something ive been thinking about lately is how i think a lot of young men are turned off by leftism because it doesnt promise a better world for them too. men often feel like a bit of an afterthought in leftist ideology. it feels like "women will be treated as equal human beings, people of color wont be arrested on the spot for not being white, genderqueer people will be able to present and exist however they want, trans people will have easy and consistent access to gender affirming care, queer people will be able to get married and have sex with whoever they want, and... men will stay the same!" NO!!!! men will be able to cry!!! men will be able to talk about their feelings!!! men will be able to wear skirts and makeup and like pink and be submissive without being seen as lesser!!! men will be able to do stereotypically masculine things without being seen as weird or sexist or something!!! men will be able to ask for help!!! men wont be excluded from spaces for being "an oppressor class"!!! men wont have their masculinity used against them, especially in abusive relationships!!! men will be able to talk about their abuse and mental health!!! men will be able to like matcha and crochet and clairo without being seen as manipulative!!! men will be able to be bicurious and explore their sexuality!!! men will be able to be ace and not seen as pussies and aro and not seen as abusers/sex pests!!! your leftism needs to be just as inclusive for men as it is for everyone else. equality and freedom in the sense of leftism is not something men are automatically privy to due to benefiting from the patriarchy under specific circumstances.
To myself, raised in an environment that glorified and romanticized restriction and suffering:
There is no victory in skipping dinner, or lunch, or breakfast, or morning coffee, or dessert.
There is no victory in refusing heaters and air conditioners and fans and heated blankets.
There is no victory in denying yourself sleep, or showers, or movement, or water, or a comfortable bed, or taking the elevator vs. the stairs.
There is no victory in refusing pain meds and heating pads and ice packs and medical help.
There is no victory in punishing yourself needlessly, in telling yourself that this pain you feel is because you are bad to the core and deserve it.
There is no victory in choking back your laughter and your tears, to keep an imagined equilibrium of safety that is really just a dry, cracked, empty, endless emotional desert.
You are here. You are in this body, and this body is yours. You deserve good things. You are alive, and that is messy and loud, and messy and loud are okay.
It’s okay to live abundantly. It’s okay to make mistakes, it’s okay to indulge. This paralysis of self-punishment, self-restriction, self-loathing is not healthy or good for you.
Headcannon that Pyrrha did not like Weiss at first, but was too nice to say so. Not due to jealousy over Jaune or anything like that, but because Weiss immediately does exactly what Pyrrha explains in Vol 2 she doesn't like. She puts Pyrrha up on a pedestal. She talks up Pyrrha's skill and fame and decides, for Pyrrha, that Jaune's not good enough for her. Talk about a bad first impression.
Even funnier if you interpret Weiss as having a crush on Pyrrha. Her stated reason for rejecting Jaune is because boys only want the perks of her last name and she assumes Jaune is the same. However, Weiss initially does, rather hypocritically, think of Pyrrha more like an asset than as a potential friend. Weiss is interested in how Pyrrha's strength can help her, rather than in Pyrrha as a person. Early Weiss was so shallow lol.
“With hope or without hope we will follow the trail of our enemies. And woe to them, if we prove the swifter! We will make such a chase as shall be accounted a marvel among the Three Kindreds: Elves, Dwarves, and Men. Forth the Three Hunters!”
