#i actually learned a bunch of history shit from it

[lord-squiggletits]

I need to reread the comics again to have specific arguments/evidence for this, but like

I feel a bit like I could've been sympathetic to the way other Cybertronian colonies view Cybertron, if it weren't for the fact that at least several of them (as in, ones that get notable dialogue/screen time) are so low-key self-righteous?

Like, idk... there's a lot of criticism of Cybertronians because they're so "warlike" and how their obsession with violence and vengeance is just dragging the whole galaxy down with them, but uh. The Autobot-Decepticon war was basically a product of societal ills bubbling over for like 6 million years beforehand and then finally boiling over into a 4 million year war that lasted as long as it did because the people involved had immense social/psychological trauma from being "raised" in an oppressive society.

So when the colonists come in being all 'omg you people are so violent and uncivilized why don't you just like, stop fighting' it kind of pissed me off a little bit as a reader/person like. Idk the colonists really came into this society of people full of massive amounts of trauma where even before the war society was super oppressive and no one has any experience of living "normal" lives unaffected by violence and bigotry. And the colonists were like "ummm wow why don't you guys just??? stop fighting???." Like idk it wasn't EVERY SINGLE MOMENT, in fact I think that when it was played for laughs it's quite a funny "fridge horror" type element. It was just annoying because like.... IDK???? It's just really annoying to watch a bunch of people who lived relatively sheltered lives on their own planets come to a different planet full of traumatized people and be like "omg why are you people so fucked up" IDK BRO MAYBE BECAUSE THEIR SOCIETY WAS OPPRESSIVE AND THEY LIVED THROUGH A LIFELONG WAR???

It also doesn't help that the colonies were literally founded based on imperialism and conquest so like, it's fucking rich to hear colonists scolding Cybertronians for their violence ruining the whole galaxy while literally sitting on planets that their Primes colonized from others. The hypocrisy of this is briefly mentioned in Unicron (literally the FINAL STORY OF THE SERIES) but like, that's basically the only time Cybertronian characters are given a reprieve of sympathy from other characters in universe and it's so tiresome.

I've talked to other people who didn't like the colonists and thought they basically (narratively speaking) existed just to shit on the existing characters, and it's actually really easy for me to sympathize with/outright agree with that assessment of the story considering how much of exRID/OP seems to be preoccupied with "Cybertron/the Primes/Optimus sucks" with very few reprieves for anything positive happening and even fewer chances for characters to get to explain themselves and experience a little bit of justice? Like, as the audience, it's just very frustrating to see the characters you spent hundreds of issues keeping up with get shit on by a bunch of "literally-who"s and then not really get a chance to ever defend themselves, either by literally defending themselves in conversation or having some sort of narrative thing happening that vindicates them at least symbolically

#squiggposting #paused work to muse about this which i prolly shouldn't have lol #oh well i'll still get stuff done #like idk an example of this is how pyra criticized OP for using religion to manipulate people #(lets just ignore how she said she would teach OP but never actually did) #but in the story there's never any sort of confrontation where pyra learns about history or talks with OP #and OP gets to be like. yeah on my planet primes fucking sucked and i'm the only one trying to redeem their image #also ive been fighting an endless war that lasted 4 mil years in which me being a shining figurehead was basically #the sole motivating force keeping my army from just collectively succumbing to endless despair #and i also had to use this shining figurehead image i had to keep the opposing army from genociding a bunch of organics #like not once does OP get to express his side of things he's basically just shit upon endlessly by other characters as he keeps doing plot #i feel like i had another example but i can't recall who/what was involved lmao #like idk it's not just that barber's writing is depressing and dark and edgy. i LIKE stories that do that kind of thing #it's just that it feels a bit as if the story is ENDLESSLY depressing and dark and edgy with almost no reprieve #as if it's mostly presenting the flaws of the characters with no chance for them to justify or redeem themselves #idk i feel like there was another better point/example i was gonna make but i can't remember it #like idk i guess a dark depressing story would've been better if the characters at least got to defend themselves #bc as is it basically feels like they (esp OP) get shit on endlessly and never once get to express anything about it #so like. they get shit on in universe. but also as the reader since there's never a contradicting viewpoint or the character defending them #it's as if you're supposed to take this one-sided criticism of them at face value and it just doesn't seem fair AS THE READER #if i read about OP getting shit on by some people and defended by others and also him expressing his opinion on himself #then that just feels like a normal fair narrative where i get to take sides #but if it's just OP being shit on and he hardly expresses much about it #then it feels like i as the reader am expected to agree with the portrayal being shown? #but in reality the portrayal just feels negative and unfair and one sided to me #and why the fuck do i want to read a story that's just the characters i know and like on an endless shame parade #also shout out to 'literally who' aka slide calling OP 'literally fascist' lmao #one of the most cringe moments of the entire comic. wait no. i can think of a more cringe Slide Moment #when unicron is about to destroy the planet and trypticon is getting shot and dying(?) in the background #and the story decides to pause and focus on Slide so she can monologue about how evil and tyrannical OP is

[lilly-white]

Hey, for the Weird Questions for Writers 3, 17 and 18 if you don’t mind?

3. What is your writing ritual and why is it cursed?

My writing ritual is cursed because: - constantly need hot drink therefore constantly need to get up and make hot drink - constantly need comfort food when a Scene is Hard therefore goodbye any healthy eating habits - obsessively getting into a scene means horrid posture & eyes no longer work - sometimes I put a little candle and try to be nice to myself but most times i’m like NO! NO SELF CARE! ONLY SUFFERING

17. Talk to me about the minutiae of your current WIP. Tell me about the lore, the history, the detail, the things that won’t make it in the text.

I really want people to understand the successive waves of invasions in the British Isles and the exact displacements of the Celtic populations there, and also that Gaelic & Brittonic Celtic cultures are two distinct cultures even if there is overlap? Like there is different history & language there? Readers don’t seem to understand this and file my characters under “Irish” or “Scottish” when I’m in an era when Brittonic-speakers still occupy the north of Britain, including Scotland (Pictland at the time), which was only just being colonised by Irish settlers. It is largely argued that the Picts were Brittonic-speakers therefore part of the Brittonic tribes of the isle of Britannia, therefore far more related to the countrymen of Wales & Cornwall than any Gaelic-speaking population. And I know there’s Scottish nationalism and stuff that would counter this argument but I’ve read the damn research and it’s there. You had the isle of Britannia which was largely Brittonic-speaking right up to the northernmost point of Pictland, and then you had Ireland which was Gaelic-speaking. And saying “Scottish” implies a Gaelic culture which is not the case in my series and it drives me up the wall aaaaaaaaahh.

It’s important because anglophones all seem to think that there is one monolithic “Celtic culture” and it’s either “IRELAND, FAIRY CIRCLES AND KILTS”, or it’s whatever the hell Shakespeare and Milton farted out that one time back in the middle ages and I’m like. “Celtic” culture is so, so rich and diverse. But people just smush that shit together, Americans are out here doing “wicca” and “ancient Celtic rituals” of Imbolc/Bealtaine/etc and I’m like, you know those rituals are Irish. In Wales you don’t do that. In Brittany you don’t do that. Gaulish Celts also had their own calendar. Please see us :’) (lol it’s fine i know it’s complicated as shit in reality to untangle what the fuck happened and who are “the Celts”, I’m only just beginning to understand the differences because i’m boobs-deep in celtic studies so, i can’t expect everyone to know the intricacies, but it’d be nice if it were more generally acknowledged when people talk about “something Celtic”, that they specify like, “Irish Celtic”, “Welsh Celtic” etc)

Also fuck all King Arthur movies ever made I just want to put it out there (except potentially that recent Green Knight one? I haven’t seen it yet but the Mabinogion-like madness looks great. Just gotta wince inside every time they set Arthur in MASSIVE GOTHIC ARCHES and HUMUNGOUS 12TH+ CENTURY CASTLES like. If he lived at all it was way before the 10th century you guys. But OK hollywood you really can’t pluck him out of those historically inaccurate castles/cathedrals, you just can’t bothered to get a history consultant, i get it, FINE)

18. Choose a passage from your writing. Tell me about the backstory of this moment. How you came up with it, how it changed from start to end. Spicy addition: Questioner provides the passage.

So!! I write Viking-era historical fantasy, and I incorporate old Norse magic in this tome of my series. And previously I did NO research (or, really not enough) into the actual historical Norse “magic system” if you can call it that. But in the Poetic Edda you really get a great description of what exists in Norse “spellcrafting”. So I’ve got like a bulletpoint list of the magic system now lol which has helped so much with vocab & imagining how the spells are actually cast.

So, context: one character is in a coma, protags turn to spellcrafting to go and “fetch his mind” from the realm where he’s lost himself. At first I just had my characters sort of go “to high ground” with some “seidr-workers” to perform a chant. This was wrong, because seidr is exclusively divination & “vengeance-seeking”, and is a female craft (if men do it it’s like a huge stain to your character). The “regular magical lore” that everyone can learn is called “fjölkyngi” and there is one such act that is called “spirit-wandering” where your mind basically travels around without your body. So, since my protags are accompanied by sorceresses, I changed the term “seidr-worker” to “Völva” (which I’m unsure about but at least we’re departing from seidr), and the protags actually go out in the realms in the final draft (aka they drink a potion & have a huge shared hallucination lol), whereas in the previous draft they sort of sang and that was it.

The first sign of departure is a squirm in the stomach, as though something were swimming in there. It’s those invisible hands again, shuffling through my insides, like fat fingers in a dice cup trying to fish out the die. My bow slips from my grasp. I bend to retrieve it, and the world bends around me.

Oh… yes, this was how it went. I breathe in and I know that when I breathe out, I will lose my mind; it will fly out like shreds in the wind. I need – need it to be a controlled exit. Controlled.

I glance around to Tamsin. I have to turn my head around so far until I see her, like an owl making the whole rotation. She’s deep in concentration, her hand beating the rhythm by itself; but her body is going limp. She falls slowly, gracefully to her knees beside me, still banging that stick at her wide drum. I know how that feels, how keeping the rhythm is as instinctive as breathing now – thrum, thrum, goes the ceaseless heart.

Tamsin. Tamsin. I need to stay with her. Stay – stay with her. My tagelharpa slides from my lap onto the ground, and I reach out – there’s so much air between us somehow, my arm stretching into it, a brave traveler disappearing into mist. She beats, and beats, and beats the drum, unfocused eyes skating over my palm.

“Tamsin,” I slur. “Ta… come. Take… my hand, take…”

“I don’t,” come the sounds from her drooping mouth, “I don’t feel so good.”

The stick slips, the drum thrums over the ground. Her palm is warm against mine, a downward motion; a slap that weighs like a stone. And then our joint hands are falling, and we are falling after them. The rocky ground underneath us turns to grey water, gulping us under. A leg, a hip, a curl of ginger hair.

We fall.

Everything rushes past us like wind. Whether it be solid ground or open sky; we are as ghosts passing through. Her hand is in mine, golden threads wrapped around our wrists glowing like hunter’s tokens in the woods, showing the way back.

Blue, deep and royal, opens like a yawning mouth around us. I pull her closer until we’re locked in an embrace; perhaps merged, or perhaps we were always one.

I open my eyes, strain my eyelids.

Where is this… where are we?

Voices flutter on the air around us. A host of crackly elder tones, of wrinkled hands drumming, drumming.

Point the direction, son of Ula.

#writing tracker #sorry i took so long to answer this i knew it'd be a long one lol #i chipped away at it ahah #convos #just #neopaganism seems to have popularised and made accessible some shit that then gets labeled 'celtic' #AND IT GETS IN THE WAY OF THE HISTORICAL RESEARCH SO MUCH #because there are SO MANY shitty not-historically-based books out there as a result #same for norse stuff #norse & celtic culture in general just suffer from people wanting 'the vibe' without really diving deeper into the historical texts #and i guess i get pissed off because i have like this cultural dissonance of like 'is this my culture or is this an irish thing again' lol #why settle for shit like wicca when you could learn what people from specific localities actually did #and it's 100% more interesting and whackier than wicca #all these neopagan books be like 'hello i'm the author and i'm going to smack down a bunch of reference-less knowledge' #'i expect you to take me at my word' excuse me but who the fuck are you anyway #when i read the Holy Book of Women's Mysteries i was like WHAT ARE YOU DOINGGG #why are you making shit up #isn't it more interesting to link it to history??? why take historical shit and warp it like that and lace it with your own brainfarts

[sam24]

String Beans and Goldfish

Summary: Defending someone who everyone hates is hard. Especially when you're standing in front of a bunch of gang members and Mr. Serpent Hottie won't stop staring at you.

Pairing: Sweet Pea x fem!reader

*****

As soon as you walked through the door, you felt the piercing gaze of 20 something pairs of eyes on you. There was only one that truly mattered, but you pushed down your weird volatile feelings and cleared your throat, stepping up to Jughead.

“What are you doing here?” He raised an eyebrow. “I didn’t know you were into gaming.”

You rolled your eyes with a scoff. “Sorry Jughead, I’m not here to join this fun little club you’ve got going on here. I’m here to talk to you guys.”

