#& would rather have things be interesting than make them make sense

[rainbowsky]

This is not a question, but a reflection. With this BF story, I thought a lot. And I think that as French, I don't have the same point of view. I was especially shocked by these words: “he must be educated”. France has a deep colonial past. and I thought: "we must educate these ignorant Chinese? but who are we to think that we are better and superior? we who today have so much hatred for them?" Each country has its point of view depending on his history. no need to respond if you don't want to. And thank you for your always respectful and thoughtful publications.

This is in reference to a previous post.

Bonjour lyndariell, j'espère que tu vas bien. ☺️

This is a perfect example of what I was saying about this being a very complex issue with a lot of different perspectives and angles.

In order to make sense of and come to terms with this issue we each need to find the right balance between upholding our own values and respecting the values of others. That's bound to be a tricky process because we're each coming from a different region, with different backgrounds, experiences and perspectives on the world.

Each of us will have a different degree of empathy and alignment toward one or more of the various stakeholders in the situation as well, based on our own experiences, interests and values.

In other words, it's complicated.

It is true that for some people, hearing so many white Westerners say that a Chinese man half a world away 'needs to be educated' on any topic might legitimately feel distasteful and wrong. There is this Western conceit that our values and way of life are superior and obviously correct, and that other nations are just 'behind us' in heading toward the same goals*.

*Although the same is also true going East to West.

It would be totally understandable if some people were to reject the Westerners' characterization of this issue and say that the choices that led to blackface being used in this film are not our choices to make. After all, the filmmakers are telling a Chinese story to a Chinese audience, and they know best how to go about that.

Fair enough. But...

Speaking of colonialism

While we're on the topic of colonialism shouldn't we also be talking about China and its role as a neocolonial power in Africa? As I said in my previous post, it's not really fair for us to look at things solely from our own perspective and in the context of the cultural environment we are in rather than considering the cultural environment this film was made in.

Have you heard of the Belt and Road Initiative? Actually you don't need to answer that question, because almost every turtle has definitely heard of it. GG sang a beautiful song in celebration of that initiative not that long ago, complete with a video highlighting some of the major projects involved.

I didn't post that video on my blog, but you can watch it here. All the bridges, trains and other infrastructure you can see in the video are projects from the Belt and Road Initiative; China investing across Asia, Africa and other regions to improve transport and trade (and to build on China's power globally).

I'm no @potteresque-ire, so I'm not going to break it all down in a meticulous, intelligent, well-cited masterpiece, but you can learn a bit more about it here. There are also countless online articles, papers, analyses, critiques, accolades, etc. from every possible angle out there if you want to dig deeper.

Some of the core strategy of the initiative involves proposing massive infrastructure projects in poor regions, loaning them the money to make the projects happen (loans in the billions), and stipulating that the contracts must be completed by Chinese companies. Resulting in countries with shiny new railways and hospitals built and paid for by the Chinese government and Chinese corporations, with these countries massively in debt to China for many decades to come and with deep trade ties to China.

Depending on who you ask, Belt and Road is either an exploitative, environmentally disastrous neocolonialist power/resource grab, or it's an innovative unifying effort to improve the lives and trade of its member nations.

I personally feel its a bit of both.

Whichever it is, it does have a very dark side. There have been many stories coming out of these regions, telling about slave-like working conditions and horrific abuse from the Chinese contractors toward their African workers. I made the mistake of researching this and let me just say that what I've seen cannot be unseen. There is a reason people make snide jokes about the "belt" in Belt and Road.

And that's just the Belt and Road Initiative. There are a lot of other Chinese individuals and companies going into regions across Africa to take advantage of the people and resources for their own monetary gain. I posted about one such example the other day.

So in considering imperialistic attitudes it's only fair to reflect on what it might mean for a Chinese person to wear an African ethnicity like a costume, in a country that is frequently racist toward Africans and which is thought by many to be exploiting African nations with a form of neocolonialist debt slavery.

Particularly when said costume leads to a massive increase in the amount of racist posts on Chinese social media, and with a tone of raucous mockery and disdain.

We should consider the impact of this film on Chinese attitudes toward Africa and Africans. Based on what I've seen on Weibo, in various articles and on international social media it seems like there is a strong colonialist 'white savior' narrative coming out of this film; glorifying China as swooping in and saving these helpless Africans.

Taken alongside the horrible racism of Chinese audience reactions to the blackface, I don't think looking at it through 'the other lens' gives us a prettier picture.

If the primary category of people who are not offended by this tends to be audiences who are reacting with racist mockery, then a deeper reflection needs to happen.

All that aside, DD isn't working in a vacuum. He has been actively cultivating an international audience and working closely with international brands. He doesn't have the luxury of ignoring Western values if he wants to continue down that path.

And let's not forget that the culture he's so enamoured of is black American culture. If he loves Western hip hop culture so much it would behoove him to better understand and support the people at the root of that culture. The people who literally made it possible for him to find and enjoy that culture.

