#because last year i used probably 60% of my leave for other people

[coldflasher]

currently experiencing The Horrors (thinking abt the fact that i have to start going into the office again from tomorrow)

this will either fix me entirely or cause me to descend so deeply into my burnout sinkhole that i will never be seen or heard from again

#regrettably i think maybe getting out of the house for a few hours might help. don't tell the ceo that #idk im having a really hard time keeping my head above water right now #i basically didn't have any time off last year just to do nothing. every holiday i took was to like. do an activity #like go to america or germany for cons or travel for a concert or some other event #whereas i usually use 75% of my time off to get some desperately needed rest #im really running on empty at this point but i really don't wanna use a bunch of my annual leave this early in the year #also i need to start learning how to say no to people #because last year i used probably 60% of my leave for other people #like. i used 2 weeks to go to washington with my brother as his 18th bday present. that was literally half my leave #and then i used another 3-4 days to visit relatives #and this year i was like 'im gonna be proper selfish with my a/l this year and use it ALL to do what i want to do' #then my mum rang me up and asked me to use a day of it to hang out with her and i said yes. like an idiot #like don't misunderstand me. i love my mum. but i already see her every weekend #and i also have to like. not tell her when i book leave for myself because she'll be like 'oh so we can do something!' #NO. PLEASE. LET ME ROT IN PEACE. #im just so frustrated that i im such a pushover and i already broke my promise to myself this early on #like. why can i not advocate for myself ever. why can i not just. disappoint people. and have that be okay. #personal

[bugsinshoes]

ok so i just watched @fordtato and @hkthatgffan 's respective videos about their interview with THE alex hirsch and i wanna just say OH MY GOD like SERIOUSLY

im gonna put my thoughts under the cut so theres no spoilers if you havent seen it already (BUT GO WATCH THEM NOW PLEASE !!!) + its gonna be LONG so BEAR WITH ME

ok, so i have MANY thoughts so sorry if none of this is coherent 😭 (this is not in chronological order of when the questions were asked, just me spewing out my totally normal thoughts about this interview so apologies for that)

starting off:

THE BABY IS SHERMIE?!?!?!? IM SO SO GLAD WE FINALLY HAVE CONFIRMATION WE CAN FINALLY LEAVE THIS TO REST !! I WAS RIGHT THOUGH SO HA !!! ACTUALLY SCREAMING !! TIMELINE BE DAMNED (also another thanks to hana, your timeline video is genuinely awesome. i never shut up about it. ever. any time i talk to my friends abt gf and i need to refer to the timeline i go: "IN HANA'S VIDEO-") anyways, i do understand it was a last minute decision on the writer's part of "oh. dipper and mabel need a grandfather, its not ford, and its sure as FUCK not gonna be stan sooo... third brother?" and i do understand alex being like, "oh, this is about ford and stan only having eachother" so i think making shermie younger was a GOOD THING? like, stan and ford had 18 years of just them so shermie wasnt in the picture, so stan and ford technically grew up on their own so ig it works? also, when stan got kicked out, he never got to see shermie grow up, probably only saw him at events when he had to pretend to be ford (post-1983) and as for ford himself, he was too busy in college and gravity falls to really visit the family so... it works! (despite everything)

that aside, lets talk about THE CRUMBS??? like i have some quotes here because i have a LOT to say:

"theyre both so damaged and they desperately need each other" - alex hirsch (talking about stan and ford)

LIKE SUIUHUSHUSH i HATE these brothers SO MUCH (LIES) i cant actually properly express my thoughts because WOW like its clear that they both have their own trauma and they NEED to address it but theyre both too STUBBORN to do so. theyve both been alone for 40ish years so of course they need each other. they grew up by the hip, so theres no surprise that they both need each other (whether they like it or not)

"[ford's] grateful for the forgiveness he thinks he doesnt deserve" -alex hirsch

ford thinks so lowly of himself at times it HURTS. like the lines in the journal about "only then would the freak return a hero" or about his guilt with bill and everything its just so important to his character im so glad we got so much ford content in this interview. like i am EATING ALL THIS UP RN

"[ford] has to always have a mission in front of him, because if he doesnt have a mission in front of him, hes thinking how have i treated people in my life?" - alex hirsch

ford distracting himself with things instead of facing his problems. probably something he had to do a lot, especially with his time in the multiverse. but it really hurts because i can imagine in the 60s, they never had any great coping mechanisms? so i can assume ford was just conditioned to distract himself from stuff so he never learned how to deal with things. and i KNOW in the journal hes like "i meditate!" and im sure that does help somewhat, but it doesnt address the issue itself soooo... sorry ford, but you cant just breathe your way out of everything

ALSO alex calling ford and fiddlefords falling out a "BREAKUP" (air quotes used) BUT A BREAKUP??? this is just adding fuel to my fiddauthor-infested brain rn. i CANT

and alex saying mcgucket is thinking like, "oh i gotta be a better partner" is HEART SHATTERING like the whole talk about fiddleford being "the building guy" who is kind of just there to make machines and please ford. its honestly so heartbreaking because fiddleford loves ford so much he'd leave his wife and child to go to absolute nowhere, oregon and the fact ford is too arrogant to see fiddlefords admiration and overall love for him its just IUIUAHHAS

and i do wanna say, i KNOW bill played a big part in this, by stroking fords ego and buttering him up with his kind words because he knew exactly what ford wanted to hear and that really affected how ford and fidds' relationship was like but THATS A TOPIC FOR ANOTHER TIME. all i know is that ford isnt entirely to blame, but he still is a massive arrogant asshole and he wasnt the best person to fidds at times (love him tho <3)

but im actually so happy because this interview sheds SO much light onto FORD bcs we BARELY got to know him, and hearing it from MR HIRSCH HIMSELF is just so good because we KNOW its a reliable source because its coming from ALEX YK??? like he wrote ford so he probably knows "oh yeah, that man is guilt-ridden as FUCK" and im so glad we get some crumbs of this guy i cant get enough of him !!! (impatiently waiting for the book of bill)

ANNNDD THE TALK ABOUT MAYBE GETTING A SEA GRUNKS SPINOFF/MINISERIES??? I WOULD EXPLODE GENUINELY ANYTHING WITH MY FAVOURITE OLD MEN PLEASE !! i would genuinely love to see more of their dynamic and how everything is after weirdmaggeddon and like dealing with trauma and UGHHH i would kill for stan/ford content PLEASE

also...

hippie ford.

hippie. ford.

i am never getting over this (im internally SCREECHING)

ANYWAYS THAT WAS MY RANT ABT MY FAV THINGS FROM THE INTERVIEW THAT WAS A LOT GODDAMN

im genuinely so happy with all the questions that got answered, as well as getting some deeper insight into characters and stuff. IM NEVER GETTING OVER THE AMOUNT OF FIDDAUTHOR CRUMBS YOU GUYS

im gonna end this by saying another MASSIVE thank you to hana and hk !! you both put so much effort into your respective videos and it was super super cool !! this was totally worth the wait !!! :D

#yapping #gravity falls #god that was an amazing 2 hours of my life #time to rewatch them again and again until the book of bill releases #btw hana if youre seeing this i loved your puppets #they were very silly #also cant wait for that rob interview. super hyped

[mishydraws]

Very... very unfortunate life update

Hi, everyone.

Ok, I don’t want to waste your time but I wanted to be upfront about what’s going on in my life just so you all know.

Last night I got what is probably one of the worst emails that could have ever appeared in my inbox? Our landlord has given us a 60-day notice to get out. For context, my mom and I have been living here since the year 2000. We have never been late on rent or missed a payment despite every difficulty life has thrown at us in that time and this has completely blindsided us.