“See Jughead, she’s probably here to tell us how stupid our club sounds. Literally who’s going to believe this.” Fangs whined.

You avoided looking at Fangs, because you knew exactly who would be standing right next to him.

“Honestly, I don’t give a shit about your club. I just need to talk to you guys about Reggie.”

You heard a collective groan among them at the name of Riverdale High’s star athlete, infamous among the Serpents for being a complete asshole.

“Why? You here to defend that dick? You his girlfriend or something?”

Shit.

You looked to where the voice came from, although you knew exactly who it was. You made eye contact with him, his eyes, cold and proud, staring into you intently, waiting for an answer. There was an emotion rippling through his body that you couldn’t quite put your finger on.

Anger? Jealousy? Both?

Sweet Pea remembered the first time he saw you- the drag race. You were leaning against the truck Reggie was sitting on, your elbow resting on Kevin’s shoulder, looking annoyed as you squinted in the sun.

You had taken a sip out of Reggie’s red solo cup, making a disgusted scrunched up face before shoving the drink back into his hands.

Sweet Pea almost smirked from his place on his motorcycle next to Toni, but remembered he wouldn’t be caught dead smiling at a Northsider.

He couldn’t help but steal glances at you the whole time, and he for sure as hell could see you looking back at him.

The second time he saw you was on the Serpents’ disastrous first day at Riverdale High.

You were standing off to the side behind Kevin, trying your best not to cringe at Veronica’s enthusiasm and Archie’s uncomfiness. Sweet Pea wasn’t even listening to whatever Veronica was saying, instead eye-flirting with you the whole time.

You didn’t say anything when Cheryl and Reggie made their dramatic entrance down the stairs, apart from an audible groan and an eye roll. But, he did see you pull the sleeve of Reggie’s jacket back when he tried to storm up to Sweet Pea, a glint of warning in your eyes. Reggie immediately backed down, and Sweet Pea scowled at the sight, a string of jealousy pulling in his stomach.

He later learned you were in his World History fifth hour class. You and Cheryl walked in late, accompanied by Principal Weatherbee. Cheryl holding a rag to her bleeding nose, and a bruise forming on your knuckles, and your seat was coincidentally the one right next to the one he sat in.

”Damn you must be one hungry chick.” Sweet Pea watched as you pulled out yet another pack of goldfish.

“Thanks, string bean.” You smiled, trying your best to cover up the rapid beating of your heart. “It’s one of my best qualities.”

He raised his eyebrows with a smirk. “It’s actually Sweet Pea.”

“Well, Sweet Pea, maybe you should take me to Pop’s one time and I can show you much I can eat in one sitting.” You said with a wink, a playful smile tugging at your lips.

And before Sweet Pea could flirt back, Reggie stormed over, narrowing his eyes at Sweet Pea, threat clear in his eyes. Before he could throw out an insult, the teacher interrupted, loudly telling Reggie to sit down.

He grudgingly did, but he spent the rest of class glaring murderously at Sweet Pea. And of course, Sweet Pea flirted with you even more because of that.

And now you were here, at an undercover Serpent meeting trying to defend him.

That filled Sweet Pea with rage.

“Look, string- Sweet Pea. I’m not trying to make up excuses for him. I’m just trying to show you his side.”

“Those sound an awful lot like excuses, sweetheart.” Sweet Pea sneered.

You tried not to choke at the nickname.

“Look, Pea, I don’t want to get in the middle of whatever sexual tension is going on between you two, but how about we hear what she’s gotta say.” Toni tried to reason.

“Thank you.” You sent Toni a warm smile, ignoring the first part of her sentence, before facing the rest of them.

“Okay look. I know, Reggie is an asshole. But deep down . . . he’s actually still kind of an asshole- you know what, I have no clue where I’m going with this, lemme start over.” You said with the wave of your hand. “Reggie’s going through a lot right now. His dad- let’s just say he isn’t the best father.”

You paused, thinking how to phrase your thoughts. “He’s going through a lot of shit at home, and-”

“So? That gives him a right to treat us like shit? Tell Reggie to get over himself. Other kids get abused, doesn’t mean they go around acting like dickbags.” Sweet Pea snarled, venom dripping from his voice.

You narrowed your eyes at him, getting defensive. “No, that’s not what I’m saying. I’m just saying- honestly I don’t even know what I’m saying.”

You looked down at the floor, suddenly feeling stupid. You kicked at the tile, your converse skidding on the floor.

“I’ve known Reggie for a long time, and what I’ve accumulated over all this time is that Reggie is terrible with feelings. When he’s mad, he’s angry. When he’s sad, he’s angry. When he feels like shit, he’s angry. It may not seem like it, but he’s really hurting inside. So he thinks the solution is to take it out on other people. And you guys are the perfect target.” You got quieter, the previous anger in your voice turning into sadness.

Sweet Pea suddenly felt guilty for yelling, which was a feeling he rarely ever felt.

“Look, guys. If you want to beat him up, go for it, he honestly deserves it for being so terrible.” You took in a breath. “But try not to kill him, please. He’s my best friend.” Your voice went down to a whisper at the end.

The kid next to Sweet Pea rolled his eyes. “Please. Save the acting, bitc-”

He was quickly silenced by the thunderous slam of Sweet Pea’s palm onto the desk.

“Nevermind.” His jaw clenched.

Sweet Pea’s eyes stayed on the desk, but he caught the slight smile on your face. He was too proud to tell you that he’ll try to go easy on Reggie, just for you, but you understood.

And that was what made you special.

Before anyone could say anything, Reggie’s voice echoed in the hallway, calling your name.

“You should probably go before your boyfriend gets mad.” Sweet Pea muttered angrily, falling even deeper into the dark pit called jealousy.

You turned to walk out the door, but not before looking Sweet Pea dead in the eye.

”He’s not my boyfriend, string bean.”

#riverdale #sweet pea x reader #jealousy

[qsycomplainsalot]

Re: Pervertin or how German Supersoldiers High on Crack travelled through Space and Time Buy my Book

I came across a post on the bird site yesterday calling into attention the use of pervitin, more or less adderall, among German troops during WW2. For context pervitin tablets were indeed issued to a lot of military personnel back in those days, specifically to aircraft pilot and sometimes tank crews on long missions. The drug as some of you may have heard keeps you awake and alert, along with a slew of side effects and a non negligible chance of addiction. In a discussion that brought to view just how willing people are to buy into Nazi propaganda in the year of our f*cking lord 2023, I pointed out a few things, uphill and having to indulge a lot of sidetracking. The use of pervitin has always been a little overstated ever since it came to the internet's attention, and I certainly would never call it a key component of the Blitzkrieg when, in the theaters of war where actual Blitzkrieg was employed, its success was more due to a combination of innovative doctrines, intact fuel supplies and a big fat helping of dumb luck. It was a bold move highly relying on capturing enemy fuel depots with fast, surprise deep strikes supported by a lot of armored and air forces, and it was only sustainable in neighboring, industrialized countries. One can argue if the USSR was industrialized at the time, but it stopped mattering when the Russians removed their entire industry from the West to beyond the Ural mountains. The Blitz stalled there.

"But if it didn't work, then why did the Nazis do it so often ?" Well the answer to that is twofold. The first, longer answer is that Nazis were a bunch of f*cking morons. Maybe not one by one, but as a government in charge of military procurement, they were one bunch of goofy motherf*ckers. Gaggle of functional shit-for-brains really. The Nazis gave every one of their tanks in the middle of the war two coats of anti-magnetic paint, which took almost a full day to cure, despite being the only major nation to use magnetic antitank mines. The Nazis kept using slave labor drawn from their prisoners of war, including in the manufacturing of their overengineered armored vehicles, resulting in poor quality products or, you know, a few rivets in your magnificent Tiger tank being replaced by a cigarette butt. The Nazis spent more than half the cost of a strategic bomber on every V2 rocket, not including design costs, for less than half the payload. It ended up killing more Germans and slave workers than British people in London, for literally no strategic or tactical result with 0.4 person killed per every rocket. The second, shorter answer is that pervitin was not used that much. A lot of the arguments trying to boost its importance come from a single book, "Blitzed" by Norman Ohler, now available in twenty languages apparently, where grand claims are made by a historian who was probably more than a little tired of seeing Buzzfeed rack in the big bucks instead of him.

End note; I was called out by a bird siter after the conversation that inspired this post for even beginning to fact-check this, which they considered, and I quote, "fangirling over nazi stats". I cannot stress this enough, learning the 'bad' parts of history does not make you bad person, it is how you interact with the resulting knowledge. Unlike what they implied, I had to look for those supporting evidence. I had a hunch that such a grabbing headline about super-drugs would be fake, I knew offhand that V2 rockets killed more blues than reds, but when I had to research all that jazz about Nazis and their superweapons it was to dunk on them, not make another History Channel documentary about a time-travelling bell. Stay critical, fascists can eat shit.

#history #ww2 #rambling #rant

[fdelopera]

Yo Gentiles! Stop trying to goysplain the history of the I/P conflict at us Jews.

We have studied this conflict extensively, and often for years, because we've had to. Because even when we are Jews in diaspora who have never returned to the Levant and never plan to, the antisemitism that this conflict generates still puts us in danger. And as many of you who are paying attention have witnessed, there has been a drastic world-wide rise in antisemitism over the past month.

When you try to "teach" us about it, especially when MOST of you are using talking points that were developed by Neo-Nazis and the KKK, all you are showing us is that you are lazy, patronizing antisemites.

If you actually want to HELP the Palestinians in this conflict (and I think that some of you do), you need to accept that the following 10 things are true:

We Jews most likely know more about the history of this conflict than you do. We have had to study it in all of its nuance, in all of its painful detail, in order to understand the broader Jewish world. We have to understand the broader Jewish world to decode how Neo-Nazis like Richard Spencer and David Duke are using the I/P conflict to coordinate attacks on Jews in diaspora.

.

We Jews have to know about the I/P conflict for our own safety. But many of you gentiles are learning about it for the first time. And instead of understanding how complex the conflict is, you are turning it into a wargame fantasy where you get to playact as a freedom fighter in La Glorious Revolution. Then you coordinate social media attacks against Jews online, and you go out and attack Jews in person, and you harass us until our mental health crumbles. Great job, goys! Great. Fucking. Job.

.

You are goysplaining Jewish history at us. Stop trying to tell us a bunch of propaganda that you learned from TikTok, Instagram, and Tumblr memes. It just shows us that you're lazy, and that you've got a lot of Jew-hatred that you need to unpack.

.

When we tell you that you're wrong, listen to what we have to say. Don't talk over us. Use this as an opportunity to do further research. Otherwise you're just behaving like some Fox News obsessed Boomer raging on about election fraud and vaccines.

.

The Palestinian people need our help, but you are making a TERRIBLE case for helping them when you base your arguments for helping them on shitty propaganda you learned on TikTok, Instagram, and Tumblr.

.

Let me say this again: Your bullshit propaganda DOES NOT HELP THE PALESTINIAN PEOPLE, and it is easily debunked by just a few Wikipedia deep-dives.

.

When you spread this propaganda, you sound like the idiots on Fox News that knowingly spread conspiracy theories about Covid. Not only is the bullshit you're repeating easily proven wrong, but you're just showing yourself to be untrustworthy at best ... and at worst, a bunch of opportunistic liars.

.

When you regurgitate propaganda at us Jews, all you are telling us is that you don't give enough of a shit about the Palestinian people to do ANY research into the history of this conflict, other than looking at some infographics and memes.

.

You are making us Jews VERY wary and skeptical of you, because most of the "information" you've learned from TikTok, Instagram, and Tumblr is influenced by Neo-Nazi and KKK propaganda, and you are being useful idiots for white supremacists.

.

Again, repeating fake shit about this conflict DOES NOT HELP the Palestinian people. It just makes Jews distrust you. And it makes us SCARED to get involved in this movement. Because we are NOT going to march side-by-side with goyim that are spreading dangerous antisemitic lies about Jewish history and Jewish people.

AND NONE OF THIS MATTERS. NONE OF YOUR BULLSHIT FAKE HISTORY MATTERS!!

Because Palestinians are dying!

So stop trying to tell Jews made up stories about our history.

LISTEN TO JEWISH VOICES ABOUT JEWISH HISTORY. (And DON'T listen to JVP, for fucks sake. Learn more here.)

Accept that we know more about the history of the I/P conflict than you do.

AND START WORKING TO HELP PALESTINIANS.

ANERA

Palestine Children's Relief Fund

Doctors Without Borders

#and when i say gentiles - i am mostly referring to white gentiles of the american persuasion who've never studied world history #jumblr #judaism #jewish history #jewblr #jewish #and just know - JVP does NOT speak for Jewish people #if you are getting your information from JVP then you are just telling us Jews that you have a LOT of antisemitism that you need to unpack #NOTE - I report and block antisemites. If any antisemites comment on this post you will be reported and blocked. You have been warned. #antisemitism tw

[isa-beenme]

Solo Dad Rhys!!!! Fluff piece!!!

AHAHAJAJAJSKSKAKAIAIA I LOVE RHYSAND SO MUCH

I'm sorry for giving a villain arc to Feyre but HEY history needs to happen okay?

