#i know this is going to be a controversial post but i am doubling down on it

[prototypelq]

DMC random thoughts and headcanons in no particular order:

(incest shippers - I will Real Impact you on sight, Go Away; DMC is exclusively a gen (except Nero/Kyrie) family drama to me)

- I kind of wish there had been more of a '5 plot except Dante doesn't wake up and Vergil has to decide between power and the life of his brother' AU going on around here. I had a post written about it, but basically I think Nero himself is more than enough to give Vergil's emotional constipation some cracks, and then the ball gets rolling

- More Cerberus And King Cerberus Appreciation!!! They are two great demonic doggos and deserve more love (and double the appreciation for their weapon forms). I wish Dante had a Cerberus as a dog, than man really needs emotional support

- Vergil should Not have 4 wings. Controversial, yes, but he has a very cool and stabby tail in SDT, Wings are Dante's thing. Dante should have 4 wings, Vergil should have two and a tail, I Do Not Accept criticism

- Dante/Lady or Lucia ship could totally sail (personally I lean more towards Lucia), but not in this story of DMC, at least not for me. I think Dante could like either of them, but he is absolutely not in the right space for any kind of relationship during the entire story of the series, and probably won't be for a long time even after 5

- Patty Adopted Dante As Father Figure, I Do Not Accept Criticism

- Patty would get like a house on fire with Nero, especially if they compare Dante burns. She would also get along well with Vergil, because he actually has manners and style, she can appreciate that, also Patty wouldn't bother him too much (aside from nagging to be nicer).

- Dante is the Best Uncle when he is actually trying

- I wish we had at least a little bit more story going for Lucia, I really like her, but have not idea how to fit her in with other characters

- Nero didn't need to grow his arm back. He gets beautiful DT wing-claws, they are enough, or, well, they couldve made him be able to make a temporary 'holo arm' if needed, but in any case he is a better character if his arm is missing. Nero uses Breakers anyway, and his theme is using human contraptions instead of demonic artefacts. Regrowing an arm just makes him another one in a long line of 'disabled characters that get magically cured of their disaibility'. (have you seen his reloading animation with one arm? it`s great and just as cool as others)

- Dante and Vergil silently agreed to let Nero throw his much needed temper-tantrum, and Vergil absolutely went on easy mode on Nero. I love the punk boy, but no way he would be able to defeat either of the twins

- It is exceptionally beautiful to me how much alike and different the twins are, and either of them could be a hero, or a villain in their respective story. At the same time I am absolutely certain a villain!Dante would be irredeemable

- Battle for the Sun by Placebo is a song I associate with the tragic story of the wins. The music and melody is explosive and destructive, just like everything that came crashing down around the twins, it rises in intensity as their problems are left for decades to fester, the lyrics of the verses is very determined - both wont stand down and are extremely determined to see their crash course till the end (also the multiple repeats of some words makes it sound a little like a broken record - or in a narrative sense, like a lie they keep and keep telling themselves) , however the chorus is very different. The explosion of music that is constantly rising in verses finally blows up, and in this destructive cacaphony of sound the chorus is actually emotionally raw and sweet - the final confrontation of the brothers was inevitable, and it is the conclusion of their story, both know that and there is no more place left for conflict of goals, ideals or anything else, they know the end of their story is coming and the only thing they feel is joy. Joy as they clash together, like only they can, joy at seeing each other, alive after all these years, and joy at being together again, even in this twisted way, their affection in undeteterred

- (more Patty propaganda) I believe Morrison found the 'protect young child from demons' job for Dante on purpose. Morrison is probably one of the people who have known Dante for longest, so he would recognise halfbreed's change in moods after the Mallet job (for example Morrison notes Dante was sad when Patty left at the end of the anime, and...is this the only time someone actively voices concern for Dante's mental health? dammit everyone is this series is an emotional trainwreck). It's unknown if Morrison knows exactly How close to Home of an assignment Patty is (very young orphan hunted by demons, and she is not a half-devil child) to Dante, but her character was probably another good reason for Morrison to pick her as a temporary company to Dante. Even without considering his depressed state, Dante responds only to other dominating personalities (rivalry with Vergil, constantly trying to one-up another friendship with Lady) and Patty certainly has no patience for his laying around or mess at home. At the same time, she is considerate and empathetic enough to give him space or leave him alone if needed. She was the person to help him through the time after Mallet trauma and she did an admirable job. I think this makes their relationship (familiar one, NOT a ship) special, and she totally adopted Dante as her Father Figure against his will, and he can't do anything about it since.

- Subhuman is The Perfect song for DMC5 Dante (would I have liked it on its own? dunno, probably not, but playing the game with it on feels fantaSSStic and I adore this song ever since, also it is thematically On Point with Dante's character arc in 5)

- One of the fics I've read (Неудачник by velkhar on ao3) had written down the idea that Dante doesn't speak in SDT is because he is afraid of what his voice would sound like (once again, Dante has problems with his demonic heritage, they did not go away, not at all) and this headcanon has been aggressively accepted ever since

- Every Sparda has a very refined music taste. Dante is a Red Hot Chilli Peppers and Tenacious D fan for sure, perhaps also a Deepeche Mode fan, probably other 80-90s rock would fall into his interests. Nero is more of a pop rock guy, he definitely would like some rap and grunge music too, he'd like older Imagine Dragons albums, Linkin Park For Sure, maybe Skillet and or Katy Perry, probably also developed a taste for some classical music (being in Order and all; btw yes, you can like rock and classical music at the same time). Dante and Nero would dance to Shakira and Lady Gaga. Vergil's harder to pin down, as much as I enjoy BTL I cannot imagine him listening to it. I'd say he would enjoy classical music of course, maybe something like jazz or soul too. Might be a big stretch, but I also think Vergil would enjoy something like Evanescence too, I feel like all Spardas have a weak spot for female lead vocals.

(projecting here) all of them would like orchestral covers of classic rock songs, Vergil would especially enjoy covers on pipe organ (double projecting).

#kudos to whoever reads this #thank you #patty lowell propaganda continues #patty lowell #dante sparda #vergil sparda #nero sparda #i have been collecting these over for some time #dmc lady #dmc trish #dmc lucia #dmc kyrie #devil may cry #dmc

[russilton]

i am genuinely so curious about your opinion as to why you think merc likes george as much as williams. not to cause discourse but i would actually love to change my mind if george is going to be there for god knows how long.

my impression has always been that merc likes george, but williams loves george. that he is merc's guy but williams' BABY.

(like ngl they didn't make any effort to stop the cyber bullying during the season on his own team's page, which might be minor but it rubs a lot of people the wrong way)

I think it comes down to less weighing up social post vs social post, which is what people often do, and more remembering that both Williams and Mercs socials function fundamentally differently.

Also you can still like whatever teams you want- this post is not me arguing to not support Williams, I still support Williams, I’m just gonna talk about some ways Merc HAVE supported George, and Williams have been the less idealised version people sometimes remember.

We have for a while seen more jokey silly, vloggy content from Williams socials (at least from 2019 on), while we are still, STILL, teaching Merc to pull the stick out of their ass and stop holding themselves to such an aloof standard from 2020 on- compared to other teams. Merc were winning for a long time, they didn’t need to appeal to people they way they now have to as a team winning less and advertising a new driver.

Meanwhile Williams had NOTHING going on for a long time, they were fighting for 19th/20th, all they could do to sell their team to sponsors was provide content people talked about. Mercedes had the name power of Lewis Hamilton, Williams only had George and Nicky for two years- two junior drivers people didn’t know.

I also just… I personally don’t gauge love based on social content alone, since it’s usually run by 2-3 people who have to put out positive content, it’s designed to make you think they love them as much as they can.

Arguably Williams never HAD to defend George the way people want Merc to, vitriolic fan tweets scaled up massively in the 2021 season and Williams was a back of the field team, plenty of people barely knew George existed. George entered Merc at the most controversial time he could, when Max fans were filling their replies with slurs and Lewis fans demanded to know why the fuck we weren’t fighting for a reclassification at the championship- something we now know why they couldn’t but still hurt. When you watch an entire sport break the rules to fuck you, you start making unreasonable demands to do anything to get back at them and make it hurt less. Merc will never satisfy them, and if anything when Merc DID step up to defend George in Singapore and Qatar- people just got madder at George.

When you look down at the team behaviour as a whole… I would really counter your point about George being Williams baby- because he’s been Merc’s baby for double that time.

George was beloved by engineers, drivers, mechanics and upper staff alike, including Nicki Lauda who notoriously used to go to George’s junior series podiums when they supported F1, took him to a black eye peas concert, and called him the future of Merc. He was coached by Val and particularly Lewis on how to drive, George still mentions Lewis’ coaching as what secured his f2 championship and had him coming back from the summer break reborn. The likes of shov, Bono, James v and Mike Sansoni used to tease George lovingly when he did rookie tests for Merc, invited him to run club and team dinners, George even went to the Merc team bowling nights Lewis organised.

My point is, all of the ways Williams yes, does show public past support for George… Merc were doing that behind the scenes. It may seem like they don’t share stuff from George’s Williams past- they don’t have the licenses to show some of those photos, and given that socials are a brand promotion exercise that just serves to promote a team that’s not your own. But in a practical sense they were inviting George into their family and making sure he always felt at home.

You just have to listen to George himself- he said so often last year how he didn’t feel much like he had to settle into Merc because he’d always been with them, long before he was an F1 driver. They are his family, and this is always what HE wanted.

I also have to look at how they treated George trust wise. In 2020 Mercedes trusted George to drive the fastest car in the sports history, Lewis’ car, when he was sick. They skipped over their TWO reserve drivers, Stoffel Vandoorne and Nyck De Vries, to give George a shot, and had to bargain with Williams to borrow him for Sakhir, when arguably Stoff and Nyck would have done more sim work than him.

At the same time, Jost Capito and Williams were trying to find a way to get out of their contract with George for 2021, because they were annoyed George was planning to leave them for Mercedes, and wanted to start working with someone “committed” to them, to the point they approached Kmag about the seat (in his book, Kmag says he called them idiots for it).

It’s theorised George only kept his seat by virtue of the incredibly strict contract Claire Williams tied him into, and Toto/James Vowles threatening Williams within an inch of it’s life. It wasn’t lost on me in the 20/21 season how Jost tended to not always blame their dog shit car for the poor performances, but George and Nicky for not doing more. Hell the way he portioned money in the team was so poor JV is appealing to the FIA for a special grant to upgrade their factory. In 2021 George DNF’d SIX times, mostly mechanical, you can see him disparing in dts about their borderline undrivable performance, but very little changed- but when a fuck up happened they looked right at the drivers.

Meanwhile, Mercedes saw exactly the kind of driver George was trying to be even through the worst car on the grid, and hired him anyway. I’ve seen teams outright throw drivers to the curb for performances they had very little fault in. You can feel how you want about Nicholas Latifi’s confidence in his driving in 22, Williams gave him a car even George struggled to place in for two fucking years, one year with a car Alex just about got by in, and then replaced him with Sargent, who placed lower in F2 than Nicky did.

Nicky has moved on, Williams ARE doing right by Logan now, but a lot of people are only seeing the Williams James Vowles has run. James Vowles who was at Mercedes… longer than Toto. If you want to base Williams current love of George on him, you’re basing it in a reflection of the James who worked with Gwen lagrue to support George for Merc.

You can still love how Williams love George! I do! I like current Williams and I miss James Vowles at Merc so much, but he’s flourishing leading Williams and it’s incredible. I like how silly Williams are sometimes, how they put themselves out on a limb more- but ultimately they have had to make less hard and controversial choices than Merc has, and the one time they did (Hungary 21) George took the choice from them and asked them to prioritise Nicky. Merc has had make choices nobody wants to make- and often panicked and straddled the line in a way nobody was happy with. But to call back to a post @ininininininstayoutstayout made once- when both sides come out of a choice complaining they got fucked over, ultimately you have to reevaluate what the team really could have done because nothing would have pleased everyone.

You can be upset with some of the choices Merc made with George on track over the last couple years, I have been mad at them myself. You can be angry at the mistakes they made with the sakhir pit stop and countless other strategic fuck ups- but none of those were intended results. Nobody at Merc has deliberately targeted George (OR Lewis) for poor treatment, nor did they WANT to make the boys a shitty car.

At the end of the day Merc as a brand poured hundred of thousands or maybe millions into supporting George as a Junior, Toto lead him the the Williams seat, the engineers and mechanics continued to develop him and train him and invite him into the factories and their travel team. He went out to dinner with them, tested their cars. They chose him over Valtteri, who was arguably the safe choice, trusted him, and now George is on their team they support him. Sometimes at a booming volume when George was adjusting, or then punishing himself for things like Singapore or possible controversies like Qatar.

Arguing Merc don’t adore George is like arguing that they don’t love Lewis- if you only look at specific circumstances you can build that idea- but if you look at the longer history it’s abundantly clear that Merc’s employees do fucking love them, they’re just an organisation not a monolith, and really stupid choices happen. And as much as I hate Jost capito, Toto is just as prone to bullshit, just with less “funny”stories about sexually assaulting his employees.

People who want George to go back to Williams are covering over just wanting him to face less backlash, and have less eyes on him, gatekeeping him almost for comfort. I get the impulse, but it’s not what George wants, what he’s fought for, for almost a decade.

Merc are giving him a chance at what he wants, and as bumpy as it’s been it’ll only pave his story as an underdog fight rather than a gifted ride, and they’re doing all that they can to put he and Lewis back up there.

#asks #anonymous #wank/rants #mark rambles #mark’s driver meta #I spent like 3 hours writing this and I am really not up to start DISCOURSE about this #just rambling my feelings about some stuff I’ve seen so I can dump it and move on #potentially #anti Williams #and #anti mercedes

[ohmycale]

There is a tiktok that they hate Deruth and they literally hate him? Then somebody on Twitter countered that Zed was a worse father to Alver and he didnt get hate as much as Deruth. What's your take on it? Is there a double standard for you?

Okay, let's break it down, shall we?