DD is a good person at heart. I feel that participation in cultural harm is beneath his dignity, and not something he'd consciously choose to do if he had a better understanding of the impacts.

When it comes to culture clash and differences in values it's also important to remember that while everyone is free to make their own choices about what they say and do, so too is everyone else free to make their own choices about how to respond to what that person says and does.

DD is a massive star, so his behavior and choices go far beyond his own cultural environment. It's inevitable that some people are going to have different takes on it all.

And I don't feel like people are telling DD what to do, so much as they're talking about what he needs to do in order to maintain their support. They're drawing out the boundaries of what they deem acceptable as fans. From there everyone has their own choices to make, including DD.

My own position

Here's the thing: I've come under loud, vehement fire from black fans for not taking a strong enough stand on this issue, while some other fans feel I'm being too hard on DD. Now you're saying I should consider the colonialist angle and reflect on whether it's even appropriate for me to think DD has anything to learn.

I can only ever be myself, and speak and act from my own values. I will always think for myself and take my own positions, no matter how unpopular they are and no matter how harshly people attack me for it (and they have).

I am capable of holding multiple conflicting perspectives in my heart and feeling compassion for them all.

I empathize with black people who ***for fuck's sake!!*** have been so thoroughly fucked over on every level and in every possible way by people around them who just don't get it about racism. Who just don't get how deep and broad and far-reaching it is and about how soul-destroying it is to live in a world where this shit is normalized.

I can't even begin to imagine how hard it must be to be a black fan who loves DD and then see him in blackface, and then watch all the fans try to gloss over it as though it doesn't matter.

I empathize with Chinese fans who are in most cases probably not at all ill-intended, whose reactions came honestly even if they were jarring to Western fans, and who have mostly found this story and its telling both exciting and moving.

I empathize with diaspora fans who are having to deal with a whole bunch of sanctimonious lectures about who DD should be and what he should think, say and do.

I empathize with the filmmakers, who after all were probably just trying to give an accurate retelling of something that actually happened in real life.

I empathize with DD, who was likely doing what was requested of him and probably didn't realize that it would turn out to be so controversial or negatively impact so many people.

Anyone who can say with a straight face that they think DD would ever intentionally or knowingly do something that would be this controversial or that would be hurtful to so many of his fans can KMA. That's not the kind of person DD is at all.

Blackface is a huge deal here in the West, and even people in this region are constantly getting it wrong. How can we expect people in regions where it's not traditionally been a big deal to do better than people here who are steeped in awareness*?

*And before anyone says that cultural relativism is such that only people in the West really think blackface is wrong, why not try talking to some of the African fans who've been deeply upset by this?

This is what it is to live in the world. Life is complex, and people are messy. Like I said before; nothing is black and white. Everything is a million shades and hues. As much as people will try to oversimplify the issue and try to intimidate us into taking 'their side', or try to punish and attack us for not doing so, we can only ever live by our own conscience.

No matter how much pressure I come under to condemn one of the individuals or groups I listed above, I will refuse to do so. My conscience tells me to be compassionate and understanding to all of them, and that everyone is always doing their best.

I hope and believe that our differing opinions can coexist. We can disagree and still be friends, as long as we remain open to accepting one another, and as long as we respect each other's right to our own conscience and values.

Merci pour cet échange d'idées intéressant. 💛.

#your political disengagement is a weapon against you #ggdd controversies #ask

[edoro]

Dunmeshi spoilers, talking about Thistle and Delgal

the more i think about it, the less i feel like the text of Dunmeshi really does support the interpretation that Delgal didn't love Thistle

like, yes, he absolutely did use Thistle, and displayed a clear sense of entitlement towards him - the baseline expectation that if he had a problem, Thistle could and would solve it, and then the idea that once he'd set Thistle to solve a problem he could just... turn that solution off when he felt like it ("we've been here a while now, isn't it time we left the dungeon?" <-words of a man who has not truly grasped what he asked for, what Thistle did to fulfill it, or what any of the repercussions of this are)

there's also an interesting thread of carelessness when it comes to his physical interactions with Thistle during high-emotion moments, like when he grabs onto Thistle by Eodio's sickbed or when he thumps Thistle on the back after Thistle summons monsters to kill their enemies and then brings that kid's dead dad back to life

it feels like he's a large dog who doesn't realize how big he is, or perhaps doesn't realize how small and delicate Thistle is, and perhaps at times is very aware of it and uses his size to intimidate/express his frustration

all of that aside, though, i think it's very clear that prior to Thistle becoming dungeon lord and tbh for a decent chunk of time at the beginning of his tenure as dungeon lord, Delgal had a very emotionally intimate relationship with him

i don't think you can sort them neatly into the categories of older vs younger sibling. they've both been both at different times, depending on how you measure it. Thistle is certainly older chronologically, and there was a chunk of Delgal's life - a very formative chunk, too - where Thistle was older, smarter, and stronger, where Thistle looked out for him and protected him and taught him things.

