#you were being a bigoted pos and you got called out for it

[alltheselights]

Although Shia is a POS, I think he emerged as the winner in this. He brought receipts of Olivia kissing his ass. Also, Florence comes out of this fine. It’s really just Olivia and Harry who look bad. Mostly Olivia. And maybe not even? Since Shia is a pariah.

I think Shia was largely successful in what he was trying to do, but there are plenty of people on Twitter now talking about how maybe people shouldn’t immediately believe him and everything he’s saying because of his past. Even with the video, we obviously don’t know all the context, and even if he is portraying everything accurately, he is still not a good person and not somebody that people should be rooting for regardless of how much they hate Olivia. So he’s not truly coming out of this looking amazing either.

I think Olivia certainly looks bad. She’s been called out for this lie (or at least, what seems like a lie) and is receiving worst press for her that I’ve seen so far. The public perception by the general public is very negative at the moment, from what I’ve seen. I think this is compounded on top of two other things which have given her negative attention from the general public, which is 1) the perception and press that she cheated on Jason with Harry and perhaps made some on set feel uncomfortable because of their relationship, and 2) the perception that she is not being a good mother, which is largely because of the custody battle stuff being made public, what Jason said in his filing about her wanting to move to the UK to be with Harry, and just the general, kinda misogynistic view that she’s following her boyfriend around the world and doesn’t give a fuck about her kids. Beyond that, there are other things that fans have focused on a lot, including the suggestion that she’s trapping Harry or forcing him to pretend to be with her, abuse and harassment allegations, and offensive and/or bigoted statements or posts from her past. I don’t think most of these things gained traction beyond the fandom aside from making the general public think that Harry’s fans are raging mysognists, but I think they’ve likely contributed to an overall dislike and negative perception of her.

I think Harry certainly looks bad. If you’re looking at DWD stuff alone, there’s that same perception from the general public that he got together with Olivia when she was still with Jason. There’s still an underlying belief by many that Harry got the gig either because he’s famous or attractive, which is picking up traction again after that clip was released the other day. That clip did not come across well to most people, which makes people think he’s a bad actor. I think the fact that he’s publicly with Olivia while all this Florence and Shia drama swirls around her means that he’s attached to it in the eyes of many. And then when you add that to other negative attention that Harry has received lately, particularly around his comments about My Policeman, his comments about his sexuality (not just in the latest Rolling Stone, but in many previous interviews), and the other elements of his persona that contribute to the idea that he’s queerbaiting or profiting off the LGBTQ+ community...all of these things combined mean that Harry is receiving a lot of flack right now too. And while it may not be affecting Harry’s tour sales, I think if this continues (and I don’t see him or his team doing anything to fix it, so I imagine it will) or gets worse, it may begin to. And even if it doesn’t, I think he’s likely done major damage to himself as an actor and made himself look like a liability.

While Florence is coming off GREAT right now, a lot of this stuff hasn’t been great for her either. I think some had the view that she was being unprofessional because of this “feud” once it started being reported on in the press, and I remember seeing a lot of negative comments about her getting involved in other peoples’ businesses when there were those articles about how she was unhappy about Harry and Olivia’s relationship on set. I think she’s in the clear now and most people will view her as smart to avoid a lot of this drama and won’t blame her for distancing herself from Olivia, Harry, and DWD, but at the end of the day, she’s a serious actor and I think having all of this drama around a film she’s in is probably the furthest thing from what she wants.

So yeah....the situation really isn’t great for anybody! But Olivia and Harry look the worst by far and it’ll be very interesting to see what they do over the next month or so as they try to save this absolute shitshow.

#i have a few more to answer #in a bit #asks #olivia w #girl stuff #dwd

[alexsaxonexposed]

Alex Exposed Timeline (Long Post Warning

I'm just gonna call it that. That's a good enough title. There has been a recent small influx of people just learning this information. Especially after a recent tag from @bess-turani-marvin (ty for the mention). I did realize that something like this might be helpful for people who missed out on some of the stuff that went down.

This is all off the top of my head, so if I miss anything or misremember something. Feel free to let me know

Under the thing, because I cannot, in good faith, post something this long without one.

TL;DR: Alex Saxon is a bad person and has been for a while. Not everyone wants to believe that, but others have accepted it. It's kind of a mess. A big helping of yikes all around

December 2021 - January 2022: I, Lachesis, downloaded the shinigami eyes filter after it was recommended to me. I was playing around with the random people I saw on social media (checking them out, checking out people they follow, checking random posts, what have you), and Alex Saxon happened to be one of them.

His follow list, simply, was a mess. Many of the typical, bigotted alt-right pipeline starter pack kind of jerks were there. As I was already telling Clotho (the other mod) about how I was playing with the extension, I ended up telling her about what I found with Alex. We made the decision to create this blog and compile the google doc.

At first, we got a few mixed responses. Some people believed this was a weak attempt to "cancel him," others were thankful but disappointed because of the information, and others just ignored us. Fine. Kind of expected.

The next couple of months: Kind of quiet. Occasional hate. Again kind of expected when revealing stuff about some people's favorite actor.

June: So early June is when shit really hit the fan. Apologies for cursing, but that is the most accurate descriptor. Alex liked a tweet from a known homophobe/transphobe that he had been following for quite some time. The tweet was a video from Ricky Gervais' "comedy" special. Specifically, it was just transphobic jokes.

This is that tweet. The red is from the Shinigami Eyes filter, labeling Zuby and Ricky as known transphobes. Additionally, Aja's name is filled with TERF signals. The gender signs and the colors of the three hearts.

Alex forgot that likes are public and that his followers can see them. So when a few concerned former fans of his were on Twitter, they saw this on their timeline. Naturally, the ones who were either trans themselves or allies of the trans community were concerned. They reached out to Alex, expressing disappointment or confusion on why he would like this tweet. Many of them hoped that this was a mistake of some kind.

Instead of answering or reassurance that he has any support of his trans fans, he blocked them. He blocked anyone who called him out on this and said absolutely nothing. The only other thing he did was quietly remove his like from Zuby's tweet.

A lot of people were angry. Understandably. Some because they were upset that he would support a transphobic "joke" in any capacity and others were mad at trans people/allies for being mad at Alex. There was a lot of arguing, and people exposing their true colors.

I ended up being called to Twitter towards the end of the climax after being notified on here about what was happening. Just some of the things I saw

People being openly transphobic, as though Alex liking that tweet gave them the go-ahead to spew hate speech at any trans person they saw.

A self-proclaimed "bleeding heart liberal" who tried to play devil's advocate and actually spewed a lot of transphobic rhetoric while defending (but saying she wasn't defending) her favorite white man and telling trans people they were overreacting to a "joke" made at our expense

Some rant about cancel culture that had no point and wasn't actually relevant. Exposing the fact that anyone agreed to it, didn't actually know the difference between "cancel culture" and accountability

People pulling every excuse possible out of thin air. Such as "he was hacked" about a pattern of behavior he has been shown to routinely have over the course of 4/5 years.

People who claimed to be trans allies openly defend transphobic people and their rhetoric, claiming that it was a defense of Alex. Also continued to openly interact with said transphobes from bullet one.

Trans people who no longer felt safe in this fandom

Trans people who no longer felt safe to even watch the show or to ship nace/like Ace as a character

People condemning Alex for his behavior and explaining exactly why it is bad and harmful. Shout out to that one person who reminded me and others in the fandom that Alex once played a trans woman on a TV show, and now is supporting hate speech made against them. Putting profit over progress.

Also trying to explain that in following these people and liking their tweets he is supporting them, their ideas, and giving them a platform to spew their hatred.

Idiots who think that comedians framing bigotry as a joke isn't actually harmful. Calling what we do "Toxic PC bullshit." Failing to understand the difference between punching down and punching up. I've said it before and I'll say it again being a comedian doesn't give someone a free pass to make fun of the issues in marginalized communities

Other idiots who fail to understand that racism, transphobia, and other forms of bigotry aren't just someone wishing death/pain upon the minority they hate and enacting that wish for themselves.

Yes, that is the short version of some of the worst things that I saw. Also more or less, a summary of the things that happened.

We were also accused of causing his girlfriend to break up with him and delete any photo of him on Instagram. I guess they didn't think that we would check because we did and neither of those things is true.

Where we are now: Things are quiet. I think people have more or less chosen their side when it comes to this and stuck to them. I, and a few others, are not letting these issues be forgotten as though they were a typical fandom debate. It's more than that.

Additionally, from what I know, no one on the cast/crew/whatever has spoken up about this behavior. Such as active support of trans lives in a way that specifically is denouncing the hate speech that Alex is supporting. If anyone has done anything without a reference to Alex or his behavior, that's great.

Just for the record, I care more about spreading this information around than I do about getting him fired/replace/killed off. I do support people who do want that because they are valid for having those feelings. I don't have a horse to bet on for this. If any official action from the show is made in regards to this drama, it's their decision. Not mine. Not anyone else's.

Here is another link for the google doc for the people just coming into this situation through this post or others who just feel like looking at it.

TW for transphobia, racism, ableism, eugenics, sexism, antisemitism, and even some islamophobia.