First off, I don’t know about this particular TikTok video and I don’t use the platform so I am taking the things you said at face value.

Second, everyone who has heard of TCF/TBOAH and their characters will have an opinion about them. They are entitled to their opinions about anyone and everything and enjoy the same space and perks as people like me who usually have counter opinions about their opinions. It’s the internet at its finest. 

Third, Hate is a strong word for me and I don’t use it lightly. I try to avoid it. My feelings about Deruth are the same feelings I had for my father with acknowledged bias and projection. Yes, I felt disappointed and angry at him for a long time but I learned to manage my feelings and learned to not be bothered by people who didn’t treat me well. And as I project my feelings into Deruth and other characters, it’s the same thing I do for og!cale. Other fans do the same thing. 

Fourth on Zed and benign compared to Deruth. I don’t comment much on Zed because I believe that he is a trash father from day one and embodies the existence of sperm donors at their finest. What is there to be said, really when everyone agrees on one opinion about him?  Deruth, on the other hand, claims to be living his family motto and then sought out his personal happiness over his son. He is constantly characterized as a ‘good’ but flawed father. That opinion is dependent on whom you are asking, of course. My further opinion about this man is evident in my other posts. Overall, there is no incentive to talk about Zed when you already know from the get-go what kind of ‘father’ he is. Deruth is pretty much a controversial character in this context given his background and ‘progress’ in canon. 

In terms of double standards, I see them equally as men who shouldn't be fathers. That's putting it very lightly. I'm sure others I know personally would have more…colorful words to describe them.  And I’m somewhat irritated that mental neglect/trauma is seen as ‘lower’ than physical neglect/death. It's the invisible scars that grow over time that goes unnoticed and for some people, eventually, wish that they haven't lived or incapacitate them to live better lives. Worst-case scenario, you get judged for not being able to ‘move on’ and ‘be normal’ or shit things people say. Reminds of parents who do do-overs with new families and expect old kids and be a ‘family’ just because.  That's basically Deruth for you. 

Fifth, Alver still has his family with Tasha. Someone who knows understands and care for him just like his mother had done. I can’t say the same for Og!cale. Og!cale’s family is….just not there for him and didnt understand him when he needed it most. His father found a new family and tried to blend him in without actually considering his feelings. Or just thinking that og!cale having new family members = happiness. It doesn't matter if he accepted them eventually. The assumption that og!cale would just go with the flow is so insidious to assume.  His supposed family might care for him, but I don't really see the them understanding what he has gone through and still going through. Ron and Vicross, as we all know, left for their dreams of revenge. Hans, God bless his soul, is a servant to him and under Deruth’s command and authority. So, who is really there for him? 

Sixth, I like that Deruth’s actions are sparkling a debate. It means that people don’t see him as a one dimensioned character even though my feelings would want otherwise. People will have their judgment of him and agree to disagree is still a thing (I guess). The only thing that I care about is og!cale is happy wherever he is right now…with or without Deruth.  

Thanks for the Ask. Sorry for the wall of text.

#tcf #lcf #trash of the count's family #lout of the count’s family #henituse family #tcf cale #og!cale #og!cale henituse #original cale henituse #ask me everything #tcf deruth #deruth henituse #zed crossman

[pizzaheadtv]

Hi! And welcome to my Pizza Tower blog. This is my awesome epic pinned post that will have all of the information you need!

Let's start with the TAGGING SYSTEM

I always loved themed tags. So. Considering the theme of my blog is televisions... we'll go with that!

PTV News Channel - Any analysis or theory posts I do

Director's Cut - Posts from me that aren't analysis or theories

PTV Arts Channel - Idk if this will ever get used but just in case I post art (or writing) here that I made, here is the tag

Special Guest Episode - Crossovers

Squid Tower - My adventures in Splatoon as Noisette

And all characters are tagged with their names. I also rb Sugary Spire art here too so those will also be tagged as Sugary Spire.

Spoilers will not be tagged. I assume you know spoilers if you follow me, considering this blog is themed on the final boss.

More tags might be added as I think of them!

Okay now. DNIs. I will block you if you're pro ship, aka the fancy term for "I'm okay with children being in romantic relationships with adults or siblings/cousins being in romantic relationships with each other". I will also block you if you're a terf, homophobic, racist, or anti semitic. So don't follow me, this isn't a place for you.

I'm going to talk about this here too. Yes, I know about the controversy. But I am still going to interact with this game and enjoy it.

McPig may have said some racist things five years ago, and he put caricatures in the game, but what he's not doing is donating the money he gets to hate groups. He's not using his platform to continue to be racist and to convince people to agree with him. While the apology wasn't perfect, he did say he regretted it instead of ignoring it or confirming that he stayed the same by doubling down on the racist things he had done in the past.

I see people talk about FNAF all the time despite the creator using the funds to donate to republicans. People still love Stranger Things despite its anti semitism. People love Undertale and Deltarune even though Toby Fox has collabed with "problematic" people, was friends with Andrew Hussie, and even has some racist and anti semitic stuff in his games. Hell, even Splatoon has its faults. The only reason PT is so easy to condemn is because it's new, and people love to hate popular things.

Point is- I'm not going to throw away an entire game just because of caricatures in the game. Maybe it's because I'm used to it already being in everything (I watch a lot of old cartoons). Maybe it's because I've experienced far worse hate towards me, my family, and friends irl than a couple of caricatures.

I still think it's bad. I still think it should be changed. And I'm not going to buy any merch or any dlcs unless things in Pizza Tower change.

Sometimes you just have to be uncomfortable. The caricatures in PT should be making you uncomfortable, they are not okay. And I'm not just ignoring them. I'm not going to defend the dev either. There is not an excuse for what he said and did.

And if McPig ends up to still be spouting hate and saying racist stuff and using his fame to spread more hate? Then I'll eat my own words and try to distance myself from the game.

And with that, let's wrap up this pinned post!

Feel free to send me asks to talk about the characters, I love talking about stuff!

Also my pizza tower discord server is RIGHT HERE! It's small and quiet but we love talking about Pizza Tower.

This is an awkward and abrupt end, but so be it.

[ninjagirlstar5]

Protag Teruya AU - Prologue Part 1 - The Boardwalk Intro

Our queen has arrived!

Oh, and Yuri is here too, I guess. (joking)

No TWs apply to this current post.

...Although Yuri is being his usual misandrist self.

The Beach (The Beginning) |   The Mart (Part 2) | The Park (Part 3) | The Tower (Part 4) | The Cottage (Part 5) | The Beach Episode (Final)

Prologe Part 2 Beginning

Disclaimer: While Sannotori is problematic, it’s a thing in this AU/fic and the dynamic is not the same as it is in canon.

The Protag Teruya AU was inspired by @/anotherprofessional’s post! Beware of Void spoilers though!

Walking down the path led them to a pier with smaller houses on it. It looked like a place where people mainly sleep. And it didn’t take them long to find someone else in the area. Although when he saw her, he couldn’t help but do a double take. Because if she was a student, she certainly doesn’t dress like one. The hair was the least concerning part of her outfit as it was just a ponytail with long pink hair that ended in a fuschia ombre and held together with a blue bow. The rest…was a different story. Her blue dress showed a lot more skin than he was comfortable seeing, from her chest to her hips. She wore a long boa scarf, skin tight see-through stockings that had a crisscross pattern, blue heels and gold bracelets and a necklace. She hadn’t noticed their approach but he tried his best to keep his gaze at her head. It wasn’t all that hard, to be honest.

“Geez, this is annoying. What are the teachers doing…?” The girl stared off to the side, her fist on top of her chest as if she was trying to keep herself from tensing too much.

“Excuse me.” Mikado was the first to speak, grabbing her attention.

“Huh? Who are you?” She asked, her eyes wide.

“I am Mikado Sannoji, the Ultimate Wizard. Are you another student here, miss…?” The wizard introduces himself as the implied question hangs in the air. She sighs before giving them a smile.

“So you’re a freshman too. I’m Yoruko Kabuya. I hope we can get along.” Yoruko smiled at them and he gave her his best smile as well, even if it was awkward.

“Hi. Uh, I don’t have a name due to my amnesia but, uh, yeah.” He cleared his throat as Yoruko stared at him with wide eyes. He didn’t want to point it out, but this was going to bother him if he didn't ask. “I hope you don’t mind me asking this, but…why are you dressed like that…?”

“H-Hey, I had no choice, y’know? I didn’t want to wear this…We were told to - no, wait you have amnesia. Never mind.” She leaned forward as she clenched her fists, although she quickly became embarrassed upon remembering that he wouldn’t know what she was talking about due to his lack of memories. When he stares at her with confusion, she realizes something else and seems to force herself to relax, straightening her back. “Ah…Right, I haven’t told you my talent yet.” She grimaces before wrapping an arm around her waist and curling her hand near her neck. “You’ll probably take this the wrong way, but…I got in as the Ultimate Hostess.”

“...Oh, that’s not so bad. I thought your talent was something more controversial.” Mikado said, blunt as a rock like always. He still gaped at him for his blatant honesty and Yoruko looked at him like he had grown another head. The wizard tilts his head at them though. “What…? It’s none of my business as to why Ms. Kabuya entered such an age restricted job.”

“Er, yeah…I was having some problems, so I faked my age in order to work. I was sure nobody would be able to find out…” Yoruko trails off before sighing again, looking away. “Buuut I got busted. I dunno how they figured it out, but next thing I knew there was an acceptance letter at work with my name on it…” She closed her eyes, dropping her arms with resignation. “So, they gave me a choice: jail, or Hope’s Peak. So, here I am.”

“What?!” He gawked at her. This was not what he was expecting from Hope’s Peak. He didn’t think the school would go so far as to blackmail a potential student into joining their school. It made him extremely uncomfortable.

“...Well then! I always thought there was something off about that school, and now I’m wishing I didn’t accept the invitation…” Mikado raised his clenched fists, looking like he was trying to restrain himself from showing even more of his frustration. Not that it mattered as his mask had changed into a more angry expression. The sudden change surprised Yoruko enough to take a step back.

“I…I-It’s nice that you two are getting angry on my behalf. Really.” Yoruko crosses her arms. “But it’s not as if I hate the school or anything. I’ll be old enough to work legally in a few years anyway. Since going to Hope’s Peak guarantees success to their students, I figured I can gain some fame here and use that to get a better gig in the future.”

“Still, they just…blackmailed you into attending. That’s a shitty thing to do.” He clenched his fist, pressing it against his chest. Now he really didn’t want to be here.

“Not much I can do about that…I am breaking the law.” She then clenched her teeth, her blue eyes narrowing. “But seeing myself in a place like this instead is just pissing me off. At least you two aren’t trying to take a peep at me…Unless that mask of yours is hiding what you’re really looking at.” She glares at Mikado. The wizard simply stared back, dropping one of his hands as his mask shifts into his normal smile.

“...Would you believe me if I said I was looking at you respectfully, Ms. Kabuya?” Mikado said, and the hostess huffs at him.

“You better be! Honestly, dealing with perverts is nothing new for me…Just don’t take this the wrong way. My job isn’t what you think it is.” Yoruko said, mostly looking at him when she clarified that last part. When he waited for her to elaborate, she didn’t, and he felt too embarrassed to pry any further.

“Anyway…Do you have any idea on how we ended up here on this island?” He felt it was safer to change the subject than to continue talking about her talent.

“Hard not to think about it when we’re supposed to be at Hope’s Peak and yet we’re not.” The hostess puts her hand on her hips and raises her other hand, clearly annoyed. “I went to the place they told me to go to, but then I passed out. When I woke up, I was here on this island. What, were we, like, kidnapped to work as slaves or something?”

“Please no. I don’t want to be forced to work for someone else.” He shuddered at the thought. Even Mikado looked disturbed. Yoruko sighs in agreement.

“Not only that, I’ve got a bad feeling about all of this…” She looks away, concerned. “What are the teachers doing, anyway?” Yoruko drops her arms as she starts to sweat. “Even if it was some kind of event, no one gave us any contract or extra notice.”

“I’ve never been in a school environment, but that sounds about right.” Mikado said, casually dropping another piece of information about himself that left him shocked. But he kept talking before he could point it out. “Any authority figure worth their salt would at least keep us informed on what they wish to do for their pupils. I can’t help but feel like everyone is a little too relaxed about this whole thing…”

“And I can’t believe I had to stop working because of this…” Yoruko said, almost as if she was in silent agreement with the wizard next to her.

“Wow, uh…sounds like you’re hardworking, Yoruko.” He complimented, as that was the only thing he could think to do at the moment. He didn’t have any memories of school even though he still had his general knowledge without those educational experiences. So he couldn’t really give his own opinion on that in general.

“Oh, uh…thank you…” Yoruko starts but quickly trails off, as if realizing that he didn’t give her a name, so the sentence ended on an awkward note.

“Well, it’s unfortunate, but it seems you don’t know any details either, right?” Mikado sighs, almost sounding like he was exhausted. Yoruko crosses her arms again.

“Nah, I’ve been trying to look around though. I just hope nothing bad happens…”

“Same here. We’ll see you around?” He nods his head at her and she smiles a little bit.

“Yeah, it was nice to meet you…even without a name. Good luck with your amnesia.” The hostess walks away to explore elsewhere. The two of them then turned towards each other.

“Well that was enlightening…in more ways than one.” Mikado said, and he can see him crossing his arms underneath his cape. He nods slightly in agreement.

“Hope’s Peak seems to be, um…really determined to research talent.” He frowns, pressing his hand against his chest. “And the more I think about it, the more this situation just doesn’t make any sense.”

“Agreed. I fear we may be in more danger than we realize. And to think that Hope’s Peak is willing to go as far as to commit blackmail…” Mikado said, scratching the back of his head. “Hm…There’s another possibility to this, and I fear it may be one of the worst options out there.”

“Oh, what’s that?” He tilts his head at him, not really grasping Mikado’s train of thought. The wizard pauses, staring down at the ground before looking back at him.

