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asturlavi · 3 years

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oh boy, do i have wonderful beast oda/odazai info for you all since this may just be my favorite chapter in all of beast. it clarified a lot about oda's state in this au, and how sad it truly is, especially with all that dazai has done to ensure that oda's safety is certain

before i start, this was initially intended to be a quirky little twitter thread that’s supposed to be kicked off with a badly drawn doodle of something meme. the thread was supposed to be about how wonderfully dumb odasaku can be and how annoyingly frustrating dazai is in the latest beast chapter... and then it slowly devolved into a crudely written essay about small discoveries i’ve made that most likely haven’t been pointed out before, so i recommend that anyone interested in either oda or odazai to check this out

so i finally got around to reading the new beast chapter and seeing how odasaku constantly devalues himself and finds that he's lesser than the average person is… sad. its been said that him and ranpo are the stars of the ada, every mission trivial with their cooperation, and yet he doesn't see any of that. thinks he struck luck when it came to his entrance exam, which he specifies that it wasn't as a result of his own skills. his inferiority complex is embedded so deep that despite his achievements, he doesn't at all believe he has any worth as a human.

i'm just a tired, ordinary man like you could find anywhere. a third-rate detective, as unexceptional as a fallen cigarette butt on the road.

and his entrance exam was just like dazai's: the azure messenger case, which we all know wasn't at all a walk in the park. one mistake, and it would spell disaster for the city that the ada was trying to protect. no--not just the city, it would also mean the end of the ada as we know it. despite it all, he resolved it much to his own surprise, and it was all thanks to an "unexpected" gift. and that gift? who would it be other than from dazai himself?

beast light novel ch. 3

(also, this is a shaky claim at best but I feel as if oda fully holds the capabilities to solve the case alone, but dazai knew that with odasaku's persistent feelings of self-doubt, along with his lack of some of the vivacity that dazai held to weasel his way through to information, the outcome of success wouldn’t be guaranteed. and so, dazai lent him something to ensure his success)

and yet, oda is blind to see truly how much intellect and skill he possesses. he doesn't realize how integral he was to the quest of the azure messenger, doesn't acknowledge that without him these orphans would have either slipped into a life of crime, gone to a downtrodden orphanage, or simply passed away, and he doesn't know that despite it all, he's one of the purest characters in the story, even with the darkness that will forever cling to him, a reminder of the violence that marred his past.

not to mention that oda, in one way or another, effectively analyzed the current situation that they're stuck in. he noted that if things currently go the way they're going, no matter what akutagawa achieves, him and his sister are doomed. so, oda brilliantly decided to go after the port mafia itself to prepare for this possibility, and it's nothing short of genius. and dazai plays along with this… because it is oda, after all.

and everything dazai did, everything he sacrificed, it was all for oda.

now to the underlying tragedy of this chapter. take a look at this panel:

ever since then, i've been making a living by solving requests that come to the detective agency.

i provide for the orphans

i drink coffee.

i gamble a bit on days off.

at night, i write a novel in the kitchen.

that's my life.

nothing unusual, right? you'd think that odasaku was satisfied with life, since he has everything he had ever wished for. but in all actuality, he still lacks one important thing.

and that's friendship.

his words sounded so… empty. achieving ones dreams is but one aspect of life that brings one gratification, but doesn't necessarily mean it would guarantee lasting happiness. (think of famous actors or celebrities that spiral into depression even after they've achieved their dreams).

in that panel, he says he cares for the orphans, gambles, and writes alone in his spare time, but not a word of spending time with friends… something he had in the root universe, something that was lost to him in this one.

and he says this all with his face blacked out, as if he's somewhat implicitly dissatisfied (while the kid's faces are present, not at all concealed).

with dazai, he found peace in a place where peace is rare to find. They both completely put their guard down with each other around, and dazai can relax his overly speculative mind with oda. and they understood each other, a level of understanding rare to come by. dazai with his dark jokes easily flies past oda's ears because that's what they are, harmless jokes. and oda with his blunt honesty, which dazai cherishes and never prods him for it.

dazai also saw things in oda that oda was blind to. dazai saw a world of beauty in oda, the ray of light beneath a cloudy sky. he saw both intelligence and wisdom, kindness and generosity. and most of all, he trusted oda, despite dazai’s natural inclination to distrust.

and what oda saw in dazai was vulnerability. despite the front that dazai puts, he can be kind, even empathetic, when the situation calls for it. dazai once gave akutagawa a decision to turn his back against dazai’s offer to join the port mafia, when logic points to the fact that he didn't have to, but wanted to.

dazai also consistently gives atsushi words of advice and shows understanding when dazai was under no obligation to, such as atsushi facing the loss of his previous caretaker. dazai gave atsushi genuine advice, not laced with any malice or ill intent. dazai had even left atsushi to grieve alone, fully understanding that atsushi needed to pour his emotions out in private. there’s more than enough instances of dazai showing this side of himself in both the light novels and manga, but it seems to sometimes be brushed aside. even though the main cast of characters always dismissed this side of dazai, oda has always known that this side of dazai was his truest self.

oda and dazai also talked endlessly about trivial things, calling each other daily for two hours for no reason other than that they each enjoy one another's company. it's pure, wholesome love. they had a mutual trust and understanding between one another, which ango, another friend of theirs, severely lacked in his friendship with them.

oda's dream was to write, gone unfulfilled in the root universe, but he died happily knowing that the one he cares for is living in the path of light. dazai's was to find a reason to live, which he found in oda, and continues to use this as motivation long after oda passed.

in beast, dazai's dream was cut short, ultimately leading to his demise at the end. after all, his one reason to live is now robbed from him. however, oda's dreams have become a reality, but can one really say he achieved happiness? he has the orphans, his children, but they will never understand him like dazai had. he has peace, but is it the form of peace he wanted? spending time alone, on things like gambling, while endlessly mulling how he has no one to spend this time with?

and writing, his one true wish that dazai made absolutely sure to make a reality. but was it worth it, at the cost of a friend who brought happiness and reprieve when everyone else failed to?

i thought of this tale as a matter of equivalent exchange, you lose one life in exchange for another. the scales do remain somewhat balanced, but not over a matter of lives. it's over a matter of personal sacrifices, ones only known to us readers.

and i say "somewhat" because in the root universe, dazai remembered oda when he was alive, so well that dazai can recall memories to near perfection. but oda had completely forgotten dazai in beast, chasing after absent memories and deluding himself into thinking his life is perfect, while numbing himself from the aching hole of loneliness that consumes him inside.

also, oda is surely happy spending time with the children, but what about his lonesome hours? who is he going to spend that time with, in a world without dazai, the only person who understood him and his oddities?

ah, and remember this moment in the root universe?

now, take a look at this again. no, look closer

odasaku wasn’t merely gambling for the sake of it, he was gambling on a horse race. and before dazai was arrested in the root universe, he was seen doing just that.

now, why would odasaku do this? he surely doesn’t seem the type to gamble away his money on something as silly as horse races, because what does someone gain while they pour their money into something so senseless?

and the only reason i could arrive to is that dazai must have dragged him along to one. dazai is a port mafia executive, with more money than he knows what to do with and a boatload of depression. money probably disinterests him as much as life does, and he used gambling to kill two birds with one stone: ridding of money he doesn’t need, and distracting him from his boredom (and depression).

and it doesn’t end there. remember when dazai in dead apple had visited bar lupin to pay his regards to odasaku, while reliving a pleasant memory dazai had with him? and he did this because he was preparing for a quest that may result in with the loss of his life, psyching himself up for what’s to come. this is probably bordering on speculation, but i believe that that’s precisely what he did once again in the horse races. dazai paid a visit to a place that oda and him had frequented, to prepare for another dangerous quest.

also, note that immediately after exiting bar lupin in dead apple, dazai was confronted by ango, which kicked off the start of dazai’s plans. a similar thing happens in the manga, dazai spending time in a place that he and oda had gone to, this time the horse races, and his plan whirls into motion as jono arrests him. i think these similarities are deliberate, in order to establish their significance to dazai and oda.

this long winded explanation’s purpose was only for me to go back to this panel once again, and say that everything oda spoke about doing, from spending time with his kids, to brewing coffee, to betting on horse races, and to writing in the kitchen, were all moments he had with dazai.

and see that he has an extra chair that sits unused in the kitchen? at first, i thought it was there for the sake of being there. then, it slowly dawned on me that odasaku and dazai had noted in the dark era light novel that they made a habit of visiting each other, so it wouldn’t be illogical to conclude that it was a chair meant for dazai. a place where he can spend some private moments together with oda underneath the dimly lit kitchen, drinking in the scent of odasaku’s coffee and talking about things that distracts them from their troubles while odasaku whittles away at his manuscript.

and one last thing before i end this out of sheer laziness, take a look at this photograph of oda from the final moments of the beast light novel.

as oda stated in the manga and light novel, he worked on his manuscript alone in the kitchen... but in the photograph, he wasn’t alone. he’s posing for a picture. relaxed, poised, as if entertaining the one taking the photo. and besides, wasn’t it dazai who insisted on taking photographs in bar lupin with ango and oda in dark era? he must have done the same in that very moment in the beast universe, but this time in anticipation of oda forgetting him.

in the end, it seems oda and dazai left each other in similar ways, foolishly believing they've sacrificed their lives for each other to better the other's life, but all they did was create worlds where the feeling of happiness will be lost to both respective parties, while also resigning each other to a life of loneliness.

they've forgotten about their one happiness that stems from just being around one another, listening to the soothing tune of jazz playing softly as they talk into the night, the world lost to them as they're absorbed in one another's presence.

it seems like their story is a tragedy of what happens when you love someone too much, to the point that you delude yourself into thinking you're but a tool for their happiness, and with you gone, nothing will change.

but things did change, didn't they?

#odazai #bsd #bungo stray dogs #oda sakunosuke #osamu dazai #bsd beast #i'm never doing this again

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incarnateirony · 4 years

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I get blends of innocent beans confused with what queer coding is or isn’t, and malignant beans misappropriating points, so we’re gonna do a quick run through.

Queer coding started as a malignant thing. The truest use of the phrase “queer coding” came from stereotypes and villainizations that straight people found sCaRy. This is like, why Scar seemed classically flamboiyant, or a variety of Disney villains were long, lanky, gestured exaggeratedly, wore eyeliner, etc. There’s a million examples but I’m not going to cover them all because I think you get what I mean. At the time, straight culture was painting gays as bad so painting villains as how straights perceived gays was like, super useful, cuz it creeped the straights out oOOoooOOo.

When people talk about queer coding enforcing stereotypes, if you’re talking about the original form of queer coding, this is inherently true. However, coding reached other levels, and has adaptive forms.

For example, watching (as I’ve been mocked for saying 10,000 times, but because it’s needed) The Celluloid Closet will clear up a lot for you. Subversive queer coding is when queer creators use a great deal of things to communicate with a queer audience past censorship. The film documentary (if you can’t read the book -- which I understand, it’s difficult to find) clears a whole fuckton of this up.

There’s some things that, quite frankly, we as gays know as part of our language. It is what it is. While it’s not a stereotype, it’s quite literally a language I highly warn straights against stepping into, because then they flounder around confused on what’s our actual language and what’s a stereotype

A truly innocent bean asked of me yesterday, well why then is menthols fair subversive queer coding? How is that not a stereotype?

Well like, because it’s facts. And that’s really, really hard to wrap ones’ head around from an outsider straighty perspective or even someone who’s queer but trapped heavily in a hetnorm world outside of where this is visible and/or in the wrong demographic otherwise. A black person who hangs out with black people of all orientations is not going to blink at a media dude getting menthols generally, because it’s one of the cultures that statistically engages in it to the point of memes about Kools or whatever. That’s not my culture, I can’t comment on much beyond that, but it’s just something to take note of.

