#having fun and wanting to see themselves represented. and i can't fault them for that

[prokopetz]

I think a lot of folks in indie RPG spaces misunderstand what's going on when people who've only ever played Dungeons & Dragons claim that indie RPGs are categorically "too complicated". Yes, it's sometimes the case that they're making the unjustified assumption that all games are as complicated as Dungeons & Dragons and shying away from the possibility of having to brave a steep learning cure a second time, but that's not the whole picture.

A big part of it is that there's a substantial chunk of the D&D fandom – not a majority by any means, but certainly a very significant minority – who are into D&D because they like its vibes or they enjoy its default setting or whatever, but they have no interest in actually playing the kind of game that D&D is... so they don't.

Oh, they'll show up at your table, and if you're very lucky they might even provide their own character sheet (though whether it adheres to the character creation guidelines is anyone's guess!), but their actual engagement with the process of play consists of dicking around until the GM tells them to roll some dice, then reporting what number they rolled and letting the GM figure out what that means.

Basically, they're putting the GM in the position of acting as their personal assistant, onto whom they can offload any parts of the process of play that they're not interested in – and for some players, that's essentially everything except the physical act of rolling the dice, made possible by the fact most of D&D's mechanics are either GM-facing or amenable to being treated as such.*

Now, let's take this player and present them with a game whose design is informed by a culture of play where mechanics are strongly player facing, often to the extent that the GM doesn't need to familiarise themselves with the players' character sheets and never rolls any dice, and... well, you can see where the wires get crossed, right?

And the worst part is that it's not these players' fault – not really. Heck, it's not even a problem with D&D as a system. The problem is D&D's marketing-decreed position as a universal entry-level game means that neither the text nor the culture of play are ever allowed to admit that it might be a bad fit for any player, so total disengagement from the processes of play has to be framed as a personal preference and not a sign of basic incompatibility between the kind of game a player wants to be playing and the kind of game they're actually playing.

(Of course, from the GM's perspective, having even one player who expects you to do all the work represents a huge increase to the GM's workload, let alone a whole group full of them – but we can't admit that, either, so we're left with a culture of play whose received wisdom holds that it's just normal for GMs to be constantly riding the ragged edge of creative burnout. Fun!)

* Which, to be clear, is not a flaw in itself; a rules-heavy game ideally needs a mechanism for introducing its processes of play gradually.

#gaming #tabletop roleplaying #tabletop rpgs #game design

[atopearth]

Ikemen Vampire Part 13 - Vlad Route

I am so so excited!! Vlad is so beautiful and I'm even more interested in him after le Comte's route, so yay!! Off to a great start with the beautiful CG tbh, it's so prettyyyy!! I don't even blame the heroine for being so attracted to Vlad's ethereal beauty that she's been trying to look for him ever since she saw him haha, especially since he gave her a huge bouquet of flowers, like who wouldn't swoon?! Vlad smiling is the sweetest thing ever, I die for his smile. It's so adorable how Vlad told the heroine to work for him one hour every day after she finishes her shopping, and he's just been taking her around and trying to cheer her up and play with her lol. He's so sweet. Legitt, how can you not fall for Vlad when he plays the violin, invites you to dance and have fun? He is an angel🥲 Omg Vlad can tell jokes, I am dead, he's so cute. And he's so thoughtful and I love how he gives her flowers always representing something meaningful.

The heroine really is always so reckless. I kinda wish they didn't reuse the trying to save Vincent's painting scenario again in this route but seeing Theo and Vincent so concerned over her was really sweet so it's okay. I find it so sweet how the guys were actually gossiping about the heroine getting close to a guy outside all this time and how they wanted to introduce themselves, and how nice it would be if this made her decide to stay with them in this world. They're so cute!! Which makes it all the more saddening that this person had to be Vlad. I can't imagine seeing the person I love so calmly deal with a person like a "wilted flower" and yet look the same as usual. But I can't bear to hate them, especially remembering how Charles asked the heroine to please not hate them😭 I'm glad Napoleon talked to the heroine and discussed whether they could really just write off Vlad as just "evil". When Vlad came and gave the heroine the single red rose, I couldn't help but soften my heart for him. Like, I've been taken by Vlad the first time I saw him, but seeing the pure and genuine person he is that keeps his promises regardless of what happens makes my heart so happy yet hurt so much. He's the one who had to see the desolate future, the one who experienced it first hand and know how it feels to be all alone in a world of nothingness, and it's just impossible for me to blame him for his actions knowing how "kind" he is.

