#(commentary)

[cosmicjoke]

Do you think Levi has social anxiety? Or generalized anxiety of any sort?

Hmm, that's a good question.

I write Levi as having social anxiety in my stories, because it makes for good drama, haha. But if I'm giving an honest assessment of his character in canon, Levi doesn't strike me as suffering from social anxiety. He's definitely socially awkward, as in, he doesn't seem to really know how to conduct himself in social situations in a way that will ingratiate him to people, or make him more popular or well-received. Some might call him lacking in social skill, or even socially inept. He's not good at pretending to be what people expect him to be, or want him be. But he doesn't seem like he gets stressed out about that, or anxious. Levi doesn't seem like an anxious person to me on any level, really, except for when people's lives are in danger. He becomes anxious over that. But over how others react to him, or over whether others like him or not, I don't think Levi really notices, or if he does notice, he doesn't really care. I don't think it ever even really occurs to Levi that if he pretended to be more friendly, he might be more popular or well-liked. I don't think he feels the need to be liked. He feels he's there to help people, and he doesn't need to be well liked in order to do that. I think this again comes down to Levi's selflessness. I know I go on and on about it, but it's truly a fundamental trait of his character. He doesn't think about himself in terms of his wants or needs. As long as he's able to help others, that's what matters to him.

#Levi Ackerman #analysis #meta #commentary #attack on titan #shingkei no kyojin

[sinnermannn]

This movie is incredibly bad and at most bland as hell. Unfortunately even with the amount of characters they have that are so interesting they do nothing with it. What are your thoughts on the movie if you seen it? Thanks for all the support guys!

#youtube #sinnerman #commentary #movie review #dc comics #dcu #dc universe #dc robin #robin #batman #batman beyond #crisis on infinite earths #justice league #superman #supergirl #the monitor #monitor #psycho pirate #war world #movie reaction #film review #batfamily #animated #animation

[portland-polycule-archive]

New reaction image just dropped!

#the portland polycule commune cult #commentary

[notcaycepollard]

wishing every member of the disney-mcu marketing team a very happy screaming crying throwing up as they learn that despite every algorithmically targeted test audience development by market analysis megahit they attempt to manufacture, tumblr will collectively decide without forethought or discussion that the new fandom obsession is a non-existent scorsese film premised entirely on the tag label on a pair of knock off boots

#goncharov #commentary

[lexyscross]

William I guess had the decency (???) to at least have some emotion in his face after stabbing Vanessa. But really, it boils down to the fact that he intentionally stabbed she own child, he looked her in the eyes while doing so, and then after his flash of emotion he seemed to have the resolve of "Well, it had to be done."

God, the Complex Toxic Characterization lover in me is frothing at the mouth about this. I wanna study them both like bugs. (x)

#HE STABBED HIS OWN BABY *ON PURPOSE* I'M GONNA SLASH HIS FUCKING TIRES!!! 😭😭😭😭😭 #afton family #william afton #vanessa afton #fnaf #fnaf movie #five nights at freddy's (2023) #fnaf series #commentary #commentary: fnaf series #image #image: fnaf series #txt #3k #fnaf spoilers #fnaf movie spoilers

[bikiniarmorbattledamage]

This is truly stiff competition for the worst case of willful false equivalence we've ever seen.

So, for those not aware: Ongoing embarrassment to gamers and the gaming industry, Mark Kern (former lead on FireFall), has been desperately trying to get Gamergate 2 going on X/Twitter... well after others have given up. If you need to get caught up on Mark, I recommend this video by documentary maker and experienced game developer, Dead Domain:

One of the latest fiascos in this mix has been the comparison of responses to character designs from Hades 2 (Aphrodite, left) and Stellar Blade (protagonist Eve, right). The post isn't by Mark, but is part of the general harassment campaign he's trying to lead.

If you're somehow not familiar with Aphrodite, she's the Ancient Greek goddess of love, lust and hot girl shit. It is absolutely perfect characterization for her to show up to a battle (or anything else) nude but for her hair teasingly covering the intimate parts of her body. But the buried lede here is, you don't fight her in Hades and nothing about Hades 2 indicates she'll fight there either, she just likes the aesthetic and has no reason not to indulge.

