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#i know a shitty pr statement when i see it
daarka · 1 year
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For those late to the party who want to know what the hell is going on with #OpenDnD, #StoptheSub, #DnDBegone etc, and why everyone is cancelling DnDBeyond subscriptions, I tried to do a crash course as succinctly as possible. OpenDnD.Games is a great resource for more in-depth details, and if you wish to do so, you can cancel your DnDBeyond subscription through this direct link (as there have been many reporting trouble in locating where to do so). Edit: Tweaked the very first detail below, as someone reminded me it was not a wholly accurate statement as I had initially written it. Apologies to everyone who already reblogged the first version of this :')
Hasbro acquired Wizards of the Coast (WotC) some time ago, but recently they got new leadership who said in an interview that they see D&D as "under-monetized". Hasbro is on the decline with finances, and WotC is its biggest cash cow. Why milk that cash cow through producing more content when you can instead revoke a legally irrevocable license that makes it impossible for 3rd party content creators to exist?
America loves a good monopoly. The old license that permitted the community to grow to what it is today was OGL1.0a, and without it, D&D would not be what it is right now, nor even close. They tried to shift to OGL1.1, a new license that is, in a word, PREDATORY. Horrific, nasty shit.
OGL1.1 was quietly sent to large creators to sign. It then got leaked. The community erupted. The backlash was loud and unanimous. WotC was radio silent for like two weeks. They finally gave a single-sentence "we'll explain soon" tweet on DnDBeyond's account. Then more silence.
A WotC employee reached out to large creators to blow the whistle on WotC. The source was verified, and they shared that WotC sees the community as an obstacle between them and their money, all they care about is bottom line, and they're delaying in hopes we forget and move on.
And also that they are mainly looking at DnDBeyond subscription cancelations to gauge the financial impact; they don't care about our sentiments, only our money. So everyone erupted into signal boosting for others to unsubscribe as the single and best way to make ourselves heard. Cue the mass unsubscribing.
Today (January 13th 2023), a shitty PR piece was posted on DnDBeyond full of blatant lies and, in my opinion, barely-contained saltiness. Right before that, though, OGL2.0 leaks came out; the tweaks they'd begrudgingly made following the backlash. 2.0 is basically just as bad as 1.1; they just spoke of it as being more changed than it was.
In other words, they keep bold-faced lying to a community of rules-lawyers who recreationally read fine print :)
Meanwhile, Paizo (creators of Pathfinder) has come to the rescue, vowing to release a truly open license that will allow everyone to continue pursuing the livelihoods they're passionate about; this is the Open RPG Creative License, or "ORC".
Canceling subscriptions immediately sends a potent message, even if you may have to resubscribe later for functionality in your games. You'll still have the remainder of your billing cycle to enjoy paid perks.
Everything's a little on fire, but I think we'll be okay ♥️
OGL1.0a was never meant to be revocable, as loudly stated in the past couple days by the very people who authored it. It is very likely that WotC is actually just bluffing and bullying, and is actually powerless to revoke it--something many lawyers more knowledgeable than myself seem to be suggesting. In which case, it is my greatest hope in all of this that 3rd party creators are able to continue doing what they love, with no further interruptions.
Remember: the majority of WotC and DnDBeyond employees feel the exact same way we do, but they don't have a choice. Hasbro is the enemy here. Be kind to each other, and know where blame should and should not be placed. If you want to stay up to speed, the account of @.DnD_Shorts seems to be a very active and informed voice, largely responsible for sharing the first leak. If Twitter makes you want to puke, I completely understand; DnD_Shorts also has a YouTube channel with frequent updates on the situation posted in video format.
It's cathartic to me to try to signal boost this stuff, and provide summaries that might help others stay informed. It helps me feel like I'm somehow able to affect these nasty things that are otherwise just inflicted onto lil guys in the community like myself.
However, this has been beyond exhausting and stressful. I'm going to start untangling myself and stepping back from posting about this issue so I can hopefully restore some of my own sanity.
It's been really crazy--in a good way--to see the power this community has when rallied together under a common threat. It makes me proud to be in that community.
At the end of the day, all TTRPGs are really just exercises in creativity and fun. The golden rule has always been and should always be that there is no right or wrong way to play, other than what suits you and those you play with. Likewise, no one should ever feel guilty or judged by others for playing one system over another. It's okay to like D&D5e despite all this. No matter how much they've tried, Wizards of the Coast cannot claim jurisdiction over the invaluable memories you've made, and what has become a creative outlet for countless people. Myself included.
Boycotting is a great way to be heard, since they only care about money. But continuing to use the content you have to play D&D5e is your prerogative, and hurts no one. Furthermore, it's also okay if you can't cancel your DnDBeyond subscription because you rely on it too heavily for your games. That doesn't make you a traitor. That doesn't estrange you from the community. DnDBeyond, at its core, is a great tool that is popular for a reason; it's the new leadership that is forcing it to become something it wasn't meant to be. One day, I hope to be able to resubscribe in good conscious, and I hope that day is soon.
To reiterate, if anyone's even read down this far... be kind to one another. Keep in mind that big enemies win when the party is divided. You can love or hate anything you want in the TTRPG sphere, but how you feel about it does not invalidate someone else feeling the opposite.
Be kind. Be patient. Be empathetic. We're already coming out on top.
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thesoftestpunk · 1 year
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Co- Aquatainenceship 9
Summary: You’re just two ex-assassins trying to navigate your way through normalcy, but you’re also huge idiots. In an attempt at getting Bucky out of his shell, you offer to catch him up on everything he’s missed. Including trashy YA novels.
Pairing: cw!Bucky Barnes x female!Reader
Word count: 6.4k
A/N: I have been struggling so hard to write lately :(( quick shoutout to @sanguineterrain for helping me find the end to the chap but also the courage to get it done!!
Warnings: angst, talk about depression, fluff, injuries, blood, and stitches. can't forget smoking
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So you don’t talk about it. It being your feelings, but you didn’t want to when he was out of town for the next week, doing a multitude of interviews with Tony and Natasha. Pepper had come up with a simple PR plan to roll out the new phase of the Avengers, and it included Bucky. They wanted to show people he was harmless, but you’re not sure putting him on live television was such a good idea. He glared down at every camera, and intimidated every interviewer despite their best efforts at making him look less intimidating. You tease him relentlessly when his days are over, but he begs you to stop watching them. You give in after day three when you keep hearing the same handful of answers. 
With your time off, you almost don’t know what to do. You try filling every moment that you’re awake because if you think, you spiral. So you run, smoke a whole pack a day, and sometimes box. 
On one of your slower days, you wander up to the roof. Not many people go up there, and Tony hates it when they do, but there’s two shitty plastic lawn chairs to gaze up at the stars. Everything feels unsettled and shifted, but just looking up and zoning out helped. 
“I thought you quit years ago.” Steve moves the spare chair next to yours and it groans under his weight. 
“No need to keep the clueless act, Stevie.” You stub the cigarette out anyway, knowing the smell still puts him off. Bucky had told you his anxieties only came from when he was a small kid with asthma before the serum. “Bucky let the cat out of the bag months ago.”
“Well, I’m surprised it never occurred to you sooner.”
“Just wanted to tell myself you didn’t notice I guess. I know how you feel about them.”
Steve stays quiet as he leans back, the chair creaking so loud you’re sure it’s going to break.
“How are you doing? Really. You never liked time off before.”
“No, I know. You were right. I needed it.” You sigh. “Everything feels kinda fucked. I’ve never really felt… lost. There was always an end goal somewhere. How did you always know that you were doing the right thing?”
“I didn’t.” He says honestly. You know it by the haunted look in his eyes. “But it always felt right. Sometimes things just don’t turn out, no matter how well you stick to the plan.”
“Right.” You look down to the gravel, still feeling a little small. Even when admitting he wasn’t always right, Steve felt so perfect to you. The great American hero, but in your eyes, the altruistic big brother. “Never did say sorry for the kid dying, did I?”
“No, y/n. You didn’t—“
“I’m not-“ you interrupt then sigh, trying to gather your words. Steve’s patient, watching you without judgment. “I’m not saying sorry for getting him killed. I already did that, but I’m just saying. He was on our team. I’m just sorry we lost someone on our team.”
“You lose people sometimes.”
“Still sucks though.”
“It does.”
It’s quiet as you both look up to watch the stars and the occasional plane fly by. You liked these little moments with him. He always knew how to lift your spirits, just the slightest bit, even if you were the one venting most of the time. You’re sure he’s just happy to see you not locked up in your room for days on end. 
“I think I might need more time?” It comes out more as a question than a statement, feeling a sudden rush of tears. 
“I’ll let Tony know.” He almost goes into work mode until he looks over at you looking a little crushed. “Come on. Sam’s back from his sisters and I know you love her cooking. Maybe Bruce will show you some of his new gadgets too.” 
He leads you back to the roof door, holding it open for you. It’s almost too quiet in the elevator and you’ve honestly been dying to ask.
“So…” you start, turning to him with a sly grin. “Do I get to know her name?”
“Who?”
“The girl you’ve been seeing, Steve.” You roll your eyes. “You had a red kiss stain on your cheek all of Monday afternoon.” 
His face turns as red as the lipstick that had been stuck to him and you almost double over in laughter. 
“Buck is only gone for one more day, you know.”
Your laughter stops. “What’s that got to do with anything?”
“If I recall correctly, you smelled a lot like Bucky's cologne when you came back Monday.”
“Can we rewind and I make fun of you for saying gadgets instead?”
You wait outside Bucky's building, bouncing anxiously as you hope you timed his departure from the compound correctly. Some passerby give you looks as you hang out on the edge of the curb, leaning casually against the car beside you. The roar of a motorcycle makes you perk up, turning just in time to catch him pulling up and killing the engine. You stay in your spot, two cars away as he removes his helmet and goes for his things. Not before acknowledging your presence of course. His hair has been trimmed since you’ve last seen him in person and his face is completely smooth. It makes him look less intimidating upon first glance, and you know for a fact the pepper made him do it. He had looked even less intimidating on tv, being dressed in lighter colored clothing, opposite of the black clothes he wears now.
“Steve said you weren’t around.” Bucky says when he’s standing in front of you, looking as antsy as you probably do. 
“I was a little busy with this.” You gesture to the old and pale colored jeep wrangler behind you. “Ta-da!”
“It’s a jeep.” He states simply. 
“Well. Yeah, but it’s my Jeep. That I drove alone.” 
“Wait, you…” realization dawns on him and you quickly pull out the temporary paper one the dmv gave you. 
“You’re looking at the new owner of a driver's license!” You barely show it off before he’s pulling you into a hug, spinning you around. He sets you down, hands lingering on your hips as you let out remnants of laughter. 
“Everyone better watch out with that lead foot of yours, doll.”
You give his shoulder a good punch, which only makes him laugh. There’s a moment where you watch his eyes fall to your lips before coming back up to your eyes. Home always looked good on him, the bags under his eyes lessening from the inconsistent sleep. He just always looked happy to be in Brooklyn, that boyishness returning full force. He's taking a step back and picking up his bags that he dropped in excitement and invites you in with a nod toward his building. 
“You could have let yourself in.” He says when you’re alone in the elevator.
“I don’t need your neighbors thinking I’m some crazy ex or something trying to break in.”
“Sounds like you need a key then.”
You hope you keep your cool, but by the smug look on his face, your shock is obvious. 
“Beer?” Bucky offers, setting his bags down by the couch to be forgotten until later. 
“Yes please.”
“We can sit out on the fire escape if you want a smoke.” He had noticed when your anxious energy hadn’t dissipated. “Go ahead. I’ll grab a few.” 