and then there were a few years where they were at the same developmental level... and then Delgal outgrew Thistle. he got bigger and older physically and he matured mentally past the point where Thistle was. not only that, but he became king, and while Thistle may have been raised alongside him like a brother, that doesn't make Thistle a prince - he was first and foremost a servant (and property) of the crown, even if his position meant he enjoyed a close relationship with the king, queen, and prince.

but that doesn't make Thistle necessarily the little brother - he is now, but it seems to me that there's still a part of him and Delgal that sees him as someone with the power to comfort and protect and teach, rather than someone who needs to be comforted and protected and taught

take the scene where Delgal says he's afraid of dying after his father was killed: that's an extremely tender, intimate, emotional scene. Delgal is crying while Thistle strokes his hair and promises to protect him. Delgal, the king, is being vulnerable in a way he absolutely cannot with most people, and Thistle sees his vulnerability and offers not only comfort but the promise of safety - don't worry, i'll make it better, i'll chase away the monsters under your bed, i won't let anything bad happen to you, i won't let anyone hurt you.

Delgal sees him as someone to seek that comfort from and Thistle sees himself as being in a position to give that comfort. he yearns for Delgal's attention and approval but also sees himself as Delgal's protector.

and then we have scenes like the one where Thistle resurrected that kid's dad, where he sees everyone staring at him in the aftermath of this bloody route and a bit of casual necromancy and realizes they're unsure, even scared of him, and it's Delgal who steps in and changes the mood by thumping Thistle on the back and praising him; Delgal who manages the crowd and keeps Thistle safe, setting the expectation for how everyone should react, lending his social cachet to Thistle in this moment to protect him from backlash

they go back and forth like this with each other, and i think it's one of the most interesting things about their relationship. no one else in Delgal's family has the same kind of relationship with Thistle. no one else knows him as well or loves him like Delgal does. no one else is close with him like that.

ultimately, i don't think you can look at the way he sought comfort from Thistle after his father's death and think that there isn't love and emotional intimacy there. the real tragedy is that Delgal always loved Thistle, but he never understood Thistle, and his inability to do so combined with his general passivity and avoidance played a big part in things getting as fucked up as they did.

#thistle #delgal #dunmeshi

[krowlovesinazuma]

Could you do marriage headcannons for miko with the creator

Read this prologue for context!

Scenario: Marriage

Characters: Yae Miko

Thanks to Inazuma's traditional values and culture, marriage is seen as quite the symbolic, and important social event, that can change one's life forever. As such, there are some that simply decide to live without it.

Ironically, Miko was one of these people. It made sense, as a youkai, to simply watch and not get too attached to the townsfolk, content with her influence as a shrine maiden and taking care of her publishing company. With her duties, and youkai lifespan, it just wasn't logical.

That's why, even when you appeared, showing such a fascination and preference for her, she never once thought about the possibility of marriage, and as such, you're the one bringing the topic up as a possibility! It's a certain way to catch her off guard.

She thinks it's a joke, or an exaggeration of your feelings at first, but when you refuse to drop the subject, or start imagining things, she decides to question you seriously, just in case. Better to settle this quickly, than let it drag on and confuse you!

She'll ask if you're really alright with the prospect of being attached to her for the rest of her life. As for if she's willing... Years ago, she wouldn't have given it a thought, but being with you made her happier than anything else in her life!

When you accept, Miko will ask for a break from both of her duties for a while, to embark on a sweet honeymoon with you! She'll take the chance to step away from Inazuma like you used to do with her when you controlled her from outside. She has so many places she wants to see again, now with you by her side!

While the ceremony and marriage could be done in public, Miko would rather it stay between the two of you. Not only does it make it more comfortable for her to show her true feelings, but it's way less of a hassle to prepare and maintain!

Life with Miko is quite interesting! As her creator, she makes sure that you're comfortable and satisfied, but she never resists her urge to tease and play with you for long. Since it's never as bad in public though, you can tease her back and see her true emotions!

She'll soften up whenever you ask for it, and sometimes she'll ask you to be fully compliant if she had a stressful day. Trust me, she really needs it from time to time, especially with the process of making Inazuma open again...

What about in public then? Miko uses the chance to make both hers, and your image even more mysterious! Teasing visitors that get curious, and making rumors spread, all while letting you have fun with them as well!

Overall, life with her is quite peaceful and relaxing if you're devoted to it, and listen to her wishes. Do so, and she'll be more than happy to listen to yours, and give you the comfiest life you could've dreamt of!