Stellar Blade will release on 26 April 2024, so we can't really give an informed discussion of her character. But what we do know is the studio head is the illustrator from Blade & Soul, Eve is described as being a member of "the 7th Airborne Squad" engaged in an "operation to reclaim the planet from the Naytiba", and the promotion material promises "an enthralling narrative filled with mature themes, mystery and revelation. Embrace the relentless pace, with no time to pause between moments where critical, story-changing decisions are made."

It's to be compared to games like Nier: Automata, Devil May Cry 5, Jedi: Fallen Order and Sekiro. And the screenshots look like this:

And yeah, unlike Bayonetta she's not supposed to be an unstoppable force of nature (and fashion) who is immune to self-doubt, she's supposed to be the scrappy underdog last survivor of her team.

Weird they gave her a costume that conveys... the opposite of literally everything they're supposed to be trying to tell you about her.

-wincenworks

#stellar blade #hades #hades 2 #aphrodite #character design #costume design #commentary #mark kern #gamergate #dead domain #video games #false equivalence #blade and soul #nier automata #devil may cry #star wars #sekiro #bayonetta #firefall #science fiction #mythology #Greek #image #video #bikini armor battle damage #bikiniarmorbattledamage #babd #Youtube

[edathetublady]

Tumblr for me is like the gay neurodivergent version of Twitter (as someone who has used the app maybe twice?)

The only people I care about keeping up with are on this app (Neil Gaiman)

And I only use it to dump my useless and universally unwanted opinions.

It's the same thing, but instead of talking about politics, people talk about David Tennant.

#david tennant #good omens #10th doctor #tumblr #twitter #commentary #neil gaiman #neurodivergent #gay #queer

[flyinghellfish]

David Mirkin discussing which of The Simpsons writers are gay

#the simpsons #Video #Commentary #David mirkin #S06e14 #Bart's comet #Season 6 #Gay

[candlecordyceps]

Ok like I’m not really a massive analysis of film and story and stuff, but I’m trying to get more thoughtful when absorbing stories and just. GOD dungeon meshi got me with a heavy hitter this episode.

The raw emotion that filtered through me as I watched the backstory cutscene. Of Laois and Falin growing up, of her saving him. Saving him and when HE needed to save HER in that final memory she said to abandon her. How awful that was, something Laois commented on himself. That they couldn’t “Adventure together anymore”. The way she was so willing to fall, and for that to be the end of it, and for others to continue without her. Like UGHHHHH. The way that despite that willingness to be left to die forever, the others still took on the labor of love to go after her. To try. Because she matters to them and they’d do the same self-sacrifice for Falin despite her not minding being abandoned. Still, after fighting tooth and nail, it falls apart. It’s her staff they lift from the dragon. Her skull. Just bone. And while I haven’t read the manga, and I don’t know where it goes yet, it feels so utterly damning. I’m on the EDGE OF MY FUCKING SEAT.

I CANT WITH THIIIIISSSSSS. I CANT BE NORRRMMAAALLLL RRAAFGHHHHHH

#dungeon meshi #delicious in dungeon #delicious in dungeon spoilers #dungeon meshi spoilers #commentary #raw thought matter #i cant do this #i cant watch anime normally #i signed up for funny food show #what the fuck is happening

[merlin-gifs]

Katie: But the chemistry between you, that's undeniable. It's something that just can't be written. I mean, look at this. Katie: Oh, It's so beautiful. Look at this moment. There's such a moment between the two of you. Arthur: Merlin... Katie: "I love you." Colin: Come on, you're just fuelling stuff here for websites to [...] Katie: (laughs) Ok, I'll stop.

MERLIN | 1x10 "The Moment of Truth"

#merlin #merlinedit #merlin bbc #bbc merlin #season 1 #1x10 #arthur #arthur pendragon #merlin x arthur #katie mcgrath #colin morgan #commentary #tvedit #perioddramaedit #* #jd

[cosmicjoke]

Do you think that Levi has abandonment issues/fears and worries about being a burden to others? I don't know if these count as social anxiety, but there are a few scenes in the anime that I think of as social anxiety.

One of them is in the 3Season when Eren says "little old man" while swinging a fist at Historia's mutated father. I heard Yams say about that scene that Levi thought "I wonder if this is how they see me". I think he was offended.

And what makes me think that he has abandonment or being left behind issues is that both years later when he asks Kenny why he left him, and in the manga when Levi is injured and clinging to the sides and trying to walk and Armin tells him that he shouldn't get up because he's injured, Levi says "if I lie on that thing any longer, you guys will completely forget that I exist". I think this dialog was changed in the anime.