As usual, I do encourage and support those who want to go to Alex's likes or follow list for themselves. There are a few people that are not on the google doc, but fit in with the people on there. I will give you an additional TW for domestic/spousal/child abuse from some of the people on there as well as sexual assault mention

Thank you for reading this far (if you have). Have a safe and wonderful evening

~Lachesis

#Also let me know if you don't wanna be tagged I can just remove it #alex saxon #kennedy mcmann #nancy drew #nancy drew x ace #ace ndcw #nd ace #ace nd #leah lewis #maddison jaizani #tunji kasim #ace nancy drew #nace #nancy drew cw #cw nancy drew #nancy x ace #ndcw #naceedit #I think I got all the most relevant tags #cwnd #ace x nancy #ace cwnd #the supporting people who don't want him around is in regards to Replace Ace #which if that's what they want that's what they want #replace ace #tw transphobia #tw transphobes #tw sexism #tw homophobia #tw antisemitism

[theprideful]

misogynistic jokes are still misogyny.

homophobic jokes are still homophobia.

racist jokes are still racism.

transphobic jokes are still transphobia.

ableist jokes are still ableism.

aphobic jokes are still aphobia.

it doesn't matter if you were "just joking." there's a reason you thought that kind of joke was funny. it's still bigotry and it's not okay.

#text post #txt #racism #homophobia #transphobia #ableism #misogyny #bigotry #sick of ppl hiding behind the ''it was just a joke'' excuse #you were being a bigoted pos and you got called out for it #stop saying every shitty thing you do or say is a joke

[helliontherapscallion]

omg pls share the story abt the lecture from that girl’s dad (only if u feel like it) but seriously ppl it’s not that hard to put a mask on to help the spread of a virus. just wear it, it keeps u safe. and for the ppl who don’t care then just wait til it affects u, bcs covid isn’t a game. I just wish ppl were more serious abt it

Ok so sit down and buckle up kiddos and grab some snacks bc this is a helluva ride

Little background info: I have been a section leader for both my junior and senior years now. When the new freshmen came in my first year of being section leader I was hyped as hell. And then this new freshman whips out a lighter and lights it WHILE WE’RE INSIDE THE SCHOOL MIGHT I ADD with a straight face looking off into the distance before we ask her to put it away. She also always has a pocket knife on her that we found on the ground during band camp. I’ll call her POS. 

I tried to like POS I really did, but then she turned out to be a bigoted racist asshole (she also drinks deer blood straight from the corpse and simps over jeffery dahmer so even more red flags). It was extremely hard for me to treat her like I did with the other people in my section, but I managed to treat her the same as the other people and avoided her for the most part (thank god she wasn’t in my subsection I would’ve actually gone insane)

Flash forward to this year. Covid was hitting full force and we had to quarantine for the first two months of our season setting us back by a lot. She was wishywashy about rejoining but as the most senior leader of my section my band director was on my ass about getting a straight answer from her and fast. So I kinda had to force her to give me an answer (which she told me she was doing it quickly which leads me to think she already knew she was doing it) so she already was going into the season hating my guts

When we finally had an in person rehearsal for the first time, she wasn’t wearing a mask so when I asked her where it was she looked at me like I was the dumbass and said in a matter-of-fact tone “it’s in my pocket” and pointed to the confederate flag bandana hanging out of her pocket. Those four words told me that this season was going to be a fuckin long one with her. I just deadpanned (she couldn’t see it tho bc mask, sunglasses, and floppy hat blocking my entire face) and said “I’d rather it be on your face. (band director and marching instructor’s names) will have my ass if they see you not wearing one.” She rolls her eyes and puts it on (at least it was over her nose)

A few months go by with me telling her constantly to put on a mask bc I am responsible for my section and I’d be damned if one of them got sick bc of one idiot being stupid that I could prevent. She is getting madder and madder with each passing rehearsal. 

Band camp rolls around and it changed from 5 13 hour days to 15 3 hour ones and I am already done with her bs. We get our dots and I mentally groan bc she’s next to me for the vast majority of the show. She is between me (an asthmatic) and my close friend (vvv immunocompromised and also hates her, I’ll call her S) so now I’m more worried about covid going around the section. It was in this time that I find out that at least 5 other people out of 20 also have pre existing conditions that make them susceptible. So now I make it even more my mission to make her wear a mask. 

It was in the middle of band camp when she is yet again not wearing a mask (we were just marching without instruments) and I turn to her and as kindly as possible (it was the second time that day) asked her to put on her mask. She once again rolls her eyes and says “ya know, (band director) walked past me 3 times and hasn’t said shit, so I think I’m gonna listen to him and not you.” S and another friend of mine looks over in shock cuz she just talked back to me. They were about to say something but I wove them off. POS wants to fuck with me? Fine. I’ll just go full force with this. She wants petty?? I’ll give her petty, I’ve been holding off all season. 

So I’m marching there for the next twenty minutes quietly seething and counting more aggressively. She’s getting annoyed, but I pull the section leader card and tell her that she needs to be counting as loud as I am bc her feet was lowkey off time. After we break off for a gush and go (very short water break), I go straight to my band director and use my limited water break to tell him what she told me. He apologizes and says that he thought she was just taking a breather. He tells her to put on a mask and she does so and glares at me the rest of the rehearsal. 

She blocks me on all social media and I obviously clown on her in private with the other section leader (he’s more of a pacifist and never really told her to wear a mask which kinda pissed me off but I understood) until she makes a passing comment to my other friend about using the knife she kept in her boot. Now he tells me cuz he’s a good friend and I’m shitting myself at that point bc holy shit I might get shanked. 

I think about telling the band director but I realize that there’s no proof of her saying this and she could easily get out of this so it’s kinda pointless to tell anyone. Plus if she did shank me, she’d get into so much trouble and I’d be laughing at her from my grave/hospital bed. 

Many rehearsals go by and she still refuses to wear a mask so after one rehearsal S and I went to the band director and reminded him about our conditions and told him about how we were worried for our safety (I also told him abotu the other vulunerable ppl in the section) and he says he’s gonna do something. Next rehearsal he gives POS a warning and she begrudgingly wears a mask for the rest of the rehearsal. The next rehearsal rolls by and she isn’t wearing a mask (again) and he sends her home. Major victory for S and I.

The next sectional tho was something I wasn’t expecting. I get there like 10 minutes before it starts like I usually do in a good mood. I get out of my car and go to grab my stuff when a massive white truck with a busted muffler pulls up into the parking space next to me with a cloud of black smoke. The window rolls down and reveals POS’s dad and POS herself in the passanger seat. 

Of course I’m thinking that this is the day I die and start mentally preparing to yell for help to my other section members 100 feet away on the field already.

Mans starts to lecture me saying things like “it’s unhealthy to wear a mask outside bc it’s like a pitri dish under there. 6th grade science!” (I am not joking or overexaggerating with this, he actually said that). I really wanted to say “well, 7th grade science says otherwise, but you wouldn’t know that bc I’m sure you didn’t pass 6th grade, but go off ig” but I didn’t bc I didn’t want to get shanked or disappear randomly. I just tell him that I am only doing what my band director told me to do and that there are tons of people (myself included) that can really get hurt from just being in contact with covid. He says that’s bullshit and tries to tell me that I’m an idiot before I cut him off by telling him once again that I am just trying to protect my section and that the sectional was going to start soon so I didn’t have the time for this. I walk away leaving him trying to keep talking to me and soon enough POS gets out of the car and follows me to the field giving me a smug smile on her unmasked face before she puts it on when she sees the other section leader stroll up. 

Lemme paint the picture for you: this guy (a 6′something burly guy in his 50′s that I know has like two felonies under his belt) pulls up next to me (a 5′2 17 year old ball of anxiety that drives a small yellow car) and starts to borderline yell at me. Traumatizing. I was shaking for the rest of the sectional and I spent the rest of the season looking over my shoulder looking for the glint of a knife swingin at me

Now I’m pretty sure she’s suspended bc she was caught with a knife on school property and she wore a confederate t-shirt to school, but I would be lying if I said I don’t still look over my shoulder or speed up when I drive past her house lmao

#hellion responds #i have so many other stories from marching band that i think yall would like #just ask and i'll supply : )

[aggresivelyfriendly]

To Be So Lonely- Chapter 4

California Dreamin

Hi all! It has been ages, but at least one person is still interested, so nanny chapter ahoy! I gave this a revise and a quick read, so.... all mistakes, as ever, are mine!

Enjoy!

Harry didn't like to think of it as plotting.

He was just taking care of her. Right? She needed to relax. She ran herself ragged. We're all attorneys so dedicated? Admittedly, he didn't know a lot of lawyers, it didn't seem a career people were borne for, but if anybody was made to wear the wig, it was Vee. It was admirable, how hard she worked, how much she worked. She might be the most productive person he knew, that may also be because he came from academia. Some people published so fast your head spun, others, didn't. But Vee put the p in productivity. That's why she got the heavy cases, like the one she was coming off. Plus, when she got home, she tried to do as much as possible with the twins. She'd totally kicked him out of last week's wakings though she hasn't slept much.