The heroine is brave for jumping into that door with the warped space not knowing if she'll be able to arrive at where she wants to go or not. Kid Vlad is very cute. Considering how the girl in the portrait looked exactly like the heroine, I'm not surprised it was actually the her who time travelled to the past and thus completing the time paradox but I guess it does make a bit more sense as to why Vlad listens to her. It honestly breaks my heart to think about Vlad having to face the fate of his whole family and clan massacred by vampire hunters at such a young age. A child with no one to rely on anymore and no one to care for him, and yet despite everything, he still turned out so kind. I wanted to cry when Vlad thanked her for finding him (in the closet when his parents said they're playing hide and seek) and said he'll find her next time. If they make the heroine Vlad's reason for living all this time and to not hate humans but instead the crimes they commit, how an I supposed to happily do the other routes where she doesn't end up with him? 😭 But I guess considering how Vlad is, he'll probably be happy for the heroine as long as she's happy. Considering she was the one who saved him when he was a child, I guess it's understandable that Vlad would be more receptive towards her ideals and the future she wants because he's only living in this world because of her existence, so how can I really fault him for changing his goals because of her? And I guess seeing her again helped him think that he can believe in humans again since she has always been as kind as she used to be in his memory.

I spent my gems and got the premium story for chapter 24 and I really enjoyed seeing the heroine tell him she wanted them to live side by side together and protect the world together because she didn't want him alone to carry the burden as some sort of divine child or god that is deemed to protect this world, but she wants them both to protect this world because they love both humans and vampires and they want everyone to live happily, just like his original wish, and I couldn't help but feel touched by that. Life was so difficult for Vlad because he was always 'alone', so even though his wish was probably the same, the methods he decided on changed because he didn't believe in people like he could back then, so I'm glad he's found the heroine again. They can support each other. It was so funny how the guys basically had a round table discussion on where the heroine would stay lmao. One thing I really liked is that Vlad was the one to ask the heroine to become a vampire so they could spend eternity together. Usually, the guy finds it difficult or they hesitate because it's a life of torture but I love that Vlad has confidence that they'll love each other for eternity and knows the heroine feels the same so him asking her to become a vampire felt like a strong profession of love rather than a request that I would be scared for the heroine to accept. I believe in Vlad's love for her and I believe in her strength that no matter what happens, they'll be able to overcome it together. I wish we got a snippet of their vampire life though haha.

Overall, even though real life ended up interfering and I took a long break from this route, I have to say it didn't diminish my feelings for Vlad at all! I really liked Vlad and his route was good. I enjoyed how we got to see how kind Vlad was and how that kindness caused him to go down a path others didn't accept. I empathised with him and loved him understanding his choices even if it hurt many people. I think what I loved the most was seeing the young Vlad and how all along, he has been looking for the heroine and also waiting for her to find him. I loved how they both cherished each other as much as the other did and I liked how the her from the past and the her in the present saved him and gave him hope to believe in the kindness of humans again. I won't say the route was perfect, but everything that I didn't like, Vlad's personality and sweetness more than made up for.

#ikemen vampire

[queen-mihai]

Fiction is so magical to me

Like

I can create a whole universe in my mind. Then I can tell you about it, and it creates that universe in your mind. But like, it's an alternate version of my universe because the characters look slightly different. Are voiced slightly differently. Maybe have dissent mannerisms.

Let's say I give my fictional universe a name

The Universe Itself, T.U.I. Or Tui for short. Pronounced like two-ee

Now that universe exists in the minds of everyone reading this. We're gonna make Tui nonbinary/agender because they don't deserve to be bound up in a single gender, or any gender at all. We'll give them they/them pronouns.

Tui is ageless, and timeless, so you can make them any age you like.

Make them young, without fault or hate? Full of hope that they can make things good and right?

Make them adult? Working to find heroes to balance their feelings of good and evil?

Make them seasoned and experienced? Providing wisdom to the souls and stars that make up themselves?

Or maybe all of it at once. How would that look? What would you do with that?

Maybe Tui has some family. Maybe other universes are friends. Maybe their friends know about us. Maybe Tui is friends with our universe and is watching us being created while we ourselves are creating them, in a beautiful self sustaining cycle.

Tui is growing in power. Tui can't die unless all of us die and the entire internet is destroyed along with every piece of media that mentions who they are and what they represent.

In this one moment in time, I've created an all-knowing, invincible, immortal god, all with the power of fiction. And they know you. And they like you. They're happy with you and want to support you. And they need nothing in return because they are fictional. They're fictional and yet the love they give you is as real as the love I am giving them in their creation.

What an amazing thing is the mind.

Tui, by the way, is the universe of "The Master's Quest"

They're where Annabella lives with her friends. They were, I think, very briefly in the first book. They'll show up more in other books in the series. I just thought this might be a fun way to introduce them to you, before you have a chance to see them in their own story.

