#because there was that whole belief back then that

[angelsdean]

*record scratch* freeze frame. Reality Check. "You're the one who came and got me at school. You're the one who dragged me back into this." let's re-evaluate that statement, Sam, because that is not, in fact, what happened.

The context in which Sam makes this statement is that he's arguing Dean used to care about the revenge quest and killing the demon because Dean is the one that came and got Sam and thus "dragged him back" into the quest to kill the demon. But, that is not why Dean went to get Sam at school, it was to find John, who was missing and possibly dead. Dean didn't even Know about the demon at this point (they don't find out that "the thing that killed mom" is a demon til 1x11) or that John was closing in on it. Dean goes to Stanford to ask Sam to help him look for John, that's it. Then, at the end of 1x01 Dean brings Sam back to school in time for his interview as promised, and drives away. He only turns around when, in the deleted scene, he notices his watch has stopped, cluing him in that something is wrong. And he gets there in time to save Sam from the burning building.

Sam then makes the choice to leave with Dean because now that he's lost someone, he is personally invested in finding John because John knows more about the thing that killed Mary (and now Jess) than anyone, and Sam is the one who is now consumed by the need for revenge and the first step in getting that revenge is finding John, something he had no vested interest in doing before, but is now heavily invested in, even more than Dean is, as we see throughout the first half of s1 where Sam is often the one calling around looking for John and is more interested in searching for John than taking on random cases.

Anyways, it's just so interesting to track this revisionism of events and how both Sam and Dean come to accept this as the truth when it's literally not what we saw happen throughout the season. And we see Dean start to absorb this belief after Meg plants the seed in their heads in 1x16, trying to drive a wedge between them, by falsely saying Dean "drags Sam around like luggage" when literally the whole reason Sam and Meg meet is because Sam wanted to part ways in 1x11 and Dean let him go. Sam then comes back and decides to stay all on his own, even after Dean offers to drop Sam off somewhere.

Dean expresses in 1x16, that yes, he wants Sam around, he wants his family together again, but at the end of that very episode Dean is also the one who says they need to split up from John, even though it's the last thing he wants. Dean consistently is willing to let people go, even if it's not what he personally wants. And especially Sam. Over and over throughout the season he expressed how he wants Sam to have a normal life, is willing to let Sam go, or stay in some random town and drop the search for John. So even IF Dean did secretly want Sam to stick around when he went to get Sam at Stanford, he never expected it. Never enforced it.

That Sam comes to think Dean "dragged him back" into hunting is a purely revisionism and a bit of projection, I think, because Sam might not want to face the truth of the matter which is that he consistently chose to stick with hunting, and actually enjoys it more than he'd like to admit. And, as both he and John express, this quest to kill Yellow Eyes becomes "their" obsession. Not Dean's. Dean is the one who says he'd rather they never find the demon if it means losing his family. Dean is the one that says getting revenge isn't worth dying for. And then, Sam takes this to heart, when at the end of 1x22 he refuses to kill John Possessed by Azazel at Dean's pleading, AND when he tells John that killing this demon does not come "before everything" while eyeing Dean bleeding out in the backseat.

Dean was never the one invested in revenge. He did not come get Sam from Stanford to aid in the family revenge quest, he came for help in finding their missing father, something Dean cared abt simply because that's family, and Dean cares deeply, despite everything John put them through. Dean is the one that cares, the heart of the narrative, etc etc. He comes to Sam because he is alone in the world, because their only other blood relative is missing, because it's a very human thing, to reach out, to want family around. And still, he was always going to let Sam go after the 1x01. He didn't like it. It's not what Dean wanted. But he was going to let him go back to his life. Sam chose to follow Dean and continue searching for John.

#vics spn rewatch #sam revisionism #family dynamics #long post #sorry i got lots to say #spn 1x01 #spn 1x11 #spn 1x16 #spn 1x21 #spn 1x22

[brucewaynehater101]

Adding onto the ask where Tim hoards his future siblings and makes them Drakes instead of Waynes

In the route where Jason takes the living Drakes under his wing, I imagine he'd start a whole new branch family of the Bat Clan

The Batfamily has Batman, Agent A, Nightwing, Oracle and the everchanging Robin who dies or gets retired it's a 50/50

Meanwhile the Merry Men (I thinks that's the gangs name) have Red Hood, and also a shit ton of goblin teenagers and children that can beat your ass into the dirt and get mother henned by Red Hood but also they're little shits who annoy their guardian

========

Also post-Tim killing his parents

If Tim is aware of Cassandra "I don't kill, I think it's wrong" belief prior to his parents biting the dust he'll be extra afraid of the fallout he's dreaming up in his head, of losing his first genuine friends turned siblings, but thankfully Cass continues to have his back

Cass would probably have some very complicated feelings about it, but she'll notice that he never intended to take that route. He didn't want to kill his parents. It just happened. While that's not exactly okay, I think that will help her cope with Tim killing someone. He might also fear himself as well for killing someone without meaning to. Lots of angst there. Maybe Cass will say that she's on his side, but he doesn't need to worry. She'll stop him the next time he tries, lucid or not.