You climb outside, taking a seat on one of the stools he’d placed there when you found yourselves there more often than on his couch. Your leg bounces because you’re going to tell him damn it. Avoiding the conversation is only going to make things worse. It already has if your fight was anything to go off of. His tags sit heavy on your chest, and you toy with them while he moves around his kitchen. He’d heard them clinking together when you walked, but he wasn’t going to bring it up until you did. He didn’t really have any real need for them, and he gave them to you for a reason. A promise. That didn’t have to end every time he came home. Plus, he imagined the simple chain looked great on you, and he can’t find it in himself to scold his brain for thinking of your chest. Not even naked. God, he’s become a simp. Even though he’s still not completely sure what that means.
His footsteps have you hiding the tags back underneath the collar of your shirt.
“Careful,” he warns when the bottle almost slips through your nervous hand. Grabbing your favorite pack of cigarettes from the window sill, he taps it against his palm a few times before slipping one out, lighting it and offering it to you. 
“I’m quitting,” you blurt out. 
“Oh.” He isn’t sure what to say as he rolls the cigarette between his fingertips, unsure of what to do with it now. “Steve get to you finally?”
“Not- I mean I do feel a little guilty now that I know he knows but, no. I’m not quitting smoking. I’m quitting the team, Buck. It’s why I got my license, a car.”
It’s quiet for a long time, and you avoid looking at him in fear of seeing the possible rejection on his face. Eventually, you take the cigarette he keeps playing with instead of smoking, and take in a long breath as he thinks to himself. You wait with baited breath, and when he looks at you calmly, you blow it out quickly. 
“Where are you gonna go?” There’s concern hidden underneath the curiosity, but you’re able to decipher it from his tone. 
“Not sure.” You shake your head as you offer it back, letting him take a drag as you steal a sip of beer. “They’re kind enough to scout a few places. Make sure it’s safe.”
“And what will you do?”
Turning your head, you smile softly as you shake your head once more. “I never really thought about that. What did you do in your time in Romania?” 
No one’s asked him that out of genuine curiosity before. It was always accusatory or for the record. He’s taken by surprise, in all honesty. 
“Whatever odd jobs I could find. Nothing with official paperwork.”
“Of course.” You respond softly, understanding it would have created problems. “Well, my offer still stands,” you tease a bit as you reach for your own beer. “I think it’d be fun to be roomies.”
“I can’t, sweets.” He looks to his lap dejectedly.
“No, I- I understand.” You try to not show the hurt despite not being fully serious about the offer. “Your home is in Brooklyn. It’ll probably be closer to Steve and Sam… and I was totally kidding.”
“I mean, I can’t. They want me for at least another year.”
“What? Who exactly is ‘they?’ Tony? Fury?”
“Don’t make a fuss,” he pleads. I’m not sure I’m worth all this, Steve. 
“Why not?”
“Gotta pay my dues. It came with my parole.” 
You stand, clenching your jaw as you move to lean over the railing. There’s a heavy sigh from behind you and the old fire escape creaks when he moves next to you. 
“It’s not just about me having to work for them, is it?” He’s quiet, cautious. 
“Who’s gonna look after you when I’m gone?”
“when it’s not you, it’s Steve.”
“Steve doesn’t make a fuss like I do.”
“Well, you both know how to make yourselves heard.” It makes your mouth twitch but you work hard to keep frowning. “I’ll be fine. I can take care of myself.”
“It’s nice to have help though.”
“It is.” He smiles. “But you’ll visit and when you do, you can help me with normal things. Like when the damn tv misbehaves.”
“You need to be nicer to it or you’re buying another one.”
He chuckles softly, plucking the cigarette from between your fingers. As he takes a drag, you see the frown and stress line between his eyebrows. Tilting your head, you wait for it to dissipate along with the smoke, but it never does.
“What? Worried about me? I’ll be fine, Buck.”
He flicks the excess ash off with his thumb, watching some of it fall on his boot. “Your mother reached out to me. I guess Emily seeing me on tv sent her into a frenzy, but she said she wants to look for you again.”
“What did you say?” You wrap your arms around yourself, a nervous habit. It isn’t his fault she reached out, so you keep your anxiety from turning into anger. 
“That Avengers don’t really take missing persons cases.” There’s an obvious pause, you realize, as he sticks the cigarette between his teeth to run his hands through his hair anxiously. “But that I would reach out to some of my contacts. That being… you.”
“I’m scared shitless.” You take the cigarette right from his mouth. At this point, you aren’t sure why you share when you both just end up stealing it from one another. 
“I know that.” He leans against the railing, crossing his arms over his chest. You’re not sure if the railing or his shirt can handle the pressure. “It just got me thinking, if you’re getting out, it’s a good time to let them know. You don’t have to worry about anyone going after them. Worry about running into them either.”
“I think I’ll always worry.”
“I’ll go with you if you don’t think you can do it alone.”
“You would?” It surprises you. “You always said you didn’t want to go with me to meet them. That you’d rather lose another arm.”
“I never-“ he sighs, defeated, realizing he may have said it once facetiously. “I was being a coward. Couldn’t do it for my sister, so how could I do it for you?”
“Your sister was alive?” 
“Passed before we became friends.”
“Buck…” 
“Look, it’s not about me, sweets.” He pulls you in, wrapping his arms around your waist. Your chest presses against him and you’re sure he can feel your heart racing. “You want me there?”
“Yes.” You wrap your arms around his torso, squeezing him into a tight hug. “What would I do without you?”
“Crash and burn evidently.” 
You pinch his ribs, making him yelp in surprise.
You let Bucky reach out to your mom, too afraid to do it yourself. She answers almost instantly and then you’re met with the fact that you actually have to set up a time to meet. You’re too overwhelmed so you let her pick, and when the day finally arrives, you think you’re going to be sick. 
“We aren’t taking your bike?” You practically pout when you meet with Bucky at his place to go meet your parents. 
“We can if you really want, but I was afraid Emily would want a ride and I’m not putting your mother through that kind of stress.” 
“Oh, you make a good point.” The nerves come through in your tight laugh. 
“Is that okay?” 
“Yes!” You answer all too quickly. “Yes. It’s just… it's been awhile since I’ve done the whole train thing.” It’s only a half lie on why you were acting so nervous, but you don’t have to explain for him to know.
“I’ll be close by.” Bucky holds his arm out for you to loop yours through and leads you to the subway. 
It’s jam packed for the middle of the day, but Bucky takes care of the passes, what platform you need to be at and when. Anything to prevent you from getting any more stressed than you already are. On the train, you’re pressed into Bucky, your back meeting his front. When the train moves and you bump further into him, unable to get a hold of anything in time, he just reaches around to hold you in place. 
“I got ya,” he whispers into your neck, making your stomach flip over. 
You burrow further into him, arm resting over his, and pretend to hide into him. It just was hard being in the same city you were taken, on a train no less on your way to school, but you knew how to blend in with ease. You know even better that kirsch could never take you again, assured many times by Steve that you had gone through with that plan, and he was buried alone. You could always use your anxiety to your advantage to get lost in a crowd, but Bucky keeps you in place easily. Ignoring your obvious nail biting, a curse to yourself as you loved Natasha’s flawless natural nails, he only swats at your hand once.
When you get off the train and head above ground, Bucky gets distracted by a floral stand along the way. Despite your eye rolling, you’re endeared by his insistence of getting flowers any time he meets a girl's mother. You think you might get down on one knee when he gets a single rose for your little sister. Your palms begin to sweat when you enter the park you agreed to meet at and when you see your mom and dad sitting on a bench watching your sister, you stop.
“Oh,” you breathe out, feeling like all the air has escaped your lungs. 
“You okay?” Bucky brings a hand to your lower back, worried by the look on your face. 
“Yeah I just- it’s really happening.” You turn to look at him, eyes wide and brows furrowed with worry. “Just scared… give me one second to take it all in.”
“Take all the time you need, sweets.” 
“Maybe we should’ve rethought the flowers.” You turn to him quickly, too afraid to be the one to catch your parents attention first. “Or the whole thing.”
“Y/N—“
“My mother is a florist for christ's sake,” you try to argue. “The carnations were a terrible idea. Why’d I let you get away with that?”
“I’m not sure that matters at this point.” 
Turning, you see your mother, and then consequently your father, both watching you in happy shock.
“Oh, my baby.” You hear your mom's voice crack as she stands from the bench, just as afraid as you are to move any closer. You do when she takes a tentative step forward, hand pressed against her own chest. Nearly running, you collide into the both of them, arms wrapping around them desperately as they cling on to you just as tight. 
“Hi,” is all you can muster against your mom's shoulder.
“You’ve- well you’ve grown!” She lets out a wet laugh as she takes you in, almost in disbelief at what she was seeing. 
“It’s been, um, awhile.” You try to blink the tears away. Glancing behind you, Bucky stands where you left him. You wave him over subtly, not fully prepared to be on your own. “Mom, you’ve met Bucky.”
“Yes! Mr. Barnes,” she holds out a hand which he takes before offering the flowers. 
“Mr. Bucky! Mr. Bucky!” Emily comes bounding up to all of you, ponytail bouncing. “You did it? You found her?”
“He did.” You kneel down to get to her level. “You must be Emily.”
She looks up at you in awe, and it’s a little shy, but she hugs you to cover it up. Bucky gives you the single rose to give her, and she jumps in excitement. The questions begin, and Bucky is quick to pick up on your nervous glances to your little sister. You had promised full transparency, but you wanted to filter what the little five year old got to hear. He offers to take her on a quick walk, which your dad seems hesitant about, but you reassure him quickly. Then you’re all sitting and they look at you too expectantly. It’s hard at first, telling them how scared you were and what all you went through, and maybe you lighten up a few details. The tears in their eyes never go away, and when you explain what Steve and the rest of the team did for you, your mother looks relieved. 
“Sorry, but why now?” Your father asks innocently. 
“What do you mean?”
“You said that man, Kirsch, died six years ago, right? How come you didn’t reach out sooner?”
You look away, unsure at first, but then you see Bucky holding your little sister's hand, and laughing at some story she’s expertly telling. The answer is almost entirely her. They got another girl, and they didn’t have to worry about you any more, but in all honesty, when Tony found your parents' information, Emily didn’t exist at all. Your parents were still in grief and in denial. You aren’t sure what changed. Maybe it was the fact that Emily just happened to be a surprise, and they figured they could try again. Without you. So you had agreed to join the team instead of facing rejection or disappointment.
“I dunno,” your voice is small as you look at your hands. “I- I was an assassin. Didn’t think there was much redemption in that.”
“Oh, sweetheart…” 
“Look, I know that you’re my parents and you’ll love me no matter what, but you said that when I was a kid. I stopped being that kid the day I got taken and I’ve killed people. it just- the idea of you being disappointed just made me too scared.” 
Neither of them try to give you any platitudes. Instead, they hug you tight, and let you cry. No one tries to carry the blame over anyone else. You’ve all somehow come to that silent agreement. They just end up doing exactly what you need, love you. 
“Em sure is a firecracker.” You comment once the tears are over and she’s begged Bucky to let her hang from his prosthetic arm just ‘one more time!’ 
“Wonder where she gets that from,” your father teases, side-eyeing you. “I should probably relieve your friend there.” 
“Friend, hm?” Your mother nudges your shoulder when your dad is far enough away. 
“Okay,” you roll your eyes. “Yes. Bucky is a friend.”
“A friend who brought your mother flowers.”
“He’s old fashioned.” 
Your mother hums, not quite believing you, and drops it. But when he gives you a smile over his shoulder, you seem unable to.
“He’s… complicated.” Your shoulders and smile drop when his attention is taken away. “We both sort of are. I’m not sure it’ll go anywhere.”
“How come?”
“I’m quitting the whole avenging thing. Moving somewhere else. Close enough to see you guys of course, but…”
“Far enough to make it complicated with him?” 