We haven’t spoken to any of the neighbors yet but some of the wording on the notice makes me think that they may be kicking out the entire building. Or maybe they’re just targeting those of us in the non-renovated units because we’ve been here so long and they could charge a new tenant much more with a quick kitchen and bathroom upgrade. Renoviction is a new word I just learned. I don’t know. That’s what happened to my brother at his last apartment. They kicked out everyone in his building, renovated, raised the rent, then let new people move in.

They suddenly started increasing our rent every year like clockwork a few years ago so I’ve had a feeling they’ve been trying to price us out for a while but I didn’t know they could just… tell us to leave just because they can. Rent consistently paid up and everything for 24 years.

The notice we received really doesn’t say much so it’s all speculation I guess. It doesn’t state a reason why it just says we need to be gone by March 31st.

But basically, I’m really not doing well right now in all honesty. I slept for maybe an hour last night and it’s like a switch flipped in me as soon as I read the email. My stomach has had this weird knotted feeling ever since and I can’t stand up for more than a few minutes before needing to lie down again in case I either faint or vomit… I’m not sure which but it’s been this way since last night. I had to stand up at the sink to wash one singular dish from dinner and I could barely do it. At least I didn’t see the email until after I ate last night because I still have no appetite now.

However bad I’m feeling I know my mom is probably feeling worse. She has been for a while. She’s getting older and my dad is no longer alive. Aside from my brother and one irl friend I still see in person regularly, we have no family or other support system in this country and are well and truly on our own, staring down the barrel of homelessness if we can’t quickly secure a place and move decades worth of our life there before the end of March.

All of this to say, I don’t know what our usual art shenanigans here are going to look like during this time. I am incredibly stressed to the point where I am physically ill but I also can’t pause and step away because I do need the income that I receive from your support of me/my art here. It’s just the reality. I’ve never been particularly Big And Successful with what I do so your support means all the much more and makes a real impact on my life.

I am so sorry if this dampens your mood at all today or if you notice a decrease in the quality of art I’m able to deliver over the next few months but I will try my best to keep things rolling and let you know if there’s any particular delays to expect.

To top it off, I requested a tour of a nearby apartment last night (more expensive than our current) and the name of the person who just texted me back has the same name as our current landlord. Who wants to start taking bets? I know for a fact they own a lot of property in the area so this isn’t looking promising.

Anyways. Sorry for this downer of a post. If we’re not homeless in 2 months then… I dunno. I’ll have somewhere indoors to do art? Yay? You can imagine the housing market we’re dealing with being in California. The prospect of moving at this point has always been one of my biggest fears but we’ll see if we get lucky real fast 😢

If you've ever thought about supporting my Patreon or anything else, now and over the next few months might be a good time if you can swing it. Maybe it'll help us secure a place to move if I can point to it and be like 'Look! A whole income!' 🥲 Idk man.

There's an art update in the (public) post I made if you want to see what we're at least trying to work on for sticker club through all of this.

Mishy

#mishy talks

[shutupineedtothink]

DW special pt 3 theory! (The Giggle)

I’ve been thinking about the 60th specials and how they compare to the 50th, and how there should probably be something HUGE narrative/character wise to happen with this anniversary that we haven’t gotten yet. Because it’s the 60th, it’s a big deal, we gotta do something otherwise why do it at all. In the 50th, that was saving Gallifrey, righting the Doctor’s biggest wrong. It was great, it was beautiful, we had 3 doctors in one episode, those events set up basically 12s first two seasons if not his whole run, it felt like a HUGE deal. A turning point.

So what’s the turning point here, for the 60th? We have David Tennant and Catherine Tate back, which is great, but that’s more of a return to form/throwback. Interestingly, it is also “righting a wrong” in terms of Donna’s storyline, but it feels like there should be something else. Something you can point to for the 60th anniversary and say, look this changed everything, like how the 50th did with Gallifrey.

Except we’ve just had the whole narrative turned upside down by 13’s arc with the Timeless Child and the Flux. And we’ve barely scratched the surface of that (however you feel about it). So unlike the 50th, a major narrative upheaval is not the play here.

What does that leave us with? The play here is a major character development for the Doctor. It’s emotional, internal.

And we’re seeing 14 play around with that already — it’s “I absolutely love her. Oh, do I say things like that now?” It’s “I loved that man.” It’s his emotional confession to the not-Donna about what he’s just been through with the Flux, having a semi-breakdown about it and the little “good” that followed. For whatever reason, there’s emotional growth happening with this regeneration.

The Doctor? Verbalizing his feelings out loud? To other people? In real life? Now that’s a turning point. But what’s the ultimate manifestation of that change? What have we never heard the Doctor say in the last 60 years of this show (or at least all of NuWho)? And what have we been dancing around in these first two episodes but still not quite getting there?

Here’s the Big Thing that needs to happen: this motherfucker has to actually say the words “I love you,” out loud, directly to someone’s face. The ultimate act of emotional vulnerability. Now THAT’S a turning point for the Doctor. Maybe that’s why this face came back. Not to say goodbye, but to say the one thing this face (or any other but I digress) NEVER would have said the last time. And for practical reasons, to say it to the one companion we can all agree deserves it (lol) and not have it be in a romantic way at all.

That’s it, that’s my bet! The Doctor will say “I love you” to Donna in part 3, before regenerating. That’s the big payoff for the 60th anniversary. Fingers crossed!

#doctor who #dw spoilers #dw #dw 60th #doctor who spoilers #fourteenth doctor #fourteen #donna noble #theory #the giggle #truly I think the one version of this we can all get behind is 10/14 and Donna #so speak now or forever hold your piece lol

[eloeloanna]

70s McLennon Post

This is for entertainment purposes only.

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Check my readings! here

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In my poll, the motels question was the winner, but I thought we needed more information to understand what was going on, so these are the answers to common questions that I’ve seen regarding McLennon in the 70s + the motels one.

Enjoy!

Did John and Paul meet more times in the 70s, that it is said in the press?

I would say yes.

It’s very interesting, because the cards start telling me about how they planned to meet, and how they thought about it. Every time this happened they would feel satisfied, but the thing is, they were very insecure. It was like if one of them was nice and loving, the other would suspect why he would be like that. There was also a problem about “flexibility”, it wasn’t like before, where they could be absolute fools. I think they had some sense of belonging though, familiarity. They enjoyed being together, but there was a lot going on in the moment, it was like you couldn’t know what was the actual problem, because there were lots of issues, and even when there was love, it felt like it wasn’t a balanced relationship. I think during the 70s timeline one of the parts actually addressed this issue, in a very mature way, the other part felt very good, very happy. But it seems to me that it was a thing of the moment, or probably lasted months (or a year), the thing is, some rumour, some news, something like that, stopped the happiness of one of the parts and he regretted “believing”. He thought that conversation was probably fake and the other did it to gain something, with a second intention, or in the best case, just for the passion of the moment.

It seems to me that after this part the cards were telling me about John’s lost weekend, which it is, messy 😭. I can do that if you want but I think it distracts us from the question.

So they did. But it was difficult to “really” communicate.

Did John and Paul still had some kind of relationship like they had in the 60s? (Romantic, sexual)

For me it seems almost impossible but, let’s start with the beginning.