Also, I do love the idea of Red Hood having a bunch of kids interfering with his work. He's exasperated but fond. It kind of reminds me of that one fic where a lieutenant is given overtime to watch over Red Hood and defend him because Red Robin is taking a nap on his lap.

#dc comics #tim drake #dc universe #jason todd #cass wayne #thank you for the ask!!!!

[bird-inacage]

Love Sea the Series: Trailer (Tongrak's Love Story with the Island and it's 'Ocean')

You know me, I'm back with another analysis. This time in response to the Love Sea trailer. As I was writing this, it led me to frame our two central characters' differing outlooks as follows. Let me explain.

Tongrak 'We're not a work of fiction, fairytales don't exist' Mahasamut 'We're not a work of fiction, life doesn't follow a script'

STRONGER THAN FICTION

"Didn't I tell you, I don't believe in love. I don't believe. It's not even real to me. Between us, there's nothing more than sex." What seems to fundamentally scare Tongrak is the very idea of love itself. A belief that prevents him from accepting that anyone could love him, or that he has the capacity to love anyone in return. Because love is a construct. A fantasy. A work of fiction. Love to Tongrak is just a fairytale, it's not rooted in reality. The passages of love in his novels could never truly imitate life.

So understandably he begins to feel shaken when his relationship with Mahasamut challenges everything he thought to be true. That what he's experiencing is in fact inspiring his writing. Because it surpasses fiction.

"Everything is up to you to decide. You can pay me as much as you want. But what you can't decide on paper, is that you can't make me stop loving you. You have no right to do that." Mut seems to insinuate that as an author, Tongrak is used to controlling the narrative. This is where he feels most safe, until Mut came along and threw that into jeopardy. Here, Mut seems to declare that he isn't just some character in Tongrak's story. Nor are his feelings. He has agency. Their feelings for one another aren't just lines on paper. Real life does not operate in this way, it veers off script. That's the beauty of living. Mut's life is one dictated by the elements. One that teaches you to be resilient, to take what life throws at you by embracing the curveballs. And love is no different.

A TRANSACTIONAL AGREEMENT

Tongrak offers to pay Mut initially as a means to get him off his back. "How much do I have to pay you, to stop you bugging me?" This is then used increasingly as 'a convenient excuse' that escalates as the plot ensues. I predict that Tongrak continues the guise of paying Mut as a pretence to spend time with him.

By doing so, Tongrak is creating a false of security that is twofold. One, that he's able to keep Mut by his side as long as he pays him. Two, convincing himself that Mut's motivations are driven by financial benefit. Framing this as a transactional relationship means Tongrak doesn't have to face what is developing beneath the surface. This also instils an illusion that he can procure the outcome he wants, which is to keep Mut by his side.

As Tongrak's feelings grow, this becomes an even flimsier front. "How much do I have to pay, if I want to take you to Bangkok with me?" You can hear how desperate he sounds. Whether it's a matter of pride or otherwise, Tongrak seems inclined to attach his request to an incentive. He may be too afraid to confront the possibility that Mut could willingly leave his life behind for him - because that would be out of love and not monetary gain. So Tongrak gives Mut a reason to do so. A reason he deems fit. One he can live with. I think Mut can see through this too, and plays into the whole charade, but ultimately all Tongrak would have to do is ask. "I'm willing to be your dog." (Just say the word).

"If someone who is not highly educated like me understands, between the two of us, there is nothing more than an agreement, right?" Even if Mut is very emotionally mature, and plays along to make things easier for Tongrak to swallow - Tongrak is still trying to deny feelings they share which have long gone past just an 'agreement'. (You do feel something for me though, right? This is just smoke and mirrors but you do care about me, right?)

THE FEAR OF DEPENDENCE

In the latter segments, Tongrak displays evident dependence on Mut. It's as if Mut's aid in his survival on the island has now imprinted on his life as a whole. Tongrak gradually embraces the guide that Mut is, to lead him on an adventure with no particular destination. There's every possibility that this is what Tongrak was afraid of. Of relinquishing control. Perhaps hesitant to do so in the hands of someone younger, more boisterous and seemingly carefree. Someone he wrote off as a "dumb kid" with little substance.

The diving scene could very well be a metaphor for this. Tongrak agrees to do something that requires trust in Mut's expertise, by putting his own safety in Mut's hands. And when he does run into trouble, Mut is there to literally bring him back to life. He begins to recognise that Mut is a man of responsibility, someone he can rely on.

There have been hints that Mahasamut is also going through his own battle with loneliness or isolation. Fort says "and now Tongrak is by your side, you are not alone." MAME also comments that "Mut is the guy who is as strong as a castle. The wind and waves can't hurt him. But Fort proved that a strong man can cry." I think that as Tongrak starts to realise how much comfort and reassurance Mut provides him, he'll want to return the favour. How can he be that same emotional support for Mut to lean on?

What we're about to see is not just Tongrak's love story with Mahasamut, or 'an island', but a whole other life he may have never lived, had they never met. Mut's interception into his life is rewriting the narrative he had consciously or unconsciously dictated for himself.

Note: As with any of my metas, I am basing my interpretations on what I have seen alone. I haven't heard any spoilers from the novel.

