A Year in the Life of Cool

Things I like and find Cool.

[melissabenoistupdates]

Via IG Amy Chozick

[artistformerlyknownasbutttrumpet]

i was training a young person at work, and she referred to sexual assault as "SA" out loud, and i immediately was like, "no, it's sexual assault, call it what it is," bc idgaf if the algorithm overlords have taught y'all that you should fear direct language, how tf do any of you expect to ever address real issues with any amount of seriousness if you can't even say the words? imagine an advocate looking a sexual assault survivor in the eyes and asking "did he grape you?" it's absolutely fucking absurd, but these young interns and new hires are coming into an environment where we deal with survivors of all different kinds of abuse, and they're coming with the mindset that the words are as bad as the actions, and that makes them shitty at the job and look juvenile af

i HATE self-censorship for a lot of reasons, but being in crisis work makes it even more frustrating. who are you censoring for? like i am being so fr, WHO are you censoring for? have you even thought it through? people who have been raped know that they have been raped. if someone attempts suicide or is grieving someone who did, saying "sewer slide" isn't going to protect them from any of the feelings. a murder victim's family isn't going to feel better bc you said "unalived" instead of murdered. if anything, it's just extremely invalidating and othering. it's saying "what happened to you is so bad that i won't even say the word," which is NOT trauma-informed care. you are not protecting survivors/victims when you self-censor. the ONLY things you protect when you self-censor are the puritanical ideologies that are being encouraged by rich fascists who want your money and obedience

say the fucking words, guys. just say the goddamn words before i go insane!!!

[estherbarrsstuff]

And everybody's watchin' her but she's lookin' at you ooh ooh 😍 💙❤️💛 I've been missing supercorp lately one of my favorite tv couples!

[boredlore]

I am genuinely so confused by the number of non-men hating on Supergirl 2026. Like genuinely did you watch the movie with your eyes closed???

Like I expect this lack of nuance from cis men when it comes to media literacy and female led superhero movies but Holy Fuck

If you haven’t seen Supergirl don’t let the bad reviews deter you, it was a really awesome film about dealing with grief and about women protecting and supporting each other

Was it a perfect film? No but in my an opinion it was on about the same level as James Gunn’s Superman. Kara’s brand of good just is not the same as Clark’s by virtue of the different things they have suffered but I think the messages of kindness being punk rock and also not being the same thing as niceness are equally valuable lessons. ESPECIALLY for people (particularly women in this movie but I think this could be applied to many minority groups) who are taught to make themselves more palatable and easier for the in-group to digest

I also have been seeing a lot of criticism about Supergirl killing people in this movie….yall. You’re upset about her killing child sex traffickers???????? Did you want the child predators to survive the movie?????? If they had had Lobo do all of the killing you would have complained about Kara being passive in her own movie and if neither of them did anything there would just still be that ring of sex traffickers continuing to do evil

Certain heroes’ unwillingness to kill canonically causes Problems at times within runs of the DC universe. You all were cheering for Hawkgirl dropping Netanyahu out of the sky how is Kara killing an also very bad and evil person who would continue to do evil if left alive worse??? I think the point of both instances is that killing the orchestrator of mass human suffering is net positive

Go watch Supergirl and if you have a daughter, sister or anyone in your life who thinks they are too messy, loud, emotional, to be enough; bring them with you.

[queer-adhd]

Just saying. In the same way that we look back at the death of nazis now and can easily and objectively say that that was a morally good thing to happen... in 50, 75, 100 years, the deaths of our current right wing fascists will be viewed that way.

[queer-adhd]

Also gonna say: I see a lot of people who clearly feel as though their feelings of happiness or relief make them a bad person. Who feel as though celebrating any death makes them bad, because 'violence begets violence' or something vague about how violence is always bad.

And I need you all to know that 1) fascism has never been defeated without the use of violence and 2) 'violence begets violence' is always, for some reason, directed towards the people who the first violence was against. It's never against the people who inflicted the violence to begin with. So yeah, they begat violence in response to their violence. Boo hoo.

[queer-adhd]

'This will trigger backlash' besties they are already killing you??

[queer-adhd]

[queer-adhd]

You fucking get it babey!!

[pangur-and-grim]

I told my little nephew that I'd wave at his airplane when it flew over my house today, and he very calmly and politely explained that it wouldn't be possible to see me due to the limitations of human vision. I said he just had to squint real hard, and he took a deep breath and went into the toddler version of "see, what you're not understanding–"

[dduane]

Meanwhile, via Bluesky...

(See also the video here from ITN.)

[peachesandcows]

I’m gonna need you all to get more obsessed with Supergirl 2026. It’s literally every single sarcastic, messy, depressed, grieving, male lead from recent media that accidentally adopts an angry, young girl (also grieving) which forces him to confront his self destructive behavior and realize the impact he can still make. But she’s a girl. This is the character you all love in every piece of media. I’m begging you all to adore her the same way.

