#no discourse please i will simply die

[sasukimimochi]

i wanna ramble about my view on JC but i'm so bad at words

so like, i see posts where people talk about these things JC does or WWX holds back from, i don't wanna go searching but also want to leave these details out cuz i don't want to accidentally call people out cuz that is not my intention (not that i have the audience to do something like that) so i'm just gonna go from my memory and kinda summarize what i think abt him...

gonna add a read more line bc this gets long!

Uh, btw please no hostility i'm not trying to start arguments, these are just my thoughts i really wanted to get out there. i'm definitely no therapist or psychologist so take this with a grain of salt, this is the view of just an average reader who retains a lot of info [tho still manages to miss details at times]. Anyway if you have info you think i should have addressed, reply and i'll make additions if i agree/want to expand on the info presented to me!

So, WWX and JC have a weird thing going on, it's not exactly brothers but they definitely wanted that, the reason why i say they aren't solidly brothers is because i'm pretty sure Madam Yu has influenced JC from the start of his arrival which is why he doesn't call wwx a-xian or Wei Ying or A-Ying- Why he doesn't allow himself to let loose properly around anyone even in private, why he constantly scolds wwx, etc. i believe firmly he's been quite influenced by his parents due to him being the next sect heir and the pressure that comes from it, as well as what he feels like madam yu is correct on- wwx is uncle jiang's favorite.

Madam Yu still chides Yanli for doing domestic acts for WWX but not on the same level as JC, who is constantly under pressure by her to be the perfect heir to the sect. She wants him to be better than WWX, which of course affects all of the family but Yanli gets left out of the fire a bit, which i think is what gives her such a strength to do these supportive acts for the brothers [and why she's also both the brother's favorite. She's basically the mom they wish for. Supportive, understanding, and helps mediate them]. Though this is a burden she has to bear, it's not that big of a burden to her because she loves the two so much.

Jiang Fengmian... i might be spelling his name wrong, so i'll call him Uncle Jiang cuz it will be faster for me to type with no mistakes haha. Anyway, I have complicated feelings about him.

At first i thought he was great and did no wrong, but that was on my first pass and when i had just watched the donghua only. My opinion of him since i read the novel isn't bad, but it's not super good. He's in a complicated position! There's only so much he can do about his wife, they argue super often and while its not usually crazy loud, it's pretty intense. [also, i'm not sure if separation is really a thing that happened back then, i think that's really a modern thing.] I feel like we're likely seeing Uncle Jiang's will to fight dimmed down by the wear of time.

Consider: you have a family member who won't ever listen to what you say, regardless how sound your argument is- you can be completely in the right and have all the facts, but no matter how long you press on, the result never changes. Do you put in the same amount of effort for the rest of your life? No! You understand that no matter how much you argue that their answer will remain the same. I personally have a family member like this, and while i defend myself regularly, it does not go anywhere. That is the nature of some people, no matter what they may not treat your view with the respect it deserves.

anyway back to the main line here, i dont think wwx is wrong about what he said regarding JF to JC. "he's just hard on you cuz you're going to be sect leader" or whatever it was along those lines- WWX does not seem like the type to lie to make someone feel better and i think this is why JC appreciates that conversation so much (besides the heartfelt twin prides which is obviously something that stuck to him for a long time). And i agree, JF is definitely trying to prepare Jiang Cheng for his position as sect leader one day.

do i think Uncle Jiang is completely guilt free of favoritism? No absolutely not, he canonically holds wwx more as a child, which i think is hard to argue against- but i do think the context of that is missed in part by most. WWX may have been a bright kid with sun shining out his ass but he was also a scared kid that just got rescued off the streets after his parents never came home. A kid that was fighting for food from dogs and likely starving and scared because he was on the street for like 5 years [if i remember it was from age 4 to 9 in the novel]. Of course he got held a bit more- i can't imagine he would be completely unphased immediately upon arrival, at least with his Uncle Jiang who was totally willing to provide him comfort- which wwx probably desperately missed from his now dead parents. We know canonically that the memory of those parents, however small, is unreplaceable and dear to wwx- but having JF treat him dearly is truly a balm to what has happened to him.

I'm not gonna say JC didn't go through things that made him cry and want to be held, in fact if WWX came into the house and suddenly got a lot of attention, it's going to feel pretty shitty for JC! Of course this combined with abruptly losing his privacy and puppies was what initially had him pushing the other away, but as you could see, after WY breaks his leg after running off and they make up, they get really close and despite this looming responsibility and family troubles, the two are very bonded. imo making them look like 6 year olds in the donghua is an injustice to their relationship, because 9 year olds tend tend to have more emotional intelligence (?) at that age. I'm not sure how to phrase that, but basically making them look younger and act like giggling children took away from the scene a bit for me lol. Jc is old enough to realize he doesn't dislike wwx! This isn't a child quickly getting over his anger, he's young here yes, but he's decided in this moment that he cares about this new member of the family, despite being called the son of a servant. [which yes madam yu is once again influencing his view of this segregation but i think he is much better at ignoring this particular in his youth]

I am rambling more than i thought i would lmao- i have a lot of feelings about their relationship and i think it's skipped over so much

um, i'm not sure which direction i was going in before i went onto the parents. Let's skip forward.

lotus pier fell and not only did JC see wwx get humiliated and whipped and nearly disfigured, his mother who he was about to lose blamed wwx for so much. When you lose a family member you have an attachment to, whether it bad or good, this influences your thoughts about them and with no way to resolve said thoughts. i find this hard to explain, so i'm just going to hope you understand what i'm referring to here. Especially in ancient china though, i believe it's a big thing to hold such a high regard for your parents, but especially if they have passed? i can't say this is fact but i believe that is the case i just am sticking to my memory here. So these things in combination with Trauma, i believe starts this heavy, negative emotion in JC that is hard to unstick.

JC and WWX may get into a one-sided scuffle but soon after they cry together like children. They just experienced hundreds of lives lost- people they grew up with and trained with and cared for as well as the people who provided and cared for them- their family was unstable, but still was a family and support system- now they had only two people and one of them was far away, the one that was typically their pillar. I feel like a lot of people hold JC to an impossible standard in his situation- having a bad day and taking it out on someone is one thing, going through a traumatic massacre i think allows someone to get a bit unreasonable [though of course nearly choking him was quite far, remember, he's extremely unstable emotionally at this point].

"WWX didn't do that though!" of course not. WWX is a different person with a different personality, is older (though i don't know by how much), and is extremely resilient, but he does process his trauma just differently. As you see over and over in the novel, wwx goes through many things others wouldn't dream of, but he starts acting differently even before the golden core removal, not only after. He's going through the same things, but i'm pretty sure no one reacts to trauma the same way to the T. JC's just happens to be misplaced anger, which is probably way too simple a way to put it, but anyway...wwx also gets angry. very angry. The two both have the correct target of anger in the end, despite Jc's breakdown. He still harbors his mother's words, but at this point they're still in the background of his mind.

Now again we go forward- JC willingly sacrifices himself for WWX. Look, if he doesn't like wwx at all i think this is extremely contradictory. even if he was s*icidal, he could have chose other ways to get to that end if that was the case. and a gentle reminder that JC perks back up and is ready to fight once he believes WWX knows how to fix his core! i don't think he was truly wanting to die or anything like that until he thought he had lost everything except wwx and jyl. He believes in wwx's strength despite his constant fear of inferiority, so if he was gone, what would it matter if wwx was there to continue to protect yanli?

Essentially he was like 'well what are we going to do if i can't lead the sect? We would be in a homeless situation and there is a war.' aka there's not a lot of hope all around, i don't think he was only upset about the core, but it was definitely the main force because if he didn't have a core, how would he survive what was happening anyway? he's like 'if i'm gonna die let it be on my terms' yk? He also doesn't feel like he's strong enough before he lost his core to protect anyone. Without it? fat chance.

whew... this is a lot already, so maybe i'll post this and do a part two later addressing YLLZ arc, then the "present" one. i just have a lot of feelings about their relationship and i'm sad to see so much negativity around him...JC is quite flawed, but a lot of the characters are flawed! that doesn't make them bad characters, it makes them interesting and human.

#sasu speaks #discussion #my ✨ opinions ✨ and facts pulled from novel canon #no discourse please i will simply die #i don't handle discourse well at all #i hope this doesn't feel like discourse god pls #i truly just want my views out there #mdzs #mo dao zu shi #jiang cheng #wei wuxian #wei ying #jiang wanyin #madam yu #jiang fengmian #jiang yanli #yunmeng siblings #uhhh idk what else to tag #so lets just leave it there #the grandmaster of demonic cultivation

[absintheanflare]

who tha hell did i follow to keep getting goddamn rad fem blogs recommended to me im in goddamn hell i domt care abt Genders Discourse. the amount of blogs ive had to block is insane mods help help hep help i spilled my jice

#selfpost #genuinely im tired of this who the fuck!! #is it the fucking hanfu blog??? bro?? i want to look at pretty clothes in peace. i swear to fucj if its the hanfu blog imcgonna die #please i want to live a life of simply viewing art and silly jokes and pretty.clothes. please stop exposing me to discourse. fuck

[uriekukistan]

JJK 261 ANALYSIS: What happened, how, why Yuuta made the choice he did, and a discussion of tragedy & major themes of JJK

MAJOR spoilers below the cut so please read at your risk.

i wanted to dissect what happened a bit, and address a few points i saw floating around since the leaks dropped. of course, these are all my interpretations, so feel free to disagree, i just had a lot of thoughts floating around that i wanted to put out for discussion.

I. Gojo was never coming back

first of all, i don't know how you guys expected him to survive bisection. i said this earlier in the day as my justification for why i didn't think gojo was coming back, prior to leaks, and i don't think i can say it any better now.

and this is just my interpretation of reverse curse technique, but if anything, yuuta in this chapter supports my theory. in the scene where he's on shoko's table and arata nitta says that he's used rct to keep the wounds from getting worse, but it might be too late for yuuta to recover. in that case, gojo wasn't coming back from being sliced in half. it's just not possible.

additionally, and this is another thing that i've said for a long time. he says right in episode 6 (i forgot the chapter) that his dream is to reset the jujutsu world raise up a generation of strong students that work together. that is why he became a teacher. this very clearly comes from his relationship with suguru, and it's one of gojo's clearest motivations from the beginning.

the problem is, in order to achieve this, he has to die. so long as satoru gojo is alive, he will have to carry the burden of being the strongest alone. his students won't have to work together, because gojo will just take care of everything. this is already in the works, with how many people have come together to stand against sukuna. if gojo lived and defeated sukuna on his own, this wouldn't have happened, and bringing him back would, again, reduce the need for his students work together.

unfortunately, gojo has been doomed by the narrative from the start, and his primary goal as a character basically requires his death to be realized in its entirety.

