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system-of-a-feather · 2 months

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You know, I'm largely saying this because its a perspective that would have been super foreign to us in the past, but I honestly like to try to be someone who gives the best faith to people when I get the chance and I honestly think, at large, we have enough people in the world with high expectations and assumptions of people to just know everything or figure things out themselves that it's just not productive to those that haven't had it so easily put out for them.

I like to think that most people are dumb (affectionate), stupid (affectionate), and just honest to god confused and just need some help understanding things. And while I agree "you should do your own research and educate yourself", I like to think a lot of people do try that but due to a combination of difficulty understanding the topic and the amount of impersonal, complex language, and missinformation on topics, "educate yourself" is often easier said than done.

And I might go out on a branch and a bit of a stretch to state this, but I do think if you hammer away and expect everyone to "do your own research and educate yourself" or really oversimplify the effort of "learning things yourself" you kind of are largely putting up barriers to understanding to those with learning disabilities and unique and specialized learning needs. And if there are those barriers to understanding and denial of help without stigma, you kind of force people that struggle to learn things to be automatically labeled a "bad person" or a "bigotted person"

But a lot of people don't have resources to learn. A lot of people haven't been educated on a good and reliable way to learn. A lot of people struggle with reading. A lot of people struggle with more standard ways of "learning". A lot of people have trouble understanding social contexts that make it harder for them to navigate the social contexts of what people are saying and ulterior motives. A lot of people have little to no experience with topics related to what they are trying to learn and thus struggle to even fathom it. A lot of these social justice topics are actually very complex and confusing topics WITHOUT any unique challenges / difficulties accessing and understanding topics like these.

And it's why I very much love the "explain it to me like I'm three" statement; cause honestly, its okay to not know or understand things and I think its important to open up interest with the awareness that someone has tried and understands there is probably something they are missing, but can't connect it.

Maybe this is comes from the fact both of my parents that were actively abusive and harmful were both very "stupid" and thus very very harmful to me growing up, but in adulthood, when given the resources and time, it became very very very apparent that at no point did they ever have any moment of malice; they just never had the resources to understand or do better. Maybe it comes from working with neurodivergent kids that need things made more clear and explained to them in a unique way that is meant to help them in specific understand

Of course, this post isn't to say that people HAVE to educate others or that having these difficulties excuses harm done. It's never the victims fault that they were hurt, they never did and never do owe it to anyone to "educate them" to prevent getting hurt.

It's more so just to add some perspective, insight, and nuance to a lot of the social justice topics and a lot of the concept of "educate yourself" cause I think its important to have a lot more of a clear understanding of that in practice to actually help move everyone forward as a group

((And this is not meant to be just about neurodivergence; this is also about class, race, immigrant status, language barriers, environments, trauma and abuse histories, etc; this is a heavily intersectional post and is valid to apply to almost everyone. Learning foreign things is hard especially for certain people in certain situations. If you think it is only about one of these groups, you are missing the point; if enough people are missing the point I might follow this up when I have time))

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justanothersyscourse · 1 year

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hi ok so !! about your post on singlets in syscourse i just want to say i agree with you! i'm a singlet and my ex is a DID system, and during all the time i knew they were a system (2 years+) and the time we dated (almost a year) i've never really been able to partake (in good faith) in syscourse because i'm a singlet. i've spent over 2 years learning as much as i can about DID and OSDD and sometimes i'd like to partake in some syscourse and each time i try (in good faith! i cant emphasize that enough) both sides treat me like shit. like you said, singlets dont have a place in ALL discussions (i certainly wouldnt and dont want to stick my nose everywhere) but yeah there's a time and a place and like you said, to engage in constructive and positive conversations, which is exactly what i'd like to do. but even in those times and places both sides shut down whatever a singlet says, even if they do actually have some kind of standing in the discussion (like the examples you gave), say things in good faith and have knowledge of what they're talking about (like you also said). i've never really seen anyone display this opinion so kudos to you for voicing that!

My partner has been with us for ten years, and they've known about us for six of those years.

When he first found out, he went looking for resources, and one of the first ones he found was called The Significant Other's Guide to Dissociative Identity Disorder. It's a funny, honest guide written by another singlet partner. It talks about the good and the bad, insurance, therapy, hospitals, etc. Most importantly, it talks about what to expect from your system partner.

It wasn't until a few years later that he showed us this guide, and he explained that the brutally honest take on system behavior helped him become a better spouse for us. It talks bluntly about how systems are selfish by nature. Not in a negative way, just as a matter of fact. We have so much going on in our heads that sometimes it's really hard for us to keep our partners in mind, as well, and it comes across as selfishly absorbed, at times. It talks about how to handle that kind of behaviour, and the rewarding love you get in return.

But that REALLY struck me. It was true, and so was a lot of other, negative stuff (stereotypes?). It kind of put my partner in a new light for us-- we gained a huge amount of respect for him and appreciation for the things he put up with and tried to work with us on. Of how much work he put in and how much patience he had.

Singlets have an incredibly unique view on certain aspects of the disorder and of system life that is SO important to the conversation. I wish he had shown it to me earlier, but he said he didn't think I was in a place to hear it back then, and he was probably right. I wouldn't have taken it as positively and it wouldn't have had such a profound impact on us. Now we do our best to stay mindful of things-- so that we can be better, too.

Singlets tend be an unbiased, outside view. It's why anyone with half a brain encourages questioning systems to see a therapist. Traumatized, mentally ill individuals tend NOT to be good judges of... Much of anything, really. Themselves, situations, other people. I can't tell you how many times I was TEN THOUSAND PERCENT SURE I was a making a safe, smart decision, and he was behind me, rolling his eyes, waiting patiently for me to come to my senses, and then I'd run crying back to him when it all went to shit, because holy crap, that was dumb of me.

He also is VERY aware of the nuances of syscourse, he hears me talk about it daily. He engages with it through me. He's done enough of his own research to form his own opinions and thoughts so he can support me, and/or tell me when I'm being a proper little shit.