But even if you don’t want to take someone’s word on “no, seriously, white dudes smoking menthols is queer culture and literally like a great sign for a hookup to another queer white dude”, google the various intersections of gender and menthol, race and menthol, and sexuality and menthol.

This isn’t pulled out of thin air. These were populations quite literally heavily targeted by Big Tobacco and, by nature, are the ones that smoke it, whereas Big Tobacco put(s) on airs of masculinity and chick-magnetness to smoke good ol non-menthol shit. It’s literally marketing. Yes, it does literally impact who buys product and yes, it does after generations have a noticeable affect. Track the numbers I told you to google down and you’ll realize less than 3% of menthol smokers identify as straight white men (depending on the way the numbers sort out and the year of polling, often 1.x%, 3% is the liberal number).. Lemme tell you, on the street, that’s an “okay, honey :)” when you do find it. Maybe a little pat on the head. An invisible brochure for Welcome To The Gays. Like, White Men make up more than 31% of America and they still refuse to tally more than 25% of the US as queer [some censuses as low as 6% and LOL] so like-- that should be like minimum 25% of dudes available and nope, 1-3%)

(that’s not to say all gays or even all white gays smoke menthol, but this is that rule of “not all fingers are thumbs, but all thumbs are fingers” in loose application.)

But understanding these things, these signals, from the outside is utterly flabbergasting to people.

No, someone making an immasculating joke is not subversive queer coding. No, a dude wearing a certain kind of shirt or eating a certain kind of food generally isn’t queer coding (Unless it’s a rainbow flag BITCH IM GAY shirt, or uh, maybe for food quiche or hummus? I mostly joke for the latter two, but that’s the kind of self ball punching queer community sometimes does to itself in awareness that yes, there ARE elements. No, eating hot dogs and burritos isn’t gay. Yes, we make make penis jokes. No, that isn’t itself queer coding.)

When a queer author codes a piece, it’s designed to communicate to the resonant audience. It also may not communicate to /all/ gays. The language of a middle aged cis gay man that lived through the AIDS crisis is a whole other fuckin adventure from the language of 17 year old trans gays squatting behind their Xbox, it’s just fact, it’s just what is. Completely different cultures and lives being lived, completely different experiences resulting. A few things here or there may connect across generations but some shit that’s written by a gen Z gay is gonna whiff by a boomer gay, sorry. Also just facts.

Explaining exactly what is and isn’t queer coding is almost impossible beyond the fact that “if you don’t get it, it’s probably not for you.” -- At the same time, that leaves the problematic room of people taking that grey area and packing in a bunch of shit and we’re back to ground zero on the original problematic queer coding.

I once read a meta of uh-- I’ll just say, [Fantasy Character]. The fantasy character had an addiction problem that gave them villain-like attributes. Someone implied the “villain coding” made it queer coding. Okay like. Fucking absolutely not. Because if the show in question WAS doing that, first off, that’s literally the kind to make mockeries of gay people so you literally shouldn’t be reaching for that and second off they’d be doing that lanky sassy bitch with eyeliner bullshit like Disney villains with it, give or take. You don’t apply this shit in reverse, “he has villain attributes and so he’s gay” is literally the worst possible angle to take a discussion while trying to slap fight in a representation arena. Like I can’t say enough DO NOT DO THIS SHIT.

If you wanna write fic or headcanon whoever as gay or whatever have fun but like once people keep trying to talk about “coding” you’re talking about conscious elements inset by the authors. Does a character have a bunch of on the record sexual encounters that just happen to include dudes persistently even if we don’t exactly get the exact angle or Proof Of Dicking? That’s gay (also depending on the phrasing, as settled in older stuff, that’s just deadass queer text and settled long before this fandom ever had pissing matches about this shit in older cinema.) Does the character happen to be respectful and use like gender neutral pronouns on people? Sorry folks that unto itself isn’t gay, that’s gays writing allies at best, unless you can give specific and directly applicable situations relevant to the character rather than eternally vague blogging through and swearing up and down it’s just about their partners or some shit. Yelling it in general though, sorry, no.

Does the character engage in things or events with non-het gendered partners that in the very least are heavily coded into the areas of relationships even if they’re unclear (eg, do they routinely go out with non-family people and hold deep or meaningful conversations in things that LOOK like a date, even if nobody SAYS it’s a date) -- congrats, you have coded text. Alone it could even be queerplat stuff, depending on the suprastructure of the plot, text, subtext and everything else around it (same way, gasp, a man and a woman can sit at a table and not necessarily be in a relationship, but if they’re trading courting gifts and having unique and powerful exchanges or have big like, “the heart is the thing that binds us together uwu” shit, we all figure out what the fuck is going on like grown assed adults.)

It’s easier to list things that are NOT subversive queer coding:

Insults against gay people

Immasculating commentary

Random foods short of it deadass being a gay author making fun of some gay meme shit in some gay equivalent of ‘right in front of my salad’

Favorite colors or clothing

---

We got it? Good. Rule of thumb though. Deadass unless you are involved in some thick-ass queer culture don’t try to queer code shit. I don’t even care if you’re queer yourself because that doesn’t mean you’ve actually been subject to the culture in a meaningful way. There’s 30 year old bis that grew up in white picket fence suburbias on top of trust funds with hovercraft parents guiding them through 17 degrees and keeping them out of party culture that married a het-passing relationship and settled down and started having babies and their grasp of queer culture ends at what they perceive out of memes online, if they even hover in actual queer crowds online at all as much as general ones. That person literally is not going to speak much of the language. They aren’t. At best they’ll speak the language of 30 year old trust fund het-married bisexual mothers which, I mean yeah, technically some queer language but that’s a very, very fucking niche experience path right there compared to street-dwelling club-goers that attend pride, hold D&D parties with all their coworkers they figured out are gay on the weekend, occasionally brick a window in a riot. The latter is gonna have a far more diverse queer experience. And by such, a far more diverse queer language.

That’s not even to gatekeep. 30 year old trust fund het-passing-marriage bi-mom is in fact bi. So yeah, they’re queer. But we’re talking about language and culture, which is related to but not something you inherit. It comes by lives and experiences.

And I think this is where a LOT of the fucked up early Queer Coding fuckery comes from in discourse. Yes we have a language. Hell, to some extent a few things might even kinda BE stereotypes but there’s a certain amount of living and being where you know the difference between “this is a stereotype made by straight people villainizing us that has no idea what we’re fucking like” or “this is a stereotype born out of mass marketing that targeted and victimized then imprinted on an entire population that we’ve come to recognize among ourselves.” Or even “this is a stereotype but FUCK YES it’s one we embrace, go get fucked, straights.” And it’s not NEARLY as ambiguous as fandom circle jerks try to make these things out to be in the interest of wanting every interpretation to be valid or every character to be gay or not wanting to admit some person may know what the fuck they’re talking about more than they do.

Huge point on that last one though, because like. I’ve seen some angry straights that are pissy about the show try to throw wrenches in the gears by concern trolling as if in defense of the gays about “offensive queer coding” and most of the time they’re basically that “how do you do fellow kids gays” meme. “How do you do gays I am very concerned about *checks notes* the twitters talking about gay men walking fast” and half the time turn around like two tweets later like “besides the character doesn’t even have a lisp anyway” or some bullshit that is outright offensive ass stereotyping while they’re out here trolling over the fact that a gay man admits to diva worship as a cultural trait.

General rule of thumb: ask a queer culture immersed gay about queer coding.

Shipping culture in the blue hellsite is not queer culture, for the record. Even if a bunch of queerfolk are in it.

Thanks.

Sincerely,

A very tired gay

#supernatural #spn #fandom #queer coding

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gabsblogg · 3 years

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GABS BLOG

Hello friends, my name is Gabriela Metaras and I am a student at High Point University. I would like to welcome you to my very own “Gabs Blog.” On my blog, you will learn how gender inequality is still very “real” in our society and the atrocious treatment of women; you will acquire knowledge as to what is happening, what can you do, and who and how you can be inspired to make a difference. Prevention is key. Let’s begin with my 1st post, which clearly was a disgusting display of ignorance from the male population and the malicious way this poor woman is being treated in front of all these men bystanders, regardless of how hard she fought back and defended herself and her rights as a human being it was still deplorable. If there is one thing I learned from being a woman, it is that gender inequality still goes on and as a woman, I feel very strongly that we have the right to live free from violence and discrimination to enjoy all of life’s attainable dreams through hard work without any interference or discrimination from the “other” gender. On to our next post; this post hits home for me and reminded me of one of the chapters in the book we read, “Three Daughter’s Eve” where it specifically discussed a part explaining how Peris' brother forced his wife to have a virginity exam done. This bothered me then and it bothers me so much more now reading the same situation occurring a second time. It just solidifies that this is an abuse of power by a man and is completely and totally unacceptable to take away a women’s right to choose and force her body to be used without the choice of consent. This TED talk needs to be streamed worldwide around the globe to ensure that men understand that a hymen proves nothing in regards to a woman losing her virginity. This has caused so much turmoil, animosity, and as explained in the video even death because of the unpredictability and lack of reassurance regarding this very serious problem. Moving forward to our next post “what is happening to Turkish women”. This post was absolutely intolerable and makes me sick to my stomach. The fact that women cannot depict their truest self and are being killed for just being who they were born to be, is emotionally and overwhelmingly mind-blowing and hard to comprehend. No one should ever inflict violence on another human being just because their love for someone isn’t the same kind of love that others might agree with. Turkey needs to make a fast change and reflect on other countries and how acceptance and change have come full force with much improvement. We are not in the dark ages anymore and Turkey needs to start transitioning to change immediately starting with respect for ALL types of women and their beliefs. We touched on “Under the Udala Trees” many times in class. As said, this was my favorite novel that we were instructed to read because it shows the authenticity of women and how they strive for only happiness. Ijeoma was a fighter who was strong and bold, she was never afraid to show who she really was to the world and THAT alone made this book so very special. Women have to stop fearing the unknown and the unpredictability and power ahead full force by fighting for what they deserve and what they have earned in this lifetime which is their right to not only be treated equally as a woman but a HUMAN being in society. Women's rights come in an abundance of diversity and differences but at the end of the day women's rights are ALL the SAME and ALL women need to stick together as one because in the end we only really have each other. In my next post, I want to honor some of our women pioneers who were beyond awe-inspiring in their roles as women's rights activists. All of these women paved the way for ALL women to conquer and win. They changed the world as we know it today and shaped our society to understand that women are powerful humans who will never give up fighting for our God-given rights. Inspiring women like Ruth Bader Ginsburg helped shape feminism for all women of society and will never be forgotten but instead be celebrated forever. The next post is a meme explaining that we all might have different attainable dreams, we all might have different journeys but the end goal and result for us all is the same and that goal is freedom from this untold tale of hatred against women and what/who we are. The next two posts about India were my favorite to give insight to. I thoroughly enjoyed our topic and discussions on India this semester. It shed some light on something that we all have turned a blind eye to and that is that this world is changing and will continue to change and we need to jump on that train and change with it. Old India is just that, Old India, and will never keep up with New India because there is too much importance and at stake right now. Women have already begun transitioning and shifting their roles and becoming strong voices and activists for the women of their country. Change has to start somewhere and in my opinion, India is a good place to start. They have women who use strong and powerful voices who want to be heard and they have everyone’s ears. Let me conclude with a statement that expresses how we all need to start accepting what is meant to be and stop procrastinating the inevitable; women’s rights are humans rights. Women united are stronger than a country divided. “No man is good enough to govern any woman without her consent.”- Susan B. Anthony

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gellavonhamster-remade · 4 years

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TV Meme

Tagged by @thebeautifulsoup (thank you!)

