Yeah. That. I spent my formative years in DC for Reagan's terms, and never thought I'd make it to *twenty* much less this far beyond. And when I realized I would be? I found myself suddenly without any real, actionable plan for the future.
The AIDS epidemic was monstrous. Not only for the lack of cure, but for the easy excuse it made for 'good people' to rid themselves of those disgusting gays.
The national willingness to discard an entire generation of (at first) gay men and then any queer persons has done immeasurable damage to every single one of us who survived it. The horror stories you might have seen in tabloids or online memorials only scratch the surface. We were unpersoned. We were named dangerous simply by our existence, and our presence was a herald for death and disease.
Our joy was not in spite of this. Our mad parties, the tendency to live in the moment, the stereotypical 'cattiness' and sex-crazed outlooks that media showers us with us even now, these were survival techniques. We dance because we lived another day. We craved physical contact from a world that feared us even in the same room, or touching the same door handle, or gods forbid us holding your hand.
And it's happening again.
If you notice your queer elders seem a little agitated beyond their usual baseline with what's happening with their trans peers this time around it's because we all recognize it from the 70s, 80s, 90s.
Name it a disease. Imply it's contagious, made-up for attention, or masking the 'real' problem (it's always pedophilia, always), often in the same breath. Consistency doesn't matter, only fear and hatred.
Say trans folks aren't worth the same considerations that good, upstanding people are. Deny them the medical care that, were they not trans, they would otherwise qualify for. Gender affirming care. Hormone treatments. Comprehensive therapy. Acceptance.
(Hell, even those lucky enough to escape obvious open discrimination find it on the back end, with medical care suddenly not being covered after being prescribed. Ask me how I know.)
And it's not just the right-wingers. Ask your Democratic or NP rep, if you have one, their thoughts on transgender rights. Listen close. See if they actually say anything of substance.
And then when trans people start dying off in droves, vanishing to forced detransitioning, assault, murder, or worse, well, that's just proof there's something wrong, isn't it? Not with the system. With us.
This is why we ask that the newer generations of queer folks learn the history. It's not *all* about Stonewall and Pride. It's about the lengths that those in charge will go to in order to ensure our deaths.
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Sam and the Wakandans having such a good relationship with one another means so much to me.
Cause not only did they gift him his original suit, but they KEPT giving him other variations too. Like thatās such a big deal because no other outsiders are allowed to carry vibranium weapons outside of Wakanda, but they trust Sam to use it responsibly and the believe in what he does.
His suit also further exemplifies the idea that Captain America is a man of ALL people ACROSS the globe. He does not belong to America, and his suit and who Sam is as a person reflects that beautifully. He puts so much care into how he treats everyone and especially his allies, making sure that he lives up to not only his own expectations of himself, but that his actions continue to honor those who have helped him.
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on home/heaven/grief. on baring your teeth with your back pressed up against the wall.
@petrichor-moss-and-lightning // āHomesick,ā Noah Kahan // āCourtney Love Prays to Oregon,ā Clementine Von Radics // me (sorry lol) // āLove is Not Always Song, But the Swelling,ā Athena Nassar // unknown // @traumabuck080
Since I acquired the Small Cody (40675), I found that there was an untapped mine. Why would they only make one ? Well. I don't have an answer to that, but I decided to take matters into my own one; so behold : 11 more. I went mostly for commanders here, but then I went a bit astray and so I added some captains to the mix.
In order, row by row :
Tukk (Not cannon but the colours are so beautiful)/Vaungh (died too soon-)/Rex (obviously)/Fordo (I did Rex, so I had to)
Gree/Doom/Thorn/Neyo
Bly/Cody/Fox/Wolffe
It was a really fun project, and I hope to do more of them in the future - maybe even phase 1s, some day~); supposedly not commanders because I did most of them (except Bacara, I know...The helmet was too tough).
And because I really like challenges, if you want to see another clone turned into one of these (Be it cannon or one of your ocs) feel free to send requests in my aksbox !)