The cards start describing a sensation that they had in a long time - someone is going to betray me. No matter what interaction they had, they ended up doubting anything. That wasn’t the ideal scenario for any loving relationship. It is obvious that they thought about this, how good it was, and also, one of the parts, possibly proposed something, but the other, firmly declined. I think this person felt “incomplete”, miserable, even when he was around famous people, very wealthy, and being in a “good state”. I think this situation let him to feel rejection in a way that he couldn’t actually choose what to do. He could see the difficulties of this relationship, was he crazy? I think he really wanted to try again, even with the good memories mixed with the unpleasant ones, but I think it was difficult to do something, even when he had something in mind because the other + wife couldn’t stop to do shit together and it actually blocked him for his intentions. I think he had to wait until some time, and then I can see him almost corner the other part between him and his wife. I think that reunion led to something, because leaving that one he felt amazing. They had to “solve” their imbalances, they knew they felt something. And I think, finally, after some time, this person sincerely offer him love, or the words, or actions. In that moment they felt like it was before. But I think again, rumours, or really bad friends would be saying again, that was a mistake, you are “not gaining” anything with this, etc. and this part saw it as the truth. All the peace, the passion, the conversations, the happiness, were shit. They couldn’t be real.

Could John and Paul solve all their issues during the 70s?

I don’t think so.

The cards start telling me about the break up. How they “didn’t” have a choice but to move on, it’s like they had to “surrender” to change. After some time they actually felt proud on themselves that they could do it, they “could” be without each other, but at the same time was a sense of being “incomplete”, and they didn’t like that they had some new rules to follow. Time to time they would remember “the good times”, everything that they left behind, but they didn’t like to appear weak, because they could see that they other was actually having a good time, like nothing happened. So that image that they had of each other, made difficult for them to actually start a conversation. It had to pass a long time until one of them brung it up. I think in this part of the timeline this person was VERY HONEST (or tried his best), very much upfront in what he felt (I can see the topics of love and sex in the cards). It seems to me this was a very passionate argument, it was like he could be almost screaming, but the other part couldn't accept this, it's like in his mind he had a very fixed image of the other, but the other would point out what they would "gain" with this. I can also feel the topic of music, writing. Work. And probably that didn't sit well with the other part. The thing is, this part, didn't actually answer. He just acted like everything in his life was going well, so what are you talking to me about this? I think the other part knew it was bullshit and tried to reach him again. The thing is, the other part didn't know what to do. For him it was "easier" to listen to the people who would told him that those kinds of plans were meant to fail, that there were second intentions there. This person would think about their relationship, how probably the other was saying some kind of truth, but then he would think that probably the other person was doing it as some sort of charity, because he was always "so good". And he felt "satisfied" thinking like that.

I think this was recurrent during the 70s timeline. The next cards are telling the same. One of the parts feeling very happy that he was contacted, feeling like 2 minutes of happiness and then regretting it, and feeling confused for the interaction.

As for the part who contacted first, I don't know how he had so much patience 😭. He actually would think time to time how to get the other person, even of he was "blocked", in some way.

Is it true that they would reunite in motels in the 70s?

I think it is. BUT -

The cards start telling me about the stress they went because of the “rules” that they had to follow, how they needed to act “mature”. They surely missed each other, they missed their love, but they couldn’t do anything about it, and it was like nothing good would come up of having those thoughts. It seems to me that also they thought that they were “in a good state” of their lifes, so why they would even bother. I think they thought a lot of trying to be the first on doing something, but they would regret, because nothing was like in the past.

It had to pass a long time until they would reunite. This reunion led to having more hope in the reworking of the relationship. The thing is, when A would propose something, it would be put in the set of rules that they didn’t like very much and B would feel that it wasn’t enough, but he wouldn’t say it directly. Obviously that hurt a lot, but A transformed the feeling into the fuel to plan something new. They had the chance again. But if I can illustrate it in some way, it’s like blurred. It was something that B probably felt like it was fake, a lie. A would propose a lot of shit but didn’t seem thoughtful of B’s feelings, it was quick, it was nothing. It was difficult to B to know what was the truth. He liked what would happen, but he would regret immediately also.

#mclennon #tarot readings #70s mclennon

[hiemaldesirae]

Question: how would your characterization of demon Alastor react to finding out for the last 60+ years that what he thought was Vox breaking up with him was actually Demon!Valentino drugging/r**ping him with his venom/aphrodisiac and Vox has No memory of what he and Alastor actually had? No memory of anything except maybe the last month? And to find out Valentino only did this so Vox (who was becoming a TV mogul) would put his pornos on the tv. How would he help Vox remember? What would he do to Valentino? Would Velvette also suffer?

okay so. nonny, i wont blame you for not knowing, especially since ive never explicitly talked about it on main, but for future reference, im not that big on the whole abusive staticmoth dynamic. i can see why others enjoy it, and i do read stories with it from time to time simply because the premise captivates me that much, but in general id say i much more prefer a version where val and vox are at the very least best friends if not crossing into the sort of blurry best friends who smooch sometimes territory.

now having said that, i'll still answer your question because again, not very fair of me to just brush you off for no reason when i never made my preferences clear beforehand. (this gets long, so i'll leave a readmore.) warning: my demon radiostatics are always freak4freak no matter what. so this does get a little iffy in terms of ethics

my favourite interpretation of radiostatic is two sickos who are just as closely obsessed with each other, so in the unlikely case that al would let vox go for that long, when he realizes again the first thing he's going to do is go and. well. for lack of a better term, atticwife him (i hope to god this isn't just a term used in east asian fandoms because if i have to explain this ill eat lead). maybe after a little bit of time, he'll allow vox some liberties, but even then it'd be very little. ill put it this way- imagine the most toxic irl relationship you can: someone who tracks and micromanages their partners every move, barely lets them outside the house without going with them, monitors every friendship that they allow their partner to have, and there you have it. thats radiostatic! ah, young love. so sweet, dont you think? after all, alastor can't risk his muse's eyes slipping off him again. he's been deprived of that attention for far too long, and it wasn't even by his own doing! that's an offense in and of itself.

now im assuming that its only val who's doing the exploitation here so presumably vel would have no hand in any of the mess, and perhaps not even be fully aware of the nuances behind the scenes. i mean, it wouldn't really matter either way because once alastor finds out the reason why his other half hasnt been reciprocating their insane little song and dance he's getting rid of any and all obstacles, permanently. vox doesnt need anyone else so long as he has him- and hey, he was friends with him, rosie and husk first, so its not even as if its much of a loss. the only people he'd presumably leave alive would be voxs own contracted souls, and even then thats a bit of a gamble depending on just how bad i want the both of them to be: without his contracted souls, vox would be weaker and more susceptible to whatever alastor wants, so i guess its a matter of whether or not i want the freak4freak relationship where theyre both equally strong but vox willingly submits because he gets more thrill out of it that way or whether i want freak4freak where vox has to struggle way harder and still ends up giving in anyway because al is simply stronger

as for what he'd actually *do* to val. i mean. he does still have that radio broadcast of his, doesn't he? i think you can probably put the pieces together. the thing with animal sinners is that theres simply so many parts of them to break... show-wise, i never understood how overlords like alastor or val could even rise to their position, with the amount of weak spots they must have. that broken antenna vox and val share is certainly something that speaks to their higher vulnerability. and moth wings are especially fragile: i owned little silkworm moths at one point (they were my babies, i loved them for the month or so i got to care for them) but their wings were so thin they were wearing holes in them by the second or third day. val's coat-wings look much thicker in comparison, but of course, my perception is limited by the show only. so i mean, who knows? im sure whatever happens, itll make the best entertainment in al's eyes :)

#if you guys want to hear more unhinged radiostatic i mean #im always glad to share it but in my head the vees are very tightknit #like very difficult to distinguish them between a polyam relationship and normal friendship tightknit #so i do dislike making val the main 'villain' just for tension purposes #but freak4freak radiostatic questions are always welcome! #ran rambles #hazbin hotel #radiostatic #general asks

[basicallyblank]

Champions League qualifiers round 1- defeat to Paris FC

Very disapointing result yesterday, and not a result a lot of us expected, probably not a result Jonas expected since he didn't plan for a penalty shootout.