Rules: Pick 5 shows, then answer the following questions. Tag 10 (or however many) people.

Black Sails

Turn: Washington’s Spies

Elite

The Magicians

A Series of Unfortunate Events

Who is your favourite character in 2?

Caleb - loyal, charismatic, a great friend, and just a lot of fun to watch on screen.

Who is your least favourite character in 1?

Peter Ash, probably. He’s the first one who comes to my mind when I try to think of a Black Sails character with no likeable traits.

What is your favourite episode of 4?

All That Josh in s3, if only for the gang singing Under Pressure.

What is your favourite season of 5?

S1 was the truest to the plot of the books and, most importantly, to their spirit.

Who is your favourite couple in 3?

Despite the number of canon (and possible non-canon) pairings on this show, I don’t really ship anyone there (the BROTPs, on the other hand...). Guzman/Nadia is probably the closest thing to my OTP there, but I’m not, like, very passionate about their relationship.

Who is your favourite couple in 2?

I can answer with non-canon ships, right? Because definitely Ben/Caleb.

What is your favourite episode of 1?

See, I’m the worst person to be asked about episodes - I just never remember what happened in which episode, not to mention the numbers of episodes. Let’s go with the finale of s3, it was pretty spectacular.

What is your favourite episode of 5?

Ugh, episodes again... Despite my overall dislike of s3, I’d like to single out both parts of The Slippery Slope. I barely remembered anything about this book, so I didn’t expect to care about it much, and yet I liked it a lot (especially in comparison to the last three episodes of the season, lol). It made me care about Quigley whom I didn’t remember much from the books! And the dynamic between Sunny and Fernald was so cute.

What is your favourite season of 2?

I don’t even know. The third one, perhaps? Was it the one where they hanged John Andre because that made me emotional

How long have you watched 1?

I’m not sure ‘how long’ applies to the shows that aren’t ongoing anymore, but I’ve watched all forur seasons of it.

How did you become interested in 3?

The funny thing is that I don’t remember, actually! I think I found out about it from the Twitter blog of one of my friends and decided to give it a try because I wanted something pretty and entertaining to watch, and because it was on Netflix and I made a Netflix account some time before that.

Who is your favourite actor in 4?

I can’t choose between Hale Appleman, Jason Ralph, and Summer Bishil, I really can’t.

Which do you prefer, 1, 2, or 5?

1 and 2 are my two favourite shows ever, and it’s really difficult to decide which one I like the most. I’ll go with 2 because I’d say it’s more representative of the tropes I prefer in stories, such as “a group of friends on a high-stakes mission” and stuff like that.

Which show have you seen more episodes of, 1 or 3?

Well, 3 isn’t over yet, but 1 has more episodes so far.

If you could be anyone from 4, who would you be?

Literally no one on this show can catch a break, so I’d rather not to. Perhaps Todd if I absolutely must - as far as I recall, nothing really bad happens to him throughout all seasons, he’s just... there, serving as the comic relief in the background and partying a lot.

Would a crossover between 3 and 4 work?

Troubled students from a non-magical high shool, troubled students from a magical university... yeah, why not? Though I think a crossover - specifically, characters of 3 in the universe of 4 - would be more interesting.

Pair two characters in 1 who would make an unlikely but strangely okay couple?

Gates and Miranda, in some other life? I have no explanation for this, it just popped into my head.

Overall, which show has the better storyline, 3 or 5?

I love the murder mystery part of 3, and I think for a show about teenagers partying and dating it handles most of its serious topics very well, and I prefer the books 5 is based on to 5 itself. Still, 5, because it’s my favourite fandom and I’m biased.

Which has better theme music, 2 or 4?

As much as I enjoy all the musical numbers in 4 (the way they really sound like friends singing together to cheer each other up, not like something professionally recorded - it is very appropriate), they have nothing on the soundtrack of 2. I still listen to many songs from it, it made me learn Spanish Ladies by heart because I loved it too much, and I am still mad that their particular version of The Dowie Dens of Yarrow is not available anywhere in full.

Tagging @afoxnamedmulder, @xavantina, @tangentiallly and whoever else who wants to answer :)

#gella.txt #i am sorry for typos if any - i'm falling asleep

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sweetbitterpdf · 5 years

Note

Hi em, do you think you can write a quick fix of eliott and Lucas celebrating pride month together?

ahh, absolutely! i was planning on writing something for pride month anyway. hope this is alright!!

this took forever— way longer than expected, my apologies!! hope it’s alright!

(also @ everyone, reminder that i’m always accepting prompts like these!! they don’t have to be from ask memes!!)

---

“Une vie pleine de couleur”

They’re eating breakfast when a grin stretches its way across Eliott’s face.

“It’s June!” His eyes light up, as if he were a kid waking up to a school cancellation, and not his— very nearly almost adult— boyfriend remembering what month it is. “Lucas, it’s pride month!” Eliott says then, and oh, right.

“I didn’t know June was pride month.” Lucas genuinely didn’t, Eliott had brought it up a couple of weeks ago, but Lucas had let the thought fall to the wayside, far too busy studying for his French bac and providing moral support to Eliott throughout his several exams to remember such a thing.

“The parade’s at the end of the month!” Lucas can’t help but smile over at Eliott when he gets like this— which he does often— lively and enthusiastic about the things that he cares about. He thinks spending so much time around Eliott has made him a brighter person by association alone.

“Oh, yeah? I’ve never been.”

“Really? Never?”

“Eliott, I was deep in the closet until like, a few months ago. And with my parents? It was never the sort of thing we participated in.”

“Oh, right,” Eliott retreats a bit, deflating, almost. “That makes sense.” But then he bounces right back up again not even a moment later, “Do you want to go this year?” Lucas thinks of it. He thinks of hundreds of thousands of people, of them yelling and screaming as they line the streets, densely crowded together— it makes him feel sick.

But then he thinks of seeing others like him, of seeing people living their truest and most honest lives, of seeing two boys together. He thinks of the times when he was little, when seeing two boys holding hands made something swoop low and foreign in his gut— something he never even thought about addressing until a decade later.

He thinks of him and Eliott being that, for young boys like he once was.

“I’m not sure,” he says. “Can I think about it?”

“Of course! There’s no wrong way to celebrate.”

---

They’re having a picnic in the park when it happens.

It’s just the two of them— impromptu picnics have become their favourite date— and Lucas looks around the grassy field. There are groups of friends and families laughing and playing and enjoying the nice weather.

But there’s a boy that keeps looking over at them. He can’t be more than thirteen, his limbs lanky with the beginnings of puberty, and he’s hanging out with his friends, but he looks over to where he and Eliott are sat every couple of minutes. Lucas can catch bits and pieces of the conversation that the boys are having as they kick around a soccer ball.

“— just going to the bathroom—” Lucas catches, and then the boy heads away from his friends. Lucas pretends not to notice the way the boy gets closer and closer to their blanket, before—

“Excuse me,” the boy says, looking down at them as they sit. Both he and Eliott look up. “Are you two... Dating?” Lucas can hear, in the way that the boy gets quieter when he says the last word, that he’s not trying to be invasive. There’s something there, a certain kind of... curiosity, a longing, that hits Lucas deep in his heart, somewhere.

“Yes, we are.” Eliott says, his smile soft, assessing. He doesn’t seem as aware of what has been left unspoken in the boy’s words as Lucas is, but he’s his warm self nonetheless.

“Oh. I just wanted to say, um,” The boy is blushing furiously, visible even with the redness of his sunburnt cheeks, “You look really good together.”

“Thank you.” Eliott says, his smile growing into a full-on grin. The boy wishes them well, and they do the same— simultaneously, no less— and then he leaves them. Eliott coos and awws after he’s out of earshot, but Lucas thinks about it for the rest of the day.

He thinks of the boy, and how much of himself he saw in him. He thinks he may have done such a thing, once, if he had had a little more courage.

---

“Eliott?” Lucas says, one evening as they lay in bed together.

“Mm?” Eliott asks, half-asleep.

“I’ve decided, about the parade.” Lucas blinks up at the ceiling, then turns toward Eliott when he hears him stir.

“Oh, yeah?” Eliott leans into him, then, his warm cheek pressed against Lucas’ shoulder.

“I think I want to go.” Lucas says, and he can feel Eliott smiling against him.

“That’s awesome, Lucas. Don’t feel like you have to, though.”

“I don’t!” He knows that Eliott would be the last person to pressure him into anything, let alone something like this. “I just... Want to go, and celebrate pride, with my boyfriend.”

“Great, because it just so happens that I want to do the same thing.” Eliott says, pressing a kiss right between his shoulder blades, before nuzzling against him.

---

There are more people than Lucas could have possibly imagined.

The streets of Paris are packed, the roaring cheers of hundreds of thousands of people are deafening.

It’s the single most beautiful thing he’s ever seen.

Eliott gives his hand a squeeze as they walk, an oceanic current pulling them down the street.

Lucas listens to the chants, the cheers, the love.

He joins in.

---

Lucas is stretched out in bed, the sheets thrown aside. It’s far too warm for any sort of covers— but, apparently, not too warm for Eliott to latch himself onto him like a sloth on a branch. Eliott hums softly with each exhale— a sleeping habit that Lucas finds way more endearing than he ought to— and pulls Lucas in every time he tries to move even an inch away.

“Hey,” Lucas says gently, “babe, please, I need to pee.” A moment later, Eliott lets go reluctantly, opting to snuggle against Lucas’ pillow in his absence. Lucas thinks that this side of Eliott is one of his favourites: half-asleep, ethereal in the morning light, and mercilessly cuddly. He pauses for a moment, looking down at Eliott, his heart fit to burst with how full it is, before padding down the hall to the bathroom.

He returns a moment later to see Eliott sat in bed, his eyes blinking open slowly, looking over at him. The smile that stretches across Eliott’s face seems to make the sun shine a bit brighter, and Lucas is already moving when Eliott opens his arms in invitation. When they come together again, Lucas sighs in contentment.

“It’s July.” Eliott says simply, into Lucas’ hair.

“I know, I can’t believe how quickly June went by.” The months move quicker and quicker now— and June was an incredible whirlwind. Another month older, another month together with Eliott.

“How was your first pride month, after coming out?” Eliott asks him over their morning coffee.

“Perfect.” Lucas says, kissing him quick before sitting across from him at the table, joining their free hands together. “Looking forward to many more. With you, ideally.”

“Well,” Eliott squeezes his hand, grinning at Lucas in a way that makes him feel nothing but secure, nothing but loved. “That’s good, because I’m not going anywhere.”

#skam #skam france #elu #lucas x eliott #elu fic #pride is very near and dear to me #both as an lgbt person but also the first pride i participated in was during the worst time of my life #and it was one of the things that kept me going when i was dangerously close to giving up hope #i know you asked for celebration but i also wanted to write about lucas' experiences that give him pride you know?#stuff that isn't necessarily Pride Month events #but stuff that makes him feel good as himself and as a gay man #also i'm familiar w my local pride but not at all w how it works in paris!!#mywriting;

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sage-nebula · 5 years

Note

re meme!! 2, 10, 19, 26 and 31!

2.) Talk about three of the most important ships throughout your life.