I talked recently about the unique perspectives of people who dipped their toes into plurality and DID/OSDD, and realized/admitted they weren't systems, and those who realized it was something else. Those perspectives are just as unique and useful in helping other systems figure their stuff out. They do understand syscourse. They've likely engaged in it before. They're allowed to, still.

Singlets who have never met a system in their life, but have a peer reviewed paper in have are goddamn allowed in syscourse to share it and talk about it.

They sure as fuck might be wrong, but they have every right to get involved, when and where they're welcome.

👏 Singlets 👏 have 👏 a 👏 place 👏 in 👏 syscourse 👏

Anon, you are welcome in my community <3

#syscourse

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nohoperadio · 2 months

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I watched the Sparks documentary recently. It was fun, mostly because Sparks is a very visually flamboyant project and they've gone through lots of different phases so all the archive footage was entertaining; the brothers themselves are funny and charismatic; and the soundtrack is all Sparks songs obviously, so it's the kind of thing where if you care enough about them to bother watching it you can't really not have a good time with it, on some level.

But the talking heads endlessly praising every creative move the band ever made got really exhausting over the course of two hours. It's not even the hagiography per se that was annoying, it's the fact that virtually every compliment given was some variant of: they do their own thing and don't compromise their vision to commercial pressure, they aren't like any other bands, they keep trying new things and don't repeat themselves. Tons of comments like that which you could edit into a documentary about any other band famous enough to make a documentary about without anyone noticing.

A thing I've been increasingly bothered by recently, and this doc was an extreme example that's made me think about it more, is a view of art where originality and uniqueness are like, the prime virtues, such that calling someone a great artist is basically equivalent to saying they possess those two qualities to a very high degree. And my problem isn't just the anti-Great Man point that all artists are deeply indebted to others and are better understood in relation to their peers and predecessors, although there is an important point there. It also just...

Well, aren't these kind of... Job Applicationy virtues to care about? Those are the things you emphasize when you want to impress on people that you have something to offer that they can't get anywhere else, if you want to draw attention to yourself and stick in people's memories. But they're not actually reasons to care about you, right? They're... narrative notes one has to hit in order to tell a story in which you're important. But when I listen to a band I love, I'm not telling myself that story, and the thing I'm loving is not how important they are.

More broadly: I feel about an artist's "importance" (what new techniques they innovated, how many others they influenced etc) similarly to how I feel about an artist's personal biography: it can aid in understanding them, it's not nothing, but it's emphatically not the juicy stuff, it's not why anyone cares. The fact that "everyone who bought the first Velvet Underground album started a band" might be a reason to listen to the Velvet Underground, but it's not a reason to listen to the Velvet Underground again, you know?

But the thing we do actually care about is much harder to talk about, especially to talk about in a way that seems like a reason for anyone else to care. So, because it's difficult and scary to try to express the thing that actually sets brain and heart on fire, we prefer to act as a sort of volunteer PR for the thing we love, try to impress on everyone how it's a big deal and they can't afford to miss it.

Do we? Or did I just watch a bad documentary that's catalyzed this dumb rant about nothing. I gotta go to bed.

#nohopewatchio #uninteresting

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codenamesazanka · 3 years

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Warning: Rant, character bashing, lots of opinions

I'm saying it outright. I hate Deku. He is entirely underwhelming as a character, much less as the main character, the shonen protagonist of the series.

It's a 'different' type of dislike, though. I feel like I could've like his character. There's nothing greatly disagreeable about him, he's as inoffensive as can be, he's an optimistic, considerate, and polite boy, he's as plain as he is said to be, and that's fine.

My issue is that he's not the character he's said to be. I, personally, just don't buy that he "possesses a drive to save others that eclipses all common understanding", or that he's super intelligent with great analytical abilities that he actually applies on the battlefield, or, in general, he's as amazing or heroic or compassionate as he's apparently supposed to be. How can he be inspiring if he barely challenges any aspects of the society he lives in. Deku is a super good example of the terrible use of "Tell, Don't Show". We're told about his amazing traits, but he rarely follows through; when we do see hints of it, it's lauded but frankly I think it's typical behavior and (this though is not quite his fault) written so stiffly and awkwardly I'm not convinced.

(Honestly I might even call him a Canon Mary Sue. He has no interesting or distinguishable flaws, unless having a shit for brains attitude is one but that's not acknowledged by the narrative. Breaking bones is not a personality trait. If he has a Hero Complex, it's not even the interesting ones where he fucks things up even more; or carries crippling guilt about circumstances beyond his control; or focuses completely on saving people to the point of rejecting almost all human connections and keeping deadly secrets - which is All Might's big flaw.) (Well fair, he does this in the most recent chapter but did it need to take 300+ chapters? Plus I sense the way it's framed is that it's the radical, but right course of action.)

Say what you want about Villains and redemption/shouldn't be redeemed/too evil to be saved/justice/etc, but I think this 'Incredible Drive To Save' should've included Villains from the start. Why does Deku want to "Save people with a smile on his face"? Assuming it's empathy, he should have felt some towards everyone he encounters, whether it's sensible or not. "Why are you so angry?", "You shouldn't go about things this way", "What caused them to be like this?", "Why is there evil in the world?" even. I'm still fuming over his Mall Encounter with Shigaraki, where Shigaraki pretty much reveals his damage: "All Might acts like there's no one he can't save"; but ultimately Deku goes "Wow, that sure is an opinion."

What kind of inane response is this??? There's little pushback from the narrative either, so this isn't pointed out as a failing of his (because, again, he has no big flaws). And he's supposed to be smart and caring. Yes, he does ask All Might right after the Mall Encounter, "Was there anyone you can't save?"; but essentially the replies he gets is "Don't worry about it" and Deku immediately largely puts it out of his mind "Oh whew, I was about to do some introspection and reflection". There isn't even the daunting, kinda-existential anxiety that people get when they realize it's impossible to save/help everyone - which is something, like, medical workers have to learn to deal with - that sharp sense of the inevitably of death, of loss, failure, guilt. I'm not asking for him to come to the conclusion that everyone should be saved - he could've decided nah, Shigaraki is too ugly to be saved and I would've been fine with that, it's part of the character role and potential development - just that he should've had a conclusion at all.