Nyxie baby cutie boo making his first appearance in my blog, welcome babyyyy

My mind just went FUOOOOOON once I imagined the story, I SWEAR I was riding my bike when I thought of this and had to stop middle way to my house just to think it better

Yes I changed the lyrics of Wait For It to fit the history, and yes I invented a whole bunch of shit about velaris WHO CARES

KEEP SENDING REQUESTS I LOVE DOING THIS

Wait For It

In the breathtaking realm of the Night Court, the stars gleamed like diamonds in the obsidian sky, casting their ethereal glow upon the majestic city of Velaris below. Amidst the grandeur of the court, Nyx, a cherubic young boy of ten, with unruly dark curls and captivating violet eyes, eagerly awaited his Wednesday night escapade.

Nyx's parents were once deeply in love, but Feyre, burdened by a restless heart, had returned to her once fiancee, Tamlin, High Lord of the Spring Court, after giving birth. In the aftermath of her choices, she had bitterly slandered Rhysand and his family, a web of lies that entangled them in trouble. Despite the turmoil, Rhysand only devoted himself to raising Nyx, juggling the responsibilities of both a powerful High Lord and a dedicated father.

But Nyx had a little secret, a sanctuary that filled his heart with joy amidst the chaos. Every Wednesday night, he would give his father an innocent lie, claiming to attend "extra classes" while secretly venturing to the grand theater of Velaris in the bursting heart of music and arts of the Rainbow.

The first time it happened was pure coincidence. The grand theater of Velaris hummed with the anticipation of the evening's performance. Nyx had just learned how to winnow and having his father's mischievous spirit, he went after the wave of emotion that spread everywhere he went, sneaking into an empty booth Nyx sat in awe, waiting to witness the lady everyone affectionately called "Starlight" take the stage once more. He wore a dashing little suit, feeling every inch a proper gentleman as he eagerly anticipated the show.

As the curtains rose, Nyx's eyes widened in wonderment as "Miss Starlight" appeared, bathed in the spotlight's embrace. Her voice, like a thousand twinkling stars, filled the theater, capturing hearts with its enchanting melody. She actually portrayed a character named Starlight, who reunited the story of Velaris and told it in a song, bringing the city to life and giving it a soul she shared with on stage.

When the final notes of the performance echoed through the theater, the audience erupted in thunderous applause. Nyx, who had been clapping with glee, could hardly contain his excitement as he jumped up from his seat. He knew that he had to speak to her, to let her know how much he adored her singing. With determination in his heart, Nyx slipped away from the public side, weaving through the crowd until he reached the backstage area. His little heart pounded with nervous excitement, but he couldn't let fear hold him back, he knew this was his chance to talk to the performer.

Peeking around the corner, he spotted her, still dressed in her celestial attire, chatting with some of the crew. Nyx took a deep breath, mustering all the bravery a seven-year-old could have, and stepped forward, clutching a small bouquet of flowers he had summoned from his auntie Elain's garden.

- Um, excuse me, miss Starlight? - He called out softly, a touch of shyness evident in his voice. The lady turned, and a radiant smile graced her features as she noticed the adorable little boy approaching her.

- Why, hello there - She said warmly, going down on her knees to meet his eyes. Her sparkling dress made a pool of diamonds shine around her, making her look even more like an angel - And who are you, young man?

- I'm a big fan - He whispered in shyness, hands sweating as he offered her the bouquet and she took it.

- Is my big fan's name Nyx, I suppose? - She asked as if it was a secret, Nyx's eyes widened in surprise.

- You know my name? - She chuckled gently and offered him a hand, one he gladly took in.

- Of course, I remember you. You've been coming here with your father to see the renewal, haven't you? - Nyx's cheeks flushed with delight, feeling like he was known and seen by someone special.

- Yes! I love music, and I loved, even more, your singing, Miss Starlight. It's like true magic! - She laughed, even then she sounded like she was made of music.

- Well, thank you, Nyx. That's such a lovely compliment - She replied, touched by his sincerity. Nyx pointed to her bouquet, a bit shy when she held it close to her heart.

- These are for you. They're from the Night Court's garden - He proudly said and she smiled even more.

- Thank you, sweetheart - She said, looking at the flowers with gratitude - They're beautiful, just like you - His heart swelled with joy at the praise, and a wide grin spread across his face.

- Can I, um, watch all your performances, Miss Starlight? - Her eyes sparkled with warmth and affection.

- Oh, absolutely! I would be delighted to have my biggest fan in the audience at every show - Nyx beamed, feeling like the luckiest boy in all of Prythian.

- Yay! Thank you! - He ran to hug her, taking care to not step in her dress or ruin her hair which had sparkles that shined like the stars he loved to see. As their conversation continued, Nyx's initial shyness faded away, replaced by a blossoming friendship. The lady shared stories of her love for music and the theater, and Nyx listened with rapt attention, hanging on to her every word.

From that day forward, Nyx became a regular presence at her performances. He would sit in the front row or in the same booth when he didn't feel like gaining attention from the citizens, his eyes alight with wonder, as "Miss Starlight" sang and danced with grace and passion. And each time the curtains fell, she would come to greet him, and they would share heartwarming conversations that left Nyx feeling like he had found a kindred spirit.

Their bond grew stronger with each passing performance, and Nyx's admiration for "Miss Starlight" only deepened as the years passed. Their friendship was a radiant star in the young boy's life, casting a luminous glow on his days in the Night Court. And every time he watched her on that mesmerizing stage, he couldn't help but feel that he was in the presence of true magic. There, he would be enchanted over and over again by a sweet and lovely lady, her voice as mellifluous as the Night Court's nocturnal symphony.

It took years for Nyx to finally come up with a good and durable excuse for his lack of presence every Wednesday night, sometimes even missing dinner with his family when his favorite singer invited him to dine with the rest of the cast that presented the show. Unknown to Nyx, in one of his hidden escapes, his father was making his way across the city. Under the veil of night, the streets of Velaris were bathed in a silvery glow. High Lord Rhysand, cloaked in shadows, followed the path toward one of his favorite restaurants.

While he passed through some of the streets he met Nyx's teacher walking next to the River. Curious as to why she was there he trailed her discreetly, observing her every move with a mixture of concern and curiosity. As the lady entered a quaint restaurant, Rhysand waited a moment before stepping inside. He chose a discreet corner, keeping his features hidden from curious gazes. The restaurant hummed with soft conversation and the clinking of glasses, creating a cozy ambiance.

After what felt like an eternity, the lady emerged from the restroom, looking elegant and serene. Rhysand steadied himself, deciding it was time to confront her.

- Excuse me, miss - As she walked past his table, he spoke in a low, steady voice. She turned, her eyes meeting Rhysand's, and for a moment, he saw a glimmer of recognition. However, she quickly masked it with a polite smile.

- Yes, can I help you, my Lord? - Her face was calm, too calm for someone that was supposed to be with somebody else's son and not at a restaurant having a date.

- I believe you've been teaching my son, Nyx, for the past few years - Rhysand began, maintaining an air of formality.

- Oh, Nyx - She replied, her eyes brightening with fondness - Such a charming and talented young boy. He's been attending my classes for a while now, yes.

- I must apologize for any misunderstanding, but I can't seem to understand why you are here if he was supposed to be in class right now - The lady's expression faltered, and she seemed to grasp the seriousness of the situation.

- I... I don't have formal classes with him on Wednesdays, per se. Nyx has been coming every Saturday afternoon for his lessons - Rhysand became desperate for a second, and his heart clenched with worry for his son's safety.

- So he's been lying to me - He said, his voice tinged with disappointment. The lady's eyes softened with understanding.

- I'm sorry if I inadvertently became part of his secret. I never knew he was hiding the truth from you - His ears pricked at her words, curious as to why she didn't seem any sort of nervous

- What do you mean by "hiding the truth from me"? Do you know where he is? - She seemed confused for a second, before a smile plastered on her face.

- Everyone in the streets of the Rainbow knows where the little prince goes on Wednesdays, we all assumed you and your family knew too. It's not uncommon to find him walking down the city with the actors that play in the theater - His eyes softened at hearing his son was safe and his citizens were somehow taking care of him - I'm sorry for not noticing your lack of knowledge on his where being.

- You have nothing to apologize for - Rhysand replied, his tone gentler now - I appreciate your honesty. I was just worried for his safety once I saw you here.

- He's safe with the crew, they are lovely people to be around, I actually befriended some of them, there's nothing to fear - the lady assured him, her sincerity evident - He's such a joy around them, and he's genuinely passionate about music and theater. You need to listen to him talk about his "Miss Starlight" and detail every new performance of hers - Rhysand couldn't help but feel a hint of gratitude toward the lady for cherishing his son's company. A smile graced the lady's lips, and a sparkle danced in her eyes - He's a remarkable young boy, and it's been so sweet to hear him talk about this lady, you should probably meet her and thank this female for making him so happy. He's always so enthusiastic.

- I'm planning to talk to him about this - Rhysand said, his voice tinged with gratitude, though - But I would like to be informed of any action by him, apparently there are a lot of things I don't know about. Thank you once again - As she nodded with a small smile Rhysand quickly winnowed to the Town House, calling an urgent meeting with his family.

The Night Court's Inner Circle gathered in a quiet corner of the luxurious house, their faces reflecting concern and curiosity. Rhysand sat at the head of the table, his heart heavy with worry for his young son, Nyx. He had discovered Nyx's secret escapades to watch "Miss Starlight," the lady whose performances had captured his son's heart, and now he needed advice on how to handle the situation. Mor leaned forward, her brows furrowed with worry.

- So, he's been going to watch performances instead of attending classes, is that what you just said? - She asked, concern lacing her voice.

- Yes, and he's been lying about it for a while now, years probably. I didn't find out until this night when I found his teacher in a restaurant, and I'm not sure how to address it without making him feel ashamed - Rhysand nodded, his voice tinged with regret.

- He's a curious child, Rhysand. He probably felt the need to hide it because he thought you'd disapprove - Amren, always the pragmatic one, spoke up.

- I can understand why he'd be drawn to her performances. She's a true star on that stage - Cassian chimed in, his face thoughtful.

- And she's been wonderful with Nyx - Azriel added quietly - I've seen her interact with him after her shows, and the way he lights up in her presence is undeniable.

- Wait, wait, wait, both knew he was going to her performances and none of you thought about telling me? - His brother's expression fell at their mistake, slowly looking at each other before looking at their High Lord again.

- Maybe? I mean, we saw him on the front row once and when we made sure he was safe we left him there - Cassian explained first, exchanging looks with the shadowsinger.

- We were waiting for him to tell you - Azriel closed the conversation, looking at the ground in shame.

- Hold on, the actress we are talking about is the one who played Edwina in "Whimsical Serenade"? - As Cassian and Azriel eagerly agreed, their faces lighting up, Morrigan laughs hard, finally understanding the whole situation - Of course! It all makes sense now! Even I lied to you once to go watch her performance with Elain. I didn't notice Nyx there, though.

- Isn't she the one who plays Rhysand in "A High Lord's Duel"? - Amren jumps in the conversation, and Nestha's eyes widened at the mention - Holy shit, she is amazing. It actually scared me how well she incorporates Rhysand in the scenes with Tamlin.

- If so she is the one who plays Eliza in "A Heartfelt Symphony" - All of them agreed to her statement, starting a discussion about her talent and performances.

- Let me get this straight, all of you watched her at least once? - As the Inner Circle discussed Nyx's infatuation with "Miss Starlight", as well as their experiences with her, unbeknownst to them, the young boy himself stood at the doorway, eavesdropping on the conversation with a mix of fear and guilt. He knew he had let his father down, and he dreaded facing the consequences of his actions.

Before Nyx could retreat, Mor's keen senses detected his presence. She glanced towards the door and smiled warmly at him.

- Nyx, come on in. We were just discussing your little adventures - His little heart pounded in his chest, but he knew he couldn't hide anymore. Nyx took a deep breath and stepped into the room, his violet eyes meeting his father's concerned gaze.

- Nyx - Rhysand began gently - We know about your visits to watch the shows at the theater. Why didn't you tell me the truth?

- I didn't want you to be angry with me, Papa. I love her singing, and I didn't think you'd let me go if you knew - Nyx's shoulders slumped, his voice small.

- Nyx, I'm not angry with you. I just want to know the truth. You don't have to hide anything from me - Rhysand softened, understanding his son's fear.

- Plus, we all know about her. You're not the only one who's watched her perform, little one - Mor grinned, her eyes twinkling mischievously. Nyx's eyes widened in surprise, and he looked around at the Inner Circle, finding nods of agreement from each of them. The knowledge that everyone knew and still supported him brought a smile to his face.

- You guys have seen her too? - Nyx asked in awe.

- Of course! We had to make sure you weren't getting into any trouble, boo - Cassian chuckled.

- Papa, please come with me to the next show. She's amazing, and I think you'll like her too - Nyx turned back to his father, his eyes earnest.

- Yes, Daddy, Miss Starlight is the best in the whole wide world - Nestha chuckled before earning a warning glare from the High Lord.