In order of when I discovered them:

Ash/Misty from Pokémon was Baby’s First OTP, back before I even knew what shipping was. I recognized that Misty had a crush on him, and that Ash had a crush on her, and man, I was dead set on the fact that they were going to be boyfriend and girlfriend. As an adult I know that the anime will most likely never end and as such Ash will never have an endgame relationship, and I’ve also come to ship them both with other people (e.g. Ash with Clemont, Misty with Lana). But this is still one of the truest of OTPs for me, in that if they ever were revealed to be canon endgame in any way, shape, or form, I would be absolutely over the moon. (Plus, I mean, they reunited in the SM anime and their interactions there were cute af, so it’s not like I’ve got nothing to go on even after all these years, haha.)

As much grief as I expect to get from this one, when I was in high school I shipped L/Light from Death Note, and though I hate to say it, this is one of the important ones because of who I shipped it with and how we enjoyed it. Basically, the person who introduced both the Death Note manga and the ship to me was my best friend at the time, who was also the first and only person I’ve ever been in love with. I had feelings for her even back then, though I was oblivious to it (and I remained oblivious even when I was jealous that I wasn’t the one taking her to prom “as a friend” like . . . god, teen!me), and so even though it was silly . . . we used to talk a lot through Yahoo! Instant Messenger, and sometimes we’d slip seamlessly into pseudo-roleplays of L (me) and Light (her). We didn’t do anything lewd, but because of some fan content we saw (most notably a doujin where Watari and Light were competing for L’s attention---it was pure crack but we loved it), we’d often role play where Light was tsuntsun about his feelings for L and like . . . I don’t know, it’s so silly looking back on it, but those little role plays made me so happy, not because of the ship so much, but because of the way she, as Light, really wanted me, as L . . . you really think I would have clued into the fact that I was head over heels for her, but compulsory heterosexuality will really make fools out of people, I swear. Anyway, the point is, this was a very important ship for that time in my life, and given how much of an impact the relationship I had with that girl had on my life overall, ultimately, this ended up being a very important ship altogether even though I don’t ship it like that anymore.

And finally, Yuugi/Jounouchi from Yu-Gi-Oh, not only because it’s my favorite ship of all time, but also because it led to me meeting you! 💜 It also led to me writing my magnum opus, but more importantly it led to me meeting you, and for that I’m very grateful, SB.

10.) Do you ship any characters that have never met?

I mean, do Keith and Lotor count? I feel like they count. And even if they don’t, they did when I started shipping them, so . . . :P Aside from them, I’ve got a few Pokémon ones like that too, I think, but otherwise I typically need some sort of interaction in canon to go on. Usually, anyway.

19.) Have you ever shipped something despite yourself?

I don’t think so? I’m pretty self-aware and accepting of the things I do or don’t like lmao. And I tend to be pretty consistent with that sort of thing, too.

26.) Have you noticed a pattern in your shipping? Is there a romantic dynamic you’re more drawn to?

Best friends to lovers is absolutely my favorite ship. The ships that I love the most (e.g. Yuugi/Jounouchi, Makoto/Haru from Free!, etc) tend to follow this trope. This doesn’t mean that every single ship that I like will follow this trope, but even when we look back at my first ever ship, Ash/Misty---well, that one fits the bill, too. Considering that having a solid foundation of best friendship is what I consider to be the recipe for an ideal romance in real life, it’s no wonder that’s my favorite romantic trope in fiction as well.

31.) Talk about one of your favorite headcanons for a ship you love.

On top of how much they compliment and sing praises for another, something else that Lotor and Keith begin to do as they develop feelings for each other is try to impress each other. And one way this happens, at least in Paradigm Shift, is one day Lotor just so happens to not put a shirt back on after taking a shower, so he comes out with his hair still damp and a few drops of water on his chest to see if Keith notices. And Keith shows no reaction. But a day or so after that Keith just so happens to take his shirt off after training and leave it off, so his skin is slick with sweat and his hair is all disheveled to see if Lotor notices . . . and he gets the barest of reactions, but still enough to keep him in the game.

Acxa just digs headache medicine out of the first aid pack because she knows where this is going and she knows she’s going to need it.

#ship meme #severalbakuras

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pepperonijem · 6 years

Text

300+ Followers!

First off, a big THANK YOU, THANK YOU to all my followers and mutuals. Thank you for adding me to your collection of people that you like enough to follow, I appreciate each of you so so much.

I actually hit 300 a couple of days ago but I’ve been busy so I haven’t gotten around to this but better late than never!! This is gonna be two parts, and the next one I’ll do a requests sort of thing!

I started this blog like 2016 and it started out as a Once Upon a Time blog, and was fairly inactive most of the time, but it was an amazing place where I found some of the most amazing and talented fic writers. (RIP OUAT I miss you) And a few months ago I made the switch into the MCU and so much has happened so fast! I’ve met so many amazing people through this.

On that note, this is an appreciation post for some of the people I’ve met here, because I really love y’all, and I won’t get to mention everyone, but here are just a few people who have really and truly become a friend to me in every sense of the word.

Below the cut, because I tend to ramble when I’m feeling sentimental.

@allons-y-to-hogwarts-713 Kayla, you and I have been mutuals ever since this was a OUAT blog, and while we didn’t talk much back then, I’m so glad we do now! I love it when you tag me in vine references, and being able to just freak out over Captain Swan, or talk about dreams, or anything really! You’re truly a lovely person and I’m constantly blessed by your friendship. <3

@thepokyone POKY! I’ll be honest, when you and I first started talking, I was really starstruck. I remember binge reading your Steve fics one night and absolutely falling in love with your writing. You have really become one of my best best friends on here and I’m thankful every day for your friendship. I love talking to you, whether it’s about ideas, or ranting about frustrating things, or sharing Loki theories, it’s all so fun. I love you and thank you for being my friend!

@whyisbuckyso Ari, my meme dealer, like so many of my mutuals, I feel like I got to know you so much through your writing, and I sure as hell fan girled over you when you and I became mutuals. Typos is one of my favorite fics EVER, and you’re one of my favorite people EVER. I love your taste in dank memes, and you never fail to make me laugh. I LOVE LOVE LOVE YOU. Even though you spell donut wrong (jk ily it’s doughnut)

@whimsicalbarnes BESSS, mahal na mahal kita and so for you I’ll try to type this in Tagalog bc ur special. Maraming salamat sa'yo at lahat ng ginagawa mo. Ikaw ay talagang nakakatawa sa akin, at palagi ako tumatawa sa mga tsismis natin lol. Marami ko ng gusto isabihan sa’yo, pero ng pilipit naman ng Tagalog ko. salamat uli sa lahat. <3 (lmao I hope you understood this!)

@poeticbarnes Niamh, you are one of the friendliest and sweetest people on here that I’ve had the pleasure of meeting. From our rants about how Thanos looks like a failed soundcloud rapper to crazy life stories, I absolutely love talking to you and you always make my day. You’re absolutely fantastic and I love everything you write and I still can’t believe we’re friends.LOVE YOU. *finger guns*

@wehaveabucky Emmy! I’ve always admired your writing and you’re one of the people who inspired me to write my own Marvel fic. I adore you and even though we don’t talk always, our conversations are always meaningful and interesting! I love that you bullet journal too (bc not enough people do, let’s be real.) and I love your aesthetic and you’re such an easy person to talk to no matter what about. Thank you for being a friend!

@roman-ova Destinee, first of all, you are one of the best people I’ve ever spoken to about anything ever. Thank you for being there to listen to me, and I really do truly wish we can get closer as friends, because you are just an amazing blessing to this world. You have so much to offer in talent and in kindness and I adore you. <3

@egotheplanet if every wholesome meme was a real human being it would be you, honestly. YOU’RE SO CUTE AND FUNNY AND I LOVE YOU. You made me a Peter W edit and supported my mans when no one else would 😫 you’re a real ride or die, and thank you thank you thank you for being my friend and I love talking to you. YOU HAVE A BEAUTIFUL SOUL AND A BEAUTIFUL PERSONALITY AND ILYSM BOO.

@highkeyhoein bet u thot I’d forget u,,, my oldest,,, truest friend. tbh i didn’t know which blog of yours to tag but it ook. KATHMEME. YOU KNOW HOW MUCH I LOVE YOU. I mean,, im still mad ab that clint thing but,, you’re such an amazing friend, and really you’re my sister, basically (since u basically live in my house but its whatevs i love it when ur here) and I can’t believe you’re leaving soon. I know that you’re always gonna be there for me no matter how far, and I want you to know that I am too. You have so many good things ahead of you, and I’m so proud and thankful to be your friend because you’ve been such a blessing in my life. god, I’m crying you hoe. I love you bitch,,, I ain’t ever gonna stop loving you,,, *sobs*

okay, I’m actually crying now because I love you all, but yeah that’s okay, I’m a sentimental hoe.

#personal #friends #spideywhiteys 300!

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ferociousqueak · 6 years

Note

MICHAEL (that asshole) for the headcanons meme?

Michael! Personally, I feel rather proud of myself that I’vebeen able to write a character people love to hate :P

Headcanon A: realistic

In his new life, Michael becomes one of the most infamousagents on Cerberus’s roster. Like, Kai Leng takes notes from him, kind ofinfamous. He gets shit done, despite his low-but-constantly-burning resentmentof Cerberus and The Illusive Man (whom he will only ever call Jack becausereally? The Illusive Man? Could he have picked a lamer name?).

Headcanon B: while itmay not be realistic it is hilarious

When he was a kid, he had a dog, a border collie, that heabsolutely adored. Like, this is your classic boy-and-his-dog kind of thing.His loving parents were also good, salt-of-the-earth, give-you-more-than-they-havekind of people. So, at the very least, you can say that Michael is a self-madeasshole. He can’t blame bad parenting or a tragic background. He got there allon his own, by pulling up his own asshole bootstraps and forging his own assholepath. In a way, he’s the truest asshole there ever was. The uberasshole, if youwill.

Headcanon C:heart-crushing and awful, but fun to inflict on friends

Oh dear. I feel like the next few chapters of FamilyResemblance are gonna underline his failures as both a father and a partner prettydramatically (which will, of course, go right over his head because OMG MICHAEL),so I don’t wanna spoil anything. But let’s see. I think he was actually set ona pretty innocuous path initially. Maybe a little self-involved. Maybe a littlemischievous with little regard for consequences. But on Shanxi, he heard whathe thought was Hannah dying, and that bent him. If Shanxi had never happened,he would’ve been a relatively normal dude and a pretty attentive dad who fallswithin the margin of error for self-involvement. But boy howdy does refusing toget the proper mental health care make things kind of spiral out of control andabout as far away from “normal” as you can get. Paranoia, insomnia, and suddenmood alterations are pretty typical of PTSD, and if they go untreated can anddo deteriorate relationships.

Headcanon D:unrealistic, but I will disregard canon about it because I reject canon realityand substitute my own.

Michael’s not a canon character (though Shepard’s existencein canon implies at least a sperm donor), but I like to think he was moreinvolved in Alli’s life than the games suggest—up to and including his presenceon the Normandy SR-2, or at least his input on who should be aboard. He wants very much to be in his daughter’s life,but that’s just not possible with the arrangement he’s made with Cerberus. BringingAlli back is his first and only chance to protect his daughter and be thefather he always wanted to be. He and Thane actually have a lot to talk about.