We had it all wrong yesterday, in my opinion. Our line up was wrong, should've started Russo and McCabe, we could've put the game to bed and not have to fight tooth and nail to get it to penalties. From the start, something i kept noticing was that we looked disjointed and that there was a communication issue, especially from the backline. Obviously we've brought new players in, this is the first time they're playing matches together, so they might not work good together straight away, but we just looked lost.

2 goals in 60 seconds...is embarrassing. Manu looked lost in goal and I feel like she wasn't 100% yesterday, I want to see Sabs move more to our no.1 goalkeeper as i doubt Manu is staying next season, Manu has been lacking for some time, she's still a good gk, but she is making more mistakes that are costing us. We conceded again basically right after the restart from the first goal, a misplaced pass from Lia, when we got to 2 down i started having Birmingham City flashbacks.

Last season when Leah tore her ACL, I knew our backline was gonna be worrying, but for the rest of last season we still had Rafa to help us, now we have no Leah and no Rafa. Noelle was poor, her scuffed pass in the first half had me sat in disbelief, Lotte was also poor, people seem to be up in arms when people criticise her, obviously some people tow the line where it steps into abusive language, that no player deserves, but there is no problem criticising a player that was poor. She makes mistakes every game that leave us scrambling trying to get the ball back because we're now being heavily counter pressed. I just hope we sort it out because I dont know how long I'll last if I have to watch that defensive line up again, our best option is a back 3 until Leah is back.

Alessia is looking really promising, she got 2 goals for us and managed to keep us in the game, obviously her penalty miss was sad, but she's the reason we got to penalties in the first place, and you can blame Jonas lack of preparation for penalties, at least she offered to step up. When he put Jen up front, I cant lie, I was ready to see a resignation letter, but Jen always shows up in the big games when we need her, eg Wolfsburg. Frida also poor today, I think after seeing the game she played during the 120 minutes, she shouldn't have stepped up, she missed chance after chance and we're meant to think she'd be able to convert from the spot after having such a poor game ? hmm.

Obviously no Champions League is going to be heavily disapointing, Codina won it last season and now she's already out. On the bright side, it means less games, no awkward midweek games when we have an important league game coming up ect. We have no excuses not to win the league, and if we dont, we have to start asking questions, we didn't get the Champions League, our players have less games, why are we not winning ? The last time we didn't get Champions League was in 18/19 season, and we won the league. We need to win trophies this season, we dont have the pull of Champions League to convince players to come to Arsenal, what pull are we gonna have to get world class players if we cant win the FA Cup, Conti Cup, the WSL ? What pull are we gonna have to convince players who are already here to STAY, if we cant win anything ?

We don't have Champions League this season, its done, we cant do anything about it, we cant get it back. We're an english giant, we dominated the WSL for years until other teams caught up, we dont have the pressure of champions league this season, so full focus on the league, and everything that comes with it. UTA

#arsenal #arsenal women #arsenal wfc #katie mccabe #alessia russo #lia walti #leah williamson #beth mead #woso #round up

[zaddyazula]

i am actually very, very worried for kids today who have grown up on this internet. when i was younger i was watching people play fucking yandere simulator and 60 seconds and the sims. now they’re watching andrew tate say they need ten thousand super cars to be successful in life.

my 11 year old brother (with access to tiktok the dreaded thing) is watching these sigma giga chad males and thinking that is who he should be. he is consuming insane amounts of homophobic, transphobic, racist, islamophobic, anti-semitic, fatphobic and misogynistic media, and openly repeats a majority of it to me. seeing him make highly inappropriate jokes not only for his age but in general is not cool or entertaining, as he thinks they are completely acceptable. he parrots this shit with his friends, who all share the same viewpoint as him. when i was his age, i was discovering bisexuality existed. i used to keep a diary for a short period of time when i was in year 5 (10 years old) and one line in it was: ‘i don’t know if i am gay, lesbian, bi or trans’ (bless my 10 year old self). i had no hatred for people in the lgbtq+ community, because i was largely unaware of it, outside of a couple people i knew. there wasn’t tiktok to tell young kids how to think or how to treat people. the amount of shit my brother has come out to me with, even insulting me with. literally last night my 11 YEAR OLD brother called me a whore. ELEVEN (11). multiple times he’s called me a dishwasher, told me to get back in the kitchen, called me a slut, a whore, etc. etc. i used to take it as a joke, and not think too much of it, but i’m starting to think it’s not a joke at all, just genuine misogyny. he’s come up to me and called black people monkeys, called muslims suicide bombers, and every time i tell him to not say that because it’s extremely offensive and even threaten to take his xbox off him and tell our mum or someone at school, he doesn’t care. he literally just does not give a shit. and to be perfectly honest, the school system to tackle discrimination is fucking horrendous. when i was at school a (white) girl in my year called someone the n word, and what did the school do? absolutely nothing. people confronted her about it (rightfully) which came off as ‘bullying’ and she didn’t have to go to any lessons and got to stay in the building where the nurse was. at my brother’s school this year, a boy in his year (another white 11 year old) called someone the n word. he got moved into the other class. that’s it. both of our schools claimed to be “diverse” and anti-xenophobia (even though my school had a maximum 3 poc staff). like how do you even deal with this?

my (white cishet) brother thinks it’s okay to say the n word. he thinks it’s okay to be islamophobic. he thinks it’s okay to be misogynistic. i actually have no idea how to deal with him, or the other kids his age. when i was his age i don’t even think i knew the n word existed. i certainly didn’t know the word misogyny.

as soon as you try to stand up to these fucking devil children, they will hurl some sort of slur at you. some insane insult which leaves you standing there like ‘how the fuck do they know that’. i doubt my brother or other kids his age actually understand what some of the things they say mean, and just say them because they know they’re bad words.

what the fuck do i even do with him. we come from a white irish catholic family. if my grandparents knew i was some inkling of lgbtq+ they probably would’ve disowned me. my own mother outed me to my uncles and her boyfriend’s daughter and her boyfriend. when i started crying when she told me this, she didn’t understand. she thought i was just upset about the fact that my nan was dead. one of my friends nearly outed me to a very homophobic kid in my year when i was 12. and it sort of leaves me wishing i had never come out. life would be so much easier if people just assumed i was cishet. but that’s not possible. i thought people would be supportive. though my own family and friends have openly been homophobic and transphobic around me, seemingly forgetting about me.

my brother calls me gay as an insult, and despite the fact i insist i’m not gay (i am) he just laughs and moves on until the cycle repeats. i don’t really want to be some saviour white person who thinks they can solve racism by wagging their finger at someone and then forgetting about it. i actually want to help my brother realise he should stop fucking saying what he’s saying. if that means me fucking taking his xbox off him and putting it in the loft then so fucking be it. i genuinely have no idea how to help the younger generation who have grown up on racist tiktoks rather than beheading videos on early youtube.

so yeah. this isn’t what i usually post but whatever. i am genuinely worried.

#zad talks #not mgs #xenophobia #islamophobia #tw racism #tw antisemitism #tw misogyny #tw sexism #tw fatphobia #tw transphobes #tw transphobia #transphobia #help

[seeruthievonrun]

Everyone always "aww"s at the fact that we've been together since we were 17. And I guess sometimes it's pretty "aww". They're my best friend, and it's nice to feel like I've had one friendship that has really lasted the test of time. But then I'm also like "is this because we were legally bound to each other for the last 15 years?"

Maybe. Maybe not. But I don't like that marriage is still treated as the ultimate romantic goal, even within the queer community.