- All right, Nyx. I'll go with you, and we can enjoy her performance together - Rhysand's heart swelled with love for his son and his genuine enthusiasm.

Nyx beamed, feeling a sense of relief wash over him. He knew he could trust his father, and having him there by his side meant the world to him. And so, with the support of the Inner Circle and his loving father, Nyx felt a newfound sense of confidence. He had learned that honesty and trust were the building blocks of their family, and he was eager to share the magic of "Miss Starlight" with the one person he loved most in the world – his Papa, the High Lord of the Night Court.

As fate would have it, one week later they arrived at the theater, Rhysand's heart pounding in his chest with a nervousness he hadn't felt for years. He let Nyx guide them to one of the booths that held an upper vision of the scenario, his son kept gazing at the stage with an enchantment that seemed to hold a spell over him. The performance began, and a whole bunch of songs were being presented that night. The musical was called "The Whole World of the Night Court", each actor portraying a different city of his territory, telling its story in the form of a song.

The lights turned off again, and Nyx started to shake completely in his chair with excitement. As the grand theater's velvet curtains parted, a hushed anticipation swept through the audience. A spotlight illuminated the stage, and there she stood, "Miss Starlight," bathed in a celestial aura, ready to weave her magic once more. Rhysand sat straighter in his seat, his heart fluttering with both curiosity and the enchantment that surrounded the mysterious lady, a sudden uneasiness taking his body.

As for Nyx, his wide violet eyes were shimmering with excitement, his small hands gripping the edge of the plush seat. He was eager to share this moment with his Papa, to introduce him to the magic that had captured his young heart. Her, interpreting once again her character Starlight, began to tell Velaris stories to the public as if it was her own, eyes shimmering at each word. Suddenly the orchestra began to play a mesmerizing melody, and the lady took a deep breath, her voice tinged with emotion as she began to sing. The soulful notes of the piano accompanied her melodic voice, setting the stage for the tale she was about to tell.

- Theodosia writes me a letter every day; I'm keeping the bed warm while her father is away, He's on the human side in Prythian; He's trying to keep the colonies in line; But he can keep all of Prythian; Theodosia, she's mine - She sang, making a clear reference to the firstly High Lord that idealized Velaris as a gift to his wife, Theodosia. This fact made Rhysand even more aware of the spectacle.

- Love doesn't discriminate; Between the sinners and the saints; It takes, and it takes, and it takes; And we keep loving anyway; We laugh, and we cry, and we break, and we make our mistakes; And if there's a reason I'm by her side; When so many have tried; Then I'm willing to wait for it; I'm willing to wait for it.

With a glance at Nyx, who was completely enthralled by the performance, Rhysand knew that this lady had the power to touch hearts and ignite imaginations.

- My grandfather was a fire and brimstone preacher; But there are things that the homilies and hymns won't teach ya; My mother was a genius; My father commanded respect; When they died, they left no instructions; Just a legacy to protect - At that she clearly meant the legacy every High Lord had to carry to protect the city, himself being one of the many that had to sacrifice a lot to keep the secret - Death doesn't discriminate; Between the sinners and the saints; It takes, and it takes, and it takes; And we keep living anyway; We rise, and we fall, and we break, and we make our mistakes; And if there's a reason I'm still alive; When everyone who loves me has died; I'm willing to wait for it; I'm willing to wait for it.

As the chorus echoed through the theater, Rhysand felt a connection to the song's message. He understood the yearning for something that might be just out of reach, and it resonated deep within his soul.

- Wait for it, wait for it, wait for it, wait - The quiet intensity in her expression held the audience captive while the back vocals reached their peak, and Rhysand found himself captivated as well, unable to look away.

Her voice rose, reaching heights that seemed to touch the very stars, and as the orchestra swelled around her, Rhysand could feel the passion in every word she sang.

- I am the one thing in life I can control; I am inimitable, I am an original; I'm not falling behind or running late; I'm not standing still, I am lying in wait - He understood it as a way of saying how every city thrived and Velaris kept being a hidden city towards the other courts - Nightmare's face is an endless uphill climb; He has something to prove; He has nothing to lose; Nightmare's pace is relentless, he wastes no time; What is it like in his shoes?

Nightmare was one of the characters previously introduced in the show, representing the Hewn City and their politics of participating in every decision, especially by being the formal representation and the known image of the Night Court.

- Nightmare doesn't hesitate; He exhibits no restraint; He takes, and he takes, and he takes; And he keeps winning anyway; He changes the game; He plays and he raises the stakes; And if there's a reason he seems to thrive when so few survive; Then, goddammit, I'm willing to wait for it; I'm willing to wait for it - Her voice went to a soft breeze, tickling Rhysand's soul as she rose her voice again for the final chorus - Life doesn't discriminate; Between the sinners and the saints; It takes, and it takes, and it takes; We rise, and we fall; And if there's a reason I'm still alive; When so many have died; Then I'm willing to - Her eyes met his in the middle of the public, a sense of understanding passing through them, an unspoken love for their court and the child both of them unknowingly raised together. She was still looking him deep in his eyes as she smiled and repeated the final phrase - Wait for it.

The final verse carried an air of determination, of embracing the journey and whatever it may bring. As the last notes reverberated through the theater, the audience erupted in applause, their hearts touched by the lady's stirring performance. Rhysand glanced at Nyx, whose eyes shone with a mixture of awe and admiration.

- That was amazing, Papa! Did you like it? - Nyx asked, his voice brimming with excitement.

- Yes, my star, I loved it. And I'm glad you brought me here to experience it with you - Rhysand smiled, his heart full of love for his young son and the lady who had brought so much joy into their lives.

Amid the ending performance with a song that reunited all of the cast together, the lady glanced up and met Rhysand's intense stare once again, singing some of the parts to him, in that fleeting moment the music seemed to draw them closer, and when she smiled bright and big and bowed to him in the end, his heart skipped a beat.

The final notes of the fun goodbye to the cast proportionate filled the air as the audience erupted into thunderous applause again. Nyx's heart swelled with pride, knowing that his Papa, the High Lord of the Night Court, had enjoyed the mesmerizing magic of "Miss Starlight's" song, just as he had. He couldn't wait to introduce them properly. As the crew took their final bow and the curtain fell, Nyx tugged on his father's hand, his excitement evident in his wide, sparkling eyes.

- Papa, come on! Let's go meet her! - He exclaimed, practically bouncing with enthusiasm. Rhysand chuckled at his son's exuberance, happy to see him so thrilled.

- All right, lead the way, little star - He said, following Nyx as they made their way backstage.

Behind the curtain, the atmosphere buzzed with excitement as the crew congratulated the lady on her outstanding performance. Nyx's eyes searched for her, and when he finally spotted her amidst the commotion, he pulled his father towards her.

- Miss Starlight! - Nyx called out, his voice filled with adoration. The lady turned, her eyes lighting up when she saw Nyx approaching with Rhysand in tow. She smiled warmly, her gaze moving from Nyx to Rhysand.

- Hello there, both of you - She greeted them, her voice as sweet as a lullaby. Nyx beamed, proud to have his father by his side.

- This is my Papa, the High Lord Rhysand. Papa, this is Lady Starlight, High Lady of the musical theater - he said, introducing them with a touch of pride.

- It's a pleasure to meet you, My Lord - The lady said, offering a graceful curtsy - Nyx has spoken very highly of you. I couldn't wait to finally meet the father of my biggest fan - Rhysand couldn't help but feel a hint of curiosity as he looked at the lady before him.

- Likewise - He replied with a genuine smile - Your performance was extraordinary. I've never heard such a captivating voice. And please, call me Rhysand, or Rhys - Her cheeks flushed with a blush of delight, and she bowed her head slightly

- Thank you, Rhysand. I'm honored that you enjoyed it - Before Nyx could contain his excitement, he interjected.

- Papa, you should ask her out on a date! - He shouted to his father, jumping up and down in place as he looked at both of the people he loved the most in the world (not that he would ever admit it next to the rest of his family). Rhysand blinked, surprised by Nyx's candid suggestion. He exchanged a glance with the lady, and a soft smile played on her lips.

- Is that so? - He asked, humor dancing in his eyes. Nyx nodded enthusiastically.

- Yes! She's really nice, and I know you'll like her. And I really want to call her mommy. And I'll change my name to Nyxie Starlight, and we'll be a family - Rhysand couldn't help but chuckle at his son's matchmaking efforts. Nyx, in his characteristic innocence, suggested they should marry soon so that Rhysand could be Mister Starlight, Nyx's mind forever intertwining her character's name with her true identity.

- Well, if it's alright with you, Miss Starlight, I'd love to take you out for a date - The lady's smile grew, her eyes shining with amusement.

- I'd be delighted, Rhys - The blush that covered her cheeks made Rhysand's heart flutter in a way he hadn't felt, even when he was with Feyre.

Nyx reveled in having both his beloved daddy and his adored Starlight in his life, and Rhysand found solace and bliss in a love he thought he would never experience again.

As they exchanged information and chose a day and place, Nyx couldn't contain his excitement, thrilled that his plan had worked. He knew that this lady had brought so much joy into his life, and he wanted nothing more than to see his Papa happy as well.

As they bid their farewells and left the theater, Rhysand felt a sense of warmth in his heart, grateful for the magical night he had shared with his son and the enchanting lady they now knew as "Miss Mommy Starlight." And as they looked up at the starlit sky above the Night Court, Rhysand knew that the adventure they had embarked upon was just beginning, an adventure filled with love, music, and the serendipitous magic of young hearts.

They embraced the magic of their fate, as their lives intertwined like a dance, creating a tale of love that would be whispered through the ages in the immortal lands of Prythian as the most magically musical love story that ever ran through history. Or the most disgustingly cute, as Nyx would proclaim, and they wouldn't have it any other way.

#rhysand x reader #spotify #acotar #rhys x reader #rhys acotar #rhysand #nyx archeron #nyx acotar

[blueboyluca]

@konmari-dogs's post reminded me, I read a lot of dog books this year! My biggest tip for reading more is put a bunch of books on your phone and just dip into them when you can. I think I originally got this tip from Milly, but it really works. If you are getting sick of one or need a break, you can easily flit to another. You can get a page or two while waiting for appointments or at a cafe or something. Really easy to read a lot more.

Anyway, I read a lot of crap this year but also some gems.

Hit list: The Culture Clash by Jean Donaldson. I finally read this classic. I skimmed most of the training stuff because it is a bit outdated now, but I really liked the allegorical parts, the actual bits that are why it is titled the way it is. That stuff is still really relevant today.

Dog is Love by Clive D.L. Wynne. I enjoyed this. It followed the story of how Wynne convinced himself that dogs do love us, through various scientific disciplines. I also think this guy is a compelling speaker, if a little pompous.

Wonderdog by Jules Howard. Loved this one, excellent overview of dog science throughout history. Really worth the read.

The Secret History of Kindness by Melissa Holbrook Pierson. My favourite read this year, an incredibly moving overview of the history of training dogs.

In Defence of Dogs by John Bradshaw. I started this one more than a year ago and finished it this year. It was pretty good, but a little outdated on the science now. Still worth a read.

The Great Grisby by Mikita Brottman. I enjoyed this, it was about various dogs in literature or real dogs owned by famous people, mostly Victorians. It was a fun read. The focus won't be for everyone.

How the Dog Became the Dog: From Wolves to Our Best Friends by Mark Derr. I started reading this like 5 years ago. I really enjoyed the first half then dropped off it. I finished it this year and I am glad, but there wasn't as much good stuff in the second half. Still, I reference it a lot and I love the way he writes about early dogs.

Shit list: Living with Border Collies by Barbara Sykes. This one is a mess. Very few useful ideas, mostly just batty nonsense.

Fifteen Dogs by André Alexis. This was the only novel I read this year and it was garbage. Do not recommend.

How Stella Learned to Talk by Christina Hunger. You all know I hated it. I am stunned when people recommend it to others to get into dog buttons. I thought the narrative itself was a steaming pile of garbage and I thought the tips on how to get started with buttons were vague and unhelpful. Cannot understand this fad at all.

The First Domestication by Brandy R. Fogg and Raymond Pierotti. I started this a year or two ago and finished it this year. It was a mess. I appreciated the parts where they ripped into Coppinger, but there were tons of other really questionable bits so I basically think the whole thing is a wash.

Dogs: A Philosophical Guide to Our Best Friends by Mark Alizart. It wasn't terrible, but it was quite strange. I appreciated it sent me down a few rabbit holes though. I tried reading some more philosophical books about dogs but they fall apart as soon as the authors show they know nothing about modern dog science.

Dingoes Don’t Bark by Lionel Hudson. This one also wasn't terrible but it was also kind of nothing. Not a lot of information about dingoes. I think the documentary it pairs with would be more worhtwhile. I think it's from the 70s, maybe 80s.

Still reading: Level Up Your Dog Training by Natalie Bridger Watson. This is for beginners, but I am enjoying it as another resource for my club.

The Wolf Within by Professor Bryan Sykes. This is good but thick and science heavy, so I know it will take me a long time.

Treat Everyone Like a Dog by Karen London. I am not enjoying this at all. It will inevitably make it onto my shit list one year.