#hows about a meme thingy #Michael Shepard #thank you for the ask <3 #ferocious replies #probablylostrightnow

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womenofcolor15 · 4 years

Text

AUNTIE-CHELLA VERZUZ BATTLE: Patti LaBelle & Gladys Knight Serve Up Soul & Sequin, Demand Brandy & Monica To ‘Work It Out’ + Dionne Warwick Pulls Up

What a time to be alive to witness two TRUE legends celebrate one another and their music. Patti LaBelle and Gladys Knight gave us the soulful VERZUZ Battle (aka AUNTIE-CHELLA) we needed. And they made sure to send a message to singers Celine Dion, Brandy and Monica. Get it all inside…

Describe tonight's #Verzuz pic.twitter.com/kxMrNbuX3y

— Verzuz (@verzuzonline) September 14, 2020

A VERZUZ Battle with two living legends: Patti LaBelle & Gladys Knight.

We knew when Patti walked out with the vintage Louis Vuitton luggage set and shoes (letting folks know who the ORIGINAL diva is up in this piece) we already knew how this night was about to go. Two lifetimes of incredible hits, vocals and performances brought us to this moment, and we could hardly stand all of the Black Excellence oozing through our screens.

Folks had endless jokes about the iconic singers using technology to participate in the Verzuz Battle (dubbed AUNTIE-CHELLA), but co-founders Swizz Beatz (who also celebrated his birthday yesterday) and Timbaland made sure the legends didn’t have to worry about a thing when they pulled up to The Fillmore in Philly. All they had to do was put a on show for the masses that streamed live on Instagram and Apple Music last night. It was the perfect post-church event. Oh, and Ciroc was on deck as well.

It was more of a lovefest than a battle between the ladies as they went hit-for-hit. Both singers made a splash on the music scene in the 60s and have tons of hits to choose from, which was probably the hardest part of the whole battle – choosing which songs to perform. When Patti can slay follks with ABC's from "Sesame Street", you already know it's a legendary AF battle.

It was all love between the Empress and the Godmother of Soul. They openly shared their love for one another and even sang each other’s songs during the set.

Check it:

Babies take notes!!!

Gladys Knight sounded absolutely effortless singing “Best Thing That Ever Happened To Me”

Timeless vocals & looks from both she & Patti LaBelle. #Verzuz #verzuzbattle pic.twitter.com/s3zZCpnMeH

— WellTheTruthIs (@truth_well) September 14, 2020

Miss Gladys and Miss Patti gave us that warm and loving group hug from the aunties that we all needed tonight and I am grateful! Watching them, hearing them and seeing Miss Dionne join them was a historical blessing for all of us who witnessed it. pic.twitter.com/MpYz8qnLv5

— Sy Smith (@Syberspace) September 14, 2020

When Patti sang “If You Asked Me To,” she made sure to point out the fact that HER version came out before Celine Dion’s recording. No real shade to be honest. Facts are facts.

YES PATTI, LET THEM KNOW.

And when Patti was asked why it was a bigger hit when Celine did it, she said “Because she’s a white girl”

— Naima Cochrane (@naima) September 14, 2020

"Celine recorded this after me. I recorded this first."

-Patti LaBelle-#Verzuz #VerzuzBattle #PattiVsGladys pic.twitter.com/BU3u751aMP

— A High-born Nubian (@UrsineNoir) September 14, 2020

Teehee!

Auntie Patti was having a BLAST:

When the DJ finally drops your song after requesting it 5 times... #Verzuz pic.twitter.com/wKvO06MOQb

— Alexis Wainwright (@AWainwrightTV) September 14, 2020

After Gladys sang her hit track “License to Kill”- a track from the James Bond film – she encouraged people to NOT kill anyone.

"I aint giving you license to do none of that mess,” Auntie Gladys said.

Now, y’all know how your auntie always spilling tea and be telling everyone’s business. Well, Auntie Patti & Auntie Gladys were on that vibe last night.

#Verzuz Gladys: Brandy...Monica... y'all go head and work it out.

It: pic.twitter.com/u97fOzh4j3

— Jameer Pond (@jameerpond) September 14, 2020

At one point during the battle, the singing legends encouraged singers Brandy and Monica - who battled last - to squash whatever beef they have going on between them.

“Brandy, Monica? Y’all go ahead and work it out,” Gladys said as Patti agreed.

Of course, that sent Twitter into a frenzy:

Brandy and Monica: I know y’all heard what Auntie Gladys said, but we gone keep it moving. Reflect on that though. pic.twitter.com/AzmHfe98Tu

— L E X X (@LookinLikeLexx) September 14, 2020

I hollered when Gladys told Brandy and Monica to gone head and work it out #Verzuz

— Rea Davis (@IAmReaDavis) September 14, 2020

Not Gladys in full auntie mode telling Brandy and Monica to work it out in front of everybody...omg.

— Kourtni (@KPG_) September 14, 2020

Gladys: Brandy & Monica work it out

Brandy & Monica: pic.twitter.com/i87kz2FUu8

— Sis Shaquille Sunflower Seed (@fe_TISH9) September 14, 2020

The Grammy Award winning singers continued to go through their catalogs, including hits “Midnight Train to Georgia” (plus the remix) and “Lady Marmalade,” before a surprise guest popped up:

The best Sunday night in a while. Thank you @MsGladysKnight and @MsPattiPatti for blessing us with your greatness tonight This is something we all needed.

Thank you @_DionneWarwick for making our night with your surprise appearance!!

@benselkow pic.twitter.com/tGawXvrqUW

— Verzuz (@verzuzonline) September 14, 2020

Legendary singer Dionne Warwick made an appearance to perform two songs, "That’s What Friends Are For” and “Superwoman” to close out the event. Check it:

Dionne Warwick joins Patti LaBelle and Gladys Knight #Verzuz pic.twitter.com/ByBw0pazge

— Stephanie. (@qsteph) September 14, 2020

We were NOT readyyyy!

Over a half of million viewers tuned in to see the musical greatness that transpired last night. In case you missed, you can check it out below:

youtube

Also, below are a few clips of Patti and Gladys talking about the battle before it went down and the other battles they tuned in to:

View this post on Instagram

Tonight’s Auntie-chella might take the crown, but what’s been your favorite Verzuz so far? Miss Patti’s got some real thoughts on that. See you tonight at 5PM PT/8PM ET for the master class on @AppleMusic in HD (Link in bio) or here on our @VerzuzTV IG livestream. Drinks by @Ciroc.

A post shared by Verzuz (@verzuztv) on Sep 13, 2020 at 3:52pm PDT

View this post on Instagram

This is beautiful. Tune into tonight to take part in the truest definition of sisterhood: Patti vs. Gladys. Pull up and fix you a plate at Verzuz at 8pm ET on our IG or @applemusic (Link in bio). Tonight our souls will feast on this love

A post shared by Verzuz (@verzuztv) on Sep 13, 2020 at 3:54pm PDT

BONUS:

youtube

Yessss. Gladys Knight performed "Love Overboard" on the hit TV series "A Different World" where Whitley and Jaleesa performed with her. Peep the classic moment above.

Also...

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Cara Estol (@caraestol) on Sep 14, 2020 at 6:57am PDT

Peep this throwback clip of Patti, Gladys and Dionne talking about love above.

As always, the Internet was undefeated when it came to the VERZUZ memes and we've got them for you below!

Photos: Jamie Lamor Thompson/Kathy Hutchins/Shutterstock.com

The VERZUZ OF ALL 'VERZUZ BATTLES': REACTIONS TO AUNTIECHELLA FEATURING GLADYSKNIGHT & PATTI LABELLE!

[Read More ...] source http://theybf.com/2020/09/14/iconic-verzuz-battle-patti-labelle-gladys-knight-gives-all-soul-sass-demands-brandy-monic

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heromanvasco · 7 years

Note

☣ Have you ever rp'd with someone you knew for a fact was abusive but tried to give them a chance/to make up your own opinion on the roleplayer? Did they change or did you understand what people were talking about?

Taken from meme: [x] ||No longer accepting||

Warning: This will get long and I will be very mad as I recount this story. Sorry for me getting really riled up about it, but ughhhhhhhhh I just can't. I have to tell the full story to really get the point across.

OKAY SO LET ME TELL YOU ABOUT A PERSON. This person literallybecame the bane of my existence even though I didn't actually interact withthem in the truest sense.

Even though I wish for nothing more than for them to trip over arock and land on a pointy rock, I am still a bit grateful towards them. I'llget on that a lil later down the line.

Let's start with how I know them. As we may probably know, I'vestarted Tumblr rp'ing as an indie, with Haru Miura as my muse. A lot of theissues I have with tumblr rp'ing came about on her blog mainly. Ahahahathere were some hard times, but I stuck with it. I love Haru too much to justditch her, in other words. I'm a stubborn mule, what can I say?

Anyways, she's from the series: Katekyoushi Hitman Reborn! andthere are a lot of attractive male charas in the series. This fandom is justnotorious for the yaoi shipping. Like it's very hardcore. There are sometimeshetero ships too but not a lot of it.

Let's put it this way: I've been turned away many times with the'but my muse is gay' excuse. Like---- okay? Did I ask to get in their pants?No. Canonically, Haru is die-hard in love with 'Tsuna-san' so what now? Don'tuse that against me. B[

Again, lots of very attractive male charas... and these musesattracted a certain muse from the DNangel series. (yes the same one I mentionedin a different ask if you read that one) Daisuke has forever been ruined and Irefuse to even try to read the series because the situation just gave me somuch stress.

So the muse was set to a very young age, most probably the canonage. I forget if that meant he was 16 or younger. I don't know the series so Idon't know the age. Let me tell you, I have so many issues with the person. SO.MANY.

Where to start? There is the fact that even without eveninteracting with the muses to start, they'd instantly try to form relationswith them. Sending some suggestive memes or asks. You cannot just go to aGokudera and have Daisuke glomp him. It doesn't work that way? If you knowGokudera, you should know that he does NOT take kindly to people who act toofamiliar.

The mun could NOT understand for the life of her that mun=/=muse. They kept sending anons about why are they so mean? Be nice to that'Daisuke kid'. Um... no? How about you calm down a bit and actually try tointeract rather than jumping the gun? It was in their rules they wantCHEMISTRY. They want to take things slow and not jump the gun. You broke so manyof their rules. You kept sending in anon asks and even if they tried to talk toyou on im, you'd try to play all the pity cards.

I will NEVER EVER live down the fact that you told someone: I'mtaking medication because of you. It's because of you that I'm depressed so I'mtaking pills.

EXCUSE MOI!?!?!?!?!??!?? What is wrong withyou??????????????????? SHE ACTUALLY LEFT TUMBLR RP BECAUSE OF YOU. I LOST AFRIEND BECAUSE OF YOU. Then you have the gall to say that you never said it?I've seen the screenshots, don't mess with me.

I do NOT condone underaged things at all. Your muse is 16 andthere is no indication as to whether or not you (the mun) were underaged aswell. Of course people will be nervous about the way you kept trying to force18+ content on them. If you are underaged, that's illegal and that can makethings very complicated. People kept telling you they were uncomfortable withit, but all you'd say is: "Age is only a number!~"

YEAH? WELL, JAIL IS JAIL!

Now, I can think of at least 5 muses that I know were heavilyaffected by this person. I know for a FACT that at least 2 left because of themand their constant harassment. A very close friend of mine had to constantlytoggle between enabling and disabling anon asks because they'd send so many.

We don't understand how much anger and stress this caused me. Ireally detest seeing my friends bothered. Having two of them leave the rp sceneforever makes me so angry. They didn't really ever rp with any female muses.Only one that I saw and she was a space sheep alien... I'd show proof but theblogs have long since been deleted---.

Now, it isn't to say that they only targeted KHR muses. Therewere others too from DBZ, Jack Frost, Pitch, a final fantasy character (who Ican't remember), and many... many more.

If you didn't reply to them quickly enough, they would get madat you in im. They'd try to guilt trip you into answering quicker by sayingthings like they felt hated, why don't you like them? Are you avoiding them?Things of that nature. I've seen things of that nature from various people Italked to. I talked to a lot of people about their experiences with this mun.