Both of our attitudes toward marriage have changed over the last few years. Aside from the legal/isurance benefits it grants us, marriage has proven to not mean much to us in the grand scheme of things. We're together because we want to be. Marriage is an institution that's neither necessary or natural. Sometimes it helps people put in the work when things get sticky because of the legal commitment they made. But I'd rather stick around because I wanted to, not because I felt like I had to, or like it would be less of a legal headache to stay.

Maybe not everyone experiences as much change as we have through the span of our relationship. Maybe it's because we met at 17. But maybe people who meet at 30 feel like completely different people by the time they're 60. Probably.

All these old versions of ourselves, the ones we've chucked out the window-- the ones we've tucked into drawers around the house, the ones we wear like undergarments-- they've been peeking out of doors in my subconscious, leaving messes for me to clean up.

Maybe my mistake was thinking we could banish them and pretend they never existed.

I'm glad we're still in this together, but boy does a high-demand religious, cisheteropatriarchal past leave a mark.

#ace #asexual #aromantic #angled aroace #queer #2sLGBTQIA+ #postmormon #agender

[avrelia]

Lockwood and Co

Lockwood and Co is a great fun of tv series, and I wish it was a more loud hit, to assure its better fate on Netflix.

A friend long ago recommended me books by Jonathan Stroud to read for my son. He read them and loved, I read them and loved, and then they stayed a pleasant memory until there was a tv series. IN fact, I remember reading somewhere a couple of years ago that the series were in the works, and then nothing – until it appeared on Netflix in the last weekend of January 2023. Great marketing. The timing was good, I think, as there was nothing to distract viewers from it, but it would be better if more people were looking forward to it instead of discovering by accident or because there was nothing else new to watch. Because Lockwood & Co. tv series are pretty amazing. One doesn’t need to read books to enjoy it, but mostly after watching it, it is too easy to want to grab the book to learn what else is going to happen.

Of course, there are differences, but they help the visual mostly. Some things work better as words, some as images.

The story happens in England, in the universe slightly different from ours – in that several decades ago ghosts suddenly became The Problem. They are everywhere, and their touch is lethal. Ghosts could be fought – with salt and iron, and some other stuff, but they could only be perceived and fought successfully by children with specific talents. By the time a person reaches twenty, their ghost-perception wanes and disappears, leaving them scarred and useless. So there are agencies all over England (we hardly ever know what is happening in the rest of the world) that employ children and teenagers to detect and fight of ghosts with swords, iron chains, etc. The adults are in charge, mostly. One notable exception is Lockwood & CO. agency, run by Anthony Lockwood, a charming and charismatic teenager, with money (a bit and a house), talent and a death wish.

His second in command is George, a nerdy sarcastic genius who makes questionable dressing choices and doesn’t like people, but likes experiments.

And that’s pretty much it, until Lucy Carlyle comes looking for a job, and our story starts. Lucy is a girl from a poor working class family from the North of England. She early discovered she had a talent of ghost perception, and as soon as it was possible, she was sent to a local ghost fighting agency, earning money for her family and fighting ghosts. Her last mission ended in tragedy, and she ran to London to find another job. Alas, despite her talent and her hopes, no big and famous agency wanted to hire her. Lockwood and Co was her last chance, and it worked. She found a job, a home and a new family here. Even if that family consisted of another two troubled teenagers and a creepy glass jar.

The first season of the tv shows covers the first and the second book out of five, and tells a gripping and coherent story of horror, adventure and friendship. Kids are somewhat older in the beginning (but time passes between the books where it probably won’t as much in the series, so it works.

Adventure and friendship is really enough for a good tv series, but there is more. Lovingly constructed reality – London, Lockwood’s house, other agencies, haunted places, with lots of details telling us the story of this strange and deadly dangerous world, people who live there – Lockwood and Co, their rivals, the Fittes Agency, their clients, their friends, the government, etc. The hints of darker mysteries of how and why the Problem started – the ghosts were not that abundant and deadly until 60 years ago. But still the best is the wonderful, funny, strong, damaged, brave and charming heart of the story – the three leads.

#Lockwood and Co #lockwood & co #lucy carlyle #anthony lockwood #george karim

[argentumcor]

My mother-in-law is probably a bad person. A woman doesn't just lose custody and visitation in the 1980s. Reconnecting with your adult child doesn't just utterly fall apart after a year. I am now an aunt to a child I will never meet because of this. I will never leave a child alone with her until that kid is big enough to defend him or herself.

Her ex is bad, she has said, a terrible person and she divorced him because he was a cheater and terrible person. And her estranged son is supposedly of the same stock, never mind that she desperately wants so much as a picture of the newborn's face.

Her entire not-small family will not speak to her to this day- the woman is over 60- because she "revealed to authorities" her dad assaulted children, or so my husband has been told. This, of course, did not affect him in a small town because he'd quit working by then and then married a rich woman and my MIL did not get any of the money when he died along out of all his children. All of them are addicts and worse, she has told my husband, which is why he and his brother have never met any of them. I wonder, sometimes, if the reason his dad's brother did not come to our wedding is because of her.

Everyone, and I mean everyone, assaults children according to my MIL. Any movie star or musician? Adopter of children (everyone, anyone, including people we personally know and she does not)? Politician she does not like? Famous dead people? All of them, that is her go-to. It's like the boy who cried wolf.

I know people do bad things to each other, terrible ones, but how many of those can one woman- whose last job was running a painting business, she says- meet or be connected to in one lifetime?

And of course my husband believes it all...despite last time we saw them, they had a day and a half long fight about anything and everything that resulted in my family declaring that they will be civil and no more to this woman. The woman makes up memories that make her the victim and demands all others in her vicinity play along; she has accused my mother of things I know absolutely she would not do. She will not accept the vague 'go along to get along' apology that was extended. My husband is very upset about the fact my family is beyond done with it and he gets mad at me that I can't make my family tough out this insanity.

He wants us to move closer to them (we live 30 minutes from my family) but if we did I fear the end result would be the same as almost everyone in her life: I will cut her out...and given my husband is such a momma's boy, so credulous, so always on her side for everything, possibly I will have to cut him off as well.

I fear this may happen anyway, that these ugly things are a part of him, too, and this was all my mistake. I try every communication tactic recommended, as many compromises as I feel feasible, and he just doesn't listen. I feel so lonely in it, as if God has- justly- abandoned me to my own poor decision making. We have good times, loving times, but these things are so massive that focusing on those feels like ignoring the elephant in the room.

Please pray for me. I just want to do the right thing, I don't want this to go down in misery and ruin. I hate that I feel like maybe it's for the best if we can't have children.

#marriage #in laws

[nottyourlover]

Cliché.

a/n: very cliche and ooc character draco, he’s smilier :)

summary: you and draco sneak out of a party to stargaze.

warnings: party setting, fluff and flirting lol.

word count: 1022.

I look around the room, clutching my cup harder than necessary. The dim lights did not make it easier to spy my friends, though. The tight, green silk dress I was wearing felt hot and itchy on, even though it was freezing in the Slytherin common room. I looked in the mirror before leaving, and Daphne said I looked beautiful, and I certainly felt it then, but the hairs on my neck were standing up. I almost felt like I were being constantly watched. But then again, it’s a party with over 60 people, so I was probably right.

I look around for Daphne and Pansy and see them dancing together. They’re laughing and smiling, and then I see them kiss, and for the first time too, I imagine. I laugh to myself. Daphne had been going on and on about Pansy these last two weeks before the party. I’m so happy to see it worked out for her. And secretly happy I don’t need to listen to her pining over Pansy but can instead listen to her excitedly talk about Pansy instead.

“Hey,” a voice next to me. I turn around and face Draco.