“I’m afraid I’ll be keeping this thought to myself.” When he gaped at him, Mikado’s mask shifts into its giant smile and shrugs. “No offense, my dear. But I’d rather not cause a panic based on a guess that has no evidence to back it up.”

“…Can you at least tell me something?” He asked. He didn’t think Mikado would share his thoughts on what’s happening at the moment. He’s been open so far but it might be just because he liked talking to him or maybe he didn’t think twice about what he’s saying. But…still. “What…kind of life did you live?” The wizard stared at him, the expression of his mask not moving at all. “You seem…out of touch with what’s popular, which, you know, isn’t odd by itself. Maybe you really are the kind of person who doesn’t care about that stuff. But then you mentioned wizards getting persecuted for their magic, that you need to give up your soul to use magic, and then you said you’ve ‘never been in a school environment.’” He hesitates before staring at the mask, trying to make eye contact with his friend. “Are you…okay?”

“…I think you’re looking too deeply into this, my dear.” Mikado said, his tone almost carefully flat. He gulps, wondering if he had pried too deeply. “I was mostly joking.”

“Joking?” He stared at the wizard in disbelief. “None of that stuff sounds like a joke. And you’ve been honest with me since I’ve woken up. I…” He lifts his hand up, even though he didn’t know what to do with it. “I just wanna make sure you’re okay. Because you’re my friend.” Mikado blinks at him, which was at least some sort of reaction.

“…You seem to be able to connect the dots better than I expected. I’m almost impressed.” The wizard said, blinking at him again. “I’m fine. Really. I was mostly pulling on Ms. Nijiue’s leg about trading your soul for the use of magic, and while I’ve never been to a school before, I’ve learned everything I could on my own. As for the persecution…” Mikado tilts his head, his large smile still plastered onto his mask. “They no longer bother me.” He stared, feeling a shiver go down his spine as he tried to comprehend the implications. Mikado pauses before straightening his back and turning his gaze towards something off to the side. “Don’t look now, but it seems we have an audience.”

“Huh?” Despite what Mikado just said, he turns around dumbfounded. Apparently, someone was watching their whole conversation and drilling holes into their heads. That someone has a small but masculine frame, wearing a school uniform that had a teal blazer, gray pants, brown loafers and a black and yellow striped tie. His messy curly blonde hair that was tinged with green at the ends swayed in the wind, and he was glaring down at them with dark gray eyes, gripping onto the railing tightly. Unnerved at the hostile attention, he leaned over towards Mikado, who had moved to stand next to him. “Uh, did we do something wrong?”

“Not that I know of.” Mikado said with a shrug. “I recognize him from the Monocruise. He was trying to talk to one of the girls when I decided to leave the ship.”

“So…he’s a classmate?” He asked, and Mikado shrugged again. He frowns before bringing his attention back to their classmate, who seemed to realize that they’ve noticed him staring. Or rather, glaring. He hesitates, wondering if he should go over and introduce himself or leave so he can catch his fellow student in a better mood next time. But Mikado didn’t seem to be willing to talk about his past beyond little comments and vague details, so he decided to drop the topic and focus on his classmate. Steeling his nerves, he walks across the bridge and up the stairs. The boy’s eyes never left his, and now that he was closer, he could see that his eyes had stars in them and he was wearing a spaceship backpack. He tried to give his classmate a friendly smile. “Uh, hi! I’m your classmate, but uh, I don’t have a name at the moment. Amnesia and stuff. But hey, you can tell me yours, if you want?”

“…To think you have the audacity to approach me as a male. What a disgusting sight.” The boy said with a surprisingly deep voice, squeezing his eyes shut, clutching his chest and rubbing at his head. His own jaw dropped at the response. It’s not like he wasn’t expecting some sort of hostility from him with how he glared at both him and Mikado, but he definitely wasn’t expecting this. “What were you doing with the wonderful Lady Yoruko? Certainly nothing good with scumbags like you.”

“Huh?” If his jaw could fall to the floor, it would by now. He tried to wrap his brain around this boy’s words, his mind clinging to a certain word that stands out. “M-Male…why, uh, I don’t even…what?”

“Oh dear. It seems we have a misandrist in our midst.” Mikado said, near instantaneously appearing behind him. He jolts at his voice but immediately relaxes when he realizes it was just the wizard. The boy, on the other hand, looked like he had swallowed a lemon. “Which is ironic, considering you seem to be male yourself…unless I’m mistaken?”

“…Unfortunately, yes, I am.” The boy crosses his arms, looking off to the side. “But I am so sorry if I upset the both of you. You see, I’m a being that exists solely for women, so I consider males to be insignificant as pebbles in the street.”

“Wow….uh, okay.” He said, mostly because he had nothing else to say. This conversation hasn’t even lasted five minutes and he was already starting to get exhausted. “I’m guessing you’re not willing to talk to us about the situation we’re in, are you?”

“Hmph…” The boy still refuses to look at him directly. But to his surprise, he kept speaking. “We were told to go to a certain location and then suddenly found ourselves on a deserted island.”

“Oh, so you’re not completely clueless.” Mikado said, crossing his arms with flat eyes.

“Of course not! I’m not useless like the rest of you males.” The boy said with a scoff and any sort of appreciation he had immediately disappeared upon hearing him speak. Did he really have to tack on that last sentence? “I can’t say for sure, but I think this might be a kidnapping case or something.” His jaw dropped again, both for the possibility and how casual the boy brought it up as if it was the most normal thing in the world.

“K-Kidnapping?!” His voice rose without really meaning to and he could sense Mikado cringe behind him. He glances at him to see how the wizard was taking in the information, but he didn’t seem surprised. In fact, his mask had shifted back to its giant smile, instead of the wide eyed expression he expected. The boy smiled, still calm as he pointed to the sky.

“There’s no way the school would do something this crazy…Maybe somebody figured they could make some easy cash by ransoming off some of the most talented people in our country, so they kidnapped us.” His reasoning made a lot of sense, even if he didn’t remember his own talent. The boy huffs, pouting as he crosses his arms. “I’ve been kidnapped a lot, so I should know.”

“Hold on, shouldn’t you be more concerned if you’ve been kidnapped so many times? How are you calm?!” He asked, frantic as panic grips his heart again. But then Mikado put his hand on top of his shoulder and he jolted at the touch. The wizard didn’t let go, though, and instead squeezed his shoulder almost gently.

“Calm down. The situation we’re in is unknown but the worst that has happened is that we don’t know how we got here.” Mikado said, and the boy rolled his eyes.

“At least one of you is able to keep your head on straight, for he is right.” The boy’s pout turns into a normal frown. “Realistically-speaking, nothing bad has happened since we’ve arrived, nor are we caged or restrained in any way.” And then, for the first time since they talked to him, he smiles and pats his chest. “I’m just trying to make the best of it.”

“I, uh…I guess?” It didn’t make the situation any less worrisome now that he was aware of the possibility of a mass kidnapping.

“Just because we aren’t locked up in cages doesn’t mean the situation is any better. For all we know, if we did get kidnapped and our kidnappers are allowing us to roam freely, then they must be confident enough to think that we won’t be able to escape from their nefarious plans any time soon.” Mikado reasoned, which he pretty much agreed with. The boy, on the other hand, groaned and face palmed, squeezing his eyes shut.

“Ugghh! Being forced to talk to males gives me a headache…Neither of you even bothered to introduce yourselves!”

“…Uh, I did. I just don’t know my name and talent due to my amnesia.” He recalled, which made the boy open his eyes and pause. He stared at him for a moment before averting his gaze with a simple ‘oh.’ Mikado sighed, slumping his shoulders.

“If you give us your name and talent, I will give you mine. Then we can be done with this poor excuse of a conversation.” The wizard scratches the back of his head in exasperation and apparently that was enough encouragement for the boy to engage.

“Fine. But only because you are actually making some sense. I’m the Ultimate Spaceman, Yuri Kagarin. Do yourselves a favor and remember that.” Yuri, after what felt like hours, finally gave them his name and he never felt more relieved in his short existence of lost memories. They can now finally leave this conversation!

“Mikado Sannoji, Ultimate Wizard. Now-” Mikado grabbed a hold of him and he yelped when his feet suddenly left the ground. “Goodbye, Mr. Kagarin.” And with that, the wizard flew off at a speed that made him scream in fear, leaving Yuri in wide eyed bafflement.

#SDRA2 #Super Danganronpa Another 2 #Protag Teruya AU #Teruya Otori #Mikado Sannoji #Yoruko Kabuya #Yuri Kagarin #Sannotori but Teruya has yet to reciprocate #Terukado but Teruya has yet to reciprocate #SDRA2 Spoilers

[vitaminwaterreviews]

Red Velvet - The Red

Yeah, as you can no doubt tell by the ratings, these songs are more my style. Some really really excellent Red Velvet in here; the kind of layered vocals and harmonies over bouncy synths just isn’t something that every group can do. I really, genuinely don’t have much to say, just: good solid album, I liked it a lot. Average of 7.7, which actually feels a little low to me, but oh well.

In terms of broader SM music, I won’t really know where this fits in the timeline until I’ve heard IGAB, Lion Heart, and 4 Walls. So maybe I should go about listening to those pretty soon here.

Going with the last of the Red Velvet albums today because I’ve just listened to whatever the hell the ReVe festival was, and now I want something to clear my palate. I know Dumb Dumb, and I also vaguely know Day 1, although I haven’t heard it in a while.

Dumb Dumb

I’ll have the MV up for this one because I’ve seen it like, literally once

I just love the layering and the synthyness of their voices doing the dumb dumb part

And my god the baby baby etc part is so good

Oh listen to that ascending synth in the background on the offbeats

There’s some baritone sax in here too, that’s neat

I’ve always loved the instrumentation for this song though. The horn hits alongside their vocals are so good

The bridge is so contrasty, but it Really helps the song

8/10, good solid title track, can’t have any complaints

Huff n Puff

Lol that “BWAH” sound

This song is so Loud

But it’s kind of … “basic” red sound, if that makes sense

This bridge is classic RV

Haha the EDM let’s go

8/10, I spent the entire song at like a 6, but the ending made it all click for me

Campfire

Oh my god this is Groovy, I love this

Dude this Bass

Mkay, a tad predictable in the second verse here

God I love Wendy so much

I know I’m not typing much for these songs but it’s because I’m too busy vibing

8/10

Red Dress

Very minimal instrumentals, Lots of percussion, punctuated with horns

Rap heavy, which isn’t normal for RV

And then the pre-chorus is a new song ofc

And then the chorus is a completely different vibe too

Actually this chorus feels quite velvety to me

And now we’re here for the bridge, alright

8/10, literally the exact same thing as it has been: starts low, but by the end I’m convinced

Oh Boy

Piano and electric organ doubling

Strings

The instrumentals really make this song feel Heavy to me

I wish the chorus was more

The bridge is super Red Velvet, I still want more

6/10, needed way more

Lady’s Room

Kenzie’s contribution

It’s super synthy, like the background is a wave of synth

The post-chorus at least is fun

Okay this is probably a super controversial take, but the more I hear of Kenzie’s music, the less impressed I am by her. As a general rule, her songs are some of my least favorites on their respective albums

Not that this is a Bad song, but it’s not as good as the first few

“Can I get your number?” uh YES

7/10

Time Slip

GO GO GO

Suuuper heavy bass

Otherwise very light instrumentals so far, really letting the vocals do the work

I like the cute sound effects

I like this a lot, I think. It’s super stripped down, but it’s well-mixed, their vocals are Lovely

Piano in the chorus, didn’t notice that the first time around

We love the harmonies over the rap, that’s like my favorite thing

9/10? Sure why not. It like like an 8.7 but I don’t do decimals so I’ve gotta round up

Don’t U Wait No More

See, it’s hip and cool, because they said “U”

Love the intro hahaha IncOMMiIINGNGGG

Idk who that guy is but you know if he’s producing the track then the song is a banger

The default sound of this album is kind of stripped back. Or maybe I’m just getting better at listening through layers?

See, this is what I love about kpop: vocals as instruments. The lyrics literally do not matter to me here, the producers are using their voices as instruments like any other and I love that

8/10

Day 1

Okay I haven’t heard this in a while SO

The intro really is so groovy, it feels like something out of a sitcom for some reason

Woahhhh the slow bits

There’s a sense of urgency here that I like

That’s right, that’s the chorus

Lol why did I just get Wii Sports Resort vibes

“Kiss kiss kiss” “Love love love” is actually really fun

The bridge left some to be desired. Was kind of hoping we’d go for a different feel but it stays pretty much in the same place

I do hear that electric guitar

8/10, fun song, good to hear it again

Cool World

This actually feels kind of melancholy, that’s a first on this album

Why does it kind of sound like they’re saying “cruel world”?

I really like the pre-chorus I like how kind of sad it is

The chorus needs more going on lyrically

Not impressed by the bridge, very predictable

I guess this is actually the ballad of the album. But it’s The Red, so it’s a red ballad haha

7/10

#album #kpop #Red Velvet

[juwlie]

here's a life update from me:

started rewatching Lost with my partner and it's his first time watching so I apologize in advance for the inevitable Lost posting

I have to get a colonoscopy and endoscopy on monday and I am preparing to be in the most foul mood of all time for the next four days since I'm barely allowed to eat anything and I'm going to be shitting my brains out on sunday

got in my car to go to the grocery store (to get "prep" for my colonoscopy) and when I got back home from the store, I opened my passenger side door to find a wasps' nest!!! in my door!!!!!!

isn't that interesting. how did wasps build a nest inside of my door. I also don't know how long they've been in there because the AC has been broken in my car for a few months and it is literally just too hot to drive my car with no AC on most days, even with the windows down. so I haven't driven my car in about a month, but I haven't opened the passenger door in at least three months. so who knows. regardless I hope they're happy living in the door of my car. that is something I will deal with later I guess

saltine crackers are actually kind of good tbh. I'm eating them with honey peanut butter as one of the snacks I'm allowed to have and it's kinda good.

my birthday is in a few weeks and my gift to myself is that I'm finally getting my hair cut SHORT short (like a pixie cut but slightly different) and dyed blue...which I have wanted to do since I was like 12yrs old. nervous to be living in the deep south as I progressively start doing more of the things I want to do with my body--like it was controversial that I got my helixes pierced last year. and I don't shave my body hair anymore. and I carry a very cute rainbow bag with me everywhere, and on top of that, it's one of those crossbody shoulder bags that the crunchy milf hippie ladies wear. so I feel like the blue hair is rlly going to be the thing that pushes people over the line of Having Some Shit To Say, if you will. it was also controversial when I got my last haircut?? it was short but it was still chin length, like it's not that crazy. but a lot of people (men) were very visibly put off by it and were trying to be polite after I got it cut but it was very obvious that they did not like it lol. which is fine!! don't get me wrong, I don't care if other people don't like my choices for my body. but it's very weird to interact with someone and know that they're put off by something as simple as a short haircut.

anyway I don't know what the point of this was but I doubled my afternoon adderall dosage today so I could go to the grocery store without having a little meltdown so that's probably why this ended up being long...but what is tumblr for if not lengthy sporadic life updates

#blogger

[castle-dominion]

c4x6 demons

Nice big moon there oh yes buzzfeed unsolved moments! I should finish watching that with my older bro... Where's the van outside tho? How do the doors close again? Maybe ghosts ARE real. Like in murdoch mysteries & then it was never again acknowledged that murdoch could see ghosts What can he see? I thought the thing came from you-know-where?