You could see their ooc posts talking about how they felt and itsounded like this person just had a lot of self-confidence and perhaps trustissues. I know how that is. I felt maybe they were just misunderstood orsomething. IDK. I felt they could be given a chance to talk if someone tried toapproach them slowly. (more on this later)

Though I would look around and see all kinds of interactionswith other characters. Muns getting the same kind of harassments. It was evenWORSE when any of these muses interacted with a certain muse from the KHRfandom. Apparently the muses were dating? idk. Either way, Daisuke washorrendously jealous and territorial.

If you so much as interacted with that KHR muse or had anythingremotely flirty in thread, an anon was sure to tell you to back off. They'dgrill you with questions about 'how do you feel about them?' 'are you datingthem?' things like that. It's annoying. I saw those messages so much. That KHRmuse is sort of a main character so it's hard to NOT interact with them if youare in the KHR fandom?

Like what do you want? Chill out, boo.

I've seen many friends of mine just being harassed by anonsbecause they interacted with them. Hilariously enough that other mun didnothing about it. Even if people asked them to talk to that person. Make themstop harassing people. She apparently doesn't like drama and that's fine--- butif you are the REASON because a lot of the drama because your friend refuses tochill--- That is quite literally your problem.

I do not believe you are being a good friend if you allow suchbehavior to continue. Even if she had a reason to acting that horribly topeople, you could always try to explain to people so they understand. Whenpeople understand, they may be more willing to forgive. The fact that she didabsolutely nothing did absolutely nothing to help either of their case. In theend many people tried to avoid both muns.

I played a female muse so it was fine for me to continueinteracting with them though. I never got hassled by them. I unfollowed thatKHR muse the moment I saw that she went along with doing 18+ stuff with thatunderage muse. I personally couldn't do it. It made me think of something in myown past and it made me feel horrible. I still interact with them, but I don'tfollow em.

So I saw their condescending attitude on many blogs. This onepitch in particular kept getting hounded over why they wouldn't be kind to Daisuke.(We realize this is PITCH, yes?) They were getting hounded by anons over whythey wouldn't give Daisuke (a kid) a chance. Like, it's illegal, that's why.

They weren't replying quickly enough to the threads they onlydid in ask format. The person was getting upset with how 'slow' they werebeing. They had time for 'other people' so why were you avoiding their threads?Why can't you reply already? Then it happened: "I'll give you one morechance to thread with me."

Yes, that is what was sent. I'm dead serious. I got sent thattoo so I mean, yeah.

Let's move away from other people and let's talk about ME. As Isaid, they don't interact with male muses. The only muse that I could possiblyplay as (and was super duper attractive) was Shugarl. I had a lot of caps in mycomputer because I like his face.

I sort of rp'ed as him 2 years prior to that but it didn'treally last as the only friend I interacted with left tumblr rp because ofdrama. So I shelved Shugarl and the Knights from the 'Legend of the Sun Knight'series. So I was like okay why not.

They do know of me from Haru's blog, so I had to make analterego mun. I named them Jay. This version acts like Neo when she's justtired and done with the world. I had to pretend to be a new person. Iinteracted with a close friend who was hassled by Daisuke a ton, and then Iinteracted with the KHR muse that Daisuke apparently is shipping with. That'show Daisuke took the bait and contacted me.

It didn't take long. I mean if you look at how attractiveShugarl is, wouldn't you also bite? lol

Anyways, I tried to talk to them, but unfortunately at the timeI was really sick. I was on a lot of medication because of my gastritis. It wasmost probably stress induced but also because of my diet? When I'm stressed, Icrave spicy food. If you know those super hot fire noodles... let's say I livedon that for a while lol. So yeah it got bad. Just drinking water had methrowing up everything in my stomach. I lost 15+ pounds in under a month.

It was bad. My one medication had a side effect of extremedrowsiness. Let me tell you, EXTREME was right. I was constantly just passingout. So I wasn't around much to talk or thread. Let's say that started gettingthem mad.

Why wasn't I responding? Did I hate them? Stop ignoring them. Ikept having to sorta apologize for being 'busy' aka I was super sick but Ididn't want to admit that. I'm stupid like that, okay?

So I kept asking them how they wanted to interact. I didn't knowa thing about their muse so I asked for their about page. Or even a rules page.They didn't have one. Too much work. Okay no, they had an about page but it wasliterally like their url, the name, age, and gender or something. A very simplebio.

They told me to read wiki to learn about the muse. Are youkidding me? No rules because why do they need one? Mistake number 1. They keptsaying they read rules of many blogs but we know they didn't. They keptbreaking them. It was in Jay's rules to not pester them too much about activitybecause he was a busy college student.

Did that stop them? Nope. //squint

Now let me tell you, even if I was sick, I still visited tumblrevery day. So making them wait for 3-5 hours was too long. I was going to begraduating and I had finals. YEAH, I'M BUSY. I was also super duper sick. Iwon't be online every waking moment, please. Did that stop them from getting somad at me about it? Nope.

I told them that I felt that they were guilt tripping me becausethey kept lamenting over how people don't want to interact with them. They keepgetting 'bullied' by people. I told them that I felt they were guilt trippingme at the moment. They kept saying that they weren't before they blocked me.Then a week passed and they talked to me like 'sorry I accidentally blockedyou!'

Sure. okay.

So I was like 'okay we can thread but I want to talk to youabout how I felt you were guilt tripping me.'

INSTA-BLOCKED.

I'm not kidding. I got blocked by just that. Do you understandhow much my animosity spiked because of that? My blood was curdling I was somad.

So another like half a week passed and they say something alongthe lines of:

"I'll give you another chance, do you want to thread with meor not?"

"I already told you that I want to thread with you. Youkeep asking me this. This is the 5th time you asked me. How many times do Ihave to tell you yes? Do you not understand that I'm busy? I'm a collegestudent. I'm not always online. I also told you saying things like that isreally guilt trippy."

Insta-blocked. I was mad, so I went off so I can understand theblock.

Still.

After being blocked for the THIRD time, I soft-blocked them.They tried to follow me again and sent a message: hi! :) This time Iinsta-blocked them. Not about that life.

I love how they always started and talked with cat emojis. Bylove, I MEAN I HATE IT WITH A DIE HARD PASSION. It was like they cared fornothing that other people felt. It was their way or the high way. They couldn'tbother to learn to do anything for other people.

Don't get me started on the fact that they didn't tag anythingand they NEVER EVER CUT THREADS. NEVER. Do you know how hard it was for me tofind anything on that blog? One thread was over 100 notes long and it wasn'tcut. Let that sink in.

It was long.

I had them followed on Shugarl's first blog. Do you know what mydash looked like? It was one-liner 100+ note uncut thread HELL.

So in other words, I wanted to talk to them and be a friend.Someone that they could talk to. I tried to talk to them many times but theykept saying 'I'm feeling uncomfortable so I don't want to talk about thisanymore'.

Dude, one time all I said was: "I think you should tryputting up a rules page. A lot of people like seeing one."

"I feel uncomfortable so I want to talk about somethingelse."

.... wut. Like, WHAT? I was just... giving you advice? It wasthe start of our interactions too. I just-- what?

I kept asking them if they wanted me to write the starter andthey kept holding back like 'I want to talk it out first' because they didn'tknow my muse. So I explained to them and they kept asking stupid questions.

"So he's an angry human?" "I just told you he's a demon. Like, he’s a real demon." "Oh okay! :) So he's got special powers. He's got angelic powers?""No... I just told you he's a demon." "What powers does he have?" "He makes use of mathematical equations to summon blades and otherthings." "Oh okay."

5 mins later."Can you tell me more about his fire powers?" "... He doesn't have fire powers??? Are you even reading any of what I'msaying? You are the one who asked me to tell you about my muse. It's rude foryou to not be properly reading." "I don't feel comfortable anymore, so I'm going to go to bed. Bye! =^.^="

I legit felt like I got cancer from this person.

I'm so serious. I forever laugh how they tried to make mepromise to be nice to Daisuke.

"I can't promise that. Shugarl is a demon. He's not nice,but he can be nice towards kids sometimes. You need to make Daisukebehave."

"I can make him glomp him and have marshmallows!"

"He will literally kick Daisuke if you do that. I told youhe's not nice."

"He's such a meanie!"

"He's a literal demon."

It was like talking to a 5 year old.

So in the end, I tried to interact with them but they drove meso insane we didn't even get that far before I finally blocked them forever.

---

TLDR: I tried to give them a chance but I couldn't do it. Mypatience reached it's limit and I blocked them. This is the first and only rpblog I ever blocked to truly block them and not to softblock. All because ofthis person, the name 'Daisuke' makes me feel unjust rage, and I'll never everlook at DNangel the same way. I'll never even attempt to touch the serieseither.

#Anonymous ask #anonymous answered #Fatenet meme #Meme answered #answered ask #thanks for the ask!#Neo speaks