"Go, I need time with my babies." With a hand wave and a look that brooked no argument, he was dismissed like a case she saw holes in from day one. He'd lingered, just a moment, to watch her scoop up Teo. Belli was still sleeping, but stirring from the noise. A swirl of her tummy with Vee's manicured hand, and she was out. Mateo was quiet now on her shoulder too now. Her beautiful hand splayed over his back at the moment. Harry had no idea when she had time to get her nails done. Maybe her Lunch hour? Though she came home then when she could. He knew it was devotion, to the babies, not her nails. That was probably required to look "professional." She must squeeze those in on the days she wasn't huddling home to see the twins, she loved them so, said it was worth it.

However, he suspected it was guilt as well over the case taking so much time, lots of late nights and missed bed times. She's worked herself to the bone, and he knew better than to mention the dark circles bruised beneath her eyes. He still saw them though. So he'd called his uncle, his pseudo uncle, and got them the place. Even promised he'd help pay for the trip James and his family had take last minute so Harry, Vee and the babies could be alone.

"With what?" His uncle chuckled. "I Know your da tied up your trust fund because you aren't doing an MBA!"

"I'm thirty. I can make my own decisions." Harry insisted. And if that meant he had to pay his own way, that was a learning experience, real adulting too. He told himself everyday he worked to go back to school, and now just did because he couldn't imagine not, that this was the way it was supposed to be. His life hadn't been Normal. Even compared to the other students on his Ivy League program with him.

"You can, but you have to then pay your own way." He could hear the shrug, and the pride. It's why his Dad's best friend was his favorite. Harry knew he sided with him. "But, enough of the tough love stuff. On to the real thing. Why do we have to make ourselves scarce? Something going on?" He left the insinuation heavy in his voice.

"No, C'mon man. She's my boss. She just needs a break. Case has been a killer. And then she's always trying to be super mum when she's home too and not let me do night duty." Harry rolled his eyes like James could see him.

His uncle whistled, "She must be a looker, if you're talking like a husband not the help."

Harry scoffed without any control. The help. Ouch. He didn't feel like help, he felt, needed. "Fuck off. It's not like that. It's professional. She doesnt see me like that anyway. Not her type."

"Oh, I see, that why she did a donor dad? She like ladies?" Harry honestly couldn't tell if he was taking the piss, plus he wanted to give a social justice rant, but knew his Uncle was more messing with him than bigoted, he hoped.

"No! No, least I don't think so?" She wasn't, was she? "Not that it would matter if she was." He protested. He honestly could not tell why it bothered him.

"Oh, quite." James was still amused and Harry was going to make more heavy weather of it, but Harry decided to ignore his uncles tone and teasing.

"James?" He cajoled.

"So, daddy," he'd even ignore the occasional dig, he was glad his uncle couldn't see his lip curl, and that he got back to brass tacks. "What dates are we being kicked about?"

"In two weeks for two weeks."  Harry was looking at the calendar she had of Selena to see how she'd marked it. Everything went into calendars, paper ones. Even though their google one synced to her iPhone. Victoria needed the order, she was so busy. The Selena calendar was just a nod to the other part of her, that wasn't run by a clock and schedule. She loved Selena.

He'd discovered this by accident.

She was so cute when she was unguarded. He was sure that he never would have found out the personal morsel if she hadn't been super stressed and decided to dance it out. She hadn't been expecting him home, he could tell that for sure, she had a red dress on, for the occasion he supposed, though her hair was still up in the mom bun her long tresses were usually scraped up into, and she was barefooted. The dress and her feet were making the most of the Latin beat. Harry was sure he would have watched for quite a while longer had she not performed an impressive turn and opened her eyes to sing "bidi bidi bum bum." He assumed she was looking to use the microwave as a mirror. Give her self a wink maybe.

He couldn't dance, but watching her made him want to learn.

"Ayyy!" She placed her hand over her heart. "Por favor Harry! Don't sneak up on me like that!"

" I didn't mean to!" He proclaimed. "The kiddos," he gestured to the dowsing twins in their Bob double stroller. "Were just done with the park. You ok now?" He was suppressing his mirth, it's not like he caught her with her hand in a cookie jar.

"Yeah, yeah, my heart rate is back to normal." He wasn't sure that was true, her breath was still rapid. "Put those dimples away!"

"There are no dimples." He tried to make his face as flat as the pancakes the kids liked from a Trader Joe's. He knew his face was probably betraying him. That muscular defect showed unless his face was truly neutral, and he was definitely engaged, amused.

"Stop laughing at me!" She glowered. Oh! Her flush was lovely.

He finally just burst out, with the ridiculous laugh, the one that was like a opening shot at the races.

Vee was certainly off. She dissolved into giggles too. And then they were laughing together until they were just looking at one another. Harry let the dimples bloom fully then, Couldn't help it, really.

Victoria took a big breath, notched her chin back and forth an inch or two, and said, "Pardon, I'm gonna go change."

"Dress is pretty." He let slip. She shot him a warning look, but she was smiling, so he felt the need to push a bit more. "A little formal for nap time." Her flipped up middle finger as she rounded the hallway entrance made him snicker. He controlled it so he didn't hear that tone she used on the phone some times. He didn't want to be on the receiving end of that, he didn't think.

He'd been clicking a button on Amazon a moment later on the Selena calendar. Well, after he googled the lyrics to figure out who she had been dancing to. Then he remembered another little detail they'd need in the beach house.

"Oh, set up the crib!" The babies could have the third bedroom. Between him and Vee, so they could share duties. She needed rest. He was gonna try to slyly make sure he took the first night shift. She'd want to hear them, and he was sure he couldn't pull it past her if he put them on one end and her on another.

James laughed. "Jesus, should I also call the chef?"  He was joking. Harry wasn't.

"Yeah, at least give me the number. She doesn't cook. Maybe buy a second crib."

"Do you cook then?" His uncle could barely keep the mirth from frothing over.

"Yeah, when she works late. So she doesn't have to eat out all day." Where was the shame in being kind?

"Oh, Harry, you better hope she's a looker and does like men, cuz if you aren't gunning for daddy, you are most certainly the help." He wasn't even trying to hide the cackle.

The help? That smarted like a slap across the ass cheek, though it was definitely unreasonable to be bothered. "Well, I am the nanny. And I definitely try to be helpful."

"Yes, employee of the month." James kept laughing at Harry while they said their goodbyes. He could hear the snickers and was sure he would be telling Jules the moment they got off then phone.

He'd got off the phone and thought about whether he was the help for ages. Railing against the insinuation.

Then accepting it, of course he was the help! He was hired help. Must be his upbringing that was showing in his annoyance at the term. He'd need to work on that. Get over himself and his privilege.

And be the best damn help he could be.

The alternative as to why he was so bothered, he couldn't think about that. Or James's ideas about his design on daddy. Though his mind did a little wander down that trail.

Gunning for daddy, how ridiculous! He just appreciated her, respected her, liked her. He tried to make her life better, like she did him, dancing to Selena and smiling and such.

Shit.

Or giving him a job and gifting him with time with her enchanting, infuriating babies. That was where his locus of gratitude was, right? Not for the chance to be close to her.

He decided to distract himself from surfacing realizations. So he dove into planning.

He thought about his own time there, and did some googling. At first he was thinking they'd just sit on the beach a ton, he'd spent hours staring at the waves like he'd once inhabited the waters and they were calling him home. When he thought more of it, he realized that was what Vee needed, but she'd bail by day three if laying about was the only plan. They'd have to get into something else too. He reckoned outside, with sunshine, and something physical.

Hiking, once she got sick of the beach, or pool, or both. That would do the trick.

This was going to be so relaxing. He wondered if they could take the twins hiking? He was researching back pack carriers when she came home.

"Do you like hiking?" He asked immediately after he said hi. He had to restrain himself from kissing her cheek hello while he scrolled through his phone.

He'd ask himself what was going on, but it would be a lie. He'd kinda known, that he was feeling at the very least familial towards her, but ever since his Uncle razed him about liking her, he was much more aware of it.

Ignorance really could be bliss. Because he was now aware of what he was missing and his subterranean wants. It had started normally, with no romantic inclinations. When he'd come for his interview, she'd impressed him, and she'd looked really tired. But pretty, really pretty, and she had made some gorgeous kids. She could use him, his help, and he could learn from her. He just knew it.

Then his crush has sort of just grown in the background, like the tomato plant his mum had growing up. He was sure it took tending, but he never saw any take place. His only memory of it was when he was forced to help build the raised bed, and picking fat green caterpillars off of it once until he put one in his sister's hair, he was off tomato duty then. After that, all he recalled was being overwhelmed by the hordes of red ripe fruit that came from it when the sun was high. He supposed he'd had a foundational moment he didn't recognize during his interview either.

Partly, he remembered really wanting this job, to help and support this family, this woman. So he supposed his level of engagement was different even in the first stage, a compulsion, just not parental.

He didn't do much tending, not to his budding crush, but he supposed when he caught her dancing and not only was moved by her hips but couldn't help but notice her lively eyes and her vanished dark circles, was some sort of middle stage.

Today, getting off the phone with his uncle was seeing all the fruit of the labor he wasn't even aware he was doing. He'd been tending and tilling, spacing and watering, nurturing his interest.

Now he just had to decide what to do about it.

Option one, ignore it, and they continue living as they have been. Like some version of a family; they're certainly a team, but one where he is the impermanent piece, like the quarterback about to graduate onto new things. Harry doesn't want new things, well he doesn't think so. He's fairly certain he wants this team, Vee as his coach and the twins as the freshman walk ons. He's just not sure how to get it.