There are the latest chapters where Deku decides he wants to try saving Shigaraki first (though killing him is still on the table), true. Him wanting to save Shigaraki after seeing AFO merged with him, after seeing The Crying Child - but see, I don't think it qualifies because I think it's the bare minimum about of consideration, the typical response to seeing the body horror of warped, fused flesh, to seeing a small sad little boy. I think it shouldn't require "You look like you needed saving" for a true Hero to consider saving someone. Not for someone who is supposed to be unique and special in this regard.

I've complained about this before, but the trouble with Deku was evident from the very beginning.

Again, Deku wants to save people with a smile on his face, and again, I’m assuming it’s empathy. We're shown this on the very first page, as he attempts to protect a friend(?) from bullies, but imo like it felt groundless because who was the kid he was protecting? We never see him again. Did Deku's standing up to Bakugou work, and the kid was saved? Or did they both got beaten up; but afterwards, being the kind boy Deku is supposed to be, he still gets to his feet to help the boy, to apologize for failing.

But more significantly, this theme of saving was overshadowed immediately by his focus on superpowers - that he was quirkless. Next page, his focus was on ‘Woah, giant villain and superpowers!’ Instead of like. Helping people. (Though I chalk this up to early installment weirdness)

What should’ve happened if the theme was ‘SAVE PEOPLE’ Is something like: The opening sentence being “People are not born equal. This is the harsh truth I learned when I was four. I knew that... but despite my powerless, I still wanted to help. That was my first and last setback.” And the panels/images themselves (of little Katsuki and his friends) implies that people on the world thinks you need power to help people.

When he saw the villain attack on way to school, Deku can be wow’ed by the spectacle! But then he notices a kid crying and offers to help find his mom. He can be interrupted by a Hero saying he (the hero) will take over, he can find the mom and realize he’s late for school (and so that shows he’s willing to sacrifice something of his to help others! Because of his altruistic nature!). A scene like that, of him helping the lost kid, we would know that he wants to help *anyone*. At school, though, he still gets bullied for not having powers. So he’s mulling over that when he meets All Might, and asks the question.

It proceeds as usual for the next few events: When the sludge monster attacks Katsuki, he can still go gawk at the scene. He can still hesitate. In canon, it's only when he realized the victim was his friend that he jumps into action, which I thinks undermines the theme of 'wanting to save indiscriminately'. IMO, it would've been better that Deku sees it’s his friend, but he still hesitates. “There’s nothing I can do right? All Might himself said so...” But when he sees Katsuki’s *face* of fear, he runs to help. Instead of seeming like he helps only because he realizes it’s his friend, he helps because he feels too deeply about trying to save Katsuki.

Admittedly these are minor, personal critiques; but all in all, the first chapter fails to establish Deku is the willpowered, champion of wanting to save people he's supposed to be.

--Which is fine, if it's acknowledged in the story later, that maybe he wasn't the True Blue Hero he's supposed to be at first, but he can change and still become one. But it's not - Deku is apparently special, without anything special to show for it.

I read the one-shot "My Hero" - the prototype for this series - that Horikoshi published years ago, before My Hero Academia was created. I also found it underwhelming, but that was due to personal tastes (I wanted more explosions and dumb violence); as a story on it's own merit, the logic and progression was solid.

The Villains Heroes fought were 'Aberrations' - true inhuman monsters that showed no sentience that would eat people - so the focus could be solely on saving humans. The main character - Jack Midoriya - his original goal was less 'save people' and more 'become a cool hero', before learning that saving people is what true heroism is about, hero license unneeded. (Moreover, he really did 'save' someone without being a hero - by working hard, he was preventing the company from becoming ruined completely, which the CEO had confessed and thanked him for. )

This version of Midoriya didn't exactly needed deep empathy or compassion for that, just a strong willpower, which he effectively demonstrated by chasing after a childhood dream even as an adult salaryman in a tanking company, even though he had anemia and no training and no license. He insisted on this, to the point of getting hurt by being dumb, of being petty over someone dissing the Hero who inspired him in the first place, of skipping out of work and going vigilante. Not the most upstanding guy, but he came through in the relevant themes of the story, in being the character the story needed him to be.

Jack Midoriya was an unimpressive, weird-looking, weak, pitiful, somewhat selfish, awkward salaryman with no great aspects that 'eclipses all common understanding'. But he was a far stronger character than his incarnation Izuku Midoriya could ever be (so far).

#rant #nalslastworkingbraincell #character bashing #negativity #warning #I hope these tags are enough #:P

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ofallthingsnasty · 2 years

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Omg yes PLEASE steal my ideas. I'm far better at making up crazy scenarios than I am at actually writing- please don't be embarrassed if you do read my fics. Also, my medical knowledge is mostly fantastical ideas so don't be ashamed 👉👈 LOL.

YES YES! He'd have polaroids of all his trials; just assorted pics of you with various ailments caused by him. He probably keeps an x-ray of your chest in his wallet- it's almost romantic. In a total freak way anyway. Omg waking up and he's had to cut off a limb or something and you're in pain and he's like "Dw I'll fix it...later." Literally endless possibilities.

Kai after you find out he's done yet another traumatizing experiment on you: ^_^

Yes 🥺🥺🥺 When you first meet he kicks apart your legs and sneers at you. You probably faint as he moves closer which makes it even easier for him to get Hari to scoop you up and take you to the base. You'd wake up with your arms strapped down and an ache between your legs- he's already put a catheter in seeing as you can't be trusted and you cleaaaarly have something wrong with you anyway. He'd have you set up with an IV and everything. It's kind of sweet you know? He could be killed you but here he is, taking the time out of his busy schedule to fix you.