[upiniraz]

It’s literally a genderbent version of “grumpy old man accidentally becomes a single dad” trope

[detective-jane-rizzoli]

[goldenempyrean]

One Way or Another [P2]

〚 Notes - Finally got around to writing this, enjoy! :D 〛

〚 Pairing - Kara Danvers x Lena Luthor 〛

〚 Summary - Kara's going to look after Lena one way or another. 〛

〚 Wordcount - 1300 〛

〘 Check Out My Masterlist! 〙

[Part 1]

╚════════ ⋇⋆✦⋆⋇⋆✦⋆⋇ ════════╝

The rest of the way went by in a blur with Supergirl performing her duties as normal. She saved everyone as usual but there was something nagging at the back of her mind. Lena. 

Every moment she could, she'd tune her ears to listen to the sound of her breathing. She'd known when Lena had fallen asleep some point in the afternoon as she could hear the small, congested snores rising from her chest. 

By the time Alex had finally given her the all-clear to go home, Kara bolted out the door at lightning speeds, only making a detour to the local convenience store to pick up some supplies. Alex had texted her a list of things to pick up, although she still found herself adding extra bits into her basket. If anything, Lena could simply keep them for another time. 

She made her way to Lena's place the normal way, the human way – by the elevator. The guy at the front desk had seen her so many times, he didn't bother asking who she was. He simply buzzed her in with a nod. Kara tapped her foot rhythmically, as she knocked on the door. 

Inside, she could hear Lena slowly shuffle awake. It took a minute, but she could see the outline of the CEO approaching the door through the frosted glass. She stopped just before reaching the handle. Kara wondered if she'd forgotten her key, but a sympathetic smile grew on her lips when the Luthor bent forwards at the waist with an usually loud sneeze before clicking the door open. 

"Bless you!" Kara beamed as the door opened, her eyes falling on the messy, raven hair sitting on Lena's shoulders. She must've managed to sleep a while. 

Lena's eyes widened in surprise as she opened the door fully, not entirely sure she was awake now, "I didn't expect visitors." 

"I look a mess," Lena continued, small creases forming at the corners of her tired eyes as she gave a soft, sleepy smile at the girl in the doorway,"What are you doing here?" She sniffled damply and rubbed at the tip of her nose with a crinkled tissue. 

"I heard you were sick," Kara replied, stepping past Lena and into her kitchen to place the white carrier bag she'd been holding onto the work surface. She reached in and pulled out several different types of medicine along with a pint of cherry ice-cream. 

The CEO hummed quietly, watching Kara unpack the bag. She really did appreciate the effort, as much as she hated to admit it, the paracetamol she'd taken earlier hadn't begun to touch the stubborn headache she'd had all day. Still, something else bothered her-  

"How did you know I was sick?" 

Kara was lucky that her back was to Lena at the time, as her panic-wide eyes would've given her away instantly. She stayed quiet, putting the ice-cream away before turning round with an excuse, "I- I just- You didn't text me back all day?" She finally landed on, steadying her voice to a more nonchalant tone, "Last time that happened, you were throwing up at your office. So, I went by and Jess said you hadn't come in today. Figured you'd be here instead." 

She bit her lip, hoping it was believable. Luckily for her, Lena seemed too out of it to question it. The Luthor nodded and sat down on the stool tucked into the counter, pulling her shoulders a little closer together when a shiver ran down her back. Kara noticed, of course she did and quickly retrieved the blanket from the sofa, bringing it back to hang over her shoulders. 

"Did you take anything yet?" She asked gently, and when the CEO shook her head, Kara began pouring out a dose of the medicine she'd brought, taking too much care to get the exact amount into the little cup, "Here, I'll get you some water too – this stuff apparently tastes awful." 

Lena nodded, taking it back with ease, "Apparently?" 

Kara's mouth dropped open and she fought the urge to slap herself. Twice in one day. She really wasn't on her game right now. She turned back to Lena with a fresh glass of water, "I don't really get sick often." She said quickly, watching the Luthor's face for any chance of disbelief. 

"Lucky you." Lena mumbled, not unkindly as she took a sip of the drink. 

Kara let out a quiet breath, her shoulders loosening just slightly at Lena’s easy acceptance. “Yeah,” She agreed, “Lucky me.” 

Lena made a faint sound of agreement, though it dissolved quickly into a small cough. She turned her head slightly, bringing the tissue up again, her nose scrunching as she tried to stifle it. The movement seemed to take more out of her than it should have. When she settled back against the counter, her eyes fluttered closed for a moment. 

The Kyrptonian instinctively reached for her back, “You okay?” she asked, already stepping closer. 

“I’m fine,” Lena replied automatically, though her voice had taken on a noticeable rasp. She exhaled slowly through her nose, then winced almost imperceptibly. “Just a headache.” She added, when Kara's brows furrowed. 

