#and they're out here preaching 'take time off when you need it' or 'communicate when you're overloaded'

[nerdygaymormon]

What are some strategies you'd suggest for someone who wants to remain active and engage with the church but isn't in the best ward?

I'm in a YSA college ward right now, and the last month of church lessons have been aggressively heteronormative and focusing in on needing marriage, dating, and sealings as an integral part of being a good member/getting into heaven. My bishop is even consistently asking about who I'm dating and pressing me to get my endowment. Someone in the ward even said that the 'think celestial' talk convinced them to start dating even though they didn't really want to because they needed to be sealed to get into heaven

I feel like I'm invisible and unwanted because I don't want to get married and couldn't get sealed to my anyways partner under the current rules. I want to continue engaging with church and finding ways to learn and feel the spirit, but at the moment I feel like I'm being aggressively pushed away.

There's a lot I like about Young Single Adult (YSA) wards--they give young adults many opportunities to serve, they generally are more open about queer topics & people, they often have a lot of social events which helps build community and belonging.

My experience with YSA wards is there's also a LOT of pressure to date & marry (male+female marriage only), and if someone isn't feeling like this is the time for them to get married then they're going to feel dissonance.

People can feel like it's not the right time for them to think of getting married for a variety of reasons. Maybe they're planning to serve a mission, maybe they're 19 and are working towards becoming independent and feeling like an adult, maybe they're focused on their education or their career, maybe they're queer and not ready to deal with the church issues that come with dating.

The YSA ward doesn't need to preach marriage in order for people to get married. Simply having a large number of single people and providing opportunities for them to socialize will naturally lead to many of them pairing off.

I've yet to hear of a YSA ward where there wasn't a lot of talk about future spouses & future families, temple marriages, lectures about dating instead of hanging out, engagements are announced at the pulpit, and messages on becoming the kind of person that we want to marry. It would be nice if church could be about coming closer to Christ and not about a push to get married. Officially YSA wards are for helping younger people come closer to Christ, but since people who get married have to leave the ward, that seems to underline that this is the main purpose of YSA wards.

As requested, here's a few strategies:

You are in charge of your own social and spiritual experiences and growth. You can be responsible for talking to others and getting to know them instead of waiting for them to come chat with you. You can be upfront that you're not currently looking to get married but do want meaningful friendships. If the bishop is saying he thinks you should do the endowment ceremony at the temple, tell him when you're ready to pursue that opportunity you'll let him know.

Use church as an opportunity to lift others. One thing that always strikes me when I read about Jesus' interactions with the marginalized (women, foreigners, the ill & mentally challenged, people without official power in the church or without much social standing) is their interactions with Him uplifted them. Help others feel good about themselves when they're with you. Bolster their confidence. Show interest in the things they're interested in. Point out the good in others.

Take opportunities to turn lessons about dating into seeking Christ by answering questions and making comments in a way that changes the focus. You could share that your own answers to prayers indicate this isn't the time for you to be seeking a companion but instead to grow your spirituality and discipleship and understanding.

Be your own person. Be willing to say things that others might not. For example, if someone is temporarily home from a mission, you could say if they want to go back then that's great, but they don't have to go back out to the mission field if they don't want to, that Jesus loves them either way.

Best of luck to you

#tumblrstake #young single adult wards

[ladymidnight24]

Ok, so I know I'm totally just preaching to the choir on here, but I wanted to rant for a second and this is the only place I'm willing to do it, so-

Scrolling through the sad remains of Twitter today, I came across this post:

And I got super excited because I feel like I rarely see people flaunting their Asexuality like this (outside of the community here on Tumblr, that is), so I was just like "Oh fuck yeah, Ace rep!"

Then I made the mistake of scrolling through the comments... and that's really what this post is about, I just wanted a quick vent over some of the more repeated sentiments that I found.

(She responded to a few of them herself and I left in her responses, because yas queen, clap back at them!)

But anyway, quick tale of my experience as a bi-ace person: First and foremost, I think I look good/attractive/whatever and at times I do want to flaunt that because if I'm really feeling the way I look, why shouldn't I be encouraged to show off my muscles or wear a shirt that accentuates my boobs or pants that show off my ass? So yeah, I dress in a "sexual" manner from time to time, especially at pride where it lowkey feels like part of the point a lot of the time, and no, I'm not looking for any serial attention from that and yes, that is okay and normal and people need to stop acting like showing skin means you're some desperate whore (not that theres anything wrong with people who *are* hyper sexual in any way, Im just venting my own experience here).

Also, there were a lot of comments about why protection and rights matter for Ace people when at their most extreme they are A) not have sex and B) can basically go incognito in society and no one needs to know. But more complicated than that, isn't it? Because first of all, not all ace people are fully celibate (Im not) and all ace people I know personally still want to be in a relationship, just not necessarily a sexual one. In my case I got super lucky with my first major partner in that I was able to explain it to him and have him understand that I only get properly horny once in a blue moon, so if he wants sex, he needs to initiate and if Im really not feeling it at all, he needs to be okay with that. We were able to work out what the sexual part of our relationship would look like and things worked out, but, like I said, we were *lucky*.

And on the topic of commication and safety, that stuff is a two way street, it doesn't always help to be upfront about it. I have a friend who's fully non-sexual Ace and the first relationship they got into after feeling solid in that identity they *did* tell their partner right away that they're ace and explained that they're not interested in anything sexual at all and their partner responded by LYING and saying that he was fully non-sexual ace too, but then months into the relationship he tried to start shit and when she reminded him that she didn't want that he suddenly was talking about how they only think that because they've never had sex before, and they just need to change the medication they're taking because *thats* the cause and it's actually just religious trauma that makes her think she doesn't want it and he effectively tried to gaslight them into thinking they were straight when that is absolutley NOT the case and it's taken YEARS for them to feel solid in her identity again, not to mention start dating again (her current partner is lovely genuinely accepting and Im super happy for them)

So anyway, I just wanted to rant about this because it fucking SUCKS to constantly have people tell you that your too sexual to actually be ace or your unnatural for not wanting sex or your just confused or whatever and it can lead to genuinely horrifying situations of being forced into very uncomfortable situations because you're being gaslit by people who are supposed to and claim to love you.

#acespec #bisexual #pride #bi ace #twitter #relationship #personal rant #homophobia

[cacklefrendly]

At this point i want to hear all of your gin and vodka hc cause we need more of them also cause youre art is AMAZING

OH ANON I WILL TAKE ANY EXCUSE TO PREACH THE GOOD WORD OF THE VESPER COCKTAIL

but first listen hey just. jsut listen to me.

have you considered the inherent vulnerability of standing next to someone who could happily kill you in a hundred different ways and trusting that they won't. of always being on guard for a knife in your back but knowing that there is exactly One Person who stands behind you who'd never raise that blade.

because my friends. that is Gin and Vodka.

ok these is in no particular order buuut here are some HCs that i work from as a baseline for rotating them both in my head:

Both of them are in their early 40s, and joined the Black Organization at about the same time. Gin joined from the criminal side of things, while Vodka joined as a legit office worker. They started working together a few years in.

They are SO GOOD at non-verbal communication. They've completely changed mission plans on-the-spot multiple times, all with a couple of glances and nods.

Vodka fell for Gin YEARS before the events of canon but there is no world in which he makes the first move. Initially his silence was because "i would rather not risk pissing off my Murder-Boss who would maybe react by Murdering Me" but he's stayed silent because. Well. He's honestly happy with their relationship as-is. He can see how much Gin trusts him, values that immensely, and reciprocates it. They live together, for god's sake. It's not a romantic thing, sure, and sometimes Vodka wishes it was, but he cherishes what they have more than anything. ...meanwhile Gin is demi-romantic and very autistic and straight-up does not realize that he's in love with Vodka. he'll figure it out. eventually.

If you want to compare them to dogs (and i very much DO), then Gin is a Borzoi (sighthound) and Vodka is a Clumber Spaniel (flushing dog). Vodka scares targets into running and Gin chases them down.

Vodka runs hot and Gin runs cold. They achieve thermal equilibrium when they cuddle!! But it usually means the car's temperature is set way too hot for Vodka.

Gin is well aware that he's a vicious person in every aspect of his life, but he's waaaay past the point where he tries to hide it. Vodka likes his viciousness. Gin likes that Vodka likes his viciousness. They're both freaks and should be together to keep them from mauling the public.

I like to think that their canon height difference is an artifact of the show being Detective Conan — it's part of Conan's view of the world. Gin’s the one who attacked him as Shinichi, the one who keeps coming the closest to finding Conan out, the one who's more cruel and ruthless. Vodka ticks all those boxes too, yeah, but Gin is the one who Conan's actually scared of. So, from Conan's perspective, we see Gin as super frigging tall. He looms over everything, he's untouchable — while Vodka’s just Some Guy who looks pathetic and kinda meek when standing next to Gin. In reality — AKA, according to how i draw them — Gin and Vodka are the same height. Taller than Vodka’s canon height, but shorter than Gin’s. (Technically Gin is, like, an inch or two shorter, but it's such an insignificant difference that their hats and shoes make them the same.)