AC, on her dad's lap as they watch a movie together but then he tilts her in front of him: Dad, are you using me as a shield against flesh-eating zombies? She looks so adult. & oddly tanned. RC: I know he's busy, and you are very thoughtful to be so accommodating, sweetheart, but a healthy relationship is based on mutual respect. I mean, think about what kind of signal you're sending if you're the one always re-arranging your schedule at the other one's every beck and call. I mean, if you just drop everything the very moment that— *beckett calls* *castle drops everything at her call*

RC: The Ghost Wranglers are here? Okay, that's why I love these guys. Body's not even cold, they're already tracking down the ghost. KB: Why doesn't it surprise me that you actually watch that ridiculous show? GIRL SHUT UP RC: Ridiculously awesome. Jack Sinclair is, *becks turns to him in shock* hands down, America's most accomplished ghost hunter. KB: Um...Castle...Jack Sinclair is the name of our victim.

LP: His throat was slit almost from ear to ear, jugular, superior thyroid, common carotid left and right. You name it, it's been severed. Sexy Can't you be behind the guy? Heck yeah ghost killer! She works with dead ppl don't let her believe in ghosts

Oh nice maybe they caught the murder on camera castle explaining what it means <3 So many angles! Mum & I both immediately knew it wasn't begging for mercy. An emp maybe? (btw I'm pronouncing it émp' like in rvb when they were arguing abt it) GIRL IF THEY HAD AN ARGUMENT THAT IS A RECENT UPSET IN RELATIONSHIPS, THAT'S WHAT THEY ASKED ABOUT

Ryan's nice red sweater over his suit uwu JE: Right. Hey, we're still on for dinner tomorrow night, right? Me: what? Maybe it's a game night or smth not a date haha KR: Oh, yeah, Jenny's totally psyched. Me: oh KR: She's never really hung out with Lanie before, so *full body nod* cool. JE: Well, just to let you know, Lanie's gonna be getting off a double shift. So, she could be a little cranky. KR: Oh. *squints eyes* Maybe we should reschedule. I mean, isn't the whole point for Jenny and Lanie to get along? JE: Nah, she'll be cool. Just, you know, don't say anything controversial. KR, walking back over & crossing arms: Like what? What's controversial? [The computer makes a sound.] JE: Bingo. KR: Bingo. Don't talk about Bingo? JE: No. *gestures with some irritation* Barry Bavetta's been busy, and so has his lap. Dude has racked up a hell of a tab at a strip club

RC: We heard you were racking up quite a bill. Or is that billing quite a rack?

Sounds like he said he did kill the guy but obv it couldn't have been him. "you decided to prove him wrong"

Killing time was KIND OF funny "apparition american" KB: You'll see, Castle. This'll turn out just like every other murder investigation. *Ryan walks up looking concerned.* Once we find out more about our victim's life, the details surrounding his death, everything will be explained. KR: Um…maybe not everything. Mr irish folklore over there he looks SO mildly concerned & shaken & I LOVE it, good acting b'y *gestures politely to send castle in first* Caught a ghost! So cool!

Posting that intro on my blog

B'y surely u got SOME sleep esposito smiling watching castle set up his ghost murder board *drank her coffee* RC: ready for this? Espt *nods* RC: a demon

RC: That's not a real thing, you know. That real ghost hunters use. JE: "Real" ghost hunters? Isn't that a contradiction in terms, bro? Oxymoron? Nah man let people have their beliefs I thought that "I do" was Ryan Ooh Ryan nice tie! RC: You see? I am telling you, there is something going on with this house. The last people-- to-- *Castle tries to flip the board back around, but Beckett stops him.* RC: The last people that lived there moved out four years ago in a hurry. KR, breathy: Why? RC: I don't know, but I think it's time we found out. KB: Knock yourself out, Castle. RC: You're not coming? KB: No. I've got a murder to solve. KR sidles up to castle, eyes wide, eyebrow raised, mouth open: I'll go. *softly* [Beckett gives Ryan a look. Castle smiles at Ryan, then turns and sees Beckett's expression and his face falls. Beckett narrows her eyes.] RC: Ooh. That's a look. KR, looking down & to the side: Yeah. RC: I get these a lot. Just start walking. Faster. [Beckett watches them leave, then smiles & looks over at the empty coffee cups.] Ryan really is becoming castle jr!

Poor beckett, castle drank her coffee then said he'd make her one then he doesn't & she burns herself on it. I like the idea of ryckett & casito but rn we have some rystle & especkett scenes. JE: Yo. I, uh, just saw Ryan downstairs. I can't believe you let him go chasing ghosts with Castle. KB: Yeah. Maybe Shaggy'll keep Scooby out of trouble. Besides, you never know, maybe they'll come up with something useful. JE: Oh, you want useful. *sarcastic surprise* 'Cause I just spoke to CSU. They found fingerprints at the scene from a real live person, so… *points & wiggles finger* Becks still has the coffee with her

Girl maybe he thinks he was molested by a ghost it is not your business to make fun of the (probably psychological) issues of a man in prison! Wow the grammar & spelling... the handwriting is fine

Poor guy, he has to live with his mom bc he's an ex-con, he violated his parole for the guy who ruined his prison life, I just really feel for this guy. Prophesy vibes

This is so cool & cute & funny & scary! RC, trying not to show his excitement over the ghost: Oh, my God, that's terrible Ryan looking mildly freaked out is my new favourite thing Mercedes King & Mercy LaGrande are both cool names KB: So the question is, how is she involved in all of this? *rystle look at each other & hop up quickly* RC: Uh, well, you know, uh, Ryan and I would be glad to go check this out *ryan nods half winks* if you guys are too busy solving that murder. *especkett share a look*

Oh & now caskett is here instead of rystle These folks are doctors. They are psychologists, they are pharmacists, they are the medical professionals of the past. & I respect them. Why did he say mercy I can see IT not HIM? his face is an it but jack could have said him too.

Give that man a prize. tbh I expected the pics to be even more gory Murdoch mind moments!

I love the term on the lam, I like this guy's shirt (I have one from hot topic that looks like it lol) RC, looking to beckett: Really? He claimed there was a demon involved? AS: I know. Like anyone's going to fall for that, right? I mean, what kind of jackass did he think he was dealing with?

Ooh info! Cool! Valid, he probably turned him away. Yep you need a warrant babe. Do you need a warrant to get their car service logs? Ooh I love it when they do that! There was this one time a serial killer was watching TV with his wife 20 or 30 years later or smth & they said "this is a serial killer, we think he looks like this" with an aged up model including the style of glasses he would most likely wear & the wife looked at him & said "it looks exactly like you" & they both just laughed it off bc how could this guy my husband be a serial killer? lol that's so silly how he looks like the killer.

KB: Wait a minute, don't you guys have dinner plans tonight? KR, afraid: Uh, we can move it to…some night when Lanie's not coming off a double shift. JE: Uh, actually, Lanie's really looking forward to it. KB: You know what? No worries. It's on my way home. [Beckett takes the photos.] KR+JE: You sure? KB: That I don't want to be the one to blame for ruining Lanie's night out? Oh, yeah. I am sure.

Martha <3 Ooh hoo wowie look at alexis! & going to a party too! No he literally just called, you can answer & say she just went out bc she had plans or smth! gah!

Ooh scottish architecture! Ooh Laird's Lugs! KB: We'll go first thing in the morning, see what we come up with. RC: *puppydog eyes* KB: You want to go now?

RC: For me. Please. KB: I ain't afraid of no ghosts. *ghostbusters theme*

She's pulling his leg KB: How long have you known me, Castle? Of course I don't believe in ghosts. *door closes* RC: What was that? *lights go out* KB: Well, that's odd. RC: No, that's more than just odd. This is the same sequence of events that preceded Jack Sinclair's murder. KB: Except Jack only had an EMF meter. I've got a gun and a flashlight. *The flashlight goes out.* Except wouldn't their phones also be out? Gosh it's hard to be on someone's shoulders *grabs* KB: *gasps!!* Castle, I said legs, okay? RC: Oh. Legs. Sorry.

LP: Not as sorry as I was. I'm around dead people all day. When I get home, I want a live one. JE, eating: I was tired. [Ryan and Jenny laugh.] JO: I can't believe we waited so long to do this, babe. KR, wearing his fortnightversary tie: Yeah. Yeah, it really did turn out to be a perfect night. JE: *winks at ryan* KR: I would like to propose a toast. I know that it's kind of corny, but it's me, (yeah lol) so well, there we go. Uh, to best friends, now and forever. [They toast.] JO: Cheers. JE: And to the future newlyweds. JO: Aww. [They toast again.] KR: You are so thoughtful. LP: Cheers. JO: You know, Kevin said you guys made a great couple, *Lanie smiles & leans towards javier* but I had no idea. [Lanie and Esposito cuddle and lean in to kiss.] JO: So, when are you two getting married? [That kills the mood and Esposito and Lanie recoil w/o even kissing.] KR: JO: LP: JE: *stares daggers at Ryan* KR: *moves to drink his wine during the awkward silence.*

Sad that they found a magnetic field generator to explain the moving tripod BUT wouldn't it have also moved every other tripod & any metal that Sinclair had on him? WHY is it creaking tho? *makes castle open the door* Oh it's a rat It's like when higgins kissed a corpse! Well he fell on it & his lips touched its lips but he was so grossed out about kissing a corpse & that's totally valid Poor castle lol

Hide & seek lol. In the morgue: *Beckett exits and Castle stops on his way out* RC: Hey, how'd that double date go? LP: *crosses her arms and glares.* RC: I-- I just… LP: *eye twitches* *KB comes back in abt the case, but castle leaves past her* RC: Don't ask her about the date.

KR: Look, I said I'm sorry, okay? t-- h-- I didn't mean to jinx the dinner. JE: (imitating)"This really is the perfect night." KR: Jenny got a little caught up in the moment. JE: (falsetto)"When are you two getting married?" That's a question you do not ask! (Yeah jenny, sorry. I love you plenty tho. btw when are we going to find out she's a spy like with terrence myers or mary morstan) [Ryan sighs.] JE, mellowing out: I-- You know, it's-- it's not entirely your guys' fault. KR: You guys have a big fight after? JE: Big fight? *laughing* No. Mega fight, *seriously* yes. *ryan nods* The point is, we, um…we decided that we're gonna cool things off. (Good facial expressions.) KR, sad for his friend: Wait, you mean split up? JE: Yeah. Just until we both figure out what we want. *looks down kinda sad but also an "i don't talk about emotions" way* KR: Man, I'm so sorry. JE: Anyway. *starts ignoring him* KR: Look, brother, if you need anything, you know I'm always here… What? Friendship<3 also "brother" is such a Term

WHOA THE BRO GOT THE GIRL? Cafe jouer not cafe jouerre bro Either it's weird how he remembers all the details or they got burned into his brain bc of that event or it's weird how he remembers all the details bc they would be overshadowed by the horror.

KR: It wasn't someone Melanie worked with. I just tracked down George Banner, Melanie's manager at Flywide Travel twenty years ago. He said Melanie had two co-workers: KR: both guys. RC: A-ha. KR: Married. RC: Still… KR: To each other. (XD WOW) RC: Oh. I mean bisexuality, maybe they invited her to join idk The way castle's hair moves lol

It is not going to be him Ooh strong man there WOAH DETECTIVE SMITH!? Yeah I can understand why you... wait he killed her too I forgot AS: You're both very smart, but you're forgetting one thing. Me: you have a gun? AS: This house is haunted. Nice, lights out scene, fun. Now becks has also lost her gun, maybe ryan won't feel so bad about tyson getting the drop on him.

AS: Get on your knees. *castle starts moving* KB: Don't worry, Castle. He's not gonna shoot us. That won't fit the legend. AS: *pulls a sexy knife* rysposito had better be around Technically that's illegal tho

Ooh castle is so right! Jack sinclair's ghost was TOTALLY solving the murder! Sussy elevator (are ghosts canonically real?)

Oh no I feel bad for ashlexis. Castle said "goin'a" like "going ta" except since n & t are in the same place in the mouth he just said goin'a, not quite "gonna" Cuddling <3 Flesh eating zombies I love their father daughter love time Wait am I in the zombie movie? As soon as they press play we're going to be attacked by zombies!

#castle 4x6 #castle 4x6 spoilers #castle 4x6 quote #castle family #esparish breakup #the ghost hunting episode

[strategicsmmarketing]

Social Media Research

Hello all!

As you may have realized, I am a college student. As a college student, research takes up a lot of my time. It is pretty much a necessity for anyone who attends a university. It doesn’t matter if you’re in the arts, in business, in STEM…you are ALWAYS researching for one reason or another. It’s exhausting for sure, but thankfully modern technology makes it much easier than it once was.