The blonde lifted her hand, moving slowly enough to give Lena time to pull away if she wanted to. But Lena didn’t. Her fingers brushed lightly against Lena’s forehead. Warm. 

Nothing dangerous but definitely warmer than usual. Kara’s expression softened, concern flickering openly now. “You’ve got a bit of a temperature, sweet girl,” She said quietly. Her hand came to support Lena's back as she ushered her off the stool and back towards the sofa. 

Lena closed her eyes for a moment, leaning ever so slightly into the touch before catching herself. “I assumed as much.” She said, pulling a pillow against her abdomen as she sat back down. 

Kara’s hand lingered for half a second longer than necessary before she pulled it back, clearing her throat softly. “Right. Okay. That’s fine. We can handle that.” 

“We?” Lena echoed, one brow lifting despite her exhaustion. 

Kara didn’t even hesitate. “Yes, we.” That earned her a faint, tired smile. 

“You don’t have to stay, Kara,” Lena said after a moment, her voice gentler now. “I’ll be alright. I know you said you don't get sick often, but I'd feel horrible if you caught this." 

Kara looked at her for a moment, taking in the tired eyes, the blanket wrapped around her shoulders, the way she was clearly trying to convince herself more than anyone else. 

“I know you will,” Kara said gently. “But that doesn’t mean you have to do it alone.” 

Lena didn’t answer straight away. She looked down, fingers tightening slightly around the glass of water in her hands. Being looked after had never come easily to her. She was used to being the person who handled things, the person who showed up when someone else needed help. Not the other way around. 

“You really are impossible,” She finally murmured, though there was no bite behind it. 

Kara smiled. “I’ve heard that before.” A quiet laugh escaped her before she reached over and adjusted the blanket around Lena’s shoulders. The gesture was small, almost absent-minded, but Lena noticed. The Luthor shuffled closer, letting her head rest on the blonde's shoulders, not quite managing to stifle the small yawn that followed. 

"You should try and get some more rest." Kara murmured softly, raising her arm to pull Lena closer to her side, "That medicine should be kicking in soon, it'll help you sleep." 

Lena shook her head, "M'comfy." She mumbled against Kara's shoulder. 

"Sleep like this then," Kara said as though it was the simplest thing in the world, "I'm not going anywhere." 

"Promise?" 

"I promise sweetheart." 

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[one-step-at-a-time25]

Kara randomly repeating words in her head from English to Kryptonian just so she doesn’t forget them… Kara freaking out when she realizes that she thinks more in English than Kryptonian … Kara practicing writing in Kryptonian so she doesn’t forget…

[casualshardlegion]

[gazinatmcgrath]

And then after the shock wears off...

[depsidase]

[depsidase]

[depsidase]

[pangur-and-grim]

I won't publish the ask (they asked me not to), but I thought I'd still answer it publicly!

no, royalties are not a significant source of income for most authors. if you wrote something like Project Hail Mary, then absolutely, the royalties would be substantial! but that's like winning the lottery. Ryan Gosling is not starring in the movie adaption of most books.

when you sell a book to a publisher, you get what's called 'an advance against royalties'. it's usually split into multiple parts, so you might get one third for the initial sale, one third for the final revised manuscript, and one third on the publishing date.

an advance against royalties is the publisher saying "we believe you will eventually make X amount in royalties, so here it is ahead of time." and then you don't actually see any money from royalties until the advance is paid off. most books do not make enough in royalties to pay off the advance (I have two children's books and one fiction book, and have yet to see royalties for any of them).

advances are still great, but you need to make them stretch! for instance, last year my net income was about 30k Canadian (21k USD), which is fantastic when you consider that I mostly made it through writing. but I'm definitely not a millionaire. I can live off my writing (not trying to undersell that!) but I'll probably remain in a low income bracket for the foreseeable future.

this isn't meant to discourage anyone from seeking out writing as a career! however, there is a reason that many authors have alternate jobs with writing on the side. or, you know, rich spouses.

[pangur-and-grim]

this isn't me making a fuss about pirating (I've pirated way too many shows to run my mouth on that lmao), but there IS actually a financial incentive to having people buy your books!

buying books shows the publisher that they can make money off you, which means they're more likely to give you advances for future books. and advances are what authors live off (if they don't have a side job). that's why I always push pre-orders so hard! you have to be a racehorse worth betting on, or else they send you to the glue factory....

if I can offer one alternative to pirating: asking your library to stock the book also helps authors, and doesn't cost anything. the only downside is the patience required.

[pangur-and-grim]

OOPS yes, @stjohnstarling makes a good point! everything I'm saying is from the perspective of traditional publishing, but it's a very different game if you're a self-published author

[gollancz]

I will also add that this is why pre-orders can make a HUGE difference to authors - because if there's enough hype, publishers can pull more levers to build that momentum and reach more readers to help authors earn out their advance faster.