#love sea #love sea the series #love sea meta #rakmut #tongrak x mahasamut #tongrak #mahasamut #peat wasuthorn #fort thitipong #fortpeat #*clack clack* here she goes again #do i love reading into things too much? #YES #yes is the answer #ALWAYS

[sgiandubh]

What choice is there for you to make? Caitriona is legally married to Tony. It's her choice not anyone else's. Sure you want to believe Sam and Caitriona secretly have something on, your belief is your choice. Her choice of partner is hers, and it's not Sam, really none of anyone else's concern or approval. Enjoy and celebrate your beliefs, but beliefs are not always rational nor true. No one on this subject knows the truth about Sam, the shippers, the gay onlys, the man whore-tellers, the SamSaviors. No one, which is the way he wants it. No one knows and no one will.

Dear Choice Anon,

Unlike many of your Mordor peers, I feel a half-baked effort towards questioning, in your submission that wants to be cheeky and smart. And is, instead, sophistic and predictable.

I was baking something, in the meanwhile. I always cook when I need to think carefully about something, from a distance. My hands are quite good at it and my brain is free.

And so, I thought. I thought about how you people always feel the urge to cross lanes and come here peddling your #silly wares. I thought about how you came here on a Sunday, Mother's Day on top, and how sad (empty?) life must feel for you. Instead of going out for coffee in town, smelling a rose, baking a cake, laughing around, cheering on your favorite team or hugging Mom, here you are. Battering a perfect unknown person's mailbox, for the sake of a woman who does not even know you exist and, most probably, does not even care. Same applies to S, by the way - but unlike her, he might probably care about you, provided you buy whatever he has to sell.

The Marriage Certificate argument is a fallacy and you know that very well. You grasp at a piece of paper, oblivious to the whole schizophrenic show the Happy Couple puts out there for everyone to see. I can understand that, Anon: you are a conformist, soothed by a black & white reality, even where and when it's plain to see things are anything but. You need reassurance and you hate anything that might reach out of your tiny box, even at the expense of your own critical sense. Congratulations, Anon: you are perfect fodder for all the demagogues out there and so, so easily fooled. I have more thoughts about it, but I am in a cheery enough mood and really unwilling to humiliate you further.

Unless you are S himself (hi? 🤣), his PR or his lawyer, you have no right to presume what he really wants or doesn't want, what he really intends to do and what his thoughts and feelings might be. On any given matter, from the trivial to the important. We can only guess and/or speculate, based on our own life experience, our own critical sense, our understanding of the world. And also based on many other things that are NEVER discussed publicly, which is the right way to do, if you really care about someone's private life. You see, unlike people on your side of the fence and no matter what the Original Troll always says, we never did anything of what you accuse us of. We never started flaming wars just to self inflate our importance (probably because we live rich, loving lives on our own). We never accosted their entourage and then blamed in on 'The Others', without ever substantiating those very serious accusations. And we never came to your lanes to send hate or sow doubt.

Do we make mistakes? Oh, aplenty. We are human, Anon. Come back when you are ready to ask yourself some real questions about all this charade. It is an honest, but almost rhetorical invitation. You won't, simply because you despise the very idea people could think differently and you never, ever wonder why. It would clash with your own fantasy. And this, this is something you will never be ready to face, Anon.

PS: despising the very idea people could think differently also clashes with the very idea of having a choice. The implications of your own shortcoming are much, much wider than this context. But that is not my problem, Anon. After all, you also have a choice to remain as you are, and who am I to hinder you?

#anon #fandom #shitshow

[crowsongcaws]

Empires S1 Scott and Empires S2 Jimmy, no angst as a treat

-

Dear Jimmy Solidarity,

Thank you for your assistance in adjusting to this new world of yours.

...Maybe that was too formal.

Dear Jimmy Solidarity,

Thank you for your assistance in adjusting to this new world of yours. for helping me find a place to stay. I was not expecting to end up in a world like yours, and it has been devastating and disorienting to me from the very beginning. I am still off-put by the increasingly horrifying realization that I may never return back to the world I knew, but I have appreciated your company.

...and that was far too depressing.

Dear Jimmy Solidarity,

Thank you for your assistance in adjusting to this new world of yours. for helping me find a place to stay. I was not expecting to end up in a world like yours, and it has been devastating and disorienting to me from the very beginning. I am still off-put by the increasingly horrifying realization that I may never return back to the world I knew, but I have appreciated your company.

Your kindness knows no bounds, and I am eternally grateful for that. You truly are lovely inside and out. Put in your position, I would be cautious of someone like me claiming to not be from this world, but your belief in my words and trust in me has kept me sane. grounded.

If you ever find yourself in need of help, know that I am here, and I will do my best to provide the help you need. In the meantime, maybe you could show me around the other empires? I remember you mentioning that you'd like to fly, and I have wings, so I'm sure I could carry you.

Well Wishes, Yours, Thanks,

Emperor Smajor Scott Smajor Scott

Scott stared at the mess of ink on the paper for a moment before crumpling it up into a ball. He promptly threw the ball somewhere into the depths of the room, but more importantly, he threw it out of sight. Retrieving another sheet of paper, he began to write again.