II. They're not heroes, they're jujutsu sorcerers.

yeah, i'm stealing megumi's line because it's true. he literally said it twice for a reason, and then yuuta said a repackaged version of it in this chapter ("we're about to fight history's strongest jujutsu sorcerer. if we can win by throwing away our humanity, we shouldn't even be arguing about this").

trust, all the characters are well aware of the ethical issues with taking gojo's body after he's dead, both with what it means for gojo, and with what it means for yuuta. but this isn't a story about heroism, this isn't a story about the power of friendship. if it was, yuuji would have saved junpei all the way back at the beginning of the series. it was pretty clear from the start that this wasn't going to be the typical shounen manga like that.

in fact, expecting it to be is unrealistic. it's unrealistic in real life too, if i'm being so honest. everyone wants to think they'd take the moral high road in this type of situation, but the reality is, when you're fighting tooth and nail against an opponent that is fighting dirty, you have to fight dirty too if you want to win, and i think that's what yuuta is trying to point out in this chapter.

this happens in real life wars which im not gonna get into examples because i dont want to start that kind of discourse, but like...it's so great to be idealistic and hope that virtue will triumph simply because it is virtuous, but i think if you take a look around, you'll realize it's true that good people do not get what they deserve simply because they're good (that's so megumi of me to say...). or if you think of it like a board game, if a player is cheating, it is infinitely harder to win without cheating yourself.

maybe this is a bit pessimistic of me to say, but you will not win a dirty fight without getting dirty yourself, and i think it's pretty clear that sukuna fights dirty.

additionally, it's shitty to see gojo be weaponized, and i understand that, but it plays into the themes about strength in jjk, which i will get into.

III. This was not an "ass pull."

i don't really have much to say to this. did you think yuuta wouldn't take kenjaku's technique? plus, kenjaku being eaten by rika is probably the only surefire way to ensure that they're dead and won't just hop to another body. i've already said why gojo wouldn't come back, but it makes sense that if yuuta were to copy kenjaku's technique, who else would he body hop into, if not gojo? there's already narrative evidence to support this action, from the guidelines of yuuta's technique, kenjaku's technique, and gojo's technique, to the character of yuuta okkotsu, which i want to do an analysis in a separate post for him, so i won't get into that right now.

idk...to me, all the threads connect, plus i felt like yuuta's return was foreshadowed pretty heavily in 259 & 260, with the mention of yuuta's plan that yuuji couldn't know, and then on the last page of 260, the comparison of sukuna and yuuta, so for me, i always thought that it was not actually gojo, but yuuta at the end of 260.

IV. Themes of JJK: The burden of being "the strongest," or even just strong

even many jjk fans see gojo as "the strongest," and nothing more, doing exactly what the narrative sets up as one of the chief problems of jjk. a lot of gojo's actions are spurred on by the burden he feels from being the strongest modern sorcerer. his entire character is built around this problem of the responsibility and burden that falls on someone who's considered to be "the best" at anything.

in fact, this is also a driving point for geto too, and the conflicts geto and gojo come into with each other, as well as geto's inevitable fall from grace. it all comes from this issue that's at the core of jujutsu society. gojo recognizes that, and, as i mentioned, that is why he became a teacher. so that no young sorcerers will feel the burden of being the strongest alone.

the problem is this is easier said than done. after gojo dies, this burden gets passed down to yuuta, and he feels that immense pressure, which is why he decides to do what he does. he says "haven’t we been pushing the burden of being a monster onto gojo-sensei alone? if gojo-sensei is gone, then who else will be the monster? If no one intends to become one, then I will!" and i think this really powerful evidence of the pressure and burden of being the strongest, and i think the word monster is really important here. the burden pushes people to be something they're not, a shadow of their true self.

it distorts morality, like with geto. it isolates people, like with gojo. it forces people to go to unspeakable lengths to uphold their burden, like with yuuta. it leads people with immense power to doubt themselves, like with megumi. it leads people to feel like a cog in the machine, not a human, like with yuuji.

this is sooo so important and a key theme of jjk, and this chapter in particular, and the driving force behind yuuta's actions.

V. Themes in JJK: Loneliness and Isolation

this one has, in my opinion, a bigger role in the story overall than just in this chapter.

as i mentioned before, gojo is lonely. the only person who could understand him was geto, and he turned away from him, and then died. he seems like a silly guy or whatever, but it's just a mask.

but geto also felt alone and isolated, and that's why he turned away. between gojo and geto, neither of them were able to put share the burden of carrying their strength alone, and it's what kept them apart and made their relationship so tragic.

arguably, and though he would never admit it, sukuna is also lonely, though it's buried deep within him and something he will likely never acknowledge, despite it, and his lack of understanding of love (arguably a symptom of his loneliness), are major reasons for the way he acts.

yuuta, though supported by maki, inumaki, and panda in a way that the previously mentioned characters are not, is still isolated. he alone carries the burden of his strength. he was also alone his whole life after rika died, and then again when he was shipped off to africa, away from his friends (yeah he had miguel, maybe i'm missing something, but i dont see them having that type of relationship.

not only that, but yuuta recognizes gojo's loneliness, and reaches out to tell him not to try to stand by himself once again, and gojo admits that's something he can't do, the reason being his relationship with geto.

even further, yuuji and megumi, the parallel to satosugu, are both deeply lonely, except for when they have each other. i mentioned in this analysis that the reason megumi can't just get up and keep going is because he's alone and has been for over a month. i want to get into this more in my next point.

VI. Where I think (hope) this leads for JJK

a satisfying ending for jjk, in my opinion, would be the resolution to this loneliness and burden of strength issue that has been present throughout the narrative. something like yuuji being able to save megumi and them being able to correct what went wrong with satosugu in their own relationship.

personally would like to see satosugu reach the ending they should have had through the itafushi parallels - let them save each other! but i do know gege said only one of them (the trio + gojo) will die, or only one will live....that was years ago maybe he changed his mind :D

we all want to see yuuji take down sukuna himself, but i think it would be a great resolution to see everyone take down sukuna as a team. no one person is alone, no one person has the burden of the strongest. i know i said this wasn't a "power of friendship" manga, and i stand by that, but i think this would be the perfect ending. yuuta throws his humanity away to do what he did in 261 because he felt like it was the only choice and it was something he alone could do, but yuuji represents unwavering humanity (literally his name), and i think to preserve that, they all need to share that burden. let them realize they need each other.

this is what gojo died for, and this is what he lived for. this is why he became a teacher in the first place- to raise a generation that can be strong together, that can support one another.

VII. "It's poorly written torture porn!" "There's no point if there's no happy ending!" etc

i said this in a separate post but tragedies have existed in literature since the 6th century BCE, 2600 years ago. many of the most popular stories throughout history have been tragedies, for example, orpheus & eurydice, romeo & juliet, even things like the fault in our stars and the titanic movie. here's a quick explanation of what it means for a story to be a tragedy (yeah it's from wikipedia but they want me to pay to access the original source and im not doing that for a jjk analysis)

one of things i like most about this definition is the use of the word "catharsis," which is to say that the expression of strong emotions is a way of bringing about renewal and relief. in literature, it's used to say that with the arousal and following release of negative emotions relieves suppressed emotions for the viewer. im not gonna get too personal with it, but i know i've experienced this with jjk.

additionally all of the aforementioned tragedies, they have a message, no matter how sad they are. orpheus & eurydice inspires perseverance and faith in the gods. even something like titanic has messages about everlasting love that overcomes all boundaries. jjk has its message too, and it's long underway. we just have to wait for it to reach its conclusion.

it's easy to lose sight of the bigger picture when we only get one chapter a week, and the fact that the pain is so dragged out is a bit tiring, i'll admit. but that doesn't mean it's bad. having negative emotions stirred by a story doesn't mean bad writing. i mean, i would hope you feel sad. i would hope you feel angry. i would be concerned if you didn't. but given that jjk is a tragedy, that just indicates good writing. especially these last two chapters, i've felt moved in a way nothing else has done for me in a long time.

as always, these are just my thoughts!!! im happy to hear from anyone what they think :D

#jujutsu kaisen #jjk #gojo satoru #sukuna #yuuta okkotsu #jjk leaks #jjk spoilers #jjk 261

[thegoldencontracts]

Every Unethical Act Azul Has Committed (And Why None Of Them Were Actually Illegal)

We don't even need this list. I know, I know. But it was funny.

Notes: This may seem a bit redundant but clarification, discourse, and the like are always welcome! I'm not a lawyer, so please tell me if I've made any errors.

Slavery- It's legal based on some very specific technicalities that I will go into if you ask - Basically, it's boiled down to he likely can claim this as an employment agreement with a TRAP clause which is unethical but still technically legal. There's been some movements to make it illegal but none have been fruitful yet (not in the US, at least).

Child Labor and Contracts With Minors - The way he went about it is unethical, yes, but this is legal because 1. They were above the legal working age in most states 2. Crowley seems to have agreed to the Mostro Lounge's work and approved their hours and 3. Contracts signed by minors aren't automatically voided, they simply have an option to be voided with parental approval.

Possession of Property - He rendered the main character homeless, which is deeply unethical, but once again, not illegal. They signed the contract agreeing to give him their home, and he didn't actively threaten them. Crowley could be held liable for child neglect, but Azul's hands are (legally but definitely not ethically) scot-free.

Assault - We've never actually received canon proof that Azul attempts murder. Though other Overblotters are shown doing so, Azul hasn't. Also, the reason we stop the overblotters is for their own safety -they'll die if he don't. His true Unique Magic could still count as assault, though. Here, his defense is automastim, though whether it'd be classified as insane or sane I'm not quite sure.