Anyway this post is already far too long for anyone's dashboard, so closeups and details will be under the cut !
Let's start with the easy ones : Cody, Doom, Fox, Thorn
Obviously, Cody was easy, I just rebuilt the original one virtually - Nothing too hard. The printed pieces here are not the right ones, because Cody's are not available on STUDio yet, but the storm trooper ones were relatively similar, so I used these for most of these models. Of course, it means I'm lacking the sun bands, and a few other distinctive elements, but it works well enough for now.
Now, Doom is essentially a colour variation (minus a few antennas). I also used an old space piece, which has this big yellow arrow printed on it. I's not exactly what Doom has, but I feel like it's close enough for a first attempt.
Then, Fox is relatively similar to Doom, but with two DC-17s. I also moved the printed torso brick up to get that red line he has.
Thorn works in a similar way to Cody too, except I removed both accessories on the side of the helmet. I also added this tile with diagonal lines to figure the wings he has. One day I'll slap some real wings on there, but I haven't found the right image yet. I also gave him a Z-6, obviously. I really like it, so I might actually make that one physically, because the way it's build (with old binocular pieces) is pretty nice; although I doubt the pieces are available in black.
Moving on to two captains : Vaughn and Tukk !
Admittedly, not really that different either, except for one thing : I learnt to do custom prints now ! Yay ! Well, these are really basic : the blue line for Vaughn, and some trapezoids for Tukk's helmet (which are, indeed, not visible here - shame, I spent so long making these fit). The Ahsoka pattern was already in STUDio (because Ahsoka already has her own brickheadz, which I'll get my hands on someday~)
I must also add that having some cyan in this whole thing added some much needed colours in here, I'm grateful some people give their clones amazing colours (If somehow someone doesn't know who Tukk is, well just check High Ground Animation. Right now. It's really cool, trust me). Anyway.
As for design changes, I modified the faces slightly by adding 1x1 tiles, to allow for different colours variations on the face. It makes them look slightly blockier, but given the overall size of the head, it doesn't do much.
I also gave Vaughn a DC-15A. It's a bit messy, but it works out well enough. Past me forgot to render it, so here is a raw, in-software picture of it (from Fordo(s hand, but it's the same design for both) :
BARC helmets ? Wolffe, Fordo, Neyo
As I've been told, these look a bit wonky, and I'll admit its wasn't exactly easy, but in my defence, it's relatively hard to get such round shapes with bricks (lego cheated by adding the visor). Anyway, given that doing that with a printed piece was out of the question, I tried to replicate the filter's shape with actual bricks, and I used a printed piece which, technically, is Lando's moustache, but downward. I'd say it does the job relatively well.
I also added a rangefinder to Wolffe, which is a little big compared to everyone else's antennas, but It's still relatively to scale with the head itself. No custom prints for him (not sure where I would find the correct pattern images ?), but I've done it for Fordo and Neyo. Fordo obviously has his well deserved Jaig eyes (and who knew it would be that difficult to find a picture of that on internet ?), and Neyo has his symbol on the helmet, chest plate, and the shoulder not shown here.
The really tinkered ones : Gree, Bly, Rex :
Here, it was a matter of trials and errors to figure out just how to get the shapes right.
I actually started with Bly, by removing the previous visor and adding the macrobinoculars first, then I tried to shape the helmet around. Truth is, it doesn't make sense technically : the two separated parts of the helmet do not connected at all, if you remove the equipment. Luckily, no one has to know that.
Next is Gree. It took me some time to figure out how to properly get a round feel, but I feel like it's as good as I can make it like this. Colour-wise, it was surprisingly difficult to find how to balance the different shades of green, and equally hard was to figure out which silvery colour would render well in STUDio. The answer lied, as it always does, in Bionicle. Of course, none of these pieces exist in this colour, but it's not really my main problem (because none of the coloured printed pieces exist either).