Fiction really is just SO cool

[umhuhwellthen]

One of Chizu's peers:

Norie

CLICK FOR BETTER QUALITY holy shit

She's a Prussian cat and Miss Mommy issues herself (joking) (im sorry)(all of the neko ninja need therapy but Norie especially)

Putting my ramblings under readmore, I don't usually go for angst, i like hurt/comfort tho and shitty parents getting what they deserve and was/is in the bnha and dp phandoms so sibling relations and family dynamics analysis are always fun

Norie makes me insane fr fr. She has different outcomes for what her fate can be. If Lady Fuwa is defeated and exiled away from the city, she could follow her. Because she is nothing but loyal to her. And she knows that may not be the best decision, but damnit that's her mom okay? And she wasn't very good but couldn't she have been? She liked them well enough (when they acted like she wanted), couldn't that grow into genuine family love? And maybe, yes, maybe Norie can get Lady Fuwa on the road to redemption. For this one ninja(daughter) that stayed by her side through all of her faults. Or maybe she doesn't. Maybe she continues to be callous and cruel even though Norie has abandoned everything she has ever known for her. And Norie accepts what the other ninja have been saying to her, and gives up on Fuwa. Leaves. She can't go back to Neo Edo. The other Neko Ninja do not trust her or see her as family for choosing Fuwa. Nor would she want to, with all the memories there. She sets out on her own path. Alone, but free. Or if Lady Fuwa gets exiled but Norie is kept from following her or Lady Fuwa gets straight up killed (either by Chizu or another Neko Ninja). Then she just has to live. Live without the one person she cared about(that didn't care about her, never did) and judged all her selfworth by. Where is she supposed to go from there? With living with comrades that were wary and distrusting (with sisters worried and hurt and trying to help themselves and her from healing from all Fuwa put them through). With Chizu (the favorite, the sister she could never match up against. Who she betrayed without a second thought and who came back for her. She hated her. She admired her).

Good lead into design details of Mitsuki, Hinata and Norie. Notice they're all wearing face masks. All Neko Ninja must wear the masks, from the youngest trainees to the senior members. Unless their mission requires them not to(Chizu). That's a hard habit to break. They also still wear parts of the Neko Ninja uniform. The orphan kittens too. And some of it is just practicality, why throw away well made goods?(Remember when Chizu picked up the kunai lol) They've repainted some of the armor pieces for personalization, to reclaim them. But some of it is to represent how they're still under Fuwa's hold, the shadow they fall under. This is most explicit in Norie, her outfit is literally just the Neko Ninja uniform but without the hood and chest plate, and an alternate style top. The inclusion of the uniform is to show that they're healing from their experiences. But those experiences still haunt them. And it will take time to heal. Some more than others. But they've all taken steps in the right direction.

Also hair too, under Lady Fuwa they'd keep short, low maintenance styles or not grow it out at all, but after Fuwa's final defeat they'd start growing it out. Hence why I draw most of them with hair, it's growth(and to differentiate them more). Itsumi keeps it short out of choice now, but maaaaaaybe she'll grow out a tuft of bangs (maybe just like a certain samurai and ninja, hm?), but Norie is keeping it short out of habit, she's still not comfortable with expressing herself (let alone who she really is and what she really wants), hasn't picked out any personal clothes like the others. Hard to develop opinions on clothes when all your outfits have been decided for you years in advance.

#samurai rabbit: the usagi chronicles #samurai rabbit the usagi chronicles #samurai rabbit #the usagi chronicles #sr:tuc #srtuc #srtuc neko ninja #srtuc neko ninja crew #neko ninja #neko ninja crew #srtuc norie #i was looking ata ref of Fuwa and she has lipstick????? #ok listen i like good parent(s)/mentor inko/allmight/aizawa/fentons/batfam etc #but as a daddy issues haver theres fun carthasis in fics that tackle bad/trying parent(s)/mentor/found family #also to explain my ramblings and why ive fixated on the neko ninja so much #theres just #So Much potential with them #i have an angst thing planned for Chizu and her relationship with them #it starts with an apology #srtuc fuwa #srtuc lady fuwa #lady fuwa #<<<the removal of the title lady is very important actually #OOOO just remembered my thoughts on the timeline where fuwa gets killed #like chizu really going thru it rn BUT if it was a neko ninja that wasnt chizu? #oh Oh OHOHO #cant quite put it into words but Fuwa is expecting maybe mercy maybe death from chizu(definitely death from kaiyo and that gremlin fox) but #then one of the people she thought to be loyal to her? that she never thought she needed to worry about stabbing her in the back??? and #what about the ninja that did it? hows she holding up? because that was the woman(monster) that raised her and shes dead now #mybart

[lexical-lushes]

[Shivers, Vampiric] ...s-still thinking a lot about stuff. D&D/eberron-me.

specifically about vampire psychology.

Dark Desires. Whether or not a vampire retains any memories from its former life, its emotional attachments wither as once-pure feelings become twisted by undeath. Love turns into hungry obsession, while friendship becomes bitter jealousy. In place of emotion, vampires pursue physical symbols of what they crave, so that a vampire seeking love might fixate on a young beauty. A child might become an object of fascination for a vampire obsessed with youth and potential. Others surround themselves with art, books, or sinister items such as torture devices or trophies from creatures they have killed.

vampires in D&D sort of... they mistake the signifier for the signified. they get obsessive about things because the things represent something else that they feel compelled by, but because they're s-stuck in a negative emotional framework and can't really grow as people the same way anymore, they can't actually engage with the things they want directly in a healthy way.

and that chronic mistake, that way of seeing things, traps them in a cycle of disappointment. the signifier can never actually be the signified.

i t-think a lot of vampires get attached to people because they represent something, and then it all gets tragic and deadly when the vampire gets frustrated i-it isn't getting what it expected.