“It’s all a bit complicated.” You sigh. 
“Let life settle down again. It’ll surprise you.” 
After you all grab a quick bite to eat, you part ways, accepting too many stickers from your little sister on the way. On the train back, you’re both able to sit, and you recall the way your parents had looked exactly the same, just a little older. You have to retrace their faces from old memories to remember the way they look now. 
“You’re staring.” You tell Bucky on the third stop.
“Just… observing.” You give him a pointed look at his response you gave him too many times. “I’m proud of you for doing that.”
“Oh my god,” you balk. “Do not make me cry on this train!” 
“I’m serious!” 
“I know, but I swear to god, if I cry one more time today…” you leave the empty threat out in the open, face softening at his sincerity. “Thank you.”
“So, when is your last mission?” He changes the subject to work quickly. 
“My last mission was my last one.” 
“Oh, so you’re just done now?” He almost seems disappointed by that. 
“Well, Steve’s putting me on desk duty until I decide what to do. Where to go. Thinking I might actually get some sort of degree.”
“Don’t you have enough credits for at least three?”
You roll your eyes. “Yeah, well, apparently they’re begging Tony to make me decide. I’ll have to take a few extra to, you know, finish it out, but I dunno. Maybe linguistics since I have the most credits for that, but what actual paying job can I get with that?”
“You’ll figure it out. You’ve got time.”
“Doesn’t feel like it.” You pout and play with the zipper of his leather jacket. “So. Your sister.” Bucky sighs because he knew you wouldn’t be able to drop it, but he isn’t annoyed. “Was she the same one from the photo of you dancing?” 
“Yes, Rebecca.” 
“It’s okay you couldn’t go see her.” You’re cautious, watching his posture and facial expressions closely. “I wish you could have, though.”
“I was still recovering.” They hadn’t even given him his new arm, yet. “I’m not sure they would’ve even entertained the idea, and I know that just makes you mad, but…”
“No, I get it.” You rest your head on his shoulder, feeling the warmth even through the layers. “I was on a short leash too. Still haven’t decided if it was good or not, but they unfortunately had a very good point.” 
“You’re still a flight risk sometimes,” he teases. 
“I think I’ve found my reason to stay.” 
Laying your head on his shoulder, you let the noise of the subway take over between you. 
Tapping your pen against your desk, you try to not let your head drop from boredom. Steve was right in saying you were never good with time off, but you didn’t realize desk work would be ten times worse. You yearn to text your fellow teammates about any and all updates on their respective missions, begging for the nitty gritty details. You’ll even take having to hear about a black eye adorning Bucky’s face for the sake of your brain not rotting, but they give you nothing. Everything seems to go perfect, and you’re left bitterly tapping your pen as you stare at numbers. It’s been three weeks of this. You had even bought matching pants and blazers in excitement. The initial giddiness in a change of pace had worn off quickly, and you became a part of the corporate drones you had heard so much about from your endless journey of media deep dives. You honestly consider starting a fight. Drama. Something. 
A knock on your cubicle brings you out of your wallowing. Bucky, a beautiful reprieve, stands with a takeout bag in hand. 
“What’s this?” You eye him warily, but smile at the interruption. 
“Heard the fridge busted and you lost your lunch for the day.” He has this knowing look, like he had heard your grumbled curses and banging a fist on the fridge door that morning. It wasn’t your proudest moment. “Have you taken your break yet?” 
“No.” Your grin grows bigger, the thought of getting Bucky for an entire hour uninterrupted making your skin crawl with anticipation. “Is that what I think it is?”
“Take your break with me and you’ll find out, doll.” 
You find a bench outside, looking out to the large field, and he unpacks the food for you. You’re giddy as he hands the take out bowl of dim sum. The sun feels warm on your skin, and you’re just relieved to get out of the dreary office.
“Are you sleeping okay?” Bucky looks over your face once more, but you’ve covered the heavy bags underneath your eyes with makeup. A skill you’ve learned over the years to hide any injuries if necessary for work.
“Is this a friendly lunch or an interrogation?” Your voice is light, almost teasing to hide the nervous pain you feel from the question. If his intention hadn’t been because you couldn’t take your lunch, it would almost feel like a betrayal. 
“Friendly.” His frown deepens, insulted by your insinuation. “I want to know you’re okay. You’ve been… small.”
“Small?” A soft laugh escapes at that. 
“You’re usually so present and there, but these past few weeks,” he looks down and shakes his head. “I can see your mind wandering, and you’re not here much anymore. Just don’t want to see you that bad again.”
“Well, I’ve been leaving my room.” Your hands find something to fidget with, and you’re hesitant to look at him.
“Sweets,” he sets down his bowl and takes your nervous hands. Looking him in the eye, you can see a million words processing in his mind as he searches in your eyes. “I can help. If you want it or need it.”
“Buck,” you roll your eyes, unable to keep this conversation serious. “You help me just fine.”
“You swear?” He looks for your tells, but comes up empty. He looks so scared and you can’t seem to understand why. Why would someone worry so much about you? “No night terrors? Anything?”
“There’s… been a few nightmares, but look,” you wave off his worry, letting one of your hands escape. He refuses to let the other one go, slotting your fingers together in urgency. “I’m getting out of bed and going to a mind numbing job everyday. That’s good, right? I normally just… wallow in self pity. I’m not great, but I’m good, Buck. No need to stress.”
“Y/N, I…” he hesitates, watching the microexpressions in your face change at the use of your name. No cute terms of endearment. You soften so much, he stops himself from telling you outright that he loves you. Because he can see the tiredness in your eyes despite your expert makeup skills, and he tells himself to wait just a little longer. It isn’t the right time, and he doesn’t want to overwhelm you any more than you already are. “I’m glad you’re okay.” 
“Nat wants to take me out for drinks tonight. As an unofficial goodbye party. Why don’t you come?” You want to prove to him that you’re doing fine, even though you would much rather get in bed early with a book. 
“Can’t.” He looks sheepish as he picks his lunch back up. “Doing some recon later.” 
“Well, I appreciate this, thank you.”
The sharp sound of knocking interrupts you from getting ready, hair halfway pulled back as you were about to fix your makeup. You’re afraid it’s Nat, as you get up to open the door, having shown up early. Bucky leans heavily against the doorframe. He’s beat up pretty good, bottom lip busted and scattered bruises littering his face. There’s dirt on his tac gear that he still has on, but most of all he looks tired. 
“I didn’t know you were back so soon.” 
“Finished early,” he grumbles out. Taking note of his leaning, your eyes fall down his arm, and you see blood on his hand that presses into his side. 
“Jesus, buck!” Without a second thought, you pull him into your room. Both of you stumble over his weight as he leans against you heavily. 
“‘M fine,” he mumbles as you drop him a bit unceremoniously onto the love seat in front of the window. 
“I- we…” Normally you’re more level headed than this, but you usually have the time to get in the proper head space before missions. A surprise visit covered in blood was going to give you some panic. “I need to go get help.” 
Just before you can walk away, Bucky’s free hand grabs your wrist. “They taught you how to stitch someone up, didn’t they?” 
“Yes, but this requires a trip to the infirmary. Not my bedroom.” You gesture vaguely to his still bleeding wound. 
“I’m not going to the infirmary.” he says firmly, the grip he has on your wrist tightening slightly.
“You are bleeding on my couch.” You can see where it just starts to soak into the material. That stain will never come out, you know it. 
“I don’t need it to be perfect. Just something to get me by for the next few days.” It wasn’t going to take long to heal, but that didn’t mean they could just leave it be and hope for the best. “Come on, before someone overhears.” 
Rolling your eyes with a dramatic huff, you pull your wrist from his grasp to go close the door. Not before poking your head out into the hallway, looking for any signs of life. When you know you’re in the clear, you close her door, and head straight for the bathroom. While shuffling in the cabinet underneath the sink for the kit you swear you own, you raise your voice slightly to speak to him. 
“We need to stop the bleeding before I can do anything.” You almost shout in victory when you spot the red box, and grab a few towels. “First we’ll need to get your shirt off.” 
As he struggles out of his layers, you drag your nightstand closer to lay out all of the items as neatly as you can. Taking one of the hand towels, you have him hold it firmly in place so you can go scrub your hands clean. It’s nearly soaked through by the time you find a comfortable position to work in. 
“Let me see?” You ask softly. 
Your hands hover over his as he peels the towel back with a tiny wince. It wasn’t as much as you’d like but you could work with it. Using the same towel, you hold it under the wound, pouring disinfectant over it and then patting it dry. He tries to not hiss in pain the entire time, jaw clenched tight. While you turn to get the needle and thread ready, he slings his arm over the back of the couch to grant you easy access. 
“What were you thinking?” You ask quietly, the needle going through his skin easily. 
“Yippee, I’m a hero,” Bucky deadpans. 
“You seem to have forgotten I’m the one stitching you up. Should I check for a concussion too? Maybe terminal dumbass disorder while we’re at it.”
“What do you want me to say?” He flinches when you stab him harshly out of anger. 
“I don’t like you going on solo missions.” Shaking your head softly, you keep focus on the task at hand rather than his reaction to that. “You should have asked me to come along. I was probably the only one who didn’t have anything going on.” 
“You said you had the night off.” 
You hum softly, not impressed with his lame excuse. “Well, now I get to end it by cleaning a stain that might never come out.” 
“Shit,” he mutters, not having realized the blood reached the cushions. Without thinking, he moves to check the damage.
“Hey, hey, whoa!” Your hand falls onto his stomach to steady him, nearly having pierced his skin in the wrong place. “Easy, hotshot. I’m not quite finished yet.” 
Your hand glides over his skin before returning back to where it had been previously.
“Got blood on your dress too.” Bucky mumbles, taking the fabric between the fingertips of his free hand. 
“It’s okay, I-“ you laugh softly, bashful as his skin grazes against your legs. “I didn’t really want to go.”
“How come?” 
“I dunno. Maybe Nat would say I’m looking for a reason to back out, but I’d rather be here with you. Bloody or not.” 
There’s a thick silence as his hand falls on your thigh, squeezing in surprise by the admission. You scoff, returning to your needlework so you don’t get embarrassed by looking him in the eye.
“God, that sounded corny. I just- well, it’s true. I don’t wanna go to a bar full of strangers where some guy is probably going to hit on me or insult me by accident. Probably wouldn’t put up with me torturing him with candy or cheesy movies that physically make you cringe. Don’t think I haven’t noticed. I want a guy who’s gonna dance with me because he knows I never have. If… if that makes sense.”
It’s a full admission, he’s beginning to realize. It’s him. You want him. Even though you can’t make yourself say the words, he still knows you mean it. Because you wouldn’t be shaking otherwise. You had the steadiness of a sharpshooter, and the only time you faltered was when feelings got involved. You’re so close, it doesn’t take much movement for his lips to capture yours, causing you to freeze and almost drop the needle. His hand slides up your thigh, sneaking underneath the skirt of your dress because he needs to feel your warmth. To know that he’s actually kissing the woman of his dreams. 
“Hey,” you whisper against his lips, laughter bubbling in your throat. Pulling back, you see the slight fear in his eyes. “I should finish this up before we… do whatever, don’t you think?”
“I’ll be fine.” He leans back in, but frowns when a hand on his chest stops him. Albeit a little dramatically, he throws his head back on the couch and lets your gentle hands continue working. It’s silent for a while, and while you’re tying the knot to finish, he speaks again. “I think you should stay.”
“Buck,” your shoulders drop at that, and set the tools down. “I can’t. They’ve already found a place for me. I’m supposed to be getting a fresh start. I mean… how are we supposed to do this? Won’t it just be–”
“Complicated?”
Your face burns in embarrassment. “You heard that?”