So, option one seems no good. He doesn't want to just pretend he hasn't realized his feelings. He's known since day one he admired Vee, adored the twins. He still felt those things, they'd just deepened and he wanted to put their needs right before his own for the foreseeable future. Which was why he'd once again delayed going back to school. Another extension. He'd told himself it was about the money, and he did need that, but really he wasn't ready to be here less.

Option two, he's direct. He's imagined that scenario in his head. The setting as the living room they share. He can tell they've just gotten back, their cheeks sun kissed by the California sun, and their suitcases still full in the living area.

"Vee, have a seat. It's been a long day. Want some wine?" Should you be able to hear the nerves in your voice in a daydream?

"Yes please." She'd sigh. And he'd only heard that like twice when he made this offer in real life, so further proof he was imagining best case scenario. After a few sips, he can imagine he'd get caught up watching her relax and be mesmerized by the working of her throat. It would take courage, but she'd be relaxed and he'd be keyed up by the two weeks of her in swimsuits and watching her lick the rim of her wine glass with her eyes closed. Sometimes excitement was related to bravery.

"Vee," he'd start, "Victoria," so she'd know he was serious. Her eyes would open, connect to his. Then, he'd just say it.

But what? I'd like to take you out. I think I have feelings for you. No. I do have feelings for you. Should I just move into your bedroom? What does your kiss taste like?

He had no idea how to tell her his heart, and that seemed like an odd place to start considering they basically lived together. Shit, would she fire him? He needed the job, and the twins, oh god! He'd miss them so.

He couldn't come out of left field then. He'd need to feel her out, flirt, watch for reactions. Malibu seemed like an ideal place to move beyond the support he showed her. The sunsets and skin had to be romantic. It felt romantic to him when he was there alone, the feeling would magnify with a love interest. He'd roll his eyes at himself if he could see his reflection. He just had to see if he was interesting to her, on her romantic radar. If she seemed bewildered or put off, he'd save his job and let his feelings fester, save money and go back to school. Try to move on.

He'd have to find a way to stay in touch with the twins.

Or, she'd be receptive.

That might have been a scarier thought. More exciting too! He'd start sooner. A glass of wine, he'd let his hand linger when he handed it to him.

But she'd just begged off for her bed.  "You're so charming, Styles!" He'd teased himself as he went to bed, well tossed and turned all night. He'd needed mountains of iced coffee to stay awake the next day on their flights, the babies were cranky too. They must be feeding off his energy, and Hers. Vee looked wiped as well, so every time he got himself a refresh, he got her one too. Everything took forever, and he was vibrating by the time they picked up their rental. The babies were slowly fading and Vee looked more keyed up than him. They needed to relax, a way to unwind.

That's when the idea sparked him. The pool, the sunset, and a night cap that he could extend into drinks. All the makings of a romantic evening, or a relaxing one. He'd just lean into whatever way she seemed to be veering.

His imagination had hoped though, as he distracted himself from waiting for service in the line.

He started with thoughts of kissing her, tasting the cool water beading on her lips and the contrast of the warm recesses of her mouth. He might have groaned out loud if Belli hadn't whined.

The traffic was a welcome distraction from his nerves and though he knew the way, Vee drove and it took just that bit longer for her lack of familiarity. Especially with traffic. He offered to do it, but she'd got the rental, at her insístanle since he'd put so much work into the trip and found free accommodations. Her name was on it. "You get to play navigator, and she'd found the energy to wink!

Good sign?

The drive knocked out the crank pots in the backseat, though they had screamed until the Mulholland Pass. Until Harry realized the sun was in their eyes directly. He'd hopped over the seats and blocked it with his hands. It wasn't comfortable, but got took away the overstimuli for all the occupants of the car. Once they pass out, he and Vee shared a relieved pair of sighs. That got his mind wandering again, about other shared exhales. Soon they were pulling up the familiar beach side road and parking, each taking a baby in hand and communicating with their eyes to get them in the house.

Once Teo was in his crib, Harry cocked his head to the driveway and moved behind her. She nodded, understanding he'd unload the car while she settled Belli. She was the hard case. Harry tried to be businesslike about it, though he admitted the brush of his front to her back was more than accidental plus, he sniffed her, inaudible. She smelled of plane, and baby, and coffee. And Vee. He smiled on his way out the doorway and it encouraged him, how well they did this together.

He dropped the bags, the many bags, she'd packed just inside her door and was in his room and rooting for the swim trunks he'd packed on top before he knew it. He text her directions to meet him out back and went before his nerves could get the best of him.

Did she like tattoos? Would they turn her off? She knew about his arms, he was fairly certain he'd been wearing a t shirt at his interview. His collection was extensive though. Eye-catching, in his experience with romantic interests, usually compelling. Unless she hated body art.

Too late to do anything now, years late, and since when was he self conscious, especially about his tattoos.

He needed to get a move on if he was gonna be ready for her. He thought he knew James, well, in this case Julia, well enough that they'd have what he was looking for, probably already chilled.

He found the Moët and grabbed the glasses by the stem and huddled outside. The gorgeous weather wrapped around him, more comfortable than any sweater and the water enveloped his thighs. If she came out soon, hopefully in a suit. They'd just catch the sunset. Her skin would look so pretty in the golden light, and then moon light, probably any light. Still, he was going to keep track of her changes. He tanned well, he could show imagine how tawny she would get. His confidence was returning with his plan working out so well and his desires so near the surface. Should he pour the champagne, or would the bottle popping be a nice official start to the vacation? He was mulling it over waist deep in the water when her voice caught his attention.

"Dios Mío!" He heard from over his shoulder, and when he looked back, he would have said the same but it had little to do with the sunset he assumed she was marvelling over and everything to do with Vee.

He nearly forgot the champagne and cavemanned her over his shoulder and straight into where he was in over his head.

But that was overly forward. He at least needed to get her wet before he dove into the deep end.

#harry styles #harry styles fanfiction #harry styles fanfic #tbsl #to be so lonely #nanny fic #chapter 4

[diarrheaofthekeyboard]

Cheater

9.20.2020

Of the many dumb macho things about guitarists, one of the dumbest is the plurality hatred of capos and alternate tunings. One friend I left behind because he’s a toxic bigoted asshole used to say “gay-po”. Another friend I’m very close with and is a much better musician than I’ll ever be thinks capos and alternate tunings are lazy. 

I do understand why people think like this. They’re wrong, but I understand it. For some, like the first guy, it’s just meatheaded stubbornness. “Oh, you’re too weak to play a barre chord higher on the neck so you use a capo to play open chords.” For others, like the second guy, it’s presentation of the instrument “well this is how it’s tuned and so you just work around that and it is what it is.” But that’s not how the guitar developed and it’s certainly not how rock developed or how it’s played. 

Yer basic capo is a movable nut. It’s a clamp. That’s it. And yes, you can use it to move open chords up to the key of the song you’re playing and play anything you want incorrectly. However, you can also use it to move the song into the key you’re singing in. So if you want to play Norwegian Wood like it is on Rubber Soul, then you’re stuck with a capo on the 2nd fret, because that’s where it’s played. I might actually take the capo off for that song, because my voice sounds better in D. 

One thing I really like to do is play a D major 9 chord in a C shape at the 5th fret. But instead of barring my first finger on the second fret to close the chord, I keep it open so the G and high E strings ring out. 15 years ago, I wrote a song in a post-punk band that sounded best in G. So I capo’d at the 3rd fret. And I’d slide that C shape to go from Eb major to F maj 9. It’s a cool sound and fills out the space, which is important in a guitar-bass-drums-singer kinda band. 

The band kept playing the song after I left, largely out of anxiety fueled rage/assholishness, that likely had little to do with the people in the band. Anyway, there were two guitarists they played with afterwards that could never play it right. Because they wouldn’t use a capo. One guy said the chord was wrong because it “went against music theory”. I got that hilarious story from the bassist. The other guy played everything as power chords. So of course, when we had a reunion, I dedicated the song to all the guitarists that had been in the band, and couldn’t play it. (Hey, I’ve never claimed through any of this I’m not an asshole.)

Sometimes I use capos just to find the right tonality. Maybe a song sounds better capod on the 4th fret? Who knows? Let’s figure it out. They’re really great writing tools. 

Another great writing tool is alternate tunings. Like with capos, people don’t like them because they think it’s the easy way out. Tune your low E string down to D and “play one finger slam chords”. That was a fun argument on guitar forums. Or, keep going. Tune the A string down to G and the high E string down to D, and you’re in Open G. Now you can play 20 Rolling Stones tunes that just don’t sound right in standard tuning. Yeah, you could play in standard tuning and only play the inside three strings, but that’s actually the cheater method that doesn’t sound right. You can also play slide. One of my favorite open tunings is Open C. CGCGCE. It’s super heavy and puts the third on the high E string, so it retains a brightness I like. 

Lately, I’ve been playing a lot in Dropped D. On Norwegian Wood, it opens up the droning ringiness of the guitar, which is something I like playing solo acoustic. That tends to translate into the electric bands I’m in because I’m usually the only guitarist. I can always modify it if I need to. 