Dear Jimmy,

Thank you.

- Scott

Again, Scott stared.

Since when had writing a letter been so difficult?

Since I found myself stuck in a world where my empire, status, and customs don't exist or matter, Scott's mind "helpfully" supplied for him.

He leaned back in his chair—a habit he found himself doing because no one would judge his entire empire for it—and let his wings sag partially onto the wooden flooring. Even if this position made him more comfortable, the tension wouldn't leave his shoulders.

He could only guess that it was because of Jimmy.

Jimmy—who had seen him and immediately realized he wasn't from any recognizable empire of his—had allowed him shelter at his own home in the guest bedroom. He'd heard Scott explain his story and had believed him. Every day, Jimmy showed him new things and new places and new people. He helped Scott learn to adjust to the brutally dry heat and sand of Tumblr Town, which was a drastic change to his year-round snow-covered and mountainous home of Rivendell.

Still, despite all the kindness, Jimmy made him tense. He felt the need to impress him despite having no reasonable means of doing so, and yet he always managed to do something that made Jimmy's whole demeanor light up like the northern lights in the night sky. Stuff that Scott himself felt had no value really entertained Jimmy like the ice magic he had, his unnaturally cold skin, the fact that he knew how to and consistently used an ink quill, and "how fancy he spoke" among other things.

But, in truth, there were small things that Jimmy did that impressed him just as much, even if he didn't show it as openly as Jimmy did. He was shocked, of course, by the kindness the sheriff of this town consistently showed him and everyone else, but on top of that, he found himself surprised with how well Jimmy could stop a bar fight (even when he got insulted in the process), the way he knew how to get a cranky horse to calm down (even if he nearly got kicked into next century), and the fluid skill and knowledge he had to help just about anyone in Tumble Town.

Even more surprising was that none of that kindness faded behind closed doors. He wouldn't have blamed Jimmy for being bitter in the privacy of his own home, and he'd suspected that whatever benefits he had as a sheriff overruled any urge to leave, but Jimmy really was that optimistic.

And speaking of Jimmy, it was the very same man who was currently knocking on his door before opening it (what was the point of knocking if he'd open the door right after, anyways?).

"Afternoon, Scott! Just came to tell you that Mrs Peterson from across town brought some brownies for you to try if you want some!" Jimmy cheerfully told him.

Then, at the very moment Scott realized his letter was still out in the open, so did Jimmy.

"Oooh! Writing again with your fancy feather ink? Whatcha writing?" he curiously asked.

"Nothing," Scott said, and to prove as much, he crumpled that paper up, too, and tossed it in the opposite direction.

Jimmy tilted his head like a confused puppy, but ultimately didn't question it to Scott's relief.

"Well," Jimmy drawled, "I was wondering if you wanted to go out tonight to the top of the valley? It's easier to see the stars and today's the day they say Tumble Town was founded, so the whole town's going to be covered in lights!"

Why would I want to look at a whole sky of stars or a town of lights when I already live with the human embodiment of sunshine?

Scott briefly considered bashing his head into a wall.

"Sure, that sounds fun," is what Scott said instead. "Do you want to walk up there or fly? I really do think I'd be able to hold you long enough to fly us both up there."

Jimmy's much smaller wings fluttered, but he still looked unsure.

"You can say no," Scott added.

"Maybe next time? I do want to, I'm just not sure if I should," Jimmy explained.

"Alright, then I'll ask later."

Jimmy smiled, and this time, Scott thought about a place unlike Rivendell or Tumble Town—a place without snow and full of life. Everything about him reminded Scott of blooming flowers.

"I'll get you when it's time! But I've got to go help everyone put up their lights for tonight, 'specially the older folks around!" Jimmy said. "Have a good time writing! Bye, Scott!"

Scott nodded in acknowledgement, and then Jimmy was out the door.

In that moment of silence, Scott sighed and grabbed another sheet of paper. The gentle scritch scritch scritch of the quill on paper soothed him.

Dear Jimmy,

Thank you for being you.

- Scott

"Oh, Aeor, I'm screwed," Scott groaned, shutting his eyes.

But when he shut his eyes, he heard canaries outside and thought of stars and tan skin.

#flower husbands #empiresblr #empires s2 #empires s1 #empires scott #empires jimmy

[angelfirstclass]

Rogue: understand her grief, but she's dishonoring Gambit's memory

So, I have been wrestling with the direction Rogue is heading from Ep 9 and am still not sure where I fall and what I feel. All I know is that if Rogue runs to Magneto without any questions and without any hesitation especially after Wolverine and after understanding how many lives are at stake back on Earth, I will be disappointed in her. I don't care to shame her or not understand that she is grieving, but I don't believe that grief excuses all actions or covers all sins. I don't necessarily vilify Magneto, but choosing Magneto I believe dishonors Gambit's memory and is a choice born of reactive energy and not a proactive one which is unlike the Rogue I love and know.

When I see Romy shippers upset and disappointed at this story line, I feel and understand them because Romy was supposed to be DeMayo's OTP. I could even forgive Gambit's death if framed in the way that he died like a Boss and that death gave Rogue the reason to live and breathe for him. Where Romy shippers are upset about is that she wears his jacket for moments before giving it up to Xavier and leaving the X-men.