“Doll,” he shakes his head, not wanting you to worry about that, and holds your cheek in his flesh hand, thumb tracing a circle along your jaw. “It’s now or never. I already thought I would lose you when you leave.”
“Of course you won’t!”
“You’ve got everyone here. Wasn’t I your reason for staying?”
“Yes, but I–” you realize you’re doing it again. You’re running away to avoid the hard feelings. The fear of rejection or worse. Loss. “Steve’s gonna be so pissed.”
“Who cares?”
Fuck.
“I’m scared.” Your voice shakes along with the hand that you bring up to the nape of his neck, and press your forehead against his. 
“That’s okay, sweets. I am too.”
“Okay.” You breathe out as you close your eyes. “Okay, I’ll stay.”
Bucky kisses you like you’re leaving, but he stays, wrapped in your arms until the exhaustion makes him sleep.
Tag list:
@buckymcbuckbarnes @enchantedbarnes @buckybarnesowl (if I mistakenly tagged you, I'm sorry. I lost my tag list and tried to figure out who asked)
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oh-my-damn · 8 months
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But it would be such a waste of all the time and effort I put into it. So I keep hoping for a much better outcome. /
So just submitting to sunken cost fallacy instead of cutting your losses?
Why does no engagement/marriage or PR make him better to you?
Because it allows for a redemption.
I initially became a fan of him because of his political views and outbursts on twitter. They resembled the ramblings I would do on my instagram while watching the election debates in 2020. I felt a kinship to him in that.
It made me look into him more. But the entire reason I did that in the first place was because of his political stance, because of his unwillingness to bend when it came to his opinions, of which I agreed with and could relate to.
If he started dating someone and realized the error of his ways, there is room for redemption. If it's PR and none of it was real, there is room for redemption.
He may not have been aware of what she had done or was like when they started dating, and I will allow that, because how well do we really know each other?
What I truly needed from him was to react to the facts once they were out there. He proved me wrong then, and if you've been following me for a while, you'll know I have spent many posts talking about how shitty of a person and how huge of a hypocrite that makes him.
If not, let me direct you to these posts to serve as examples:
But because of my melancholy heart, and despite how little I truly do care at this point, a small part of me is still holding on to the idea that the man I so looked up to for years is still in there somewhere.
I hope to god that he isn't the man we all think he is right now.
And I hope to god he decides to prove me right.
If he does the opposite, it's enough proof. But until then, I retain the right to keep hoping.
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Started out as a Taylor fan/ fan of her music (agree with your take on her as a public person) and only really discovered the band in May — and I feel really grossed out and disappointed by the way she/ her team handled the whole situation — incl. the collab that was seemingly scrapped and the launch of her new relationship. It almost seems like her publicist fucked everything up on purpose and is now endorsing this weird (PR??) spectacle/ pettiness because of some personal agenda… I was really upset when I saw that statement about Taylor enjoying this new relationship because it’s been "so easy" (when it was her own fans who made things so hard for her and Matty!!) I also agree that he/ his camp/ the band handled everything beyond gracefully— which makes me like and respect them even more.
All of this had made me really dislike Taylor/ re-confirm my opinions of her as a public figure and I don’t want to listen to her music at the moment. It’s a bit sad but it’s what it is now.
On the flip side I found my new favorite artist/ band (for life) and a really nice/ cool new fandom 🖤🖤🖤
(hope my rant was okay/ didn’t go any of your boundaries. I know it’s a sore topic..)
This is 1000000% how I feel. You took the words right out of my mouth.
I think I’ve said this before, but honestly, seeing how Matty handled this summer has only made me love him more. I mean- the media barrage just kept coming. Every time I thought it couldn’t possibly get worse? It kept getting worse, lmao. And knowing his stage persona and how he feel about art and cultural commentary, it could’ve been really easy for him to fuck himself over or get really petty with replying to everything that was being said about him. But he didn’t. Which makes it even clearer (I hope) that when he DOES respond to certain things, it’s a deliberate choice and not something that he takes lightly. Like, at the time, I kept receiving messages from people “demanding” that he apologize, speak out, blah blah. And I was thinking like “give him time. He will say what he needs to say when he feels ready/ he’s not officially on tour right now (cuz the boys were on break for? What? 6 weeks or whatever?) let’s just wait. He will respond in his own way.” But in the back of my mind I was worried. His way of dealing with it just makes me more confident going into the future that he’s infinitely more thoughtful that people think he is.
I think the discussions that we were having at the time about how this debacle would ultimately bring Matty closer to his fans and drive Taylor Swift away from hers is, to an extent, true. (Obviously not for everyone and not in the same way universally cuz different people have different relationships with the art that they consume and with pop culture etc.) I think within the 1975, at least, we have a new level of appreciation for Matty and he does for us. And that’s the best silver lining that we could’ve hoped for in this monumentally shitty situation.
Hey, listen, not to be cheesy or whatever, but as Rob Sheffield (Rolling Stone Mag. Writer) always says, the music that you need will find you when you need it. As long as the 1975 found you, you’re here now and we are thrilled to have you. I think, generally speaking, the 1975 has kinda ruined me for mainstream music by making my taste better and making me expect more out of the art that I like hahaha. It’s a weird feeling but I’m ultimately grateful for it cuz it’s also pushed me to be a better person. So, I get it. And I’m glad you’re in this fandom now!
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While i don't enjoy Army's response to what is essentially public information; I think it shows the beginning of the media and perhaps the military's dramatisation and 'use' of BTS as a media property. Sure, journalists will engage in scoops of any order but the choice of someone in the military to precarise recruits by allowing this to leak is also - troubling
I don't know i like reading your analyses but i think it suffers from a one-sided reading of 'Army' as a negative / detrimental force alone. Because at some level they are also loosely-organised and grassroots collective and the ones they call out entrenched and Elite and often capable (to a greater extent, even) of their own PR spin...
Public figures almost always become media property. It's a price to pay, as shitty as it is. I wouldn't say BTS are the only victims of this, but of course there is the chance of a heightened attention given their status. And that's the thing. When you become so big, it's a double-edged sword. Of course the main problem lies with those who actually leaked the information. But that's a given. Which is why I said the fandom shouldn't shoot the messenger in this particular case. Because to me, it looked like they channeled their anger to the wrong place this time.
And I think the way military service issue has been handled and talked about by the company and Jin has had a significant contribution to this as well. From the statements made by the COO back in spring when they had the LV concerts, to Jin calling it the Voldemort and subsequent messages on weverse. Which do nothing but rile up a fandom that is very protective. They should know better. Put out the official statement, with the idol either/and offering a letter to his fans and a last livestream and be done with it elegantly, without inviting so much drama. There is fault here to every single side, not just Army. But this is the result when they are not trying to do damage control, making sure that at least from the company's side, the way this should be handled is quietly and respectfully. Making subtle complains on weverse is not the way to go. And this much noise surrounding the enlistment is not only because it's a BTS member, but because it was allowed to reach this point, which hasn't happened with other idols who simply went the usual route.
I had someone who sent me another ask about the account that translated the article and how it's problematic. I know that, a lot of us know. Which is why I specifically mentioned that as well in my post, but I also said that for the actual act of translating a published news piece, it's not a reason good enough to have that person admonished. I was very specific with that part, so I don't know what wasn't clear enough. Of course Bora has her own pr spin. She has it on everything. I am absolutely convinced she has access to all sorts of information from various sources. You don't end up with and maintain an account like that simply because you translate stuff. And as much as parts of this fandom would want her gone, that's not going to happen. She has too much social capital and status at this point. But you see, this grass-roots collective fandom is still very selective when it comes to what is deemed as acceptable and what not.
And a last mention, I completely understand your point, but I do want to mention that when I talk about Army or the Army response to something, I'm looking at the overall reaction. Of course not every single person in the fandom is saying the same thing. I can see that here, I do have Army who is following this blog and who share their thoughts. But what I'm usually talking about is a collective response.
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caralara · 1 year
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https://at.tumblr.com/caralara/here-is-my-oppinon-nobody-asked-for-about-what-is/6pkwifynq7n1
This post and your answer made me think. I don't have an opinion about their PR team when it comes to this. I liked what they did for the album reveal and no idea about the rest but I do think fandom usually uses 1D or Harry as a measuring bar and Louis going indie doesn't fit that criteria. And I do agree that bbg is the kind of mess no PR tram would want to tackle if they can avoid it nor do I think Louis wants/needs more people knowing about it. Yes there would be NDAs but still.
But talking about the documentary it does feel it's something not related to BMG, just a Louis thing. Is LTHQ staffed mainly by BMG? Because they wouldn't work on the films promo and that feels like the issue here. Like this should be mainly be promoted by Louis and his people (not BMG) and it's sort of falling through the cracks. As if everyone thought it was the others responsibility. *shrugs*.
In any case, we'll see how much and what promo they want to make. Presale tickets is something only fans will want to buy and I'm not even sure the casual fan will want to go to the cinemas for it. It feels like they'd wait for streaming services.
It kind of sucks all of this but in the end we should remember that it isn't our job to promote Louis. We're here to enjoy his music and the documentary. The rest should be done by the people paid for it.
Have a good Tuesday!
Ooms fan xx
OOMS anon, you didn’t lead with who you were and I read it and was like „my god I have some wonderfully well spoken anons don’t I? Another one? Wow“ hahaha glad to have you back!
I think LTHQ is managed by Louis‘ management, Seven 7 Management (Matt Vines), so they would be in charge of the promo for documentary.
BMG‘s marketing team would be in charge of Album promo (probably in collaboration with management‘s team (?)).
Simon Jones PR is exclusively handling his PR, meaning statements, organising interviews etc. In collaboration with management and BMG, so I don’t see them having a hand in AOTV promo besides creating the press releases and coordinating interviews and articles. They are responsible for suggesting the stunts depending on what they’re trying to achieve, and Management in collaboration with SJ PR is doing the actual handling, imo.
So I agree, I think that because LTHQ (Management) is on its own for AOTV and doesn’t get more people power from the label, they’re understaffed (LinkedIn says 23 people globally and 8 in UK - don’t forget they have other clients, too) and not capable of handling the whole promo for the doc, also bc it’s a different kind of promo what they’ve done before (music, streaming, gaming).
Or maybe it’s all an elaborate plan I can’t see the goal of rn to do shitty promo lol
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goldenfharry · 2 years
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So, from my understanding, you are saying that whoever believes that this is a real relationship is actually defending a very shitty boyfriend when they shouldn’t
I’ve never seen someone put it so perfectly. If you believe that this relationship is real then Harry is a really shitty boyfriend and everyone’s applauding that. This woman gets death threats to her and her kids, people are making fun of her children, people are tearing her looks down. You can see the amount of weight that she has lost a game during this PR stuff. Her weight has fluctuated a lot, she has gotten so much work done to fit the narrative of what his girlfriend look like an his girlfriendbecause his fans of her insecure. There’s nothing about this “relationship” that his goals or cute. He doesn’t defend her ever. She was accused of having an affair and there is a lot of evidence that supports that and instead of coming out and saying that it wasn’t true he put out a statement through to a source calling himself blameless. When he could’ve defended their relationship. when the GQ article came out with Jason on the cover and it was confirmed they broke up in November he did nothing to defend her, when she was served he did nothing to defend her. She is made fun of and bullied in the internet everyday and had to turn off her Instagram comments and he has done nothing to defend her. People have said she was involved with the shit that Harvey Weinstein Did and have basically Assassinated her character and he has done nothing to defend her. A lot of the shit that the fans are uncovering and talking about are defamatory things , things that could ruin her reputation and career and he has done nothing to defend her. She is constantly travelling around the world to take your time away from her kids to be with him whenever it fits his schedule and his needs and doesn’t do use the same for her whatsoever.So if you think that this relationship is real then Harry doesn’t give a fuck about her and is it a very good boyfriend and you guys are defending and shipping A fucked up relationship. If I was getting attacked by my boyfriends fans on a daily basis, then lying about me, then assassinate my character and try to ruin my career and my boyfriend didn’t stick up for me I would fucking dump him Because all the shit that’s happening to me is because of him
He doesn’t defend her because he doesn’t feel the need to. It shows that they don’t have enough proximity for him to just simply be vocal about it. Despite that, everything that is happening to her in terms of hate it’s not his fault directly. Each individual that sends hate to her is deliberately choosing to. We are all owners of our own actions. When I write about her on my blog, it’s not Harry’s fault, it’s mine. I might have a blog because of him, but I am responsible for all that I write and my actions. It’s not Harry that makes his fans hate on her. I struggle to believe that if he had a choice, he would choose for her to be this hated. But the hate, even thought I don’t agree with a lot of shit, the hate against her kids for example also comes from a place where she doesn’t protect them enough. In fact, she uses them and puts them right in the middle of the spotlight when she knows what will happen. It just shows who she is. A lot of things that you point on this ask were situations created by her, that lead to reactions. Because trust me, she wants the hate as well. It makes her talked, it makes her seen. Closing comments? Typical move for eventually pay off as the poor victim. Everything that she does has a purpose and is extremely calculated.