An outside observer would think that Gin takes everything Vodka offers and gives nothing in return, but that's not true. It's just that he shows affection like a large cat: with mauled corpses and by invading Vodka's personal space. He also does stuff like 'lets Vodka drive his very expensive and hard-to-get car' and 'respects Vodka's take on situations' and 'keeps falling asleep on Vodka' and—

They spar. Sometimes, those spars are all-out. During those spars, Gin tends to bite. A lot! There's blood. Vodka is okay with being his chew-toy. A little too okay with it. You could go so far as to say he's eager. In Gin's defense, if you're fighting for your life you have got to take any opening you can. There is no defense for Vodka.

Theoretically, if Kaitou KID were to disguise as Gin, then Vodka "My Main Love Language Is Learning Other's Mannerisms" BlackOrg would clock him in minutes. He wouldn't say anything immediately, but he spends too much time working with Gin to fall for that shit. If Kaitou KID were to disguise as Vodka, then Gin "My Main Love Language Is Letting My Guard Down" BlackOrg wouldn't realize something was up unless KID stood directly next to him — at which point Gin would switch to his second Love Language, Murder.

The first song Vodka ever sang to Gin was Hallelujah. Someday, it will be the last song he ever sings to Gin.

The first time they met was technically way back when Vodka was working for one of the B.Org's fronts and not in on the illegal stuff yet. His immediate superior, Syrah, was killed by Gin — who was going by a different codename at the time, Kina Lillet. Vodka was bringing paperwork to Syrah's office but heard the tail end of some yelling and the sounds of a struggle. When Kina walked out looking Suspiciously Casual wearing all black and generally looking Scary As Shit he decided that he was not getting payed enough to die for that company. Kina asked "how much did you hear" and Vodka replied "i mind my damn business, sir, so frankly i didn't hear shit" and went on his way to figure out an alibi. (They met formally a couple years later, as Gin and Vodka. Gin recognized Vodka but Vodka didn't recognize Gin.)

#vodka detective conan #gin detective conan #detective conan #ALSO THANK YOU FOR THE COMPLIMENT I SHOULD'VE SAID THAT FIRST BUT I WAS DISTRACTED BY THE THRILL OF INFODUMPING #cackle rants #cackle answers #i have MORE HCs in my pockets but those mostly apply to one or the other not them as a Duo #(such as Vodka's No Good Very Bad Time that got him a codename) #or aren't appropriate for polite company

[paintedhyenadogs]

Malays who support palestine are a toss up between: good people and antisemitic shitheads and unfortunately the shitheads are the majority. Supporting Palestine is all good, no issue, but I know full well these same shitheads use Palestine to think that they are good people and not assholes. Lets go through the racism issue in Malaysia:

Malaysia has a big issue with racism that has been so deeply rooted in ourselves that we've become accustomed to it. This isn't just limited to the big 3 ethnicities (Malay, Chinese and Indian), no no no. It effects the indigenous people, the refugee population and the immigrant workers. (Under the cut)

For some reason malaysians (mostly malays), have a really hard time understanding that, hear this, foreign workers might want to go check out the places their work country might have as a tourist and not just a worker. Wow. Super crazy. The amount of racist bs I've heard spewed from these ugly mugged idiots (both the young and the old) never ceases to amaze me how we tout ourselves as a multiracial country, woi bodoh, kalau multiracial tu tolong lah belajar kurangkan racism tu, otak tu tuhan bagi tauu.

Then there's the Rohingya "issue". When it comes to refugees, the Malaysian government sucks at handling it, so much so that they fight back against the government to, yk, be treated better. When I give my money to help refugees I'd fucking hope they're treated well, my money isn't for the organisation it's for the refugees. I'd be pissed off to if the people who wanted to "help" me treated me like shit. I wonder if it has anything to do with colorism, cuz arabs refugees are doing fine last I hear (which you should take with a grain of salt obv). So does racism effect here? Yes, absolutely.

Now onto the indigenous communities, overall, malays specifically have a shit track record with the orang asli. From (historically) forcing them to revert to islam, to calling them uncivilized, it's a disgusting sight. I was in class when I was front and center being told that "Indigenous people need our help to become civilized muslim people" and I just felt disgusted. Like preaching Islam to people? I've no issues with that. But putting them down as uncivilized, dumb or stupid, is another thing. Especially when historically we've forced these people to adopt islam as their religion to get i.d's and denied them the process of being able to even BURY their dead with their chosen religion.

To any Antisemitic malaysian malay muslims who read this: You are no better than the colonists you claim to hate, be better.

#malaysia #racism #colourism #Palestine

[souljournaler]

Message from Future

Hey. I'm feelin' pretty strong today, so I figured I'd send you a message.

I won't worry about indicating all my text in green, because that would just mean the whole message would be green. This is supposed to be a letter, rather than a conversation, but I'll make sure to indicate anything you might say while I write this. For the most part though, please don't. I want to get through my thoughts-- I'm not really available for responses right now.

Anyway,

It's a nice day where I am. Sunny, warm, breezy, there's lots of trees outside, must be a zillion birds. It's nice. I feel strong on days like this.

I just wanted to remind you of a couple of things, while I have the strength to send a message to you. They're not in any particular rank, so don't try to prioritize one of the the other, okay? Just take them as they are.

First, you're doing okay. You've been better about preaching, but you're still not practicing, and that's okay. You don't have to be ashamed about it. You were filling from an empty cup for a long time until the depth you needed to pour from started tunneling into you. It's gonna take a long time to fill that space before you'll be ready to give again. And that's okay. You're not making mistakes, you're not unknowingly choosing the fast or slow path. You're just going at your own pace. That's all you need to do. Fill the hole in your cup mindfully, without rushing. You know a rushed job is a cheap job. Don't cut half your ass off by trying to cut corners, okay? It'll just mean you'll break again sooner.

Enough scolding, though. It's a nice day out. You're starting to have regular time commitments again, and that's great. I reckon you're feelin' like a square peg in a round hole, to have spent all this time realizing your schedule revolves around nature cycles, while your community's schedule doesn't. Don't worry, you'll get to live somewhere soon where your natural cycles are a complement rather than a barb. You'll learn how to utilize different phases, too. You'll have early days, full days, and late nights, and you'll know how to prepare for the ones you can expect, and recover from the ones you can't.

Just, whatever you do, don't stop now. Don't give up on this goal. Don't skrrt into a random other lane. You ARE going towards your goal, it's not getting further away, and you'll reach it surprisingly on-schedule, as long as you simply continue.

Next, stop believing you can't learn something! Knowing it'll be harder for you just means you'll have to take extra care. Learning a physical skill isn't impossible for you, and stop feeling like it is just because you couldn't possibly jump right into doing it for 40 hours a week, or pick up someone's shift. Learning a skill literally isn't like that. Lasting gains happen with a ramp, not a cliffside.

If you want to learn to build a certain kind of house, find a volunteer program! Go out in your community and ask, "hey, who is building earthbag houses?" "Who is building strawbale houses?" "Who is building cob houses?" There'll definitely be someone! You don't have to give up on carpentry, either. You might even realize a love of math again while you're building a house, or planting a garden. And, it's also okay to go learn things without knowing anything about the process beforehand. It's okay to start learning things when you have no experience.

I'm starting to lose my focus, so I'll wrap things up here. Give them a little thought, okay? I love you, I'm proud of you, we'll get to our goals together.

Yours,

Future

#letter #journal #future msg

[thewanderingtrumpeteer]

s2g every time I try and make a point to my boss/boss's boss it ends up being more trouble than it's worth bc they are somehow hell bent on misunderstanding me.

#we've gotten meta this time too bc my point was that I'll push myself to work extra hours to avoid having to explain myself to them #they were like okay let's go over your Timecards for the last two months and see how many extra hours you've put in bc you're burnt out #and I'm like what no that's not what I said at all #what I said was that I'll often sit at my desk until 7/8pm (1-2hrs past my contractual 8) finishing some dumb work #Bc it's either go home at a reasonable time or finish this stupid task and not risk being woefully misunderstood when I try to explain #why it didn't get done #there were weeks when I did not leave the office before sunset #I am still not over my boss threatening to throw me off my project for being behind on work when I had been out sick two days the prior week #that was the point that I decided I'd rather suffer overworking than whatever the consequences of not getting shit done we're #and they're out here preaching 'take time off when you need it' or 'communicate when you're overloaded' #and I'm just like dude I get yelled at and misunderstood every time I try and communicate those things #the only positive thing is that I don't have to sing and dance for my time off #it does just get approved and I don't really have to justify it #I've learned that the less I say about why I'm missing something or not coming in the better #ugh #I'm so fucking annoyed today #lilli liveblogs her sad existence

[whattheflyingfudge]

So, this idea was originally thought up by @astraldemise and what I've done is expand it into an entire game plot. One that can be critiqued harshly by the Tumblr-going audience. Also thanks to @wiz-witch to listening to me ramble over the course of 4 hours and hammering out details with me.