I wrote a post a few eps ago about how Rogue chose to live the Gambit way and see things the Gambit way which is the X-men way. Of family, of mutant-human coexistence, and of love. Gambit died because he loved Rogue- he didn't want to be the hero, he was just thinking that Rogue just ran towards the sentinels in her anger at losing Magneto and he needed to save her. To him, love was the highest power ever and worth living and dying for. This is the reason we love Gambit and why Rogue chose him over Magneto. Magneto isn't a monster, but he would always choose his mission of Mutant security over love every time.

Rogue knew that choosing Magneto was not what Gambit would have wanted or approved of and that's why she gives up his jacket. If she can't even keep a part of him in her new future, is that the right choice? I wrote a few eps back as well that I don't think the writers would throw Rogue back in with Magneto because it dishonored Gambit's memory, but here they are. Even if Erik and Anna Marie don't get together romantically, her choice to go with him ties them together with no point of return. Her choice to go with him dishonors Gambit because Remy Le Beau was a X-man through and through.

I have written posts before defending Magneto, so this may seem harsh, but not in the eyes of Gambit fans or Romy shippers. I understand Rogue's grief and so it is not shocking for me to see her make this decision, I just don't feel like it honors Remy Le Beau. Her kicking ass and killing Trask, Remy would have understood and cheered on, but leaving the X-men and agreeing to human civilization's demise after working FOR YEARS for Xavier's mission and beliefs???

The only way that this whole thing is going to square up for me is that Rogue is with Magneto to convince him to save planet Earth and knows that due to his love for her and their past that she is the only one that can do that. OR if pushed to it, she touches him while he is weak/dying and takes his powers and turns the energy/magnetism back on Earth. In either case being a proactive person and not a victim of circumstance.

#x men #x-men #x men 97 #x-men97 #anna marie #rogue #romy #gambit #remy lebeau #magneto #erik lensherr #anna marie darkholme

[finisnihil]

Hi I finished 2.2’s quest FINALLY and man I really love Sunday's character so much. Spoilers for 2.2 ahead:

He grew up in an environment where he saw people get exploited by other for their own means. Hell in the confessional he sits in for you see how isolated he is in the Family outside of the Dreammaster and his sister, with that one Pepeshi merchant threatening him with pulling support if he didn't do what the merchant wanted. Sunday’s relationship with Penacony is like that analogy of living in a house that’s on fire for so long you don’t understand what it’s like to free of the blaze.

Everything he's tried to do to alleviate the suffering of those around him has been in vain in the end. Penacony is basically all he's know his whole life, unlike Robin, so much so that it's become a cage. HE'S the bird that tries to fly only to crash and die, so he’s stuck. The Dreammaster has taught him the cage is a good thing because in this cage, you’ll be taken care of by Ena in exchange for your autonomy. Autonomy is a fair price to pay for safety, right?

He truly does have good intentions, the intention of wanting to protect people who can’t protect themselves, but the way he goes about it is fundamentally corrupted because his view of the world is corrupted by the Family from the start. The Dreammaster calls him a little scholar when he’s a child and a child when he’s an adult. Sunday and Robin are nothing but a means to an end for the Dreammaster and Sunday knows it, so much so that he’s willing to sacrifice himself so Robin doesn’t have to take on this burden. He will always be the bird who takes on the burden of the cage so that his sister can enjoy flying free, especially if he can make it so that that freedom wont end with a hunter shooting her down. His life is ultimately worthless to him, only a tool to trade for Robin’s happiness.

In the end, he’s crashing to his death after he was too weak to fly freely, so Robin falls with him and hugs him because now it’s her turn to protect him, to help him fly so he doesn’t crash like the dove from their childhood. She is strong and he is weak but she will protect him because this world isn’t just a system of survival of the fittest and Penacony can be heal without the protection of a cage.

Honestly his entire arc feels like a spiritual journey of rediscovery, the beliefs he was raised with making him miserable and it leading to him breaking away from the institution that raised him, becoming disillusioned and finding his own relationship with a higher power through the love and support of those who actually care about him. I really do hope Sunday gets redeemed because so much of his mindset came from being raised in an unhealthy environment on top of being isolated from anyone else who could’ve helped him get out of it. Robin won’t let him fall like the morning star; she’s finally got her brother back.

#honkai star rail #finis analyzes #hsr sunday #hsr robin #penacony spoilers

[junglejim4322]

🔥diasporic asian artists

Hmmmm. For artists specifically, especially people who’ve never been from or to the country they’ve originated from I see a lot of idealization and romanticization that kind of shows they don’t understand the reality there at all. “My phantom limb I’ll return back to one day and feel at home” despite growing up in a middle class western country and barely being able to survive when faced with an inconvenience etc.