A couple of weeks ago, I was focused on learning “Black Hole Sun” by Soundgarden. That song was recorded in Dropped D#. So the whole guitar was tuned up a half step, and then the sixth string tuned down a step. Super weird. Now I can either completely retune my guitar or I can tune to Dropped D and stick a capo on the first fret. So I did that because there’s no actual difference except the fretmarkers are off, and you’re not supposed to rely on those either. Anyway, it’s a really great song not only for learning about Dropped D, but also the descending riff chromaticism is amazing. And it’s the perfect example of capos and alternate tunings working together. 

Now I told you that story to tell you this one.

As I mentioned in a previous post, I’ve been watching a lot of the MusicTheoryforGuitar channel on YouTube. It’s this funny metal guy named Tommaso who’s mostly pimping his own method. I’m not interested in his guitar method because I certainly have enough of them rotting on my shelves. But I like his videos. The last one I watched was about the musicality of one note. It’s a simple idea. A C note in a C chord is the root. So it’s not going to have the same quality as the same C note as the major third in an G# major or the minor third in A minor. Cool stuff. Now how can I use it?

I wrote this riff I liked based on the video. I wrote down all the chords in the video and messed with them until I got something I liked. But trying to get everything to sound right with the droned C got complicated. I was playing chords on both the 5th and 6th string, and once I moved the C drone, it just didn’t sound cohesive. So I had an idea. Tune the B string up to C. That worked for a moment but made things complicated when I wanted to keep the drone on the 6th string A minor chord. 

Then I remembered about my partial capo. I dunno when I got it. At least 10 years ago. Maybe longer. It’s called the Third Hand capo and appears to have been discontinued a few years ago. This one is different from “short-cut” capos because you can choose which strings you want to capo, instead of it just being a flat bar. The only thing on the market now that’s similar is the SpiderCapo, but I’ve never used it. Looks like if I ever lose this one that’s the one to get. Anyway, I got the idea to capo the C I’ve been droning, which is on the first fret of the B string. But that presented a problem for my F chord, because you can’t finger a note you’re not having the Third Hand press down on. So I dropped down to D and the F moved up. This also allowed me to consistently voice the other chords in the progression. So now I’ve got an alternate tuning and a weird capo and the song can’t be played without them. 

That’s not cheating. That’s art. Now maybe I can write some lyrics that don’t suck. LOL.

#guitar #capo #dropped d #alternate tuning #drone #third hand #spidercapo #black hole sun #soundgarden #toxic #bigot #lazy #rolling stones #open g #open c #norwegian wood #rubber soul #Beatles #music theory #chromaticism #diarrhea #keyboard #therapy

[queenofthecommunistcannibals]

On "But I'm a Minor!"

Getting real sick of this shit. Especially when it comes to aphobia and harassment.

Yeah, I am 30, and I automatically assume most people I talk to on this platform recommended for people 17+ is an adult. I know that kids have Tumblrs, but I am not obsessively thinking about the ages of every person I interact with. I don't check abouts regularly unless I need pronouns. Ain't nobody got time for that since often I am doing a bunch of other things at the same time.

Some 13 y.o. who recently tried to argue that aspecs aren't bullied on a post bullying aspecs attempted to make me feel guilty for asking them what the fuck they were talking about. For a second I did. Damn, I thought, I said a lot of dumb shit as a teenager, and they are barely even that. Then I realized how absurd that was. 1) I wasn't yelling at a teenager, I was yelling at an aphobe, they were anonymous and faceless until they said "I am 13". Until that moment they were an adult. 2) The reason I responded with the harshness I did was because they were regurgitating hateful bullshit against an entire group of people.

My being harsh to them for accusing aspecs for being over sensitive in the face of someone telling them to "get cured" is not the same as their defending that statement. There are a lot of young aspecs out there who face nothing but aphobic rhetoric and hate in a world that tells you sex and romance are the two most important things you will ever experience and intimately linked to adulthood and fulfillment. Then they come online to a website that, once upon a time, was a safe haven, to be assaulted by more asinine bullying. And this kid is just contributing to that.

And that leads me to the most important part of this, if you are old enough to have a Tumblr, if you are old enough to put your hateful little lies and bigotry out there, if you are old enough to attack an entire sexual orientation, you are old enough to be corrected. And if you falsely accuse someone of something terrible (e.g. fandom Inquisition calling someone a fucking pedophile) they get to defend themselves.

Your age a not a Get Out of Jail Free card. Minors are capable of some truly horrific acts and they are aware of what they are doing. They are aware of right and wrong. A 13+ year old knows what hate and prejudice are.

This is what "I am a minor!" Should get you 1) you do not have to be part of any kind of sexual or substance discussion. You should block those tags if you want but if a convo goes somewhere that makes you uncomfortable saying "I'm a minor" should be an automatic ripcord pull. The conversation is over. 2) If you are accidentally ignorant "I'm a minor" will get you less harsh treatment. No one should attack someone who is genuinely penetant, and "I'm I minor" is a valid explanation. 3) "I'm a minor" means adults you are talking to should talk to you age appropriately.

And it means I will pity you if you have clearly taken a drink from the Radfem Kool Aid.

That's about it. Because if you aren't a literal child you are old enough to be educated.

My favorite recent example of a minor being a pos comes from the user who thought it was cool to sexually harass people and accuse them of being mentally ill then when it was turned around on them screamed about how they were too young to take responsibility for their actions.

If you are old enough to talk shit, you are old enough to get shot down. If you are old enough to attack an entire demographic of people based on their sexual orientation you are old enough to be treated like one would treat any other bigot. Especially if you are unwilling to learn and grow.

That is the thing about youthful ignorance. You ain't gonna be a minor forever and you don't instantly become an adult. You do not get hit by some Terrigen Mist that makes you mature. You have to grow up. You have to learn. Youthful ignorance doesn't molt off you, you get exposed to new experiences and new information and like a young bird preening you unfurl those intellectual and emotional pin feathers as you learn.

Keep shrieking "I am a minor!" And stay stunted.

Would I have handled certain situations differently had I known a user's age? Yes, but I still would have corrected them. I just, for example, wouldn't have asked the 13 year old if they were illiterate and worded things less harshly.

Is it embarrassing to get called out? Yeah. But it happens to everyone. It hurts, but you grow from it. You say something stupid, someone calls you out, you realize your mistake, you become a better person. The correction doesn't have to be mean, but if you are attacking a sexual orientation (or in the case of the Fandom Inquisition accusing people of being pedophiles or rapists or whatever the fuck else) you do not get to complain about tone. You get to realize what you did and grow from it.

"I'm a minor!" You shout.

Yeah, so what? That doesn't mean you get to be a bigot or an advocate of censorship without someone biting back. You do not get to attack someone and complain when they defend themselves. This is especially true online where we are all on equal footing and, in general, I have no idea how old you are. I am not walking up to a toddler calling them an idiot and pushing them to the ground. That might be the image you want to paint but it is wildly inaccurate. What is happening is I am finding a sign with a hateful message. I correct it or write another sign. The writer of the first sign comes back and turns out to be a teenager.

"I'm a minor!" Does not win you an argument. It does not mean you get to carry out calculated attacks against entire groups of people you do not understand.

What shouting "I'm a minor!" tells me, an adult, is that you are too ignorant and too young to be in this conversation. Go home and grow up.

#tumblr #very annoying

[gaawachan]

So... Mulan... I’m Not Happy :(

I'll be the first to admit that there were some problems with Disney's Mulan.  Mushu is a very important secondary character, but he should not have been a dragon.  The emperor never should have bowed her her and she should not have touched him; the Emperor was poorly done all-around.  There were some artistic errors that were culturally insensitive as I recall.  Chi Fu was not so great and his character really needs to be updated (not to be more likeable, but to be less of a caricature).  There's a gag involving a panda that should be written out.  The ancestors thing ought to be completely cut.  There is an over-reliance on some stereotypical tropes that ought to be at least downplayed in a new film if they aren’t servicing the story with their over-emphasis.  Easily the worst thing about the film is the dehumanizing depiction of the Huns.  These are all problems that can be easily fixed without outright scrapping 9/10ths of the cast. . I was planning to talk about Mushu first, but I think it's impossible to talk about Mushu without talking about Mulan, so that's where we're going to start.

In the Disney film, Mulan is NOT trained in combat, but she is smart and a quick problem-solver, agile, and dedicated.  Mulan's angst is not so much that society doesn't value her for what she has to offer, but that what she has to offer is not enough for her to feel of worth to society.  In other words, the expectations placed upon women in this setting are something that Mulan internalized and she finds herself wanting in them, because she cannot perform the ideal female standard in her society and if she can't do that, then she has no worth.  The important take from all of this is that isn't raging against society.  She's raging against her own inability to be an ideal female archetype in her society.

Mulan ends up joining the military for two reasons.  The first is her father's physical state.  The second is a desperate desire not to prove her worth to society, but to prove her worth to herself.  Once in the military, she particularly struggles with training; unlike in the folklore, she is not used to this particular form of labor, and she nearly gives up until she comes to the realization that her training isn't something that she is supposed to brute force her way through.  It is ultimately in the military that Mulan finds her intellect to be of value, something of hers that she can see is contributing meaningfully.