What Dogs Want by Mat Ward. Really loving this very cute and modern take on basic dog care for new owners.

What the Dog Knows: The Science and Wonder of Working Dogs by Cat Warren. I am really loving this so far. It's my kind of book, a mix of dog science and memoir.

Our Oldest Companions by Pat Shipman. I am not that taken in by Shipman. I've read one of her other books and I don't find her particularly compelling. I am finding Sykes more interesting than this one.

Aesop's Animals: The Science Behind the Fables by Jo Wimpenny. This one is pretty good, not sure if I will finish it though because I read the dog and wolf chapters already.

Positive Herding 101 by Barbara Buchmayer. I am enjoying this. I got through all the beginning stuff and have finally reached the chapters that will talk about herding training.

Enrichment Games for High Energy Dogs by Barbara Buchmayer. This is good enough that it made me buy her other book. I haven't finished it yet though.

#dog books #dogblr

[narabea06]

Being friends with the creepypastas Nina addition? With reader being a scene kid like her? Something to bond over lol

So I didn't realize I didn't do enough with the specific request of the reader being a scene kid, but I did try my best- Hope you enjoy!

ALSO I'M SO SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG-

Being Friends With Nina the Killer [with GN! Scene Kid Reader]

Nina is absolutely ecstatic to meet you the moment you walked into her life and saw your energy. It's extremely easy to befriend her thankfully so as long as you and Jeff aren't close, y'all are friends in no time!

Nina constantly loves to share gossip with you all the time, and will tell you all about her day down to the tiniest details. You know all the drama and all the rumors about everyone, and both of you eat that shit up every time.

She is extremely physically affectionate with you whether it's wrapping an arm around you for photos, hugging you whenever she sees you, holding your hand whenever you're nearby, booping your nose when you're being silly- She's really platonically affectionate with you, unless you set up a boundary about touch.

Nina does have a lot of abandonment issues due to losing a lot of people in her life and may get a bit paranoid that you or her other friends are going to leave her. She tries her best to never show you her worries but once you guys get close, she does eventually open up to you. She does need a lot of reassurance that you won't die or ghost her, but she does try her best not to be too clingy if you set up a boundary.

She absolutely loves getting all kinds of charms, jewelry, bracelets, hair clips, pins, stickers- She even gets you guys a bunch of matching sets and accessories, and sometimes if you're lucky, she even makes you jewelry by hands. Additionally to this, she will let you borrow any of her makeup and clothes as long as you bring it back in good condition. On the contrary though, she WILL steal your clothes if she wants to wear them.

They love to paint your nails together, but will absolutely never let you touch her nail polish and will always paint her nails for you. She'll let you use any of her other makeup, but the moment you try to use her nail polish, she will lecture you for hours. Any time your nails chip or you bite your nails, she will drop everything to repaint them for you.

She is very clingy, and oftentimes may jokingly get jealous about you spending time with other people or will text you a lot asking if you need anything or you're okay. Again, this is from a long history of abandonment issues and worries that you will get tired of her.

Nina will teach you Spanish whenever she can because of her being Mexican and bilingual. Due to trying to teach Jeff growing up only for him to give him half way through, she is very determined to get you to actually see it through and become fluent. In return, if you know another language, she will try to learn it too.

Nina gets incredibly protective over you, and while she tries not to be overbearing, she can a lot sometimes. She will often refuse to leave your side and parties and will argue with Tumblr users online for hours if somebody even says a single negative comment in your direction. She is your ride-or-die, she will gut a man if she has to for you.

If you get along with Jeff at all, that will cause a rift in your friendship big time, and may even break it up completely if you're not lucky. Nina will probably never tell the full extent of why she hates Jeff, especially since she doesn't like opening up about her trauma, but will consistently try to throw him under the bus for petty things to get you to stop hanging out with him.

Nina rarely asks for help with anything unless it's small, which leads to her getting extremely defensive if you try to help her with something she can do on her own. This is due to her mother raising her to take care of herself for years, and unless you call her out on this behavior, she will keep getting frustrated with you trying to help her with her hair, makeup, or any other random task.

If you can drive, she will literally beg you to drive her places, whether it's the store Toby works at, or the gas station, or to the mall- She always promises to pay you back for gas and even oftentimes gets you your favorite drinks and snacks as payment for it. Because of this though, she will wake you up at 3 AM to drive her down to Circle K because she's craving gummy worms-

She gives you music recommendations all the time, specifically Melanie Martinez, ICP, and 6arelyhuman. If she sends you a song, she expects you to listen to it immediately to share your thoughts on it. In return, she always listens to and saves every song you send her into a playlist of sings she knows you enjoy.

She will often copy your stims and gets really excited whenever she sees you happy.

Nina often tries to give you hair tips and share what she knows about hair care, but no matter what, don't listen to what she says, her hair is so incredibly damaged-

She is extremely hesitant to introduce you to Toby and BEN, mainly because BEN is an absolute menace of chaos and can be a lot even for Nina, and Toby is still trying to go about his new life. Between the two though, she'd probably introduce you to BEN first, and if not either of them, she'd introduce you to Liu.

She introduces you to Mary and Jane probably immediately after meeting you and will talk about them for hours if you let her. She absolutely loves her girlfriends and will want you to meet them as soon as possible. Jane may be a bit standoffish at first due to her being a bit protective, but will relax once she sees how happy you make Nina. Mary will probably warm up to you almost immediately.

Nina absolutely loves to rollerblade and will try to teach her how to skate herself if you don't know how to. It's a lot of trial and error though since Nina isn't a great teacher, but any bruises you get from falling down, she cleans out herself and apologizes for profusely.

She loves sharing food with you a lot and will always make you a separate serving of food if you walk in on her making something. She also enjoys introducing you to new foods.

She hypes up you constantly, though she isn't as aggressive about it as Jeff is. She's very gentle about your insecurities and will help build up your confidence as best she can.

You two have sleepovers all the time, and will often stay up late together for hours, and have pulled multiple all-nighters together.

Nina did eventually officially come out to you as transfem a few years into your friendship as a milestone for how much she trusted you. She was incredibly scared and even started sobbing, but was just happy she met someone she could trust with her identity.

She is very hyperaware of your body language and triggers, and will try her best to never purposely upset you, and will keep track of your mannerisms. She gets really worried about scaring you or making you not like her, and does everything in her power to not poke at your trauma on accident.

As you guys got closer, Nina starts to feel more and more safe with you, but still often tries to hide her mental health from you due to not knowing how to be more open about it. There are times though that you do witness her meltdowns or panic attacks, and often have to be there to comfort her or get someone to help.

Nina picks up your boundaries extremely quickly and will follow those boundaries EXACTLY. She tries everything never to cross a line for you and always hopes you'll do the same.

You guys will match profile pictures all the time on your social media accounts and will work together on making your accounts look all nice.

Nina absolutely loves taking photos of you two together and has an entire photo album on her phone of the two of you.

#creepypasta #nina the killer #being friends with creepypastas #jeff the killer #platonic x reader #scene kid #toby rogers #ben drowned #homicidal liu #nina hopkins #mary vaughn #mary x jane #mary x nina #jane x nina #nina x mary #nina x jane #transfem

[biblicallyaccurateangeloncrack]

Genshin and hsr characters as pinned messages (out of context) from discord servers with my friends: a shitpost

(uhhh cw some nsfw jokes and cuss words)

wriothesley: "i do not want an alpha transformation happening rn "

march to danheng: "my coquette lungs are better than your emo lungs"

hu tao: *ghostly voice* "oooooogly boogly why'd you skadoodly me?"

xiao, learning how to spell: "i lvove elmo music"

childe: "he is in my feet"

klee: "yeah my grandma's actually kim kardashian"

bronya to cocolia when she got sick as a kid: "Mother please carry me outside before to see the sky one last time before the consumption takes hold of my body and soul"

hu tao: " "weenis", said eerily"

bennett: "THE SANDWHICH TOOK ME OUT"

blade: "that link is longer than my plans for the future"

serval: "i pledge allegiance to the american bra"

itto: "i am in heat growls the summer has come and i am in heat growls"

zhongli: "*old man voice* when i was your age i fought kids"

stelle/caelus: "when i was my age i eated drywall"

fu xuan: "JING YUAN ILL SNIPPERS YOU UP IF YOU DONT STOP WITH THIS GOOBEROUS SHIT"

diluc, about venti: "i like to prentend he was a fever dream i came with at 4am"

fréminet, trying to speak french: "they said Lyney tu dumbass"

sampo: "I think Luka would beat up Luka while Luka watches. and then Luka would join in and beat the living daylight out of Luka"

silver wolf, about blade: "ppl with lactose intolerance boutta have their 2nd period ongomg"

kayea and rosaria: "we're a match made in the deep dark depths of the abyssal caves in fuck knows where"

jingliu: "am i.........one of those queers........."

yanquing: "shout-out to my home dawg Charles aka history teacher for dropping this wisdom on me"

shinobu: "itto if you say anything penis related you are banned"

ayaka as a kid: ""please take me to the garden so that way i can see the shining sun for the last time before my frail body decomposes with the disease known as ligma""

lyney: "imagine Neuvillette seeing a bunch of orphans blow up infront of him"

yoimiya: "are you really friends if you dont have matching vagina bracelets ??"

wriothesley: "My name is actually marlinus maximilianus Merlin guys"

caelus/stelle: " *bites your toes playfully* "

Pompom: "i eat gender for dinner"

xiao: "is life without endless pain and suffering only for it all to end leaving nothing but emptiness and all your suffering being just for the entertainment of the entity that we call god. an entity who is the real reason as to why we humans end up hurting others, for pain and suffereing is nothing but an endless spiral no matter how hard you try."

kafka, messing with blade: "do you like the gay foot"

yanfei: "YOU CANT LET IT GO LET IT GO YOUR WAY OUT OF A RESTRAINING ORDER"

kokomi: "DEMENTED DOLPHIN"

Furina: "they oui oui'd me"

shenhe: "the cld never bothered me anywa......."

kiara: "agressive meow"

ganyu: "are you a tree cause i wanna eat you"

dainsleif: "while youre kissing you bf or whatever ill be watching in the walls"

venti: "I FART ON PLANES"

scaramouche: "childe I will shave you bald"

itto: "perry plaptypussy"

seele, in response to hook's drawing: "10/10 Einstein could never"

razor, to bennett: "I WILL LICK YOU TO SLEEP"

sucrose, about to collect more bones: "*deranged loud breathing*"

kequing, to half of liyue: "SHUT UP COLOR WHEEL"

cyno: "genderfluid people's favorite song is liquid smooth"

kequing: "the feminine urge to beat up your coworkers with a stick"

dehya: "i piss on biphobes" kaveh: "but what if they have a piss kink..."

albedo: "he looks like a failed science project"

baizhu: "blowjob? nah, blownose"

silver wolf: "story time, honkai star rail made me leave my brother at a gas station and i do not regret SHIT"

blade: "if i end this year without killing myself its a miracle"

columbina: "btw dead bodies take less space if you bury them like theyre standing up"

zhongli: " *cracks back and walks away leaving a trail of dust behind"

@muachiro @geetkk @veimwah @etherific @zohakutenstan

#shitpost #silly hours #genshin impact #honkai star rail #gi #hsr #hu tao #baizhu #blade hsr #columbina #danslette #zhongli #morax #silver wolf #sw #albedo #albedo kreidprinz #kequing #dehya #kaveh #cyno #sucrose #razor #bennett #benny #seele hsr #hook #hsr seele #itto #arataki itto

[olderthannetfic]

I did not know that about port wine! Huh, learned a thing today

TBH, a hell of a lot of alcohol is named after places or other things that might not exist in a secondary world (or alternate history if it split long enough ago).

Port is named after Portugal, where it's from.

Just looking at other fortified wines... sherry (Jerez), madeira, marsala, and commandaria are all named after places.

'Vermouth', on the other hand, comes from a word for wormwood, which used to be one of the common flavoring agents. (Which I still wouldn't necessarily use in a secondary world setting given how specific a fortified, aromatized wine named after wormwood is.)

Shittons of liqueurs have highly specific names, like Chartreuse (made by Carthusian monks) or Bénédictine (supposedly made by Benedictine monks, but that was actually a marketing ploy).

Old world wines are pretty much all named after locations: Bordeaux, Champagne.

New world wines are usually named by grape varietal: Cabernet, merlot. Merlot is apparently named after a blackbird if you look up the etymology, though with the bajillionty wine varietals in the world, I'd expect a secondary fantasy setting to have its own names even aside from the place name issue.

Very few booze names are safe once you get outside of general classes like "wine".

Of course, at some point, you have to just accept that tons of regular words have etymologies that don't work in a secondary world setting and pick your battles, but for drinks, I'd probably just make a bunch of shit up if I were establishing some alternate world.

[rallamajoop]

The RE4 Remake and Luis Serra Navarro

I have a gazillion thoughts about the new RE4 remake, and a dozen different aspects I kind of want to talk about. But you’ve got to start somewhere, so let’s talk Luis.