My archiveofourown username is BabyDuck 👉👈 I'm really not a good writer but I have a bazillion more screwed up Overhaul thoughts if you wanna hear them- Like I think he'd have a certain affinity towards the high lithotomy position 👁️👁️

BabyDuck ao3 - everyone come and get your Overhaul darkfic!!!

ahjsha I kinda figured it was you omg!! After I answered that ask yesterday I went on ao3 to search up some Overhaul/Reader watersports works (you know, gotta read other people's takes dhsjadhsj) -- and you have the piss niche cornered on there!! I skimmed over His Doll (which, gorgeous btw!!) and I saw Kai thinking about leaving in the catheter and I just- I had a hunch because I've only seen it from your ask and that fic haha 💖💖💖 Now I feel like some weird Sherlock Holmes -- and I'll definitely need to sit down and read them all properly because they all sound so interesting. Like, really unique (and SO hot hehe) - also you're not a bad writer at all, omg!! I followed you just now haha tw. piss and malpractice

I'll definitely credit your ao3 when I post it, you're a fucking genius 😳 Thank you so much for letting me, I've already started re-reading the Overhaul arc this morning, I gotta pour myself into this asap 💖 Also- if you ever wanna do more in-depth reading into anything medical, look up textbooks on libgen.rs! My dental textbooks are waaay too expensive for me to buy, I download them 'legally' from there - it's free and safe and they even have my german dental school books!! Medical slang is pretty easy to learn, even if it feels overwhelming at first! You'll be talking in tongues in no time haha And omg yes of course the pictures! During surgery, afterward, during recovery and once you're all healed up again - he shoves that obnoxious giant thing into your private parts, into your face - everywhere. You'll never have privacy again - and now he even documents it, for the next generations to ogle at. He'll dutifully fill out his reports and sometimes even try to explain all the procedures to you - using dumbed-down language that makes you feel like a child. Also - just the teeniest bit that immediately got me thinking about him during my research yesterday - the insertion area of Foley catheters has to be cleaned twice a day, not to mention changing the bags etc - he'd make SUCH a fuss about it, just another excuse to put you down but he secretly loves it (and obviously completely ignores that you could it yourself hehe) - and of course he'd pick up your outfits for you, because you can't wear skinny jeans with a catheter, no? Sometimes the skirts are just a little too short or the bag is taped a little further down your thigh so that its edges peek out -basically parading your source of humiliation around. 😳 The kicking the legs apart is so perfect 💖 You're wet and scared and miserable and he's soooo angry and you think he's going to kill you just like the rest hmmm 🥴 Delicious! That very first awakening would be so terrifying, but he'd be all fake-sweet at first - until you get loud/ask the wrong questions 💖 Hhhhh I'm full of so much Overhaul thoughts now, goodness 🥴 Omfg he'd love that position 🤭 Perfect access to all of your most important parts hehe And yes please!! You can tell me everything you wish - I just know it'll be the best!!

#ask #anon #babyduck #/overhaul

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mobvla · 4 years

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Hi!! I just saw your message on faizas blog and something about how genuine and kind you were really touched me. I can't put it into words exactly but seeing things like that just really reminds me what humanity truly is and how human beings, regardless of religion, nationality, ethnicity etc, can connect and learn from one another? If that makes sense lol. Based on that message alone, i could tell that every kind thing you said to faiza also applies to you! 💕💕

hello anon!!! hi!!! omg stop im legit tearing up now. this...... pls i don't deserve this. i did the bare minimum tbh, @yangkoogan is such a beautiful soul, she deserves every praise she can get!! and i just like to tell those whom i value how important they are to me, because i know that spreading love is never too much. especially during times like the ones we are facing now. not only a deadly pandemic took over and shook our world, a LOT of disasters and tragedies have been happening amidst that, and no one is immune from the overwhelming feelings of loneliness and hopelessness this whole scenario brings. so what bad can a bit of love and care do?

i can't believe my words touched u shdhsjjd i'm usually a BIG pessimistic and i'm the first one to say "fuck it let it burn" whenever things go wrong, but after a few months of following faiza, ive been learning to see those situations with different lenses and try not to be so negative all the time. it's hard, but what kind of growth isn't? i'm also the first one to just curse the entire human race and how stupid we are, and have been for the last 200 thousand years (HOW DID WE SURVIVE THAT LONG BEING SO FUCKING SELF ABSORBED AND DUMB). BUT, if you squint, you can find a bit of goodness here and there and a handful of kind and welcoming people to make you feel like home 💓 and that's what tumblr has been to me. we are all so different, but we all can see the beauty in each of those differences and respect them because they are what make each of us unique in their own way. i'm white, trans, lesbian, able-bodied and south american, yet most of those whom i follow have nothing to do with those characteristics, but we can all still feel a big sense of empathy and belonging within this little community we built here, and i love it so much!!! so so so much 💞

but anyways thank you for taking the time to read that ENORMOUS ask i sent faiza and then coming here to say such kind words to me 💕 i really don't deserve them!! i hope you are safe and treating yourself with love, anon 💓

#this is so sweet stop 🥰#anon i love u and i truly wish u all of the best!!!#dawn answered

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shoujocentral · 5 years

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Symphogear S1- Now this is MY kind of anime!

Every once and awhile when I'd log onto Twitter, I'd see people saying "watch Symphogear" accompanied by images from the show. From looking at the pictures, I assumed it was just another magical girl show like Precure but with less magic and more... techno. Oh, and apparently they sing while they fight? Sounds kinda dumb...

Buuuut... I have heard that there's some yuri content? Maybe I'll give it a try. I mean, I'm always open to watching new stuff, even if it's just a silly little kid's show 😅

😳

Well........ color me hooked.

I have to say, this show is not at all what I was expecting in the best possible way. It feels a lot more like a Shounen action show along the lines of Fullmetal Alchemist or Neon Genesis Evangelion than a Magical Girl show (if that's even what it's supposed to be). Today, I'm going to be giving my first impressions of Senki Zesshou Symphogear season 1, which will be spoiler free for anyone who hasn't seen it yet.

Plot:

So what is Senki Zesshou Symphogear about?

In the not too distant future (next Sunday A.D.), Japan is under attack by monsters known as Noises, the likes of which cannot be killed by military weapons. The only thing that can kill them are girls clad in weaponized armor known as Gears, which is activated and powered by singing catchy techno-pop music.

One day, a girl named Hibiki Tachibana is caught in the middle of a battle, and one of the Gear users, Kanade Amou, sacrifices herself to save her. Two years later, Hibiki discovers that a piece of Kanade's Gear was embedded in her chest during the fight, giving her access to the Gear's powers. Hibiki is recruited by the Disaster Relief Squadron, the organization that created the Gears, to help defend Japan from the Noises.

