reader#imagine
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Do you have any thoughts on TWN using non polish actors to portray characters from polish fantasy book with dense polish culture and roots? And on how most of the cast apperereance are drastically different than in the books? Like Foltest, Renfri, Fringilla or Calanthe? (Sorry this is the correct one, i forgot to add Fringilla on my previous question.)
i feel like the witcher should not be handled by a large american company like netflix. it is clear that a lot of decisions were made to “dumb the series down” in a manner that would make it more of a pop culture phenomenon that could be used to profit off of from viewership, subscriptions, social buzz, and merchandise, instead of an opportunity to demonstrate actual artistry, storytelling, character depth, and poignant messages. the company that handles it CAN be american or another nationality besides polish, but it shouldn’t be a huge one focused on making as much money and social sharability as possible, that will ruin things. (i also feel like the witcher should not be a live-action adaptation, but this is kind of besides the point... to better gauge how i think the feel of a visual-audial witcher adaptation should look, my dream adaptation would be that of a more “adult version” (”adult” meaning in themes like war and despair) studio ghibli or laika).
in regards to casting, i feel like it’s fine to not use an all polish cast as long as they fit the character description in a way that is actually relevant to the plot. so many people in response to people of color being cast in the witcher were volalitely racist and demanded a “polish cast” - as if polish MUST = white. even though poland is not as ethically diverse as some other european countries, people of color do exist in poland, as they/we exist everywhere. if you want an “all-polish cast and production,” that’s fine to me, i don’t think it’s inherently necessary, but i think if one is doing so, that doesn’t mean that it would be wrong to cast actors of color in roles.
i think the issue lies more with storytellng, for two reasons. one is that eastern european people involved on set seem to actually understand the witcher and what it’s about way better than any of the british cast, and by that i mean sakharov and baginski, who have demonstrated more understanding of like, the style of storytelling (not every scene needs to be jammed with action, drama, sex, gore), what the characters actually mean to each other, and the lore in general. this makes sense because i have read some articles and such before about how the witcher was and is important to its fans in poland and eastern europe because very little “slavic fantasy” ever gets exported and represented internationally, and of course sapkowski involved many cultural references in the series, so it’s recognizable to people from those regions (or are diaspora from those regions) who grew up hearing these fairytales, etc. it’s more of a meaningful callback and less of a “foreign curiosity,” if that makes sense. so for those reasons, i think it’s important to have a majority polish and/or slavic writing room/directors/etc, people behind the story and how the story is told - but that doesn’t mean the writer’s room should be all white men, though. diversity in gender, race, etc should be considered.
the other reason is that the casting for the netflix is inaccurate, but not for reasons of race. the issue with anya chalotra as yennefer isn’t that she is indian, it’s that her hair is incredibly straight and flat and not like yennefer’s curly stormy hair at all, and that her face is so soft and childlike, she doesn’t look stern and cold like yennefer at all. there are many casting issues amongst the white members of cast, such as henry cavill, who doesn’t fit the description of geralt at all because geralt looks like he’s starved constantly, and joey batey, who ... well, dandelion is supposed to be blonde and curly long-haired... but of course, these are the appearances which don’t really “matter” in regards to the story. except i think geralt’s build, as well as yennefer and ciri’s proximity in age, which makes me nauseous to think about how they only have a 6 year age difference
one physical description which does actually matter to the plot/lore is that of calanthe, pavetta, and ciri, as they are a matrelineal line, but in netflix, they don’t look related at all. i saw so many people complaining that they should have chosen a white actress for calanthe, but why is she the problem? why not cast people of color for calanthe, pavetta, and ciri altogether? they should look related and have the ashen grey hair/green eyes, but that doesn’t mean they have to be white. it’s a similar issue with yennefer and fringilla. they are supposed to look similar, and i saw many people complaining that they chose mimi who is black to be fringilla, they are just using “they need to look similar” as an excuse to hide their racism and anti-blackness, because anya is more white-passing than mimi is. from my perspective, why not then cast a black actress who looks similar to mimi as yennefer, then? “they need to look similar” again does not mean “they need to all be white or white-passing.”