I doubt it’d be controversial to call Luis “easily the most interesting new character introduced in this game.” We’ve got complex and questionable motivations, a bunch of plot-relevant backstory, and a bonus-serve of extra random details about his childhood – much of which is very easy to miss, and rewards you for paying attention. By the end of this game, I’m pretty sure I know more about Luis than I do about Leon, and I still have questions. He’s not just one of my favourite parts of this new game, he’s a perfectly little microcosm of all the ways the remake has reworked awkward aspects of the original – mostly for the better, but not without creating new problems in the process.

But to get into all that, let’s start back with the original Luis from 2004.

So, for context, I haven’t actually played the original RE4. Since getting into the franchise, I’ve been consuming past canon instalments mostly by the lazy strategy of watching cutscene compilations on youtube. I am fully aware of the important place RE4 has in gaming history, the way it defined 3rd-person-shooter over-the-shoulder-gaming (or, to use my preferred term, lookit-the-booty-shooty). I have watched Jacob Geller wax rhapsodic about multiple different versions of this game.

But for all that people remember about the original RE4, the plot rarely seems to be more than a footnote. And for my own money, all I can tell you is that either this is just not a gaming experience well-served being experienced through the youtube-only medium (hardly the stuff of serious critique), or me and the original RE4 just aren’t clicking somewhere. I’m all for campy horror (see everything I’ve ever written about the Hammer films just to begin with), but RE4’s sense of humour largely leaves me cold. And Luis is – again – a pretty good demonstration of the kind of record-scratch moments that made it so hard to get into.

You can find a compilation of all Luis' cutscenes here, for reference. Like the remake, Leon first finds Luis tied up and gagged in a village house – apparently the only un-infected person in the vicinity. His first act on being un-gagged is to ask for a cigarette – a decent little character-moment. Luis claims to be a former cop from Madrid, who quit because he felt his work went unappreciated. Given Luis’ general demeanour, it wouldn’t be surprising to learn he was actually let go for taking bribes or something, but that’s more of a vibe. When Leon admits he was a cop back in Raccoon City, Luis claims he ‘might have seen a sample of the virus in a lab at the department’, and… hang on, Madrid PD has T-Virus samples lying around? The hell? Where’s this going?

But we don’t find out, because the conversation is interrupted, and Luis makes a break for it.

As in the remake, Luis’ next scene is to show up for the cabin siege scene, where he backs up Leon with a handgun. Cool, that tracks with the whole ‘former cop’ backstory.

Luis gets two further appearances, though the first mostly consists of him running up to say “I’ve got something for you guys! What… oh, shit, I must have dropped it,” and going away again, and it’s exactly as awkward as it sounds. But he does at least establish that the ‘something’ is a plagas-suppressant, as he knows Leon and Ashley are infected, and wants to help.

His final scene has him return with the suppressant, only to be stabbed in the back and killed by Saddler. As he lies dying, he admits he was really a researcher working for the Los Illuminados all along, only lately turned traitor – and we’ve officially hit our record-scratch moment.

So what was all that stuff about being a cop? Luis has good reason to lie about being a researcher, but ‘unemployed former cop’ is a heckuva cover story for a scientist, and what was that about Madrid PD having T-Virus samples? Luis-the-researcher might well have seen the virus somewhere, but why bring it up at all?

More than anything, these feel like leftover artifacts of a character who’s been substantially reworked somewhere in development, just without actually rewriting the start of the script to match. Luis’ story, like so much of this game, feels badly in need of a second draft.

Luis goes on to get something of an afterlife in collectable documents, and another scene in Ada’s DLC campaign. He’s still trying to get a plaga sample to her in this version, and he’s still responsible for the lab that cures Leon and Ashley of their infections. Ada's commentary on his character is interesting, and documents suggest he had a grandfather who used to hunt in the region, but he doesn’t get much more backstory.

Regardless, nearly 20 years later, Luis has finally got his second draft, and there’s a lot here that’s improved. (Have a new cutscene compilation link for reference.)

To begin with, any talk about being a cop is gone (an easy win). We find out he’s a researcher much earlier too – Leon is a lot less trusting of Luis this time, and calls in for a background check. He’s informed Luis used to work for Umbrella, and reacts as you’d expect. The cabin siege scene still goes off in similar fashion (though this time, Luis doesn’t feel it necessary to comment on Ashley’s tits the moment he meets her – another definite improvement).

This time though, Ashley starts coughing up blood immediately after they escape, and Luis’ offer to help remove the parasites happens right after the cabin siege, rather than being left for some awkward whoops-I-dropped-it moment later. The new scene actually finishes with the very same exchange (“Why are you helping us?”/ “It just makes me feel better”) – but this version, similarly, feels so much better. A+ revision work so far.

The remake also spells out Luis’ deal with Ada sooner too – her first proper scene in this version is her first contact with Luis. Again, Luis’ story ends in the castle with a stab in the back, and the stolen sample he was carrying being reclaimed by one of the villains (Krauser, this time, since Saddler apparently likes to delegate more in this version). But in between, things get a little odd.

Having already offered to help them, Luis contacts Leon by radio a couple of times during the castle chapters – firstly to say he’s waiting for Leon and Ashley in the courtyard. But Luis isn’t in the courtyard. His next message claims that he ran into trouble, and he’s had to retreat to the ballroom. But he’s not in the ballroom either. No further calls happen, nor does Leon react to his absence in either location.

Leon finally runs into him, apparently by chance, after being thrown down a hole and wandering for some time through tunnels deep under the castle. How did Luis end up down there too? No idea.

I’m glad he does though, because the following chapter you spend with Luis as your cabin-siege-style partner is a very good time. Though Leon is still distrustful and Luis still evasive, they exchange some great banter and generally make a good team. We encounter Luis’ love for Don Quixote, he admits he was working for Los Illuminados… and then Krauser stabs him, and Leon lights one last cigarette for him before he dies. It’s touching and very well done (not to mention dense with slashy subtext, if you want to take it that way).

Exploring Luis’ lab during the game’s final chapter adds some nice details too – equipment pilfered from Umbrella, an old photo with his colleagues, and naturally, text documents everywhere. But it’s his email logs with “A.W.” (Ada, obviously) that will most reward anyone paying attention – particularly the line you still remember the code phrase?

In this version, ‘got a smoke?’ is still almost the first thing Luis says to Leon. But you might notice it’s also the first thing he says to Ada. And this time, we’ve got a whole new explanation as to why.

Admittedly, the execution is still a bit lacking. Luis calls Ada by her first name just a few lines after using his ‘code phrase’, and seems to know her well enough not to need a code phrase, so what's going on here? If Luis knew Ada herself was going to meet him, why try his code phrase out on Leon? Alternately, if he suspected Ada might have sent someone like Leon instead of coming in person, how did he know it was her when they met? Maybe we could still have used another draft. But it’s a otherwise a fun little easter egg to recontextualise something from the original in a creative way.

Much more has been added to Luis’ backstory hidden in documents from the village. You can find photos of 'a boy with his grandfather', an old diary left behind by said grandfather – and if you’re paying really close attention, a label on another copy of that photo naming the pair ‘Navarro’ – Luis’ last name. You might also notice that the boy in the story has Luis’ fixation on Don Quixote (another character trait added by the remake).

But young Luis’ story ends in tragedy, the conclusion picked up elsewhere in the village elder’s records: the grandfather is bitten by a wolf, begins experiencing what seem to be known symptoms, and tells the village elder "you know what to do." The old man is killed, and his cabin and everything in it burned to the ground so the infection can’t spread.

Now, the idea the village has been quietly dealing with plaga-infected wolves for generations despite the fact that the plaga were supposedly sealed under the castle until recently has problems of its own, but that’s a bit beyond scope. The more relevant problem is the idea that Luis comes from the same village where all the action takes place – why? What does this add to the story? With Luis’ new Umbrella-Europe-backstory, making the village his birthplace seems like little more than meaningless coincidence, thrown in without anyone thinking it through.

But there is one intriguing possibility buried in the subtext of Luis’ story, and it’s an angle I’d love to see explored.

The village records end with the scene of a young Luis watching in silence as his childhood home burns to the ground, his only family still inside, then walking away, never to be seen again. Now, suppose that’s the very moment that inspired him to go into medical research, driven to understand infectious agents like the one that took his grandfather’s life, that the people he grew up with only knew to treat with medieval superstition. Suppose that’s what made him seek out shady employers like Umbrella, the only outfits with the interest and funding to delve into that area. The drive to find cures, to find proof that what happened to his grandfather didn’t have to be treated like a ritual witch-burning could’ve fuelled a lot of denial in Luis about where the funding was coming from. And after Umbrella’s collapse, you can only imagine how he might jump at the chance to work on the same parasites that had infected that wolf from so long ago.

If that was the intent, though (and damn do I want it to be), I honestly think it’s a little too buried in layers of subtext to carry. I can only hope maybe we’ll be seeing more of Luis in DLC to come – in Ada’s Separate Ways, if not his own – that might expand on those parts of his history a little more explicitly. Or at least cover what he was actually up to all that time he keeps messaging Leon from different parts of the castle (did he genuinely run into trouble? Was Ada pushing him to keep Leon moving for her own purposes? How did he wind up down in the mines?)

The notion of Luis as a village native still has its problems though. The house you find him in seems to be the same one he grew up in – it’s a cabin by the lake, his grandfather’s diary and photo is there, etc. Only those old village records spell out very clearly that that cabin burned to the ground as part of a major character moment. Which is it, game? You can’t have it both ways.

Even if we ignore that awkward ‘burned to the ground’ detail, are we to take it the ganados caught Luis in his old house and left him tied him up in his own cellar? Wouldn’t they move a prisoner like him? Speaking of which, was that one guy banging on the floor supposed to be hammering the hatch shut? Why? Was Luis being left down there to die? Don’t they still need to question him about that sample he stole? This stuff does not stand up to scrutiny.

And the idea of Luis as a native still doesn’t completely work for me, because shouldn’t there have been some clue in the way he talks about the place? Chief Mendez is a man Luis knew from his childhood – when Luis sees him coming in a cutscene, his reaction betrays no more familiarity than ‘not this guy’. In that cabin siege scene, surely there must be faces in that crowd he’s firing on that he recognises. And fuck, how do you come back to the place you grew up, find its residents reduced to zombie slaves, and think, “sure, I could work for these people…”?

I do realise expecting this level of humanity out of characters in a Resident Evil game might be a little much, but this stuff throws me. It builds the impression the Luis who grew up in the village is a character that exists only in text files, largely independent from the cutscene-Luis of the rest of the game. When you expect your audience to notice minor details like a surname on a photo in order to put together a main character’s backstory, you’re demanding they pay close attention. And once you’ve demanded that much investment, it’s worth keeping track of whether the cabin by the lake was supposed to be burned down or not, why Luis should be able to call Ada by name but treat Mendez like a stranger, and other such confusing detail. And Luis’ story is still positively logical and consistent compared to that of Chief Mendez himself, or anything much else in the game’s lore.

Luis is genuinely one of my favourite parts of the remake – he’s complicated, interesting, and fun. But trying to make sense of him could be a more rewarding experience. Many things are improved from the original, but for my money, they could still have stood to go for a third draft.

#Luis Serra Navarro #Resident Evil 4 #Resident Evil 4 Remake #Resident Evil #meta #character analysis

[sporesgalaxy]

Real curious about trigun but I got three questions:

1) what's up with the Christian vibes?

2)the blond guys (plants???) have trans vibes, actual coding or just an accident? (fine either way just curious)

3) what's the plot? Space cowboys?

Anyways Millie is cool, (I once mistook the girl typically next to her for that guy from genshin impact)

1) Christian vibes are why I want to lock myself in a room for a month and emerge with a 3 hour video essay about Trigun very very badly right now.

Trigun spends a lot of time exploring Forgiveness, Mercy, and Redemption, which are famously also the themes of Jesus' wacky adventures in the New Testament.

But. You know how in the old testament there was like a bunch of Divine Wrath and stuff? And it feels really incongruent with the forgiveness in the New Testament sometimes. And also for many centuries Christians have cited God's divine acts of wrath as justification for incredible acts of cruelty against their fellow man? You know how that history of cruelty and punishment is, at this point, just as synonymous with Christianity as the Jesus Forgiveness stuff?

Well Trigun is about how the Jesus Forgiveness stuff is better. Not because Jesus said so but because of the enormous OBSERVABLE positive impact that forgiveness and redemption can have. Positive impact that wrath and retribution rob all parties involved of the chance to witness.

Trigun tells a story which demonstrates this in largely secular situations but underscores both the forgiveness and the wrath with divine imagery. And since both the forgiveness and the wrath are equally visually tied to the divine, symbols of divinity cannot be considered synonymous with perfection, unerring judgement, nor inherent rightness or goodness. Divinity becomes simply a symbol of power, and power is a double-edged sword as well. The power to do good is also the power to cause massive harm, and in many cases people will treat power pessimistically out of an understandable will for self-preservation.