However, Kanade's former girlfriend partner, Tsubasa Kazanari, sees Hibiki as nothing more than an obnoxious, naive girl trying to be Kanade's replacement. Will the two learn to work together, defeat the Noises, and possibly uncover a deeper plot to all the attacks?

Symphogear's plot might not be the most original thing ever; evil monsters attack, teenage girls transform into superpowered warriors to fight them, evil mastermind tries to take over the world, etc. But what makes this story stand out is it's unique approach to the fights. Having the Gears be powered by music, resulting in every fight being accompanied by a song, is either a genius way to amplify the fights, or a genius way for the producers to sell a techno soundtrack.

I was worried that the constant use of insert songs would become repetitive and annoying, but on the contrary, they heightened my enjoyment! The fights in Symphogear are easily my favorite part of the show: fast-paced, badass powers, lots of screaming, and downright brutal at times! Hibiki has officially joined the ranks of my all-time favorite battle cries, right up there with Goku from DBZ and Souma from Kannazuki no Miko.

If there was one thing I had to nitpick, it would be that most of the fights take away the credibility of the Noises. They're supposed to be this terrifying threat to Japan that can't be harmed by the military, but as soon as the Gear wielders show up, they're reduced to nothing more than cannon fodder as Hibiki and her comrades seem to waltz through them without breaking a sweat.

Thankfully, the versus matches between Gear wielders are much more balanced. My favorite has to be Hibiki vs Chris (see above), but then again, any fight with Chris is an absolute win!

Characters:

Hibiki Tachibana

Hibiki is your typical genki girl protagonist: optimistic, hyperactive, naive, and pure. What makes her a more compelling hero, however, is her slow growth into becoming a strong Gear wielder. Unlike most magical girl protagonists, who seem to master their powers after one line of "EH?! What just happened to me?!", Hibiki takes time to learn how to fight. She starts out with the mindset that she has to be Kanade's replacement and thus tries to fight just like her. However, she eventually comes to invent her own battle tactics that work much more in her favor. Mainly, punching the everloving shit out of everything in sight.

Hibiki is, in my opinion, a flat character done right. She doesn't go through any personal growth or development throughout the show (learning to fight doesn't count), but her belief that all humans can get along if they communicate and desire to protect people just because she wants to is the cause for most of the change in the people around her. The world is in a dark place, and Hibiki is the light. She doesn't need to change, because she's exactly what the world needs.

Tsubasa Kazanari

From what I've learned, Tsubasa is a favorite amongst Symphogear fans. Me personally, though, I have a few issues with her character. Now, I have nothing against brooding, damaged characters. In fact, Tsubasa's recovery from Kanade's death and learning to cherish her own life was incredibly engaging... for the most part. Sorry, but I can only take so much edge. Her constant repitition of "I am a sword, I exist only to fight" grew old after the first 10 or so times.

Also, while I love her overall development, I feel that her acceptance of Hibiki was a little rushed. For the first four episodes, she hates Hibiki for carrying Kanade's Gear to the point where she tries to fight her to the death. Then, after another fight sends her into a coma, she has a (extremely gay) hallucination of Kanade telling her to get over herself. Next episode, she's treating Hibiki as if they've been friends the whole time. Did I miss something? Did Hibiki even apologize for saying she wanted to replace Kanade? Did Tsubasa apologize for trying to shishkabob her?!

Development aside, her fighting style is awesome and unique, and leads to the best choreography in the show. Hopefully as I watch more seasons, my opinion of her will improve.

Chris Yukine

Best Girl. No questions. Anyone who disagrees is wrong. Deal with it.

Jokes aside, Chris is my favorite character of the show bar none. Maybe I just have a weakness for evil-turned-good characters, but I adored her "don't take no shit from nobody" attitude and her soft side emerging as the show progressed. And let me tell you, Tsubasa would have no right to brood if she knew what Chris went through as a child. I won't give anything away, but just a few brief images and harsh words were enough get the picture across and tug at my heartstrings.

She also had my favorite Gear and fighting style in the show. If there's one thing that always gets my blood pumping, it's gatling guns and an endless supply of missiles. Seriously, I could watch this girl fight for hours.

Kanade Amou

A moment of silence, ladies and gentlemen.

......

Kanade would be my favorite character if we had gotten more of her. But alas, she has to die in the very first episode. DAMN YOU, PLOT!!!

Even though we get very little of Kanade, she makes it her mission to leave a lasting impression. Her sacrifice at the beginning sets the tone for the rest of the show, and her flashback is the best of the bunch. I got hard chills when she transformed for the first time. Let's just say she's psychotic in all the right ways.

Kanade died for our sins. Remember that... 🙏

Finé

Our main villain of the show. That's it. There's really nothing much else to her. She's cruel, manipulative, and powerful beyond belief, as most big bosses of these kinds of shows are. She was honestly my least favorite part of the show.

Fine's motivation is incredibly confusing on first watch. I had to go back to pause and read the subtitles multiple times to understand her backstory, but maybe that's my fault for being a slow reader. On the other hand, the explanation as to who she is and why she's so powerful comes right out of nowhere and doesn't seem to connect to anything the story had been building up to that point. Also, by the time I understood her motivation and actually found it a little intriguing, she dropped the dreaded "I'm going to take over the world" line. Aaaaand.... all my interest just went out the window.

There is a twist involving her connection to a certain other character in the show that I genuinely didn't see coming, but in the end, it wasn't nearly enough to make up for her shortcomings.

Miku Kohinata

God bless this little angel. Miku is a precious cinnamon roll who must be protected at all costs. Thankfully, Hibiki's got it covered 👍

Words cannot express how much I love this girl. She may be only a supporting role for the time being, but good lord, does she support! It always broke my heart whenever she tried to spend time with Hibiki or talk to her, but the Disaster Relief Squad kept pulling them apart. I know DRS is classified, but Miku deserves better than to have secrets kept from her! Life sucks when your girlfriend best friend is a superhero...