Blackmail - Wording. Wording is everything. Blackmail is a crime, but Azul's wording makes it so he isn't technically blackmailing anyone.

Bribery - See previous section.

Solicitation - When Azul sends out the twins to harass clients. Wording is once again key here. Azul sent them out, by technicality, to 'assist' in dealing with clients. Add onto this that Jade doesn't usually do much in terms of physical harm and suddenly - Would you look at that? Floyd just happened to harm the client. Look at him, so short-tempered. Tsk. He's the only one with legal issues here, not Azul and Jade! (Side-Note: F in the chat for Floyd)

None of this is meant to woobify Azul. In fact, I believe this serves as a testament to his skill with loopholes <3

#twst #twisted wonderland #twst analysis #azul ashengrotto

[neressma]

Palworld arguments and how to deconstruct them (+ common misconceptions)

Instead of making call-out posts targeting specific people like an SJW tumblrina in need of attention, I will provide general counter-arguments everybody can use within the Palworld discourse. I am sick and tired of AI-art getting normalized, this issue is getting out of hand and we must spread awareness for the sake of artists everywhere.

YOU ARE ENCOURAGED TO EDUCATE PALWORLD DEFENDERS, BUT DON'T ATTACK THEM PLEASE!

Without further ado, here common arguments by Palworld fans and how you can deconstruct them.

1. "So you're defending a multibill. corp?!"

This is a common argument used by Palworld defenders. Within their narrative, Pokemon designs are a direct product of their Nintendo (the multibillion dollar company in question) and you're totally bootlicking them if you're pointing out the obvious plagiarism - as if the very heads of Nintendo were the ones creating the Pokemon designs... The truth, of course, is that individual artists provide these designs FOR Nintendo. Instead of "taking from the rich" like Palworld fans claim, their game actually steals from these artists. Hence, those who call out Palworld aren't die-hard Nintendo fans as much as they are people who simply call out plagiarism in defense of artists. I would even go as far as to add that people who defend PocketPair (the developers of Palworld) and those who buy the game just for the sake of controversy (yes, it's been done) are themselves adamant defenders of a corporation. Since they imagine others to be blindly defending Nintendo, it's bordering hypocrisy.

2. "It's not plagiarism"

If you show a Palworld defender one of Palworld's character designs and the Pokemon it's based on, they will in some cases start pointing out the differences between the two in order to claim there's no plagiarism involved. This is easy for them to do because the Palworld design you showed them isn't quite a rip-off of a Pokemon, no. It's actually the rip-off of TWO Pokemon. In fact, most Palworld designs tend to use the model of one Pokemon and some features of a other, along with some final alterations that are unique. Once you point this out, it's easy to notice on most if not nearly all Palworld designs. Here is an example that comes with a visual analysis, provided by @RaphDesLandes (a gamedev!) on X:

3. "There's no proof of PocketPair using AI!"

Not only is there proof of it, but that same proof shows that the devs run servers for AI programs, the same which they use for their game "AI Impostor", a game in which the core mechanic is the use of an AI-image generator. Here is the most flagrant example (I hid the developer's name because I'm not that kinda guy).

Of course, I don't blame people who didn't know this. It's far from being common knowledge amongst Palworld fans, after all. That's why it's important to spread the word though.

4. "Gamefreak should'a made better games!"

It's not a secret: Nintendo and GameFreak have been letting us down with the recent Pokemon games on the Nintendo Switch. From poor writing to bad graphics, many fans (myself included) are unsatisfied. Palworld players praise the games' quality, claiming that it's existance is justified by the fact it's programmed better than recent Pokemon games. While it's understandable that one would want to play games with superior programming, it doesn't justify plagiarism (they could've just made a Pokemon fangame or a mod), and, well... it's simply false and doesn't apply.

Here is a link to a tweet showing one of Palworld's game-breaking glitches.

Not only that, but Palworld is mostly made up of Unity Engine assets, and it's controls are wonky. They're reminiscent of Garry's mod, which came out in 2006, except Gmod is faster.

5. Bonuses

-evidence of PocketPair using Pokemon fans' art to model their characters after (post by @onion_mu on X)

-every Palworld-Pokemon lookalike (source unknown but reposted by @hejibits on X)

-and also: deconstructing the (partial) myth around Palworld's success on Steam

Lastly, it's important that I point this out, even if it's unrelated: Pocket Pair devs have received death threats. This is unacceptable. I encourage everyone reading this to create an online-environment where people discuss and debate with rationality, rather than such shameful behaviour. To me, people who send others death threats are no better than thieves, so please stay respectful!

Thank you for reading 🖤 Please let me know if the link on 4. doesn't work or the post got taken down!

#neressma #palworld #art theft #ai art #pokemon #pal world #pocket pair #pocketpair #steam

[utilitycaster]

I know there have been many Takes about Laudna and Orym after latest episode. Yours saying that this is not a bad development for Orym is interesting to me because my knee-jerk reaction while watching was being horrified he went so cold about Bor’Dor’s death. But after some time, I guess him finally choosing to be pragmatic after days torn by his own idealism would be a much healthier route for him in the long run.

I want to know what you think about Ashton, though. Some people are saying, they “let” Laudna kill Bor’Dor because they thought it’s what she needed. That sits wrong with me because Laudna made that decision and she’s not a child, but Ashton is my favorite character and I can’t help think I am biased lol.

Please excuse my badly structured sentences, I’m not native speaker.

Hi anon! Your English is great!

I think this is a revealing question in that, in fandom, I think a lot of people lead with "well, obviously, my favorite character is clearly morally in the right, or, failing that, the character I don't like is morally in the wrong" rather than considering the situation, the context, the genre norms, what makes for the most interesting story, etc. So recognizing that Ashton's your favorite and that might be coloring your opinion puts you ahead of a lot of people.

Anyway: I think it can be true both that Laudna made her own decision and that Ashton could, had they wanted, chosen to make an effort to stop her and they didn't. I don't think that means Ashton is responsible for what Laudna did per se, but I also don't personally think he had a moral imperative to save Bor'Dor. I think someone who thinks he did have that moral imperative might disagree, but they should also be blaming Laudna just as much in that case.

Someone else remarked to me that based on the discourse you'd think Orym - the only person who did not attack or restrain Bor'Dor - executed him in cold blood. Just to recap the fight: we only really had one round during which Orym gave Prism a potion to heal her up and did bait and switch to protect her; Ashton hit, with non-lethal intent; Deni$e restrained Bor'Dor; Laudna cast Hunger of the Shadow, knocking Bor'Dor unconscious; and Prism punched him. The following round was technically not run as combat in initiative order, and had it been, Bor'Dor could theoretically have died of a failed death save before Laudna's turn, but Orym and Deni$e made no attacks and Ashton chose to lead away Prism. Probably any of the three martial class characters could, had they wanted to, stopped Laudna. None of them did.

Which I think goes back to the second paragraph: In the end? I think most people are making their judgments of whether or not they think Bor'Dor should die, and even further back to whether or not the Ruby Vanguard is a cultish, terrorist organization, deciding on whether his death was justified or not, and then, if they think it was not, pinning blame on the character they like least. You can argue for any, though frankly, I think Orym is the weakest argument: Laudna is the one who literally killed him, both knocking him unconscious and taking the final death save. Prism took the most death saves with her punch. Ashton dealt a significant amount of damage and did not intervene when Laudna had an unconscious Bor'Dor at her mercy. Deni$e is the one who initially brought up her suspicions, forcing Bor'Dor's hand, and similarly made no physical effort to stop anyone. Orym indicated his approval to Laudna and did not try to stop her.

I think that had Bor'Dor not attacked the party, and had instead simply run away, tracking him down and killing him would have been excessive, but on the other hand, he had a lot of information that could have been extremely dangerous to Bells Hells, so at the very least I think they needed to take him prisoner; but he's not wanted by any specific legal system, so I think he'd just be their hostage, dragged along, indefinitely, as they attacked his friends over and over again. There isn't a nice, neat solution where everyone is happy. Deradicalization is an admirable goal, but it requires a massive amount of effort and resources that I don't think Bells Hells have, and no one should be expected to deradicalize someone who is actively committing violence against them. Once Bor'Dor attacked, to me, this became self-defense and an admission that he was lost: that he'd spent several days with them during which they were kind to him, but because of their ideologies, he attempted to kill them anyway. At that point, I don't fault any of the characters present for killing him/letting him be killed in response.

I guess the last point I'll make is that while, in terms of empathy, there is obviously a huge difference between killing someone regretfully, and killing someone and relishing it, they are, in the end, dead either way. I don't interpret Orym's behavior as cold, but rather merely calm acceptance that he can no longer avoid the inevitable war - and I do think that acting as though Orym's subjectivity in this situation is problematic while ignoring that Prism and Laudna were in no way objective either is an incredibly poorly considered argument, and deeply unfair- but in the end, whether Orym is stoic or whether he breaks down crying, Bor'Dor is still dead. I am not going to fault a character for having an outward emotional reaction that doesn't match what I think it should be when I think their motivations were reasonable.

#answered #Anonymous #critical role #I think a lot of people are mistaking empathy for forgiveness or mercy #i think Orym's actions are deeply empathetic. I think he sees that a few differences in circumstances could have made him a vanguard member #and he also sees that the vanguard's response to their own pain is to make more orphans and widowers of innocents in the name of ideology #and that prism - the one person who believed bor'dor - would have been the collateral damage #anyway sorry for making this about orym again but I think it's necessary context for understanding why i'm like ashton's fine #bc they're all fine imo

[teyamsatan]

Hi x i wanted to talk about something that has happened to me recently, because i feel like it needs to be addressed lol. I would have never considered talking about it if the person in question had had an ounce of maturity and respect, but she obviously doesn’t, and it’s my reputation on the line and my fault for expecting it hahahah.

So a few days ago, the whole Jake is Jacob debacle happened on tumblr, which to me was cute and harmless and fun. Now some people really feel the need to bring other people down and prove (to themselves only, let’s be honest) how “superior” and “intelligent” they are, so she started making fun and basically insulting the OP of the post, which really upset me. I didn’t say anything about it and quietly unfollowed the person, because if i find content I disagree with, that is (to me) the only way to approach the situation.