#genshin impact #genshin impact sagau #genshin sagau #sagau #genshin impact imagines #genshin imagines #genshin impact headcanons #genshin headcanons #inazuma aficionado sagau #yae miko x reader #sagau yae miko #sagau yae miko x reader

[persefoneshalott]

thinking about how they could've ruined madalena's character so many ways in galavant but they didn't < 3

#madalena #galavant #if they had gone through the richard love interest route that'd have been very not interesting and they could've also just made her the #bitch character which would've made me so mad #but they give her backstory! complexity!!! < 3 #I used to be doubtful about the maybe you're not the worst thing ever scene and thought that may be them considering richard x madalena but #later changing their mind (which idk if true) #but now I think it's great bc it has her opening up a bit when he's talking to her as a person and on their own rather than trying to push #any romance #and then she closes back up when he starts doing that again and we see her sad face after 'being forced to be the bad guy' #it's a great way to show pre- kidnapping madalena and show she's not one or the other she's both #anyway #LIKE madalena has trauma the way a traditional male hero would have trauma if that makes any sense

[girlblocker]

what is god about riverdale. this is a genuine question

in terms of the religious undertones... veronica has a confession scene in like season 2 i think where shes talking about how shes leading someone she loves down like an unrighteous path. & jughead sacrifices himself to die in a gang fight and then gets carried by his dad in a pieta shot. betty's sister who had an unwed pregnancy becomes a jesus figure and washes her feet to absolve betty of some of her sins (i forgot which ones specifically but probably murder bc of the serial killer gene stuff). archie also gets crucified once. oh also theres like 3 religious cults at different points

#riverdale #riverdale spoilers #answers #anon #i got a follow up ask to this where anon said they meant to ask 'what is good abt riverdale' #but thouhgt this was more interesting #whats good about riverdale is that its like . not afraid to be insane as hell #& would rather have things be interesting than make them make sense

[spearxwind]

,, and I REALLY dont want people to be weird about him if hes 'weak' " I'm a little hesitant to ask, but what does this mean...? I'm unsure if I'm dense/oblivious/missed something but genuinely can't imagine what it could mean. People trying to (again) romance him? (Even though even if he's 'weak' it wouldn't work since he can't feel anything + they'd get murdered somehow anyway)

Please feel free to ignore and delete this ask if you don't want to discuss this topic.

Oh no worries, I can explain! The romance isnt so much an issue in this case fortunately

The thing is that strangers online love to be funny, and they love to not take characters seriously for the most part. I've gotten a lot of jokes directed at my ocs over the years

All in good spirits, I do like to joke around with people and i love humor! but if I am too lenient with it then people start latching onto that constantly and it gets to a point where its the only thing they will see. It's very easy to see an artist or a writer make a joke at their ocs, or make a joke with their friends, and as a stranger think "I can do this too and one-up them"

With "weak" versions of adri I made in the past, I experienced two things: one was people thinking he should be hurt in that state (as retribution), and the other was them using it as an excuse to amp the memeing up to 1000. I guess what I would describe it as would be "disrespect". Basically turned into a character to punch down to

I can disrespect my own ocs, theyre mine, but I don't really enjoy it when other people who I legitimately dont know come in randomly to drop either a really violent or a really goofy take directed at them 😅

I feel like currently with how I behave on here this will be less likely to happen again because I will cut that shit out immediately if i see it, but I would prefer if it doesnt happen in the first place and I don't want to be mean at people who are just goofin around

#also if im honest adri kind of represents a really personal part of me and i really dont like when people take jokes too far #but the 'too far' for me is nebulous at best because I can never tell when itll make me go :/ or when ill enjoy the joke #ask #anon #i hope this makes sense!! i know its probably a little weird #its ironic that what would make the whole thing interesting - the fact he could be hurt easier - #is also the thing that people like to be weird about the most by specifically focusing on hurting him rather than everything else #I feel like i have developed this fear as a reaction to past things mostly but I might try to curb it. #i mean. ive managed to get over my fear of doing too many shitposts i think. i genuinely love jokes and i love memeing them #especially adri. i turned him into a microwave the other day #but at the same time its like... i really dont want people to ONLY see that. does this make any sense at all?

[handfulofmuses]

When you dislike their kid but they are alright

#;deceitful cobra (ushari) #i forgot about that #and honestly? #makes sense I guess #they just wanna chill and do their own thing #Ushari just wants to nap and do his own thing #i can’t see him having beef with these two personally #and tbh even though it’s just a little scene #that confirms to me #grouchy is not a standard emotion with Ushari #he just doesn’t like getting disrespected or trampled on etc #however #i feel like the two of them would have words with him if they found out it was Ushari‘s idea to bring back Scar #was he bullied by Bunga and he finally had enough? #absolutely and Bunga never really faced the consequences for his actions towards Ushari #Bunga is a kid but honestly he gets away with…a lot #but that doesn’t excuse bringing Scar back and dooming everyone else in the process #Timon vs Ushari would have been interesting because #meerkats are immune to venom #and also eat snakes #…omg uncle max vs Ushari tho #grumpy old man vs grumpy old man #granted most of bunga‘s and ushari‘s encounter are accidentally rather than bullying #but also #since my headcanon is Ushari used to complain towards Simba before he took matters for himself #just Timon putting Bunga aside to talk with him like his mom used to do #mainly because Bunga‘s and Ushari‘s encounters kinda remind him of himself and his uncle #so he kinda understands where Bunga is coming from

[upsidedowngrass]

If Objects live with humans side-by-side in an AU, the objects would be small in pet size like dogs and cats.