Finally, Rex...He gave me some trouble, I have to admit. Firstly, the part-designing software decided to have some trouble with custom prints, which was problematic, because I simply couldn't do Rex without jaig eyes (and Fordo already had his). Then, I started with Gree's base and tried to go from there to fit Rex's custom helmet. I ended up using Boba Fett's printed visor piece for Rex, because these were all triangles. I also got rid of the printed chest piece and used some black plates to simulate the pouch he has; while also adding a a few more custom printed pieces for the arms and pauldron (barely visible, but they're here. I'm not entirely happy with it, but I don't see much other solutions than more and more custom prints, which isn't my goal, so it'll stay like that for now.
Anyway, that's way too much rambling for one post, so I'll just end by saying that next week I'll post an alt version of this whole build [here !], with some 'slight' colour alterations. Definitely nothing big.
Love how tumblr has its own folk stories. Yeah the God of Arepo weāve all heard the story and we all still cry about it. Yeah that one about the woman locked up for centuries finally getting free. That one about the witch who would marry anyone who could get her house key from her cat and itās revealed she IS the cat after the narrator befriends the cat.
You know what? I absolutely love the fact that Sophie's acceptance into the Bridgerton family had nothing to do with having surprise noble originsāorigins that would have made her a suitable match for Benedictāin the end. In Cinderella stories (really, in many romantic tales of class differences), it is a common rags to riches trope to make the pauper secretly a member of nobility, and this reveal solidifies their position in society, easing their transition into the culture of the upper class.
And Bridgerton didn't do this. Instead, they blackmailed the evil stepmother into staying away from Cinderella for life, and schemed a scenario that would allow them to straight up lie about her birth origins, so that she and a man of nobility could be together. Of course she's legitimate! She's the Late Earl's cousin. Just moved here.
And it works as a much more satisfying ending, to me, because overcoming class differences isn't as simple as many romances make it seem. Real life consequences of inter-class romance is often not fully fleshed out, unless it's used as a cautionary tale. But the Bridgerton family (and Alice Mondritch) ended up solving this problem not by bending the rules of society, but by outmaneuvering them.
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-dont go to the emergency room with dental problems. go to the dentist
-bagged greens are cheaper than pre-made salads
-taco bell is NOT worth the money anymore. 1/4 cup mayo, 1/4 cup sour cream, 3 tblspoons pickled jalapenos+2tblspoons of the jar liquid, 2 tsp paprika 1 tsp cumin 1 tsp garlic powder 1 tsp onion powder salt+pepper. all in your blender. creamy jalapeno sauce
-dont quit your job unless you have a bunch of job interviews lined up immediately after
-use resources. food bank, unemployment, housing assistance, financial aid, etc. yes there will be paperwork. but Do It
-dont stay awake longer than 20 hours. you Will start to become impulsive and cranky. resting for 20 minutes is better than trying to stay awake
-for every 2 hours you spend looking up close at screens, spend 20 minutes looking at something far away from you. stretch your wrists a lot
-dont do that yoga stretch where you roll your head around your shoulders. youre grinding down the joints in your neck
-be nice to your friends, bullying them as a joke gets old. if you need a ride somewhere at least offer them gas money
-brush your teeth at any time of the day but especially before you sleep. dont snack in bed if you can help it. make your bed the Clean Teeth Zone. keep floss picks by your bed
-dont tell your boss youre adhd/autism/depression/suicidal. dont trust your coworkers with that. you NEVER know how people will take it and its none of their business
-train your pets to go to the front door when they hear a fire alarm
gang, the young justice ācore fourā isnāt a thing because they founded young justice- itās because they all were on the teen titans together AFTER young justice
young justice was started just by tim, kon, and bart- then cassie joined with cissie and greta. so the of team was really the three boys for like, three issues, then it was the six of them- and a lot of the main story revolves around the girls since the boys all had their own solos at the time.
but the ācore fourā of tim, kon, bart, and cassie DOES exist as a group in comics bc they all become teen titans together- while cissie and greta both retire from hero work. so no, the core four isnāt propaganda- people just dont know the reason why those four are more closely associated that the rest of the young justice team.