(but they don't learn, because they're frozen a-as a sort of snapshot of themselves.)

for me, w-well...

i wanted, so, so badly, to be more mature than i was. i wanted people to respect me, to like me, but i wasn't willing to admit that the ways i w-went about seeking that just turned me into a fun toy. never make a fuss. never say no. never give them time to consider i-if i'm more trouble than i'm worth.

so...

as a vampire, that's still my obsession. the idea that other people must have some sort of intangible, ineffable essence of maturity granted to them by experience. that they have to know something i don't, have some quality i don't.

but maybe i can get it for myself.

maybe if i listen closely enough, if i push myself to act like they do, if i hang out with them enough, it'll... r-rub off on me, somehow.

i can swear i can taste it in their blood.

i'm actually pretty strong-willed. i let myself get pushed around a lot as a mortal, but it was because i was forcing myself into situations i was uncomfortable with. i needed to be "good" for the people i was interested in, or i'd get kicked out and i'd be alone again.

and it means i can turn my hunger and obsession into something... constructive. with help, sure, but. i'm driven enough by my desire not to be bad, not to hurt anyone, that i find a safe, controlled way to feed myself and make sure i don't get put down like a rabid dog.

so i sell myself.

the clients get a willing girl out of it, one that reassures them overtly and covertly that she can take whatever punishment they f-feel like dishing out. vampires heal fast.

i get to surround myself with the signifier of the maturity i wish i could have. i get to go through the motions and listen to their gossip and feel like i'm closer to figuring it out.

and usually, they're gone the next day, shipped out of the port. we might never see each other again.

...it's when someone likes me, that it can get messy.

when someone gets attached.

because oh, h-how i want to be worthy of attachment.

and that's when i get obsessive. that's when i get jealous.

...at least it usually ends with me leaving, instead of hurting anyone. when i realize it's not working, that they're not rubbing off on me. that's when i decide they don't have the thing i'm looking for, that they're doing it wrong, that maybe i'm just broken and fucking it up.

their fault or mine, it's better to burn it all down and move on.

#lushposting #empty spaces #vampires

[catnherthoughts]

damned if you do, worse if you don't 9/23

referential

there is nothing in this moment that i feel other then shame on myself. i feel like the shell of a woman. this isn't who my mother raised. i'm hurting her by doing this. i came to university and i get up everyday doing work to be able to one day provide for her. make her sacrifices worth while. there is a deep feeling within me that i am not enough. i don't work hard enough. i am not smart enough. not pretty enough. not enough. it feels like the disability i have mentally is a curse on me and everyone around me. i feel like there is something wrong with me that everyone else can see that i can't. im too loud, i dress weird, i don't get certain things, i come off too strong. i try my best to make up for this?

i go out and have fun with my friends. i try to be the life of the party. i meet people and am as nice as possible so that one day if i'm in a position where they can help me they see me as good and kind. i take a lot. you need this? i have it. you're not doing well? how can i help. if someone asked of me i am going to do it. they are owed it to be in my presence. to take me in knowing i am flawed. i do my best for others. i'm not good enough then i'll do all i can to be useful. see my worth. approved of me please.

i talk to men at these parties. i don't want to come off as rude. we have conversation. i like having conversations and have been told i am a good conversationalist. getting to know people. mingling. i do what i can. men can be scary. i feel as if sometimes men see a clock over my head representing how much longer until they can kiss me and touch me and use me. nothing more than an object. i've felt this way in the eyes of men for most of my life. i want to have these networking connections so when they glance at my chest or try to put their hand on my waist i laugh, move a little, try to let them know without making them angry, god knows what a man will do when he is angry. i'd like to say that most of it isn't intentional. they're men, it's what they do. something about testosterone and the portrayal of men in media and the porn industry. i always hope that once i laugh off their advance on me they will back off and see me as a person. a human being and potentially a friend. i like to make friends and be kind. learn about other people and such. i'm not sure it always works this way.

maybe it's my fault. my outfit is too skimpy and it's not their fault they get tempted. it doesn't matter if i feel good in it, i won't feel good when i have consequences. i put effort into my appearance so i must be trying to appeal to them. talking to men is first base in their eyes right? in comm we learned that men see interactions are significantly more sexual than women do. i should apply this to my daily life. don't be friends with men. they don't see you as a person. they don't care about you and they never will. they think with their other head. a fault of mine for trying to be kind. appreciative that i was invited to a party. interested in how other's minds work. i go home thinking that i made friends and they go home thinking that i'm stuck up because i did not let them kiss me or touch me etc etc. so they lie. they lie and lie again saying i did. to make themselves feel powerful. they tell their friends. who are they gonna believe? you were drunk so you don't remember. slut. whore. all the words. i didn't do it but does it matter? i try too hard to not be tempted by the ways of men. i don't fall for it when they call me cute. i don't let them do these things. i know they don't care. here i am still shaking with fear and nauseous that i'm now seen as dirty and filthy.

then they say it to my face.

