#but the truth is

[lucrezianoin]

Ascended Astarion discourse aside, Here's probably another hot take I would like to add about him.

As an aroace I really connect with how he rejects sex / being considered as a sex object in general and to see the some of the fandom still treat him as such breaks my heart. I'm not one for gatekeeping, but I would very much want to do just that to keep him away from <i>those</i> types of fans. I know by the end of his arc, he kind of opens up to the idea again, but personally i think it's too soon. Nobody heals that quick, especially with 200 years of trauma he had to go through.

I think the difference between fandom vs game is important for "fandom" vs "what the story is meant to be".

As in, I feel like in the story the game makes a good job to make sure to address Astarion's trauma at least twice in game (one being the Drows scene), with him approaching sex again at the end. The thing is, the player can also ask for more time if they think they are not ready/not fully trust Astarion. Astarion is a character, of course, so in the game we are supposed to trust him in that scene and nothing in the scene is telling us that he was not consenting. Differently from that, in the drows scene, we see him consenting (twice) but then having a moment of set-back/dissociation.

I am sure there are so many different ways to deal with similar kind of trauma, so it is hard to say if for a real person consenting once after 200 years of abuse is realistic or too soon (because no human lives for 200 years), but at the same time the events are there more to tell a story, and Astarion would probably not react like a real living person (ex. a real person would be able to be approached after the cemetery sex to talk about it more, while in game, because they are fictional, the player cannot do that - if the player COULD DO that then it means that there is more, narratively, that the game wants to tell us about the scene).

In general I felt the game was really respectful. Astarion has some of the least explicit scenes in game (at least spawn Astarion), especially compared with Lae'zel, Gale, Minthara and Halsin. Instead Astarion mainly has pre-sex scenes (that are there to tell the player something about his character) and then fade to black. The only scene that seems to be there just FOR the player (as in: here is this sexy scene) seems to be ascended Astarion one, as the scene is almost thrown in there, easily skippable, and has no pre- or post- dialogue.

Regarding the fandom, I think it is a completely different matter. For me, if the game had fully sexualized Astarion with explicit long scenes, giving him some "sex-heals-trauma" stuff - then I would have been annoyed. But regarding fandom - I have to be honest, I don't care much. Fandom works are free, easily skippable, people can be blocked, people can create stuff for so many different reasons. There are plenty of fanworks I really really dislike for particular reasons (I am not gonna get in detail!!!) and these are sfw fanworks even, so it is not a matter of sexualization but I find them annoying, but then it just means they are not for me. Fandom is not supposed to be a product that someone consume and purchase, it is supposed to be active-sharing-searching-interacting.

#astarion #this was a hard ask #i am ace and i had some negative reactions when I headcanoned astarion as ace #with people throwing it in my face telling me that i could not talk about some topics because of my headcanon lol #these were the “omg sex with tav was so good it healed him in act 1” kinda people #but the truth is #if you do not talk game facts (if anything stays in the realm of headcanon) then do whatever #but that person was showing screenshots and stuff to “PROVE” their point... without realizing that in act 1 the sex scene give sstandard #small body face vs big body face expressions to the two characters so you cannot assume one way or the other #it was annoying

[theheirofthesharingan]

Sasuke and I are vastly different human beings, have different kinds of experience, but there's one thing that's common between us - we both love Itachi with every single bone in our bodies, feel he deserved better, and will die and kill for him.

#uchiha sasuke #sasuke uchiha #sasuke #uchiha itachi #itachi uchiha #itachi #but the truth is #i love sasuke just as much #i'll die and kill for him too #they're both so precious #mine

[percyjacksonscookies]

being alive is fucking wild

idk who said this on this stupid blue website but someone once said that were all skyscrapers of information trying not to crash into each other

and the more I live the more I see just how fucking true that is

and then I think about the systems we have in place that brought us here

the ways that people with power exerted that power over others to try and make life feel like more than it is

like.... imagine if instead of Europeans killing off natives with their nasty ass habits and diseases, instead, a disease that native people had, killed off every European that made it to our shores

THEN how would human history have developed? without a continent dedicated to imperialism and exerting power over others??

I like to think that native teachings would have thrived

I like to think that maybe when we figured out how to take care of immediate danger, we would thrive

instead of developing a world where your emotions are suppressed and squashed due to the culture built off of suffering of the many for the luxury of a few, wouldn't it be nice to just...

live?

truly truly live

bills don't exist

you have clean water, food, shelter, electricity, and internet

the community takes care of you and you take care of your community when you can

and the rest is just.....

up to you

theres a reason why the cliché of "life is what you make of it" exists

so people would have the opportunities to pursue what makes themselves happy

or make a miserable lives for themselves, dealing with whatever consequences may come

but they'll be alive to make new decisions

they won't have to make mistakes from being worried sick about how to survive in a world where community is being strangled right before our eyes

idk

thats my utopia

everyone has their basic needs met

if people are assholes, they dont have the power to make other people's lives miserable with their own unhappiness

basically; my utopia is you get to hang out with whoever you want

if someone sucks you can just fuckin leave

they can't control your shelter, clean water, food, electricity, or internet

and if they find themselves alone with no one that wants to be around them, they need to do some haaaaaaard soul searching

I just wanna hang out for a living man

why is that so hard

it shouldn't be

but im hopeful, that one day it won't be hard

were at a point in human history we've never been at before

more connected than ever, yet more isolated because of systems before us out of our control

but

those systems were made by people

so why can't we change it?