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thorkizilla · 7 years

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I was tagged by @pohjanneito for the 10 favorite fictional characters meme and it seemed like fun. ♥ And difficult to choose, but in a fun way. :D No specific order or anything. 1. Tsukino Usagi from Sailor Moon - My forever girl in the truest sense I have a singular favorite character ever. Her struggle with wanting to give up, her belief in love and kindness, that she has all this incredible physical power but her true shining characteristic is love, that she feels so weak in the beginning, to the point that she’s willing to kill herself as Princess Serenity, to the girl who stands up even when she’s lost everything important to her, so she can get them back, when Galaxia has taken everyone from her. That’s my forever girl, her journey through the story is my favorite. 2. Thor from Marvel - I love him because he had to struggle through a lot in the first Thor movie (I love comics Thor, who has many of the same issues, but MCU!Thor is the one that won my heart), because he was dropped in the middle of nowhere, with no support, a death sentence hanging over his head, without anything that he knew or could count on, and he pulled himself to his feet and took a good look at himself, not because he was ordered to or because it was some puzzle to be solved to get off Earth, but because he genuinely changed. Thor did that. Thor did that himself. That doesn’t mean he suddenly became soft and gentle, he still likes to fight and is still (reasonably!) angry about shit he should be angry about, he still has to watch himself, but he still was handed a shit situation and came out of it because he did the hard emotional work just as much as he did the physical hard work. I will always love Thor for that. 3. Obi-Wan Kenobi from Star Wars - It’s often a tough decision of who I love more, Obi-Wan or Anakin, but honestly fuck that other guy, he still made his own choice to murder a room full of children. Obi-Wan, on the other hand, may have been flawed (he’s emotionally distant at times, he is absolutely attached to Anakin more than he should be, and he has a giant blind spot when it comes to Anakin because he loves him so much) but it was always through good intentions and doing his best. This is a guy who went straight from apprenticeship to being responsible for his own apprentice (with usual needs at that), who was not at all prepared for it, but came to love that little shit anyway, who always, always does the right thing, no matter what it cost him, who always believed in the spirit of the law over the letter of it, who made mistakes, but always gave it everything he had. I love my dumpster fire of a Chosen One, but if you ask me whose side I’m on or who I’m going to defend first or who I want to spend more time with, it’s always going to be Obi-Wan. I JUST LOVE HIM SO MUCH. 4. Inoue Orihime from Bleach - You’ll notice there’s definitely a pattern of characters who have gone through tremendous emotional struggles and come out the other side still believing in kindness and caring, who don’t let it change the core of who they are for the worse, only for the better. Orihime’s childhood abuse and neglect, her loneliness, her lack of self-worth, all are things she had to live through and process, but she came out the other side still believing in her friends, still believing that she didn’t want to fight, she wanted to heal, she wanted to be kind and gentle. Orihime started the series as someone who was sweet and caring, she ended it the same way, and I love her for staying true to that, because that’s exactly what she always wanted. And I admire anyone who can go through all that and still find so, so much love in her heart. 5. Anakin Skywalker from Star Wars - Okay, fuck it, I’m gonna put the dumpster fire on my list as well. I just love him so much, he’s such a goddamned disaster. He’s awkward and often a creeper and anxious and angry and depressed and this giant tangle of emotions that he doesn’t have any idea how to process. He’s absolutely terrified of loss, to the point that it haunts him and eventually warps him into someone who hides all these secrets, into this person who loves so deeply but doesn’t know how to control himself, someone who desperately needs other people to keep him in line (witness: he’s at his best/happiest when Padme and Obi-Wan are maintaining his boundaries for him, when he’s distant from them or when Padme is worn down, then he starts spiraling out of control), he’s someone who tries so desperately to be something he’s not (in control, someone who can be the responsible one, who can be the emotionally steady foundation--Anakin is none of these things) and feels like shit when he fails, he’s not the Jedi he’s supposed to be, he’s not the husband he’s supposed to be, he’s not the friend he’s supposed to be, he’s not the Chosen One he’s supposed to be, he’s not the functioning human being he’s supposed to be, and he doesn’t know the right people to go talk to about this or who know how to spot the signs in him, not until it’s too late and he’s gone past the point of return. I love him because I can understand that constant sense of looming anxiety (things are okay now, but what if they’re not!? and it’s not reasonable but your brain keeps telling you that it could fall apart any minute, then you add in Force powers that are screaming at you about what’s going to happen and, yeah, no shit he’s a goddamned basket case who lashes out) and I feel a lot of similarities with Anakin. I, too, know what it’s like to have brain weasels who won’t fucking stop weaseling around in your head. 6. Thranduil from Tolkien’s Legendarium - It’s hard to choose just one of Tolkien’s characters, because I have feelings about so many of them (give me five minutes and I’ll eventually be crying on you about Maedhros or Elrond or Finrod or Maglor) but Lee Pace’s portrayal of the character in the movies still wins my heart the most. He’s one of the rare castings where he has both the gravitas and the sheer beauty (and the height! even if he is still like a foot shorter than Thranduil actually was) to play one of Tolkien’s Elves, even if the movies completely butchered his character. Lee Pace’s performance still gives the character depth and you can still take so much from it and even if Tolkien doesn’t write much about him, what you can pull from between the lines is enough to make me really love this Greatest King of the Silvan Elves, who faced Sauron encroaching on his forest for so many hundreds of years, faced the darkness that tried to claim his forest every day, faced all of that without help from magical items, had to live with the memory of what had been done to the Sindar in Doriath, had to still live in this world, had to lead his people in difficult times and yet still be kind and caring to them. He was a Sinda ruling Silvans, that couldn’t have been easy, and yet he was still beloved enough that they called him their greatest king and I just really have a lot of feelings about that. He was shown, even at the time of Lord of the Rings that he was still helping others in the fight against Sauron, where Gandalf spoke of how both he and Radagast were in contact with Thranduil to get help from him, he still took in Gollum and the reason he escaped was because Thranduil’s people were too kind to him and took him out for walks. Thranduil liked to amass wealth and everything we see him doing with it? Giving it to his people to wear, sharing it with neighbors when their town is attacked by a dragon, never any mention of a hoard that he jealously keeps to himself. He’s a great king and given how well Legolas turned out he was a great father as well. 7. Aino Minako from Sailor Moon - I tried to keep it to one character per canon, but that failed pretty hard so okay MY BEAUTIFUL WIFE I LOVE HER SO MUCH. I love Minako because she can be so bubbly and silly and goofy, but it’s always with the undercurrent of a soldier who knows damn well that these peaceful moments can be snatched away at any time. So often, when shit starts happening, it’s Minako who is the first one to put on her LET’S FUCKIN’ GO face and is ready to thrown down, she’s the most fiercely protective of her princess, she’s the one who understands duty probably even more than the others, who is deadly serious about it. She loves deeply, but she’s always had trouble with keeping it herself. That’s all right, though, she doesn’t need it. She doesn’t need boys or girls, she doesn’t need anything but her friends and her princess. Minako is silly and dorky and makes goofy faces and grabs onto an ideal high school life with both hands, but she’s the one who’s been fighting the longest and she is always entirely ready to drop everything and pick up the fight again, because that’s what she’s been charged with. AND I LOVE HER SO GODDAMNED MUCH. 8. Loki from Marvel - For a lot of the reasons I love Anakin, I also love Loki--because he’s an emotional mess, someone who doesn’t know how to take responsibility for his actions, someone who lashes out in anger because underneath it he hates himself and isn’t what he’s supposed to be, who has brain weasels who won’t goddamned shut up in his head. I want the best for Loki, I want him to be happy, I want him to find peace with himself, and I love his character because that’s not an easy road to walk, but it’s an important one to me, as someone who fears sometimes I’ll go down a bad path. I want more stories like Loki’s, who I can empathize with, who I can say, “I will not become that.” or who I can say, “Now let me turn to fic to show the work of coming back from that.” because that’s an important story I need to know is possible, to come back, to be lost and find your way again. But also sometimes he’s just a total goddamned nerd who I like to see get a wedgie or a good, thorough dicking until he stops being such a little shit. ♥ 9. Yuki Eiri from Gravitation - That series gets a lot of slack and I can’t really blame people, but I fell in love with Eiri because he was one of the first anime characters I’d ever seen that had trauma and mental illness that didn’t get solved just because the person he cared about stuck with him and loved him through his behavior and hugged him at the end. He was still a mess, he still had to keep working on dealing with his past, it was still there, even when it got better, and, at the time, that was an incredible thing for me to see, that, yes, just like me, it didn’t get magically solved by someone else saying “I love you.” I still had to/have to do the work, every day. That meant a lot to me. 10. Hara Akiha from Hanazakari no Kimitache e (Hana Kimi) - I was super tempted to put Umeda on the list instead, because I love that cranky hissing cat so much, but I think maybe I love Akiha a little more. An explicitly bisexual character who was genuinely interested in both genders/sexes?? A character who acted silly and playful, but was razor sharp underneath that? A character who was hilarious and gorgeous and got Umeda a black kitten for a present in the side interviews and got a gorgeous kiss with him in the manga itself? Also but no seriously explicitly bisexual character in a mainstream shoujo manga, Akiha means a whole goddamned lot to me.

#i post what i want thor #oh no that got long #oh well i don't post that often you can scroll this one time ^_~

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panicatthecatcafe · 3 years

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Pride Month Reflections in 2021

I used to tell myself I would come out to my extended family and friends when it became relevant. When there was something to tell. A person I was seeing that I would need to explain to the family. In my family, you’re never just telling one person. It’s a network of gossip-one I’ve gleefully taken part in when, for instance, my cousin got his first girlfriend, and my grandma and I gossiped for a half hour about everything we knew.

It also just seemed unnecessary to go through the effort of making a “coming out” post on facebook or instagram. I knew some family members would be offended, not by my sexuality, but by the fact that they were not told personally. My decision to go to grad school, for instance, when announced on facebook, was met with congratulatory, but underhanded remarks about “how am I just hearing about this.”

I came out to my sisters and mother freshman year of college. I had fallen hard for a friend, to the point of no longer being able to deny that my attraction to women was not simply an aesthetic one. I’d come out to my roommate (actually at the same time she came out to me) and my high school best friend several weeks earlier. While those experiences were nerve wracking to some degree, mostly because I was afraid, luckily completely unfounded, that my attraction to women would make my roommate uncomfortable sharing a room with me, it was nothing compared to the heart-pounding, sweating, all encompassing shaking when I came out to my mom. I’ve still never talked about it with my dad. When I asked my mom once if he knew, she said “I must’ve told him at some point? Yeah, I’m sure I must’ve.” While this was not a completely confident response, my dad can hardly be confused at this point, none the least because he kindly told me I had been tagged in a “Queers on Stage” post just in case there was anyone I wasn’t ready to know I was, indeed, part of the queer of Queers on Stage.

In college, I was delighted that 90% of my friends also experienced queer attraction and romance, and truly every single one of my high school close friends has since come out, at least to our friend group. I’ve kissed two of my best friends onstage in multiple shows, sent hundreds of gay memes in group chats, and generally found myself in such queer friendly spaces that I was able to forget that non-queer spaces exist, particularly because I graduated during the early days of the pandemic and ended up only seeing my 4 vegetarian, radical leftist, majority queer housemates for 12 months.

So I found myself unexpectedly shaken when I received a text from my grandmother out of the blue. The only part of which I could preview said “Hello my Gay Catholic [my name]. Yes, it was brought to my attention.” +1 for her subtle dig at the impersonal method of discovery about my own affairs. I knew what this must have been in response to. My sister had posted a message for pride month affirming the place of the queer community in religious spaces, and her own personal commitment to allyship. An absolute asshole commented something stating that accepting queer people as they are was leading them away from the church and was harming their ability to get into heaven. After vocalizing several cuss filled responses, which included a wrathful yell that catholics like him are the reason that queer people don’t and never have felt welcome in catholic spaces, I replied with “Please delete your comment-sincerely, a queer catholic” and reported him. I’m not sure if my report deleted his comment or my sister did (I highly doubt he deleted his own comment and for that he can f*ck off!), but it must have been up long enough for my grandma to see it.

I have a lot of complex feelings for my grandma. Some of my favorite memories from childhood involved making crafts with her, decorating cookies, unwrapping ornate Christmas presents at her house, and eating her incredible cooking. On the other hand, in recent years she’s gotten swept up in far right ideologies, to the point of publicly announcing that Biden stole the election through voter fraud, among other ridiculous conspiracy theories. But, she also pulled me aside during my sister’s wedding to genuinely ask how she should address one of my sister’s friends who was trans and using new pronouns. I have trouble reconciling the grandma who makes far right posts on facebook with the one who I wrote an essay about in 2nd grade for the prompt “who is your hero”, talking about her beating cancer and her upbeat look on life.

Looking at the preview of the text on my phone, I found it hard to imagine she’d sent a condemnation, but I couldn’t help but worry. When I’m nervous or feel like I’m about to get bad news, I feel as if ice has travelled through my entire body, my hands start shaking, and I lose all strength in my limbs. I have a theory that the overwhelming majority of queer people will still experience anxiety coming out to someone, even when they know that the response will be a positive one. Even when things go well, they don’t go like you planned. When I came out to my mom, my sister and I were sitting in the backseat of the car, driving back from a rehearsal together. I couldn’t pay attention to any part of the conversation because I just kept telling myself “I’ll say it to her at 9:45pm. 9:45. 10 more minutes. 5. 1. 0. Mom I’m bi” The statement was entirely at odds with whatever they had been talking about before, coming out of nowhere, which may have explained how slow my mom was on the uptake. She said ok and something else affirmative, but didn’t mention anything about how she loved me to my recollection. Or if she did it felt somewhat rote. I remember feeling disappointment. We stopped by the store, however, and she picked up a “bai” drink and said “look it’s you!” and I knew things would be ok. Later, my sister would tell me that mom was just sad I hadn’t told her earlier.