I wanna know where people have lately gotten the audacity to leave comments on fanfics talking about how much the fanfic sucked and negatively critiquing an author's fic like it's a published book review.
It pisses me off cause I've seen authors abandoned or delete their fics because of this.
You're getting fanfics for FREE! No one asked for your opinion.
I hope y'all know as authors we get email notifications when you comment so we see EVERY comment that's been left.
We also can see the negative reviews you leave when you bookmark our fics
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Dude, but likeā¦ Angel telling Buffy he fell in love with her when she had just turned 15? I mean, hello? Is this supposed to be romantic instead of, I donāt knowā¦ CREEP AS HELL?
the information I have amassed over the years of why bangel is the way it is is because first xander was going to be the love interest (ew) and angel was ambiguous but maybe going to be an actual angel but the network forced joss to make angel a vampire because they knew vampire romance would be very successful - joss being a narcissist exists in black and white - good people are good no matter their actions and bad people are bad no matter their actions so being forced to make angel a vampire when he was supposed to be a good guy made him big mad (heās been quoted many times that he wanted demons and vampires to just be evil and ugly aka not desirable at all) but heās like ugh fine whatever and thus the episode Angel is born and the whole āvampire with a soulā shit happens but it appears to be a one and done thing weāre into each other but this is a horrible idea so Iām going to stay away from you now.
End of season 1 setting up xander as the love interest with his threatening angel into helping him save buffy and the whole āI canāt do it I have no breathā which is so inaccurate I canāt even but basically like angel being a vampire canāt be what buffy needs, xander is who she needs to which the network was like ABSOLUTELY NOT this fucking obnoxious loser cannot be the love interest for buffy which is beyond hysterical that joss created buffy just to be able to force the popular girl to be with his self insert character and even in a universe he created he was still denied so now even more big mad because theyāre pushing for angel to be the main love interest which is why there is such a stark tone shift between angel himself and bangel between seasons 1 & 2.
So bangel 2.0 heās like FINE I will give you your vampire romance but it is going to be CREEPY AS HELL and Iām going to create the perfect metaphor for what itās like to be a victim of an older man who manipulates you into giving him what he wants and then completely discarding you. Suddenly angel shows up in her room and follows her even more and is like āwhat are we, I miss youā when they both agreed they shouldnāt date yet now suddenly that is gone with zero discussion. The creepy age gap is brought up constantly - when angel is jealous of xander but dismisses buffy saying that by saying āxander is just a kidā and Buffy is literally like wait does that mean IM just a kid??? AND ANGEL LITERALLY RUNS AWAY INSTEAD OF ANSWERING and buffy herself says angel treats her like a child and then we see the HORROR SHOW flashbacks of angel seeing 15 year old sucking on a lollipop Buffy and crying in her bathroom and heās all dirty and disgusting in the bushes like:
bangel was supposed to end with buffy getting to kill her abuser and send him to hell UNTIL I only have eyes for you and apparently david acting like a woman has joss being like āGET THIS MAN HIS OWN SHOW!!!!!!ā so instead of angel staying dead/in hell where he belonged he had to be brought back and now we have bangel 3.0 for season 3
Suddenly they are tragic doomed soulmates??????????? Because now Angel canāt be Buffyās creepy manipulative predatory abusive older boyfriend because now heās a hero who is going to have his own show! So now bangel is all about abstinence and resisting temptation/everything that faith is that buffy lowkey was to a much lesser extent for the last two seasons and angel being this killing machine who is such an artist with how he tortures people and this awful beast who reallllyyyy wants buffy and wants to hurt people but heās being soooooooo strong and resisting and isnāt he so amazing and strong for leaving buffy āfor her own goodā and letās ignore itās happening right as sheās turned 18 and about to graduate from high school and it happens IN A SEWER - and now we have the added lore drop in s3 that he fell in love with her at first sight at FIFTEEN
Joss was most involved in btvs writing during seasons 1-3 his focus was split after that but his writing has the worst ātelling instead of showingā of the whole show and bangel is one of the worst instances of that so much of their relationship is rushed and completely unearned that anyone who isnāt a 13 year old with a massive crush on david and likely daddy issues watching it has the same response op has which is āis this supposed to be romantic???? THESE are soulmates????ā He told the audience what was happening even if it went completely against what seasons of behavior established and there are many such instances.