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grimmshood · 2 years
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i personally like 2 think ji-woon was a trainee when nospin debuted and was added a year after their debut, then their all-kill hit had been the same year (think rookie of the year type of deal) and also he's naturally the Functional + literal maknae (and probably the same age as the existing maknae as well)
my No BHVR Lore based NOSPIN lore is something else entirely bc i have So many thoughts
i came up with my own nospin members + concept btw so.
based only off the idea that ji-woon has several cosmetics that are costumes referencing nospin's previous successes (specifically the fur coat ones and recolors) and off a friend's statement, nospin had a more mature/sexier concept in their later work, personally i think they started off with a fresh / colorful concept and grew more mature over time to appeal to GLOBE (personal name for nospin's fandom bc icant call them orbit...)
i thought nospin probably had to have been suffering a bit from debut to require the addition of a new member, which goes into the arrangement i have.
also heights for the members were decided based off the nospin tome charm, also used skz as a reference to see how short would make sense for changmin lmao. ages are at the time of being taken / death
woojin - leader, he's indian and recruited from overseas. he's 5"8 making him the tallest member. woojin is his stage name (i havent come up with his legal name yet lol) he's a trans man and bisexual. '95 liner (24 at time of death, wouldve been 26)
blink- visual / rapper, thai recruit. he's 5"7, i do not have a legal name for him either. trans man and gay. '95 liner (24 at time of death, wouldve been 26)
jang chun-woo- american recruit, grew up in chicago and moved to korea in order to train at mighteeone. transmasc lesbian like ji-woon. '96 liner (23 at time of death, wouldve been 25)
su changmin- first maknae, 5"5 being the shortest. born + raised in seoul. unlabeled but he's just there. guy who says yippee! '97 liner (22 at time of death, wouldev been 24)
hak ji-woon - maknae, 5"6 (ash calculated this based on model heights so it's what im going with) debuted at 16 and was a trainee under mighteeone for 2 years. transmasc lesbian, was fully transitioned by 20 (bhvr wont say this but /I/ think nospin took a hiatus for 2 years in which he completed his transition) '97 liner (24, 22 during the fire)
my nospin is a self produced group with yun-jin supervising and doing production as well. woojin, blink and ji-woon are the primary producers where changmin and chun-woo primarily write lyrics. all of them contribute to composition, production and lyric writing but the separate groups applies typically to their title tracks. their songs vary in genre but tend to lean towards EDM and R&B. Songs Ji-woon does primary production on sound noisier and have a more distinct sound (leading into part of why the snuff scream music became his trademark, even though the audio was layered under other sounds)
i also. like to apply shinee things to nospin so i think they were on a reality show a year after debut (think hello baby) and the child they spent time with them is a boy named on-gyum who was 4 when they met, 11 when NOSPIN's members died and 13 in 2020.
my idea of their relationships with each other are that blink + woojin were the closest due to both being foreign members, chun-woo facilitated most of the early communication due to knowing english and being able to speak to woojin and blink that way + translating for the rest. chun-woo and ji-woon were pit as rivals, spending a decent amount of time paired up (as well as both being attention-hogs + roommates.) changmin had a crush on ji-woon for some time and ji-woon bullied him over it. this and ji-woons general shitty self centered attitude made the rest of the group despise him, but he hated them for taking attention from him so. they got along still but ji-woon got into fights with other members a lot, he did learn from woojin though. also woojin and blink were probably gay if you catch my drift
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Hello! In your studyblr intro, you said you'd like to give advice and I would like some. I'm a transman but I havent started HRT/have had top surgery or changed my legal name. I really want to go to college and advance my career prospects but I'm afraid of rejection and discrimination because I'm trans and cannot live as stealth. Also the thought of earning my degree with my deadname on it depresses me. I'm worried my mental health will worsen and I won't be able to finish my degree. I'm already in my mid 20s and this dilemma has been on my mind for years. Sorry if this is too much, I appreciate your time, thank you
Hey! Not too much at all- this is a super good thing to be asking about! This answer is pretty hefty, so I'm gonna put it under a cut. I hope this advice helps and I touched on most of the things you've been thinking/worrying about!
I think the best place to start is looking at universities that offer what you want to study and state on their website that they have protections based on gender/gender expression. A lot of universities say they value diversity, but if they explicitly mention gender and/or gender expression in their diversity statement or anti-discrimination statement, that's usually a good sign that there will be actual protections. I will say, there are definitely times that the actual extent of those protections can be a bit lacking even in these cases, but when they say something is protected explicitly it usually discourages discrimination anyway. (On the college's end because they don't want any PR issues with discrimination, on other students' ends because usually the threat of potential repercussions stops a lot of people). In my experience people in college are also less likely to be shitty to you in general, at least to your face. Which can be reassuring in some ways.
But also focus on finding a place with a culture you like! Beyond just policies and stuff, look for a school that seems to have the sort of vibe you like. You can usually see students talking about if a place is a huge party school or if its quiet and other stuff like that on social media, so it's not too hard to find!
Also in terms of rejection (from the school) because you're trans: in a lot of places (not everywhere, but a lot), that's considered discrimination of a protected class. So if you're rejected and they show it's specifically because you're trans, you can make a case against them (also you probably dodged a bullet by getting rejected if that's the sort of thing they'll reject you for, honestly). Again, this doesn't apply everywhere, but there are quite a few places that it does so it's worth looking into if that's a really big concern you have.
For your other big concern, there's a couple things you can do! First of all, you have the entire time you're attending college to legally change your name, because your current legal name is what will be on the diploma, so if you want to and are able to change your name at any point while you're attending, it'll be all good and you can update your info in their system for your student email and stuff! Second of all, some schools may allow you to request a replacement diploma with the correct name after the fact once it's legally changed. I'm not sure how common it is, but I know at least some schools will let you replace your diploma and just order a new one. Third of all, some schools may allow you to put your chosen name on your diploma before it's legally changed if you fill out paperwork for it. I have the least amount of knowledge about this one but I believe I've heard of schools that do this.
Also, on your mental health point, while I can't speak on your personal experiences and tell you how you'll do in college, I can definitely say that it's always possible to find ways to manage it. From bigger decisions like choosing to be a part-time student or full-time student or even something like pausing your degree (most schools will give you a number of years you can spend not taking classes while still maintaining your current degree and progress, some have no time limit at all, and the credits you earn will never go away even if you have to reapply!), to smaller decisions like dropping a class or changing your study routine, there are lots of ways you can change your college experience to make it easier to manage along with the rest of your life and health. (Also, nobody cares about 1. your GPA after you graduate the vast majority of the time or 2. how old you are when you take classes. I know it can be really difficult to shake thoughts about stuff like that but when you can manage to, don't let it bother you. There are people in some of my classes who are the same age as the professors, there are people I know working super good jobs who had super low GPAs! It doesn't really matter much. Just wanted to throw these out because I've met a lot of people with these specific two anxieties getting to them!)
I hope this helps! If there's anything I didn't mention that's really on your mind, feel free to ask about it specifically or message me about it! Feeling safe and comfortable is really important, especially in college imo, so figuring out what's best for you is absolutely worth it.
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beyondthebarrier · 3 years
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Starker Festivals Summer Bingo
Prompt: Didn't Know They Were Dating | Title: Rising to the Occasion | Ao3
Summary: The media seems to think that Tony and Peter are dating. In fact, so does Rhodey. And Aunt May. And the team...
Don't worry. Tony sets the story straight.
This is my first proper Starker fic so bear with me!
It wasn’t abnormal for Peter to be alone when he woke up, if he was being honest. Tony was rarely still in bed in the mornings, presumably quick to dismiss himself from the actions of the night before. Peter never minded, usually always able to find the man elbows deep in some project that he might be able to pick the genius’ brain about.
“FRI, can you start me some coffee?” Peter asked quietly, his voice a little raspy from sleep.
“Of course. Good morning, Peter.”
“Good morning, FRIDAY.”
Peter got to his feet, finding his sweatpants from the day before and Tony’s discarded Black Sabbath shirt before making his way directly to the kitchen for the promised cup of coffee. It took a few sips for him to realize that he heard voices coming from the living room - he’d assumed he was the only one in the penthouse. He recognized the second voice easily though so he wasn’t shy about heading that way.
“Look who’s awake,” Tony announced with a smile when Peter and his bedhead popped up in the open door frame. Rhodey looked his way and Peter waved around his coffee mug.
“Hope you’re here on your own accord and not because he dragged you for some nonsense, Colonel,” Peter greeted with a smirk towards the man in question.
“I’m not here for damage control this time, miraculously,” Rhodey replied easily, chuckling.
“In that case, I’ll leave you two to it. Tones, I’m gonna shower and head downstairs. It was good to see you, Colonel!”
As Peter made his way back towards the bedroom, Rhodey looked over at Tony and sighed at the look on the billionaire’s face.
“He looks good on you, Tony.”
--
“Here, May, I’ve got it,” Tony swooped in, grabbing the woman’s empty plate before she could fully get to her feet. Peter rolled his eyes but stood as well, his own empty plate in hand.
“I don’t know what you’ve done to him,” Peter started, exasperated. “This man would rather buy new dishes than wash them at his own house and then he sits here and readily offers when we’re over here. Please, I need to know your secret. I’m tired of coffee rings in all the mugs.”
“Oh it’s easy, Peter. He’s scared of me,” Aunt May said in a faux whisper, winking at Tony before she settled on her sofa with the rest of her glass of wine as the boys worked to clean the kitchen. Tony washed while Peter absentmindedly dried and put away dishes, chatting away quietly to the older man. When Peter turned back to face the man, Tony quickly smeared soap bubbles onto Peter’s cheek, grinning. With a laugh, Peter reached into the sink, splashing the man with the water in the sink, despite the expensive suit Tony was wearing. Tony didn’t seem bothered as he grabbed the young man around the waist and pulled him in close for a hug, getting him wet as well. Peter squeaked, making Tony lean his head back in laughter before kissing Peter’s forehead and letting him go. Only Tony noticed the look that May was giving them both and he just smiled before turning back to finish cleaning.
As they left, Aunt May wrapped both men in crushing hugs to say goodbye. As Tony helped Peter into his jacket, he looked over his head at the woman, smiling.
“It’s our turn next Sunday, May. Be at the penthouse at seven.”