I do understand it, facing alienation and racism where you grow up makes it easy to view a place you have hundreds or thousands of years worth of lineage and are culturally tied to as a perfect utopian escape you’ll go to one day. However I have known so many people who did that expecting to be embraced and live some perfect life and were disillusioned beyond belief. The difference between me (I have never been to india or pakistan) and my parents view (who were not raised there but spent extensive periods of time there/lived there at times) are so different despite them being so proud of their heritage and loving the area. Neither had a utopian view of it as an escape we were torn from, in fact both understood we live in America because of having more social and financial means as a whole. I think there’s a balance to loving your culture and where you have ties to and thinking it’s a beautiful wonderland you can return to and never experience hardship again and everyone will rejoice the second you cross the border and say we love u Asian American, you’re home!

My secondary opinion is that some people (this is from a very south Asian perspective cannot speak on anything else) in their diasporic art romanticize or justify cultural things that they’ll likely never have to deal with themselves such as arranged marriage and whatnot. Or even things that are extremely toxic and should not be justified like being unable to show affection, hitting their children, etc. there’s a lot of art that shows it in a “different” yet “beautiful” light aka a different means of expressing yourself that people don’t understand or dismiss because it’s a cultural practice different from them, as opposed to abuse, neglect, etc. but they peeled fruit for you once so that makes up for everything and is a beautiful part of our culture obvs!

My very last point is that cultural appropriation as expressed in art or politics is very often a useless hill to die on and lacking in nuance in about 5000 billion different ways. Though I don’t think it’s a focal point anymore. Anyway thanks to everyone who read this unexpected manifesto these might be some of my only ACTUALLY unpopular opinions so there you go

Send me a “ 🔥 “ for an unpopular opinion.

#asks #anonymous

[youllalwaysfindyourwaybackhome]

I'm late to the party with this but I've been thinking about I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can) as an alternative coda to But Daddy I Love Him. In the final chorus of BDILH, we have a vision of the future where the singer and her 'wild boy' lover have come back to town and won everyone over - or at least everyone whose opinion matters to them. But I think ICFHNRIC shows the future that would actually happen, where the singer's infatuation with her lover is shattered by his increasingly poor behaviour and she comes to the realisation that she can't fix him.

Both songs include a public censure/concern over the relationship with Christian undertones - "Sarahs and Hannahs in their Sunday best / clutchin' their pearls, sighing 'What a mess' and "Lord knows the words / We never heard" in BDILH and "They shake their heads sayin' 'God help her' / When I tell 'em he's my man' in ICFHNRIC (the song then goes further and rejects their belief system completely - their 'good lord doesn't need to lift a finger' because 'only [she] can' fix him, and it is her, not their god, who can 'show [him] heaven'.

In BDILH, the singer is encouraging and enabling her lover's behaviour; she is "tellin' him to floor it through the fences' and refusing to come 'to her senses', but in ICFHNRIC she's come to the realisation that his jokes 'were revolting and far too loud' and that his actions are destructive. There is no 'wild joy' here, and while she lingers for a while in this moment, temporarily confident that she 'can handle a dangerous man' and that underneath it all he has a 'halo of the highest grade', the moment crumbles very quickly; there is the despairing, echoing 'I told 'em he's my man', the begging 'no really I can', and the final 'Woah, maybe I can't' in the space of the final lines of the song. 'Scandal does funny things to pride', the singer acknowledges in BDILH, and I think ICFHNRIC ends on this sudden, shocked realisation that she was out of her depth the whole time, she never had the power over him that she had thought, and perhaps that 'They' (who maybe well also be the Sarahs and Hannahs of BDILH) were right the whole time.

#late to the party because i was actually at one #my friends got married!!! #i'm saying 'perhaps' because she doesn't actually come out and say it #and it's my biggest bug bear of this song (and bdilh) that there isn't that acknowledgement #'the jokes... were revolting' is as close as it comes #anyway #ttpdminutes #sorry it's late! #icfhnric #ttpd

[canisalbus]

Is that canon!?! Was Machete just really naive/didn't really understand the implications of his relationship to Vasco? Did his mentor ever find out about them or discuss such things with him? I assume bc he didn't have parents, he kinda didn't get educated on sex or anything. Was it a big shock to realize he was "sinning"?

.

#eh I was just exaggerating it for comedy because the page was so unintentionally funny and fitting #he might've been a little bit naive but was painfully aware he was in a relationship with a man and that it was forbidden #his mentor was all about asceticism and mortification and extreme self-denial #and had drilled it into his head that practically all romantic feelings let alone sex were foolish and sinful and should be shunned #so his feelings about the whole thing were complicated but in the end Vasco was more important #not to sound corny #but there was a hole in his heart that he had desperately tried to fill with god that never seemed to care about him #and once he got some of that love he had been aching for #from another living person #he had to do what it takes to make room for that in his belief system #how could such a tender fulfilling and healing thing be wrong #answered #anonymous #his mentor did eventually find out about them and wasn't very happy about it #to put it mildly #but by that point Machete had managed to mostly inch his way out from under his heel #he was graduating and getting ordained and wouldn't be going back to Naples #if it were up to him he'd never want to see him again

[moghedien]

Shipping Cassandra and Leliana is so funny because I feel like the only people who actually do it have either only played Inquisition or don't think much past "Well they're the Left and Right Hands of the Divine" because you KNOW they only get along to the extent they do in Inquisition because they've never had an actual conversation because the second Leliana opened her mouth about her theology in front of Cassandra, they would have been trying to strangle each other