So, going off from the post, you are not in a great place. You're a 20-something loving in a terrible apartment covered in garbage. Life's a mess, you can barely summon the will to do anything and you're just shuffling through life. Though as you're taking out the trash one day, a rare feat unto itself, you come across 3 Pokémon, seen below.

Over time, you begin befriending one of them. It's the most effort you've put into anything in a while. And over time, the Pokémon comes to trust you, aside from Trubbish, who is naturally friendly and only wants a friend. With a Pokemon by your side, you decide to go out, get some fresh air, and go to your first gym. You'll encounter some birds and such on the way there, you know, standard game stuff, until you arrive at the first gym, which is a fighting gym.

Now, something I haven't pointed out yet is that you can't run, not yet at least. Your walk speed isn't agonizing but your avatar just don't feel the need to. The gym is, well, an actual gym, with weights and punching bags and the leader is a ripped dude bro with a Machop as his partner Pokémon. But when you beat him, he encourages you to stay, he'll even help you. So you work out a bit with your Pokémon, and then you can run, and as you leave, you hear the words "Come back any time. Door's always open".

Yeah. You can challenge the gyms again. And they grow with you. And more importantly, you now have a friend.

Another important thing is that, you don't get XP from rematches, but you do get conversations with the leaders.

Nothing too heavy just, nice conversations like one would have with a friend.

The fighting gym leader is supportive, positive, has a Machop that eventually evolves into a Machoke, which you can trade once you get your friendship high enough. You learn he had self-confidence issues as a kid but he gradually got over them by working out and meeting people at the gym.

Though there is one thing every Pokémon game has, and this one is no different, an evil team. Team Disillusion is their name, and they're basically a cult, preaching a utopia where you never have to face your problems. You can actually talk to one of their members, who's handing out flyers in your home town. They offer you the chance to join up but that immediately results in a game over. They use primarily Psychic, Ghost and Fairy Pokémon.

After you beat the 1st gym, you have two gyms you can go to next. Either a poison gym set up in a dump, of a steel gym set up in a scrap yard.

Something the hub city set-up allows for is a bit of non-linear encounters.

Both are as down in the dumps as you are (heh), and are generally not enjoying what they do for a living, but it pays the bills, almost. They had dreams and kinda just fell ass backwards into their gym leader positions. The Poison guy has a Koffing as a partner and the Steel leader has a Ferroseed partner. After you beat them, they do lighten up a little, and offer you some solid life advice: Do what you love, but know you won't get to it immediately.

They actually have some of the best convos if you go back for a rematch. The Poison and Steel leaders are a mess. The Poison type leader is self destructive and miserable, actively working a harmful job and trying to act like he's alright. As you go to them for rematches, he reveals that he's started going to therapy. He might give up the position soon to someone who actually wants it. The steel leader is also miserable, nut is at least not trying to destroy themselves. He was a former theatre kid, but he never made it. Now he works here. You suggest that there's a community theatre in your town that has a few parts that need filling.

After you get your third gym badge, you return to your home town, which is a subterranean living space that only ever got half completed, only to be knocked out by a gas that's getting pumped in through the ventilation system.

Yes, this is Team Disillusion's doing. And as you look around, the town looks nicer. Downright livable even. But, you know better. This isn't real. The place is dark and dingy (but you're trying to fix that (with side quests)). So when you make to the central venting systems and find the grunts and the leader, you fight your way through them and remove the chemical tank from the central air system. When people snap out of it, they realize what had happened and are actually mad at you for turning off the fantasy. They were having a good time and then you ruined it. Though your neighbor (who's been a minor character (and whom you can select their gender too)), tells them to essentially fuck off, that you just saved them from whatever Team Disillusion was up to.

The 4th gym is also scripted. Because, after the Disillusion Mist incident, you haven't been able to sleep, and so you wander down a street you haven't been yet, and come across a 24 hour psychic gym set up like a large coffee house. A bit extra, but it's fine.

You enter, do the obligatory puzzles where you complete rorschach tests made by spilt coffee, and make it to the leader, who is a jittery woman in a stained labcoat with a Musharna as a partner. After defeating her, she agrees to help you with your sleep problems because her Pokémon literally eats bad dreams. She also apologizes profusely because she heard about what had happened at your home town and feels responsible. She invented the gas for the team under false pretenses, thinking it was going to be used more like an anti-depressant. Now she feels responsible and paranoid because she's afraid that the team is going to kill her to keep her from going to the media.

The Psychic Leader, as stated before, is a jittery, paranoid mess for a variety of reasons. Her ties to Disillusion, her guilt over making the mist, not only is she afraid of the evil team, but she's also afraid of getting Mccarthy'd due to her ties. Slowly, you convince her that she can relax, that no one is coming for her and that you will protect her if they do. If you ask her about what made her quit Team Disillusion, she'll have a panic attack and hide under a table. This one is also Wiz-Witch's favorite.

After that, you go back to choose your own gym leader again. You get three choices this time.

On one hand, you have an older woman running a haunted house that offers fun spooks and Pokemon battles. She's married to the fairy gym leader, who you'll meet later. Even has a kid with him. He's presently a cutie in a Bannett onesie. Her ace is a Chandelure, but her partner is a Phantump.

The Ghost leader is a goth older woman with a child, meaning she'll get the most fanart of all the characters. She's generally aloof and kind of offputting, and your conversations with her are usually focused on the shennanigans of her Phantump. See, you learn, after your last convo with her, that she had a miscarriage during her first attempt trying to have a kid. Phantumps are said to be possessed by dead kids, so when one approached her, she never let go. Also, that Phantump isn't on her team. You can actually choose to help her through her grief and she'll trade you her Phantump as thanks. If you ask her about her association with Team Disillusion, she goes deathly quiet and tells you to drop it. She was a part of it some years ago before her husband pulled her out of that funk.

On another hand, you can go to a local gaming store where you play little mini games as the gym puzzles. The leader is an shy girl with a Raichu as a partner/support animal.

The electric leader is shy and reserved, using video games to connect with people over a common interest because they can't really socialize properly. The player and them slowly grow closer while playing mini games. Ahe says that it doesn't matter if you win or lose, it matters that you have fun.

And on a third hand someone graciously offered, there's a community garden you can go to, where the leader is a cute farm girl with a Tropius as a partner. She's folksy and down to Earth and all about distracting herself from her own issues by helping others.

The grass leader is, basically a Stardew Valley NPC. Folksy, cute, always willing to help, even if she doesn't understand what she's doing and always putting others first, a bit too eager to though. The convos you can have with her usually involve the two of you fixing up the Community garden a bit, but over time, you help her learn that it's okay to be selfish every once in a while.

But after you get your 7th gym badge, Disillusion is back on their bullshit.

They're spreading the mist around the region with a variety of flying Pokémon migration patterns and some help from a few specific fairy Pokémon. Suddenly, everyone is where they want to be, and nothing is getting done.

The fairy leader approaches you and hands you a gas mask. He knows you were the one who helped your hometown stop the gas before, and something tells him that they're gonna need all the help they can get..

Thankfully, the other leaders you befriended/courted (yes that is an option for every gym leader all in one save file. Yes they are all of age) come along to help you out.

You find the team all in this abandoned research center, standing around and guarding whatever's inside. The leaders each take on about 4 or 5 members until it's just you, going through a gauntlet in a dilapidated corporate building. Because that's what this is. It's an old game company that went out of business a few years ago. You saw some of their work in the electric gym. Team Illusion was the company name.

After making it to the deepest parts of the building, you find the leader, pleading at an egg to wake up and sobbing uncontrollably. The man you were sent to kick the ass of, is a pathetic, sobbing mess. He suddenly notices you and tries to compose himself, rationalizing that the egg will awaken once it sees a large display of willpower, and he's got all the will in the world and nothing left to lose.

You beat them, naturally, and they spill their guts. They were a game company that tried to go too big, extended too far. And they lost everything because of it. With their staff gone, they began recruiting hopeful souls to their side. Team Disillusion, a name that isn't as clever as it thinks. They wanted to awaken Jirachi, the wish Pokémon so that everyone could get the life they wanted. There would be no pain and no suffering. And this is where your character speaks, with a voice and everything, as if addressing you directly.

You tell the evil team leader that life is about hardship, that we work to get what we want, and if we fail, we pick ourselves up again. Life is about never giving up on your dreams, but there is no easy way to get to them.

Of course the region is safe, but you're not done. There is still one gym left to take on.

The last gym is effectively a massive, well maintained LARP area. People dressed as knights and wizards, one of the knights hits on you regardless of gender ans pronouns, but then, you make it to the final challenge. The Fairy King, and his Partner, a Togetic.

Let me make it clear. The last time you saw this man, he was in a pink hoodie and jeans. Now he's decked out in an elaborate costume that really makes him look the part, complete with cumbersome, slightly goofy wings.

Once you defeat him, he kneels to you, as do his other knights and hands you the last badge. You are ready for the elite 4.