Even though we shared a friend group, I was new to Hogwarts this year, from Beauxbatons, so I wasn’t really close to anyone except Pansy, Blaise and Daphne.

Before I got to know him, I’d seen him in class. Always disruptive with Crabbe and Goyle yet always getting an outstanding grade. I’d seen him in the hallways, picking on first years and cursing the muggleborns or half-bloods. When I first saw him, he was bullying some poor Gryffindor second year. Not the best first impression but when we’re better friends I’ll grill him on his behaviour. You laugh at the thought.

He was so intimidating, yet so enigmatic. Sure, he’s tall, and good-looking and smart and all sorts of other things. He was an enigma.

“Hey,” I reply.

“You look like you’re not enjoying the party,” he says, turning towards me and copying, his head also resting on the wall.

I laugh, and see him smile, just slightly. “I dunno, maybe I like standing in dark corners alone, Draco. You’ve just insulted me,” I deadpan. 

He laughs (a nice sound, you note) and you grin. 

“I see Pansy and Daphne are over there together,” we glance over and my smile widens. “About time,” he says to me.

I laugh again. “Yeah, definitely.”

The silence stretches between us.

“Y’know, y/n, I didn’t even want this party,” he admits. I cock my head. 

“But it’s literally for you, to celebrate Slytherin’s quidditch win. Honestly, Dray, you were great in that game, even in the rain you caught the snitch!” I smile.

His eyes widen slightly. “Dray?”

My eyes widen slightly. “Sorry, is that not okay? I mean I hear Daphne and Pansy call you that all the time and we’re friends, right? I’m rambling. I’ll stop.” I tuck a stray lock of hair behind your ear, using this moment to hide my embarrassment and look down. 

“No, no, it’s fine. I like hearing you say my name.” He smirks. I watch him run a hand through his already disheveled hair, causing it to look even messier. He looks at the door behind me.

“Who even says that anymore, Draco? It’s so cliché,” I mutter. Deep breaths in, and out to slow my racing heart.

He just shrugs, a small smile playing on his lips. You watch his eyes travel down your dress and he starts to smile. “You always look beautiful.”

An unsteady breath comes out. “Thank you... Dray.” 

I was testing the waters with his nickname, as one might say. But I’ll consider the waters “tested” and my mission failed, because the silence stretched again, a little awkward this time.

Then, standing on my tippy-toes, I fixed a loose strand of hair curled near his ear. My breath hitched as he bent down and let me smooth it out. 

Draco smiles, and my heart aches. “Wanna leave here?” he asks.

“And go where?”

“I know a spot, and it’s dark out, so it’ll be great.”

I follow him through Hogwarts’ many hallways and up many flights of stairs until we reach the astronomy tower. 

“Don’t tell anyone this, I have a reputation to uphold,” he jokes. The open air feels nice on my skin, but I still feel hot. Maybe it’s just the proximity. You shiver slightly.

“Ha, ha, Slytherin Prince likes to... doodle pretty stars?” you smile as he pulls out a small notebook from his pocket and lets you flick through the pages.

“Funny, y/n. It’s astronomy, I’m drawing the constellations. The Slytherin Prince doesn’t just ‘draw pretty stars’. Though I wouldn’t be opposed to using my spectacular artistic ability and drawing you.” He winks smoothly. You feign disgust and slap his arm, laughing uncontrollably. 

You mock him. “Is it because I’m just such a pretty, shining star in your life?” You’re only a little bit shocked by how bold you are. 

“Undoubtedly, y/n/n.” He smiles at me with what I hope for my heart’s sake is mock affection. I’m surprising myself with how fun it is to be around him, and how carefree I feel. My friend Ilaria from Beauxbatons would joke that it’s the “friends to lovers trope”. I smile inwardly at the memory of her and her excessive referencing to romcom book tropes. 

“Maybe someday, Draco.”

“Call me Dray.”

“Okay, Dray.”

This time, when the silence stretches, it’s not awkward. We both lie on our backs and he points out all his favorites. He tells me about Sirius, Scorpius and Lyra, his top three. It’s adorable that he has top three favourite constellations.

“I’m named after a constellation.” he says suddenly, looking over at me. 

“That’s such a cool backstory. Actually, Lyra and Scorpius especially are such cool names. I can see why someone would want to name their kids after constellations.”

He sits up, and I do too, slightly confused. “Yeah, you’re right. Those would be the perfect names for our kids,” he laughs loudly.

I laugh before teasing him. “Keep dreaming.” 

#pansy x daphne #draco fanfiction #draco fluff #draco imagine #draco x reader #draco x yn #draco malfoy #dray #yay #ugh how cringe

[pbandjesse]

Today was a good day. I felt slightly better. Still coughing, but not as weak. I am still really looking forward to going to sleep.

I slept okay last night. I was still coughing myself awake. But I got more rest then I have been. So it was a win.

I woke up at 630 pretty uncomfortable, but I let myself doze for a half hour. James laid with me a bit. I struggled to get up. But I would be okay.

I liked my hair a lot today. And I felt pretty good overall. I loved wearing my new ring. I was feeling positive. James sent me off with my bag packed. And I had a nice drive, but people were still driving stupid. Just going wildly slow. But it was fine. I got to camp and was glad to be there.

Though I discovered the watermelon James has packed me had spilled all over my lunch bag. Ah well. I cleaned that up and soon Elizabeth was coming in. It's weird not having that first hour alone but I won't begrudge someone else wanting to be able to leave earlier.

And we actually had some really nice chats. About art and my drawing project but also about my pipeline theory and some other silly stuff. We had some big laughs.

I worked on my proposal for a diorama workshop and a few other small projects. I did my drawing for the day and realized I had one of the stickers hidden so today actually was the last drawing! I did my favorite Leatherman pocket knife. And closed out the project. I'll order sheets of the stickers as a limited run soon.

As others were coming it there was actually stuff for me and Sarah to do! There is apparently another snow storm coming in tonight so we drove up to the Alaskans to get salt to put all around on any wood surfaces because we have a full camp rental this weekend.

I found out it's a Christian school and so I told Sarah all about how she. I was in highschool we would go on winter retreats and it was the most important thing every year but also it was crazy because they wouldn't feed us for so long so that we would get in some weird space. And she was like Jesse that sounds like a cult. And I am like oh I know.

It was fun driving around off road pouring salt on things. And when we got back we were both a bit tired so we took a break.

Heather would have some schedule stuff for me to work on. They want more free choice and so I worked on some ways for that to work. There might be some kind of choice in what specialities they could go to every day. We will see if it's actually implemented.

I had lunch and did some work on canva. Edited some logos for the music festival. Me and Sarah would go out again to deliver bags of salt and shovels to the different cabins just in case. The snow is supposed to come in quick but then it's going to be almost 60 so it'll probably melt fast too. But it was fun being out. Though I kept tripping on my shoes and making Sarah nervous I was going to break an ankle.

The day would wrap up pretty quickly. I reminded Alexi that my birthday is tomorrow and Chloe was like what! Why wasn't it on the calendar and Elizabeth ran out to write it before I left. I just never noticed it didn't make it to the calendar because I was gone for the last week of January and then I was sick. But everyone wished me well and said they will make a bigger deal next week. Which is not necessary but is also very kind.

I said goodbye and headed out. I did stop at 711 to get a piece of pizza. And I'm glad I did because there was a lot of traffic on the drive home. So it was closer to 45 minutes. Which is whatever but still rough. I enjoyed my music and my podcast and was home soon enough.

When I got back here I did some tidying up because Celia was coming over. I ran around with the vacuum and soon she was knocking on my door.

It was nice to have her over. James would come home soon after she got there. I gave her the tour and talked about what we are going to do in different spaces once we have furniture. And then after talking with James for a bit and playing with sweetp we would set up in the studio to do some painting.