#either they never talked about it #or Cassandra just silently had an aneurysm because she didn't want to disrespect Justinia by fighting Leliana to the death #also because Leliana is obviously the Divine's favorite in that manner #but I think Leliana is smart enough not to stir the pot when she needs Cassandra #because like look at her if she romanced the Warden #Cassandra will be like 'we LOOKED for the Warden we can't find them!' #but the second its clear they aren't gonna be trying to bother the Warden about leading them anymore #Leliana is like 'yeah I knew where she was the whole time wanna write her a letter? we're in touch constantly she's busy leave her alone' #also like how Leliana reacts to be romanced and becoming Divine versus Cassandra #Cassandra is like 'oh we're going to break up because that's what my religion strictly tells me to do' #meanwhile Leliana not only DOES NOT break up with the Warden but is very public about not having done so #like literally even all the way back in Origins she flirts with the Warden by being like 'Hey god wants me to eat your pussy' #and she's 100% serious about that #Cassandra would become an atheist before she got on board with Leliana's beliefs lbr #dragon age #cassandra pentaghast #leliana

[brittlebutch]

actually it's kind of funny how people will say Alex's fatal flaw is that he 'doesn't ask for help' and that it's his determination to handle things on his own that leads to his deterioration and eventual death when his whole introduction to the present-day timeline was a very literal cry for help that simply went ignored

#N posts stuff #like even if you think alex was lying throughout the entirety of season 2 and he was waiting from the Moment jay showed up #JUST to kill him (Which again i don't think makes much sense when he could have killed Tim & Jay immediately instead of #breaking Tim's leg. anyway) EVEN IF alex spent that whole time lying it doesn't actually change the fact that he would have at least #been Pretending to Ask For Help and if he wasn't lying then he was Literally Asking For Help and it doesn't Actually matter #what intention Alex had because the text is Ambiguous about Alex's honesty during season two; what isn't ambiguous is the way #other characters (specifically Jay) respond to him; like yeah - S2 Brian/Tim were never in one million years going to help Alex with shit #so sort of any argument that brings up Tim as someone who asks for/offers help is borderline meaningless in this era of the series #Jay had the 'opportunity' to help Alex (and i'll get back to that in a sec) but DIDN'T - Jay wasn't Interested in actually offering Alex #'help' bc Jay is ultimately curious about Answers and 'Offering Help' and 'Getting Answers' are two Wildly conflicting goals #Jay thinks Alex has answers and when Alex doesn't Offer these 'Answers' to Jay on a silver platter Jay gets pissed off and paranoid #and starts Stalking Alex bc he thinks it's 'Suspicious' that Alex won't give him the Answers (that Alex probably doesn't Actually have) #ANYWAY. ultimately this post is about how it's absurd when people argue #that individual character choices could have made a difference in the way this series played out - specifically wrt Alex #because EVERYONE in this WHOLE series are being affected by influences outside of their control ; including Brian Tim and Jay #so it's silly when people are like 'if ALEX had just made a different choice For Himself this could have all been avoided' WRONG. #bc Ultimately there's not really a way to 'help' someone else out of this situation - Tim tried and failed Repeatedly #the comics proved he even failed with Jessica - like MH isn't a horror situation where you can kill the big bad #'getting help' is a meaningless argument - what would successfully helping or getting help even look like? anyway. #the sub argument of this post is that Alex's biggest 'sin' is that he doesn't perform emotions the way other people want him to #like Alex is a character with a kind of flat affect - instead of LOOKING scared or grieved he LOOKS bored or angry #and everyone judges him based on that - so Alex is 'Suspicious' he's 'Lying' he's 'Guilty' but all of these deductions are predicated #on the belief that Alex isn't reacting to his circumstances the way a 'Normal' person would - so it MUST all be an act and so he's guilty #so everyone treats him like he's guilty until the end of season two when he's like 'Fuck it FINE i'll be guilty then' and so it goes #not a self-fulfilled prophecy but being Cornered Into a prophecy and then Blamed for it - SAD. anyway

[rickybaby]

The Guardian// Lucille Clifton The book of light: “climbing”// The Players’ Tribune Listen to the Honey Badger

#back when I had just joined f1blr just lurking there was someone who reblogged this text that said #he left because he didn’t want to be the footnote in someone else’s story and tagged it Daniel #and this has stayed with me since #forever dying on the hill Daniel left redbull not because he was running from a fight but because he had the belief in himself #that he could win the championship elsewhere #and of course the whole prodigal son paradigm #he had to leave home to know the importance of it #and he had to leave for them to realise what they’re losing in him #all of it had to happen the way it did #because if it hadn’t he couldn’t have ever returned home #daniel ricciardo

[camellcat]

WTFFF I thought thirteen would be my new girl crush love of my life heart eyes wife you-came-after-twelve-you-must-be-better-than-they're-all-saying bbygirl and then I had to sit down and watch as she told a man who (if he were not a murderer, of course) literally every regeneration before her would've LOVED and FULLY SUPPORTED that "the systems aren't the problem. how people use and exploit the system, that's the problem. people like you" </33333 !?!?