I don’t think straight people understand that it is harder to come out to someone you’ve known for a long time (or indeed forever) than to someone you’ve known for a few months, such as my roommate. Coming out to someone who has known you for years feels like you’re telling them “I’ve been lying to you all this time” particularly when thinking about statements you may have made to assert your straightness to yourself and others. I remember being relieved when I found a photo of Draco Malfoy attractive in middle school because I thought it meant I had to be straight. The time in 9th grade that a girl flipped her hair and I was captivated? I was just envious because she was prettier than me. My disappointment in my mom’s response was furthered when I took her and the family to see Love, Simon, in the hopes that the movie could explain what I couldn’t about how hard it is to come out to the people you love and who love you. After the movie, I was crushed when she said “I don’t know why he was so nervous to come out to them.”

All this to say, it took me an hour to gear myself up to open the text. Inside was this message:

“Hello my Gay Catholic [my name]. Yes, it was brought to my attention. I love you for who you are not what you choose (unless it’s evil destructive murderous) . And you are from that. You are the most vivacious, loving, happy, energetic, intelligent, sassy with heart 💜 ❤️💜 kinda person who sparkles in everything you do.

Remember, you cannot force people to change their minds. Reciprocate & allow them to be them, allow the space, and time. And if they don’t, don’t take it personally. It doesn’t mean they dislike you. Love unconditionally and tell them you still love/like them.

I L🌺VE YOU”

The first time I read it I focused on the positive. She loved me (even if she made assumptions about my queer identity with the label she chose when I don’t even fully know how to label myself other than queer). Reading it the second and third time, I got frustrated. I was frustrated because I hate the idea that we have to come out at all. I didn’t mean my comment to be taken as a “hello world please accept me!” It was awkward and I shouldn’t have to ask for people’s acceptance, especially from my loved ones. Then I got mad, because the second paragraph told me I had to accept others when they wouldn’t accept me. This is probably where I experience the most cognitive dissonance with my catholic faith. I’m supposed to turn the other cheek, but at the same time, when other people are hurting me for something I cannot change and does no harm to others, how can I not respond to that in a negative way or take it personally? Maybe that’s why I don’t feel like coming out, because it gives people the chance, however unlikely, that they can reject me. However, if I live my life, post as I like, share content, and hopefully someday share moments with a person I love, I am simply living an unremarkable life in the truest sense of the word. I don’t accept unconditional love when that love is toxic or harmful. I’ll say it again, if someone tells me I’m going to hell for being queer, they are choosing to target a part of me I cannot change and that doesn’t actively cause harm to others. They are causing harm to me in targeting my identity. And I count myself lucky because I am a white woman of unremarkable face and body that doesn’t give off strong queer vibes. Others in the community face far worse physical and mental violence because of people who refuse to “change their minds”.

I started this essay intending to write about the fact that I am turning 23 and have only ever kissed someone as part of a character I played onstage. I’ve been on a few first dates, but have never been in a relationship or even felt close to one. I experience true attraction so rarely that I can count it on one hand. I don’t know who I am and I often feel like there must be something wrong with me because I’ve never found myself romantically involved. I expected this essay to be an in-depth analysis of my feelings of inferiority and imposter syndrome in the queer community, but unexpectedly this feels like something else. You don’t need to be sexually or romantically active to be a part of the queer community. This community is about acceptance. It’s about love. It’s about calling out harm and rooting out exclusivity. At least, that’s the kind of community it should be. I’m not gonna lie, we have a long way to go, but at the root of what makes us different is our ability to be expansively, intentionally, and incandescently ourselves. Whether or not I end up with a romantic partner anytime soon (and yes I am taking offers), I know myself better than anyone and I know I belong. And, as I once wrote defiantly on my arm during a tough day for middle school me, I know I should “do no harm and take no shit”.

#queer #queerpride #pridemonth #acceptance #family #comingout #single

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surveystodestressme · 7 years

Text

40.

5000 Question Survey Pt. 1

1. Who are you? cierra 2. What are the 3 most important things everyone should know about you? i love animals, i’m 21 years old, i love life 3. When you aren’t filling out 5,000 question surveys like this one what are you doing? working, going to school, or hanging out with jack 4. List your classes in school from the ones you like the most to the ones you like the least (or if you are out of school, think of the classes you did like and didn’t like at the time). i’m only taking one right now and i like it okay i guess, it’s anatomy & physiology 5. What is your biggest goal for this year? to pass this class with a decent grade

6. Where do you want to be in 5 years? out of school, living somewhere other than illinois with an amazing job, having a wonderful house with jack and just being overall happy 7. What stage of life are you in right now? i’m trying to finish school so i can start my career 8. Are you more child-like or childish? a little bit of both 9. What is the last thing you said out loud? i don’t remember 10. What song comes closest to how you feel about your life right now? idk 11. Have you ever taken martial arts classes? i wish 12. Does your life tend to get better or worse or does it just stay the same? it’s pretty much the same 13. Does time really heal all wounds? i think so 14. How do you handle a rainy day? i try to stay in as much as possible 15. Which is worse…losing your luggage or having to sort out tangled holiday lights? losing my luggage definitely. i would panic without my stuff 16. How is your relationship with your parents? Will you miss them when they are gone? yes i will miss them 17. Do you tend to be aware of what is going on around you? usually. 18. What is the truest thing that you know? that i am super bored 19. What did you want to be when you grew up? when i was younger i wanted to be so many different things... a teacher, a fashion designer, a masuse 20. Have you ever been given a second chance? yeah 21. Are you more of a giver or a taker? giver 22. Do you make your decisions with an open heart/mind? yes. 23. What is the most physically painful thing that has ever happened to you? i don’t know. i’ve never had something really that painful happen to me 24. What is the most emotionally painful thing that has ever happened to you? i’ve had my heart crushed more times than i’d like to think of 25. Who have you hugged today? jack, my mother and probably my dad too 26. Who has done something today to show they care about you? jack took good care of me today 27. Do you have a lot to learn? absolutely 28. If you could learn how to do three things just by wishing and not by working what would they be? everything i need to know to be a veterinarian, how to hack computers, and how to cook 29. Which do you remember the longest: what other people say, what other people do or how other people make you feel? what other people say 30. What are the key ingredients to having a good relationship? having truth and understanding. being honest with each other and communication really is key 31. What 3 things do you want to do before you die? move away from illinois, travel across the world, not have to worry about anything 32. What three things would you want to die to avoid doing? idk 33. Is there a cause you believe in more than any other cause? not really 34. What does each decade make you think of: The 19.. 20’s: chaplin 30’s: hitler 40’s: my grandparents 50’s: elvis 60’s: my parents 70’s: discos 80’s: crazy hair and great movies 90’s: memes 2000: lil babies 2010’s: millenials 35. Which decade do you feel the most special connection to and why? 80s 36. What is your favorite oldie/classic rock song? bohemian rhapsody. 37. What country do you live in and who is the leader of that country? If you could say any sentence to the current leader of your country what would it be? USA, i guess Donald Trump??? stop being such an egotistical piece of garbage 38. What’s your favorite TV channel to watch in the middle of the night? i don’t watch tv in the middle of the night 39. What Disney villain are you the most like and why? oh god, i don’t know. scar??? 40. Have you ever been a girl scout/boy scout? yep 41. If you were traveling to another continent would you rather fly or take a boat? take a boat, i’m terrified of flying 42. Why is the sky blue during the day and black at night? the sun??? 43. What does your name mean? i don’t think it means anything 44. Would you rather explore the deeps of the ocean or outer space? outer space!!!!! it’s like my dream 45. Word association What is the first word that comes to mind when you see the word: Air: humidifier Meat: madness Different: quotient Pink: lemonade Deserve: better White: wash Elvis: presley Magic: 8 ball Heart: of hearts Clash: of clans Pulp: orange 46. If you could meet any person in the world who is dead who would you want it to be? martin luther king jr 47. What if you could meet anyone who is alive? morgan freeman 48. Is there a movie that you love so much you could watch it everyday? THE SAW MOVIES 49. You are going to be stuck alone in an elevator for a week. What do you bring to do? lots of books, my laptop considering the battery will last long enough, my phone, my cat, food 50. Have you ever saved someone’s life or had your life saved? yes 51. Make up a definition for the following silly words… Fruitgoogle: a fruit that you can only eat while accessing google Ambytime: time for some ambiance Asscactus: a cactus that grows inside of someone’s anus 52. What was the last thing you made with your own hands? a pillow 53. What was your favorite toy as a child? my baby blankie 54. How many TV’s are in your house? three 55. What is your favorite thing to do outside? go on a walk 56. How do you feel when you see a rainbow? good 57. Have you ever dreamt a dream that came true? yeah 58. Have you ever been to a psychic/tarot reader? i’ve had someone read my palm before 59. What is your idea of paradise? someone where i can relax and not have to worry about responsibilities 60. Do you believe in god and if so what is he/she/it like? no 61. Do you believe in Hell? no 62. What one thing have you done that most people haven’t? i don’t know 63. What is the kindest thing you have ever done? i don’t know 64. Are you a patient person? not at all 65. What holiday should exist but doesn’t? ohhh i don’t know 66. What holiday shouldn’t exist but does? christmas or valentines day 67. What’s the best joke you ever heard? there’s a lot 68. Where is the most fun place you have EVER been? san diego 69. Is your hair natural or dyed? natural for the most part 70. Do you have any deep dark secrets or are you pretty much up front? i’m pretty up front 71. What is under your bed right now? a bunch of junk 72. If you were in the Land of Oz would you want to live there or go home? go home probably 73. If you drive do you frequently speed? yeah i usually do 74. What is the world’s best song to dance to? party rock anthem 75. What song was on the last time you danced with someone? oh idk 76. Do you prefer Disney or Warner Brothers? i like both 77. What is the first animal you would run to see if you went to the zoo? panda. i don’t think i’ve ever seen one in real life. 78. Would you consider yourself to be romantic? i think so 79. If the earth stopped rotating would we all fly off? it definitely wouldn’t be good 80. What is the one thing that you love to do so much that you would make sacrifices to be able to do it? travelling 81. If you (and everyone) had to lose one right or freedom, but you could pick which one everyone had to lose, what would you pick? i wouldn’t want to lose either??? 82. If you had to choose would you live on the equator or at the North Pole? north pole 83. Would you rather give up listening to music or watching television? music 84. What do you think makes someone a hero? doing something good without being asked 85. What cartoon would you like to be a character in? big hero 6 86. Name one thing that turns your stomach: beets 87. What was the last thing you paid for? i bought a pair of pants today 88. Are you a coupon clipper? my mother is but not me 89. Get anything good in the mail recently? i got a coupon lol 90. Which would you rather take as a gym class…dancing, sailing, karate, or bowling? karate!!! 91. In Star Trek people ‘beam’ back and forth between different places. What this means is they stand in a little tube and their molecules are deconstructed and sent to another tube somewhere else where they are reassembled. Only problem is when the molecules are deconstructed the person is dead. When they are put back together it is only a clone that has all the dead person’s memories. So… Is the person who gets beamed the same person on both ends? no, it’s a different person without question 92. What insects are you afraid of? all of them 93. If you could print any phrase on a T-shirt, what would it say? idk 94. What’s the most eccentric thing you have ever worn? i wore a choker once 95. If you could pick one food that you could eat all you wanted but it would have no effect on how much you weigh, what food would it be? fries 96. What are your parents interested in? my mother loves dogs, bowling, tony stewart, and tv shows. my dad loves all sports, video games, and also dogs. 97. Have you ever caught an insect and kept it as a pet? Have you ever caught and tamed a wild animal? nope 98. What is more helpful to you, wishes or plans? plans 99. When do you feel your life energy the strongest? idk 100. You are spending the night alone in the woods and may bring only 3 items with you. What do you bring? a tent, something to make a fire, and something to cook over it

#survey #quiz #questions #bored

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