hmmm, maybe!!!! tho actually ?? i LOOOVE the idea of them being human sized! the characters canonically have heights listed in ft, and TECHNICALLY this could just be like.... irl units scaled down, BUT i think its rly fun to interpret it fairly literally!! ESP given that liam and bryce DO end up standing near humans at two points and seem to be around the same height! IDK... theres just smth so cool to me about imagining objects just hanging out. that you could be at eye level w them. its almost unsettling but not enough for it to be noticable!!!! its kinda like theyre Large Beasts, but almost SHOCKINGLY human!!!!! like they could believably just. live in the same house as a human with near minimal adjustments. like having an alien living w u. that may just be my general interest in alien/creature/whatever design, but i just RLY enjoy them being similar to humans in small ways, but different in more SUBTLE but arguably MORE extreme ways if that makes ANY sense!!!!

NOT to say i dont like when theyre drawn closer to the size of dogs or cats (itd be a little silly for me to spend so much time on that recent piece if i did!)! i think itd be a bit MORE of an au than just them just being human height, but i DO think it could be SUPER cute. i tend to Generally lean on less on those sorts of ideas but it certainly would be VERY fun!!!!

#ask #also i think its funny that most objects are realistically taller than me #im 5'1 man. its REALLY funny that the majority of objects in one i would have to look up at #but that is ofc NOT the only reason. but itd be so cool to meet a human sized Living Object irl #i wanna be their PEER yknow?? like i wanna hang out w them rather than them just be Cute if that makes sense #an object being the size of a cat (making some objects probably around the size of like. a soccer ball) is CUTE #but i think its super cool if theyre like People #(though this may have to do w my near life-long desire to be close friends with an alien robot or monster of some sort #which has mostly to do with my autism special interest in inhuman creatures ) #tho i am NOT opposed to things still being cute :) #or drawing things that deviate from my own hcs/interpretations when its fun #anyway i hope this response isnt rude!!!!! your idea is very fun i just have a diff interpretation of how #a 'humans live side-by-side with objects' au would work!!! #have a nice day anon :)

[cruelsister-moved2]

I was wondering if you could elaborate on what you mean by you don’t think femme4femme is a thing? Like do you not agree with it or not think people have that experience, or is a historical or terminological disagreement?

no like theres plenty of feminine women who want to fuck other feminine women it just doesnt really have much to do with the butch/femme subculture and like most people who are going out of their way to announce that they're femme4femme are just doing it in a defensive like uhmm i only like pretty cute soft pink uwu girlsss 🥺 way thats just terminally irritating 😭 ur the default majority already so it like comes hand in hand with this idea that butch4femme couples are like somehow privileged and proximal to heterosexuality or something ... and to me in that context femme is just meaning like that ur a feminine woman in purely aesthetic terms so like idrc if ur using that word to describe who u wanna bang in the appropriate context, but i dont think it constitutes a femme identity in the butchfemme way which literally only exists in the first place out of courting rituals between butch and femme women. so yeah its historical/terminological for sure, hopefully what i said makes sense<3

i do think its worth considering like how internalised lesbophobia and the stigmatisation of gnc women etc might be affecting this and like i say, a lot of the like aggressively femme4femme ppl are young gays w a lot of internalised lesbophobia who need to make it clear that theyre like an acceptable pretty soft whatever lesbian not like those dykes, but thats not me saying that ur problematic for not fancying butches or something - like were the roles reversed id be the exact same bc feminine women just arent what's attractive to me n thats fine. but the reason a lot of our hackles go up at that term is because through experience we've come to associate it with dehumanisation of our partners and dismissal of our desire, etc. a lot of ppl have some kind of variation and maybe like really androgynous girls or all sorts of girls who are both feminine and masculine or whatever whereas i feel like if ur out the gate dismissive of anyone whos not hyperfeminine that is just to me more likely a sign that uve got some stuff to deal with. but thats for u & like ill never dismiss someone purely based on who theyre attracted to thats crazy but if ur framing it in a way thats clearly defensive against proximity to the gnc women in ur community or something then yeah i dont think you have any right to the subculture which they built and defended as a safe space from people exactly like u!! i hope that makes sense and any follow up qs are totally welcome if i said anything that confused u or u dont agree, i hope i dont come off hostile or anything 🥺 also i just realised i have a really bad habit of oscillating between second and third person when i start talking about an abstract group so jic im not referring to YOU, anon but to like a vague ye <3