Today, I will be discussing three research papers I found and their practical applications in the marketing world. To keep a common theme, I decided to focus specifically on luxury brands.

When A Luxury Brand Bursts: Modelling the Social Media Viral Effects of Negative Stereotypes Adoption Leading To Brand Hate

The internet, being a free place with little accountability, is littered with incorrect “facts” that can overtake the general online population. When rumors are spread enough, it can be hard to figure out what is actually factual and which sources are trustworthy- these instances are referred to by The World Health Organization as infodemics (Pantano, 2021). It is common for people to trust the information that they see on social media, especially when it is delivered to them by a celebrity (Pantano, 2021). It has also been found that users are more likely to blindly believe the information in a social media post if it has a large number of likes (Pantano, 2021). So: theoretically, if a well-liked celebrity endorses a brand and that same brand also has a lot of likes online, it is probably considered a trustworthy and good company by the general public. This paper, linked here, discusses research done on a Dolce&Gabbana marketing campaign from 2018 where the brand used stereotypes to exploit the Chinese market (Pantano, 2021). Their Chinese #DGTheGreatShow campaign depicted an Asian actress eating Italian food (Dolce&Gabbana is an Italian brand) with chopsticks, which consumers found offensive (Pantano, 2021). This is apparently a common tactic for D&G— make controversial advertisements in order to spark debate and garner brand interest, and even Stefano Gabbana himself expressed on Instagram that the Chinese audience didn’t “get” the ad…which, of course, earned him more backlash (Pantano, 2021). Consequently, Chinese e-commerce and luxury retailers removed D&G from their platforms (Pantano, 2021). Since you can never truly get anything that big off the internet for good, it is expected that D&G will continue to be affected by this extremely poor choice in marketing for years to come (Pantano, 2021). As far as the initial controversy goes, it took about a month from the peak of negative comments for the discussion to go away; since D&G did not handle the “contagion” immediately, it blew up more and took way longer than expected to blow over (Pantano, 2021).

So what can we learn from this? First and foremost, make sure your risky marketing campaigns go through and are approved by a diverse group of individuals. I cannot imagine there was any person of asian heritage on that D&G marketing team considering they still published it confidently. Furthermore, you know how Stefano Gabbana doubled down on his racist campaign and told people that they didn’t “get it”? Definitely do not do that as part of your damage control plan. And definitely do not think you are above backlash just because your company is considered “luxury,” you might just lose a whole continent of people’s support (and more, but I’m especially referring to the asian retailers). Oh, and finally: if you do start to receive an abnormal amount of negative comments, contain the issue and get rid of the content as soon as possible…it will still spread, but it will never be as bad as if you keep the campaign going.

The Common Values of Social Media Marketing and Luxury Brands. The Millenial and Gen Z Perspective.

You may have noticed that luxury brands do not tend to hugely market themselves on the internet. One hypothesis as to why this is: luxury tends to associate itself with authenticity, exclusivity, and hedonism (Dobre et al., 2021). Marketing luxury items on social media could take away part of the mystery and appeal of feeling included in a secret club of sorts once a person buys an item.

To test the relationship between luxury brands and an online environment, the authors of this paper studied a sample of consumers in Romania (they found that not many research papers regarding luxury brands were based on Eastern European markets) and received, in my opinion, some predictable results (Dobre et al., 2021). Firstly, it was found that the perceived value of luxury brands that are present in social media positively affect consumer intentions, as they were more likely to purchase the brands online, visit the brands’ websites, engage in the brands’ social media posts, and more (Dobre et al., 2021). The research also found that the use of social media by luxury brands positively influences the brands’ perceived value, according to the input of Generation Y and Z survey respondents (Dobre et al., 2021). Overall, it was concluded that there is no natural incompatibility between luxury brands and general online marketing, but that the brands need to use the right tools in order to make up for the lack of a physical store (Dobre et al., 2021). Highlighting aspects such as company history, product craftmanship, and brand values with visual aids is a good place to start (Dobre et al., 2021).

From this study, we learn that luxury brands can generally do nothing but benefit from social media as long as they use it correctly (learn from the previous article and don’t be racist, for one thing). They should make up for the absence of a physical store by posting content that is informative and valuable to their consumers in ways that are less common for everyday brands…talk deeply about brand values and perhaps even show them in action, for example. Lastly, Generations Y and Z (who are becoming the biggest purchasers of items across the world) consider luxury brands with social medias to be more valuable. So with all this in mind, if you are part of the marketing team for a luxury brand and are debating whether or not to join social media, definitely do it! I would say: Hold yourself to a higher standard than other everyday companies that are online, and find a way to give your social pages a competitive advantage.

Unpacking the Relationship Between Social Media Marketing and Brand Equity: The Mediating Role Of Consumers’ Benefits and Experience

Digital technology influences approximately 80% of the global luxury market (Zollo, 2020). This aligns with the idea that Millennials naturally expect brands to be marketing themselves and creating dialogue online, and positively respond to those that interact with them (Zollo, 2020). The writers of this paper wanted to closer study the affects of social media marketing on luxury fashion brands’ brand equity, and surveyed a sample of 420 wealthy university students to do so (Zollo, 2020). It was found that cognitive, social integrative, personal integrative, and brand experience mediate the relationship between social media marketing and brand equity (Zollo, 2020). The group concluded that social media marketing does not always positively affect community participation, and in fact it can sometimes cause discontinued use of the brand’s social communities (Zollo, 2020). They also noted that social media marketing tactics are more effective if they can satisfy specific consumer benefits and create positive experiences, and thus they suggested that luxury brands on social media should analyze the personal motives of their consumers—such as implementing elite and fashionable marketing strategies (Zollo, 2020).

What we can learn from this is very similar to the second article’s lesson: luxury brands should put in a lot of effort to pin down exactly why consumers buy from then, and then they should greatly lean into that on their socials. Marketers should make sure the posts provide value to consumers in a unique and interesting way, while also promoting the “elite” values that feed the customers’ egos. It IS dangerous for these brands to market with a simplified plan, since the expectations for them are high and followers could easily get bored if they are posting like every other company nowadays. Luxury clothing marketing teams, therefore, have it harder than teams for stores like Walmart and American Eagle…the former is practically walking on a tightrope and need to stay perfectly balanced the entire time; one wrong move and you could end up like Dolce&Gabbanna! (Although, let’s be real…they make so much money that I’m sure they’re doing just fine in the long run).

Dobre C, Milovan A-M, Duțu C, Preda G, Agapie A. The Common Values of Social Media Marketing and Luxury Brands. The Millennials and Generation Z Perspective. Journal of Theoretical and Applied Electronic Commerce Research. 2021; 16(7):2532-2553. https://doi.org/10.3390/jtaer16070139

Lamberto Zollo, Raffaele Filieri, Riccardo Rialti, Sukki Yoon, Unpacking the relationship between social media marketing and brand equity: The mediating role of consumers’ benefits and experience, Journal of Business Research, Volume 117, 2020, Pages 256-267, https://doi.org/10.1016j.jbusres.2020.05.001. (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0148296320302885)

Eleonora Pantano, When a luxury brand bursts: Modelling the social media viral effects of negative stereotypes adoption leading to brand hate, Journal of Business Research, Volume 123, 2021, Pages 117-125, ISSN 0148-2963, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2020.09.049. (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S014829632030624X)

[saifey]

the thing is, rupi kaur's style is different enough from other poetry (by this I mean 'poems her audience was likely assigned in school,' because now, everyone writes like her, and it's not like these people are poetry experts anyways) to give her artistic idiosyncrasies without ever threatening the audience's enjoyment or understanding of a piece. and that's fine! that's a principle all commercial art operates on! this wouldn't be a problem for any other bad artist, but because she's seen as one of the Sad Brown Girls she rips off, this has created a group of people (some of whom are brown girls) who absolutely Will Not concede that it's commercial art. this engenders a second group of people (some of whom are also brown girls) who think nonwhites shouldnt be writing poetry in the first place. they imply that she only does fragments of poems to cover up the fact that she barely speaks english yet gets to be a well-loved poet because of affirmative action? pc culture gone mad? brown mediocrity? and leaves people's innate racism to fill in the blanks. which creates a third group (brown girls who have had to fight to show people that they are intelligent, skilled writers) who hate her writing, but want her to succeed if only as a symbolic thing, but don't want her to set a precedent for how the woke world views brown girl poets, who own a metaphorical milk and honey someone gifted them only so that they can occasionally thumb through it and go "is it me? am i crazy? do i just not get it?" before deciding it really is that bad and shelving the whole thing for the next time this mess bubbles up

#yosha is online #this is roughly how i feel about mitski if i can feel anything towards post nobody mitski at all #you can't even get mad at the 'dumb down and double my dollars' thing anymore because everyones gotta eat #and mitski was always inoffensive and cute enough to be on the brink of going mainstream. the indie scene is dead so ofc shed push through #but i also need everyone who wasnt a fan until nobody to look me in the eyes and say #'i am the audience she had to dumb down for. i am a demographic to be targeted. i am numbers in a boardroom to her' #she was never a great artist but that was never the point! i don't know what's so hard to understand about that #i swear to gd you people would've demanded for more human zoos and called it representation #it's not great art but it's controversial like great art which makes for easy free publicity. i'm adding to it. it never ends #can i just say that i love how we're all supposedly beyond pitchfork #but this whole thing was obviously brought on by them

[dilfdoctordoom]

On Tom Taylor, the Current Nightwing Run & Ableism

I did mention I was gonna do a post about it, so here we are. There are some things I want to make clear before we begin: the issue exploded on Twitter on the very first day of disabled Pride month; disabled people have been discussing the ableism in Taylor’s Nightwing run since it began; nobody has blamed Taylor for what happened to Barbara in 2011. We are, however, blaming him for the way she is written in his series during 2021. 

I am also going to be discussing the ableism in the fandom in this post. The reactions I have seen, from here to Twitter to TikTok, are showing not only a great misunderstanding of the situation, but a purposeful misunderstanding. The very real reasons disabled people are angry right now have been twisted to make us seem ridiculous and overly sensitive and I cannot help but feel that is very intentional.

Another quick addition: disabled people are not a monolith. Barbara Gordon spent over 20 years as a paralyzed wheelchair user. Stating (and I would like to note, never truly showing) that she is a part time cane user now is still erasing her disability. These things are not interchangeable.

So, with that out of the way, let’s begin.

Tom Taylor’s run is ableist. That is a fact of this situation. He made the active choice to include a version of Barbara Gordon that is ableist caricature. Story wise, the role that Barbara plays could have easily been filled by anyone else. There is no real season, within the narrative and outside of it, for Taylor to include this version of Barbara Gordon, who has received a decade of criticism from disabled people. It’s very well known that this iteration is problematic, to put it kindly, and Taylor is aware of that. 

He made the active decision to include her, anyway, showing, at the very least, that he is passively, if not actively, ableist. Passive ableism is still ableism and disabled people are allowed to take issue with that.

That alone is reason enough for disabled people to be angry. But that’s not why things exploded on Twitter.

On July 1st, the very first day of disabled pride month, the new design for Barbara was dropped. After months of teasing Barbara’s return to a wheelchair using Oracle (see: Last Days of The DC Universe, Batgirl (2016), etc), they debuted... a new Batgirl costume that the artist has openly said draws inspiration from the Burnside suit.

There’s a lot of issues to unpack here, so let’s start small: the issue with consciously calling back to Burnside. The Burnside era of Batgirl stories was... beyond awful. The villain of the series’ first arc, was an AI based on Barbara’s brain patterns when she was disabled. It was evil because of all the rage and pain Barbara felt. The actual Barbara, on the other hand, was good -- because she was able bodied. Because her PTSD had been tossed aside. It was a horrifically ableist era that drove the idea that Barbara’s life was terrible when she was disabled; that it was some horrible, twisted secret.

Comics have kept that narrative going. Barbara is seen hiding books on chronic pain; she reacts aggressively to the mere idea that she could be in a wheelchair again, acting like it would be weakness. Whereas Barbara had once been Oracle not because of, but in spite of, her disability, who was fantastic representation for the disabled community, she now acts like it is the most shameful thing in her life.

To call back to Burnside is to call back to that ableism and make no critique of it. If anything, it’s to embrace the ideas of that era.

There is also the design itself to consider. Many people have pointed out the inclusion of a back brace, as if that saves it from ableism -- it does not. Any person who has ever worn a back brace can take one look at this design and know that they did not consult a disabled person. Hell, by how impractical that thing is, I doubt they even Googled a picture of a back brace.

It’s a superficial acknowledgement that Barbara is supposed to be disabled. Something that was apparently thrown in to appease the numerous complaints of Barbara being able bodied; something that no one working on it put any effort into.

When it comes to aids, this is not a new thing for Barbara in Infinite Frontier. She’s said to be using a cane occasionally, that we got a better look at in Batman: Urban Legends, and as any cane user can tell you... that is not a cane that could feasibly be used. It’s another pathetic attempt to acknowledge that Barbara is supposed to be disabled, without actually doing anything of importance.

[IMAGE ID:  A segmented cane with a tri-pointed handle with a wrist strap. There is a stripe across the sections to connection them, labelled “solar battery charger buttons”. The text reads: “telescoping antenna doubles as cane or weapon if needed”. END ID]

Dropping this design (which we have now established to be problematic) on the very first day of disabled pride month is a sickening move. The very first day, and DC has doubled down on their disability erasure, thrown in superficial things like a back brace to act like it’s fine.

Tom Taylor is definitely involved in this, whether you like it not. No, he is not in anyway responsible for the events of the New 52 and what they did to Barbara Gordon, but that does not absolve him of blame for what is currently being done to her in his run.