Anyway, later, i was made aware that she continued trash talking people in the fandom, continuing this tired narrative that despite being the one to initiate it, she was the “victim” bullied by “kids”, which i resented, for a couple of reasons.

1. Ageism is ageism no matter the form it comes in. It is no different to shit on a person just for being young and minding their business, than it is to do so with people who are older.

2. I’m tired of the “i was here first and therefore i am inherently better than you” stupid narrative. You don’t get a cookie cause you found something sooner, pls PLEASE understand that.

3. The “everyone is so young” bs is simply not true. I am the same age as her, so are some of my mooties or just a couple years older, and we’re all here, and we’re all trying to have a good time, and that’s what matters. None of us are out here flaunting our age or our maturity, because it is inconsequential.

4. Saying to someone that their “pre-frontal cortex” isn’t fully developed, is fucking ridiculous. What a stupid argument. You’re really going to insult someone for something they have reasonably absolutely no control over and try to use it as an insult against them? Girlie, in 2023? Do you understand how stupid that is? You think you’re superior cause your mum pushed you out a few years earlier like you had anything to do with it??? Like idk that is wild to me.

5. You can’t insult people on here for “being young and dumb” and how much “better” and “more mature” you are, and then in the same breath pick a fight with them and be willing to die on that hill. Because if you have any sort of common sense, that would imply that you must be succumbing to their levels and you are not capable of having any higher level discourse. Like how do you not see that that you're just proving to everyone how immature you truly are?

So, i wrote her an ask. Not on anon, not trying to start anything, just an ask telling her my opinion and telling her that as someone who is the same age as her, her behaviour is disappointing.

Now i need you to see the message because she won’t show it to you, because she wants to build this narrative that people are “harassing” her. Please note that nobody is “harassing” her. If i wanted to harass her, I could and I would not do it with my username intact. I wanted to her to understand the opinion (that i share with my friends and mooties) of someone who’s the same age as her. She won’t answer it because she knows there is no way to spin this in her favour.

Instead, what she can do, is what she does best. Trying to spin this negatively, insulting me and my writing (you’re 26 and the best you could come up with is “god awful cringey ass fics”? ouch, that hurt.) and tagging it “neteyam imagine” cause what person who wants to read neteyam fics doesn’t want to see that. Now again, she is blocked for me because I absolutely do not want to engage with people like her, but i was made aware of this and since she’s talking about me and could potentially come to people’s inboxes or dms and talking trash about me, i wanted you besties to know and to read everything and make your own minds about it, having all the information, not just what she deems appropriate to give you.

Anyway, sorry for this long ass rant, but it needed to be said. Please, if you don’t agree with someone, especially if it’s over something so incredibly trivial as a name, let it go. It’s not worth it. If it’s something not trivial, block. It’s not worth it. Insulting someone for things they have no control over doesn’t put you on top, it makes you a dick. Acting like you’re inherently better cause you’ve been in a fandom longer isn’t cool, trust me. Just please, save your energy and put it in your art, in your job, in your relationships, in yourself.

Now, i will go write my cringey ass fics 😉 good luck besties, and smooches.

ALSO!!! DO NOT engage with this person. PLEASE. Please do not prove her right. Please do not leave her anon hate or anything of the sort, please please please. It’s not worth it.

#xoxos #should i tag this neteyam imagines too???? #ೃ⁀➷ andra rambles #ೄྀ࿐ andra’s personal stuff ˊˎ

[animentality]

Can I just say as a lesbian with a lesbian Durge - when it comes to Gortash I imagine that she and him were absolutely inseparable besties. They absolutely meant the world to each other and loved each other, but platonically. I still love them and the insane ride or die bestfriendship dynamic I imagine for them. And then I also have a gay dude Durge, the default dragonborn, and I ship him with Gortash. So, two Durges, two timelines, two perfectly valid interpretations of the relationship based on in-game evidence, and zero issues. It is really not that difficult!

(People might as well complain “what about my lesbian Tav” in response to all the Astarion/Tav shipping like. Lol. So I don’t understand how anyone is trying to make the relative popularity of Durgetash amongst people with gay or bi Durges a point of general contention tbh. More likely someone is just annoyed by the ship but couldn’t just say that and had to make up discourse about it.)

Anyway, the elephant in the room is this. Won’t someone PLEASE think of the poor straight man Durges? Forced into homosexuality with Gortash, by all 10 Durgetash shippers on the internet??? How will they ever recover?????

ANON, you hit the nail on the head.

They just don't like Gortash. And I don't CARE. I know most people DON'T.

None of my friends get it at ALL. But they're still my friends.

I think Dark Urge fans are just in smaller supply than regular Tavs, so you take Dark Urge content wherever you can...and it just so happens, that Durgetash fans are highly active.

And they're just disgruntled because they want us to obsess with THEIR OCs, like bro, come on now.

We all get to play with our own OCs here. The Dark Urge is just an origin.

No one said your lesbian Durge had to do anything. No one ever put a gun to your head and said, love Enver.

Imagine your OC kissing him.

Ugh. I hate Twitter discourse.

It's a bunch of "unpopular take but-" and then followed by the most popular take in existence.

No one but a small fringe group of lunatics likes Gortash.

Just leave us alone and chill the fuck out.

Go attack Astarion girlies for making tav a straight woman every time.

Also, anon, about your lesbian durge...that's the beauty of durgetash.

It's subtle in the game, so if you want to pretend they weren't hooking up...then they weren't hooking up.

It's literally so subtle, most people just don't notice it.

All you have to acknowledge is, they once worked together.

You don't have to imagine them banging if you don't want to.

They could, simply be, simply roommates.

So I don't get the hand wringing and the pearl clutching.

The game is soooo milquetoast on confirming canon behaviors from both the dark urge and tav anyway, that you could straight up headcanon just about anything, and have it make sense.

in fact, i wish durgetash WAS more prominent, so as you said, the majority straight male audience of bg3 who plays the dark urge would be forced to confront their character being a little bicurious, lmao.

#baldurs gate 3 #dark urge #enver gortash #writing #durgetash

[colemckenzies]

Jesus Christ Superstar: Ultimate Edition

this easter It Is Time. using my years of fixation and research i present to you The Best Version of every song from jesus christ superstar, plus commentary. obviously subjective opinion so do feel free to discourse in the tags bc as you may have picked up i enjoy talking about the relative merits of jcs productions. also i might not even stand by this in a week bc i find it hard to keep multiple versions in my head at the same time for comparison and there are so so many versions.

please note that acting, vocal quality, music direction, and where available staging have all been taken into account. act 2 in rb bc of link restrictions.

heaven on their minds - 2012 broadway revival

obviously in terms of pure vocals carl anderson is unbeatable forever, but the staging of the 2012 broadway revival pips it for me. josh young's voice is still gorgeous and the judas/jesus/mary throuple is everything. i love versions where hotm is sung directly To jesus, and i love that in this version jesus actually listen and takes judas' concerns on board. the love and respect between all three of them is palpable and even though it is a serious disagreement, part of that disagreement comes from the fact that they care about each other so much. that's tragedy baby!

special mention to henrike tönnes on the 2022 rob carroll version, i specifically like the Ending of the song for that one. also the sarcastic clap along w the disciples that judas does in the 2013 hungary version.

what's the buzz/ strange thing mystifying - 2018 tv event

annoyingly this isn't on youtube but tbh the staging is nothing mindblowing. i think what's the buzz is a great song for showcasing the usp of each version and in this one i think being able to hear the real crowd actually cheering for jesus (john legend) really adds to the narrative. i also absolutely love brandon victor dixon and as i have said before he would be one of my favourite judases if judas were straight. sara bareilles does a great 'offended' face when he bitches about her lmao.

honourable mention to the 2012 uk arena tour for again showing off the conceit of 'modern day activists' really well in this song, not forgetting of course WOTS THE BUZZ #buzz tweet

then we are decided - 2013 hungary

(starts at about 9:49) obviously not a huge amount of competition for this one, i wish more versions included it bc it's a great song :( anyway i loveee the staging choice to have everyone else freeze-framed on stage with the priests walking among them, and i freaking love this caiaphas. literally inserting it into what's the buzz also works nicely

i do miss kurt yaghjian from the 1973 film tho, forever obsessed with his voice and facial expressions. extra shout out to the striving artists version for simply existing.

everything's alright - 2006 austria

something about the musical direction in 90% of versions of this song goes right through me, like there is always some weird instrument that makes me Cringe. but this version is Nice :) really enjoy how Pissed this judas is. and i love the way the long notes last into the next section of the song. i will say i prefer the alt melody for 'people who are hungry' but you can't have everything

this is a really nice one on the all-female cast recording as well, obviously it's already the most female-heavy song of the show but shoshana bean's judas is particularly good here i think. also of course carl anderson with tears in his eyes grasping ted neely's hands while the music swells is ingrained on my brain for all time.

this jesus must die - 1994 studio cast

this album as a whole is probably my Least Favourite JCS Ever, but i will admit that this song fucks. the haunting eeriness at the beginning. the way it kicks into a funky little syncopated rhythm. the disembodied hosannas. unexpected delight.