#ask #anon #butchfemme #feminine lesbians who like other feminine women can still be gnc and have complicated gender bla bla etc etc etc #i just mean this one specific history and subculture it doesnt make any sense for u to claim if u have no interest in butches #and like im alwayssss saying terms just exist to describe experiences so im not like gatekeeping ur experience or whatever #im just saying the term femme in that sense has no meaning to me outside of the experience of like relating to butches in a certain way #so idrc if ur like #saying that on ur dating profile to communicate who ur interested in w/e #its just the girls who come on here and are all omggg can we stop erasing femme4femme femmes!!!! or whatever #please turn on any lesbian tv show ever and tell me where this erasure is queen #i feel like im struggling to explain the type of person bc its like ...iykyk #but usually if i meet someone who just happens to like fem girls theyre not going to be all OMG I ONLY LIKE PRETTY PURE SOFT DELICATE GIRLS #EYELINER HIGH HEELS MINI SKIRTS CHRISSY CHALALAPECKA<333 #the second i meet them whereas if im on some girls acc n shes got 'femme4femme' in her bio 9/10 times i scroll down her blog n its very tha #and ik these girls would define me . a stone femme . as like butchy femme or soft butch or w/e #because the fact that im obviously the 'girl one' when i stand next to a masc one is how im conceiving of myself #rather than like what would a str8 guy think if he saw me walking down the street #sorry this is sooo long i just feel like its such a Thing and like all of us know without saying exactly why i dont like it but i do wanna #explain what that is so it doesnt look like im just being a hater to girls who like that pic of the girl putting makeup on the other girl #or w/e #im an ally to ur culture just wish it was more mutual <//3

[oldestking]

     /  My god- my love for gil is always present but as i’m sitting once again to hopefully finish watching C.CC (last time I got distracted) it just refreshes me once again just how interesting and unpredictable g.ilgamesh is, yet how at the same time, all that he says still ends up making sense to his character! He really is a character that is difficult to fully box in one slot once you look closer down the rabbit hole that is himself and that is always a delight to see

#/lit c.cc is a reminder to my portrayal that g.il doesnt really have a decisive 'pattern' of action #/like;; when you think about it closely; he really is unpredictable #ITS LIKE;; i keep going from 'oh he would absolutely k_ll this person for saying that to him' and then i get proved wrong #and it turns out he finds it amusing instead and decides to forgive x person for their 'insolence' #or him straight up admitting that he is not at his prime;; u would think that someone as prideful as g.il would never admit something like #weakness; but it happens to be the contrary; he is fully aware of his limitations and even makes fun of it #(albeit in a rather derogative manner with h.akuno) #but he still admits it directly #or him complaining about resting in a c.lassroom mockup and calling it cheap and etc #but rejoicing at the same time over the experience and calling it as one of the pleasures of traveling #its just;;a bunch of things that surprise you at each turn #when u think u have g.il figured out; he jumps with something unpredictable that at the same time makes a lot of sense to his character #that's something i've always found interesting but its by retaking c.cc once again that it reminds me of that again #he is as how h.akuno said; majestic #majestic in a way that is not just related to gold or wealth but #majestic in the sense that he has an absolute sense of value that nothing can knock down #also for context; the pic is the response of deciding to run away bc the enemies they were gonna face were logically stronger than them

[drewsaturday]

actually i think another missed opportunity of not showing the girls debating the ritual is we didn't see anyone who might've been ready to just... give up rather than stoop to murder. i know ben was in that camp recently but he wasn't even included here jkl;sdkljf i kinda would've loved to see some despair outweigh some of the desperation vs. the girls with such intense survival instincts

#yellowjackets tag #ik lottie dying adds another layer bc they kinda have to do it to save her in their heads but it's just #interesting to me that #altho we have seen ben on the verge of giving up #the other girlies are kinda.... still determined to get home and maybe bc they still have #their whole lives ahead of them and people to go back to etc it makes more sense #but i also feel like the starvation shouldve knocked some into insane depression co07 style #like if i were shauna after losing my best friend and baby in traumatizing incidents i would probably be ready to end it all #BUT. actually i can see maybe the fact they HAVE already eaten people to be like 'dont let it be for nothing' #gotta survive bc otherwise what was the point #i just think 'you have to live because otherwise they died for nothing' carries more weight with ppl #theyve actually killed or let die intentionally #rather than accidental deaths #oh wait another thing i think if anyone voiced being ready to end it all they knew theyd be eaten nvm j;LKKLJ

[mntcoronet]

declaring myself the only person who is normal about this one anime (closely followed by the two irl friends who made me watch it, and my mum who watches it with me, but they are not subjected to nearly as much Online stuff as I am so they are inherently more normal about things anyway)

#maggles ramblings #i don't know what ppl on here are like about it and i don't think i want to. i think it will remain one of those things i enjoy by myself #bc like the story is about this one big and fucked up family. but apparently it's only 'family' in the loose sense; #as in; i haven't gotten to any clarification in the anime itself yet but the wiki says it's more a structure of power than actual family #which makes some things in it... Much more tolerable to say the least. but i do not trust literally any fans on here to care about that #i have a very strong inkling that not many ppl would care enough about that distinction anyway and get too into shipping regardless #despite how much ELSE there is to look at; including things i haven't really seen other stuff cover before in this particular way #and like yea ik there's shit in it anyway; not all bad but some is just rather sensitive yknow. but my point IS #that i simply do not trust the wider internet on here with the themes and situations i find so interestingly portrayed in this thing. #my brain kind of conked out near the end and i lost my original point #ahh idk it's tough to explain. i get it though in my head i am so correct about everything #like. it has some Really interesting parts!! two main characters who hate each other bc they think the other has everything they want! #when Actually both are suffering uniquely!! #an older sibling trying to deal with guilt over not protecting the younger one from abuse when they had the chance to - #and the younger one accepting their desire to reconnect; without being forced to forgive them! #characters dealing with not being Wanted; with not being able to help; with feeling like they're causing problems just by existing! #but then you have shit like 'haha this guy says weird things abt the teen characters as a joke lol' #and 'this character is trans? noo you're mistaken they simply dress feminine bc they're too cowardly to present as a guy' #and more. but yea it's. so tough. there are parts i like but i do not want it to be assumed that i also agree with all the weird shit #but i KNOW on here i can't just assume everyone else cares as much abt the shit as i do. #so i think i will just be happier having fun with it with those two irl friends of mine.