However, just like throughout most of history, Mulan's worth and behavior is judged on the merit of her gender first and foremost, which is why her gender reveal after the battle at the pass take her to such a low... and this is also why Mushu is an important character.  Mushu, more than anyone else in the narrative, is the one who bolsters Mulan's self-worth. . I already said that Mushu should not be a dragon.  But he also should STILL BE IN THE MOVIE.  Mushu is the most important animal side-kick in Disney history within the associated movie.  Within Disney's Mulan, there is an admonishment directed to society about placing people in positions where they feel they need to be something they are not in order to retain or acquire social standing, something that doesn't do much for a person's self-worth.  Mushu has, throughout the narrative, lied about his own identity and role... to MULAN, and unlike her, he's done it purely for his own self-interest.  That is not to say he is unhelpful; his presence and actions actually save a lot of people, Mulan included, but just like Mulan, that fails to address the underlying issue of self-worth.  It is in this moment of Mulan's weakness that Mushu confesses this.

"Mushu: The truth is, we're both frauds. Your ancestors didn't send me; they don't even like me. I mean, you risked your life to help people you love. I risked your life to help myself. At least you had good intentions. Mulan: ...... Let's go home. Mushu: Yeah. This ain't gonna be pretty. But don't you worry, okay? Things will work out. We started this thing together and that's how we'll finish it. I promise."

Mushu's ability to come clean just so he can be as supportive as possible to Mulan is what makes him such an important character, because immediately after this, Mulan rushes to the capital to help regardless of the consequences.  This isn't coming out of nowhere.  Mulan's ability to accept Mushu's flaws and benefit from his support is ultimately what kick-starts the change in her own self-image.  Mulan needs there to be someone on her side who knows she's a woman and still sees value in what she can contribute because she can't overcome her own internalized misogyny and self-loathing without support.  Which is, btw, the whole freaking point. . Shang next.  I don't know where people got the idea that Shang was some sort of comic relief character.  Other than herself, Shang becomes the person Mulan is most driven to prove her worth to, first as a soldier, and then as a human, and this is why his judgment at the pass cuts so deeply. Shang following in his father's footsteps serves as a twisted mirror to Mulan's own journey, and the death of his father carries heavier emotional wait as a result.  While it's never stated in the movie, the general's death also reminds the viewer of one of the big reasons why Mulan is in the military in the first place.  Mulan's push back against his bigoted dismissal of her in the capital is a big signifier that her self-image has changed.  Shang's recognition that his failure to trust Mulan when she warned him that Shan-Yu was in the capital put the emperor in danger coupled with his seeing that Mulan's tactical mind is no different than when she was Ping is ultimately what seals his own approval of Mulan as a whole person.  Whereas Mushu is vital for starting the change in Mulan seeing herself of value, it is Shang's opinion of her that carries the most weight, because Shang has no familial association with her but he is still a fundamental part of her sphere that she wants approval from. . Yao, Ling, and Chien-Po are the three soldiers who become Mulan's friends in the military, and while they are mostly comic relief, they are still worth mentioning.  They are casually misogynistic, and when Chi Fu insists that Mulan face punishment, they ultimately fall in line and reject her; though they aren't happy about it, none of them are willing to step out of line that much.  I've seen people say that they do that because of extreme sexism but I disagree. Imo it has less to do with their misogyny and more to do with kowtowing to authority+bystander effect; you'll notice that they are outright eager to fall back in with Mulan as soon as the Emperor is attacked.

Mulan's friendship with these three is important not just because all three of them are wonky, flawed people who she is incredibly awkward and weird around but who still ultimately accept her, but because it's also supposed to demonstrate the camaraderie developed between soldiers at war.  I don't want to go into this at length so suffice it to say that I'm going to be very disappointed if that aspect of the story is cut out of the live-action version. . ... Okay, now we get to talk about the most problematic part of Disney Mulan.  The Huns.  Uh... it's really bad.  It's inaccurate on so many levels that I don't want to get into atm.  I was actually excited at the prospect of the live action film heavily re-writing this such that the enemy forces would not be so de-humanized and maybe the story on the international scale would be made to be more nuanced/gray, but instead, they decided to scrap them altogether in favor of a... witch.  A witch.  In Mulan.  A story about a woman finding her self-worth in an oppressive society and you made the villain A WITCH.  You know, that negative female stereotype about evil magic women that's resulted in thousands upon thousands of women being murdered over the centuries?

Why?  In part it's obviously to avoid any sort of controversy that might have come about from keeping a foreign invasion as part of the story, though it also significantly hamstrings any chance of the narrative saying anything meaningful on that topic in typical, cowardly modern Disney fashion.  However, Disney has shot themselves in the foot on this one.  I can already see where they're trying to go with this change and I do not like it.  Problematic depiction aside, the primary antagonist of the original movie, Shan-Yu, was interesting because he is the only human in the story who did not seem to give a single fuck about Mulan's gender.  When Shan-Yu looks at Mulan, he sees a competent threat who killed most of his men and he goes after her with that perspective.  However, he slips up when he thinks he has Mulan backed into a corner and she pulls out a feminine symbol, a fan.  He fails to see how something like that could stand up before him, and that is why  he is outmaneuvered and defeated.  Mulan defeats the hyper-masculine Shan-Yu openly as a woman in women's clothing using a feminine tool.  That?  That won't work in a story with a female protagonist vs a female villain. . When Mulan returns home, her father helps her complete the healing of her self-image; she didn't need to do a damn thing to be or prove of value to him.  The final thing I want to point out about Mulan is that while it certainly critiques society for what it does to people by enforcing ridiculous and oppressive roles and expectations on them, the story is not about changing society.  It's about one person's self-image and the way the people immediately around her shape that self-image.  Because of that, Mulan can be read as a low-key call for acceptance and support of non-conforming people in general. . . I want to talk just a bit about some of the music of Mulan.

“Honor To Us All” is intentionally stereotypically over the top because the audience needs to know what Mulan's own ridiculous standards that she's set herself up to fail to meet are.  It's not just that the standard is absurd; it's that she wants to meet them.  The song, while tonally light-hearted, is meant to capture the immense social anxiety of oppressive artificial social roles.  Incidentally, Chi Fu more or less serves the role of being the external expression of said oppressive artificial social roles, and he does it a bit too well to the point where everyone hates his character both in the movie and out, lol. "'Tis a woman! She’ll never be worth anything!"

"I'll Make A Man Out Of You" is meant to be cheekily over-the-top and ironic.  I shouldn't have to explain this.  Shang is using his over the top, silly similes about masculinity to try and pump up his incompetent recruits, but it's ultimately Mulan's intellect that propels her to become his best soldier.  I also want to point out that while Mulan is particularly incompetent at the start, ALL of the recruits are, and Disney Mulan has had NO experience with that sort of labor so it makes sense that she struggled particularly at first.  There's been a lot of great writing on the topic of this song already so I'm gonna stop here.

There really is no excuse for cutting “Reflection” and “I’ll Make A Man Out Of You.”  The other two songs are not so important but these two are.

.

Also, she doesn’t cut her hair.  What the fuck, Disney?  God damn it.

.

God, why did I write this?  This is just a massive badly constructed rambling rant, I’m sorry.

#disney mulan #mulan #fa mulan #mushu #li shang #shan yu #sorry for the rant #self love #social commentary #they replaced Shan Yu with a WITCH #WHY #no snide comments if you please

[atarahderek]

Free plot bunny to good home

Looking to rehome a plot bunny that I have no room for. Free to a good writer/artist. Must be a faithful fan of both Zootopia and Watership Down. Any takers?

Zootopia: The Mystery of the Mad Rabbit

When a mysterious entity starts wreaking havoc across the city, from minor vandalism to outright terror attacks, the ZPD calls in a consultant when it's discovered that their culprit has a criminal history across the pond. Judy is delighted to meet Esau “Bigwig” Thlayli, the chief of owsla from a tiny town in [England] called Watership down. Bigwig is less than thrilled that his work on the case is so limited, with a strict “no field work” caveat, and there's something about Judy's partner that rubs his fur the wrong way. Judy and Nick will have to learn to work with Bigwig to solve the case, before this General Woundwort stirs the city into an all out panic.

Some lines from the story...

…

Bogo: “Hopps, I've asked you to greet our consultant today in part because you and Wilde will be the ones taking his notes and investigating on them, and in part because I believe you'll be quite interested to learn you're not quite the pioneer among rabbits that you thought you were.”

…

Judy: “Oh my goodness, another bunny cop! I thought I was the first one!”

Bigwig: “Oh, well, I hope you're not disappointed. Where I come from, bunnies are just as welcome on the police force as larger mammals.”

Judy: “Disappointed? No, not at all! It's exciting, really! It means that I was right all along! Bunnies can definitely be cops. And not as an exception to some rule, either!”

…

Bogo: “You mean to tell me that our suspect is a bunny?”

Bigwig: “With all due respect, chief, it would be terribly unwise to refer to him as a bunny, or a mere mammal. He's a monster. And trust me, he takes great pride in that title.”

…

Bigwig: “Your partner...is a fox?”

Judy: “Yeah. That's not a problem, is it?”

Bigwig: “...No, not at all! It's just...highly unusual, that's all.”

Judy: “Even moreso than a bunny cop?”

Bigwig: “Very much so.”