2012 uk arena tour is unfortunately disqualified for having possibly the Most antisemitic portrayal of the priests, which is a shame because it's probably my favourite casting. one of my favourite annas portrayals, but in general all of them are distinct and fully embodied which does make that version very fun to watch. i also really enjoy the 2019 castaway productions version for this song, the way they play instruments while they sing like a lil band, and caiaphas' eye make-up is sick. 1973 film is obviously also iconic with the little scaffolding tippy taps, and the way kurt yaghjian sings 'a trick-or-two with lepers'. i love this song sorry.

hosanna - 2017 striving artists

i kind of don't have justification for this one LOL i just like it. i know there are versions that are sung better and really the staging is quite important for this song but idk i just find this version really calming. i don't know if it's the music direction? i don't know enough about music tbh

admittedly this is another one that works really well for the 2018 tv event, but doesn't quite win for me as the crowd don't cheer in all the right places and john legend doesn't react at all to the 'would you DIE for me?' line which is crucial. for good reaction to that line the 2000 film where it elevates the bitchy gay tension in the love triangle really nails it.

simon zealotes - 2011 austria

EASYYY WIN FOR ME this is actually the song that made me want to pick a best version for each one because this version IS so much better than any other one for me. the guitar!!!!!! rob's energy!! the music design for this one really fucks so severely and then there's just rob jumping around hyping up the crowd (there is a film version from 2008 on youtube, but i wanted to capture the music for this one). iconic.

big love also to hungary 2013 for having a simon who's in a wheelchair, particularly notable when it's really the highest energy role in the show. i do enjoy.

poor jerusalem - 2022 rob carroll

i cannot find any information about this album other than what's on spotify but i do enjoy the slight alt melodies in this version and i like his voice.

not a lot to go into for this song really. i like the ben forster version a lot as well, and the 1996 london cast version. 'close your eyes' is a better lyric than 'live a lie'. moving on.

pilate's dream - 2022 all-female cast

may be biased bc I LOVE ORFEH but i just think this version is so gorgeous. i love the little vocal drifts without going too overboard and distracting from the song. the music composition is especially pleasing as well.

there's a lot of honourable mentions i could give here bc i think pilate has so much potential for power and gravitas, but 1973 film, 2012 uk arena tour, 2013 hungary, and east end theatrical ensemble. are also big favs. in terms of staging i love the fact that 2019 castaway productions has jesus himself on stage playing the backing piano like he actually is haunting pilate.

the temple - 1992 australia

australia 1992 habitually has some of the most interesting and creative music direction and this is one of the songs where it particularly pays off. love the whistles. i also like that the second 'get out' is spoken, not screamed. the second half is appropriately creepy with the sustained 'chriiiist'. pretty boring staging but at least the costumes are fun.

i don't know how to love him - east end theatrical ensemble

possibly controversial choice but ugh i love this version i even love how low the sound quality is. like listening to a vinyl. i think her voice is so gorgeous and i love her accent. deeply soothing to listen to. i feel like im in the 70s rn.

i'm also a huge fan of the 1996 london cast recording, joanna ampil has such a sweet voice and the way she emotes so that you can really Hear it works well for this song. special shout out to 2012 uk arena tour which i don't think is a particularly amazing version but we get the absolute gunshow from mel c at the end so we love it.

damned for all time/blood money - 1973 film

CARL!! I feel like 1973 film and 1996 london album are at a disadvantage in this bc they're what i grew up with so i kind of take them for granted but this is undeniably iconic. no one can commit to the tortured soul but belief he's doing the right thing like him. the way he can scream but it still sounds Good. i prefer versions that have annas suggest 'a fee' rather than caiaphas just repeating himself so that's here too. the weird keening way he sings 'on thursday night'. annas dropping the coins just as he reaches for them. UGH so good. a lot less brassy than other versions as well.

this is another song that kinda fucks in every version, but the original 1970 album and the 2018 tv event are particularly good i think. also that one bit in 2012 uk arena tour where annas is like '...... get up off the floor.'

#jesus christ superstar #jcs #jcsposting #please don't let this flop i spent all day on it. #will try to add act 2 on rb now otherwise it will be a new post lmao #Spotify

[spindaonateaspoon]

Since my perfect wonderful sexy patron is enabling my nonsense, let me introduce everyone to a deep point of discourse at all my family gatherings

Please feel free to defend your case in the replies. I want the notes looking like the Acropolis

#submission #i can actually add and subtract how many options on my end! #but I like seeing your cute options so pls keep having fun with them #thank you again arentordinarypeople-adorable ilu #spinda poll

[itsjaywalkers]

hi laurie <3 how is your health? do you feel better?

there’s another big discourse about regulus character, what is ooc for him, what is not, was he right, did he deserve redemption or did he deserve to die as villain. you know, same old conversation, but it made me curious about your vision of his character! how do you view him in canon? do you think he was more morally dark than grey or more grey than dark? tell me everything please <3

hi lovely!! my health's fine, i'm completely recovered!! it was a tough week but i survived that stupid chest infection

oooooh u know i don't care about discourse but i love how u just brought it up to . turn it into a nice lil debate and ask about my portrayal of a character <333

we obviously don't get a lot about reg in canon but i think we get enough!! a couple of what could be core traits (since what we learn of him is all from sirius pov who's . quite biased) and some of his backstory!! so yes, he's kind of a blank slate of a character, which is incredibly fun when it comes to fanfiction but also . i truly believe there's a foundation here, even if a tiny unstable one yk??

anyways, to me, regulus is quite morally grey, but i don't think . he's more dark or more grey . the lovely kat (@messrsage) wrote a very interesting post about this a while ago, they talked about how the black brothers are both morally grey, and that sirius isn't more good or regulus more bad. they move up and down the spectrum, depending on who they keep as friends, on what influences them and their environment. i think the word kat used was morally fluid?? or something along those lines. and i absolutely agree!!

i don't believe sirius was better or inherently good. i just think that they had different responses for the same trauma. that they surrounded themselves by very different kinds of ppl. neither of them is in the right or in the wrong, yk?? they're both victims!! regulus thought that . obeying and listening to their parents and doing what he was told was the best course of action and there's nothing wrong with that

sirius implies that reg wasn't . capable of thinking on his own . that he was 'soft enough to believe them' (referring to their parents) which has always made me think that . despite reg definitely believing in blood supremacy and all that bullshit, at least for a while, it wasn't because he rationalised the whole thing all by himself and thought it was True and Right and Genuine, but that walburga and orion said this was how the world worked and he didn't think of questioning it. sirius did and look where that got him, right?? and besides, those are his parents, and despite how strict and cruel they can be sometimes, they love him, regulus knows they do, so why would they lie. i think he was comfortable, in a way, in the life that his parents made for him, and if not fighting back and agreeing with everything also stopped the abuse then even better

it's like the death eater thing. i'm sure his family had a lot to do with it!! and sure, it was also implied that reg had this weird nerdy fixation with voldemort, but i don't think that means . he was bad . voldemort was such a powerful wizard, and his family, or at least part of it, supported him and chose to follow him, so why wouldn't he find him interesting?? or even worthy of admiration?? he ended up betraying him and sacrificing himself the moment he realised what voldemort actually intended to do. besides, he was a fucking kid. people tend to forget that he was literally 16 when he joined the death eaters. and idk about u, but i was a fucking idiot at 16. not awful or anything, ofc, but i still did and said a lot of shit i'm not proud of, simply bc i didn't know better. but the thing is that i wasn't expected to!! bc again, i was just a kid!! doesn't excuse any of my mistakes, but i do think it's a fact that u gotta take into account when u try to judge someone

i think regulus wasn't a hero, but he wasn't a villain either. i think he was a terrified boy trying to survive. trying to make his family proud. and by the time he finally realised his mistake, it was too late. he still tried to fix his shit, and i think that matters. does that make him a good person?? nah, not really. but i think it makes him human

on a more surface level, my regulus is . proud . stubborn . spoiled . posh . mean in a non-targeted way, it's never personal to him (or not usually) and he's not trying to hurt anyone, it's just . a defence mechanism?? part of his personality, in a way. he isn't trying to be cruel on purpose. i think he's also a curious person, but it's a part of him he tends to ignore or supress, bc his parents don't like it. i think he's a follower and that he hates being the centre of attention, but at the same time, he's jealous of the way sirius seems to have everyone's eyes on him when he enters a room. he can be petty and resentful, but he's also shy and quiet and so very soft. it's a side of him that not a lot of ppl get to see, bc it's weak, but it's very much there, and i think that's the regulus that sirius knew most of his life. the regulus that he knew (or at least wanted to believe) was still there, which probably make him speak of him in such a . gentle way?? like yes, he called him an idiot but he has no qualms about cursing the rest of his family out, and he's pretty mean to all of them (with good reason) except andromeda and regulus. to me, that means he still loved his brother, and if sirius is still capable of . caring about regulus, at least to a certain degree, without even knowing about his change of heart . well . he couldn't have been that awful

there's also quite the debate about the kreacher thing, and whether reg was actually kind-hearted enough to believe and defend elves' rights or if it was simply the fact that it was kreacher, his house elf, and nothing else. personally, i don't think it matters that much. whatever his reason was, he still decided to betray voldermort over it, and tried to do the right thing, even tho the risk was High and he didn't know if he'd make it. that's what i believe says more about his character than what his exact tipping point was

and god i'm gonna shut up now, this turned out to be so ridiculously long i just . find regulus so interesting SORRY NONNIE😭

#asks #anons #regulus black

[aemiron-main]

you. yes you. unless you read this and go “oh yeah em definitely doesnt mean me” in which case hello james and bre and stav and any other beloveds who touch grass on the regular but i did not list you by name because i do not want to drag you into my shitposting hell (james bre and stav are already at fatal levels of em shitposting exposure so sorry guys) 👋. anyway you. yes you. Go touch grass. Log off (affectionate but also maybe derogatory, depends on whether you get off on me hating you or not, whatever floats ur boat)

And you might be thinking “oh but em you are a Hypocrite here you are posting online telling people to long off?? 🤨🤨🤨😔” to which i say yes and i have undergone surgery to permanently fuse the neurons in my brain to the byler tag, so i actually can’t log off!! Check your ableism please.

So this is actually a grim and gory plea for you guys to log off because my neurons simply cannot handle the number of dramatic, self-victimizing posts and as someone who also hypocritically takes his analysis very seriously, i think sometimes you guys take things Too Seriously.

However do not mistake this for a spineless “please stop fighting 🥺🥺🥺” post because to be clear i am not a middle school aged girl and you are not my alpha wolfpack jock boyfriend with anger issues who i act like im taming a wild horse in a lifetime movie when i try and get to calm down and tell you to “dont fight, jason, just look at me, focus on me, it’s not worth it 🥺🥺” and instead take this as a grim warning from a guy who is having a silly little blast making silly little posts about the discourse but who also has his neurons linked directly to the internet so he feels the full force of every single post and cannot escape and who does not want you to face the same fate simply because i want to be the special boy who is inextricably and horrifyingly linked to the web. This plea to log off is not for your own good but rather for the good of my superiority complex and need to feel unique hope that helps. 🙏

and just remember to drink water and eat food and take breaks 🥺🙏💗😽🌈💦💦💦 or don’t! if you don’t eat or drink then that means youll die and i’ll soon have more bodies for my Corpse Army so actually NO eating NO drinking and that is an ORDER!!!!