--
“I thought the little spider was supposed to be here? I brought ale for him to try!” Thor announced, holding up a large jug full of… well, not even Tony was eager to try the liquid sloshing around. Peter had been excited with the prospect of an alcohol that would give him the proper effects but Thor was right - Peter was nowhere to be found.
“Maybe he’s just running late,” Tony replied with a casual shrug, even as he slid his phone out to send yet another text to the missing member of the team. It was meant to be a little game/movie night and Peter was usually the one coercing him into attending so his lack of punctuality was bothering Tony. However, it wasn’t until Natasha and Steve also pointed out Peter’s absence that Tony excused himself. They weren’t sure exactly where he was going until they saw the suit fly off from the landing deck, heading in the direction of a shitty little apartment in Queens.
When Peter didn’t answer the door, Tony let himself in with his key, calling out Peter’s name frantically. It was a studio apartment and Peter groggily sat up in bed, blinking at the man who had just rudely interrupted his sleep.
“Pete, there you are. You’re missing game night, why are you- You’re burning up, sweetheart!” Tony sat on the edge of the bed, the back of his hand pressing against Peter’s forehead.
“M’cold,” Peter mumbled, trying to wrap the blankets around himself again so he could lay down.
“When’s the last time you’ve eaten?”
“Not hungry..”
“Okay, you’re definitely sick,” Tony pointed out, jumping to his feet to search the kitchen for food. Peter spent so little time here now that the cabinets were practically barren. There was certainly no cans of soup or really… anything. With a wince, Tony reached for a half-empty jar of peanut butter and a spoon, heading back to the bed.
“Tones, m’not hungry,” Peter whined as he scooped peanut butter out of the jar.
“Sweetheart, you need calories. Just a little bit and some water and I’ll let you go back to sleep. Your body will kick this in no time but it needs fuel to do it,” Tony said firmly, lifting the spoon to Peter’s lips. He opened them, accepting the spoon reluctantly and smacking his lips as he tried to get the peanut butter down. Tony got up, fixing him a cup of water. Between the two of them, they painstakingly got a full eight ounces of water and four big spoonfuls of peanut butter into the enhanced man before Peter gave up, flopping back into the pillows.
“Are you going back to game night?” he asked Tony, a rather pitiful look on his face. Tony shook his head, laying down beside him and wrapping his arms around him.
“No, I’m not going anywhere. Go back to sleep, I’ll be right here,” he assured, running his fingers through Peter’s sweaty curls and kissing his forehead.
--
Peter had decided to leave the tower for his lunch break, the idea of a sandwich from the deli down the block on his mind all morning. It was a beautiful day and he’d been looking for an empty space on a bench when he noticed the pointing in his direction from a few people by a magazine stand. He glanced down at himself, trying to see if maybe his shirt had come untucked or he had trash trailing on his shoe but he didn’t spot anything. However, he did hear the words, ‘Tony Stark’s boyfriend’ come from someone’s mouth and his stomach immediately twisted. He couldn’t stop himself from going over to the stand, dreading the idea of seeing Tony’s smiling face on a magazine cover with some- Oh. It was him. Peter laughed, picking up the glossy booklet. They’d attended a gala on Saturday evening for SI and the photo on the cover was the two of them all dressed up and smiling at each other in front of some rose bushes. ‘Tony Stark and boyfriend, Peter Parker, Rose to the Occasion.’ Peter scoffed at the title, setting it back down and reaching for his phone. He wasn’t sure Tony would find it as amusing as he did but he was just relieved that it hadn’t been someone else on that cover.
Thankfully, Tony didn’t seem bothered in the slightest. He had already known about it, getting the alert from PR hours before, and even seemed a little concerned that Peter might be upset about it.
“Do you want me to put out a statement about it?” Tony asked him over the phone, as if sensing Peter’s slight discomfort.
“You won’t be rude about it or anything, right? Just clarify, sweet and simple?” Peter asked, noticing that he was still garnering a bit of attention. Thankfully, New Yorkers themselves were usually nonchalant about that kind of thing so it was only the tourists that were trying to draw attention to him.
“Of course. I’ll get it out right away,” Tony assured him.
Peter had no reason not to believe him. He thanked him, hung up, and moved further away from the news stand. He muted his phone before digging into his sandwich, taking advantage of the rest of his lunch break before heading back to work. It wasn’t until he was in the elevator going back up to R&D that he noticed his phone was blowing up. He sighed, expecting a tweet or something from Tony laying out the truth but what he found caught him off guard.
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Relationship. Tony said relationship. He hadn’t claimed that they were just friends or fuck buddies or whatever. He said relationship. Peter was so hyperfocused on the words that the next thing he registered was FRIDAY’s voice.
“Mr. Parker? Mr. Parker, are you alright? Your vitals are concerning, should I alert Mr. Stark? ..Peter?”
“No! No, FRIDAY, no, don’t alert him, I’m fine!” Peter scrambled to answer, glancing up to see what floor the elevator was at currently. “Please don’t. I’m fine. I’m answering you, I’m fine!”
FRIDAY reluctantly agreed not to tattle just as the elevator stopped at his floor. Peter wasn’t feeling very fine, despite his protests, as he stepped out. He expected lots of stares and whispers, perhaps even direct comments about him ‘dating the boss.’ But there was nothing. Either nobody here had seen it yet or they just didn’t care. That certainly helped matters as he made his way to his table, intending on trying to focus on work but finding himself scrolling through the comments on the post instead. It was full of congratulatory messages from strangers but their friends didn’t seem very surprised. Rhodey, Nat, Ned, even Steve commented, all seeming as if this was barely news to them.
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Peter got to his feet, heading back to the elevator to get to Tony’s lab. As the doors slid open on Tony’s R&D floor, Tony was standing there waiting to get on. The man flashed him his signature smile, stepping aside so he could get out.
“I was just coming to see you. May texted, said you seemed a bit out of it. Are you okay? I know the attention can be a lot but if I repeatedly make it clear that I want your privacy to be respected, it shouldn’t get too bad. Trust me, the fangirls will go rabid when reporters get too in-your-face about something,” Tony explained, leading Peter towards his office. Peter didn’t respond, staring straight ahead as Tony closed the door behind them. “They’ll want to protect you at all costs,” Tony continued, heading for the sofa instead of his chair. Peter remained standing, still just staring. Tony finally realized something was up and quirked an eyebrow at him, curious. “Pete?”
“Boyfriend.” Peter said blankly, staring at the man.
“Um, yes? I also have a name you can address me by.”
“Boyfriend.”
“Oookay, that works too. Peter, what’s wrong?”
The younger man started pacing the length of the office and Tony sighed, covering his face with his hands for a moment before regaining composure.
“FRIDAY, diagnose him. Fever? Has he been drugged? Is he having a psychotic break?”
“Sir, it appears that Peter is in a state of shock,” FRI replied easily. “His heart rate is elevated but nothing to be concerned about.”
“Shock over what?” Tony asked, watching as his partner continued to pace. He could practically see the gears turning in the boy’s head.
“It seems that Peter was not aware that the two of you were dating, Sir.”
Tony let out a humorless laugh while Peter came to a halt, his cheeks tinting pink as he stared at the floor. Realizing that there may be some truth in what FRI was telling him, Tony got to his feet, carefully approaching Peter.
“She’s right, isn’t she?” He asked softly, frown lines deeply engraved into his forehead. Peter refused to respond, not even looking up. Tony sighed, cupping the man’s chin and gently lifting it. “Pete? Is she right?”
Instead of answering, Peter’s face crumpled.
“I’m so sorry,” he mumbled, hiding his face in his hands. Tony immediately pulled him into his chest, wrapping his arms around him securely. “I didn’t know that’s what this was.”
“That means I fucked up somewhere, Peter. Not you,” Tony soothed, rubbing the boy’s back. “If it had just been sex, I could understand, but Pete, sweetheart. I go to Sunday dinners with your Aunt. I host Sunday dinners for your Aunt. I take care of you when you’re sick, I let you wear my clothes.. Baby, we practically live together.”
“You never asked! You never used the words dating or boyfriend or-or-or relationship or anything,” Peter defended, lifting his head to look at the older man.
“Eight months ago, we laid in bed and I told you that I never wanted this to end. That I wanted forever with you,” Tony explained. “You agreed. I thought we were pretty clear from there on.”
“I thought that was pillow talk!” Peter exclaimed. “I’m so angry right now that it’s not even funny.”
Tony frowned once more, immediately letting Peter go and holding his hands up in surrender.
“Angry? You’re angry that I thought we were dating?”
“I’m angry that I’ve been holding back for eight months because I thought I wasn’t allowed to have you! I don’t kiss you first or touch you first or cuddle you whenever I want because I didn’t want to be too much for you!”
Tony’s face broke out into a grin, seeming relieved.
“Well, let’s rectify that right away.”
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daarka · 1 year
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Obligatory: The situation, if you're not up to speed. Courtesy of CritCrab. Shout out to the anon who said I was spreading misinformation lmfao; the OGL1.1 leak has been validated by one of the higher-ups at Kickstarter, who confirmed WotC reached out to them to discuss their upcoming royalty fee. o/
The Twitter post was not the reassurance they thought it'd be. Also cool of them to have the @.DnDBeyond account post it instead of @.Wizards_DnD -- make DDB take the heat like a meat shield. That was intentional.
It was also intentional to word it the way they did.
"We know you have questions about the OGL and we will be sharing more soon. Thank you for your patience."
This is the statement you make when you are going to plow forward with your plans, but can at least commit to explaining those insidious plans soon (once your lawyers and PR team get done finding ways to rephrase things so it's the least overtly shitty it can possibly be).
This is not what you would say if you are making overhaul changes to the license you had written based on community feedback. Maybe it's just me, maybe it's things I've heard from my own very reputable sources, but I'm sorry man--if I was WotC rn, and I was intending to heed the community backlash, my statement would look more like "We know you have concerns about the OGL. We are listening and making sure your voices are heard, and we will have a formal statement in full for you soon. Thank you for all you've contributed."
Hear the difference?
Whatever. My optimism has dimmed significantly in light of various things. Hasbro's stock was down 40% in 2022, and D&D is by far their largest-earning franchise. But despite it making over $1 billion, Hasbro only saw a little over $100 million in profits. Hasbro is feral.
WotC/DnDBeyond doesn't have a choice. Trust me when I say that the people working at WotC/DDB want to deliver a game they're passionate about--but it's not up to them anymore. Hasbro is the new ownership, and Hasbro is sinking financially. These OGL changes are Hasbro clawing at the person holding them afloat, and drowning them in the process.
There might be a way forward for 3rd party creators in spite of OGL1.1. If so, I'm not smart enough or knowledgeable enough to know what it is. But the more I hear, the more rare insights I'm granted, the less optimistic I am that any amount of community outrage will matter. And holy fuck is that depressing lmfao
We'll just see, I guess. I'm very tired :)
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sun-to-my-luna · 3 years
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The Gold Book To “Success”
So, we know that Camila for centuries has never written in uppercase letters but when she released “CAMILA” her signature wording changed. The thing is: the all caps letters aren’t JUST what make that change in her wording signature noticeable.  To put it simple everyone has a wording signature and types differently. Being that Camila stopped using social media as much due to her negative stans and the hostility towards her it would be obvious that she’s not using her own social platforms all the time. However, many people still think it’s always her.
We’ll go from least to most noticeable.
The first thing that distinguishes her posts away from her are obviously uppercase letters lol but besides that let’s take a look at other patterns.
1.
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Random sentences that end with a period.
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(Note: anything with a hyperlink that redirects to an album/ song release or an event is never Camila. You’ll see another example in #4.)
2. Using just one explanation point at the end of a sentence or exactly on the last sentences. 
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Sentences that have periods like this are possibly 65% Camila as long as there are no grammatically correct capital letters at the beginning of a sentence. An example of a tweet that genuinely belongs to Camila:
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3.