Dispatch Characters x Reader with Insomnia Headcanons
(Includes Waterboy, Blonde Blazer, Phenomaman, Chase, and Royd)
Waterboy
His reaction is immediate, anxious, and deeply concerned, he doesn’t hide it well at all
His posture stiffens, hands fidgeting slightly, and he blurts out something like, “Wait- y-you mean you just… don’t sleep?” stumbling over his words because he’s trying to process it quickly while also worrying about you
When he tries to help, it’s gentle and a little awkward, but very sincere. He doesn’t come in with a plan, he just wants to make things even slightly better for you
His first instinct is small, practical comfort: “Um- do you want water?” which sounds simple (and a little ironic), but for him it’s a genuine attempt to help in the easiest way he knows how- meeting basic needs first
If you’re awake late, he’ll often end up staying with you, even if he didn’t plan to
He might sit nearby, fidgeting with something, occasionally talking in a soft, slightly rambling way, because he doesn’t want you to be alone but also doesn’t want to overwhelm you
He’s surprisingly good at soft distractions: talking about small, mundane things, asking harmless questions, sharing little thoughts. His natural awkwardness actually makes the conversations low-pressure instead of overstimulating
He might even try to learn ways to help you better: asking others for advice, or remembering things that worked before
Blonde Blazer
When you explain it- how your brain won’t shut off, how exhausting it is- she listens fully, no interruptions, no rushing to solutions, just present
When you finish, she nods slowly and says, “That sounds really hard,” with complete sincerity, because her empathy isn’t performative
When she starts helping, her approach is balanced- not forceful like Flambae, not purely analytical like Sonar, not detached like Robert; she blends care with structure, starting with something simple: “Okay… let’s not try to fix everything tonight. Let’s just make it a little easier,” immediately lowering the pressure
She’s very intentional about creating a safe, calm environment: adjusting lighting, lowering noise, guiding you somewhere more comfortable, all while talking you through it in a steady voice
“Your brain’s already doing a lot. Let’s not give it more to fight against” because she understands that environment affects how people feel, even if she doesn’t phrase it clinically
She might suggest small, manageable steps- routine, consistency, winding down- but always as options, never commands: “Maybe we try something simple tonight. Just see if it helps” because she respects your autonomy and doesn’t believe in forcing solutions
If you’re awake late, she’ll often stay with you, not out of obligation, but because she genuinely doesn’t want you to be alone
Phenomaman
If you explain how it feels- your brain not shutting off- he listens very intently, almost too intently, like he’s trying to memorize every detail
Then he responds with something unintentionally heavy like, “I, too, have experienced a mind that refuses to quiet. It is… unpleasant”
He initially suggests extreme or impractical solutions without realizing it, like “On my world, one might enter a low-energy state through environmental deprivation. Perhaps we could simulate that?” which sounds intense, but he genuinely thinks reducing input could help
He may also try to share what he does during emotional overload, saying something like, “When my mind becomes unstable, I focus on singular tasks. It reduces internal noise” offering you a method without fully framing it as advice
If your thoughts are racing, his way of helping is… unconventional
He tries to interrupt them with statements, not questions: “That thought is not productive. You may discard it,” which sounds blunt, but is his attempt at helping you disengage from spiraling
If you actually fall asleep, even briefly, his reaction is almost comically still: he freezes in place, barely moving, because he understands that he is capable of causing disruption and refuses to risk it
Chase
The first thing out of his mouth is something blunt like, “You look like you haven’t slept in days,” because he doesn’t sugarcoat observations, especially when they’re obvious
When you explain that it’s not something you can just fix, that your mind won’t shut off, there’s a brief moment where he looks almost… conflicted- like he wants to say something harsher, but stops himself
He settles instead on, “…That’s rough,” which, coming from him, is about as close to open sympathy as he gets
He doesn’t ask many questions, but the ones he does are direct and purposeful: “How long?” “Is it constant?”
The first thing he does is cut out the guesswork
Instead of asking what you’ve tried, he tells you what works, in short, direct statements: “Don’t stay in bed if you’re awake too long. You’ll train your brain to stay alert there” delivered like a rule he expects to be followed, because he’s seen the consequences of not doing it
He borrows directly from what he’s used with Robert- structured, repeatable habits- and applies them to you without overexplaining: “Same routine every night. Even if it doesn’t work right away. Consistency matters more than results at first”
There are rare moments where his tone softens just slightly- usually when you’re clearly struggling- where he’ll say something like, “…It’s manageable. Doesn’t feel like it, but it is”
Royd
When you explain it- how your brain won’t shut off, how exhausting it is- he listens fully, nodding along, occasionally murmuring things like “Yeah… yeah, that sounds rough”
There’s a moment where his usual easygoing demeanor dips into something more sincere
His smile fades just a bit, and he says quietly, “…That’s gotta wear you down,” not dramatic, just honest, because he genuinely doesn’t like seeing people struggle
His first instinct is to slow things down for you, but in a way that feels natural: “Alright, hey- sit with me for a second”
His humor becomes a tool, not a distraction- just enough to ease tension without overwhelming you: “Alright, new rule- no solving life problems after midnight. That’s illegal now” said with a small grin, helping you step out of that mental loop
Over time, he becomes really good at reading you- when you’re more exhausted than usual, when you’re doing okay- and adjusts naturally, checking in more when you need it, backing off when you don’t
At Toba aquarium in Japan, after closing time, some clever little otter pups help their grandpa tidy up their toys. As a reward, he gives them ice cubes