we should have cast actors that both fit the descriptions of the characters in the books AND are diverse, without it being “random diversity to appeal to a diverse audience.” lauren thought she was so clever by throwing the actors of color in the roles of background characters, stereotypes, forgettable and disposable aides to the white leads, or super evil villains... i see what you did... why not center actors of color in an actually proud and leading light, with lead roles, where the casting makes sense and isn’t there for tokenization that does nothing to empower people of color? actually incorporate people of color into your artistic projects in a way that respects them and makes sense and not just so you can get more views to make more money
other divergences from canon like foltest were just piss-poor and demonstrated the lack of understanding about the messages of the story. foltest was supposed to be handsome, elegant, and as a refined a king as any, to show how those in power are actually corrupt and as prone to disgusting acts as any other human being, that foltest is not a better man than geralt because he is beautiful and sits on a throne. by making him disgusting on the outside, they totally missed the point that he is supposed to mask his disgustingness on the inside with beauty on the outside. also i feel like (maybe related) twn really made a whole joke out of foltest and his relationship to his sister because in one of the flashbacks (in the sorcerer? gala? party?) foltest is shown as a kid with his sister and his mom grabs his arm or whatever and is like “foltest stop bothering your sister” as like some kind of fucking joke... literally they made a “funny ahaha incest joke” like seriously wtf. the story of the striga in particular should be taken seriously imo because of how rawly the tragedy is depicted... this is probably why it’s one of my least favorite short stories... its so sad and also incest disgusts me horribly
for renfri i feel like she was just sooooo ... more “likable” as a character, a lot like how yennefer’s character was changed. you feel feelings of pity and curiosity towards her rather than actually being intimidated by her. renfri in the books actually made me so mad because i think she represents something like what ciri goes through across the saga, just how when you have the choice on how to respond to your abuse, you can easily become consumed with revenge, and i think renfri made me think of myself in that way so i really disliked it when they changed this terrifying raw aspect of her anguish and hunger for retrubution that made her lose her humanity into like, more of a palatable manner of killing... it really was just “girl with sword” and it was so boring. the lesser evil literally makes my stomach turn and that’s why i only read the story like once as well...
also to return to fringilla, i liked mimi and i thought she should have been cast for yennefer instead maybe.... i just was really upset at how much they changed fringilla’s character in the writing to be a “generic evil villain” when in the series she actually is kind of unique in my opinion. she is like, not allied at all with the main characters, but ends up saving both yennefer and geralt’s lives. she’s not good or bad, she’s not super loyal to the empire but she is still nilfgaardian/beauclairoise, and she just exists as a character and that’s why i actually like her in the books (asides from all of the unnecessary library nonsense). i thought mimi could have handled that complex role really well but they totally took that away from her and just made her a flat boring forgettable “evil” character that does “forbidden black magic” and is super loyal to an empire that brought her purpose because yennefer was mean to her once or smth ig... yeah ok. also i fucking hate how they had cahir of all fucking people order her around. idk how old cahir is supposed to be in netflix because he’s obviously not like 16-20 as he would be in canon during this time period, but to have him be the boss of fringilla... that is dumb as hell. i just try and think about that ever occuring with books verse cahir and fringilla and i think she would smack him off of his horse and into the mud. she’d tell assire and assire would get mawr to drag him off by his ear as he tries not to cry. also of course i hate cahir’s casting and the fact that they showed his face. why. it ruins like every message that his character had...
oh also because i HAVE to talk about it. i hate how they tried to make jaskier more masculine/boyish with not giving joey a wig or flamboyant setting-appropriate garb, i think they are allergic to men with long hair that’s not a grime, dirt-covered mess... literally just give half of the production wigs or better wigs i swear to god ... also like this is totally for another post but i don’t think making jaskier a flirt is inherently misogynistic like he acts in the books at times. like just write the misogynistic bits out and it’s fine... flirtatiousness is not evil when it’s consensual and appreciated ... i think they just really wanted geralt to be the one that gets large amounts of p*ssy because he’s muscular or w/e and jaskier became this sort of helpless annoying barnacle on his side instead of a real character and friend to him. and to bring this point back to the main point , i think character appearance really affects their characterization: jaskier in twn has short, boyish hair with no facial hair, which makes him look kind of juvenile, jaskier in the books has curly long hair with some light facial hair, which kind of brings up ehhh what would you call it... 70s casanova energies maybe, a man that puts oils in his hair and such, male thottery...