And later on, when the others are fighting, Levi looks at his injured knee and talks about being a burden to them.

I'm sure there are a few more scenes like that but I don't remember them now. But when we add them up, I think it's probably Levi's worry that he's a burden to others in any way, that people might abandon him because he's not good enough. I think it's because of the childhood trauma of Kenny abandoning him as a child. Child Levi was there thinking that Kenny had left him because he wasn't good enough.

I also me too think that Levi doesn't care whether other people like him or not, but on the other hand, I think that he believes that he is worthy of their love by trying to prove that he is a successful person, a useful person in the eyes of the people he cares about. But first of all this is my opinion. Canonically this may not be the case in reality. But I think he cares a little bit about what people think about him. I can say this both for Eren's example and for his height. I think he might be a little insecure about his looks.

I do think Levi has abandonment issues, yes. That's a little different than what I was talking specifically about, which is whether Levi is concerned with coming across as "likable" to others, and adjusting his behavior to make himself seem more likable in social settings. I don't think Levi cares much about that, just like I don't think he cares if he gets any sort of praise or recognition for his heroic acts. He's a hero precisely because he doesn't engage in acts of heroism for himself, but entirely for others.

But I do think Kenny’s abandonment of Levi certainly had an impact on Levi’s sense of self-worth, in the sense that, he taught him that strength was the most important thing, the only thing that mattered, even.  But then he abandoned him, and in doing so, sent Levi the message that there was something inherently lacking in him that caused that abandonment. 

Levi was strong, he’d fulfilled the requirements for Kenny’s approval, but still he was denied it. 

So it had to be something else, something else wrong with Levi that made Kenny leave.  His mere existence wasn’t enough to make him worthy in Kenny’s eyes.  I think that plays into Levi’s belief that if he has nothing to give, then his own life isn’t worth anything, which is what I think the scene between him and Armin on the ship implies. Levi sees himself as a weapon to be wielded. That's where his sense of self-worth lies, and if he isn't able to be used as a weapon, or a tool, if others aren't able to utilize him to their own benefit, then I think Levi feels his own life holds very little value.

Again, because he fulfilled all of Kenny’s requirements, he lived up to Kenny’s standards of being strong, and it still wasn’t enough.  There was something more he needed to be or do in order for his own life to have worth.  Simply being who he was wasn’t enough.  I think when he discovered that he could use his strength to help people, he also began to believe that his ability to give that strength defined his self-worth.  He felt he himself wasn’t enough for other people to value or love, not on his own. It didn’t matter what defined his core personality, it didn’t matter what sort of person he was.  But if he could give people something, if he could offer them something, then maybe that was where his value lay. 

So Levi's sense of self-worth is wrapped up in his ability to help others.

But I think it's also important to understand that a desire to find a purpose for himself, or a sense of worth in himself, isn’t what drives him to help people, isn't what created that desire in Levi. 

What drives him to help people, to be a “hero”, is an innate generosity in him, the sense that, because he has something that no one else does, his exceptional strength, it should be given freely to them.  Isayama spoke about this, and I don't have the direct quote on hand, but he said something along the lines of how, if Levi didn't have his great strength, that would make him just an ordinary man, and he wouldn't be responsible for others. But he does have his great strength, and Levi has the sort of innately compassionate and generous personality that won't allow for him to feel okay with the idea of having something others don't and not sharing it. That has nothing to do with his strength, or even with his belief that in order to be loved, he needs to be useful. It has to do with who Levi is, what type of person he is. That’s what makes him a “slave” to his strength, or a slave to being a hero.  His genuine belief that the possession of that strength makes him responsible for others.  The genuine belief that, if you have something to give, you should give it.

It would be the same as someone who has food, and when they see someone who doesn’t, they feel obligated to give their food to that person, even if it means starving themselves.  Levi feels obligated to share what he has.  He’s a slave to that obligation.  He gives, even when giving what he has is detrimental to himself. 

When I say Levi is a slave to that, that’s what I mean.  He can’t escape his natural compassion. Similarly, I think, to the way Eren, on an opposing end, couldn't escape his natural dissatisfaction with the world and thirst for upheaval and violence.