Well, that was a mouthful. There's a lot more characters in this show, but I don't really have much to say about them. However, while we're on the subject of Miku, let's move on to the reason I checked this show out in the first place, and the reason I'm sure most of you read my stuff.

Yuri:

No sooner did I finish this show did I start looking up HibiMiku fanart 😍

I was expecting a fair dosage of yuribait going into Symphogear, but mother of all that is gay, did I get an overdose!

First and foremost, the main ship: HibiMiku. These two are dating. Nothing anyone says will change my mind. They compliment each other perfectly, with Hibiki's energy and Miku's sweetness... HHNNNGGH! IT'S TOO PRECIOUS! I sincerely hope these two get more time together in the next few seasons. Now if only they'd stop with the damn F word...... 😡

Next up, TsubaKana. This one seems more like it was one-sided feelings on Tsubasa's part, judging by how dedicated Kanade was to fighting the Noise. Regardless, you don't just lose all sense of your humanity and self-worth after your "partner" dies. And all that hardcore blushing in the flashbacks and naked cuddling dream sequences... nah, Tsubasa was hella hot for Kanade. Sadly, our lord and savior was taken from Ms. Brooding too soon.

Finally, there's Ryoko Sakurai, the DRS's head scientist. She was initially hinted to be gay, what with her being all too eager to have Hibiki undress and wanting to "pop her cherry" (yes, an adult said that to a 15 year-old). However, after a certain conversation occurred, it seemed more like she was straight or at least bisexual, if all that dirty talk wasn't just teasing.

I've heard future seasons introduce more potential couples, so I'm keeping my eyes open and my yuri goggles on tight 😋

Conclusion:

I enjoyed the first season of Senki Zesshou Symphogear through and through. As someone who enjoyed Akanesasu Shoujo and Magical Girl Spec-Ops Asuka, I have a soft spot for shows about badass girls kicking monster ass and unleashing their inner yuri. Overall though, I think Symphogear might be my favorite of the bunch so far. It has its fair share of flaws, sure, but I think its positives outweigh the negatives by a long shot. If I got this much enjoyment out of the first season, I cannot wait to see what the following seasons have to offer!

Symphogear delivers a fun, action-packed story with colorful characters, kickass fight scenes, head-banging music and plenty of yuri content. Anyone who loves Magical Girls or Shounen battle shows needs to check it out!

Rating: 8/10

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go binge Symphogear G. See you next time, my fellow yuri lovers!

#symphogear #senki zesshou symphogear #yuri #shoujo ai #yuri anime #hibiki tachibana #miku kohinata #tsubasa kazanari #kanade amou #chris yukine #hibiki x miku #hibimiku #tsubasa x kanade #tsubakana

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crystalelemental · 4 years

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Ok... my thoughts about the DLC. I played on hard, and the side story was INSANELY challenging, which was nice because I was craving that. That said... it was really short. They had a perfect opportunity to do playable Sothis and/or Rhea and DIDN'T, which I can't really wrap my head around. It could have only been for one or two maps (the last two) and I would have been satisfied! But nothing. I was kind of hoping for a new part 2 route based on the Ashen Wolves with playable Sothis/Rhea, but...

But no, that didn't happen. Then finally, in addition, neither Constance nor Hapi have marriages with F-Byleth, and there are no new marriages at all besides with those characters? I mean. I'm not happy. I get that Yuri can marry both Byleths but like. Make the others like that. I prefer playing as FByleth because I feel her eyes are more expressive but I can't marry who I want and thats stupid as hell. If this is the complete DLC, I dont think id recommend it to anyone else, honestly.

I’m actually glad we didn’t get a new part 2 route. I feel like such a decision could’ve very easily been made to be the “peaceful” route, akin to Revelation, where it’s everyone getting to be happy, but is kind of stupid and badly handled. So while it would’ve been nice for everyone to live, I feel like that would’ve thrown off the balance a bit.

As for the rest...under the cut.

My big issue is they didn’t explain much. I was honestly hoping for more of an explanation on the how and what of Sitri. Church route explains that Rhea made Sitri, but we get exactly no insight into exactly what she did or how that’s even possible. I would have liked to get to know more about Sitri’s origins. At one point, my guess for Sitri’s body in Abyss was that Rhea just kept the clones down there in her closet and Aelfric just happened to find one of them.

I love Rhea, don’t get me wrong, but I also feel like a lot of this route kinda backpedaled on the Church route exposition. What I mean is, Church route has Rhea admit to creating human life, and mostly using it as a vessel for her mother’s return. She doesn’t seem to care much beyond that. Even Byleth, ultimately, is meant to be a house for the progenitor god, who she ultimately attempts to erase by having Sothis reincarnate in them. It’s really not a flattering picture for Rhea, who honestly seems really corrupt and selfish in that moment.

Ashen Wolves instead presents this idea that she really cared a lot about Sitri, and was upset at her passing, so much so that she preserved the body in Abyss. That...doesn’t really line up with what we know of Rhea, as it applies to the vessels she prepares. I’m all for Rhea actually being nice, and being kinder than most people seem willing to give credit for, but this route felt like it too that almost too far in the direction of “Rhea is innocent.” Sure, okay. She really loved Sitri so much that Sitri was like a daughter, and that’s definitely why she kept the body perfectly preserved. That seems very believable from the person who is currently trying to have us destroyed to bring back her mother. I guess the parallels with Aelfric are cool, but eh. There’s a lot that didn’t feel perfect in this route. I did hear someone on Twitter claim it was Conquest levels of dumb, but I don’t really agree. I think it was ultimately fine, it just didn’t address the things I’d hope for, and mostly focused on Aelfric’s dick inadequacies. I went into this hoping for more depth on mysteries within the main game, but instead we got something...completely unrelated, and it’s not bad but it’s not entirely what I had wanted.

I think deep down, I was hoping for what would never happen, which is for anyone to just say Morph or Quintessence. I know that wouldn’t happen, but the dragonkin are called Nabateans. Nabateans. Nabata. Tell me this is related to Elibe, dammit. I don’t care how, just do it.