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i watched the first episode of canine intervention tonight, here’s some uncensored liveblogging featuring my spicey dog training takes:
“my dog training system is known all over the world" mhmm. lemme google this guy.
by clicking through his in person training site to his online remote training course, i found a whole lot of big red flags:
"Establish pack leadership" dogs don't have pack leaders. anyone who wants to make you a leader is not using a good understanding of dog behavior
"Time your praise and corrections" the times when i use corrections are when i'm the least on my game. my goal is NEVER to use corrections/positive punishment. why should i? it's concerning that he uses it as a core part of his method.
"Exercise and reinforce your leadership as a way of life" more leadership bullshit.
fancy letters are not the end-all-be-all, and there are trainers i seriously respect who have none of them. but they don't talk about leadership and corrections. it's concerning that he talks about his sports team as a kid, where he went to high school, and his celebrity clients, but not his mentors and education in training.
back to the show
why does his facility have enough dogs to keep them in kennels? how does that teach aggressive dogs how to be safe in a home environment?
not all of the dogs in the first shot of a class (~1:38) have two collars on but a lot do. that's not a red flag (i worked sydney in two collars [her flat collar and a martingale, because syd was very gear smart and it was nice to tell her that we were doing heeling now]) but with what i saw on his website? it's quite likely that one of those is the dog's normal flat collar with tags, and the other is a prong, choke chain, or electric collar
also: "I help the dogs that no one else will" is a flat out lie
if you're willing to take on any human aggression cases, generally you’re willing to take on all of them. now, some of these cases may generally lead to a recommendation of euthanasia. but that's in the best interests of the dog and owner
oop class shot where it's clear that they're wearing prongs
here's two points not about this guy specifically:
1) it is hard (impossible?) to do humane, ethical dog training in a 45 minute episode slot. it's not good tv. it's slow as hell. there's no drama. the aggression trainers i know? have never been bitten. many have never been CLOSE to being bitten. no tv value.
2) the positive dog training community is OVERWHELMINGLY white and middle class.
it's also full of racists.
"Nearly a million dogs are euthanized yearly and over 40% of them are pit bulls"
i've calculated that first statistic myself, but it's important to put it in context: this is USA specific, and that's down from 3-4 million 20 years ago. the second one, i would love to see his source.
he's right that it's important to understand where aggression comes from
anyway back to those two points, at the same time that it's really, really hard to do compelling TV with ethical dog trainers, it's also really REALLY important that the positive dog training community be working on being anti-racist. and it's really, really important that low income dog owners and people of color are getting good dog training.
alright first case! he's had her 3 months, 3 bites in that time. 10 attempted attacks. she's a young adult bully breed mix who had one front leg amputated after being shot. owner walks her in a muzzle which is a) too small and b) not bite proof.
"I see what we're working with" he says, after approaching a dog in her crate. hazard responds similarly to someone coming in, but he's not a bite risk. that's not a good evaluation.
he is correct about lady macbeth's motivations: this is a dog who's scared as hell and making herself really big and scary so that everyone leaves her alone.
okay he's also right that playing with her around strangers is really, really good for fear aggression
"frenzied just chaotic state" yeah no
reality check for y'all: i am not an aggression specialist and i have seen more freaked out dogs
she was on edge! she was unhappy! but holy shit was she not even remotely close to what dogs are capable of
"she just bit me!" she nipped your cheek, not breaking skin. that's a level 1 or 2 (of 6). that's not NOTHING but it's well within normal for a dog who's being restrained when she wants to be somewhere else.
[note that at no point in the episode was the owner ever given any sort of indication that lady macbeth is not this horribly aggressive Pit Bull TM. nor was there any discussion of a bite scale.]
"The only option we're gonna have is to [board and train] for 3 weeks" "I have no choice but to take her back to my facility back in San Jose and work daily with her" no!!!!!