"you're a whore, i bet you fucked *"

"you wouldn't sleep with him if he paid you?"

"fucking bitch"

"slut."

"you're so hot when you speak spanish can you call me papí"

it's my fault for reacting. this is normal. this is how men are. you should be the bigger person. no matter what you do they'll say these things. he taunted me. in the backseat behind me like a little devil over my shoulder. i just wanted to have a conversation with my friend who was driving. whore. bitch. you're annoying. but i shouldn't have reacted. that's my fault. i sat in the front seat so i must want to fuck this man. not because i was nervous that if i was in the back i'd just be too tempting to have kept his hands off. i should've stayed calm. but i didn't. it's my fault. as i got out of the car i hit him. it was a slap to the chest. he said it was a punch to the face. i remember hearing something along the lines of him wanting me to be blacklisted when we were all standing outside. you don't want to fuck me so you'll be blacklisted. it's like it was on purpose. you don't have worth here if its not for fucking. maybe i should have just let him say that to me. have me. take me for his own advantage. who cares what i think. i am not a person in their eyes. i am just a latina with a short temper. what's the good of one of those if they can't use the body my ancestors gifted me with for their own pleasure. i am blamed. i am bad. i am not a good person. it doesn't matter what i do. i'll never be good enough to be seen as a person.

#female philosophy #woman #objectification #thought piece #bimbo doll #men #sexualization

[ofpd]

i get that the intentions are good but when fans make “headcanons” that fictional characters are part of some marginalized group that they are not part of in canon, and said fans are not part of that marginalized group, it often comes off as at best shallow and at worst offensive. ask yourself: where does this headcanon come from? does it inform the character in a specific compelling way, and if not, are you simply (subconsciously or not) noticing stereotypes of a marginalized group in a character, and therefore deciding that the character is part of said group? what are the implications that this headcanon would have? are you doing this because you actually care about this marginalized group, or because you want to look good, or (worse) because you think this marginalized identity is somehow “exotic”? i'm definitely not saying you can't make these headcanons, just that you should be mindful.

#sigh i dont like how this post reads as like. condescending or smth similar i am legitimately just trying to kvetch and this was the #easiest way to word it #im white and tme so lmk if this is out of place for me to say btw #i mean this is partially based on being annoyed at jewish headcanons that make no sense but also other things so #one example of this is when i've seen people talk about air nomad ty lee as if “genocide survivor” #is just a fun little thing you can tack onto a character without examining its implications. 😬 #but also this is really not about one specific thing it's about a lot #and when ppl who ARE part of some marginalized group make these hcs that make no sense well. its also annoying but its usually just kids #having fun and wanting to see themselves represented. and i can't fault them for that #txt

[reachexceedinggrasp]

There's something that's always made me wonder back when I was still in the SW fandom.How did the majority of the fanboys and fangirls have such a profound misunderstanding of the thematic theme it represents?Like I remember finding MANY of this people on my insta feed talking about different types of spaceships,where do the J*dis get their lightsaber crystals from,characteristics of several planets,etc YET when confronted about the actual theme of the movie,they "What do you think my entire blog is about?"🤦‍♀️These are the type of people who just hate Ben in general, think TLJ did L*ke dirty,and genuinely believe V*der and An*kin to be two different people.How did this happen?Was it partly Lucas' own fault?Was it because of the Legends books?I'm just so confused...like how did these people become a fan for 20+years yet managed to misread something most integral to its storyline?

Yeah, I used to talk about this a lot. I think it's mostly two things. It's that a lot of people don't care about themes no matter how obvious they are and will just mentally paper over a message they don't agree with. Any incurious audience will also often assume the things they like must agree with them and will read their own worldview into media regardless of intent. See the bizarre mental contortions from fans, such as claiming Vader wasn't actually redeemed or that 'everyone' ignores that aberrant moment because the movie is otherwise good (as if RotJ isn't exclusively built around Luke's moral victory in choosing love and refusing to submit to the idea of a necessary evil). See also TPM alt-right crypto fascists identifying with the Rebellion and reading the story as an allegory for their fight for 'freedom'. Assholes don't see themselves as the villains, they see themselves as the heroes.

And the second thing is that sw attracted a large audience of people who just have wildly different priorities than the original narrative. People who love space ship blueprints and detailed lore, people who want sci-fi rather than fantasy/fable storytelling conventions, who want to break down the vague, emotional mysticism of the Force into a D&D magic system with two flavours of power and specific rules. People who aren't that interested in the deeply character-driven and self-contained plot of the saga, but want to play with a kind of worldbuilding that focuses on minutiae. This is of course fine for them to enjoy, but it's totally incompatible with the films and how the entire canon universe runs so it shouldn't be canonised- yet those are usually the kind of people who want to write tie-in novels. Inevitably, this shifts the tone and conventions of the universe away from the message around which they were originally built.