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Roger on his regular social media uses A LOT of (...) especially after saying happy— (insert certain day/ holiday). Ps. After reading this post you’ll notice this paragraph includes 4 of the mentioned.
4.
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Roger’s favorite way to express his excitement, happiness or express he’s surprised is by using the iconic: (!!!)
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AND LAST but not least the most entirely noticeable.
4.
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The other most relentlessly favorite thing he uses is the random (–) to separate statements. “Morning – so proud of my !”  {side edit: inserted more screenshots last minute.}  
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She would also never say “Latins” that’s so white lol
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These are some grammar cues to keep in mind that whoever is talking isn’t Camila but instead her manager. Camila herself talks more so in rambling text and not so much Up or down with extensive grammar. So if you read his posts in her voice just remember that if she uses any of the above or simply sounds like a boring ass lawyer then you know the drill.
If you’ve read this far that’s right: I said I was adding in information and that’s correct I’m adding something else onto his long list for you to remember.  I’ve exposed his gross circle of colleagues, I’ve exposed how the label he created treated certain artists like crap, and I’ve exposed him for being a shitty artist manager with Jaquie. Now I finally want you to bare in mind that this is a 52 year old male law graduate /attorney– {now} artist manager trying to impersonate a woman in her 20’s.
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Here’s the  probable answer to your questions. If you were ever wondering why she can’t get rid of him it’s most likely because he went to law school and the clauses in her personal manager contract are shitty. He more than anyone would know how to secretly fuck someone over that has no idea what they’re signing. How long she’s going to be with him? I couldn’t quite tell you because of this. He’s a business man and will never be nothing more than that.
Of course, what other way of proving that then by the profits he has made off of her. And let me add that they are some big ass profits.
How do I put this lightly?
Oh, I know, how about I just show you.
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In NOVEMBER OF 2020, 2 months before 2021 as of today,  he bought a residential house IN CASH for the value of $3,075,000 dollars and sold his last house last month in April 2021 for another $1,950,000. You could say her PR isn’t benefiting her, and I would believe you, because it’s the truth  but you can’t tell me that her PR relationship with Shawn isn’t benefiting someone else we know very very very well. Actually, him and other people that is. This is the proof man. They’ve been cash grabbing the life out of her for years now.
The saddest part? This man claims to be a hero to his friends and he calls himself a fan aka a “Camilizer,”and makes it seem like he’s her family but his fake ass mask doesn’t deceive me.
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incarnateirony · 3 years
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Do you know if the CW feels any impact from the audience of their shows in countries where they're not a channel? For example in Brazil there's no CW, but some of their shows are on the Warner Channel as well as stuff from other networks.
This one is a little more complicated, I'll start at "nyes".
Here's the thing: at the end of the day, the CW is an empty vessel. It has less than 400 employees, and technically even qualifies as a "small business" resultingly. It is an LLC, meaning it has no stocks, and can not be held accountable on the stock market and the executives there have a series of protections designed to keep them from taking personal hits.
Boycotting the CW is a method to plink the armor of its much larger parents. At the end of the day, the CW--shitty as its ethics, choices and influences are--are mostly beholden to its parent companies.
Does anyone remember when I told people, the second that Wayward was cancelled, that CBS was responsible, despite Wayward being a WB IP? I explicitly mentioned Moonves, and quoted his methodology on properties, ratings, streaming and more? Then dipshits like You Know Who tried to claim they knew better, and that I was crazy/stupid, and then like a month later one of the wayward women said at a M&G that the contractual breakdown was from CBS, and This Guy Named Moonves, and then there was radio silence and the You Know Whos emitted crickets, buried the conversation, and pretended it never happened?
That's because these things are related. They all influence each other, as per my last ask (x).
At the end of the day, the things that happened on, say, Supernatural are you actually being pissed at the WB. You can see the WB's historically failing Studio Responsibility Index on things like LGBT representation here at the GLAAD website. (x)
Just like a lot of the supreme BS attempted-but-massively-failing woke content tends to spew out of CBS trying to appeal to The Young Gays while segregating The Gay Stuff off their prime network that is historically way behind the others. They have no idea how to actually make or handle that content, but slap pride flags and a few Hashtag Fact phrases on content and plug it up the CW's ass to market it to you with more rainbows and a big impressive tally list of gay characters, that the You Know Whos of fandom insist make it a great representation channel, and bury the conversation that most of those are one-off or very minor characters, dead, or worse. They're there to hit a target that's a good talking point. Nothing else. They put a gay in the background of a poster somewhere so That Counts(tm) and look how progressive they are, make sure to attend his funeral next episode.
This may all seem like a huge aside to the initial ask but it's necessary framework to present, in association with the above-linked previous ask, on why holding the CW accountable is important. Because at the end of the day, be it the Nadria Tucker issues with WB/DC and their firing her for racist/sexist reasons; or the erasure of gays on Supernatural to the point there's clearly an order to their related syndication networks where they won't even air 15.09 or 15.18 again much less the finale; or the bullshit attempts at being woke on Walker where they think making ICE prisoners a talking point to launch a white man cop's story as relatable to an ICE officer's struggles is good marketing; to things outside of it, like--as posted by POLOL member Rebarn in the server,
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-- these are people actually being mad at choices made by the CBS and WB. The CW is just a vessel to deliver it with minimal accountability and a PR mask people eat up like the gay candy they're trying to sell you even if it's just sugar free beaver anus flavoring.
But because of the size of these giant merged companies, like--trying to tackle WB head on for example is a fools' errand unless everyone pulled their heads out of their asses and ended this "I DO WHAT I WANT" personality and started heavily networking with say, DC fandoms and adjacent to do substantial damage to their franchises far larger. But, again, deferring to the above linked previous ask, if you knock out the CW as a content vehicle, even if it's smaller, you suddenly dent 6, 7, 8, 9 zeroes out of WB/CBS profits because you CAN knock down the CW, and change how they have to peddle their product.
To round full circle to your ask: just because the CW isn't in your country doesn't mean it does no good to boycott the content. Because the profit still goes to the IP holders (CBS, WB), and it's still part of the joint statement, as well as lowers the digital franchiseability of the products they're trying to resell on the market, internationally.
For example you know how internationally Netflix shows a lot of "Netflix originals" that are very obviously not originals, but are instead shows from other sources? That's part of The Rights Game. Initially CW and Netflix had a brokered deal of bulk packaging for a very large, very pretty price to them that helped bankroll them for years. This is also why CBS started shoveling absolute fodder content down the CW's throat that could run on just about negative ratings -- again, I point to the Moonves interview I cited as implication to why Wayward was bumped off the line -- so CBS could run away with the digital profits 100% licensing things in dozens or hundreds of companies. But CBS threw a goddamn hissyfit about merchandising rights when Netflix was like hey if we're gonna source all these shitty shows can we get like 10% of the merch value and CBS threw themselves on the mcdonalds playplace floor kicking and screaming, and then CW lost its legendary netflix deal which made them have to start peddling their content individually.
So if you cut off viewership of this content internationally, its franchiseability tanks, and CW continues to lose a huge part of its bankrolling value both with digital and to its parent companies using it as a vehicle to deliver content to shove into digital venues. The lack of the Netflix deal is why CBS is also wandering around like a pauper to platforms trying to find a home for its content--like convincing WB to host Walker on HBO Max, where I promise it's not going to do well. Most of its audience is beyond streaming age, and I promise no young 20 something is gonna open HBO Max and be like YOU KNOW WHAT I WANT TO WATCH, THIS YEEHAW COP REBOOT WITH JARED PADALECKI SPITTING IN A POT AND PULLING UP HIS PANTS. They're gonna fuckin' turn on Game of Thrones or something. Netflix, hulu, amazon don't fuckin' want it because they see that on the horizon. They're not gonna pay the money CBS wants for it. CBS All Access is for old people and they're too noncommittally fake woke just enough to piss off the Trumpers (points back to point about CBS content/representation way up there). So CBS DOESN'T EVEN WANT IT ON ITS OWN STREAMING PLATFORM.
Walker's housing arrangement on HBO Max is actually an early symptom of CW death throes, and CBS trying to figure out what the hell it's going to do once the CW goes under. It burned its netflix bridge, and soon won't have CW to try to float/sell/farm its content. Streaming apps don't want their content anymore. Their content underperforms.
So yes, absolutely boycott these products internationally. It adds to the weight of what's going on and continues to make CW less and less valuable on the front, continues to damage the actual IP holder parent companies and take their products to their knees, and continues to expediate the decline of it all in one network of fuckery. The same way the CW was a strength for its parents by webbing between them is now a way to drag them into a collective undertow and force bad business results on them all around, essentially inverting its value, expediting the rate at which they decide the CW is a money sink, and making them watch the 0s fly out of their bank account in a way that--say--trying to tackle the WB directly wouldn't accomplish.
CW no longer owns the rights to SPN, hence deleting its YT content. WB does. But WB has been feeling the crunch enough that brand new unopened S14 complete season blurays with specials are being sold under 10 dollars at walmart with 2$ off other movie tickets on the front and still not going off the shelves. That's them even trying to recover costs on releasing them to begin with. The WB tried to put out a mega 15 season uber collectors set giveaway enter by RT and got like, 300 RTs total. They need traction, they're not getting sales, and we're seeing the active results.
Continue to put heat on products that came by way of the CW as a result of their communal meddling being bad for business in any way possible, even after CW is no longer airing it and once the money is going straight into the IP holder parent company pockets. Not only are you then making The Correct People(tm) hurt, you're further devaluing the CW itself and accelerating its heat death which STILL will end up massively dinging the WB/CBS for reasons explained above in ways that kicking the titans in the shins itself wouldn't accomplish.
Hopefully that clarifies.
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lovelyirony · 3 years
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dialogue prompt for Sam/Maria: "I wish you'd told me first."
had no idea what to do with this for nearly a year. but now i do 
When Maria joined SWORD, she was just expecting the usual problems: space travel, aliens without visas, and maybe Sharon coming back and annoying her about the “necessary” cappuccino machine in her office. 
She wasn’t expecting to be on the personal team to help Sam Wilson adjust to being Cap. 
This was...odd. It was weird for everyone. But she could roll with weird, so she asked Sam if he knew how to throw it like a Frisbee yet, or if his arm strength wasn’t there yet. 
“Oh ha, ha, so funny,” Sam says, rolling his eyes. “Of course I know how, I’m badass. I am Captain America after all.” 
Maria doesn’t say anything about the look in his eyes when he says that, like he’s so afraid that someone will tell him he’s not. 
And people will. 
Steve going back in time is on an extremely strict need-to-know basis. 
You can’t tell civilians there are alternate timelines or else you get a mess of epic proportions and the news coverage will not stop blaring no matter where you go, and sometimes Maria likes going to coffee shops for peace and quiet and the occasional croissant. 
Barnes is...Maria likes him. A lot, actually. He’s not what the history books painted him as, and he looks at situations like she does: carefully, and with the goal in mind.  
Sam is a lot like Steve, which is...stress-inducing. 
She had remembered when Sam had practically launched himself out of the old DC quarters and nearly died if not for the placement of the helicopter, and he’s not slowing down any time soon. 
Hayward is getting on her about it and if she’s being completely honest, she’s about to pull experience rank and tell him to fuck off and focus just completely on getting his head out of his ass. 
Sam is doing fine, considering every single circumstance he’s been put into and the minor PR fiasco by challenging Spider-Man to get his ass kicked. 
“I’m going to kill you,” Maria says when Sam picks her up from the airport. She had to travel because somebody told her that she’d be needed on a mission, and Sam was too stubborn to tell her. 
“We’re fine. Bucky and Sharon can help me.” 