[15 minute break]
lmao sorry i had to go yell at gf about how much this board and train is not necessary and in the process penny decided to cause Drama again
ANYWAY, the b&t is not necessary because all of those aggressive incidents bar the first could have been avoided if the owner was on the ball. this is not JUST a lady macbeth issue, this is ALSO an owner issue. both of them need to relearn how to handle new people.
as a bonus, lady macbeth needs to learn to trust her owner, which she categorically cannot do in a b&t
"The box is an important training tool to teaching new behaviors. It's also a first step in establishing pack leadership" ok this is new to me
and new is not a good thing here
text: Obedience depends on a dog's trust and respect for their pack leader
calculus depends on your trust and respect for your math teacher! if you respect them a lot you will magically be able to do calc!
I WAS HOPING. I WAS TRYING.
i was HOPING that his training for her fear aggression would be based in toy play.
instead he's got a fake arm and he keeps reaching out to poke her, and the owner says "no!" and does a leash pop (leash wrapped around her neck) every time she tries to bite.
"She doesn't know it's not his hand" it smells like plastic what would she THINK it is
also funky that we're 19 minutes into the episode about an aggressive bully breed mix and the trainer's childhood bully breed mix who killed a dog, and like. not a single mention of what these dogs were bred for.
let's go back to "how are you teaching aggressive dogs to live nicely in a home, if they are spending most of the day in a wire kennel"
for shits take, high school doesn't teach you how to handle your emotions! why should obedience class teach your dog the same?
and then like, every time she breaks the down he yells NOPE and leans over her??????
dude you're scaring her into being obedient. while you're talking about how it's important to treat her fear.
text: Fear based aggression can be reduced by desensitizing the dog to strangers
you're right! it sure can! THAT'S NOT WHAT YOU'RE DOING HERE
you've got a dog on her side with one hand over her, the other on a skinny check chain on her neck. every time she does anything but lay flat, the leash is popped and you say no. you are flooding this dog and creating learned helplessness.
jo summed it up well with this: he's good at seeing the behavior, he knows what he's looking at, he just can't change it. he only knows one method.
jo and i are now trying to figure out if "dog training but marie kondo not cesar milan" is a viable tv show
jas correctly stops the friend and changes how he approaches the dog, that's a good response
i'm laughing bc after a 3 week board and train which is not going to be less than $4k, he's giving the exact same "how to meet new people" directions that i would give to a similar client--at the start of our time! not at the end!
"I can't imagine imagine a dog having it too much worse than she did, the fact that she took a gunshot, the fact that she had no security for years of her life" alright dude
a) think worse, this PALES to abuse cases
b) let's not? shittalk? the care that people without reliable housing give to their dogs (and occasional cat!)?? because what they do for their pets is incredible, and it isn't necessarily connected to her opinions on strangers
so yeah still laughing bc like. that "happy ending" would be my first session with a client. that's how you START handling stranger danger. and for this the owner paid thousands.
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Still in Before the Storm. The Yevetha are really into isolationism, which I noticed because that was a big thing with my OP (original planet) Sawarra. Mostly the political stuff is boring and Leia keeps having her own personal crisis that mirrors Luke that just seems... out of place given where we are in the timeline. He retreats, she just keeps digging down. She’s being really naive about trusting the Yevetha and it’s so off. The plot requires she pick up the Idiot Ball, I guess.
Meanwhile, back in Luke-land...
Luke didn’t object in principle to FCZ regulations. They helped ensure that less experienced pilots in less capable ships made slow approaches to populated worlds and busy spacelanes. But he had never been subjected to a four-day realspace crawl just to leave Coruscant. He was accustomed to reaching for the hyperdrive moments after his ship cleared the atmosphere. Mud Sloth insisted on waiting until it had cleared the star system.
Which means he’s stuck in quarantine with Akanah, lol.
She did not force conversation on him, either idle or earnest. Nor did she make him feel as though he was being watched, that she was waiting for him to do something. Without his ever asking, she granted him the only kind of privacy available under the circumstances—the privacy of the mind and heart. She did not intrude there without his invitation, hiding her own needs and curiosity so perfectly that they seemed more like comfortable old friends than strangers.
This whole scene just reads differently in 2021, that’s all I’m saying.