The Fairy King is a massive dork in an endearing way. He entirely gets into character and plays his role well. Whenever you decide to challenge him again, you get to go on a "quest" with him, usually something mundane like going to the store of catching a Pokemon for his little boy's birthday with him. The final conversation is where you ask him why did he stand against Team Disillusion? They seem like his kind of people, and he breaks character for the first time since you met him. He explains that fantasy is nice, but living in it all the time and ignoring all the ugly truths of the world is no way to live. Reality is where everyone lives, and while it sucks sometimes, we can always make it better.

From there, you make your way to the mountains, trekking upwards until you make it league. You never thought you'd make it this far, but you have. Your mind is racing, your body trembling with anticipation. You enter the league and begin blowing through their challenges. Each member has 6 Pokémon and a well balanced team. And the champion waiting for you at the end of it all, is a familiar face.

In most Pokemon games, you meet the champion early on and work with them to defeat the big bads in some way. But there was no help from the champion this time. What gives? Well, your neighbor beat you there. They've been there for a few days now, and you're their first challenger. Your neighbor has been around since the beginning of the game (you can romance them too btw), and they said she's always wanted to go on a Pokémon journey as well. They get a Pokémon and complete the gym challenge a little faster than you, what with that whole evil team nonsense. They're sweet and friendly and want to learn more about Pokémon. In another life, they'd have made a fine professor.

Their team is well balance, but their partner is one of the two Pokemon you didn't choose. The battle is long and intense, but with one final attack, you win. You are the champion now. You've reached the top of the mountain both metaphorically and literally.

Though just because you're at the top doesn't mean you're done. You've got challenging rematches against your friends, you can attempt to woo the gym leaders, clean your dingy apatment, and there is still that legendary Pokémon in the old Team Illusion building.

If I were to try and make this game, I'd set up a Patreon to find the people working on it, because I can spin a yarn but can't code to save my life. Once it came out though, all proceeds would go towards a mental health charity.

My goal is not to become famous or rich if this game ever came to fruition. I just want to make a Pokémon game for all the disillusioned kids and adults to enjoy, and maybe help someone along the way.

#pokemon #pokémon #Pokémon Depression and Anxiety #mental health #mental health support #choose your gender #choose your pronouns #trubbish #glameow #alolan rattata

[serpentandthreads]

Another chapter of adhd thoughts for y'all. This is something that's been on my mind for a few days now, and I decided that I wanted to talk about it a little on here. A few days ago I had a conversation with a few people and one of those people, to say the least, had no idea what he was talking about. He was incredibly defensive about the topic; refusing to listen to those of us who were trying to explain how what he was saying was inaccurate at best and insulting to some at worst. I won't get deep into what happened because that's not the point of this point.

The point of this post is me saying that, in context of magic/spirituality/religion, you are going to get things wrong sometimes and that's okay. How you react to being informed that you got something historically/culturally/religiously/magically wrong is what matters.

Coming from a person with adhd + the adhd rejection sensitivity (am actively recovering, though it's been a difficult journey), it's a hard truth to accept sometimes. I'm not going to sit here and preach this without acknowledging that I myself have gotten things wrong before and defended myself into a hole too deep. Like any other person, I've been wrong before and since those times I've put effort into learning about the things I was wrong about.

I feel like these days, with how the internet gives us access to endless resources to learn from (both good resources and bad resources), there is a sort of (un)spoken expectation for everybody to know everything. It's true that people should be doing their own research and seeking resources to help them with that research. However, we also can't expect people to know everything.

Having a default expectation for everybody in this community to know everything can become toxic really quick. We see it all the time with people dogpiling on beginners who are just trying to figure things out. The whole condescending "oh, well you're a beginner so you shouldn't be looking into this yet" type thing. I have to say, I've grown to really fucking hate this type of attitude. I myself had this attitude once when I was surrounded by others who had a similar opinion on things, and since separating from them I've realized how absolutely ridiculous it is. There is a difference between explaining why something can be problematic or dangerous and brushing people off by telling them that they're not "advanced" enough to be researching these things.

As a community, we all need to accept that these things shouldn't be a matter of "well, you've only been dabbling with magic for this long so you shouldn't even consider looking into this yet" but rather "okay, if you're interested in this I suggest reading abc and watch this video from xyz before getting started". All of our paths are different and those of us who have been practitioners for a longer period of time shouldn't be dictating in what order people research and practice things. We all start in different places and we further grow in different directions.

As individuals, however, we all need to accept that we will get things wrong sometimes. We will make mistakes and that is okay, as long as you seek to understand what was wrong and do better.

If you are told that something you said was misinformation or insulting to a group of people, don't jump to defend what you said. Take a step back and ask for clarification, educational sources or to be directed to somebody from that group of people to learn more from them. If your first reaction is to defend the misinformation or insulting statement, you're already going in the wrong direction.

#witchcraft #witchblr #witch community

[enamouredfae]

♡ Pick a Card ♡

What you need to know in order to be ready for the love you so longingly seek!

This reading is looking at anything you might need to heal or grow into in order to enter future relationships as your higher self. I am not looking at your future, but simply trying to guide you towards your highest good in the field of love. Many of us have internalized certain perceptions of love that we must unlearn, or have lived through difficult moments which have closed us off or made experiencing love more difficult. If you are in a toxic relationship/situation, please do not take any messages that might seem to tell you to stay in it. With this reading, I will hopefully open you up to some introspection and hopefully growth. You may very well be attracted to multiple piles and that is ok! Read all that attract you and take what resonates. Each pile has three pieces of advice, so mixing and matching is invited!

This reading is for entertainment purposes only.

This is a timeless reading for the collective, therefore it is likely that some messages will not resonate with you. Please only take the messages that do! The messages that do not, are meant for somebody else. Remember that the future is never set in stone and that you possess free will! Love you! ♡

Pile 1

Charm: Knot

1. Yang

Yang tells me that you need to learn to become more proactive in love. You cannot wait around. You must act! You need to manifest your desires into the material world by doing. It's perfectly fine to do the first move, no matter what society deems "acceptable", it is even invited with this card.

23. Peace

Radical acceptance is necessary for inner peace and in this case for a higher love. You must first love yourself fully, light and shadow self, before loving someone else in the way that you both deserve! And you deserve radical acceptance, we are all flawed and intricate people! As long as we are willing to change and grow and put in the work, past mistakes can be atoned for.

38. To be fair

This card tells me that you need to learn to be more balanced in relationships. Are you giving more than the other parties? Are you giving less? We must be fair to both others and ourselves. When someone in the relationship gives more, they may feel underappreciated which can become unmotivating, but they can also overwhelm the other person. You must learn balance.

Pile 2

Charm: Cactus

7. To the sea (reversed)

"When fishermen cannot go to sea, they stay at home and repair their nets." This is a quote from the guidebook that I had to rewrite here because it encapsulates the advice perfectly. You probably long for love like fishermen long for the sea. This card is telling me that the problem isn't coming from you, but the external world. An idea that just popped up in my head is a queer teen living in a homophobic area or with homophobic parents, so it is likely that this could be your situation. If it is, I love you, please take care of yourself, love and better days will come, don't worry! But you must wait a while longer until the external world matches your vibration, perhaps you'll have to move, wait until you're safe to go out to the sea. Until then, go with the flow.

50. No place like home (reversed)

This card seems to work perfectly with the previous one, it reminds us that what is familiar isn't always the best, because it keeps us from growing. If you want change, you can't keep going to the same things/people that haven't worked before, it's counterintuitive. It is natural to go back to what's familiar, but try something new. Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. Choose unfamiliar.

34. A leg up (reversed)

You are carrying the burden of your world all alone. You probably don't feel safe sharing what you feel, or are very uncomfortable with vulnerability. To be honest with you, right before writing this part of the reading, I started tearing up, you are holding in so much hurt... You need to voice your struggles, being vulnerable is proof of immense strength, believe me! I know it's hard! Start little by little with someone you really trust!

Pile 3

Charm: Star

35. Loyal Heart

Ok if one pile is ready for the beginning of a relationship it's this one. It is the perfect time for you to create loyal commitments. It is possible that you are already in a committed relationship, but at the very least you are surrounded by loyal, devoted people. Don't forget to be devoted and loyal in return!

4. Higher Power (reversed)

This card is inviting you to trust in whatever divine power you believe in, trust that the universe is divinely guiding you and protecting you. I feel like if a certain religion or spiritual path attracts or fascinates you, you should start looking into it, careful with being disrespectful or appropriating it, especially with closed practices, please do your research! But connecting to Source would be beneficial to you in the long run!

25. Round and Round

You are stuck in a cycle that you must break. Do not worry, you shouldn't feel bad, it's all part of the learning process. Remember: you've been through this before, think back on how that made you feel the previous times, are you sure you want to go through that again? Breaking this cycle is a form of self-care, and you need to care for yourself! You are subconsciously punishing yourself by staying in this cycle, try thinking about the root of why you're doing so! It could help you in breaking it!