As for gameplay, it was...fun? I have a lot of thoughts but I’ll stick with two. One is, reinforcements on these maps suck. They’re obnoxious and awful and I hate them. The map conditions are unique and fun, and there are certain conditions that prioritize moving your ass forward rather than trying to just tank out, which is a good way to make use of characters who aren’t Edelgard and Hilda. I just feel like certain maps went way, way too heavy on reinforcements as a thing, and it really bogged it down. The DLC is overall pretty short, but some maps felt like an eternity with this dumb shit. Also Yuri pulls a “set the town on fire to protect it” move by having Hapi summon a bunch of monsters when we’re down to the last three enemy units. Thanks buddy, that...that’s good thinking there.

The other is that I...actually love the pre-set classes and everything. I get that people like customization, and the lack of the weapon triangle facilitates that by ensuring no one’s completely fucked because they made an army of Wyvern Lords and Gremories. But...what’s stopping you from making an army of Wyvern Lords and Gremories? They’re categorically the best classes, why do you need anything else? I feel like the lack of weapon restriction alongside the lack of a weapon triangle allows you too much freedom, and it results in a lot of the core gameplay being kinda...less involved. Skills aren’t that strong, no weapon triangle, no weapon restrictions on your units, double magic casts means you literally never think about running out because there’s so many...the challenges of the game start to become “I can one-shot anything from anywhere because Meteor or Thyrsus,” or “I’m going to bait these enemies out with my godwall, who will tank exactly 100% of all threats with no issue because nothing can stop them.” It’s not really as fun. I like to play for stats, but I also like the knowledge that no pure stat wall is going to body the game if you’re not playing smart in most cases. I feel like Three Houses doesn’t have that. A unit with strong mixed defense and good attack basically faces no issues at all. It makes the main game even more of a chore. I appreciated Ashen Wolves for locking in your base stats, your class option, etc. But at the same time. Callie played it and I directed, yet I have no desire to play it myself now. Because...nothing’s going to be different. I can’t use different characters for different purposes, and without the customization aspect of the main game, that means there’s...basically no reason to replay it. I like having things overall be a bit more set, but as a side-story where all characters are deployed, it lacks variety.

All that to say, I kinda agree? Like, the DLC pack really feels like it’s more for the characters and classes added to the main game. Which is 100% fine with me. I am all about Dark Flier Lysithea and will never give this up. Also Constance best girl, it’s bullshit she’s not a bi option.

#ashen wolves

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ask-joeydrewstudios · 7 years

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Why do you say not to tag your posts as kin/me? I can't access your mobile rules and like its been bothering me for a bit on why.

((oh you wouldn’t find an explanation in rules, it’s just the same “don’t tag as kin/me” thing in there xD I’m gonna throw it under a cut for anyone that wants to know why I have this stance on it, then link this in the rules so if anyone’s like you in the future they can read this.))

Right off the bat I’m gonna link to this post over here that explains why I (and a LOT of other artists) don’t like their stuff being tagged as kin.

So generally I don’t like people tagging my art as kin/me/etc because it feels like they’re saying “oh they drew this for ME” when… no, I didn’t xD And in this case where its an AU ask blog, all the muses are pretty different to their canon interpretations. They’re half-OCs at this point with the unique designs (save the toons, of course) and the bitchload of headcanons I’ve got tied to them (even the toons, in that case). I’ve spent a lot of time developing this AU, way more than I shoulda truth be told, and it means a lot to me on a variety of levels. Like I can promise you, nobody loves this AU more than I do, but that’s a story for another time. All you need to know is this dumb AU ended up meaning loads to me. Everyone’s been personalized as a means for me to express my love of BATIM, “hey I love this thing, here’s my interpretations of the characters that i love so much”

-and then someone comes along and starts tagging my stuff with kin/me/what-have-you… I know you already read that post linked above, but I’m gonna quote it because im bad with words and its Spot On:

[…] when you discuss the work as if the subject inside is yourself, you’re taking away from the bond the artist has with it and moving the topic onto you, as if the artist has drawn it for you. This feeling is extremely difficult to describe if you don’t do visual or written artwork, you have to trust us on this. Artists can draw for individuals and audiences, but inside their art is still their bond to something they love or care about, you don’t get to break that by inserting yourself as the actual subject of said drawing. As if the work is of you.

Now that whole paragraph is Good, but especially this bit: “Artists can draw for individuals and audiences, but inside their art is still their bond to something they love or care about, you don’t get to break that by inserting yourself as the actual subject of said drawing.”

Also remember that I am kinda sorta… really defensive/paranoid about my art? Yeah. You’ve seen how I get with art thieves, so you can imagine people trying to warp my art into some kind of self-expression thing for them would… not sit well with me. It never has, actually. “but mun, why are you so defensive/paranoid about-” that’s a long-ass story for another time and probably my art blog, if anywhere.

I don’t have anything against kin-types (if that’s not the right word someone respectfully DM me the right term here please I legit Don’t Know), y’all know my life motto - live and let live. “If it’s not hurting anyone, they’re free to do it.” If the content creator is fine with you identifying as their characters, ayy, good on ya, keep doing what you’re doing cuz it helps you get through life. [thumbs up]

Fanartists are a bit of a different deal. We make art to express ourselves and for the things we love. A lot of artists I know don’t want people tagging their stuff as kin/me for a variety of reasons, but that one quoted, bolded paragraph up there is basically it summed up in a paragraph. Art takes a lot of time, and good art takes a lot of years to be able to make. It really just boils down to a respect thing, basically.

actually, tl; dr - its just a respect thing, especially in this case where this is a heavily canon-divergent fan-AU.

