#oh.......... ur back.............................

when i was younger, i hated pink. i was not like other girls. this is now something i'm embarrassed of - this was not me being a "girl's girl."

but it was expressing something many of us felt at the time: i literally wasn't what girlhood was supposed to be. this is a hard thing to explain, but you know when you're not performing girlhood correctly. it isn't as easy as "i liked x when girls liked y" - because there were other girls that liked x, too - but i never figured out exactly the correct way to like x, or to be interested in y.

now there is the divine feminine. this is the same rhetoric it has always been: women are biologically driven to like pink and ribbons and submitting to our husbands.

the problem is that the patriarchy found a better PR team. because yes, actually, i want every woman to have the choice to be a homemaker. i also want her taken seriously for her legitimate home-making labor. i want her to be recognized as also having a job, just unpaid. i want men to have this opportunity, too.

but it is no longer "i made this choice and I love it." instead it is a sixteen-paragraph rant about how selfish it is that my generation isn't having kids. instead it's long videos about how if you feed your children processed foods, you're going to kill them. instead it is "this is what womanhood is supposed to be. i feel bad for any other choices you're making."

the shame spiral is just prettier. it is large houses devoid of personality. it is the implication: if you don't have this, you aren't happy. the solid, everlasting assurance: women are actually supposed to be submitting. this is the default. this is the natural state of things. all other attempts inflict suffering.

but you can no longer say i'm not like other girls. you can no longer reject this image completely. you cannot find it revolting, even if you know that the underbelly is toxic and festering. sure, it is the same repackaged patriarchy. but the internet does not have shades of grey. you should support and reward other women! your disgust is actually internalized misogyny. not because you are seeing a vision of yourself the way they're trying to train you to be. not because you feel her ghost pass within an inch of your earlobe. not because your father will eventually ask you - why can't you be like her?

because they figured out how to make it beautiful: women will sell other women on this idea, and we will find the singular loophole in feminism. sure, she's shaming you in most of her videos. sure, she implies that a different life is obscene. but she just wants you to be happy! you'd be happier if you were listening!

"got any plans for valentine's day, jones?"

Of all the coworkers Robert could date (Z-Team, Blazer, Phenomaman, etc.) Royd is the only one Chase wouldn’t have problems with. Like yeah that’s objectively the best choice. A green flag who’s not a subordinate or a boss.

Beef is also a huge fan of Royd and definitely his third favorite person

Royd has one of the best success rates in getting Robert to go to sleep, eat, or generally take care of himself. This is because he’s great at persuading him but if that doesn’t work can just pick him up and take him away from his work

Have hour long conversations with each other about their nerdy tech/mechanic stuff

Whenever the Z-Team wants to tease Robert for his relationship the only thing they can come up with are just sex jokes and how he acts in a relationship since, again, greenest flag in the game. There’s nothing for them to use as ammunition.

Have every last takeout or drink order for each other memorized. They don’t have telepathy but they can also tell what food the others craving at any point. Part of their love language is showing up to each others work stations with lunch

They go to the gym together and Royd helps Robert regain the weight and muscle he lost during his coma

smtg smtg u're not gonna die smtg smtg i'm gonna give u purpose smtg smtg. >:3c

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