Pile 4

Charm: "Love"

8. The tribe

You may want to find your tribe, or you have recently found it. You might feel like you finally belong, or are longing for that feeling. Whenever I get this card, I think of the astrology/witchcraft/tarot community here! It may be the same for you! You are welcome here, and hopefully, you feel like you belong! Contributing to any community that you are passionate about, whether online or in real life, will bring you great joy and satisfaction. Your tribe awaits and needs you! It's possible that that's where you'll find love as well!

6. Not for you (reversed)

Let them go. Whoever you first thought of, it's time to stop obsessing over them. "Don't chase after what flees you." I'm sure you realize this is not serving you, but how do you stop? This card is suggesting radical acceptance and surrender, that this is a sign that someone or something much better is waiting for you. I suggest reminding yourself that they aren't perfect and that you have just come to idealize them.

52. Mending (reversed)

You are very likely going through a grieving period right now. There is so much hurt and disappointment. "Heartbreak is a strange healer of souls." It may feel awful now, but trust that when you look back one day, you will see that the hurt you're feeling now, transformed you in a powerful way. This card is inviting you to accept the heartbreak and push through it, situations like this open us up to seeing the world in a new way, to growing. Better days are coming!

Pile 5

Charm: Angel

28. Building blocks (reversed)

Are you acting according to your belief system? Are you following the advice you give others? You must look carefully at your core foundation. It seems to me that you have done a lot of inner growth, but are still stuck in your old ways. Your outer self isn't matching your inner self. Start doing what you preach!

47. Go the distance

I feel like you're someone that wants love right now! For it to come fast and smoothly, like a sprint. You must learn to see love more realistically, as a long-distance race of endurance. You may be the type to immediately run at the sight of a problem. You must learn to be dedicated and work in love, it won't always be the idealized version you keep reading about or watching. Love demands work!

32. Here and Now (reversed)

You live in the past, don't you? So much regret and nostalgia... Or perhaps you live in the future? Daydreams and ambition. There is a need to learn to live in the here and now, you cannot change the past, and the future is infinite. They're both elusive, and unreliable; now is tangible, real, and full of immediate possibilities.

Pile 6

Charm: Mars Symbol

22. Blessed

This beautiful card talks about an unexpected and "unearned" wonderful event, that seems like divine intervention, a gift from the universe. The advice I take from this card is to practice gratitude because you seem to be blessed in the love department. Perhaps you already know who "the one" is for you. If you don't, trust that the universe has someone wonderful for you!

31. Why?

Ask yourself why you feel as you do about/in love? It is time for some introspection. You need to think and identify unhealthy patterns in your love life. Why do you act as you do in a relationship? Identify what in your past has caused this behavior. It won't solve the problem right away, but it's a good first step. Understanding the problem will be validating.

27. Exchanging gifts (reversed)

"Be careful what you pray for because you might just get it." You need to be ready for the energy exchange that will happen if this happens. This card talks about an imbalance between giving and receiving. You must learn that if you receive a lot, you must return a lot, love needs to be balanced. If you give more, you aren't actually in control, the other party could be consciously or unconsciously taking advantage of your generosity!

Pile 7

Charm: Eternally Open Heart Locket

17. The Fates

You must learn to accept that there are things and people you simply cannot control and change. You cannot blame yourself for things beyond your control, nor can you blame others for things they cannot control. Just be wise enough to tell the difference between things one can control and things one cannot!! If you have a tendency to mold people into your ideal, making them lose their essence, you must learn to accept people for who they are. It is not your job to change them: the desire to change must come from them, for them.

15. Message in a bottle

Try asking for specific signs from the universe, or start becoming more aware of them. Synchronicities are all around you, they're the way that the universe confirms that you're on the right path! Listen carefully to those you communicate with, they could be delivering a cledon to you. This card itself is a good sign, a favorable answer to the question occupying your mind.

9. Treasure Island

You might've already, but if you haven't, MANIFEST YOUR LOVE!! You will be greatly rewarded when you embrace the law of attraction and your intuition. Depending on your belief in how manifestation works, try being mindful of free will! If you believe that love spells on specific people are influencing their free will, then it is immoral to manifest a specific person. If you don't believe that that is how manifestation works, do as you will, just be in line with your beliefs! This card is also a great sign, you're on the right path, and have good fortune on your side. Very lucky pile!!

Pile 8

Charm: Boot

2. Yin (reversed)

You must learn to receive, only being the giver isn't good for you. You deserve to receive! Be open to embodying yin and yang equally. "You stop the flow of abundance when you constantly insist upon being the giver." Be the listener, the one that learns, the one that is being led.

33. Chaos and Conflict

You may be afraid of chaos and conflict, but you must remember that they can rid you of what's no longer serving you. Conflict also implies two sides, remember that yours isn't the only one, and conflict can lead to mutual understanding. Learn to put up boundaries, but also to respect those of others. When you finally see the potential of healing that conflict can cause, you'll be ready for mature communication in relationships.

20. Imagine

Remember that you can create what you imagine! Your imagination is powerful in manifesting your desires, but it can't do everything for you! Manifestation is work, when an opportunity arises, act! This card can also be a sign that the person you're manifesting will be entering your life soon. When they appear, don't just wait, and daydream! The imagination part of manifesting is done, now it's time to act.

Pile 9

Charm: Knife

21. Clean it up

It's time to let go and declutter your mind. Think about what is no longer serving you, about the things that only overwhelm you, and make you overthink, they aren't good for you. It might also help you to declutter in general, your house, your closet, your phone, your feed, etc. Make room for the new and the better.

48. Poised (reversed)

Think carefully, are you really ready for love right now? Because this card is telling me that you aren't. It's ok to be a "late bloomer", and it's important to be ready for love, as to not hurt the one you love, and yourself. Being single isn't a sign of "failure", it gives you the time and space to focus on yourself, on your growth, on your healing, on exploring and understanding yourself. Being single can seem like a curse, but it's a blessing, it's what you need right now.

16. All that glitters

Are you being yourself in love? Are they? Don't succumb to the power of superficiality. Either let go of the mask or look beyond theirs! "Imagine that all the glitter is gone. Would you still desire the object or person?" If one falls for the glitter, what will happen on the day they forgets to glue it on?

Thank you for reading! Love you all.♡

You can buy me a coffee if you feel called to do so! This is never necessary, but always appreciated! ♡

#3:33 #take what resonates #pick a card #pick a pile #fortune telling #divination #cartomancy #tarot cards #collective reading #collective tarot reading #collective oracle reading #free tarot reading #free oracle reading #tarot #tarotreading #oracle #oracle cards #love reading #oracles #witchcraft #enamouredfaepickacard #enamouredfae

[420pogpills]

Sorry mini rant upcoming.

So sleepytwt has been imploding and some people are actively trying to remove techno from his own friend group by creating 'coraltwt' (for Tommy, Wilbur and Phil) and trending his real name. All because he was briefly in a voice call on stream yesterday. Fans should not be dictating friend groups, end of. It's none of your business who hangs out with who and whether they're bothered by techno's past tweets or not.

And it's ridiculous that people are trying to get him to apologize for gross things he said on the internet years ago by saying gross things to him on the internet. Like these fans better not ever get any sort of internet popularity because in 5 years they'll be apologising to their own audience when tweets of them telling people to go kill themselves are dug up.

this is gonna be very neg. so putting it under here:

i actually went on twitter briefly last night and searched up ‘technoblade’ just to see what people are tweeting about him. and i was beyond disgusted. the behaviour on that fucking platform is so gross and toxic, i don’t have the words. 

the fact that these people have the auDACITY, that they think they are so entitled to some apology, sending him nothing but pure hatred, than they can d*** him, spread his name around - things that are completely against his boundaries - purely because of some nasty shit he said years ago? this is the problem with this ‘i just want to educate’ generation. they don’t know educating if it hit them in the face. all they know is how to press somebody into a corner and bully them into saying whatever they want to fucking hear. that's not the point.

i am raging, i am so sad for techno, and i am so angry at how unfortunately stupid such a large part of this fandom is. i am not trying to generalise, but the things i’m seeing when i search his name are actually so much more negative than they are positive. 

people need to get off of their fucking high horses, and stop acting like the world revolves around them. i understand you don’t want to support people you find problematic. okay you don’t have to, nothing is forcing you to. but you have no right to demand anything from those people either. just because he hasn’t acknowledged it yET, it doesn’t mean he never will. and maybe he never will, that’s his choice. and it’s also your choice whether you continue to support him. you do not need to fucking bully him for it. it’s so immature, it’s so damaging, and it’s the opposite of what they try to preach. and most of the people doing it are people who aren't even affected, they're just being performative. how about checking in on your friends instead, supporting the community? just ignore techno, ignore his content, stop supporting him if you think he's that bad. you don't need to bully him and threaten him and try to tell his friends that they shouldn't be friends. like what the hell? that's not how you become an ally and that is NOT how you educate.