But power is neither inherently good nor bad-- power ultimately reflects the flawed and fallible person weilding it. I could go on but this is really long so I'll stop lol :)

WAIT. Divinity = Power, Angels are the symbol of Divinity, Angels are messengers of God, Communication and connecting with others is emphasized, Communication = Power = Divinity ok I'll stop for real tee hee

2) I don't know if the trans coding was intentional, but HOLY SHIT is it THERE.

Most blatantly, Vash and Knives are Plants, and every other Plant we see is referred to as a woman/has female secondary sex characteristics.

Also Plants visually resemble angels, and it's common belief angels do not have gender like humans do since they are pure and holy beings. I couldn't quickly find a source for that, but I know that Alchemy has some emphasis on hermaphroditism as, like, the holier form. So I guess by that logic you could also say they're intersex but I'm veering off topic.

Thirdly in the 1998 anime they gave the child versions of Vash and Knives long hair that ended up being cut off in ways that symbolized important developments in their identities. Knives example is what I have on hand lol. It just smacks of transgenderism.

3) DEEP SPACE PLANET FUTURE GUN ACTION!!!!

Wacky space cowboy Vash the Stampede roams the space desert planet where humans are barely hanging onto survival using the tech of their spacefaring ancestors! He can shoot with perfect accuracy, and is wanted for DESTROYING AN ENTIRE CITY, but is a staunch pacifist?! How odd!

What's Vash's deal? What happened that made humans unable to go back to space? Why'd they land on this desert planet that sucks to live on? Learn this and much more in TRIGUN!

#asks #my trigun #trigun discussion

[creature-wizard]

Was Neville Goddard really trustworthy?

Figured I'd do up a post on reasons why we can be pretty damn sure Neville Goddard was full of shit so I don't have to keep linking a bunch of posts. So here it is, a list of reasons why Neville Goddard was a professional bullshitter.

Neville Goddard constantly misquoted the Bible.

When you read Goddard's works, you'll often see him citing Bible passages that supposedly support the Law of Assumption. And yet when you read those passages in context (especially with some historical background knowledge of the book or letter in question), it becomes obvious that the passages had nothing to do with the Law of Assumption at all. Examples:

Citing a passage explaining the theological significance of the crucifixion and resurrection and claiming it's about manifestation.

Citing a passage about God creating the nation of Israel through Abraham to support his claim that man can create anything through imagination.

Citing a passage describing angels as "ministering spirits" and claiming that it says angels are your personal feelings.

Citing a passage talking about the Jewish law and claiming it refers to the Law of Assumption.

Goddard quoted specifically from the New King James Version, which is available to read here. Whenever he quotes the Bible, go ahead and read it in context. You'll soon see for yourself that these passages don't actually support him at all.

Additionally, Goddard's claims that the Bible somehow encodes the truth of the Law of Assumption is literally nothing more than a conspiracy theory. The actual history of Christianity and the New Testament simply does not support this whatsoever. If you want to learn actual history of the New Testament, I recommend looking into the books and YouTube videos of Dr. Bart D. Ehrman. His work is grounded in actual research and evidence, rather than mystical speculation or theological need. You can visit Dr. Ehrman's YouTube channel here.

Neville Goddard's metaphysics are self-contradictory.

Goddard claims that "everyone is you pushed out" (EIYPO), and that you, personally, are literally responsible for each and every other person's behavior. No limitations, no exceptions. If you don't like how somebody behaves, it's your job to assume them into the person you want them to be.

And yet, he speaks as if each and every person is individually responsible for manifesting their own happiness, which doesn't make sense if EIYPO is true. If EIYPO were really true, and Goddard liked the idea of all his projections living happy, fulfilled lives, he wouldn't bother writing all of this literature. He would just go into the void state and assume a world where everyone was living their best life into being.

The fact is, the contradiction serves a sinister purpose. It allows the perpetrators of violence to be let off the hook every time while their victims shoulder all of the blame.

Abdullah probably never existed.

Goddard's loyal fans have all heard the tale of how Neville Goddard met Abdullah, an Ethiopian rabbi who supposedly taught him Kabbalah, which supposedly supports the Law of Assumption.

First of all, Neville Goddard was a gentile, and the form of mysticism he taught was, well, pretty Christian. He may have absolutely butchered the New Testament, but he constantly quoted from it and made Jesus out to be a pretty big deal.

Meanwhile, Kabbalah is a purely Jewish form of mysticism. The notion that it would support Goddard's Christian mysticism is laughable. Kabbalah is not about Jesus, and it does not support Christianity - even if Christians have appropriated and distorted it. Even a cursory "what is Kabbalah?" search will reveal that Kabbalah has nothing to do with Goddard's teachings.

However, there is another form of mysticism that Goddard's teachings strongly resemble, and this is New Thought. It's within the New Thought movement that we see the developing idea that human beings can shape reality with thought and belief.

This whole story Goddard gave about Abdullah foreseeing his arrival is exactly the kind of thing a mystical con artist would come up with. If you study esotericism and the occult at all, you quickly learn that people just make up fake wizards all the time, from Abraham of Worms's Abramelin to Helena Blavatsky's Koot Hoomi.

It's always the same narrative; someone allegedly meets this wise mystic who shares this profound wisdom, who for some reason is unavailable for comment and never authors any works aside from those they've allegedly shared with their single chosen student. Investigations of their alleged teachings inevitably reveal that they bear very little relation to their supposed origins, but look very much like the ideas popular within their alleged students' own circles.

If you want to learn more about the history of esotericism and the occult for yourself, Dr. Justin Sledge's YouTube channel ESOTERICA is a great place to start. If you want to learn more about the history of Jewish mysticism and Kabbalah more specifically (so to see exactly why the Law of Assumption has nothing to do with it), you can check out his 14 part lecture series.

If you are leaving or questioning the Law of Assumption and need help, please see this post.

#law of assumption #loa #loassumption #neville goddard #eiypo #everyone is you push out #abdullah

[cainnleacghlovers]

History Class - CP

Pairing: Christian Pulisic x Fem!Reader

Summary: Y/N is new to Hershey High School. What happens when the boy she sits beside in history really likes her?

Part 1/3

Read part 2 here

Sitting in the car with your mum, you wanted to open the door. But you also wanted to just melt into the seat. Your hand lingered on the door.

“I know we’re a smart bunch, but we haven’t invented doors that magically open yet.” Your mum said.

“Maybe I’ll invent that. But that can only be done at home. We’ll have to back.” You said, looking at her. Please let me stay off, you thought.

“Y/N Y/SN open that door now, or by god, i’ll open it for you.” Your mum warned, obviously sick of that fact you’d been sat here, how long? 20 minutes. The pit in the bottom of your stomach not leaving.

You were new to America, living in Ireland your whole life. Your dad was a lawyer, and had a case here, so the whole family were packed up and moved. It’s not that you didn’t like it, you did. But, god, the food here really was processed.

Groaning, you opened the door, your hand slipping from the metal as your rubbed your sweaty hands on your brother in the back seat.

“You shite! Mum! She rubbed her sweaty paws all over me!” Your brother complained. Your mum, who was used to your bickering, gave you the look, and you got out.

“Be good! Learn lots! Darragh be nice, and Y/N you also be nice! Love you!” Your mum shouted out the window, as you and your brother mumbled a ‘love you’ back.

“I actually despise you.” Your brother said, as he made his way into the building.

“Feeling is more than mutual.” You said, rolling your eyes, as you too, made your way into the building. This better be like high school musical.

—

This was not like high school musical. As you sat in reception, the accent of the receptionist going through you. She handed you your timetable, and half expecting someone to show you around, she threatened you with a detention if you didn’t shut your mouth, and get going.

Looking down at the timetable, you tried to understand it. What on earth was homeroom? Well, you knew it’s were they all got detention in the first high school musical. Wondering aimlessly around the corridors, you somehow managed to find your class. Thankfully the door didn’t have a window, so you hyped yourself up, trying to mark your hand open the door. The pit in the bottom of your stomach making you physically fold over to ease it, and as your heart was about to break through your ribs with how fast it was beating.

You moved your hand onto the handle of the door, and it instantly slid off from how sweaty your palms were. What if you had to shake the teachers hand? And her hand started dripping from your sweat? Did Americans shake hands? You were overthinking.

“Stop this bull crap Y/N, and open the bloody door!” You chastised yourself, as you pushed the handle down and pulled the door.

Why wasn’t the door opening? Was it looked? Your heart raced, as you tried to open the door, your eyes frantically scanning it, looking for a lock. As you found the lock, you noticed a sign.

‘Pull’

Shit. The door was a pull door. Absolutely mortified, you pulled the door, and the entire class turned to look at you. Blushing, you stepped in, closing the door behind you. Suddenly aware of every detail of yourself, you tucked your hair behind your ear, and then untucked it.

You’ll be okay Y/N, your brain said.

The teacher gave you a warm smile, calming your nerves as she directed your over to the middle of the class.

“Y/N. How are you my dear? I’m Mrs Jackson.”

“Good thanks. How are you?” You said. Your voice a little shaky.

“Just fine. Everyone sit down. And by that I mean Christian. Sit down.” Her voice became firm, and you looked for the boy she told to be quiet. Oh god, he was really cute. Like really cute.

He must’ve saw you looking, and he flashed you a wink. So that’s what type of boy he was. Furrowing your eyebrows, you stuck your tongue out at him, earning a silent chuckle from him, as he sat down.

“Christian, shush.” The teacher said again, giving him a firm look. You were familiar with the look, your mum an absolute master at it. You knew when you got it, you better shout your mouth.

“This is Y/N. And she’ll be joining us this year. Why don’t you tell the class about yourself dear,?” She said.

You knew this question would come up, so you and your brother had rehearsed it the night before. He’s never admit that though.

“Uhm, hi. I’m Y/N.” Should you wave? No that would be weird.

“Where are your from Y/N?” Mrs Jackson asked.

“Ireland. Born and raised.” You replied.

“Well i’m sure you all make Y/N feel very welcome. Now, everyone up. Seating plan.”

The entire class groaned and you suspected the teacher did it so you wouldn’t have to do the awkward ‘is anyone sitting here’ either way, you were grateful.

As the whole class stood, and eagerly waited for their name, a boy came up to you. He was tall, and had mousy brown hair, with bright blue eyes. He was definitely cute.

“Hi, Im Noah Campbell.” The American accent made you cringe, not because it was ugly, but because you weren’t used to it yet.

“Y/N S/N.”

The two of you chatted away, before he asked for your number. Which you gladly give him. Eager to have someone to talk to here, even if it was just a friend.

“I know this is kinda forward, but i’d love to hang out?” ‘Hang out’ eww.

“Yeah! That sounds fun.” You said. It wasn’t a lie. You did wanna make friends.

“I’ll text you about it.” As he grabbed his bag, to head over to the seat he’d been given.

“I’ll be waiting.”

“Y/N. Beside Christian there.”

No. No. No. This could not be happening. You had to sit beside Christian? For a whole year. You loved your life!

A few of his friends blew on their fingers, making a whistling noise. Christian slapped one, as he gave them the finger behind the teachers back.

You sat beside him, and you both waited for the other person to speak first.

“Just my luck I get stuck beside the class clown who isn’t even funny. Just wonderful!” You remarked. You’d dealt with those boys back home, looks like America was the exact same.

“Someone’s known me 2 seconds and thinks she had me figure out.” He said, his eyes rolling at your sarcastic tone.

If you could build a metaphorical wall between the both of you, you would. Where’s the nearest place that sells concrete?

“Oh I know I’ve figured you out. You’re probably a football boy, sorry soccer boy. Don’t even get me started on the word soccer. You probably make out with girls in the car your daddy bought you, but you can’t give them anything serious because ‘sport commitments’.” You made quotation marks with your fingers on the last bit, as you took a breath to continue. “You pretend you don’t try in school, but you get upset if you get below like 80%. Your best subject is English, but you tell everyone it’s PE, sorry gym. Don’t get me started on that either. How’d I do?”

You wouldn’t of had the guts to say that to a boy back home, but he didn’t know you, so you could technically say whatever the hell you wanted. You liked this new confidence.

“Do you wanna be one of the girls in my car at lunch? Because I think I can make it happen.” He said. You rolled your eyes. Ass hole.

“I’ll leave that for someone else. Thanks for the offer though.” You said, already done with him. And you had to do this for a whole year? Not fair.

“You’ll warm up to me.” He said, his hands resting on his head as he stretched out on the chair. You couldn’t lie, he was really hot. Like really.

“I’m sure we’ll be best buddy’s by the end of the year.”

—

Taking notes, as Mrs Jackson talked about the cold war, you felt a bringer prod your arm. Ignoring it, you continued writing, before the tapping became more constant. You smacked his arm away, and tried to focus on the board, and not on him. That was a challenge.

Giving up on talking to you, he scribbled something down in his book, ripped the corner off, and folded it over. Why he did that when he could’ve just gave it to you? You didn’t know.

You didn’t want to open the note, but your curiosity got the better of you as you began the gruelling process of unwrapping the note. You eventually did, and scoffed as you read it.

‘I see you looking at me and you think I don’t notice. You know you wanna give into the Pulisic’

Crumbling the note up, you put it into your pocket. You had to update your best friend back home. She was convinced you’d find the love of your life here. Pretty unlikely.