Nick: “Well, thank you both for making me feel like a freak show. So what's our suspect's name again?”

…

Bigwig: “He calls himself General Woundwort, though his exact military history, if any, is unclear. He was a cult leader, and taking him down and rescuing his 'followers' was my first case as chief of owsla.”

…

Judy: “So, that doe you were Muzzle Timing with...is that your...wife? Girlfriend? I'm sorry, I don't mean to pry...”

Bigwig: “No, it's alright. She's...we're not together. She's a good friend. Lucy's her name. Lucy Dewfur. She's a survivor of Woundwort's cult. She's not looking for a relationship right now, as she's still recovering from what she suffered. I'd never impose on a doe like that.”

Judy: “...Oh. Well, that's very considerate of you. And I hope she's doing well.”

Bigwig: “Yes, very well. You'd like her, I think. If you ever find yourself on the downs, let me know and I'll introduce you.”

…

Bigwig: “'Out of my jurisdiction.' Why call me here, then? I didn't come all the way across a bloody ocean so that I could sit in an office and talk about a case that I have the most experience in out of literally anyone in the world! I need to be out there in the field! I have been chasing this psychopath for over a year now! Frith and Inle, why do you Americans have to be so stubborn?!”

Nick: “Well, to be fair, if we came over to your country as consultants and demanded the lead on some big international case, you'd probably have the same response.”

Bigwig: “I didn't ask for your opinion, hombie!”

Judy: “Hey! Chief, I understand that you're frustrated with the no fieldwork rule. I get it, I really do. But taking it out on my partner and calling him racial slurs is highly inappropriate, and we won't stand for it here at the ZPD!”

Nick: “Well, thanks, Carrots. I thought that name sounded insulting, but I honestly had no idea why.”

…

Nick: “Admit it, Carrots, you like that bigoted, bedheaded bunny.”

Judy: “I am a consummate professional. I respect Chief Thlayli, despite his flaws, and I assure you, I would never view him with anything less than absolute professionalism.”

Nick: “Right, right, nothing less. Buuuuut maybe something more? Hmm, hmm?”

Judy: “Can we please just focus on the case?”

…

Nick: “So this El-a-rare-rah is basically your biggest bunny folk hero?”

Judy: “Okay, first of all, it's El-ahrairah. Second, we do not call him a 'bunny.' He's a paragon among rabbits; the very first of our kind. He's the forefather of rabbit culture. To refer to him as a bunny would be like walking up to the president and saying, 'Hey, dude, what up, homie!'”

Nick: “Okay, Carrots, I'll make you a deal. I'll never call your rabbit hero a bunny again if you promise to never do whatever that was again.”

…

Woundwort: “They sent...a doe...to catch me? Heh, losing your touch, Thlayli? Have to send the does in instead?”

Nick: “Carrots, mind if I get offended on your behalf?”

Judy: “I think I can handle being offended on my own, but thanks.”

Bigwig: “And if I recall, Woundwort, it was the work of several does that exposed you in the first place. You're right, I couldn't have done it without them.”

Woundwort: “Nor without a fox, apparently.”

Bigwig: “Well...what can I say? I've learned a lot since being here. A fox, as it happens, is an invaluable part of an investigation such as this. He thinks outside the box in ways I've never even seen my old pal Blackberry do. I'm quite glad to have him here, thank you.”

Nick: “No...thank you.”

…

Bigwig: “ZedPD.”

Nick: “ZPD.”

Bigwig: “Zed.”

Nick: “Zee!”

Judy: “Okay, you two! Po-tay-to, po-tah-to! Break it up before I call Chief Bogo!”

…

Bogo: “Chief Thlayli, we truly do appreciate all your help. Thank you, from all of us at the ZedPD.”

Bigwig: (to Nick) “Ha!”

Nick: *facepalm*

Bogo: “Drat it all, now you've got me saying it! And after I spent three years trying to break that habit!”

#Watership Down #Zootopia #Disney #Judy Hopps #Nick Wilde #Bigwig #Thlayli #General Woundwort #plot bunny #Richard Adams #crossover

[anonymuseing]

In April: Parent: Lazy child--go out and get a job! Me: *has been applying to and handing out resumes since January--when I was still in University in another city*

In October: Parent: Where's my dinner? Fetch my socks! You don't have a job so the least you can do is pitch in around the house! *sayeth the one that's been sitting on the sofa tanking an Asian Drama for 7 hours straight* Me: *has to leave for a 3 hour training shift at a fast-food restaurant--literally the only place out of hundreds to give me both an interview, and a chance to train and work* There's not enough time. Make your own dinner--if I don't leave now, I'll be late.   Parent: That's not even a *real* job! Don't be so up-tight about it--be late!

It's sad that I'm not the only one of my friends going through this right now. We graduated from University and went back home to different cities so we can only support and encourage each other through IM and whatnot. None of us got a celebratory party or anything for graduating. Heck, most of us skipped Convocation 'cuz we couldn't afford to travel back to our universities or rent the regalia etc. My "celebration" was me busing out to the mall and buying myself DVDs of the movies I had missed in favor of crushing my final semester. My degree still sits in the envnelope it was mailed to me in, sitting in a corner in the document pile. My friend got a celebratory dinner--a dinner where her dad commented countless times on her not having secured a job yet, of her not having any income at the moment, of her having nothing to be happy about or something to celebrate 'cuz she didn't have a job.

Most of my friends and I have jobs now--fast-food, daycare, etc. Our parents and their circles of friends aren't shy about telling us that we're 'not aiming high enough' and that we 'have a degree--you shouldn't be applying for something like fast-food'. They tell me to go for reception or secretarial jobs. They tell me those are the only offers I should be accepting. Newsflash, bigotted assholes: there are no such offers!

I landed a few interviews for receptionist-style jobs. The want-ads said 'entry-level position' and all that was listed under their qualifications was that the applicant had to be older than 18 years of age.

That interview was one of the most humiliating experiences of my life. They liked the fact that I had a high GPA and a degree to my name, but they didn't take me seriously. "Where's your experience?" "Why should I hire you when you haven't done reception for another company?" "How do I know you're not just going to take off to do school after we train you?" I have a degree--I'm done school. I don't have reception-experience because this is the first receptionist job I've ever applied for (and your ad, which you proudly claim was typed out by you, personally, clearly stated that this was an entry-level position with no prior experience necessary). I have experience--5 years of it working for my University and the year I took off to earn money for university. If you count volunteer experience, I have 2 more years of that under my belt too. Honestly, if they weren't planning on taking me seriously or seriously considering me for the position, they shouldn't have bothered scheduling an interview with me. Every complaint they had about my lack of experience or whether or not I was honest about being done school was on my resume. I had all of my experience listed, as well as the time I spent in each position. I had a cover letter that was optimistic and clearly stated that I was done school, looking to gain work experience, and that further education was an idea for the future, but not something I'd be jumping into immediately. If they had bothered to look at my application for three minutes, they would have saved me the time, effort, and cost of transport to get to their place and be humiliated.

Going out anywhere or being around anyone was humiliating. Going to church, every conversation is the same every single week: Person: Hey! Haven't seen you in forever! Where've you been? Me: I've been away at University. Person: Cool, cool. So, you're back now? Me: Yup. Person: Found a job yet? Me: Still looking. Person: Good. Next week: Person: Hey! Found a job yet? Me: Still looking. Person: Good. *repeat every week until September. Conversations after the start of September: Person: Hey! You're still here? When does school start? Me: I graduated. I'm looking for a job. Person: Congrats. So...found a job yet? Me: Still looking. Been looking since January. Person: What are you looking for? Me: Anything. Person: A friend of mine is looking for people to paint their fence for them before the snow hits. Me: Sure, I'll contact them. Thanks! Next week: Person: Hey! You're still here? When does school start? Me: I graduated. I'm looking for a job. Person: Congrats. So...found a job yet? Me: Not yet. Still looking. I looked in on the paint job your friend mentioned. Person: You have a degree! You shouldn't be painting fences! Aim higher! Eventually: Person: Hey! You're still here? School started already, didn't it? Me: I graduated. Person: Congrats. So...found a job yet? Me: Yeah, I'm training at [Fast Food Chain]. Person: Why are you applying to fast-food? You have a degree! Reception, think-tanks, Non-profit organizations--look downtown! [Fast Food Chain] isn't a *real* job. You can do better. Don't waste your time. The good opportunities will pass you over if you're going to cheapen yourself to fast-food.

It's often the same person/people that I have these conversations with every week. People that don't bother remembering that I'm looking for a job or that I graduated. They're the ones that start a conversation with me. On top of that, the only thing they can think to ask or talk about is whetehr or not I have a job yet or what I'm doing now. At some point, it gets to be a really anxiety-inducing topic. I graduated in April--ideally, I would have had a job interview or two set up in February. Ideally, I'd be training to work somewhere in May. Come June, the job-topic should be taboo. If someone has a job, then yeah they are going to talk about it. If they don't, don't ask. Considering you didn't bother remembering that they've graduated, you're not going to bother remembering if they've landed a job or not--so stop asking! It's a really triggering topic for some people. It got to the point where I actually don't want to go to church anymore. I want to listen to the sermons, but I don't want to deal with the stupid conversations with people that honestly don't give a damn about me or what I do. They didn't bother to remember I graduated despite being reminded of it for more than four months. Asking a young person whether or not they have a job should be taboo because it's a really upsetting topic for a lot of people right now. Our newsfeeds blow up whenever a 'young person' commits suicide over being unemployed and all of us are terrified that one day that headline is going to be us.