and honestly it’s starting to look like there’s just no point in people addressing anything anymore. because it’s never going to be enough for these people. they’d rather sit there and dig through years old content to try and find something to pin on them and race each other to see who can destroy their mental health the fastest. i just hope they’re careful with carrying that attitude with them into the adult world, because if they think that people are going to care about their feelings that much when they get older, it’s gonna be a tough pill to swallow when it’s time.

sorry to be so neg. but yeah since you brought it up, i thought i’d take the opportunity to rant as well. :’)

#ask #anon #cw negative #technoblade

[punkscowardschampions]

Ava & Grace

Ava: Hey Grace: 👋 Ava: How'd it go with gym boy? Grace: 🤞 he's got the hint 👻 Ava: That good, huh Ava: how about the rest, you know, not boys? Grace: we so aren't here to talk about me Ava: Come on Ava: Give me some normal conversation right now Grace: !!!!!!!!! Grace: 100% not gonna be that bitch, talk to ME about what's going on in your oh so dramatic life! Grace: are you okay? Ava: Okay, okay Ava: I'll just come out with it Ava: no sugarcoating Grace: Duh 🚫🍫🍬🍭 Grace: it's not a cheat day Ava: 🤫🤫🤫 Ava: You wanna hear this hot, hot tea or nah Grace: obvs Ava: You'll be the least surprised so there's that Grace: 🚫😱😱😱 Ava: You know when you came here and then married guy couldn't come and then everything fizzled out? Ava: well, it actually did, for nearly a month Ava: but then he came back Grace: OMG Grace: it's literally the MOST 💖📽🎞 like FORGET before Ava: It really was Ava: remember when I got hit by that cyclist? Grace: that was so wild! OH was he the 🚴??? Ava: 😂 Ava: Imagine Grace: your otp Ava: But no, my parents were out of town Ava: and he came to the hospital, to make sure I was okay Ava: and he took me home and looked after me Grace: I'm like about to cry???!!! that's so Grace: 😍😍 Ava: Me too Ava: and of course, I had to go on Holiday like immediately after so that was shit but since then we've been talking and Ava: he's divorcing his wife Grace: I TOLD YOU HE WAS PURE Ava: I know Ava: and I'm sorry I had to kinda lie to you Ava: but I accidentally let slip I had talked to you and he freaked and that's why he first left so Grace: Oh please, if I filmed a storytime about this ALL the comments would be calling me out as #fake Grace: I get it Ava: It does sound pretty unbelievable Ava: even more so if I actually tell you who he is Grace: are you GOING TO???!! 😱😱😱 Ava: May as well, I've had to tell Nancy Ava: Parents and Buster to go Grace: Ugh! so sorry babes Ava: I couldn't tell you before 'cos they kinda know him Ava: knew him Ava: he was one of Buster's friends from School Ava: and his crazy wife is the main girl who bullied Nancy so Ava: that was fun Grace: Really?! wtf Grace: Chelsea is like Grace: so weirdly small Ava: That's why we call 'em villages, even though you're in a big city, the actual communities are ridiculously close-knit, for better and worse Ava: oh and Ava: make it weirder still Ava: you remember that boy from my party, Teddy? Grace: UM obvs I never forget a 💋 Ava: Well, that's his brother Grace: !!!!!!!!!!!!! Grace: do they look alike cos 🧸 is 😍😍 like 🙏🙏 Ava: Kinda Ava: [sends a cute photo he would've been able to send to the fake profile] Grace: oh Grace: my Grace: god Ava: I know Ava: 😩😍 Grace: did he edit his 👀??! I'm so shook 💙 Ava: No, I've seen them up close Ava: they're actually that unreal Grace: I can't even Ava: Guess what Grace: ?? Ava: He said he loves me Grace: NO WAY Grace: 😭😭😭😭 Ava: I know, I know Ava: I can't even Grace: so are you like a thing™ now? Ava: Yeah Ava: that's why I'm telling everyone Grace: Your parents are gonna be so Ava: Ugh Ava: it's going to be a whole thing Ava: with all of them Grace: mhhmmm Grace: like I feel like I know the answer but how did Nancy take it?? Ava: She just Ava: does my head in at the best of times and this was no exception, sadly Grace: at least Buster can't be telling ANYONE how to live their lives Grace: especially 😍💖 Ava: Watch him try though Ava: I'm expecting it though, they'll have to get over it on their own time Grace: 🙄 Grace: I feel that, Ri always thinks she can tell me something Ava: It's so Grace: IKR Grace: full offense babes I'm gonna listen to Janis before you & like no Ava: It's gonna be hellish but they can't do anything about it Grace: 🙏💜🤞 Ava: unless they do in which case bye and feel free to go through my wardrobe 🤷 Grace: duh Grace: but watch me also take your man Ava: 😏 cheek Grace: my crazy would look 😇 next to his ex's Grace: love that for me Ava: 'Til I haunt you crazier Grace: so scared obvs Ava: 😒 Ava: I only just got him, you can't be stealing him Grace: so sorry but like gotta get the full set on that fam now Ava: You better 🙏 my parents take it that personal Grace: 😇🙏💜 Grace: Jesus is totally my bae so Ava: and God's favourite son Ava: leave mine alone 😉 Grace: 😂😂 Ava: So you're not mad at me now, yeah? Grace: lowkey 💔 but not mad Ava: awh please Grace: ILY bitch you know it Ava: ily too 💙 Grace: & now I don't have to 👻💔 his brother so Grace: no way he'll be hitting me up after this Ava: Oh yeah, you're welcome for doing your dirtywork Grace: 💜😂💜 Ava: Has he hit you up then? 👀 Grace: 🤐🤐🤐 Ava: After I just poured my heart out? Ava: Rudeness Grace: you're in a 📽🎞💖 I'm in a 📽🎞😱 starring my crazy Ava: Girl, please Grace: I'm so serious Grace: & so over it Ava: You're not crazy Grace: I'm not not Grace: ask gym boy, but like don't Ava: I'm not gonna sleuth on you, don't worry Grace: if you had you'd see 🧸 on my pics hitting the 💜 Ava: Cute Ava: he must like you or he'd air you Ava: it's not unheard of Grace: like I said, thanks for putting that work in for me babes Ava: 😒 why not talk to him Ava: you don't have to see him 24/7 Grace: well duh I'm not about to move in with you Grace: but that's not why I can't Ava: ? Grace: he's like Grace: & I'm like Grace: It's not gonna be a thing Ava: You can't be friends? Grace: 😂😂 no Grace: that's as terrifying OMG Ava: 🙄 he is NOT scary Ava: though he is gonna hate me now probably so loyalties Grace: UM yeah he is Grace: he's nice & so I'm scared of him Grace: @ gym boy too Ava: 🤔 Grace: ugh whatever Ava: You're a nice person, you should hang with other nice people Grace: 🙄🙄 Grace: I've got friends he doesn't need to be one Ava: Okay Ava: not my otp, not gonna push that hard Grace: or ours its fine Grace: he won't be 😭😭😭 Ava: 'Course Ava: gonna have bigger problems to deal with, lbr Ava: 😬 Grace: yeah exactly Grace: maybe we can bond when the wife murders you but like Grace: black isn't my fave tbh can't 🤞 I'll serve my best look Ava: Funny 😏 Ava: she's actually 'out of the country' rn so you should probably watch your back 🔪🔪 Grace: you're so not gonna come visit me now you're 😍😍😍 are you? Grace: are you even doing holiday 2? Ava: time is getting away from us Ava: summer holiday standard Ava: it lowkey has not been organized so god knows now, I wouldn't be mad if it didn't but I wouldn't not go, I guess Grace: depends how they take your homewrecker status Ava: Yep, cheers 👍 Grace: people are shady Ava: Sure Ava: but my actual friend friends will know what's up Ava: everyone else chats about us anyway Grace: true Grace: shoutout to the fam for that one Ava: at least this one is something I actually did so Ava: oh well Grace: anyone who has a clue about his ex will know it's not even you Grace: like sorry hun you killed that 💍 yourself Ava: I'm not too fussed, it's my last year 💁 Grace: #priorities Ava: Exactly Grace: still so triggered by the idea of going back though thanks Grace: school is the WORST Ava: tell me about it Ava: won't miss that place Ava: Chelsea in general moreso but it isn't like I'll be a million miles away Grace: unlike me always a ✈ away Ava: Do you reckon you'll stay in Dublin? Grace: I guess Grace: where else would I go? Ava: You aren't going to make like Billie and Nancy and bounce then? Grace: being a or sleeping with models isn't very likely for me, babes Ava: Models are usually weird looking anyways Ava: oops accidental shade at your sister 🙊 Ava: don't tell Grace: thanks? I think Grace: shade her all you want, I'm about it Ava: How many times have you seen her kid? Grace: Like none Grace: we might get christmas but Ava: this family is messy Ava: watch me get lectured like it ain't Grace: preach Grace: maybe I shouldn't stay here Ava: you could stay or go wherever Ava: everywhere needs beauticians Grace: not Chelsea though, I'd run into your boyfriend's wife Grace: obvs can't escape anyone there Ava: 😂 truly Ava: I don't wanna be far away from the fam Ava: cracked as they are Ava: but that's just me Ava: I guess it isn't automatically selfish to move yourself halfway 'cross the globe hmm Grace: same though, I even miss Junie & like ?? why Grace: never saw him when we lived in the same house Ava: yeah Ava: that whole situation still fucks me off I Ava: idk Ava: I know it's not the kid's fault but I can barely even look at pictures of her Grace: Ri never should've done it Grace: like he didn't need a kid that bad Grace: obvs he didn't actually need one at all but nobody NEEDS one Ava: If they'd been together any amount of time Ava: Junior wasn't 20 fucking years old Ava: it was really stupid Ava: Buster said but oh well Grace: Demi is so Grace: I can't Ava: This family can't seem to help but add more fucked up people into its sphere Ava: like Ro hadn't just brought Drew back, AGAIN Grace: Getting pregnant by accident is one thing, like it's stupid but okay Grace: they planned that Ava: This family has way too many baby hangups dating back to nan Ava: can't blame her for all of this but break the cycle, someone, damn Grace: literally had my contraception on 🔒 since I was 13 thank you Ava: 'Accident' is some bullshit 9/10 times tbh Ava: you knew it was a matter of time, even if you don't know you knew it Grace: @ my mum & dad so hard Ava: and mine, they say the twins were an accident but they probably would've broke up if they hadn't have had them at that time so Grace: mhmmm Ava: ugh Ava: I'm just heated knowing how hard I'm gonna have to defend this Ava: like I've got myself pregnant Grace: don't even joke, she trapped that poor boy so hard like Ava: seriously, he probably never wants kids again Ava: not that I've asked because it's been like a month or so and I'm not psychotic, thanks Grace: do you? not now obvs Ava: I don't know Ava: like, don't tell my mother but I don't actually meticulously plan every aspect of my life Ava: if I ended up at a place and time in my life where it felt right, I could see it Ava: but if I ended up living a different life where they wouldn't fit, I wouldn't and I wouldn't be 💔 about that Grace: 😂🤐 Ava: Do you? Grace: girl, I'm too freaked out to let a boy date me, I don't think it's gonna happen Ava: you won't be 16 forever Ava: and if Ro can manage it Ava: your mum and Drew are probably the only people to see her vaguely undressed in her life Grace: idk sometimes it's all I want & sometimes it's the WORST thing I could think of Ava: I get that Ava: I don't think its a thing you can overthink, 'cos it's not usually right or wrong Ava: so people just do it and have to deal, better or worse Grace: Yeah Grace: maybe I'll get like that with dating Grace: or you know, get so lonely that I won't care that people always leave Ava: 😔 Ava: You'll get there, whether there is living your best life with or without Ava: I'm defs getting left after this fiasco so I'll come 😭 to you in a few no doubt Ava: we're walking Frank rn, so gonna enjoy this whilst it lasts 👌🥰 Grace: UM no! He LOVES you remember, you'll come at me with your 😍 more like Ava: 🤞🤞 Grace: 🙏💜