Celia would paint a pill bug and I painted Sweetp. And it was fun. We watched a video about the backrooms and painted and James made us stuffed shells. It was a really fun couple hours. We talked about the history of accents and travel and told stories and it was just a really lovely night.

James ran over to the apartment to feed the aquatics and grab a few things. And Celia left a little before they came back. I watched her from the stoop to make sure she made it to her car. And then when I came back inside I went to get a shower.

James got home soon after I got dressed. And they are downstairs talking to their dad. And I am in bed. Coughing a lot. Which still gets worse at night. But I'm sipping water and hoping that the snow isn't bad. So tomorrows plan goes off without a hitch.

Because tomorrow is my birthday! Jess should be here mid morning, weather permitting, and then we are going to IKEA! I hope that we can get everything easily and then we will spend most of the day building things. I'm very much looking forward to my birthday. James is finishing baking a cake for me now. And Jess will be here. And I'm just really happy. Despite the cough.

Sleep well everyone. I love you all so much. Until tomorrow!!

[bro-ken-spoon]

My Wild, Off-The-Wall Doctor Who Theory

Okay, so. I've got a 60th special theory. It's very probably wrong. But I'm posting it here just in case it isn't.

What if the Doctor really, actually, for real dies. The Doctor is dead. But Donna regenerates.

I know, I know, I know, hear me out. 

First, from a behind the scenes standpoint. The Doctor Who marketing team has been leaning pretty heavily into the concept of regeneration. They did an hour long Youtube livestream with all of the Doctors regenerations, and everyone on the marketing team seems to be trying to ensure that everyone in familiar with the concept. Now, this could be to prepare us for why Fourteen regenerated the way he did, but it also could be that the next Doctor isn't techniclaly Fifteen. Except, one point against me, I think his theme is actually going to be called “Fifteen” so that’s maybe an indicator that I’m dead wrong, but I’m having fun with my crack theory. So anyway, Davies both hasn’t called Gatwa Fifteen *and* in a recent interview for SFX Magazine, he said that he’s going to be calling Gatwa’s first season “series one” which is. So wild. He’s starting all the way over. And that’s so funny to me. So, from a technical standpoint, there’s not much to suggest that this couldn’t happen. It’s not likely, but it could.

Second, from an in-show standpoint. What sci-fi mumbo jumbo could make this possible? Well I’m glad you asked. SO, Donna’s last episode, Journey’s End. Ten gets shot by a Dalek and is brought inside the TARDIS, where he thinks he’s going to regenerate. But, last minute, he puts all of his regeneration energy into his severed hand. Later on, as the TARDIS is crashing, Donna, who's been hearing a heartbeat, reaches out for the severed hand. There's definitely an energy transfer there, and it does end up creating TenToo, who is almost like a mix of Ten and Donna (The DoctorDonna.) And at the same time, Donna gets some attributes of the Doctor as well. Mainly, we see that she now knows pretty much everything the Doctor knows. And of course, this is what's killing her. But what if she got other attributes of the Doctor as well? 

When Ten is leaving Rose on the beach for the second time, TenToo tells her that he'll grow old with her and that he "can't regenerate." And listen. I'm not saying that all of the Doctor's attributes *had* to be split evenly between TenToo and Donna during the metacrisis. That might not be how that works. But if it did....that would mean Donna got the regeneration aspects. It doesn't make that much sense, but it's not out of the realm of something that could happen in Doctor Who. Honestly just this part (and not the Doctor also dying and Donna becoming Gatwa) makes more sense. However, the only line of dialogue we currently have from Gatwa is him saying "Is anyone going to tell me what the hell is going on?" which is a very Donna thing to say, and I just think that would be so neat. The Doctor definitely could've also said that. Especially since he does seem to be wearing Tennant's new suit (just deconstructed) but I would just be so interested in the implications of it.

Now, obviously, we have to contend with fan reaction. People would absolutely hate this. He is The Doctor, yknow. He's a British pop culture icon. He's been around for 60 years. But Davies was best, at least in New Who, at giving the Doctor well-rounded character traits. He had a character arc that he went on that went mostly ignored during the 11th, 12th, and 13th Doctors in favor of different arcs because that's kind of the nature of Doctor Who. But he's also been around 60 years, and the character just keeps getting older and older. Even Tennant's Doctor, three Doctors ago, was constantly talking about how old he felt, how tired he was. There are places you can go from there, Twelve attempted to a little bit, but he's just going to keep getting older and going through more things and at some point, especially 60 years on, that could get narratively stagnant. But what if there was a way to keep "The Doctor" without keeping the same character. They could even be called The Doctor after having dropped the Donna part from "The Doctor Donna." It would switch it up, be interesting, go new places (like, maybe an "I'm the last of the Time Lords but do I even count as a Time Lord?" arc, that'd be fun.) And also, watching the incarnation of the Doctor who famously "didn't want to go" accept his death. And a reminder that it's David Tennant, who would be the best choice to end the Doctor on, if they ever were going to do that. British people and hardcore fans might hate it, but I'd kind of love it. I've also seen the theory that Rose Temple-Noble could regenerate as well, as a result of the same process, and that's also interesting but I don't really have a narrative idea of where that's going.

Anyways this is probably all a load of horse shit but it's just wild enough that I'm having fun feeling like a conspiracy theorist about it. Thanks for reading!

#doctor who #doctor who 60th anniversary #theory posting

[greatwyrmgold]

The Age of Magneto

Here's a question for X-Men fans: How long until Magneto's expiration date? And what happens then?

You probably know what I mean, but this post is as much an excuse for me to spell out my thoughts on the matter as it is asking for other people's input. (I would still like to hear other opinions, mind you.)

Most metahumans' origin stories are free-floating in history. Batman's parents could have been shot in any decade, Krypton could explode in any decade, Dr. Doom's lab accident could happen in any decade. We just quietly accept a character barely aging between the 70's and the new 10's, if not longer, because that's how comics work. But if a historical event is central to your character's backstory, you could have problems.

The Holocaust was stopped roughly 77 years ago. Any mutant with strong enough memories of Nazi Germany for them to be a significant part of his motivation would need to be in his mid-80's, at minimum. That's longer than most people who don't regularly engage in superpower fights live; it's not old enough that still being an active villain breaks your suspension of disbelief, but my dad was talking about this when Magneto could plausibly be sixty-something.

Each passing decade makes it exponentially less plausible for Magneto to be an active supervillain, but he's a critical part of the X-Men. He's their most iconic villain, his dynamic with Professor Xavier is the centerpiece of everything X-Men says about civil rights, and while I don't follow the comics that closely, I know that Magneto is the father of several significant mutants. He can't just fade into the background when he stops being plausible, like Captain America: Commie-Smasher did.

So at some point, whether in the COVID 20's or the Cyber 30's or the Giant Alien Spider 40's, Magneto will have to change in some way. I only see three ways to do this, and none remotely preserve the X-Men's status quo.

The Natural Solution

The simplest way to make Magneto not unrealistically old to survive both Colossus and leukemia would be to have him just not survive. Possibly a big sacrifice or dramatic battle, possibly just old age or mundane disease, possibly dramatic disease or a mundane battle. Regardless, it seems likely that they'd want to kill Professor X around the same time, if only to put a clean coda on their iconic rivalry.

Now, they would still be important figures in the comics, but more the way that Uncle Ben or the Waynes are, or that MLK and the Black Panthers are to modern African-Americans. The older mutants fight to continue the legacy of their fallen leaders, the younger ones idolize them, but they are gone.

Despite being the only option that doesn't require a reboot or retcon, it's the most disruptive to the status quo, so I doubt they'd pick this one.