[agelenopsis-potteri]

woke up from a dream about a family not accepting a trans kid for who they are to a text where my dad deadnames me :I

#not only that but it was a quote from a friend of his using my deadname which means he's been using it with her #when i thought he was. trying at least #and it was that friend asking me to do an art thing for her (the quote. cuz she doesn't have my number) #and when i said 'that's not my name' he was like 'i know. i forgot' no apology or anything but he makes *her* apologize to me?? #he just kinda has no sense of responsibility in this shit. like 'remembering' is all you have to do but that's harder than actually trying #it's harder to Just Remember especially with adhd which he has. i just want to know he's fucking trying #and my sibling's trans identity is more important to them than mine is to me so if he tried with them i know it'd mean something to them #so that's most of the reason i'm upset. but also because. nobody calls me that anymore it's just weird #not even my mum who is notorious for mixing her kids' names up #oh btw the dream was pretty interesting actually #it was like i was playing a video game of someone else's life. it was mostly about this one uncle who won't accept this kid for being trans #and tries to convert them on a little fishing trip to being cis and catholic. and they call their dad cuz they feel unsafe #and their dad is like 'what's he saying put me on speaker' and he just makes fun of the uncle #but then they're still in the middle of nowhere when they get back to shore so they have to go back to the uncle's house #and they go into the room where their older brother is and discover he's staying with their uncle still. which makes them realize #that when their uncle asked if they wanted to stay and not be themselves or go away and be themselves they opted to leave #but their brother would rather pretend to not accept them and stay. and they get into a physical fight. anyway i woke up after that

[hugintheraven]

How Bethesda fixed Vampires without realizing it

So there's a LOT of takes on vampires across media, and most of them are radically different from each other. The Elder Scrolls series has an interesting version that I haven't seen anywhere else, that incidentally fixes a bunch of lore issues with vampires, and yet Bethesda hasn't ever really leaned into any of that.

So, the issue with vampires in large RPGs like Elder Scrolls games, D&D, etc, is that a world where various elements of character building are supposed to be balanced, vampires are heavy on the upside and light on meaningful drawbacks. So in Oblivion, Bethesda completely reworked their vampires, coming at it with a blank slate:

Vampirism is a 4-stage affliction, with each stage increasing the numerous benefits of being a vampire as well as the middling drawbacks. Stage 4 brings with it all humanoid NPCs recognizing you as a ravenous monster and attacking you, basically wrecking the game. And, this is the unique part, you reduce stages by drinking blood. Being a vampire is LESSENED by doing the most vampiric thing out there, it actively makes you weaker.

And this is great. From a gameplay perspective, you vanish below ground to kill zombies/robots/whatever, and you grow stronger as the dungeon goes on. But if you don't rush through it, or if it's large, you surface having ignored your hunger for several days and have to do a whole second quest to sneak into town at night and drink blood, where the only reward is to engage with the game again. It's a drawback in the gameplay sense rather than the stats sense. And it lets game designers throw the player against weak vampires in town early on, and face dungeons full of max-bloodlust monsters later once the player knows how things work.

Meanwhile, from a lore perspective this is also great. Suddenly, it's not that vampires have to be evil, it's that they have a choice. A good person who flees their family to hide in a cave is going to starve, turning into a ravenous, uncontrolled, extremely strong monster. Someone who's comfortable sneaking around town drinking blood, meanwhile? They never lose control. They walk in the sun. They're perfectly human. Or as human as anyone can be while the blood of their neighbors flows in their veins.

And Bethesda doesn't DO ANYTHING with this. People you talk to in-game just treat it as "all vampires are evil, why would you expect anything else", when they've created a world where vampire morality is so much more interesting. The few vampires who exist in civilization that you're not supposed to kill don't really discuss their condition at all. And there's plenty of evil vampires choosing to live in caves running societies of vampires, when that makes no sense compared to basically any other way of life they could set up.

Bethesda games are a masterful disaster, in this as in everything else.