[hippityhoppityyourenowmyproperty]

Reset!Rant (part 4)

Blackout

Chapter: 1

Thad: "Even though Craydl was programmed to obey my dear grandfather over me, he still could hold a conversation and be useful. While you have some rudimentary communicative abilities, it's not the same. I could say the same of Bart."

This is a put down that comes out of the blue and it shows how normal it has become for Thad to resort to insulting Bart. This insult is especially tasteless when you remember that a lot of ND people have problems with verbal communication/talk too fast/talk too loud or too quiet/have trouble expressing their thought and can go nonverbal. So yeah, basically another slice at Bart for having ADHD, wouldn't you know it.

Thad's vision blacked out and he grabbed the washing machine for stability. If felt as if the bottom fell out of his world. He knew this feeling all too well now, but it had never been as bad as this. He staggered away from the laundry and into the kitchen to sit.

.................................... Helen's voice echoed from the kitchen. "Thad? I just got a call from the school. Bart passed out in class and I'm going to pick him up. I'll be home soon." When Helen returned home with Bart, Thaddeus was waiting in the kitchen with a smirk on his face. "You passed out?" Bart scowled and stomped off to dump his backpack and jacket off on his bedroom floor. Thaddeus snorted, still sneering.

Making fun of someone because they showed physical weakness, that's stereotypical school yard bullying right there. "Haha look at you you loser! You passed out. You're such a weakling!" Thad is so...pathetic in this. He is so desperate for power, so desperate to be superior to Bart. He waited all this time in the kitchen just so that he could throw Bart this line. He clinges to everythign that will make him appear better than Bart. He obssessively seeks out every little one of his flaws and mistakes in order to maintain his big ego. It's almost pittyful. Of course he snots at Bart, of course he is behaving as condescending as possible. Thad is the kind of person who kicks someone who's already on the ground. This is just...So ugly to read. Hey Thad, you nearly passed out earlier this day, I don't see you shaming yourself for being weak. What's the difference? What's making you so special that you don't deserve to be shamed for it?

Hey Helen, you're just going to ignore Thad very obviously and viciously bullying the closest person you have to a son? You're not gonna repriment him for it so that he won't continue to destroy Bart's self esteem and his mental health? No? Great, it would be very confusing if you suddenly started being a responsible parent.

Thaddeus leaned against the doorway with crossed arms. "You're pathetic." He sneered.

Funny that you mention it, have you looked in the mirror lately?

Chapter: 2

Mike gestured to Bart's injuries. "You could say that you got hit in the face with a basketball or something." Bart slung the bag over his shoulder and pushed the bathroom door open. Maybe he could just go home? No, Thad was there, and he didn't want to listen to his evil twin berate him about getting bloodied in a fight.

Through his frequent put downs, Thad now made Bart afraid to show weakness. He knows that Thad will make fun of his vulnerability and won't be of any help to him.

Thad: "No moron, I'm playing with a tesseract puzzle." His voice was dripping with condescending sarcasm. "What else would I be doing?"

Another put down out of the blue. And a very sordid one, I might add.

Chapter: 3

A commotion in the backyard grabbed her attention and she saw Bart and Thad duking it out again. "Oh, for the love of...Wally, I'll call you back. The boys are really at it this time. I swear, Thad needs to get out of the house and get a life, and Bart needs to stop antagonizing him."

Hmm, that's odd. I could've sworn that Thad was the one who constantly ripped on Bart, was a dick to him and provoked Bart with "You've got ADHD so you're dumb" insults, and Bart was the one who remained friendly despite having to endure insult after insult without retailiating. Are you referring to the times Bart called Thad a jerk and said "Like you're any better"? Are those the oh so bad words Bart calls Thad that justify you saying "He's antagonizing him"? Because, and maybe that's just me, but calling someone who is neurodivergent a r*tard, moron, idiot, shortbus, brainless, annoying, destructive, a nuisance, hyperactive, embarrassing, dense, pathetic, saying that they have "Rudimentary communicative abilities", that they "probably got distracted with by something shiny" and implying over and over again that they're stupid and useless, that you see it as a disgrace to be related to them, that you'd like to beat them up, (and actually beating them up) and that they're inferior to you because of aspects of their personality they can't control is a bit worse than saying "Jerk" to defend yourself in response to being called those insults. And somehow we should believe that Bart is the one who is antagonizing Thad? What the fuck is wrong with you people? Thad is so obviously abusing Bart in this, I don't know how anyone couldn't see this. Screw Helen, she has no sense of fairness and justice when it comes to Bart's treatment. Do I have to explain the word favoritism? How come she lets Thad get away with was worse stuff? Why doesn't she chew him out for all the stuff he put Bart through? He was very clearly shaming him for having ADHD im Helen's presence, and she didn't do shit.

I'm 100% sure Thad started this conflict with some "You're inferior to me" comment and was also the one who got physical first.

Helen: "You don't even know?! Get in here and go to your rooms!" The boys let go of each other and sulked past Helen. "I swear you two, if you were girls, I would be blaming hormones for these outbursts."

Yeah, let's just casually ignore the fact that testosterones are the hormones that increase aggressive behavior and that boys produce about 16× more testosterone than girls, and that men are known to be quicker to express their anger through violence than women. (Cite: Men vs. Women: Hormones; a transgender perspective, Why do women and men respond differently to anger? PsychCentral) I guess I can add "sexist" to the list of things that make Helen an unlikable person. Also, glad to know that she now cares about breaking up a fight between them. Play fighting for fun in the yard? Absolutely not! What were you thinking? Why do you act like that? You should know better! Shady sparring fight in the streets? Sure Thad go ahead! Nothing wrong with beating up your brother to release your anger!

Chapter: 4

Thad answered with a smirk, "That you're a hyperactive brat who would just get more destructive when introduced to sizable amounts of caffeine."

Bart glowered and crossed his arms. "Shut up! I am not!" Thad lifted his chin in victory. "See? Hit the matk. I'm right."

Both Helen and Konner sit next to Bart and they say nothing in response.