#i am thinking so much #i had to vent #ive been thinking a lot about this #i really just wanna hang out and have what i need and pursue whatever interests me #thats been my life for a couple months #and i dont think ive ever been happier #my life is so weird #i moved out of an abusive house when i was 20 but i grew up a lot this year #and i see my mom was truly truly trying her best in a system that targeted who she was and tried to shame the culture out of her #because of systems beyond her control #id like to think id do better if i was in her shoes #but the truth is #i didnt go to a boarding school #i havent lived her life #i bet my mom was so scared at that school that shamed her native language out of her and made her learn how to braid with a dirty mop #she didnt deserve that #no one does #just wondering who we all could be if we didnt have these systems weighing us down #thank for listening to the rant!!! #i can talk so much sometimes #my schtuff

[halinski]

I don't know if i'll be able to sleep tonight

#in the 90s orphanages and marketplacea and hospitals and un safe houses were being bombs #and the enemy said: “they did it to themselves” and the world watched babies die for years under siege on one side and said “both sides” #and we pleaded “never again never again” #by we i mean my people #bosniaks/bosnians #i wasnt alive i suppose even tho i have issues almost like i had been #but the truth is #it's never stopped has it? #since humanity has existed so has this evil we bring to the face of the earth #i will never understand #i ache #ignore me

[mysimsloveaffair]

As I walk in the door, ma asks me to join them at the table because of some announcement. After working out and doing farm work for the past few hours, I’d much rather take a nice warm shower, but I figure it wouldn’t hurt to give her my attention for the next few minutes.

Prosperity: Okay, I’m finally ready to tell you what I’ve been up to for the past few days. Well, rather than selling my house in Windenburg, I decided to do something that would benefit the family over the years.

Ma pauses for dramatic effect.

Kai: What is it, ma?

Prosperity: I converted the place into a community art center. I’ll be teaching classes there. And Kai, your old bedroom has been converted to a Banks Family museum. It’s where we can put up photos and old family memorabilia throughout the generations.

It’s crucial that our kids know the family, so I love this idea.

Kai: That’s a great idea, ma.

Melisa: That sounds amazing, Peri!

Prosperity: Thanks, but there’s just one more thing. Since Wade’s birthday is tomorrow, I wanted to know if we could host his party there. It could be like our grand opening.

Ma seems pretty excited about the possibility, and I also like the idea, but Me-Me isn’t entirely with us.

Melisa: It sounds nice, Peri. But with Mason, I think it would be easier to have the party here. Then, if he gets cranky, he and I can retreat to his bedroom.

Prosperity: Oh, right! I hadn’t thought about that.

I can see the slight disappointment on ma’s face.

Prosperity: I understand. But I still can’t wait for you all to see it.

Kai: Definitely, ma.

#sims #sims 4 #TS4 gameplay #TS4 legacy #black simblr #henford-on-bagley #banks fam #bankgen3 #banks day 39.3 #we'll put this on Me-Me for story purposes... #but the truth is #birthday parties cannot be thrown at art centers #they can be thrown on almost every other lot - so odd

[grollow]

FFXIV might be an evil life sucking game and I might think Endwalker does not shine as much as its predecessor, but goddamn did it have some banger of lines.

Spoilers under the cut to protect Owl.

My favorites are:

"You who are our future, tell me this and tell me true: what is it like in the future? Is the world still a beautiful place? Has your journey been good? Has it been worthwhile?"

"To find the strength to continue, when all strength has left you. To find joy, even as darkness descends. And amidst deepest despair, light everlasting."

"Was this life a gift? Or a burden?"

"A contradiction so blatant I could scream. Want to scream."

The last one just. DSDSDGS EMOTIONS

#i have had these rolling in my head for a few days #like a bowling ball #screaming crying throwing myself around #we all praise that cutscene with venat #but the truth is #these are all just as good jdjkgsdg

[wind-becomes-lightning]

"I understand that the way media and technology has gone it's conditioned us to believe that our creations only have value if someone else is watching- and it's not true. There is nothing wrong with you if other people don't pay attention to your art. That art is for you. And that is enough - I promise."