“Croatian surname.” You guessed. You weren’t entirely sure, but it looked Croatian. You hoped you were right. How embarrassing would it be if you weren’t? God, the thought almost made you sick.

“Yep. How’d you know?” He popped the ‘ep’ sound on the yep.

Thank goodness you were right.

“Listen.” You told him. You didn’t actually know, so you couldn’t tell him. He probably thought you were in love with him or something.

Laughing, the teacher turned to face you.

“What’s so funny Christian and Y/N?” She questioned, hands on her hips.

“The Irish are a funny bunch Miss.” He said, you rolled your eyes as the rest of the class laughed at his joke.

“I’m sure they’re hilarious. Now be quiet.”

—

Christian hadn’t had enough of tormenting you yet. He kept kicking your foot lightly, or stealing your pencil case off of your desk.

“You’re an annoying bastard!” You said.

“My feelings are hurt.” He replied, hand on his heart.

“Aww, i’m devastated for-”

Turning back around, the teacher was clearly annoyed at Christian.

“Christian when was the Battle of Waterloo.” He blushed, as he clearly didn’t know the answer.

“Don’t know Miss.”

“Maybe that’s a sign to listen then. Y/N what about you?” She asked, clearly thinking you didn’t know the answer. She was in for a surprise.

“June 18th 1815.” You said, clearly shocking her. “On a Sunday.” You added, making the class laugh.

“When was the Bastille broken into?” She challenged.

“July 14th 1789.”

She was impressed.

“How long was Nero emperor of Rome?” Thank goodness for Horrible Histories.

“54 AD till 68 AD.”

She thought for a moment, before challenging you again.

“What’s the oldest monarchy still ruling?”

“The Japanese.” You said, as you watched her shake her head.

“It’s the Danish.” She argued, clearly pleased that she’d caught you out. She wasn’t right though, but was it rude to say something? But your ego couldn’t let her win.

Don’t say it Y/N. Don’t say it.

“That’s a common misconception.” And you said it.

“The exact date isn’t known of when the Danish monarchy was establish, but it’s speculated by historians that it was around the 10th century, some even saying as early as the 8th. So roughly, that makes it what? 1200 years old. The Japanese monarchy dates back to 11th February 660AD, being ruled by Emperor Jimmu. So that makes it the 6th century. So that makes it older.”

You finished your sentence. You were so going to be known as the nerd now. You ran your tongue over your teeth as you waited for what the teacher was going to say. The whole class erupted in a chorus of ‘oohs’ as the teacher was challenged.

You tilted her head, typing obnoxiously loud. Nice to see all teacher did that, not matter the nationality.

“I stand corrected. Maybe you should teach the glass.” She was clearly impressed, and with all eyes on you, you blushed. She chuckled lightly as she ci tuned the lesson. The embarrassment sent best through you, and you took your jumper, sorry, sweatshirt off.

“Pretty and smart. Lethal combo. If you were one of them action game characters, you’d be the one everyone would want.” He explained, as his eyes watched you take your jumper off.

“Aww you think i’m pretty.” You countered.

Clearly flustered, his cheeks tinted red, as he suddenly became interested in The French Revolution.

The bell rang, making you jump slightly. Man it was loud.

As everyone began to pack away, Mrs Jackson shouted over the class.

“Make sure you revise that. Pop quiz next class.” So Americans actually did pop quizzes. Hmm. You got your knowledge from Gilmore Girls, so you weren’t sure how accurate that was, but so far so good.

—

Leaving the class, you chatted to one of the girls in your class. Running up to you, Christian pulled the back of your bag, pulling you back towards him.

“What’d you do that for you ass!” You stated angry, pulling your bag away from his grasp.

“Can I get your number. I’m shit at history, and you’re clearly not shit, so? I need help.” Dragging out the ‘o’ sound in ‘so’ he put his hands in his pockets.

“Only for history reasons though. Not because i’m pretty.” You challenged, raising an eyebrow at you.

“Yep.” He said, distracted by the boy who threw a slap against the back of his head. One he gladly returned. Ugh, boys.

“Can I type it in your phone?” You asked. Handing you his phone, one that looked tiny in his hands. Your hands brushed his, and your eyes met. He looked away after a second, clearly embarrassed.

Christian wasn’t as bad ass as he let on.

“History only.” You replied, handing his phone back to him.

“Totally.”

Giving him a final nod, you began to walk to your next class. Well, you pretended to walk to your next class. There’s no way you were gonna let him know you had no idea where you were going.

Hearing a commotion behind you, you seen his friends pushing him around, clearly teasing him. His eyes met yours across the hall way.

“Very funny.” He mouthed to you. You returned the laugh, and took a left. Science halls. Completely wrong subject.

I guess he didn’t like the message on his phone, instead of your number.

‘I’m not giving into the Pulisic x’

—

Eventually finding your English class, you sat down on the only free seat. Grateful the teacher wasn’t into introductions.

“I’m Olivia.” The girl said, giving you a warm smile.

“I’m Y/N.” You said, returning her warm smile.

—

As the bell went, Olivia caught up to you.

“Do you do cheer?” She asked, steering you in the right direction.

“I dance, if that’s the same thing.” You said. You’d always wanted to be a cheer leader. It was part and parcel with the typical American high school experience.

“It’s basically the same thing. You should come. I can tell you’re good.” She told you, making your heart warm. It was nice to have a girl to talk to.

“Embarrassed to admit this, but ever since I’ve watched glee, I was like ‘I need pom-poms.” She laughed.

“I love glee! You’ve got taste.” She said. As you took out your phone to message your mum.

You: Can you pick my up at like 5ish. There’s cheer tryouts and i’m gonna go

Putting your phone away, you looked back up.

“Oh, and you’re totally sitting beside us at lunch.”

—

Checking your phone, you seen your mum has replied.

mum💗: Sounds fun. Pull out your backflip to impress them. Glad to know you’re getting stuck in. Good luck darling - mum x

Laughing to yourself, you put your phone away. Why did parents always sign their name?

Walking into the ‘gym’ hall, arm and arm with Olivia, you were a bit shocked at how many people were here, and you were incredibly taken back by the spectators.

None other than the boys ‘soccer’ team.

And who happened to be bang in the middle, stuffing grapes in his mouth.

Christian Pulisic.

“Don’t worry, they watch every year. Claim it’s to ‘see if the people cheering for them are actually any good’ bunch of jerks the lot of them.” Olivia clearly thought like you.

Walking over to the sign up table, the girl behind the table gave you a sweet smile.

“Olivia.” She nodded, recognising the girl.

“Hi i’m April. So basically how this works is; we hit shuffle on a playlist that’s been pre-made. The girls know the songs on it, and they kinda know what to expect for their improv. Obviously, you don’t have the playlist, so you can chose a song if you want.”

Expecting the songs to be popular hits of that year, you didn’t worry. You also didn’t want the other girls to hate you when you got to chose and they didn’t.

“Oh it’s grand. Hit shuffle. Wouldn’t be fair if you didn’t.”

“You sure?”

You nodded to her.

“This is just a dance segment. So no tricks.”

“Sound.” You replied.

—

Heading into the changing rooms with Olivia, you didn’t have anything to change into.

“Here.” She said, sending your nerves to ask her, as she threw a pair of shorts and a top at you. Your shoes would do.

Quickly getting changed, you waited your turn. Seeing people perform before you. They were good. Far better than you expected.

“Y/N S/N.” They announced, and the boys erupted in cheers, as they all pulled Christian up. He gave you a sheepish smile, with a weak thumbs up. You smiled back at him.

Waiting for the song to come on, your previous prediction was right as you heard ‘sorry’ by Justin Bieber spill from the speakers. You’d done a group dance to this the year previously.

Smirking, you took your starting pose, hand on your hip, and one hand covering your eye, Lady Gaga style. You started your dance.

—

Finishing your 2 minutes of improv. You got back up, pushing your hair out of your face, as everyone applauded. You thought about bowing, but that would be really cringey. So you stuck to a smile, as you sheepishly ran back to the bleachers.

“Girl! You did not tell me you could do that!” Olivia exclaimed. Obviously impressed.

“Says the girl who has legs for days.” You we’re jealous of her legs. Every dancers dream.

“Oh stop you’re making me blush.” She smiled, as you put some deodorant on.

“Here i’ll wash this and then give it to you. I’d knock you out with the smell. You joked, as she laughed.

“That’s okay.”

Taking your bag, and thanking a few girls who complimented you, you made your way out of the school and seen you mum parked.

“That’s my mum there. I’ll see you later.”

“Yep. Catch you later.” She said, making her way over to a car. You forgot Americans could drive so young here. You thought about asking your mum, but you already hear her response.

‘For no love or money are you taking driving lessons.’

As you walked over, you heard feet hitting the pavement behind you, turning around to see Christian coming over to you.

“Didn’t think you’d be able to do that now.” He said, walking beside you, as if you were going in the same direction.

“I’m full of surprises.” You countered. You looked over, and seen your mum smiling to herself in the car. She was going to bring this up at dinner. Ugh.

You stopped walking, and Christian kept walking. Realising, he walked backwards to stand beside you, Making you laugh.

“Offers still open if you wanna be one of those girls in my car.” He said.

“Go tell my mum that. I’m sure she’d love to hear how quickly i’m making friends.”

He looked over, and seen your mum in the car. Flashing her a grin, he waved at her, and she waved back. Your mum was definitely going to call him ‘polite’ and say ‘if he’s your boyfriend, i won’t be mad.’

“I’ll leave that till at least the second date.” He smirked. God, he was confident.

“You can’t even get my number. Never mind get a date. Never mind bloody two dates!” You exclaimed, making him laugh.

“Hm, well i’m confident that me and you will be pretty close soon.” He prompted.

“Uh huh.” You replied.

You stood in silence for a few seconds, and them seconds felt like hours. Week. Months. Years.

“Bad time to ask for your number then?”

“Very bad time.”

“Well, I love a challenge.” He replied, clapping his hands together.

“See you tomorrow then Y/N. Be up bright and early for history.”

“Right Christian. See you later.” He gave you a final grin, and walked away. Giving your mum another wave.

Walking over to the car, you opened the door and looked straight ahead.

“He seems like a polite boy.” You knew she’d say that.

“Yeah he’s nice enough.”

“It’s fine if he’s your boyfriend.” And you knew he’d say that.

“He’s not my boyfriend.”

“Righto.” She said, before driving off.

You think you’re falling for Christin Pulisic.

Eehh! This is definitely going to be a part 2. Wait till you see what i’ve got planned…🤭 Thanks for reading! :)

#footballer imagine #christian pulisic fic #christian pulisic x you #christian pulisic x reader #christian pulisic fluff #christian pulisic imagine #christian pulisic #footballer x you #football imagine

[piosplayhouse]

WRT BingBing being bi, I kind of get what anon means? Not many people know that he's canonically bisexual, but there is a certain degree of dislike for M/M partnerships where one character has had successful and ostensibly happy/fulfilling ''heterosexual'' relationships. I think it falls into the fandom flanderizing issue, because you have to make a subjective judgement on how valid you think those marriages were. It's far easier to have an objectively gay Wangji or exclusively into one man San Lang, because it protects newer fans from having to defend their headcanons on their actual merits. Nowdays all I see instead is the ''If you ship X it's because you fetishize Y!" crowd, and BingQiu is designed not to appeal to them by virtue of... literally being a takedown of those kind of controlling and ever-hungry fans.

Again a rlly interesting idea, posting for my followers to chew on.

I can definitely see your perspective, and to add onto it personally, I think where a lot of this sort of vagueness falls in is, as usual, all Shen Yuan's (comphet's) fault lol. I think the automatic correction from sqq's very obviously wrong "he was straight, but I turned him gay" yaoi ass concept of binghe's sexuality is "well binghe was gay all along and just into women because of comphet/word of God". I think it's very fair to incorporate this comphet element since sqq, being how he is, is pretty heavy on it, and because a lot of svsss fans resonate with that. I'm not trying to take that away from anyone, so I don't want anyone to think that when I'm referring to Binghe as canonically bisexual I'm at all discounting the perspectives of people who relate to feeling unfulfilled in relationships before realizing their sexuality or whatnot. However, I do personally think that it helps to distinguish sqq's view of sexuality from the rest of pidw and airplane's. Binghe wasn't really born into an environment that had strong societal comphet, unlike sqq. As we learn from Sha Hualing in the airplane extra, demons don't really care about sexuality or even an understanding of what "straight" means. From this, we can kind of assume that Bing-ge is marrying women by choice (of course you can bring in the argument that it was the meta hand of the audience forcing airplane to force him to marry women, but functionally within the story, yeah he's marrying a bunch of girls So) and accent that by noting how Bing-ge has had a history of being abused by men and comforted by women, meaning that even if he did find men attractive, he probably wouldn't trust them the way he does women. Ultimately I do think Binghe as a character is functionally bisexual, and that his unhappy straight marriages were as valid as any other heterosexual boomer marriage where it was happy and lovey dovey at first but then starts souring until the husband is referring to his wife as his ball and chain or some shit.

#lbh #luo binghe #svsss meta #svsss #long posts #long post