The fandom was also full of insecure dudebros who wanted a fairy tale built on a completely uncompromising idealism to be instead gritty and ~realistic~ and cynical so they could keep liking it as adults without their masculinity being threatened. Without their worldview being challenged. So we end up with the EU theme-rot and aggressive Wrong About Star Wars takes from the people who are now in charge of the canon. The rare vision of idealism gets pulled down and replaced with the same bloodthirsty American monomyth bullshit you get everywhere else in Hollywood.

There's nothing you can really do as the author to prevent this kind of thing. SW's message is so uncontrovertible and without subtlety that five year-olds get it no problem, but that has never stopped anyone from wildly misreading it. You can't control the audience. Having a fun action-adventure movie with super appealing characters and a vibrant world is going to reach far more people than are willing to accept a truly challenging message about unconditional compassion. I mean, kids will and do, and that's who Lucas says he wanted the films to be for, so he did all right on that.

#sw #writing #fandom #salt #I don't think sw is 'for kids' so much as it's 'for everyone' but that's what the man says #adult have too much baggage and need to 'outsmart' stories a lot of the time #which is one of the more irritating manifestations of modern media 'criticism' #and it becomes a vicious cycle where writers are now trying to 'outsmart' their audience and consequently writing garbage #but I've had that rant many times

[eeldream]

Four’s mental health struggles, as depicted in his imagination

I really want to actually highlight a scene from the episode, because I feel like it could actually be brushed off quite easily, and that's the scene where Four is talking to the imaginary contestants.

The scene starts with them all having fun, and it appears to be an exact replica of the contestants, besides the fact that they like Four. When Profiley starts trying to wake Four, things take a different turn.

[Quick note: while it looks like the contestants are there, it's made clear that Four is talking to himself here. The imagery can be a little hard to understand in order to understand the scene fully, so just imagine everybody in this scene as Four, if it's difficult for you to follow.]

We'll be looking at this as if it's Four talking to a copy of himself and his solid thoughts, rather than fake contestants.

When the knocking is first heard, Four is stressed about waking up, even if he knows he probably should do so. That thought is immediately eliminated by Four telling himself that he doesn't need anybody, and that in his head, everybody likes him.

Four becomes anxious, asking who doesn't like him. His thoughts immediately respond with something Four has been believing this whole time: that nobody likes him, except for Four himself. Four has been consistently living with the anxiety that nobody cares about him at all, though he puts on a mask of fake confidence to pretend like he doesn't care if it's the truth, when it really does bother him.

With all these direct jabs at his fears, Four acknowledges that he's inside his own mind, and that he's talking to himself. Upon acknowledging it, Four mocks himself, asking if it took him all day to figure it out, poking fun at his ability to understand situations, making Four anxious (and by extension, it could be a jab at Four's possibly neurodivergency, since it's been very well hinted it, and some neurodivergent people tend to beat themselves up for not understanding something as easily as neurotypical people could).

Four laughs at himself, saying that even in his own head, he can't make friends, playing into the fact that Four believes nobody cares about him, and that unlikability extends to his own mind. Four tries to insist that everybody outside of his mind hates him too, and tries to make justifications for why he hates them, and that he doesn't care what anybody thinks of him. Four even admits during this moment that he feels like he'll never be as good as the Announcer. However, Four's mind brings up the question of "but then, why won't they leave you alone?", hinting at the fact that Four might understand that he isn't as hated as he might believe.

The thought is overpowered however, when Four goes back to insisting that everybody pushed him away, and now the contestants want him back for some reason, even if they don't care about him. Four says that the show can continue without him, with his mind immediately countering that nobody will even care if Four doesn't come back.

Out of rage, Four kills the manifestation of his thought, prompting the other thoughts to start speaking up. They begin to call out Four for killing and hurting people for his own pleasure, even as Four insists it isn't his fault. The thoughts continue, calling out Four's guilt-tripping and possessiveness of everybody around him, exposing some of Four's biggest flaws to himself.

Becoming overwhelmed with his own actions and thoughts upon him, Four sends them all away, insisting that he doesn't need anybody.

This scene allows for a closer look into Four's mind, and how he sees himself and the world around him. Four insists he's unloved, so it's justified for him to stay away from everybody, when in reality, Four brought this upon himself. Nobody really hates him, but due to his conflicting thoughts of how awful he can be, he really does believe nobody cares.

A side note to make is that all the fake contestants are replicas of the disqualified contestants, people that Four has wronged and treated poorly inside of the Exit. With them being used to represent Four's fears, it can be assumed that Four internally feels bad about making them do endless work without a way out, even if he tries to deny it.