Super Eyepatch Wolf - Influencer Courses are Garabage

#things to keep in mind #things to aggressively keep in mind #i should print it and put it onto my wall rigth in front of my face #there look its true its true #you dont need the numbers you dont #because you have fun creating #if you dont have fun creating stop CREATING #i have been thinking #why do i do so many themed weeks in a row? i dont have to nobody forces me to #i could skip some nobody would know #it rarely brings me many more notes or whatever #but the truth is #i love working with prompts #prompts are fun they get my brain rolling #i enjoy thinking i did something that i took part in something #i do themed weeks because they seem great fun to me #thats why #so yeah i will keep doin git will keep writing for friends i will keep writing ocs #because yeah its fun im having fun this is supposed to bef un you guys #many things in that video were very true #like that you stare at metrics a lot you look at if the numbers for new creations are enough #and yes this is very youtube centred since its the topic but #YEA!! i look at my ao3 numbers MULTIPLE TIMES A DAY #and it drives me CRAZY #hit count to kudos count makes me nuts #how many bookmarks does one have #what is written IN THAT BOOKMARK #that one person calling my editing scrappy lives rent free in my head #i dont WANT TO bee like this because it ruins me #BUT I AM

[sadiahakim]

People just harp on the significance of one's character, soul, morals, vibes, and core values. The truth is, everyone treats you according to your semblance and where you stand in the society.

Sadia Hakim

#sadiahakim #writers on tumblr #words #she said it #she said what she said #she writes #she speaks #she says #omg yes #this is my life #just wrote this #but the truth is #but the thing is #the truth #books & libraries #aesthetic #positivity #beautiful quote #quotes #writer's of pakistan #alpharune #art #life quote tumblr #perfect #spilled truth #truth is #sad but true #sad but ok #sad but funny

[curtvilescomic]

#truth

[i-was-today-years-old-when]

i learned about Shiniuzhai, a convenience store hanging on a cliff in Hunan, that’s been nicknamed “most inconvenient convenience store” in China (x)

#today i learned #facts #truth #travel #explore

[eyeonpalestine]

#palestine #truth #gaza #freedom #gazagenocide #israel #life #child #free palestine #knowledge

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

Expertise can't help you here.

#dungeon meshi #kabru #laios touden #falin touden #Happy Thistle Thursday once again. Have I been holding on to this comic for several weeks? Sure have! #I forgot how long it takes for Chimera Falin to come into play. #I still really love my 'better drawn' art of her - unfortunately it was several weeks too early for the anime only folks. #Slowly getting the hang of drawing Laios. I don't know why I struggle so much but I am getting...somewhere. #Meta time: God damn I love how the chimera shows off the expertise and gap between Kabru and Laios. #The truth is: they are both *right* and they are both *wrong*. #This creature is a combination of monster and human and they only have the skillset to deal with one of those. #Kabru goes for all the human vitals - but she isn't human. #Laios tries to approach her as a monster and is struck down by the humanity he sees in her. #She is something new that defies what they *both* understand about the world. And that makes her such a perfect antagonist. #The damsel was the dragon all along! #...She is really so cute though. Terrifying! But adorable. I am so excited to see the boom of fanart for her.

[layzeal]

i figured it out

#they hate to see a short king winning but i know the TRUTH #tloz

[hellhoundlair]

#the go about day as normal option is for those who already wake up with a dick everyday. but dont let that stop u from picking other options #truth be told this poll is just to test my followers predisposition towards jacking it

[happyheidi]

by Molly Buford

#love this so much #cottagecore #well not really cottagecore but yeah #soulmates #platonic #truths #love #wholesome #light acadamia aesthetic #classic academia #poetry #text

[druid-for-hire]

[image id: a four-page comic. it is titled "immortality” after the poem by clare harner (more popularly known as “do not stand at my grave and weep”). the first page shows paleontologists digging up fossils at a dig. it reads, “do not stand at my grave and weep. i am not there. i do not sleep.” page two features several prehistoric creatures living in the wild. not featured but notable, each have modern descendants: horses, cetaceans, horsetail plants, and crocodilians. it reads, “i am a thousand winds that blow. i am the diamond glints on snow. i am the sunlight on ripened grain. i am the gentle autumn rain.” the third page shows archaeopteryx in the treetops and the skies, then a modern museum-goer reading the placard on a fossil display. it reads, “when you awaken in the morning’s hush, i am the swift uplifting rush, of quiet birds in circled flight. i am the soft stars that shine at night. do not stand at my grave and cry.” the fourth page shows a chicken in a field. it reads, “i am not there. i did not die” / end id]

a comic i made in about 15 hours for my school’s comic anthology. the theme was “evolution”

#dinosaur #evolution #comic #prehistoric #animal #wildlife #paleontology #biology #poetry #comics #original #my art #archaeopteryx has no direct living descendants i know #but i wanted something aerial and the dinosaur to bird connection is classic and well known anyway #also the chicken over any other bird is very on purpose #its the mix of truth and comedy and genuineness and the fantastic in the mundane #its me asking you to see something so wonderful in something taken so un-seriously #and to love it both ways #also the jurassic park thing #where someone saw the reconstructed gait of a dino #and said. hey hang on. i know that walk. #and pulled up footage of a chicken walking #which jumpstarted the entire study into the link between dinosaurs and birds #in the end take whatever you want from it i just thought id provide some insight #i always like it when other artists do #the point is that i enjoy when people laugh at the end and when they dont #and i like it when they cry. i like it best when they both laugh and cry. eeaao intent #anyway mourn your losses but to live is to change #also hi guys i finally figured out tipping after 5 months so no more annoying ko-fi link