“Well too damn bad, you’re getting Hill,” Maria says. 
“I wish I could take you seriously without the neon pink tank top you’re working with,” Sam says, grinning. “I think the brightest color I’ve ever seen you in is forest green.” 
“False, I was at the party that Ultron crashed, you saw me there,” Maria says. “And I don’t do warm weather. I had to buy this last-minute, so you’re lucky.” 
“You’ll need some other items if we’re gonna get anything done,” Sam mentions. 
“Fuck me,” she mutters. 
“Maybe later,” Sam responds lightly, and she gives him an eyebrow raise. He just shrugs and asks if she has a suitcase, which of course she does. 
Sharon greets her with a smile and asking if she wants a beer. 
“What kind is it?” 
“Local stuff. Supposed to be hoppy.” 
“Ugh, fuck that,” Maria groans. “I’m not doing the shitty IPA beer. Who bought that?” 
“Me, and it’s good,” Bucky mentions from the couch. He’s a little worse for wear: it looks like he’s a day into his recuperation from the last mission. “How you doing, Hill?” 
“Better than you,” she mentions. “What are we dealing with?” 
Sharon fills her in, and Sam is reluctant to let her come. 
“Director’ll kick my ass if you get hurt. I’ll kick my ass if you get hurt.” 
“Quit worrying about me,” Maria says, pushing down the feeling of warmth that Sam’s statement gave her. “And if the director says shit, tell him to shove his boot up his own little-” 
“Okay, let’s not get riled up over this,” Sharon says. “Bucky and I were surveilling a little bit of it from the ground, Sam over here had a lovely aerial view. So let’s get a plan...” 
It’s a weapons shipment. Some old SHIELD stock that fell into the wrong hands and is falling faster and faster. 
“You miss it?” Sam asks her later that night. They’ve made a meal, and Maria is completely real, she can’t remember the last time she cooked with friends. 
(That’s a lie. It was after SHIELD fell and Natasha and her...well. It’s over and done with now.) 
“Of course,” Maria says. “SHIELD was my life. It was my first real job and I loved it.” 
“You think SWORD can do that?” 
“Depends on if Hayward resigns,” Maria says. “I never got to enjoy working with Rambeau.” 
“Was she the director?” 
“The founder,” Maria says, smiling. “I had met her a couple times. She was close with Director Fury, personal friends with Captain Marvel. Died some years back. Her daughter is back now, helping with some confusion in New Jersey.” 
“What’s happening in New Jersey?” 
“Trust me, you don’t want to know,” Maria says. “But let’s focus on this mission, and get it done.” 
“You think we’re entitled to some time off after this one?” Sam asks. 
“If we’re lucky,” Maria says. “Why?” 
“Wondering if you wanted to go to dinner with me,” Sam says. 
Just as easy as that. 
Maria looks over at him. 
“It’s optional,” Sam goes on, clearly a bit worried. “Did I ruin this, or...?” 
“No, no you didn’t,” Maria says, grinning. “But we don’t need to have time off for dinner.” 
“No, but we’ll need it for other things,” Sam says, waggling his eyebrows. “Like getting you out of that godawful pink top.” 
“Oh like you actually care,” Maria says sarcastically. 
 “The color? No. Getting it off? Yes.” 
Maria snorts, getting up off the porch. 
“Well come on, you insufferable romantic. We need to head to bed and get some sleep before tomorrow.” 
Sam smiles, accepting her hand to get up. 
“But you still want dinner, right?” 
“Everyone wants dinner, especially with a good date,” Maria says. “But I’m not doing pizza.” 
“What, no pizza?” 
“Reserved for extenuating circumstances,” Maria says. “Goodnight, Sam.” 
“Well, what about Mexican?” 
“...maybe.” 
“Chinese?” 
“Could also work, we’ll see what we’re feeling tomorrow,” Maria. “If not injured and sore.” 
She waves at the door at him, smiling to herself as she enters the room. 
Sharon’s sharing the room, and snorts at her. 
“So, you and Sam finally asked each other out instead of doing that weird flirty thing you do?” 
“What weird flirty thing?” 
“Where you pretend like you don’t let him get away with literally everything and he pretends like he doesn’t look at you like you invented the world?” 
“He doesn’t look at me like that,” Maria mutters. 
“You need to go to the eye doctor’s.” 
“So do you.” 
“Hey!” 
She shrugs off her outfit of the day, changing into comfy pajamas. 
Sharon’s dozed off, and Maria follows her in sleep, smiling to herself. 
(On the other side of the house they’re staying in, Sam is threatening Bucky with suffocation by pillow if he doesn’t shut up about Maria. 
Bucky is taunting him and saying that since Maria and he are friends if Sam kills him, he’ll never get that first date.) 
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Why I Write About David and Gillian’s Friendship
I have this one anon, and I do believe it’s the same person, who asks me, “if you’re so sure David and Gillian are friends, why are you so insecure?”
It’s such a peculiar statement to make because I’m merely expressing a dissenting opinion from a popular sentiment. I’m not attacking anyone or getting defensive, I’m just explaining my case.
I’d actually argue that antis are insecure because 1. They get hostile whenever someone asserts that Gillian and David get along 2. They send hate anon 3. They resort to slander and claim they’re being attacked for not liking David. 4. They’re actively watching my blog. :) I literally don’t tag any of my anon posts, yet they send in other anons responding to them. 
If they’re so secure that David and Gillian aren’t friends, why do they care what I think, especially since it’s not harming or attacking anyone?
That’s called projection.
So, why do I write about David and Gillian?
For starters, they’re magic together and I’m clearly not the only one who thinks this. They’ve captivated fans, interviews, and photographers for almost 3 decades and that says a lot. For two people with such an enigmatic relationship, people cannot turn away.
Consequently, I examined my own fascination with David and Gillian by juxtaposing them with claims that they hated each other even present day.
And you know what?
I found that I didn’t agree with claims these two didn’t get along.
It’s not because I want them to be BFFs, which they aren’t, but because those who swear David and Gillian hate each other have an agenda. 
I’m not asking for any, but I notice whenever I post about David and Gillian being friends, I receive hate anons usually shitting on David, yet none for Gillian. The remaining anons are usually clearing up facts or trying to understand what’s going on. But, like...96% of my anons, which I received around 30 within 24 hours, is about shitting on David.
How does that have anything to do with David and Gillian not being friends?
It doesn’t.
Even one of them reminded me of when Peter and Gillian got together, which has nothing to do with David and Gillian being friends. Funny enough, they went to bat for Peter claiming his was this oh so charming gentleman only to turn out he was a massive asshole--they propped Peter up to shit on David only for that to hit them in the face last year.
This misinformation campaign that David and Gillian aren’t friends is all because a small group of Philes hate David. I’m not here to argue if their opinions are valid or not because it's nothing I care to concern myself with. But, their feelings about David has nothing to do with his actual friendship with Gillian. Yet, they conflate the two to have Gillian mirror how they feel, which is inappropriate and false.
Their poor understanding of friendships is why they believe that since David and Gillian don’t see each other every day or talk regularly means that they aren’t friends. They believe since Gillian says she doesn’t know much about David, all while overlooking that Gillian has shitty memory, that this proves they aren’t friends.
In their minds, everything is PR and Hollywood BS.
When the simplest explanation is that they actually do get along.
Even if you argue that they needed to pretend to get along during the original run of the show, which have examples of this not being the case, it doesn’t explain their present behavior. It doesn’t explain them showing up to each other plays and promoting each others work outside of the x files even after season 1 ended. It doesn’t explain them casually bringing up each other when the question had nothing to do with each other. Or allowing the other to speak at the Hollywood star ceremonies. 
Most importantly, claiming that they hate each other is calling Gillian Anderson a liar.
Gillian has stated on record that they do not hate each other. She has explicitly said that the work environment they had back then made shit tense at times. They have said that they’ve grown an appreciation for one another and wished they would’ve handled things differently. She has said she added to their friction back in the 90s.
Yet, her alleged fans call her a liar by dismissing her own words and running away with their own.
In their minds, every instance these two laugh together, smile at one another, have a good time, speak highly of the other, etc is all bullshit. They’re acting.
They say that people like Mark Mann who has personally spent time with them doesn’t know what he’s talking about, but they, internet stalkers know better than him. Their claims even goes against Jimmy Kimmel’s observation who was notably surprised at how well they got along. It was something that stuck out to him on at least three different occasions: behind the scenes, when the interview first started, and later on in the interview when he called them out again.
Again, all acting. :) It’s PR and Hollywood bullshit.
IMO, it’s absurd.
I write about Gillian and David’s friendship because I’m refusing to allow antis to continue to control the narrative and taint every interaction with their lies. To contextualize any blatant misrepresentation they’ve spewed these last few years. And to show that it’s okay to think D and G are friends, like it, and talk about it.
Because the only people who look delusional are those who keep insisting that two people who clearly enjoy each other actually hate each other.
How can two people who had a candid moment photographed into an iconic moment hate each other? Two people who a literal stranger said electrical energy surrounded them when they walked out of a room together? Two people where people (interviewers) remark on their chemistry (on and off screen)?
They give some of the best interviews together. They’re their most animated around each other. They bring out the best in each other (IMO). But, these two hate each other and aren’t friends.
When have we ever seen Gillian smile and laugh as much as she does with David?
My posts aren’t about romance, sex, or secret families (lol), just friendship and I receive hate anon for this shit. LOL.
The true insecure group are the anti David/anti gillovny folk (gillovny means more than romance so don't start).
In conclusion, altogether David and Gillian don’t talk frequently, from what we know, that doesn’t mean they don’t get along and/or aren't friends. There are different types of friendships with different frequencies and different expectations. But, these two clearly get along and enjoy each other’s company.
I’ll like to add something I forgot: Just like most relationships, romantic, platonic, or familial, people have their ups and downs. They don't always get along and sometimes issues are drawn out. That doesn’t mean two people hate each other, it means they need time to handle their own shit. Whatever crap David and Gillian may or may have not been arguing over in the past or present is their business. Neither have had issues saying how they’ve felt about each other before, so why now?
It’s because they don’t have an issue with each other, it’s all fandom bullshit.
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bisexualhobi · 3 years
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Did you hear about G-idle Soojin leaving the group? I was SO shocked. What do you think about it? Do you think it was a bigger bullying issue surrounding her that was covered up by cube or do you think she left by her own accord/ Cube being shitty.
I did!!!! it's a shame cause she is such a good dancer and has like an incredible it factor. like. she's the most attractive/magnetic personality of gidle.
tbh after seeing some articles I believe she WAS a shitty classmate in grade school. there's a statement from an actress that went to school with her where she says she remembers soojin being mean to her. do i think she was a full on abusive bully? no, or at least we'll never know. unfortunately being a mean kid in school happens a lot but there's a difference between a few snide comments and abusing someone systematically to the point they need therapy. the issue with bullying scandals in kpop is that it always takes an extreme case to wake people up and then suddenly it's a thing where they burn everyone at the stake for the slightest mistake..... there have been idols who were absolutely vile putrid people in school and who deserve to have everything taken away from them. the problem is there's not a lot of reliability to make a fair judgment when there are no testimonials/it's all online anonymous comments etc.
anyway, between her fucking up with that AND cube being the absolute worst company to deal with any kind of pr issues, it was just a terrible combination for soojin. I never expected her to recover from this, not because it's a confirmation of her being a bad person, but because it's cube. if she had been in yg or sm or even starship this wouldn't have happened. it wouldn't have come to her being kicked out of the group. cube is notoriously bad at dealing with scandals and their solution is always to just drop the idols and give no warning and no effort to clarify the situation.
rip to gidle, I think this is the final nail on their coffin and I wouldn't be surprised if they just plummet after this and unofficially disband. it's been a long time coming.
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