When the design dropped, it started trending due to disabled fans reactions. To be clear: we were directly calling out the ableism in this design. This was Tom Taylor’s response:

[IMAGE ID: A tweet from TomTaylorMade that says: “Hey, @Bruna_Redono_F I think our new Batgirl suit is getting some attention.” He then adds a winky face emoji and tags @jesswchen and @drinkpinkkink. Attached are a screenshot showing that Batgirl is trending in the United States and a picture of the design itself. END ID]

This is him, bragging about how the disabled community reacted. Perhaps before this tweet, you could’ve made an argument that he was not ableist, but after he flaunted the fact that disabled people were rightly furious over this, like it was something to be proud of? No. If you are defending him, you are a part of the problem.

Taylor has included ableist writing in his Nightwing run, beyond the inherent ableism that comes with the current iteration of Barbara Gordon (whose inclusion, yet again, is his decision).

[IMAGE ID: A panel from Nightwing #79. Barbara and Dick are standing in his apartment. Barbara is saying: “I have some pretty new technology holding my spine together. I’m happy to do most things -- eat pizza in the park, take down low-level thugs -- but leaping from rooftops seems... unwise.” END ID]

What Barbara says in the panel above has bothered a lot of disabled people. The implication that she couldn’t “eat pizza in the park’ and “take down low-level thugs” without a spinal implant that conveniently erases her disability is... fucked up, to put it mildly. Those are both things that Barbara has done in a wheelchair. The first one is something wheelchair users can do and the implication that it’s not is beyond offensive.

But, let’s leave Barbara behind for a moment. I have previously mentioned that disabled people have been discussing the ableism present in this run long before July -- and that ableism is not only centred on Barbara. Dick is also a player in all this.

Dick Grayson was shot in the head. I don’t believe I need to retread the story, but just in case: Dick was shot in the head by KGBeast, developed amnesia from the event, and went by Ric Grayson for a long enough period in comics. If you have been active within the DC fandom for the past year or so, you know all about this controversial storyline and its fallout.

The Ric Grayson arc concluded itself the issue before Taylor became the writer for the series and ever since his tenure has begun, Taylor has completely ignored the reality of Dick being a disabled man. We understand this is comics, that things do not function the way they do in our world, but still -- it is clear that this gunshot wound to the head has affected Dick massively. We had an entire arc dedicated to how he struggled to find himself in the aftermath.

Taylor is choosing to write Dick as an able-bodied man, despite his canonical injuries and how they would impact his life.

This man is choosing to give empty gestures towards Barbara being a disabled woman (as discussed above, the completely dysfunctional back brace, etc) whilst writing her as able-bodied as possible. He writes both Dick and Barbara as able bodied as humanly possible. That is ableist. He is ableist. This is the same man that said he made a dog disabled ‘in honour of Barbara’. I do not think I need to elaborate on why that is bad.

The least he could’ve done, was get a sensitivity reader. We know that Taylor is not beyond getting people from marginalized communities to consult on his work (see: Suicide Squad), so why, when writing two characters that should be disabled, one that the disabled community have been criticising for a decade, does he not reach out to a single disabled person? A mere Google search could’ve improved the situation massively. In both the new design and the current writing, it is beyond clear that this is not just an able-bodied person writing it -- it’s an ableist person.

He could have listened to the numerous disabled fans that spoke out. Instead, he chose not only to refuse to do that, but to describe justifiable anger as ‘raging’. He treated us like we were crazy for daring to speak out about blatant ableism being parading around of us in our pride month.

Tom Taylor has failed to do the bare minimum and in doing so, he is, at very, very least, guilty of complicity. Again: passive ableism is still ableism.

The argument at hand is not just about Barbara Gordon and the continuing ableism that shines out from her current writing. The argument is about the treatment of disabled characters in his run. It has also become about the way he treats physically disabled people.

We also can’t have this conversation without acknowledging the fandom’s role in it all. I waited a day to write this up, to allow all the reactions to flood in... and I am sickened.

We have everything across the board. Able-bodied people that have actually listened to disabled people, who have supported us (which is deeply appreciated). Able-bodied people who may have had good intentions, but a skewed sense of the situation and perpetuating some of the more insidious lies being spread around (IE. that this is only about the new costume).

There are, obviously, the ableist reactions, though, that we will be discussing here. People deeming the current issues as ‘crazy’, calling disabled people ‘overly sensitive’ and ‘delusional’. Many people have completely glossed over the examples given for why Taylor, specifically, is ableist, and instead have resorted to telling disabled people that we are wrong and should be mad at DC instead.

It’s important to note that Tom Taylor is an adult man. He doesn’t need a fandom to attack disabled people for daring to call him out. He is not the victim in this situation; he has, for quite a few disabled people, been the aggressor.

I have seen claims that Infinite Frontier is a ‘slow burn’, implying that disabled people need to patient... as if we have not waited a decade for less ableist writing. There is a complete refusal from able-bodied fans to actually listen to what disabled people are saying. They would much rather rush to the defence of the (honestly rather mediocre) current Nightwing run. 

Disabled fans know that comic book spaces are ableist. We know that both DC and Marvel and many of their writers are ableist. We are still allowed to be pissed as hell about it and acting like the current reaction being had right now is disabled people being ‘overdramatic’ is yet another example of how the able-bodied side of the fandom both refuses to listen to and undermine disabled people when we call out ableism.

We know it when we see it. We always do and we always will and we will always be able to recognize it far faster than an able-bodied person. If this many disabled fans are coming out and talking about an issue, calling it ableism, then it’s time for you shut up and listen.

Stop being a part of the problem and start supporting disabled fans for once.

#barbara gordon #dick grayson #nightwing #batgirl #tom taylor #tw ableism #okay to rb

[poisonousquinzel]

the eat bang kill writer is lesbophobic??

@drayna: The writer of the comics is lesbophobic??? How does that even work with the whole point of these comics then lmao

@hello-gaynow: Oh no! What has she done thats lesbiphobic?

(I was gonna respond on that post itself but I figured I could just move it all over here since someone sent an ask <3)

so yeah, unfortunately 😬 it came out a few weeks ago after she confirmed that Ivy in this comic / in the show is bisexual and some people started giving her shit for it, which like don't do that, but her response to someone apologizing for the backlash was:

Comment: As a lesbian I wanna apologize for how half this community reacts to literally anything they're legitimately some of the most annoying fucking people on the planet

Tee Franklin: You don't have to apologize, these ignoramuses don't speak for all lesbians.

You good with me boo even tho I hate lesbians. 😩

And clearly that set off a wave of valid criticism and for some reason ig she can't figure out why people took issue with her just flat out saying she hates lesbians.

Like yeah, people were absolutely in the wrong for harassing her about writing her version of Ivy as bisexual, but I've seen a lot of people completely talking over the lesbian community in the DC fandom who've expressed being hurt over her comments and have brushed those criticisms aside because "oh, y'all are just mad she's not writing Ivy how y'all want."

Not to mention that I’ve seen a lot of lesbians say that it feels like she’s actively pushing the idea that if you’ve ever been in a relationship with a man, you cannot be a lesbian, and that that’s why Ivy’s bisexual! Obviously! She was with Kiteman! Which not only completely disregards the comphet vibes a lot of us got from Ivy in the show, but also just in general it invalidates lesbians who’ve been with men in the past.

and on September 1 she replied to a TikTok about it.

Their TikTok was just the above screenshot captioned with "not the writer of Harley Quinn: The Animated Series: The Eat Bang Kill Tour literally being homophobic towards lesbians 🙁”

And she responded in the replies with:

MizTee Franklin: How about you actually READ the entire thing instead of cherry picking what you want. People were claiming this is what I am so I “agreed” with em

MizTee Franklin: I wasn’t making a joke. I had hundreds of comments calling me a TERF & a lesbian hater & enby hater. I’m not arguing w/ppl about what I said.

MizTee Franklin: But you posted this to cause controversy I see you and the rest of y’all. Everyone who followed knows exactly what went down

But if this is the narrative you wanna spin have fun. I know what’s what and so does everyone else who follows me.

@ cowboyharley​​: yeah like i said i read all the tweets and you’re just unprofessional and refuse to acknowledge when people tell u something u said was harmful

MizTee Franklin: Good thing your opinion isn’t canon.

which is.... certainly a response... I guess.

Like genuinely, I think this would have ended quickly if she’d just, idk, apologized to the lesbians she hurt when she said she hates lesbians???? It’s not that hard to understand why that was a harmful statement that people took issue with, lady.

It wouldn’t have been that hard to fix this situation, at all. Literally she just needed to say “hey, I don’t hate lesbians, sorry!”, but no, she doubled down and has continued to just make it worse and then said she wasn’t joking.

Like I don’t understand how she can say she was “agreeing” with the hate comments in a sarcastic manner, and then turn around and immediately say in her next comment that she wasn’t joking. 

Those are contradictory statements.

And I’ve seen some people trying to dismiss her comments because she’s queer and like y’all

That. Is. Not. An. Excuse.

You can be hateful towards and spread harmful statements about other members of the LGBT community even if you are part of it.

And I’m not going to stand by and pretend that what she said wasn’t harmful and didn’t hurt a lot of people because it did.

#tw lesphobia #♦️ asks ♦️ #harley quinn: the animated series: the eat bang kill tour

[kisant]

Hello! I ran across your posts describing your playthrough of Azure Moon a while back. You mentioned that you were going to play Verdant Wind next. How’s that going, if you don’t mind me asking? I’m curious about your thoughts on it. Please don’t feel obliged to answer if you don’t want to.

Thanks for asking! In general, it's going pretty well.

Since I played CF on normal, and AM on hard, I decided to give lunatic VW a try. I ended up giving up on a pure lunatic run out of frustration at Balthus' paralogue. So now I have kept a lunatic save, to come back when I get less frustrated about my characters not being able to hit the broad side of a barn and never doubling anything, but I have switched to hard mode for my regular playthrough. And the difference is pretty stark, since I breezed through both Balthus' infernal paralogue full of enemy reinforcements and the Remire village main mission right after switching modes.

Regarding Claude's characterization and the Deer, I'm definitely enjoying it. I really like Claude's inquisitive nature, and it makes him stand out from the other house leaders. Because Edelgard begins with many answers, but hides that she knows more than she should, and Dimitri starts with many questions, but he is very easily mislead by false leads.

Claude, like Edelgard, very clearly doesn't believe the church's dogma, and immediately begins taking steps to discover the truth. A very good moment is when he manages to find a manuscript about the Immaculate One's role in Seiros' war, only to get it promptly confiscated by Seteth, and pointing out how Seteth was going to make sure no student ever found that again.

This moment leads very neatly into the reveal of the banned books library of Abyss in the DLC, giving previous proof that the church's officials, and Seteth especifically, want to hide key information from the public in order to maintain the church's control over the population.

And talking about DLC, another Claude moment I enjoyed was his suppport chain with Balthus. Because, since I recruited the Ashen Wolves from the very beginning of the route, they had their C support in like, the first or second week of the school year. Which means that Balthus, the musclehead who lives inthe sewers, effectively busted Claude's whole secret identity in less than two weeks simply because he used to have a giant crush on Claude's mother. Which he still has. And he wants to meet the lady of his teenage dreams again. Poor, poor Claude.

Regarding his relationship with Byleth, I enjoy how quickly they get into a "partners-in-crime" type of banter, with Claude trusting Byleth enough to bounce ideas with them, and discussing which church official should they press for information after the Remire village incident.

Also, regarding the Deer as a group, it's controversial opinion time. And it's about our favourite sweetheart, Marianne. Something that I haven't seen mentioned much is that Marianne's initial relationship with religion is profoundly unhealthy and feeds into her depression. The incident in which her parents died and the "curse" on her crest are a big part of the reason Marianne hates herself so much at the beginning of the game. But Seiros' dogma doesn't help. Because Crests are supposed to be gifts from the goddess, except for Marianne's, which is supposedly a curse. Which feeds into her belief that she is unworthy of life, that she is a living curse that only brings misfortune to everyone in her near vicinity.

And the people who care about Marianne? All of them try to raise her self-esteem and make her believe in herself rather than in what the goddess supposedly ordains. For example, in Remire village, Marianne begins to say that if the people there die, it must be because the Goddess wills so. And Leonie shuts that line of thought down hard, telling her that it's THEIR responsibility to try to save as many villagers as they can, because they are not, in fact, fated to die by a higher power.

Her faith in the goddess isn't what allows Marianne to pull herself out of her depression and self-loathing. Her faith is, however, what leads Marianne to ask the goddess to allow her to die, because, according to Seiros' crest doctrine, Marianne was born cursed. And running CONTRARY to what her faith tells her, trusting in the positive assessments of her friends and teachers regarding her character and abilities is what actually allows her to start to value herself more, for example, when she listens to Lysithea's pep talk about not giving up and not assuming the worst of herself before she even tries to do something.

There are examples of healthy religious feelings in 3H characters. Dedue, Petra, Manuela, Lorenz and Ferdinand are all religious, and their religious feelings are healthy ones. They don't lead them to hate themselves or others. But Marianne, especially pre-timeskip Marianne, is NOT a positive example of a deeply religious person, because the scriptures of the church of Seiros JUSTIFY Marianne's self-loathing and increase her issues with suicidal ideation.

#fire emblem three houses #fe3h meta #claude von riegan #marianne von edmund #kisant liveblogs three houses #verdant wind playthrough

[qqueenofhades]

Re: the post you reblogged about Bush. I'm 21 and tbh feel like I can only vote for Bernie, can you explain if/why I shouldn't? Thanks and sorry if this is dumb or anything.

Oh boy. Okay, I’ll do my best here. Note that a) this will get long, and b) I’m old, Tired, and I‘m pretty sure my brain tried to kill me last night. Since by nature I am sure I will say something Controversial ™, if anyone reads this and feels a deep urge to inform me that I am Wrong, just… mark it down as me being Wrong and move on with your life. But also, really, you should read this and hopefully think about it. Because while I’m glad you asked this question, it feels like there’s a lot in your cohort who won’t, and that worries me. A lot.