#byler #shitposts

[babstheyaga]

Fear Me Or Die: Chapter Ten: Stick Up For Yourself, Day 3

Pairing(s) for chapter: Ratchet/Reader, BumbleBee/Reader, Optimus/Reader, Jazz&Reader, Arcee&Reader

Previous Ch. - Next Ch.

Word count for chapter: 4.9k

Rating for chapter: Explicit

Warnings for this chapter: Degrading, curse words, blood&gore, attempted sexual assault 

A/n: (from Ao3): I'M SO SORRY THIS IS LATE!!! Please don't kill me T-T I've been dealing with a LOT recently, but after getting a few people on AO3 and Wattpad say they miss this story, I just gave up and posted this chapter. I meant to on the 11th, but I got so distracted with a mania phase, plus BPD phase so I was hyper-focused and fixated on Overwatch and writing about it. I'm going to try and get back into the rhythm of things and post like normal, and I'm sorry it took a month :WAH: I'm just struggling a lot mentally and needed a break from Transformers to focus on something that made me really happy like Overwatch. 

I'm going to work on chapter 11 here soon, hopefully get it into the swing of things again. In the mean time, ENJOY THIS CHAPTER!! I love y'all, and I promise I'm not ditching this story!!!!

I could hear Ratchet from the kitchen, he was in the living room talking to Optimus who was on the couch. My eyes were stuck glued to the flooring, my sandwich in hand and confidence out the window, I struggled to get ahold of myself but after being forced to sit in silence for a good 15 minutes, I found myself pulling it together.

I held my egg salad close to my chest like it was a precious diamond that I searched years for, it was the only thing giving me comfort, and I needed it by me desperately.

Ratchet was mumbling to IronHide just on the outskirts of the kitchen. Did I dare look to him? Probably not. I just wanted to morph into a ball of nothing. But he caught my mental attention from my side view, coming over to me, still mumbling like he was lost in thought, or cursing someone under his breath like a scene from Harry Potter.

“Let me see them.” The redhead demanded.

My dark, exhausted and mournful eyes looked sluggishly up to him. Our hues connected, and his brows folded upward ever so slightly like he was saddened by my sight. He stared, the orange in his irises glowing big and bright, yet he had a sense of grief in them. I asked him silently what he meant, and he looked down to my sandwich, being incredibly gentle, as if handling a new born baby, to take hold of my wrists. He took the barely eaten sandwich from my grip, sitting it to the side and taking his time to look at my palms.

“You've been picking at them...” He discoursed, bringing a soft index and middle to touch the terribly healing scabs on my palms. He lifted my fingers, examining my cuticles, and his lips formed into a thin line, brows folding downward in frustrated thought.

“I wish you would stop scratching your nails, you're making them bleed.” He wasn't lecturing me, but simply showing concern. I was astonished that someone like him could even do something like that. I wasn't sure how to react, but when he took in a breath and sighed lightly, I looked down to my hands in quiet shame.

“Are you going to let me wrap her hands?” Ratchet asked, blinking to the blonde muscle man sitting on the table in the dining room. He was eyeing us down, a skin crawling scowl on me and he glanced to the redhead as he spoke to him.

Why? She's fine. BumbleBee directed, my heart hurting that he wasn't going to allow the medic to heal me fully.

“Because she can get a infection and die.” He told back, a sudden harshness to his tone that was laced with annoyance... He was sticking up for me?

You think I give a ??? I assumed he was cursing, though I wasn't sure which word he was using...

I jumped a little when I heard a deep voice clear their throat, Optimus coming into view when I flicked my eyes over to the owner. He was standing long and tall as usual, his proud stature surprising me that he was somehow lengthier than the fridge he stood next to. With his hands behind his back, he stalked BumbleBee with a glare, the freckle-faced, beaten male straightening himself, clearly not wanting to be disrespectful towards the Knight of all people.

Do it. He signed, running a hand down his face in distress.

I despised the fact that I couldn't stand up for myself anymore, the lingering threat of when Optimus leaves making every part of my mind go on red alert. I was terrified to think of just what not only BumbleBee, but also Arcee can, and mostly likely will, do once he's gone.

No crying. Don't cry. I'm banning myself from crying ANY more. So suck it up!

The voice of Optimus brought me back from my soft mental break. He approached me on the left, while Ratchet rummaged through a first aid kit I didn't realize he had to my right. He came to my side, bringing a hand from behind his back to my face, being as soft and gentle as a cotton ball when he pushed a fly away behind my ear, bringing it out of my sight and lifting my chin with his bent index.

“How was your food? You did not eat much of it, I see.” He sounded disapproving, and when our differing sights caught together, I focused on his demeanor. I wasn't sure how to speak right now, let alone talk to a monster like him. I found it difficult to even listen to Ratchet, not to mention use my voice and words with Optimus... Oh, god... Here we go again with the lectures...

He watched me greatly and with care, but everything inside me was shocked when he didn't debate me on speaking, instead turned to BumbleBee, ignoring my jump of surprise at his sudden movements.

“Has she had anything to drink?” His tone was calm, and I listened intently to what the two of them were saying to each other.

Not that I know of, no. BumbleBee answered. Optimus didn't even need to give him a second glance before he pushed himself off the table, taking slow strides to the dishwasher, opened it and grabbed a misty glass from the hot fog coming from the washer. He went to the fridge aside him, opened it then took out a water container where he filled the glass and made his way over to me.

He leaned past Optimus, snatching my hands in his and forcing the cup into them. I gripped it and glanced down to it, feeling the absolute dehydration causing my blackening sight to make my mind go crazy. I rushed to bring it to my lips, almost downing the entire thing in one go.

Optimus pulled it down, telling me a cool and understanding, “Slowly, dear.” I reset myself and pulled it to my lap, letting my mouth prop open slightly to catch my breath. Optimus didn't let his serious eyes off of me, but he spoke to BumbleBee, who was also staring at me with his arms cross... Glaring like a madman at me from behind the dark one.

“If you do not take care of your wife, BumbleBee, then there will be consequences.” He told, lifting his knuckles to the end of my chin to wipe a line of water dripping down my mouth as I tried to drink again.

“You did your job as her Alpha to teach her place. But she will act out again, expect it and do not be fooled by her obedience, for an untrained type B is bound to become defiant again.” He pushed down the glass again, watching me like a hawk.

“She will become compliant in time.” He finally turned to him when he was comfortable that I was able to drink on my own.

“When we leave, I expect you to take care of her well, only punish her when she steps out of line. You want a deferential wife, not an abused puppy.” He ordered, BumbleBee nodded dutifully. “I imagine she will do as she is told, correct?” He turned to me who was nursing my water like a child.

I didn't reply out of pure unconsecratedness on the subject but that wasn't doing it for him. The black male cleared his throat. I blinked up to him in a fit of nervousness, looking to the two of them then nodding. “Yes...” I agreed, losing my thoughts a little on what exactly I was agreeing to. Optimus tilted his head down a little as if nudging me in the right direction, and I caught on immediately. “Sir! Sir, yes sir- yes... Sir...” I fumbled out.

D-u-m-b-a-s-s. The mute insulted. Optimus cleared his throat, a slight threat, but BumbleBee didn't apologize. Eat your food, Mistake. He corrected. I still felt annoyed by that name...

Ratchet caught my attention again, he apparently was waiting for a short moment for the talking two to tell me to eat before he came up to me again. He took the drink out of my hands, sitting it beside my sandwich and he was affectionate to inspect my palms.

He started to mumble to himself, I was only able to catch a word or two, my small knowledge about medical supplies helping aid in my understanding that he was talking about what to use on my open wounds. “Small sting...” He said more coherently, I prepared myself when he went over them to get the fuzz and gunk out of the scabs with a small cleaning rag. My brows and lips twitched in pain, but he was being as considerate as he could.

He got done cleaning them, now moving to the tongue depressor with some kind of cream or ointment and wiping it across them. Then he started to wrap them in the gauze, being sure to wrap my fingers one by one, telling me, “This way you can't pick at them...” In a cursing grumble. “That's done...” He rumbled, then was quick to lift my feet and glance at them to make sure they weren't bleeding.

Ratchet nodded, turning to the first aid kit, closed it then dragged it down to his side. “She's all clean, don't let her get hurt again.” The redhead dared the blonde across from me. He rolled his eyes, but tried not to be too obnoxious when he came to my side.

BumbleBee picked up the sandwich I had forgotten about, pushing it into my hands, and lifted it to my lips where I took a nibble of it. It was the small amount of pleasure I experienced while here, the intense pain and torment was exhausting, so a small moment of just being able to sit and eat a sandwich was something I never realized I needed.

I could hear rummaging in the living room, or perhaps down the hall, but with Optimus and BumbleBee standing over me, watching me slowly take bite after bite of my bread, I decided against looking up towards it.

I thought maybe Jazz was up and at 'em again, wreaking havoc on our ears, but Optimus moved to his side, the brute turning to look. Coming into view was Arcee, stumbling down the hall like she was completely plastered... I felt awful just seeing her.

She looked up from the wall she was clung to, her dead eyes staring over at the three of us, and her bruised, bloodied face didn't show an inch of expression. She took in a breath, puffing up her chest when Optimus took a proper glance at her. I could tell she was struggling to stand up straight, so as she made her way over to us, almost tripping over her own feet multiple times, fumbling to us when she clung to the dish washer handle to steady herself. She tried to play it off that she was just leaning on it, but even I could tell she was in immense pain.

“Good morning, Arcee.” Optimus greeted, she flung two fingers away from her forehead.

“Mornin', Sir.” She said back, her voice sounding like a dying cat.

“Have you had time to recuperate yourself?” He asked, leaning his head to the side, clearly knowing better.

I studied them both patiently, trying to get a feel for how Arcee was feeling, or more importantly, how Optimus was reacting.

“Yes, Sir. I feel-” She choked on something in her throat, but pushed it down. “Much better, Sir.” She obviously lied... Jesus, did I do this?