It’s why Levi’s attempts to keep his distance from others, to avoid the pain of losing people, never works, because Levi just naturally cares about people, in general, even people he doesn’t know well, or at all.  He’s chained down by that natural compassion.  He’s a “slave” to it, in the sense that he can’t break free from it.  He can’t escape it.  No matter how hard he tries, it always drags him back in, and he can’t ever ignore someone in need.  He can’t turn away from that.  That’s being a slave to heroism. That's what Kenny means when he asks Levi, "What are you, a hero?". 

That's why I constantly talk about how selfless Levi is, and the tragedy inherent to that selflessness. He doesn't help people because he wants to feel better about himself, or because he wants recognition, seeking attention as a means to boost his ego or social standing, or even because he wants to be loved. He helps people because of a genuine and pure desire for them to be okay, and feeling with his strength that he has the means to help, he in turn feels he owes it to them to help.  Again, that feeling exists in him because he’s an inherently empathetic person. He has a great ability to connect with other people’s feelings, on a fundamental level.  So it's important to understand that it isn't Levi's strength that makes him compassionate, or his strength which makes him a hero. It's his heart. Whether he was strong or not, he would still care about people, he would still wish to help people. Kenny believed one could only be compassionate if they were strong, but it's not the ability to help that makes one compassionate, it's the desire. And with Levi, we see that demonstrated at the very end, as he, wheelchair-bond, is still doing his best to better people's lives, and it's got nothing to do with his strength.

Where his sense of self-worth ties into that, and how that self-worth impacted by this feeling of obligation, is that, in his view, his only worth is in his ability to give, in him having something to give, and if he doesn’t, then his life is worthless.  That’s also what makes him a tragic figure.  He doesn’t realize that his innate empathy and compassion alone make him a worthwhile person.  That it makes him an exceptionally good person, even, and certainly one deserving of love.  He believes that the mere desire on his part to help isn’t enough to mark him out as a person of worth.  He believes that the only thing that would mark him out as such would be him actually being able to help.  This is also part of why it weighs so heavily on Levi when he fails to save lives or protect others.  Because he views that as a failing on his part to give what he has.  It comes into direct conflict with his innate generosity, his natural inclination to give.  It registers to him as fundamentally wrong, having this strength, and not being able to use it to the benefit of others.  It’s why Levi struggled for so long to understand what his strength was even for, because it never seemed right to him that it would only be for himself.

A good comparison to make, in terms of contrast, is between Levi and Reiner, for example. Reiner wanted to be "recognized" as a hero, and he committed horrific acts toward that end, in the hopes of being made an honorary Marleyan, to be hailed as a hero back home. But Levi doesn't want to be "recognized" as a hero, and he never did. He just feels compelled to heroism because he has something other people don't.  Like he’s the custodian of that strength, the keeper of it, but that strength is meant for others, not himself.  This flies directly in the face of what Kenny taught Levi.  Kenny taught Levi that his strength should only be used for his own survival.  That his strength belonged to him and should only benefit him.  That’s why I always say Kenny can’t be credited with Levi’s compassion and kindness.  Levi came to the conclusion that his strength could be used to help others all on his own.  Nobody taught him that.  And his innate compassion and generosity renders him incapable of justifying to himself sitting idly by while others are in need.  That’s why we see Levi so anxious and restless, for example, during the plan to capture Annie in Trost, or again, when he was bedridden before the final battle, but refused to stay there.  That’s where his issues of self-worth tie into his ability to help. He feels it's his duty and responsibility to help, regardless of the consequences to himself, regardless of his actual ability to do so.  We see this most clearly demonstrated during the “Battle of Heaven and Earth”, of course, and why he calls himself a "burden" when he's taken out of the fight with his ruined knee.  Levi is literally half-dead, and he still fights with everything he has, doing himself further, untold harm in the process, eventually sacrificing his body completely, which is how he ends up in a wheelchair at the end.  That’s true selflessness. 

I talk about this in regards to Furlan and Isabel, too. Levi would have had an easier time surviving Underground on his own. Helping Furlan and Isabel would have just meant an added burden to his already struggling existence, two extra mouths to feed, two other people to look out for.  Levi didn't need them. But he helped them anyway, because he's a selfless person. And again, this isn't something he was taught. He was taught the opposite. That's why I talk so much about Levi's nature, and how his goodness is inherent to his nature.