First, not to sound utterly old-woman-in-a-rocking-chair ancient, people who came of age/are only old enough to have Obama be the first president that they really remember have no idea how good they had it. The world was falling the fuck apart in 2008 (not coincidentally, after 8 years of Bush). We came within a flicker of the permanent collapse of the global economy. The War on Terror was in full roar, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan were at their height, we had Dick Cheney as the cartoon supervillain before we had any of Trump’s cohort, and this was before Chelsea Manning or Edward Snowden had exposed the extent of NSA/CIA intelligence-gathering/American excesses or there was any kind of public debate around the fact that we were all surveilled all the time. And the fact that a brown guy named Barack Hussein Obama was elected in this climate seems, and still seems tbh, kind of amazing. And Obama was certainly not a Perfect President ™. He had to scale back a lot of planned initiatives, he is notorious for expanding the drone strike/extrajudicial assassination program, he still subscribed to the overall principles of neoliberalism and American exceptionalism, etc etc. There is valid criticism to be made as to how the hopey-changey optimistic rhetoric stacked up against the hard realities of political office. And yet…. at this point, given what we’re seeing from the White House on a daily basis, the depth of the parallel universe/double standards is absurd.

Because here’s the thing. Obama, his entire family, and his entire administration had to be personally/ethically flawless the whole time (and they managed that – not one scandal or arrest in eight years, against the legions of Trumpistas now being convicted) because of the absolute frothing depths of Republican hatred, racial conspiracy theories, and obstruction against him. (Remember Merrick Garland and how Mitch McConnell got away with that, and now we have Gorsuch and Kavanaugh on the Supreme Court? Because I remember that). If Obama had pulled one-tenth of the shit, one-twentieth of the shit that the Trump administration does every day, he would be gone. It also meant that people who only remember Obama think he was typical for an American president, and he wasn’t. Since about… Jimmy Carter, and definitely since Ronald Reagan, the American people have gone for the Trump model a lot more than the Obama model. Whatever your opinion on his politics or character, Obama was a constitutional law professor, a community activist, a neighborhood organizer and brilliant Ivy League intellectual who used to randomly lie awake at night thinking about income inequality. Americans don’t value intellectualism in their politicians; they just don’t. They don’t like thinking that “the elites” are smarter than them. They like the folksy populist who seems fun to have a beer with, and Reagan/Bush Senior/Clinton/Bush Junior sold this persona as hard as they possibly could. As noted in said post, Bush Junior (or Shrub as the late, great Molly Ivins memorably dubbed him) was Trump Lite but from a long-established political family who could operate like an outwardly civilized human.

The point is: when you think Obama was relatively normal (which, again, he wasn’t, for any number of reasons) and not the outlier in a much larger pattern of catastrophic damage that has been accelerated since, again, the 1980s (oh Ronnie Raygun, how you lastingly fucked us!), you miss the overall context in which this, and which Trump, happened. Like most left-wingers, I don’t agree with Obama’s recent and baffling decision to insert himself into the 2020 race and warn the Democratic candidates against being too progressive or whatever he was on about. I think he was giving into the same fear that appears to be motivating the remaining chunk of Joe Biden’s support: that middle/working-class white America won’t go for anything too wild or that might sniff of Socialism, and that Uncle Joe, recalled fondly as said folksy populist and the internet’s favorite meme grandfather from his time as VP, could pick up the votes that went to Trump last time. And that by nature, no one else can.

The underlying belief is that these white voters just can’t support anything too “un-American,” and that by pushing too hard left, Democratic candidates risk handing Trump a second term. Again: I don’t agree and I think he was mistaken in saying it. But I also can’t say that Obama of all people doesn’t know exactly the strength of the political machine operating against the Democratic Party and the progressive agenda as a whole, because he ran headfirst into it for eight years. The fact that he managed to pass any of his legislative agenda, usually before the Tea Party became a thing in 2010, is because Democrats controlled the House and Senate for the first two years of his first term. He was not perfect, but it was clear that he really did care (just look up the pictures of him with kids). He installed smart, efficient, and scandal-free people to do jobs they were qualified for. He gave us Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor to join RBG on the Supreme Court. All of this seems… like a dream.

That said: here we are in a place where Biden, Bernie Sanders, and Elizabeth Warren are the front-runners for the Democratic nomination (and apparently Pete Buttigieg is getting some airplay as a dark horse candidate, which… whatever). The appeal of Biden is discussed above, and he sure as hell is not my favored candidate (frankly, I wish he’d just quit). But Sanders and Warren are 85% - 95% similar in their policy platforms. The fact that Michael “50 Billion Dollar Fortune” Bloomberg started rattling his chains about running for president is because either a Sanders or Warren presidency terrifies the outrageously exploitative billionaire capitalist oligarchy that runs this country and has been allowed to proceed essentially however the fuck they like since… you guessed it, the 1980s, the era of voodoo economics, deregulation, and the free market above all. Warren just happens to be ten years younger than Sanders and female, and Sanders’ age is not insignificant. He’s 80 years old and just had a heart attack, and there’s still a year to go to the election. It’s also more than a little eye-rolling to describe him as the only progressive candidate in the race, when he’s an old white man (however much we like and approve of his policy positions). And here’s the thing, which I think is a big part of the reason why this polarized ideological purity internet leftist culture mistrusts Warren:

She may have changed her mind on things in the past.

Scary, right? I sound like I’m being facetious, but I’m not. An argument I had to read with my own two eyes on this godforsaken hellsite was that since Warren became a Democrat around the time Clinton signed Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, she sekritly hated gay people and might still be a corporate sellout, so on and etcetera. (And don’t even get me STARTED on the fact that DADT, coming a few years after the height of the AIDS crisis which was considered God’s Judgment of the Icky Gays, was the best Clinton could realistically hope to achieve, but this smacks of White Gay Syndrome anyway and that is a whole other kettle of fish.) Bernie has always demonstrably been a democratic socialist, and: good for him. I’m serious. But because there’s the chance that Warren might not have thought exactly as she does now at any point in her life, the hysterical and paranoid left-wing elements don’t trust that she might not still secretly do so. (Zomgz!) It’s the same element that’s feeding cancel culture and “wokeness.” Nobody can be allowed to have shifted or grown in their opinions or, like a functional, thoughtful, non-insane adult, changed their beliefs when presented with compelling evidence to the contrary. To the ideological hordes, any hint of uncertainty or past failure to completely toe the line is tantamount to heresy. Any evidence of any other belief except The Correct One means that this person is functionally as bad as Trump. And frankly, it’s only the Sanders supporters who, just as in 2016, are threatening to withhold their vote in the general election if their preferred candidate doesn’t win the primary, and indeed seem weirdly proud about it.

OK, boomer Bernie or Buster.

Here’s the thing, the thing, the thing: there is never going to be an American president free of the deeply toxic elements of American ideology. There just won’t be. This country has been built how it has for 250 years, and it’s not gonna change. You are never going to have, at least not in the current system, some dream candidate who gets up there and parrots the left-wing talking points and attacks American imperialism, exceptionalism, ravaging global capitalism, military and oil addiction, etc. They want to be elected as leader of a country that has deeply internalized and taken these things to heart for its entire existence, and most of them believe it to some degree themselves. So this groupthink white liberal mentality where the only acceptable candidate is this Perfect Non-Problematic robot who has only ever had one belief their entire lives and has never ever wavered in their devotion to doctrine has really gotten bad. The Democratic Party would be considered… maybe center/mild left in most other developed countries. It’s not even really left-wing by general standards, and Sanders and Warren are the only two candidates for the nomination who are even willing to go there and explicitly put out policy proposals that challenge the systematic structure of power, oppression, and exploitation of the late-stage capitalist 21st century. Warren has the billionaires fussed, and instead of backing down, she’s doubling down. That’s part of why they’re so scared of her. (And also misogyny, because the world is depressing like that.) She is going head-on after picking a fight with some of the worst people on the planet, who are actively killing the rest of us, and I don’t know about you, but I like that.

Of course: none of this will mean squat if she (or the eventual Democratic winner, who I will vote for regardless of who it is, but as you can probably tell, she’s my ride or die) don’t a) win the White House and then do as they promised on the campaign trail, and b) don’t have a Democratic House and Senate willing to have a backbone and pass the laws. Even Nancy Pelosi, much as she’s otherwise a badass, held off on opening a formal impeachment inquiry into Trump for months out of fear it would benefit him, until the Ukraine thing fell into everyone’s laps. The Democrats are really horrible at sticking together and voting the party line the way Republicans do consistently, because Democrats are big-tent people who like to think of themselves as accepting and tolerant of other views and unwilling to force their members’ hands. The Republicans have no such qualms (and indeed, judging by their enabling of Trump, have no qualms at all). 

The modern American Republican party has become a vehicle for no-holds-barred power for rich white men at the expense of absolutely everything and everyone else, and if your rationale is that you can’t vote for the person opposing Donald Goddamn Trump is that you’re just not vibing with them on the language of that one policy proposal… well, I’m glad that you, White Middle Class Liberal, feel relatively safe that the consequences of that decision won’t affect you personally. Even if we’re due to be out of the Paris Climate Accords one day after the 2020 election, and the issue of climate change now has the most visibility it’s ever had after years of big-business, Republican-led efforts to deny and discredit the science, hey, Secret Corporate Shill, am I right? Can’t trust ‘er. Let’s go have a craft beer.

As has been said before: vote as far left as you want in the primary. Vote your ideology, vote whatever candidate you want, because the only way to make actual, real-world change is to do that. The huge, embedded, all-consuming and horrible system in which we operate is not just going to suddenly be run by fairy dust and happy thoughts overnight. Select candidates that reflect your values exactly, be as picky and ideologically militant as you want. That’s the time to do that! Then when it comes to the general election:

America is a two-party system. It sucks, but that’s the case. Third-party votes, or refraining from voting because “it doesn’t matter” are functionally useless at best and actively harmful at worst.

Either the Democratic candidate or Donald Trump will win the 2020 election.

There is absolutely no length that the Republican/GOP machine, and its malevolent allies elsewhere, will not go to in order to secure a Trump victory. None.

Any talk whatsoever about “progressive values” or any kind of liberal activism, coupled with a course of action that increases the possibility of a Trump victory, is hypocritical at best and actively malicious at worst.

This is why I found the Democratic response to Obama’s “don’t go too wild” comments interesting. Bernie doubled down on the fact that his plans have widespread public support, and he’s right. (Frankly, the fact that Sanders and Warren are polling at the top, and the fact that they’re politicians and would not be crafting these campaign messages if they didn’t know that they were being positively received, says plenty on its own). Warren cleverly highlighted and praised Obama’s accomplishments in office (i.e. the Affordable Care Act) and didn’t say squat about whether she agreed or disagreed with him, then went right back to campaigning about why billionaires suck. And some guy named Julian Castro basically blew Obama off and claimed that “any Democrat” could beat Trump in 2020, just by nature of existing and being non-insane.

This is very dangerous! Do not be Julian Castro!

As I said in my tags on the Bush post: everyone assumed that sensible people would vote for Kerry in 2004. Guess what happened? Yeah, he got Swift Boated. The race between Obama and McCain in 2008, even after those said nightmare years of Bush, was very close until the global crash broke it open in Obama’s favor, and Sarah Palin was an actual disqualifier for a politician being brazenly incompetent and unprepared. (Then again, she was a woman from a remote backwater state, not a billionaire businessman.) In 2012, we thought Corporate MormonBot Mitt Fuggin’ Romney was somehow the worst and most dangerous candidate the Republicans could offer. In 2016, up until Election Day itself, everyone assumed that HRC was a badly flawed candidate but would win anyway. And… we saw how that worked out. Complacency is literally deadly.

I was born when Reagan was still president. I’m just old enough to remember the efforts to impeach Clinton over forcing an intern to give him a BJ in the Oval Office (This led by the same Republicans making Donald Trump into a darling of the evangelical Christian right wing.) I’m definitely old enough to remember 9/11 and how America lost its mind after that, and I remember the Bush years. And, obviously, the contrast with Obama, the swing back toward Trump, and everything that has happened since. We can’t afford to do this again. We’re hanging by a thread as it is, and not just America, but the entire planet.

So yes. By all means, vote for Sanders in the primary. Then when November 3, 2020 rolls around, if you care about literally any of this at all, hold your nose if necessary and vote straight-ticket Democrat, from the president, to the House and Senate, to the state and local offices. I cannot put it more strongly than that.

#politics for ts #long post #anonymous #ask

[rpmemestorehouse]

2010′s Internet Memes Starters

Change wording as needed

“Are you frustrated?”

“What the fuck did you just fucking say about me, you little bitch? I'll have you know I graduated top of my class in the Navy Seals, and I've been involved in numerous secret raids on Al-Quaeda, and I have over 300 confirmed kills. I am trained in gorilla warfare and I-”

“Let me tell you why that’s bullshit.”

“Oh stop it, you.”

“Aww yiss.”

“France is bacon.”

“That’s cute.”

“Lie down. Try not to cry. Cry a lot.”

“Has science gone too far?”

“...said no-one ever.”

“We need to go deeper.”

“Do you think this is a motherfucking game?”

“NOPE.”

“Oh baby, a triple!”

“Brushie brushie brushie~”

“Spooky scary skeletons!”

“FUCK YEA.”

“You could stop at five or six stores, or, just ONE.”

“You hear about video games?”

“Release the kraken!”

“Will you fight? Or will you perish like a dog?”

“ ‘It will be FUN’, they said!”

“You’ve been GNOMED!”

“Deal with it.”

“And not a single fuck was given that day.”

“It’s a double rainbow!”

“The rent is too damn high!”

“You jelly?”

“Challenge accepted.”

“Come at me bro!”

“Pootis!”

“Whatcha thinkin’ ‘bout?”

“Are you a wizard?”

“Bitch please!”

“I know that feel bro.”

“Shut up and take my money!”

“I don’t want to live on this planet anymore.”

“NO.”

“I hope you step on a LEGO.”

“That really rustled my jimmies.”

“And then a skeleton popped out!”

“I’ve seen some shit.”

“gEnIuS!”

“You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.”

“This isn’t even my final form!”

“You had one job.”

“Kill me.”

“Majestic as FUCK.”

“Excuse me sir, do you have a moment to talk about [insert]?”

“I swear on me mum...”