Kon chuckled as Bart settled down at the table. "Man, I kinda missed that."

"Missed what?" Bart asked.

"You driving people nuts. Inertia's not Rob or Wondy but he flips out pretty fast." Thad snarled at Kon, "They don't have to live with him!"

Bart has been nothing but nice to Thad. Bart is the one who has to live with Thad's constant belittling. Thad has deluded himself into believing that he is the victim here, but he's really not. Bart is. Bart has been trying to help Thad, even though he was a total douchebag who constantly humiliated him. Bart has to live with Thad.

Chapter: 5

Kon: "Seriously, don't you have any other modes than "up yours" or "sideways"? You're going to die a lonely virgin life if you keep this up. Yeah, I get that your childhood was stolen by an evil madman and all, but you're preaching to the choir here. Dude, get over it. We did." Thad's glare darkened and he clenched his fist. Lunging forward with a punch, he stopped just short striking Kon. Shaking with fury, Thad backed away and left the kitchen. Bart sighed and leaned against the kitchen counter. "He's gonna need to spar today and I'm all beat up already."

"You don't have to be his punching back."

"I'm not a punching back. I hit back."

I agree with Kon up until the "just get over it" part. It's nice to see someone finally calling Thad out on his demanding and shitty attitude, but telling an abuse victim to "just get over it" isn't good advice, either. What Kon should have told him was that Thad should work on his behavior and that him having been abused doesn't make it okay for him to abuse others.

The dialoge after that between Kon and Bart is another attempt on the author's part of justifying this situation. The "I hit back" isn't very encouraging when you consider that Thad is a way better fighter than Bart. The "He needs to spar today and I'm all beat up already" makes it very clear that Bart would rather not participate in a duel, but does it anyway because he feels pressured to keep Thad's emotions in check. Without Bart sacrificing his own well being, Thad would've gotten himself into a lot of trouble by beating up random people in blind rage. And Bart knows this. Despite what this sentence is trying to make you belive, their fights aren't balanced. Thad can easily overpower and outsmart him in a duel. At the end of the day, Bart is still his punching back.

Chapter: 5

Seeking Thad out, Bart found him in the library, talking with a couple of upperclassmen girls. Bart pulled him aside, much to Thad's annoyance. "I'm gonna need some help. Eddie's-" "Not my problem," Thad interrupted. "I don't care what's going on." "Look, getting beat up was just the start of it. He's-" "Not. My. Problem." Thad turned away from Bart. "If he got himself into it, he can get himself out of it. This is a waste of my time." "I just want you to back me up."

This kind of sums up what kind of person Thad is. He takes and take but doesn't repay the favors. He's cold and has no compassion. It doesn't matter to him what Bart did for him, and that he vouched for him. And going by Thad's logic, Max and Bart shouldn't have offered Thad to stay with them because; If he got himself into this situation, he can get himself out of it! Not our problem, we don't care what's going on!

Thad knows that Bart is going to do something really dangerous and could get seriously injured or even die, and he still doesn't give a fuck. He hasn't learned to care for Bart one bit.

Bart grinned at him. "You came."

"Max wanted us to take care of each other," Thad remined. "Letting you get pounded into a smear is a violation of those orders."

This is Thad admitting that the only thing that made him help is Max. I'm 100% certain that Thad would've gladly stood by and watched Bart die if it wasn't for Max. Thad still hates Bart's guts for whatever reason, and he actively shows him that every chance he gets.

Chapter: 7

"Obviously, I got my intelligence from both of our grandfathers. Pity that means there wasn't any left for you."

Hey Thad? How about you shut up and not smack talk Bart every chance you get? It would make you less of a person that deserves to get hit multiple times in the teeth with a brick. This is, very obviously, another put down directed at Bart's ADHD that is disguised as a joke.

Jerking his head up, Bart nodded. "You would do that?" "What kind of evil twin do you think I am?" Thad huffed in mock offense. "I only beat you up and ridicule your intelligence, not withhold precious words of wisdom that can be thrown in Wally's face whenever he gets his tights in a wad about you not being the perfect little sidekick. He treated Bart to a wicked grin. Legacies are more than a name and a costume."

Oh don't worry Thad, you're not the evil clone, you're just the abusive, selfish, cold hearted, self entitled, manipulative, egotistical brother. Yes, you 'only' did those things. They are still reprehensible and loathsome. They will still mess up a person and are unforgivable. Turning your actions into a joke doesn't make them funny or acceptable. The fact that he admits to his wrongdoings but doesn't see them as reprehensible speaks volume about his personality. He talks about his crude actions with such satisfaction and confidence as if he were proud of them. After everything I read about Thad in this, it's very likely that he is.

And the reason why he does Bart a favor here? Again, just doing it for himself. He tells Bart these things not becaus he likes Bart, but becaus he dislikes Wally for that whole legacy thing and wants him to suffer. Thad is self projecting about his issues with his legacy.

#tw abuse #tw manipulation #sibling abuse #bart allen #thad thawne #impulse #inertia #reset!rant #max crandal #helen claibrone

[levyfiles]

one thing i've noticed about the anti problem in this fandom is that it seems... pretty limited to this fandom. the last rpf fandom i was in had basically no antis. there were tons of fics (mostly "x reader") but nobody complained about the whole "they're real people" thing. heck, i've never seen an anti-sta/n/d/rew sentiment. idk what made this fandom different

Ooh nonnybabe, you’re preaching to the choir over here. I’m in the middle of writing me some demon!Shane so I’m in a mood to go off!

Listen, I’m coming from the depths of a fandom revolving entirely around variety shows, reality tv, documentaries and bands with members older than me where I’ve been for over five years. Rpf goes with the territory there and while I can absolutely guarantee there were people who weren’t into it, the stunning thing is that those people simply stated it as is, ‘Not in it for the ships but love the content.” 

I think turning your hobbies/interests/dislikes/likes into online activism is a pathology developed on this website where people frequently run activism blogs. There is nothing wrong with this practice but there is a Huge difference between cultivating a conversation about racism, transphobia, human trafficking, feminism, serial killer worship and xenophobia in a world rife with battles for basic humanity and finding a show you enjoy, discovering that the community who loves it too, and then dedicating your time towards ensuring that anyone who has a blog within the community does it according to your own standards all the while using sociological rhetoric to make it sound like you’re setting a precedent for good in the world.

The truth that a lot of these people don’t seem to understand is that the people they’re fighting on behalf of don’t give more than a shit about this strawman cause because it’s true, they’re real living people out there making the content they love, living private lives, regulating their public image (even encouraging mental headcanons about their alternate personalities presented in postmortems). They’re not spending their time scouring for blogs to find out if anyone is creating fictional universes where they’re not heterosexual. Antis claim that people will get out of hand, attack the guys, their public relationships, and make the entire show about the ship, but it’s not even Sh/yan shippers that are saturating the regular content because we regulate ourselves; when someone forgets themselves and posts in the main tag, other shippers kindly message them and inform them which tag is best to use. 

We’ve all noticed it. The only shipping content I see in the main tag is errant people with no concern for Ryan and Shane, they’re simply expressing disgust for something that wouldn’t impact them otherwise. On my end, I’m happy when someone posts their messy ass take in the tags because then I’ve got a name to block instead of having to go through the process of scanning and rerouting IPs for antis’ anonymous asks I delete once I’ve scrolled to them. And here’s the even more bizarre thing, these asks are violent, angry, rife with personal attacks and a deep desire to make me and others like me-- real living human beings they actually have access to--feel like shit. Self-righteous hatred and attacking strangers who aren’t hurting anyone for being into something you’re not into is silly and childish. Antis aren’t saving shit and they’re not making the community better; you don’t have to like it but curate your shit and leave people alone.

I’ve managed several healthy months of this experience without interacting with anyone toxic, deleting attention-hungry anons, and having a good time. I don’t even mind hanging with people who aren’t shippers-- hell, I got like four different non shipping people in my instant messages consistently who I Love talking to about ghosts, religion, movies, demons or mythology; one of y’all even came at me about Tom Cruise in Interview with the Vampire (you know who you is) because ultimately, we’re all here about the same two guys, the same show. and god forbid talented writers and artists coming from queer perspectives wanting to write and create within the fictional universes they can relate to. All the while we got actual antis going off about Shane being their bicon, being a demon, being Bigfoot, mothman or whatever the fuck, reveling in the details of his relationship with his girlfriend, putting themselves in her perspective and then turning around and shitting on anyone who say Shane and Ryan’s relationship is gorgeous and romantic depicted under the fictional lens of their friendship becoming something more. I think that says more about their views on Ryan and absolutely their views on heteronormativity than it does about protecting people who aren’t even in the shipping tag nor keeping mine or any blog on bookmark. 

Yo, that’s all I gotta say right now. Obviously none of this is to attack you, nonnyhoney; your ask just inspired some broiling ire in my heart I needed off my chest. 

#discourse #once again I'm always happy to pick up the conversation off anon if you wanna message me #Anonybae