Four struggles from a lot of self-doubt and mental health issues, which are displayed very well in this scene, with how much he questions himself and argues with his own feelings. He suffers from both anxiety and reasoning attacking him all at once, and is unwilling to acknowledge how it’s his fault this is happening (until Gelatin says it straight to his face).

#bfb #bfb 30 #bfb spoilers #my post

[androgynousblackbox]

The funniest thing about antis calling foul at every attempt at rep is how actual minorities represent themselves.

I'm a lesbian latina and my self-insert is a yandere. My non-binary friend loves torturing their enby OC and putting them in dub-con/non-con situations. My black girlfriend comissions fanart portraying a murderous cannibal as black.

Yes, there are issues in how minorities are represented in media, but I don't think antis understand that it's not real allyship if they keep picking and choosing what minorities are wholesome enough to deserve their support.

The main thing that antis don't take into account is that, sometimes, seeing yourself on the "bad guy" is just fun. Sometimes we are tired of being nice and just want to go apeshit on a safe and harmeless environment like fiction.

Not to mention, that the ONLY reason why it matter so much what ONE character of any minority is like is because we live on a world that actively hates all minorities. It wouldn't matter at all that someone creates the baddest bad guy ever as someone that is also black, queer or non binary if we didn't live in a world that is racist, queerphobic and enbyphobic by default, because then they would just be another character. They can't be just a piece of fiction a person is enjoying because they are fun or whatever, they are a conscious representation of what entire groups of people are like.

Obviously, this is not the fault of antis either. They didn't made these shitty rules and expectations. But they are guilty for using those expectations and rules to control the free expression and creativity of even those minority groups in ways in which they completely miss the point, for one, but also in contexts where they don't realize that one OC someone plays with on their own space will never have the same impact than something made on the mainstream.

[funkymbtifiction]

Hey Charity! I'm pretty sure there was an ask/post/submission where you described journaling to figure out your enneagram and mbti but I just can't seem to find it now. Could you tell what we should look out for when we journal, what questions to ask, any patterns, and how to correlate it with mbti/enneagram. I'm having second thoughts about my enneagram because I think I'm an anger type than an image type and want to journal to confirm(Or you could just link the og post if you find it) Thanks!

I did a causal search, didn’t find it, so I won’t bother linking to it.

I would ask yourself questions about what was in your constant focus throughout the day and whether you reacted on an emotional (heart), analytical (head), or instinctual (gut) level. Ask yourself why you made the decisions you did, and try to be honest with yourself in your answer -- no one will read this but you. Keep asking yourself that, day after day, week after week, month after month, until you are truly being honest with yourself and seeing the pattern of what drives you.

In terms of figuring out each number in each center, you need to focus specifically on the area related to that within your self-questioning.

Heart Center: questions pertaining to shame. What has shamed you? What do you feel shame about in your past? Why? Is it that you are not good, kind, and optimistic enough (2)? That you are not successful and ambitious enough (3)? That you are not self-differentiating and “pointing out the elephant in the room” enough (4)? When you react on an emotional level, what do you do? How do you get the attention you crave? Through giving to get (2)? Through impressing and boasting (3)? Through withdrawing and elitist attitudes (4)? Etc. Do you think way too much about what other people are thinking about you?

Head Center: questions pertaining to fear. How do you deal with fear? What frightens you? What are you most afraid of? And what did you do about it? That you will be incapable, so you never try anything new and delay engagement (5)? That you cannot make the right decision on your own, so you make sure to consult others (6)? That you will get trapped in an un-fun, unpleasant situation, so you distract yourself (7)? What thwarts you the most? Never trying (5)? Never having enough self-confidence (6)? Never sticking with anything long enough to see results (7)? Do you analyze so much you get stuck in inertia?

Gut Center: questions pertaining to anger. What makes you angry? What keeps you angry? What do you do with that anger? How do you use it against others? Do you moralize at them in an attempt to get them to agree with you (1)? Do you use aggression and force to seize the upper hand (8)? Do you ignore people and tell yourself it’s not worth being upset about to avoid upsetting yourself (9)? How long does the anger last? Until the problem goes away and the person apologizes (1)? In a flash that implodes and then disappears (8)? For a little while and then it disappears, only to turn up much later as a resentment (9)? Do you feel like the world is constantly “coming at you”?

Another thing to think about is -- what has screwed up your life and/or kept you from getting the things you want? And how is it your fault? Meaning, what numbers are causing this issue that you need to ‘mature’ in order to work around them? A 1 will be such a perfectionist, nothing is ever good enough. A 2 will give a lot of themselves away (time, resources, gifts, money) and then feel resentful when others do not pay them back in kind. A 3 will be a workaholic or boastful or constantly anxious about other people outshining them. A 4 will self-sabotage their creativity because they feel like every paint stroke or every word has to ‘represent me.’ A 5 will hide in their hole and never venture out into the world. A 6 will spend too much time thinking and over-thinking and in indecision and doubt. A 7 will never stay anywhere long enough to finish anything. An 8 will create enemies unnecessarily because they are a bull in a china shop. A 9 will forgive too easily, do things they do not want to do, and find it hard to care.