#WHERE IS THAT POST THAT SAID NINE WOULD KILL THIRTEEN FOR BEING A CLASS TRAITOR #WHY WOULD YOU SAY “ERODE PEOPLE'S TRUST IN AUTOMATION” ALL WORRIED AND CONCERNED LIKE THAT??? #WHEN DID YOU START LIKING AUTOMATION OVER PEOPLE THINKING AND DOING THINGS FOR THEMSELVES??? #AND WHY ARE YOU TRAVELING WITH A COPPER??? WE HATE COPPERS?????? #did we FORGET into the dalek?? how about how he treated danny?? god there's so much more I can't even remember off the top of my head #(I understand soldiers are different from cops but c'mon don't even PRETEND twelve would've been any nicer if blue or danny were just COPS) #also a bit off topic bUT MAY I JUST TALK ABOUT ARACHNIDS IN THE UK FOR HALF A GODAMNED SECOND— #I know the companions are usually the ones to do the doctor's dirty work here but like #I just can't see the other doctors NOT having the business man lure the spider for being so fuckin annoying about it #like I was genuinely surprised when they had him do that whole song and dance about not doing it and then he actually just. didn't do it #the doctor LOVES fucking with evil rich business men this is PERFECT. plus why not get back at him for being awful to their companions? #absolutely gobsmacked thirteen let him act like that. I am wrong in thinking that the others would've shut his shit down a LOT quicker?? #anyways. I love jodie whittaker and it's just so upsetting to have her doctor do something so wildly off #THIRTEEN PLEASE I HAD SUCH FAITH IN YOUUU I WAS IGNORING THE HATERS AND FOR WHAT #I can SEE the other doctors in her still I can FEEL them they're there she's doing an AMAZING job but. oh my god. what did they make her do #I can't even say she feels ooc as a whole because jodie is bloody brilliant. it's just these... moments. that don't make ANY sense to me... #especially coming off of twelve?? I get the radical personality switch but that belief is a core part of the doctor. or at least I THOUGHT #thirteenth doctor #doctor who #I still love all of you who love her and reading ur posts/fics but I. will not be making any myself. I do not think.

[bfdifan26]

i can help you!!

#ever since rewatching bfdia ive adopted the belief that leafy and evil leafy are 2 seperate people #mostly because i realised throughout the season theyre actually both like. in DRASTICALLY different places #and evil leafy is a whole other recommended character #the way i see it is evil leafy is a poser fan who really likes leafy #sort of like b/racelety and icy but less gay and more fucked up #and i think they maybe like made a deal where evil leafy keeps leafys fellow contestants off his back #….by trying to kill them whenever they get too close to who they think is leafy. he doesn’t know about the killing part but if he did he- #wouldn’t care considering leafy himself has tried to kill his friends both before and during bfdia #if your favourite character asked you to pretend to be them during the worst time in their life to help them would you? i sure would i know #that for a fact #and that’s what the guy known as evil leafy said and that’s what’s goin on #battle for dream island #bfdi #bfdia #bfb #tpot #bfdi leafy #bfdia leafy #bfb leafy #evil leafy #bfdi evil leafy #bfdia evil leafy #odieart

[any-mouse]

It would be really fun to have a Su She time travel story. Because he thinks he’s got a handle on things, he knows Wei Wuxian’s buttons and how Lan Wangji seduced him. When he wakes up as a teenage disciple of good standing in Cloud Recesses, before Lan Wangji had ever thought about giving Wei Wuxian a good dicking and securing the loyalty of the most dangerous man of in three generations, Su She figures he can steal a march on his rival and steal Wei Wuxian for himself.

He did not account for:

*Wei Wuxian’s extremely Lan Wangji only oriented sexuality

*Lan Wangji being an enormous vinegar pot who did not appreciate someone attempting to steal his Wei Ying time

*Jiang Wanyin strongly objecting to someone trying to seduce his dashixiong

*Nie Huaisang’s objection to this interruption to the Wangxian show he’s been watching with melon seeds

It’s the last one that really gets Su She in trouble, not that he realizes.

Basically Su She has dreams of seducing a proto-Yiling Laozu, not reading the room right, and kickstarting Wangxian earlier as Lan Wangji squares off with someone making Wei Wuxian deeply uncomfortable. And in the background, a proto-Headshaker plots against someone actively impeding his romantic drama.

#wangxian #fanfic #mdzs #wei wuxian #lan wangji #su she #nie huaisang #the former Wen Remnants time traveled too! #They are busy in the background prepping fall backs and dead drops #For the inevitable need to retreat to the Burial Mounds #There are more people they plan to drag with them this time #They may actually accidentally end up detailing The whole Sunshot with their prep work #This is partly a defense of my strongly held belief that Wei Wuxian is only attracted to Lan Wangji #And he enjoys the Wangxian dynamic because it’s Lan Wangji #Lan Wangji becomes a lot more comfortable on his Wei Ying-sexual nature #When he can see the way Wei Wuxian doesn’t react the same way to someone else trying the same #This isn’t a Wei Wuxian thing