“You have no power here!”

“REKT!”

“What a time to be alive.”

“If I pull that off, will you die?”

“It will be extremely painful...for you.”

“FUCK THIS GAY EARTH!”

“Hide the pain Harold.”

“Local man ruins everything.”

“Mom, get the camera!”

“I cri evrytiem.”

“The struggle is real.”

“I am the one who knocks!”

“Perfection.”

“This is the darkest timeline.”

“I’m about to end this man’s whole career.”

“I regret nothing!!!”

“I lied.”

“I’ve seen enough [insert] to know where THIS is going.”

“Oh god why-”

“Everyday I’m shufflin’-”

“You wot mate?”

“Everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked...”

“Man door hand hook car door-”

“Palms are sweaty, knees weak, arms are heavy, vomit on my sweater already, Mom's spaghetti-”

“Oppa Gangnam style!”

“When [place] is ashes, you have my permission to die.”

“I only cried for 20 minutes.”

“Pepperidge Farm remembers.”

“Go home, [Name], you’re drunk.”

“Fuck me, right?”

“I should buy a boat.”

“2deep4you”

“Apply cold water to that burn.”

“420 blaze it!”

“That’s a nice new [insert]. It would be a shame if something happened to it...”

“I too, like to live dangerously.”

“You know nothing, [Name].”

“I’m getting too old for this shit.”

“Does this look like the face of mercy?”

“It was me, [OWN NAME]!”

“Stop trying to make [insert] happen! It’s not going to happen!”

“You merely adopted the darkness.”

“See? Nobody cares.”

“I will find you, and I will kill you.”

“I understood that reference!”

“Listen here, you little shit-”

“It’s an older meme, sir, but it checks out.”

“Ravioli, ravioli, give me the formuoli.”

“How do you do, fellow kids?”

“Ow, the edge!”

“*teleports behind you* Nothing personal, kid.”

“Pee is stored in the balls.”

“We have food at home.”

“You must be new here.”

“Goats are like mushrooms, if you shoot a duck, I'm scared of toasters.”

“ERMAHGERD BERKS-”

“That’s the evilest thing I can imagine!”

“Dammit Moon Moon!”

“When u mom com home and make hte spagheti-“

“When will you learn? When will you learn?! THAT YOUR ACTIONS HAVE CONSEQUENCES?!”

“helo would u like some of this hot choclety milk?”

“Be strong, [Name]. Be strong for Mother.”

“Ayy LMAO.”

“Surprise, bitch. I bet you thought you’d seen the last of me.”

“Shrek is love, Shrek is life.”

“Heard you were talking shit!”

“The mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell.”

“Look at me. I’m the captain now.”

“This could be us, but you playing.”

“They played us like a damn fiddle!”

“I came out to have a good time and I’m honestly feeling so attacked right now.”

“I’m in me mum’s car, broom broom!”

“Hand me the aux cord.”

“Press F to pay respects.”

“Trust nobody, not even yourself.”

“Anime was a mistake.”

“It’s just a prank, bro!”

“Don’t talk to me or my son ever again.”

“Are ya winning, son?”

“Had it not been for the laws of this land, I would have slaughtered you.”

“I lived bitch!”

“You just have to say that you're fine, when you're not really fine, but you just can't get into it because they would never understand.”

“*chuckles* I’m in danger.”

“That wasn’t very cash money of you.”

“They had us in the first half, not gonna lie.”

“DEEZ NUTS-”

“Alone on a Friday night? God, you’re pathetic.”

“Why the fuck you lyin’? Why you always lyin’? Mmmm oh my GOD, stop fuckin’ lyin’~”

“You’re gonna have a bad time.”

“I’m at soup!”

“IT’S TIME TO STOP!”

“Congratulations, you played yourself.”

“I’m you, but stronger.”

“This is fine.”

“Hello darkness my old friend~”

“Sosig.”

“Jesus Christ, it’s Jason Bourne!”

“I have crippling depression!”

“WE ARE NUMBER ONE!”

“That’s where you’re wrong, kiddo.”

“Take a fucking sip, babes.”

“Brother, may I have some oats?”

“God I wish that were me.”

“Ah, I see you’re a man of culture as well.”

“Oh, worm?”

“Hewwo!”

“Why would you say something so controversial yet so brave?”

“Am I a joke to you?”

“Let me in. LET ME IIIIIINNNNN!!!!!”

“You know I had to do it to ‘em.”

“Why is the FBI here?”

“Oh no baby what is you doin’???”

“Hey man, you see that guy over there?”

“Buenos días, [Name]!”

“Hey there demons, it’s me, ya boy.”

“Improvise. Adapt. Overcome.”

“Then perish.”

“Somebody toucha my spaghet!”

“My disappointment is immeasurable, and my day is ruined.”

“Weird flex, but okay.”

“I’m baby.”

“STONKS!”

“OK, boomer.”

“Yep, this one’s going in my cringe compilation.”

“This is so sad. Alexa, play Despacito.”

“Perfectly balanced, as all things should be.”

“All right then, keep your secrets.”

“They did surgery on a grape.”

“It ain’t much, but it’s honest work.”

“Look how they massacred my boy!”

“Bro! You just posted cringe! You are going to lose subscriber.”

“Wait, that’s illegal.”

“Bro, I’m straight-up not having a good time.”

“Gonna cry? Gonna piss your pants maybe?”

“I’m gonna do what’s called a pro gamer move.”

“Say sike right now.”

#ask meme #ask starter #sentence meme #sentence starter #original memes #inbox meme #inbox starters #rp meme #rp prompts #rp starter #Author's note: I'm so exhausted after making this. There are too many memes. #Anyway see you in like ten years when I make one for the memes of the 2020's

[stuckinapatriarchalbullshitland]

Enzo anon here - the more this era is progressing, my theory about gaymila being used as damage control and for profit seems to be happenening.

I have some thoughts that I know many other CS share, i think it would be good to summarise what i’ve seen on different blogs into one post as well as adding my own theory. So this will be a long one but i hope you guys find it insightful and Stuck thank you again for giving me a space on your blog!

Let’s look back on CC2 and the aftermath of its release. A quick disclaimer : I’ll only be addressing her situation in terms of the social/PR aspect as we have no idea what other factors might be at play such as contracts and money etc.

It’s fair to say that C was and is not in a good place reputation wise. Señorita was of course a smash hit but was mostly used to promote S. Her fans complained about C almost becoming a double act with S. These fans understandably signed up for C, not S and so subsequently most of them unfollowed her on SM and stopped paying attention to her to escape the constant Showmila. For the GP, Showmila became a mockery and so it’s asking a lot from her fans to stay when she was constantly embarrassing herself to the point that it made it uncomfortable for them. Of course with this comes the racist controversies also involving Normani which brought back the entire 5H feud. This put C even further than she already was against LAND and so the narrative that she was hated by the other girls for being obnoxious and attention seeking was further reinforced by her being racist towards N. All of this made/makes Camila extremely easy to hate, to the public she seems like a privileged straight girl who has never once had any sort of difficulty or obstacle in her life.

On the CS side of the fandom, many having left after having enough of the Showmila circus, leaves very few CS to fight back against the narrative. Even more leave after Lauren’s bombshell of a podcast. For example, this graph from google trends show how searches for “camren” or “camila cabello camren” are/were decreasing.

We know that CS are a very large part of C’s fanbase so who are we left with ? Many solo C stans all have converted into SS accounts and again even then S takes the main focus, not C. So… its not looking good, having people being fans of yours only for your relationship is a risky move business wise. We’ve all wanted Showmila to end for a long while and we definitely can all agree that the end is long overdue, infact a lot of us believe that had there not been the pandemic they would’ve broken up a while ago. So where does C stand now? Well, in my opinion, after this entire circus (which unfortunately is still ongoing) C is in a very vulnerable position. How does she promote her upcoming album with so much of her fanbase gone? Perhaps a big break up album? That option doesn’t sound great when she most likely will get the short end of the stick narrative wise and be further disliked by the little fans she does has left. If Camila doesn’t have Shawn anymore, the SS will most likely all disappear leaving her with a very limited amount of people who have the guts to actually publicly support her. Another option she could have is to keep riding on this relationship until people get bored, only that’s already happening and Showmila does not have the punch it once did to get a second Señorita. What about a fake pregnancy or a marriage? God we hope not and I really believe that Camila would do anything in her power to avoid that as we’ve seen how extremely unhappy she seems just being his girlfriend. For all we know Shawn might be very against this idea too and even if they did go along with it would it really be enough to promote CC3 ? After a few weeks the excitement would have died down again and leave them both back to square one. Not to mention that C getting married/pregnant would make even some of her most dedicated fans leave for good and would still not be enough to get her out of the racist accusations.

This is where my theory comes into play, however i think her team will only follow through with this if they are smart and if they aren’t actually sabotaging her. This past year I watched as Taylor Swift released her two albums and broke numerous records and achieved incredible success. I do not think this success would’ve been achieved had it not been for the insane rise in speculation over her sexuality due to her new songs. T is of course a household name, she’s earned her place amongst the top artists of this generation but people were starting to get bored hearing dramatic songs about her oh so difficult love life being a straight white girl. This is why when folklore and evermore came out there was so much buzz and excitement about T possibly being LGBTQ to the point that it found it’s way to the GP. People were wondering what these gay songs with gay lyrics were and so they went to listen for themselves. Eventually tons and tons of extra streams and talk generated from people who would’ve otherwise never paid attention. Myself included. You can see below on google trends the massive increase in online searches for “gaylor swift”. The gaylor side of tumblr also expanded as there had never been so many songs with so much queer interpretations to analyse and discuss and more and more of the GP were getting curious enough to read the blogs. Regardless if you think Taylor is gay or not, the general public discussing it was an essential part in improving her image for Gen Z and promoting her albums thus creating $$$ for her team and label.

Keeping this in mind, I believe that C might (not having many options left to salvage her career/reputation) take a page out of TS’s book and have an era that will attract more LGBT fans than ever before. We’ve seen how camren is slowly coming back. Even just by C liking a picture of L’s it was enough to bring back out a whole lot of fans who had abandoned her. Her team see this, they know this, they are aware. If talks of Camila being gay will generate more $$$ they will use that to their advantage and push out the new gay narrative as much as they can. I don’t think she will explicitly come out any time soon, and i don’t think that they will “confirm camren” but this era will definitely set her up for it in the future like the way it has for TS and it will give her a stable fanbase for a long while, which at the moment she is in dire need of.

Although C would’ve probably liked her relationship with L to remain private I think she may have no other choice but to use it more than she ever has before to save herself. Sadly no amount of self improvement and apologies will ever erase her racist past, it will follow her forever and people will never stop talking about it, unless there’s something more interesting to discuss. That’s the way the internet works, a photo of camren together in 2021/2022 would generate more buzz than anything Showmila related. Not only would all of the CS who left come back but all the anti-CS would be talking about it too and an entire wave of new fans would be interested enough to join. There would be no room to talk about Camila Cabello being racist when Camila Cabello is actually gay/dating Lauren Jauregui is the new talk.

Of course this entire process will not be instant but we can see that they are building up to something like that. Perhaps Camren being public friends again which would still generate a ton of talk as it did back in the 5H days. She will not instantly break up with S and then be seen making out with L the next day but I do think that although it wasn’t her or her teams plan to use her relationship/sexuality, i think she has no other choice if she ever wants to gain favour with the public again. Let’s not forget that the rest of 5H seem to be on their way to having new music out very very soon and just as camren worked to promote 5H in the old days it will work again in 2021/2022. This would encourage her team even more to follow this route as it would suit everyone, even if they no longer are a group they will always be connected.

We shall wait and see what happens, of course circumstantial situations may arise to cause them to switch up their plans but for now all this 5H, camren and gaymila interactions are no coincidence. That’s for sure.

This concludes my very long post! thank you to anyone who took the time to read this, thank you again to Stuck and if anyone has anything else to add that i might have missed or any questions don’t hesitate! I love hearing what everyone else has to say. To clarify these are all my personal thoughts and speculations and I am not claiming to know anything for certain.

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Wow, I didn't expect to be a window into another great submission from my dear buddies, but Enzo, I loved your post. And I really totally agree with you in what you mentioned.

The truth is that it is true, Camila has been selling her LGBT + agenda of hers since 2020 and even long before because I always had the theory that she would be let out after having a big heterosexual PR circus. This PR circus with the diva is that circus and what we have been seeing, because it checks all our theories.

As for Gaymila, she has always been there. More crushed with the fucking circus shit maybe, but she's always been there and one thing I want to emphasize is that most of Camila's fandom other than SS or homophobic, would accept Camila out of the closet, ALWAYS AND WHEN NOT WITH LAUREN.

That is why I think Camila would have more followers if the aforementioned are left aside, because they would have no problem supporting her and we would be more, considering that those clowns are partly paid fans and bots.

I don't think she will even give him permission to leave her, but if she does it is because that would also be part of her contract. Of her agreeing to do all this theater of the absurd with the circus, as long as they let her out at the end.

The fucking shit hole that is the industry knows that it has to please its LGBT + audience because we are the ones who support artists the most. The main audience for them may always be heterosexuals, but when they get bored and look for something else, the ace up their sleeve will always be the community and with the examples that you have given my dear Enzo, that is proof of it.

The thing with Camila is that she's never been in the closet. They forced her into a closet and that's different. Camila always felt good being herself and they have tried to cover that with different types of circuses since she was in the band because it is what suits business.

What we are seeing now with Camila is that, a double agenda, that of the circus managed by the idiots behind it and Camila's own agenda that lets us see Gaymila from time to time.

And when I talk about an agenda, I do not do it in a negative way but as something that she must have already planned.

My theme now is that it will come in that aspect. I don't think I'm waiting for a circus engagement or a lavender marriage, but I do hope that Camila can set Gaymila freer every time. Unfortunately, everything else is still very screwed up and this circus just represses it more and more.

The problem is that as long as she does not regain some control over her career and her image, no matter how small, nothing will change.

#submission #enzo anon #love you buddy