He did a similar 180 with spuffy he hated spike hated spuffy so season 5 spike is suddenly way creepier than we have ever seen him be with the ābuffyā mannequin, the shrine, the bot, all of crush etc because again heās giving the network and audience what they want - vampire romance - but heās trying to make it creepy and unenjoyable (he thought making spike a sad pathetic lover boy poet would make us like him less š showing how much he DOES NOT understand the female gaze) but he didnāt understand what all of spikeās BEHAVIOR was telling us and didnāt understand we had no problem with the idea of our heroine with a soulless anti hero/morally grey vampire who is completely obsessed with her and so pathetically in love with her because spike has NEVER treated her like a child, has always respected her intelligence and skill and seen her as a worthy adversary who should be feared, their chemistry is insane and sarah and james are two of the best actors on the show and them together is MAGIC
Of course his cause wasnāt helped when they accelerated his redemption because of the āis btvs gonna end with season 5 and buffy deadā fake out he wanted to do because heās always going to choose the most dramatic option vs the characters being grounded and authentic. But so we get season 6 and weāre supposed to be like oh this is soooo bad buffy is having soooo much crazy sex and neglecting dawn and her friends bad buffy! But instead weāre like omg poor buffy is in so much pain and spike is the only one who can help her and she hates herself for it ugh I wish she could just love him openly and get what she needs from him without shame or needing to hide it which is what leads to the ultimate retaliation aka seeing red because joss wanted spike to get a soul because joss accepted all the way back in season 2 that spike was too popular to be killed off and spuffy is INCREDIBLY popular so just like profiting off of david and abandoning his previous stance he does the same with spuffy - spike has a soul now so itās ok! And suddenly joss is being quoted as āloving spuffy even if thatās not popular it can be just for himā pretending like it was all his idea and no one else saw the brilliance that is spuffy except him and weāre back to abstinence and spike having these uncontrollable killing sprees that only buffy can be trusted to put a stop to but thankfully even though joss reheated his bangel nachos for season 7 spuffy all the other FAR more talented writers had been COOKING in the kitchen for years so everything lands better because itās all actually fucking EARNED and buffy taking care of spike isnāt the same as her taking care of angel because angel never stopped being her grooming, abuser, stalker but spike was always her shadow and a representation of her āothernessā so loving and caring for him showed how much she had learned to love and care for herself unapologetically even if everyone else went against her.
So VERY long story short bangel was never meant to be romantic it was firstly never meant to be and then it was supposed to be a creepy anti fairy tale āI kiss you you donāt wake up - when you kiss me I want to dieā cautionary tale until season 3 when they started gaslighting the shit out of all of us and unfortunately the season 3 narrative is the one that was upheld about buffy and angel for the entire rest of the series and beyond and many fans still buy it to this day and get really really mad and defensive when you point out that it is NOTHING like what they think it is šš
People will say they felt so bad for Elsa hiding her ice powers and say they loved the movie, and then say lesbians are predatory and impure
People will say that they love Luca so much and were so sad for him that he felt different for being aquatic, and then say that gay men are gross
People will say they wish Rumi didnāt feel the need to hide her patterns and that they love her, and then say that bisexuals are dirty and should stay closeted
People will say that their heart breaks for Peter Parker trying to find a way to tell his loved ones that heās actually Spider Man, and then say that transgender and nonbinary folks are freaks
People will say that Luke Skywalker was so brave for being in the Rebellion and for blowing up the Death Star and that they love him, and then say that peaceful protestors have āgone too farā and wonāt sympathize with activists