Nobody applies to work in entry-level fast-food if they have options. Most of my friends and I only started applying to them after all of the reception and non-profits declined us for our lack of any work experience. Most of us didn't have means to go downtown to get to those jobs even if we had it. They expect you to show up to work at 5:30A and transit doesn't start running until then. Most of us don't have cars or licenses 'cuz we can't afford them. With no other options, we have a degree, but we're in the same boat as High Schoolers except for the fact that we have debts and we're no longer covered by our parents benefit plans.

Home and home-communities aren't safe spaces for a lot of us anymore. We're berated multiple times a day for not having a *real* job, whatever the hell that means. The worst part is that the people berating us for it have never had to work fast-food a day in their lives. My friend's dad graduated from a polytechnic school and claims that his first job ever was a job in his field--he walked into some construction firm, demanded to see the 'man in charge' and said 'here's my certification. Hire me.' and he was hired. So he claims, anyway. Another friend's older brother who lives away from home still comes back every other weekend to "spend time with the family" and he's always up in her business and calling her a failure. He's never worked an "entry level position" in his life. His first ever actual job was after he got out of University. He had a high enough GPA that companies doing head-hunting were sending him offers to pay for his tuition and whatnot if he'd work for them for a few years. He landed a 9-5, salaried office job as an IT guy the moment he graduated. Minimum-wage was never a thing for him and here he is sneering at his own sister for struggling to land a minimum-wage job.

You don't understand what other people are going through. Just because you lucked out and got a job in your field, it doesn't mean everyone gets that. My friend hates it when her brother comes home because he and her father gang up on her--telling her off for working minimum wage, screaming at her that this is not the way to becoming independent. Brother pays a mortgage and father owns the house she's staying in and both of them tell her that she's an 'adult' and should have a salary, a car, and an apartment of her own to her name. She graduated just a couple of months ago and only three places of the hundreds she applied to bothered to schedule an interview.

I'm worried about this friend of mine with the shit-for-male-relatives. I've known her for a long time and I know she has had brushes with suicide in the past. She's my best friend. If it were financially feasible right now, I'd want to get an apartment and enter roommateship with her. I don't want her having to listen to this demeaning bullshit at home all the time and at church (we both go to the same church and deal with the same conversations. She helped me write them for this post). It's not feasible right now. The last thing either of us wants is more debt. We're super anxious each time our phones ring right now, wondering if it's a scammer or if it's our minimum-wage jobs calling to tell us our next shift ('cuz literally, we could be told our asses have to be at work in 6 hours and neither of us knew before then).

To all our family and acquaintances--we know our lives are shitty, stop rubbing it in. I don't say "friends" in the above, because right now the only people we consider friends are the people that can relate, or at least the people that are decent enough not to comment on our shitty lives. Honestly, the only reason I haven't become the next suicide headline is because of these friends. I haven't done it yet because I'm holding onto the idea that if I keep working at this craptacular fast-food chain it'll become financially feasible for me and my friend to get an apartment together. Two-bedroom would be preferrable, but if one-bedroom is all that's feasible, we'll convert the living room into a bedroom or something with curtain partitions.  

To anyone reading this this that is in a similar, toxic, undesirable situation: I will not lie and say it gets better because I don't know if it will get better. There's an idea, a dream, and a hope that things will get better for my friends and I if we can make a roommateship happen. We're holding on for that dream but things could very well end in tragedy for one or both of us. If anyone is out there, traumatized by toxic relatives or acquaintances that just don't know how to keep their damned mouths shut, look to your friends. They are people you choose to interact with. They are your family-by-choice. They are the people you want to be with and want to converse with, not the crappy relatives you were born to and had no choice in, and not the nosy, pesky acquaintances that decide to stir the pot and not be helpful. Find your friends. Support and encourage each other. Times are tough and you're all probably going through nasty things. Take care of each other, check up on each other. Listen to each other because the thing none of us wants is to hear that a friend committed suicide and it may have been preventable if we had just bothered to send them a "hey, how are you?" message or decided, "screw it--lets go into debt together and get the hell out of these toxic families".

#post-post-secondary #life #rant #personal #toxic families #friends #life sucks

[fullspectrum-cbd-oil]

Bette Midler Gets Torched for ‘Racist’ Post Claiming POTUS Paid Black Americans to Be at His Rally

Actress Bette Midler got destroyed by users on Twitter after posting a tweet targeting the president, a comment that users from both sides of the aisle deemed “racist.”

In a tweet published on Wednesday, Midler — who has appeared in films such as “Hocus Pocus” and “The First Wives Club” — suggested that President Donald Trump had paid Black American men to appear as a “blackground” at one of his 2020 re-election rallies.

“Look, there are African American men in this shot!” wrote Midler. “How much did he pay them to be ‘blackground’?”

Look, there are African American men in this shot! How much did he pay them to be “blackground”? pic.twitter.com/pTkoHTIpQl

— Bette Midler (@BetteMidler) July 24, 2019

Understandably, some users on Twitter were not exactly thrilled by Midler’s tweet, with many of them taking aim at Midler herself for what they dubbed a “racist” tweet.

“That’s a very racist thing to say,” wrote one user.

That’s a very racist thing to say.

— Mark Dice (@MarkDice) July 24, 2019

Yes.. These are black people and there are many many more of us that will stand behind and with our president for the payment of being free to have a voice and our own opinion. We aren’t Driving Ms. Daisy … OR Ms. Midler. Racist!

— June Long (@MrsJuneLong) July 24, 2019

Julio Rosas, a reporter for the Washington Examiner, offered a poll as to how “racist” the tweet was, with the choices presented being “very racist” or “extremely racist.”

How racist is this tweet?

— Julio Rosas (@Julio_Rosas11) July 24, 2019

Another pointed out that “18% of black women voted Republican in Florida, keeping the state red.”

18% of black women voted Republican in Florida, keeping the state red.

The black community gets that democrats choose illegal aliens over Americans.

— #ThePersistence (@ScottPresler) July 24, 2019

Former New York Assemblyman Dov Hikind (D-N.Y.) — who filed a lawsuit against self-described democratic socialist Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) — called the post “next level racism” and “disgusting.”

This is some next level racism right here. As if all blacks can be at a Trump rally is “blackground”?!

Disgusting! And you’re a “progressive”?! More like a retrogressive racist!

— Dov Hikind (@HikindDov) July 24, 2019

Check out some of the other reactions:

Lady, get help.

— Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) July 24, 2019

Wow…

Just when I think you can’t go any lower.

Don’t worry, though. I saved it. pic.twitter.com/HjN01R8mDF

— Vincent Charles (@YesThatVCharles) July 24, 2019

Hi Bette…it’s me again, here to answer your silly question. He paid them the same amount that he paid these supporters. New jobs, larger retirement accounts, lower unemployment. You know, those things. pic.twitter.com/1KfeW42dS8

— Vintageport (@vintageport014) July 24, 2019

Bette doesn’t think black ppl can think for themselves.

— matt’s idea shop (@MattsIdeaShop) July 24, 2019

Like the embarrassing drunk aunt at thanksgiving.

— Cassandra Fairbanks (@CassandraRules) July 24, 2019

You racist POS

So you are saying Black folks are stupid and desperate.

We cannot have a diversity of thought like white people?

We better get our black a** back in line like you racist white Democrats believe we should be?

I’ve been to WH 3x & 2 rallies VIP, never got a dime

— Brandon Tatum (@TheOfficerTatum) July 24, 2019

Also, you’re a racist.

— #ThePersistence (@ScottPresler) July 24, 2019

#blackground ??? Imagine if a conservative said this.

— Carry (@boatgirl3) July 24, 2019

Bette Midler, how dare you make a blanket statement that black people can’t think for themselves & that they must be paid off if they don’t agree with you. Your statement is so condescending & racist. “From the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks.”

— Glen Woodfin (@GlenWoodfin) July 25, 2019

pic.twitter.com/qM1i7YEsGV

— Jack Posobiec 🇺🇸 (@JackPosobiec) July 24, 2019

Thanks for reminding everyone that disgusting racism is still alive and well in America…. especially in Hollywood.

— Tim Young (@TimRunsHisMouth) July 24, 2019

Nice ratio, bigoted Bette. pic.twitter.com/1Ukux5aYmC

— Rita Panahi (@RitaPanahi) July 24, 2019

We love TRUMP and they are PICS EVERYWHERE ♥️🇺🇸♥️ On TWITTER! pic.twitter.com/E1m1QR0vCH

— DJ Camacho (@d7cam) July 24, 2019

wow this is a disgusting comment on so many levels? “blackground?” Really? You are really sick, Bette.

— derek schwartz (@derek_mafs) July 24, 2019

Progressives don’t own black people, Bette.

They can actually believe whatever they want.

It’s pretty cool. pic.twitter.com/NNXKusleGG

— Lauren Chen (@TheLaurenChen) July 25, 2019

Midler has not addressed the backlash from her tweet or deleted it as of publication.

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