Are you hungry? BumbleBee asked, seeming concerned.

She sucked in air through her nose, puffing up her chest again and flinching to cross her arms. She flicked her eyes around the three of us, landing on Optimus then closed them in fake thought. “I'm starved, Bee.” She breathed out. I could see Optimus analyzing them like an officer.

I watched BumbleBee start to go to the freezer, pulling out what looked like a TV dinner... It seemed everyone had their own dedicated food, I made a mental note of that. It didn't have the box container as he just stuck it into the microwave, the instant familiar hum filling the strange silence.

Optimus turned to BumbleBee, “Make sure to give your wife more water, we will be leaving to Florida soon.” With that he turned and made his way to the living room where he spied on the slowly growing crowd.

When Jazz, who was standing with his arms crossed in front of CliffJumper, noticed that Optimus had left the kitchen, he pointed it out to the raven-haired male and they came over to Arcee's side.

CliffJumper leaned down and whispered something in her ear, she nodded in response and before I could hear her speak again, Jazz caught my attention. “Aww sick, Doc gave you gloves-! Oh, those are band-aids... My bad.” He seemed to joke, I couldn't tell. “What's goin' on in the...” He looked to BumbleBee, “What name did you give her?”

Mistake. The blonde replied... I bit my tongue.

“Mistake? That's fucked-”

“Jazz.” Optimus tested, not looking over his shoulder at the male, just staring into the living room as if bickering with the silver fox wasn't something he cared much about.

“So what's goin' on in the Mistake world? Heh...” He corrected, I stared mournfully down at my sandwich.

“I just want to eat my food...” I replied back, my voice barely audible. Jazz hummed in response, bringing his hand up to my egg salad and spreading the bread, making me almost snap at him to get his mitts away from my goddamn food!

“Egg salad? Thought you hated that stuff, Beebster.” He crossed his arms, but not before wiping his fingers on my shirt. I wanted to strangle him till his head popped like the fucking pimple he is.

Why do you think I gave it to her? He said back.

I felt myself dip in a little. “Then what do you eat?” I kind of argued, resetting myself instantly before I got into even more trouble. “I-I just... Haven't... Seen you eat much...”

What's it to you? He barked, I looked back to my sandwich as to not bicker more. And trust me, I wanted to.

“He likes his PB. That and those damn protein shakes! Ha!” Jazz laughed.

CliffJumper, who was examining Arcee's neck... Rather thoroughly... Looked up from his hold on her and towards me. “Bee's got an eating disorder. He ain't like food a whole lot.” He explained, I found myself... Shocked.

Jazz nudged me with his elbow, “Makes me wonder how a homie can get so fat if all he eats is peanut butter, chocolate, and protein shakes!” He broke into a fit of chuckles.

BumbleBee moved away from CliffJumper to lift his arm, flexing his rather big muscle, and said, an awfully insulted, F-A-T? How the h-e-l-l is this f-a-t you ??? skinny ???

“Brotha' got that dang dad bod.” The white-eyed male shook his head in amusement.

Dad body my a-s-s! You won't stand a chance in an arm ???

“Arm wrestle me? Hells nah homie, take up Mr. Loverboy over here on that, he finna kick your toosh.” I could tell he was trying not to cuss, and it made my heart lighter that he was trying so hard.

CliffJumper looked up to Jazz in a fit of worry, putting a finger to his lips and zipping them shut, but was quick to turn to BumbleBee beside him. “Kid doesn't stand a chance.” But the blonde seemed amused.

Oh yeah? He smirked, crossing his arms and CliffJumper nodded.

“Don't test me, kiddo, I'll whoop your ass.” He cracked his knuckles, and Bumblebee nudged his head up as if showing he's not intimidated. “You wanna go?”

Bring it old man. He dared, stepping away from the kitchen and going to the dining room beside it, sitting in the chair rounding the edge of the table. CliffJumper laughed darkly, cracking his neck and going with him to sit in the opposing seat.

Jazz moved in between Arcee and I, leaning on the counter behind him and watching the fighting two start to arm wrestle. “Bets on Bee, pack of ciggies.” He bet to Arcee.

She pushed his shoulder, “You're on.” And we sat and watched the two struggling.

I found myself wondering what CliffJumper was talking about... BumbleBee couldn't possibly have an eating disorder! Especially if he boxes! I needed to know more, so I leaned over to look at Jazz properly.

“He has an eating disorder?” I kind of whispered, like I was scared to be heard.

“Who, Bee? Oh yeah, yeah...” He tilted his shades down to look at me from over them, only glancing in my direction when talking as he watched the wrestling two. “I forget the acronym, like R-...”

“It's ARFID, Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder.” Arcee chimed in, leaning over him to look at me.

I nodded, but still found myself confused. “So what does he eat? I-I mean... I saw him eating M&Ms and... Um... Peanut butter, but...” I wanted to know this, why? I kind of laughed at myself mentally.

“Like I said! PB, shakes, and chocolate!” Jazz joshed, but Arcee pushed his shoulder.

“He eats, trust me, he eats.” She comforted, “He gets most of his protein from his shakes though. But on his bad food weeks, he needs a little more help- speaking of which- BEE!” She called out, making the male look up from the tussle, clearly not breaking a sweat. “Tube, come on!” She demanded, pushing herself sluggishly off the washer, clapped her hands, and waddled over to the two.

“Not now-” CliffJumper cursed, holding his breath with how focused he was. “'Bout to-” His arm was shaking, “Win this thing-”

“Well hurry up, Bee needs his go-go juice!” Arcee walked over to BumbleBee's side of the table, gripping his shoulders and whispering something in his ear.

“His liquid cocaine!” Jazz cheered. Arcee smiled up at him and held down a laugh.

“His xan-y in a can-y!” She added.

“His jitter juice!” What?

“Come ooonnn CJ he needs his wake-y and shaky!” Um...

“He needs to inject his number 8!” Are these two okay?

CliffJumper's annoyance showed as he roared a loud, “SHUT! UP!” But that didn't seem be enough as BumbleBee's smirk grew, taking only a second to slam the opposing male's hand into the table to his left.

“GOD- FUCKING-” CliffJumper cursed, rushing up and pointing a daring finger at Jazz, “If you didn't shut your YAP then I would have-” Arcee came running over bringing her hands up to his face and smooshing it.

“Ohhh look at the little baby! Little baby doesn't want to get kicked in the butt by Optimus, now does he! No no no, so why doesn't the little baby join Bee in the living room!” She mocked, making me totally lost on the relationship between these people...

I leaned into Jazz, “Are they a thing?” I said in as low of a hush as I could manage.

The white male cleared his throat, looking automatically to Optimus before blinking to me. He stood up straight and crossed his throat, as to tell me not to talk about it...

Jazz took a second to make sure I got the message, then ran a hand through his hair, and shook it off, turning his attention to the fridge aside the sink. I flicked my eyes away from him, them landing on the threesome crowding the dining room.

Optimus' back was still away from us, his hands behind his back as one held the other's wrists. Even from over here I could tell they were gigantic... Just looking at them made my mind wander away from the norm, going to dark territory and into the land of the past. I hadn't seen my face in a couple days, but I knew the markings on my neck were still fully there, the terrifying thoughts of his fingers on my skin making my mind go AWOL... I just wanted to be okay, but looking at him was like reliving everything again.

When the midnight male noticed I was not with BumbleBee, he searched the smaller male for something, then turned to where I was. I still had my sandwich in my hands, the thought of eating it erased from my mind, but I didn't want him to think I was staring, so I looked back to it.

I could feel the panic lace my upper stomach as I heard his heavy, loud footsteps approach me. My brows folded downward, my lips pouting out accidentally in frustrated fear. I could see him in my peripheral view, his hand reaching up to my face again to tuck another flyaway behind my ear.

“Do you not like your food?” His deep, calm voice was chilling to my ears, I honed in on my sandwich. My fingertips squeezed the white bread lightly, leaving indents in it from the many times I've attempted to eat it. He played with the fuzz on the bottom of my lobe, the earring twiddling in between his thumb and pointer, I didn't answer him, my mouth clamping shut the second he spoke, I doubted I'd be able to say a word to him.

His hand toying with my ear moved down my face, ending at my chin. I expected him to force my head up to look at him, but instead, his thumb played with the side of my cheek, slowly moving over to brush against my bottom lip. The smoothness of his skin on my broken and busted flesh made my brows twitch in slight pain, the cracks of dryness and open scab from when BumbleBee had hit me the first day here...

Even when I wasn't looking at him, he felt the need to cause me pain, I was tortured by this man, and I found myself time and time again being put back in front of him. I didn't want his touch on me, I can't stand it, so I moved my head to the side, removing his hand off my lips, off my skin, and most importantly just off of my body.

I shaded my sight with my lids, glancing to my shoulder and staring half-lidded at it like I was ashamed of the man in front of me. He stood still for a short second, my vision unable to see his face, until he put either hand on the counter-top beside my hips, leaned down to my ear, and cornered me to the spot.

He was deathly close to me, his freshly sprayed cologne betraying my mind into thinking this was a pleasant moment. His eyes glowed on my skin, radiating into my hues and I tried not to think about it, I didn't want to look at him, not this close, not at all!

I released the sandwich in my hands, it dropping to my lap. I put one hand to his chest, daring to press him away, while pushing the other behind me, making sure I don't fall backwards. He was mere centimeters from me, it was suffocating, and I'm sure he knew that. He would have to be blind to not see how close and uncomfortable he was making me, I just wanted to be left alone, why is that so hard for him to understand?

I could feel his breath on my ear, my air leaving my chest with one quick exhale as he began to speak, his voice strong but hushed, “The bug may tolerate disobedience, but I won't.” I rushed to mumble quiet, baby like sighs of an apology after apology, but he shushed me, saying, “Quietly, dear. In time you will learn where you belong.”

His hand on the outskirts of my hip moved up, brushing up my thigh, making my skin pierce with bumps, tingles, and red alerts. He was gentle to brush them down to the end of my blue boxers, tugging on the ends and I took in a sharp breath through my mouth.

“I can have you smitten in two days time, Omega.” He threatened, I tried to dip my head back away from him, doing anything to get away from him.