Akanah practiced her Fallanassi craft in silence behind the drawn curtain of the sleeper, and stripped to a body-hugging monoskin to exercise only when it was Luke’s turn in the zippered bunkbag. She even politely ignored him when he made both discoveries, making it unnecessary for him to apologize, or for her to explain.
LOL.
“Tagge—I remember now,” said Luke. “He was on the first Death Star when Leia was a prisoner.” He paused, then added, “He was probably still on board when my proton torpedo blew it to bits.”
I’m skeptical why Luke would know this off the top of his head a decade later, but okay. Like me, Akanah is not impressed:
Luke didn’t know what possessed him to make that claim before Akanah, and her response made him feel even more foolish for having done so. She stiffened as he spoke, and he could feel her withdrawing from him, though she barely moved.
“Do you seek honor from me for this? In time you will understand that the Fallanassi honor no heroes for killing, not even killing one who has been our tormentor,” said Akanah.
“I’m sorry,” Luke said, and wondered at his own words. Everything suddenly seemed upside down. It was strange and unsettling that the deed for which he had been so lionized now became touched with regret—regret over the killing of an enemy who had been his own sister’s tormentor. That moment had decided both his future and the galaxy’s, and he had never, in all the years since, questioned the rightness of what he had done.
Really? Never in a moment questioned it? I’m so skeptical. Seems like this would have come up when Kyp destroyed Carida, if nothing else, given the DIRECT PARALLELS. Sigh.
Akanah’s story is really complicated and I’m not sure it’s necessary?
“Lady Anna!” Akanah said when they enjoyed the privacy of the road, jolting along in one of the big-wheeled, two-seated utility vehicles common on Lucazec. “I like that. And what shall I call you? The Duke of Skye?”
“I’d prefer not to give any name at all,” said Luke. “I’d rather anyone we meet not quite be able to recall my face, or remember my name, as though they were too distracted by you to pay attention.”
“The Duke of Skye,” LOLOLOL.
this whole book is about wild goose chases - Luke and Lando and Han are all off in different directions, looking for different things, most of which don’t actually exist.
Luke slices an attacker’s arm off. Somehow he manages to disable the comlink on the dude’s belt with the tip of his lightsaber without doing any further damage. I am skeptical about the mechanics of this. Akanah is pissed, and Luke’s just like, “what?” without acknowledging the gravity of what he’s done.
“Let go of the Force,” she said. “It can’t help you in this. You’ve trained yourself to see the shadows. Let yourself see the light.”
I don’t understand how the White Current is different, exactly from the Force. Maybe it’ll be more clear later on in the book?
“Let me help,” she said, taking his hand. “Do you perceive the wall?”
“Yes—”
“Take it away. Stop perceiving the substance. Make it disappear from your thoughts, and look inside it. Stay open—let me guide your eyes.”
Then he saw it—not written on the wall, but written within it, the pale white shapes of symbols drawn not with matter, but with some elemental essence swirling within it.
“Is that it?” he asked, as though she could not only guide his eyes but see through them.
Also, this:
Not long after, back in the ruins of the village of Ialtra, the bodies of two dead Imperial agents merged with the shadows that had enveloped them, and vanished as though they had never been.
they were illusions the whole time, so I guess we don’t have to feel bad that they “died” at Luke’s hands, and maybe talk about ethical issues?
Anyway, that’s it for Luke in this book. The rest is just political shenanigans as the Yevetha start slaughtering people. Ackbar, Drayson and the NR military officers seem to be the only ones not holding the Idiot Ball here. And there’s that obsession with duality, with only two choices again:
“Who do you answer to?”
“The same as you do, Princess—the same as anyone at our level does,” Drayson said. “I answer to my conscience and my sense of duty. And yes, if either ever fails us, we can do a great deal of harm—and probably hide most of it, too. But that’s all there is, isn’t it? Conscience or obedience. Leader or follower. Whose orders do you obey?”
Also, Nil Spaar weaponizes Leia’s heritage against her, which seems like... maybe something that should have been addressed before now? Otherwise, why should anyone take it seriously?
ughhhh, what a mess. There’s nothing that makes the Yevetha particularly interesting or compelling villains and it’s hard to care about my faves when they keep acting so OOC.
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