Same Genocide, Different Decade

Unfortunately, the Holocaust was not the last event of its kind. Sure, no genocide has been of the same industrial scale as the Holocaust (except the Holomodor, depending on what estimates you use and where you draw the line between "part of the Holocaust" and "just another Nazi war crime," let's leave it at that). But is the Rwandan genocide less tragic, criminal, or traumatic than the Holocaust just because "only" several hundred thousand people died?

Magneto's character wouldn't need to change an inch if he was a Cambodian in the 70's, a Hutu in the 90's, or even a Darfur (or is it Fur?) in the 2010's. But that doesn't mean there wouldn't be issues from this change, and I don't mean continuity ones.

First off, in all likelihood, executive mandate would cut away at this reboot of Magneto until it was, like, Magneto's parents died in a Latverian mutant genocide. Something comfortingly fictionalized. But let's pretend they'd keep a real genocide in there.

Losing a Jewish Magneto would suck. Even if we got different representation out of it, it would suck. And there's no way around it; antisemitism still exists, some organized antisemitism in the past 60 years probably qualifies as genocide, but none approaches the level of generational trauma caused by the Holocaust.

And then there's the race issue. You know how a certain type of reactionary flips out when a codename traditionally belonging to a straight white dude gets assumed by a "political" character? It would be so much worse if we couldn't point out "That's Kal's son" or "That's Tony's student" or "That's the Falcon with a shield". And any Magneto from a major post-WW2 genocide would either need to be a POC (and hence attract those chuds) or a Holomodor survivor (which would just change what chuds you pissed off).

This idea has a lot of good to it. It preserves the time-proven structure of X-Men storytelling, it's probably net positive for representation, and above all, it would remind the audience that the horrors which scarred Magneto did not end with the Nazis. But it also has a lot of bad to balance that out.

Iceman (not that one)

If Magneto is going to continue to be from the Silent Generation, and continue to be an active presence in the story, there will eventually need to be some reason for him not to be a centenarian. You could just make it a side effect of his magnetism somehow, but that feels like it's drawing attention to the problem more than it solves it. Luckily, the Marvel universe has an established mechanism for WW2-era characters to get from D-Day to the modern day.

(Come to think of it...Cap and Magneto were both around during the same pivotal historic period. Heck, Wolverine was, too. Are there any storylines that do something with that quirk of the timeline?)

Or you could use some functionally similar plot device, like being imprisoned in a stasis chamber for some reason. Also, Magneto doesn't need to be frozen for 60-70 years solid for this to work; if he gets put on ice during the 60's or so and defrosted a decade or two before the nebulous modern day, he could be kept at a comfortable middle age until the X-Men franchise stops making money.

But while this option makes it more plausible that his arthritis wouldn't cripple his powers and that one punch from Logan wouldn't break half the bones in his torso, it complicates his relationship to modern mutants.

The biggest problem is his rivalry with Xavier. It could be interesting if Xavier had several decades to get over the reasons he fought with Magneto and Magneto didn't, but that dynamic can only last so long before Xavier has the exact same problem as Magneto: If Xavier was Magneto's rival before he was frozen, X needs to have been an adult in the 60's, which makes him at youngest an early baby boomer.

And it would be supremely awkward to freeze Xavier alongside Magneto. Magneto doesn't not have bonds with his fellow mutants that would be distorted by the Captain America treatment, but Xavier is almost literally a goddamned institution of the mutant community. The school that bears his name would be radically different if Xavier wasn't there.

Which basically leaves us with Magneto being frozen in the 60's after minimal to no interaction with Xavier, then developing a rivalry with him in the relatively short period between Magneto's defrosting and the nebulous presence. It doesn't not work, but it's just not the same as a rivalry developed as the two of them grew up.

I've run out of stuff to say

So, yeah. Magneto needs to change some decade or another, but the least disruptive solution I see is to slap an anti-aging power on him (and probably Xavier) and hope nobody cares.

Maybe there's a solution someone else sees. Or maybe someone else has an interesting thought about or twist on one of the broad possibilities I've described. If you've read this far, I assume you have some kind of Magneto opinion. Would you like to share it?

#magneto #x-men #marvel #comics #superheroes #timeline #meta

[wilhelt]

Lamenting how homogenous the average group at a commander night is. Tends to be a lot of very sexist/homophobic white guys in their 20s-50s and it makes for a really uncomfortable atmosphere for people like myself who are neurodivergent and queer. Luckily, at the one local shop, I have friends who accept me for me and are very nice, but I also have to contend with guys who say shit like "stop begging you look homeless no one wants to trade with you, just admit you're too poor to buy cards" in regards to one of my friends bringing his trade binder and asking if I had mine along. Last time I checked bud, the acronym "tcg" stood for trading card game, but what do I know. 🙄

I guess I just wish there was a local place where a larger and more diverse group of people could play together irl without dealing with assholes that storm out after screaming at a teenager that beat their $2000 deck with a precon. And I definitely think a lot of that falls back on the shop owners for not making bad apples leave and giving them consequences, but I think there's also a bad stigma around the game which acts as a disincentive for more groups to join in. When there's a common assumption that mostly only nerds and neckbeards play the game, whether it is a fair assumption or not, it tends to be dismissed as worth playing for anyone falling on the outside of that group.

I know it can also be a financial barrier, so I'd also like if more people embraced just helping others build decks instead of having mentalities along the lines of "Well yeah I have 4 of those, and they're worth $25 if you buy them from TCG Player, so I'll give you a discount at just $24.50 a card if you need one." Obviously it's okay to want to make your money back, but I think there comes a point of pure greed where there's no point in hoarding cards you probably have no intentions on selling at a local shop or online in favor of trying to capitalize on scamming other people. And it sucks when people gatekeep the game with this financial obstacle. I wouldn't have gotten into it originally had my dad not been kind enough to take the time to show me the mechanics, let me test his decks, and then sit down and build one together with me. And it's a pricey one, I know, but it's cool because he got me some staples I can use across multiple decks by just proxying cards if need be. His main play group have even given me cards (like Scarab God or Farewell or Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite) for free just to help my decks be on par with theirs! Which is awesome! His main MTG buddy even built me a deck for my birthday last year with a dinosaur tribal theme, and it's AWESOME! In turn, I got him the Warhammer Necron deck later in the year when he couldn't find it at any of the card shops he frequented. This is the sort of community we need, I feel.

Back to proxies for a second; don't even get me started on proxies in the game. You have 2 main groups of bad actors with them. Group A is the group that feels even if it's just a casual match, you can't have any proxies and you're a piece of shit for doing so and therefore not worthy of playing with them. And Group B LOVES proxying all their cards with really weird furry and/or anime porn which like. Okay that's your choice, but it definitely doesn't belong in a public all-ages commander night when it just makes the already tense atmosphere more uncomfortable. I'm bisexual, I use custom tokens with some really hot women on them because yeah I love how they look, but they're horny at best and nowhere near pornographic or misogynistic, and if someone asked I not use them, I'd oblige. (And because I'm fair I also use tokens with hot men 😌)

Sorry for all of this ranting. I love MTG, but it's definitely a game with a specific audience and I wish there was more of an effort from Wizards to appeal to more people rather than shove new sets at us every 60 seconds. (Yes I know there are queer characters in canon, but MTG is a game where you don't even need to know canonical events to play it, so that feels more like an effort to placate than an effort to incorporate more diverse identities into the game. And no racial stereotypes don't count as being culturally diverse, but that is a whole other can of worms.)

If you read all this thank you! Be nice in the comments section or be blocked. Reblogs are okay :3

#mtg #magic the gathering #magic the gathering commander