The oversized boxers did me no justice, he oh so easily slid his hand up the side of my thigh, inside the cloth and touching the top of my backside that I had never had anyone touch before. It was so unnatural, it was so uncomfortable and nerve wrecking, my body reacting to his touch told me this wasn't what I wanted... But who was I to say? The only experience I've ever had was reading smut stories my friends would send me as a prank read, but surely being touched is supposed to feel good!

… Does this feel good?

His warm, huge hand barely scratching my skin on my bottom made my stomach do flips, his breath on my ear made my neck tingle like I was being caressed, and his words... God, was this what it's like to be turned on?

“Stop.” My voice was stern, the sudden air in my lungs aiding me greatly, I pressed my palm against his chest, pushing ever so slightly. I wasn't sure if it would work, but the confidence in me was intense, I needed this to stop, and I would pitch a fit if I have to.

Our sights connected when I turned to look at him, his glow never fading, yet he glared down at me like he was going to eat me alive. I stared up at him in a bundle of my last bit of courage, but still not enough to fully push him away.

“I'm BumbleBee's Omega.” I demanded, the first thing that popped into my mind, though it pained me more than a knife in the heart to say it.

His stare on me made my hands weak, but I wasn't going to back down. I will play every card in the book to these low lives if it means I will stop being harassed and abused.

“You really want the bug more than-” He dipped down to me, testing my levels, but I held my ground.

“Yes. I do.” I snapped back, pushing him with both hands this time.

I could see the glow in his orbs flicker, and my heart dropped.

Please don't kill me. Please don't kill me. Please don't kill me.

A short minute passed, like the cogs were turning in his head at what I said, but when the sound of Arcee's laugh caught his attention for a second, I saw the chance to drop down in front of him. He was stooping over, and he was ridiculously tall, so it was easy to squeeze by him.

My feet padded on the floor to get away, and when I looked around, the area around me didn't register, instead my head spun at top speed, my stomach feeling like a wind turbine. I put a hand to my mouth and darted for the bathroom, passing by a few rooms before I barged into it and hung my head over the toilet as I spewed my guts out.

I struggled to catch my breath, heaving on water and feeling every bit inside me regret saying a goddamn word. My head was in circles, the unforgiving sickness before me as I puked up nothing but liquid, I gripped onto my stomach as I emptied it.

“Yeah she's fine!” The sudden shout made my life flash before my eyes, and when I looked up, CliffJumper was leaning on the side of the door, one hand on his hip and the other above his head as he laughed at me. “Bitch's just scared of Optimus.” He said lower, only for me to hear.

“Get out.” I barked, he shook his head.

“Not happenin'.” He laughed. I went to close the door, but he stuck his foot in front of it. “Fat chance, kid. Get your ass up and go to your husband.” He mocked me and I really wasn't in the mood.

“I need a minute, please leave.” I tried again, but instead of moving away, he pushed himself off the wall, going to the mirror and flipping his head to both sides as if checking himself out. “You fucking Autobots are the scum of the earth...” I hissed under my breath, flopping my forehead in my hands.

“Aww, ya' see that's hurtful, Mistake.” Jazz's voice made my nerves spike, added with the name made my last annoyance crack.

“STOP CALLING ME THAT! I can't get a MOMENT alone?! I'm literally throwing my fucking lungs out! You people belong in an insane asylum!” I was exhausted, and it was definitely not called for, but I didn't even realize the things come out my mouth before it was too late.

I heard the stomping of footsteps, and I knew I was screwed. Jesus fucking Christ what is wrong with me?!

BumbleBee came into view, a IV that Arcee was carrying attached to his upper chest. He looked infuriated.

“I'm sorry- It literally just came out-”

Zip it.

I shut my mouth, blinking down and smudging my eyes into my hands in pure frustration. He clapped as loudly as he could, I peered back at him.

Look at me when I'm talking to you, who do you think you are?!

“I'm sorry-”

Shut. Your. Mouth.

I placed my hands on my lap, excruciating to straighten myself and watch him.

Get your a-s-s back in the k-i-t-c-h-e-n and stay quiet. You are to be seen not HEARD.

#bumblebee x reader #optimus prime x reader #dark fic #transformers fanfiction #fem reader #transformers x reader #fanfic #bumblebee x you #optimus prime x you #bumblebee x y/n #optimus prime x y/n #x reader #reader insert #humanformers #fanfiction

[twopoppies]

about the “I’ll never leave america” discourse:

one, i think harry just eggs on whatever crowd he’s entertaining at the time. it could’ve even been a joke about how comically long his US tour has been, after being extended multiple times. either way, he’s definitely noticed the ways different crowds have taken the line. i don’t think he’s decided to be a patriot.

now that that’s out of the way, i’ve seen a lot of europeans get very nasty about this, and i don’t really understand it. (like, several reactionary “well at least we don’t have gun violence in schools/die without healthcare” comments.) not only is that vicious to throw at people over concerts, but I think the show distribution makes sense? the US by itself is the size of most of europe, and has almost half the population of the whole continent. and there are plenty of americans who were more than 5 hours from any residency (sorry to anyone who lives in florida). on top of that, the timing of the tours got screwy because of the pandemic and his new album release. at it’s core, touring is simply a logistical problem that feels very personal.

I definitely sympathize with people still waiting on their shows, particularly in asia and australia, and all the places that dont even know if dates are coming. and I also don’t want to attribute the callous behavior to all europeans. I just think it’s shocking the arguments two words in a song have caused.

anyways, sorry to use your inbox for my essay! this isn’t directed at you Gina, I’m just a girl who has worked at a venue and seen all the logistics. you always know there’s no way to please everyone, and focus on making as many people happy as you can.

All of that makes a lot of sense to me. I think I see the discourse very similarly.

#leave america #discourse #fandom dynamics

[cyarskaren52]

That's what pisses them off. She got away & lived her life FNF(f**k n****a free) whats sad is the same men who villify the man who gave tina a kidney justify the man who abused and traumatized her …

So it’s okay if a black woman suffers from abuse but godforbid if she finds true love and happiness with another man even if he is white? FQ you very much and happiest go to hell you hotep!

and we know cotdamn well it’s The same people who told us to be nice about Jim brown it’s truly crazy

Woke up to see that the discourse has already turned on Tina Turner and truly I hope people have the same energy for excavating the community that let Ike get away with it for nearly 2 decades. And the people performing on songs with lines like “eat the cake Anna Mae”

The fact that Tina Turner lived to tell her story is extraordinary. That she lived to die of old age is incredible. So many Black women do not survive the domestic violence that is too often sanctioned and accepted by people who look the other way

Nobody is perfect. Absolutely no one. And also there’s what she said *forty years ago* and then there’s what she did for Black folks simply by surviving and making her fierce, vibrant thriving public. Let’s not act like that’s nothing.

The thing about surviving domestic violence is that there is rarely any kind of transformative justice from the community that sanctioned it. We survivors live with that betrayal forever.

Let Tina Turner rest in peace And stop shitetalking about her

ps: If you are experiencing domestic violence, please know that there are people of all kinds who want to help. And it’s never too late to start over.

[mareastrorum]

This past two weeks has been really fascinating to observe. I've only been on Tumblr for about a year and a half, and only following stream liveblogs for about half that time. I don't usually tag dive because it really can be a slog, but I did for the discourse regarding FCG's death, Otohan generally, and the sudden shift to the Crownkeepers.

This isn't directed at anyone specifically, and I'm saying that for a reason: this website is really well designed for people who disagree to talk past each other. It's considered rude to reply to someone's take directly if you disagree, and often same for sending an ask to that person -- and I'm not saying it shouldn't be, that is simply the culture. In turn, when people write out their own takes on their own blogs, a significant amount of those semi- or fully-responsive posts are written to a strawman. Then when people read those posts, they recognize the general flow (though perhaps not the exact posts the author saw), and the pattern continues until everyone's burnt out on their arguments to a wall instead of to each other. Worse, even the most well-written and comprehensive discourse post is going to miss some small point or nuance, and that of course will be the subject of an offshoot set of posts.

Compare to reddit, which (on well-moderated subs, anyway) funnels discussion to specific threads, and the only way you can effectively respond to a currently-popular take is to take the risk of downvotes by actually replying to that take or to another reply under it. Attempts to address an issue separately are more likely to be lost in the shuffle, and honestly, most people who respond indirectly (citing someone else's arguments but not replying in their thread or to their comment) often earn a hearty amount of downvotes for cowardice even if the mods do nothing. The only way to bitch about some other redditor's take "safely" is to flee to another subreddit, but only if someone doesn't point out what Bitchpants McGee hoped no one would notice. (Are witch hunts against TOS? Yeah. They've been against TOS for a while; what's your point?) The culture is much more confrontational, though the level of politeness and civility is sub-dependent. I was on Reddit for about 13 years before Tumblr, so I've been in subreddits of all kinds, and I find all that to be incredibly entertaining, even if the mobile experience is rather annoying these days.

I don't mean this as a criticism of Tumblr or people who prefer to discuss or read about CR on Tumblr. It is definitely not an endorsement of critical role subs on Reddit either -- I came to Tumblr, too, after all. My point is that, on Tumblr, you can't be sure who someone is responding to, what takes they have read, whether they tag dive, what's on their dash, etc. There's no common thread that everyone is reading and reacting to except for the show itself.

Most CR discourse hasn't been all that bad, but there's some really patronizing and insulting takes in the tags that are effectively shotgun blasts at anyone who disagrees with them. If you want to foster good dialogue about a topic, don't do that, and more importantly, don't take others seriously if those are the tactics they employ. Let those threads die. Don't feed the trolls.

Lastly, this isn't a plea for people to act a certain way on their own blog. Do as you please. But it's a reminder that you're going to talk past people, and they're going to talk past you. If you want that conversation to be worthwhile, then keep focused on what the point of your own post is. Are you trying to defend something? Defend it. Are you trying to deconstruct a misunderstanding? Stick to that. Bitching and venting? Go ahead. But if you've tacked on other stuff to that same post, don't be surprised when you're used as fodder for the people who are intentionally having that side conversation.

#am I gonna maintag this? nah #this is an example of yelling into the void #do with it as you will