I said this before, but people always say Levi is a slave to his strength, or a slave to being a hero, because he feels he has to use his strength to help people.  But he only feels like he has to use it to help people in the first place because of his natural empathy and compassion.  So really, it would be more accurate to say Levi is a slave to his empathy and compassion. 

I think Levi does carry some insecurities too, about his height, and, as I said, about his social awkwardness. Kenny called him a "midget" and made some other, derogatory remarks about his height, so we can extrapolate from that that Kenny likely made a habit of verbally abusing Levi in that regard, and Levi probably developed insecurities about his height as a result. And yes, I think the scene where Eren calls Rod Reiss a "little old man", and Levi's feelings regarding that, is indicative of an insecurity on his part. So Levi definitely isn't immune to feeling insecure or self-conscious about certain perceived faults of his, or perceived unattractive qualities. I just don't think we ever see those specific insecurities ever have an actual impact on his actions or behavior in general. He doesn't try to please people, or to gain their approval by acting in ways he thinks will ingratiate him. His low sense of self-worth, though, or his belief that he isn't of value if he isn't able to use his strength to help others, is definitely something we see affect him all the time. I think Levi feels, if he isn't useful in some way, if he isn't able to give something to others, than his life is forfeit and he may as well not even exist.

#Levi Ackerman #attack on titan #shingkei no kyojin #analysis #commentary

[trollsbroppy]

This is from the features commentary where the creators talk about the Broppy kiss and how they were going to treat it. And they gave a shoutout to all the Broppyists out there

#broppy #trolls #branch x poppy #trolls branch #trolls poppy #trolls band together #trolls bts #behind the scenes #features #commentary

[portland-polycule-archive]

I've tried explaining this situation to people I know IRL and it really does feel like this.

#the portland polycule commune cult #commentary

[muchcelebrated]

The first time we see them interact after their first kiss in episode 6 will never not make me feral. Like the way his expression softens and the almost shy way he says “Lady Belle”.

Like he’s a doctor that’s just come from a brutal attack but at his core he is also a boy with a crush™️

Credit to @myladyofmercy for the gif

#the artful dodger #dodgerfox #jack dawkins #lady belle #the artful dodger hulu #hulu #lady belle fox #belle fox #thomas brodie sangster #maia mitchell #jack x belle #my post #gifs #episode 6 #bully in the alley #the artful dodger disney plus #disney plus #disney #commentary #artful dodger

[dragonnnfly]

Why I love how the first movie dealt with Hiccstrid

Early on in the first movie, it becomes clear that Hiccup has feelings for Astrid, although he never directly says so. His actions and the way he looks at her speaks for itself.

Hiccup also says that he hopes that by hunting dragons, he might find himself a girlfriend, but he never specifies that it is Astrid he’s interested in.

Still, Hiccup's crush on Astrid is not the main focus of the story, in fact, romance is brought up very little. While he attempts to impress her and the others during training and flirts with her once, he never becomes blinded by his feelings for her, not even after their romantic flight which leads to his feelings for her being requited.

He doesn’t do this

This

Or even this

To impress her.

Even though Hiccup initially had a crush on Astrid and later developed deep feelings for her, his motivation to become a hero was never driven by his feelings for her, and that’s not something you can say about all protagonist in movies.

#one too many times have I watched movies or shows where the hero only becomes the hero to get the girl #httyd #how to train your dragon #httyd 1 #analysis #commentary #screen caps #Hiccstrid #hiccup #Astrid #toothless #red death #1k notes

[myfandomrealitea]

Its interesting how some people view being corrected on something now that we're entrenched in an era of 'call outs' and 'cancelling.'

Its also interesting, though, how correcting someone has gone from generically pointing out the flaw or inaccuracy to demanding they grovel on their knees and never enjoy life again.

I'd honestly love for us to gravitate back into the era where corrections and challenges weren't just excuses to lash out at people or demean them or follow the herd. Inherently, I don't think offering corrections or challenges should ever come from a point of just wanting to hurt someone or be superior to them.

We grow by learning. We share knowledge. We aid each other in growth.

Being corrected can be embarrassing, but its a part of life. We're not right all the time. And seeing people who are incorrect can be frustrating, but it makes them no less deserving of patience and basic respect. Even if you think they should know better.

#myfandomrealitea #sephiroth speaks #reality #not discourse #education #society #commentary #we can't know absolutely everything in life. we will always be wrong about something at some point. its human