“what about your main art blog where you draw fanart for everything, not just this AU-” the “it breaks the personal bond between the artist and their art” point still stands, regardless of what the art is actually for ;P

I hope that explanation was as chill and straight-forward as possible, and I hope I didn’t upset anyone cuz I know how tumblr is with The Discourse™. I mean nobody any ill-will with this, and if anyone read this way-too-long wall of text then thank you for that, and I hope you have a good day :D

#mun speaks #ask #anonymous #anon

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emotual · 6 years

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hi, Ash, ily ❣️ this is .. more for future reference, but like? how do you put out the "im not straight" vibes to other girls without .. actually coming out with it??? bc I honestly can't figure it out hdmaknf idk I guess I felt like you'd have the right answer??? one reason I'm asking is bc like i don't have a crush on my coworker.. but she's rlly pretty n I kind of blush around her sometimes, yet .. she still doesn't realize that that's prob why hnsns I just want ppl to realize sometimes (cont

(Continued) bc I’m just… afraid to say anything? i want her to know, but I’m so scared to just outright admit it for multiple reasons hdmwkfm I hope it’s not dumb asking for advice abt this 😰 anyways I hope that you have a good night ❣️❣️

since you made yourself vulnerable with this, i’ll make myself vulnerable by saying that i was the anon who told you i wanted to kiss my crush for hours so agsdgsdg THERE YOU GOdskjgndskjgnsjkgd. i love talking about this sort of thing. if you think about it, wlw have their own mannerisms unique to us, and isn’t that so beautiful??? we have our own cues to each other to let us know that we are both wlw and in a space together and connected in that way. idk it’s kind of hard to explain but like, wlw put their hands in their pockets, talk differently, dress differently, speak differently, sit differently, point differently, etc., have you ever noticed that??? it’s so cool like when you’re out in public and you notice small things about people (like your gaydar going off pretty much) because of tiny things that catch your attention and then you feel connected to this person in a room and then you don’t feel alone in that space and feel more included and safe. i hope that made sense afsgsdgsd. i feel like it’s just something that comes naturally, and it might not be something that you’ve noticed that you’ve always done, especially once you began to become comfortable with your sexuality and yourself. like it hit me one day “wow i act super fucking gay”. idk what you’re comfortable with, but once you feel more comfortable and open with her, you can like subtly flirt i guess??? you can even say that you think another woman is attractive like an actress, singer, etc., you know?? ive always found that it’s much easier the more you get to know someone to bring this sort of thing up in conversation either around them or with them, it all takes time. and plus you never know, you may become a lot more comfortable not only with her in regards to talking about your sexuality, but also with others! i hope this helped in some way asdkjsngsjdgdjskg i love you so much 💗💗💗💗💗

#ask #gay ask time

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aaronbleyaert · 7 years

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Hey bley! Hope you're doing well. Kinda wondering something. Gf asked for a break months ago due to her depression and is considering making it permanent now. I do love her and want her to stay but if she feels like she needs to leave I can't force her. But how do I get over this raging thought that tells me: you'll never find love like this again.

I’ve said this before, but for me, any sort of grief - be it the loss of someone, a breakup, or anything else - is sort of like riding the “It’s a Small World” ride at Disneyland: It’s terrible, overwhelming, and you can only move at one speed. You can’t rush through grief - but you also can’t wallow in it (which, weirdly, is what happened to me at the end of my grief; it was more comfortable for me to keep grieving than it was to move on). Grief just moves at a slow, constant speed until it’s over, and there’s really nothing you can do but deal with it the best you can. It’s a small, terrible world. So yeah: This is going to hurt for a bit.

Here’s the thing about girls and Life and Destiny and relationships: It’s more simple - and also more complicated - than most people would like to admit.

By that, I mean this: Yes, you will never find a love like that again. You won’t, simply by virtue of the fact that you were two unique people who had something unique together. It’s that simple.

However, it’s also more complicated: Is this woman the only person who’s right for you? Not at all. Will you find a love as good or better than the one you’re just coming out of? Absolutely. She’s not “The One”, because “The One” is actually a lot of people (even if you don’t believe it right now, it’s true).

See what I mean? It’s more simple and more complicated than you realize. And ultimately, more hopeful.

“But wait, Bley” you’re saying to yourself. “Don’t you believe in soulmates? Don’t you believe in Destiny? Don’t you believe that there’s somebody out there for everyone?” Sure I do, boo. Sure I do. But I don’t believe that there’s just ONE soulmate out there for you. That’d be fucking stupid. Do you know how many people live on this planet? Thousands. Maybe even hundreds of thousands (I’m bad at math). The number of people you will never meet is staggering. So why would there be just one person out there for you? That’s dumb. I think that there’s a lot of different people out there who we could all end up with, and whom would be perfect for us all. This girl might have been perfect for you, sure. But she’s not the only one who’s perfect for you, dude! Life isn’t a puzzle, it’s a watch; there’s not just one piece that fits in a specially shaped hole - it’s more like if the teeth match, the wheels turn.

I think it’s easier for people to just think “oh, this is the person for me” without actually admitting how they got to be with that person. The history in our heads has a convenient way of rewriting itself; sure, people like to say things like “it was destiny I met her at that party” and then will completely ignore all the other smaller things that happened later - the little decisions to hang out here and there, the little compromises made along the way, etc etc - and THOSE are what actually brought that relationship into existence.

And that’s the more complicated part; hindsight can make it seem so much like destiny that you were with this last person that you can’t always see how someone else who’s also perfect for you will fit into your life at first. It’s kind of like a great song: A lot of my favorite songs I didn’t really like the first time I heard them - but then as I listened to them more, I started to appreciate the complexities and layers they had, and eventually I loved them so much they became woven into the fabric of my life. People are the same way - nobody wants to marry a three chord pop song. You wanna marry someone with layers, who surprises you and you can keep coming back to over and over and over and over and never get bored by. And is there just ONE song that I really love listening to? No way. I love both Taylor Swift and AC/DC. I love both Slayer and Mozart. You can love all different kinds of music - And that’s how it is with the people we love, the people who end up becoming woven into the very fabric of our lives. They are all different, all unique, but all equally perfect.

So take heart, friend. This breakup will hurt, yes. And you will love this girl forever, to be sure. This was the time in your life that you had this one particular love with this one particular girl. But Destiny holds other great times in their hand for you. Other great people lie in wait, ready to step out of the wings and onto your stage, creating new relationships and moments you have yet to experience but treasure forever. Life is long; there are other songs to sing and women to love. So sit back and suffer this slow dark ride through your grief as best you can - but know that there is sunshine and happiness on the other side.

It’s a big beautiful world, after all.

#advice

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