#The Elder Scrolls #Oblivion #Skyrim #Vampires

[choices-and-voices]

Okay but guys

GUYS

#trystan is gender of choice so it can’t be them #it HAS to be lydea or astrid #and it honestly could be either of them because this book loves its side plots #but you have to admit that lydea makes the most sense #she *was* the crown princess when trystan was in exile & she and the queen doubtless had plans to maintain a politically-conservative rule #but that would be predicated on a) eliminating trystan #b) eliminating the act for heir equity (because otherwise vasili would take lydea’s place) #and c) making sure to eliminate juliana in the process (because she knew that lydea didn’t belong in the conventional line of succession) #killing juliana & framing trystan for it did all those things in one go #but then trystan came back & wanted to revive the act with nadja – so it was necessary to kill her #and then sebastyan kept pushing for the act – so he had to be killed as well #other supporting evidence for this is that lydea went mysteriously MIA at the time of sebastyan’s death #contradictory evidence is that it’d be odd for her to *kill* him to eliminate him rather than just letting him take the fall for the murders #the only explanation I can think of is that maybe sebastyan also had incriminating intel on lydea? #remember: he did have juliana’s locket in his possession #and he may have written something about lydea in the ledger we handed over to her #and we did hear him on the phone at the gala to somebody he’d made a ‘deal’ with #maybe he’d promised keep lydea’s illegitimacy secret in exchange for something? but then she realised that if he got accused he would tattle #it’s all only thoughts but it’s SO interesting to think about #I can’t wait to see what happens next #playchoices #choices: stories you play #crimes of passion #fandom essay #original post

[bookdragonideas]

Here's the thing. I'm a girl, and as a girl, I really like it when girls are portrayed in fiction. Especially fantasy.

But so much fiction/fantasy mixes up 'girls' with 'unstoppable forces of female badass' and there's not necessarily anything wrong with having a character who is an 'unstoppable forces of female badass'. But it gets old real quick. And it is not the same as portraying normal girls, or having good female characters.

And that's one of the many reasons I love Avatar the Last Airbender.

Because all the girl characters have flaws and weaknesses and sometimes act like idiots or jerks. They get emotional and make mistakes. They lose fights or arguments or are just wrong sometimes. Some of them are amazing warriors, and some aren't. Some are powerful or special and some are normal, with nothing special about them.

And I Love that.

I was around the same age as Katara when I first watched Atla. And I instantly connected with her as a character. I loved her optimistic attitude and her fighting spirit. And I could relate with her anger, and with her maternal instinct. I admired her fighting skills of course, but I loved how the show portrayed her compassion and kindness, the way she could both beat up a bunch of bullies AND enjoy a relaxing day at the spa. She was a baddass warrior that should never be crossed. But she was also a normal teenage girl who had a lot of the same internal struggles and problems that I did.

(I never connected to Toph on the same level, but I did relate to her on a few things. She's an adorable trash gremlin who would commit any crime for fun and I love that. But she struggles with being both independent and letting people help her, and I still struggle with that sometimes. I've learned that sometimes, you can help others by letting them help you.)

Yue is, in my opinion, a perfect example of a type of hero that seems to be disappearing. She is not a warrior. She is not a fighter. She's not even a bender.

Yue is a perfect princess, a perfect daughter. She is extremely feminine in a rather older sense.

And she was the only one who could save the world. She gave up everything for her people. She saved everything, everyone, the entire world. Without ever becoming a fighter.

Yue is a perfect example of a girl who was never more than a girl, and how that's okay. Not every girl has to be rough and tumble and fight for her rights in order to change everything. Sometimes it's okay to just be a quiet obedient girly girl. Sometimes that's all it takes to be a hero.

And I love that. Yue is strong in her own way. She is unique and interesting. She appears in only a few episodes and yet manages to be one of my favorite characters.

Song is another great example of this. Song is a healer in a small town. We don't see much of her but we see her compassion and empathy. She is gentle and generous. A healer not a fighter.

She watches Zuko steal her ostrich horse and does nothing.

Is that because she's kind and generous and knows he needs it more? Or is it because she's a healer girl who knows she can't actually stop those two from taking the horse? Maybe neither, maybe both. I have always thought that the scene where Zuko steals the horse and only the audience knows she saw it is one of the most thought-provoking in the series.

Suki is a badass warrior woman who is an awesome fighter and good leader. She is one of the best non bender fighter we see in the entire show. She was one of the smartest, most efficient, and powerful characters we ever saw.

She kissed a boy she had just met because she thought he was cute.

Now don't get me wrong I love SokkaxSuki. Its one of the best couples in the show.

But Suki totally did the old 'love at first sight' thing. And that is awesome. Because when she kisses him she delivers one of the best lines, not only from her, but, I think, in the entire show.

"I AM a warrior, but I'm a girl too."

Being a warrior doesn't mean that she isn't also a teenage girl. She might be a fighter, but she still gets crushes and likes to flirt with cute boys. And hey, she picked a good one. Not every boy is going to come break you out of prison.

Anyways, let's have more realistic girls in fiction. And please enjoy the next 24 hours.

#bookdragonideas #atla #katara #suki #yue #princess yue #avatar the last airbender