The more you ask yourself why, and the more you seriously think about it, instead of giving a too-quick or flippant answer, the more self-aware you will become.

#enneagram #self-typing #question #journal

[onisiondrama]

Onision on Kermit and Friends - March 21, 2021

(This video only has 59 views on Youtube. This is probably the smallest audience I've seen for an Onision interview.)

Summary Part 1

The host seems to be a fan of Onision and the co-host says she saw the documentary so she is well aware of Onision, but the show is a safe space and they don't judge.

Host says her and Andy talked about The Banana Song all night.

Host really like that Onision said not to focus at negativity. Says he only focuses on positivity and he's an amazing guy.

The co-host jokes that they will "do the Onision thing" and shave Andy's head, make him film videos, then maybe he'll change his sex.

Andy can't figure out how to join the show.

James joins. It appears he is in his new house.

The host says he said "goodbye" 2 months ago. James says during one of his more dramatic moods. The host asks what inspired him to say goodbye to all of his fans? He says when you work at something for 12 years and it gets torn away from you, you want to take a break. Host asks why it was taken. James says he likes the question. He says the reason why people are losing content these days is cancel culture. Says people have share holders in the stock market and a risk of being canceled themselves and people attack everything they're associated with. He says recently David Dobrik was canceled and he was losing sponsorships because the company doesn't want to go down with them. The companies don't want to lose business when they see someone they sponsor is being boycotted. He says it's business smart, but morally disagreeable.

James says the Discovery+ documentary called for him to be removed from the internet.

Andy appears. Andy says it's a horrible situation for James to be in and tells him he will do fine. James says he fears for the host and Andy because they aren't taking the position of "Anti-Onision" and anyone who goes against them becomes the target of that community. Andy says he doesn't care and he's sticking up for Onision. James laughs and says Andy has his own extensive celebrity experience so he understands how things work in "the biz. "

The host says everyone is at risk of getting canceled and saying anything can get you canceled these days. She says she was pissed off when she watched the documentary because everyone had groupies who want to sleep with them. They come after him and want him, he ignored them, they kept coming, and now he's at fault? Says now he is canceled and Andy is already canceled. She asks who is not in danger of being canceled at this point?

James says people told him not to go on the stream because of Andy Dick. James laughs and says he was told he couldn't work with Andy. He says people hold serial killers and people who make people upset at the same level. He says they have no gauge for morality, it's all the same to them. Says when you cancel someone for being a law abiding citizen who does things by the book and ignore someone who isn't famous and does horrible things, it shows your priorities. He says it's not about right and wrong, it's about who will bring more attention to me and make me look better.

The host asks James to show her one guy who would decline an offer from a hot fan to meet up. Andy points to himself as she's saying this. James says he thinks there is a significant misunderstanding to what she thinks he went through. He says there were no groupies or hot fans.

He says 10 years ago he dates a Canadian pop star, but he uses the term pop star loosely because she never got that huge. Says she had one music video that got over 1 million views. He says she dove into his life, contacted him early December 2010. He points out they showed this in the documentary. He says he responded to her something inspirational because she was talking about how she was on the edge of suicide and he wanted to help her. He wanted to be the person he represented in his videos, someone who does suicide awareness, etc. He says full disclosure, he straight up left his spouse for this person. The host asks if this was Skye, his high school sweetheart. James says not exactly. He says he broke up with Skye when they were 18 and 19 or 19 and 19 because he told her he couldn't make her happy. He joined the air force and she would write him letters.

Drunken Peasants comment "Cry is Kai-ing now." is features. James says "nice" and laughs.

He says he saw there were a lot of military benefits to getting married. Skye was his best friend and he thought it would be great to get benefits and bring her wherever he went. Says he married his best friend, then he fell madly in love with Shiloh. Six months prior he threated divorce because she said because they were married, half of his stuff was hers. He says that wasn't the agreement because he asked for a prenup. He told her if she was in this marriage for half of his things, let's get divorced now. He says she said never mind and if they get divorced she wouldn't try to take his stuff.

James says when Shiloh came along he realized what a real relationship was supposed to be like. He says he could talk for 10 hours about this because it's such a thorough and rich story. Andy says you could talk for years about what it's like going after a girl. James laughs and says, "a little sexist there?"

Andy and the host talks about their relationship. The host says other men she's dated didn't like commitment and never proposed to her. The host says James likes commitment. James says he proposed to 4 people in his life. Andy asks if anyone said yes? James says all 4 said yes. Andy asks then why isn't he married to them? James says he's been married 9 years. Andy asks to all 4 of them?

James says he only knew Adrienne from Texas 2 weeks and he proposed to her.

The host says she's been talking to Andy about James all week, but Andy forgets. Andy says he knows, but he won't bring it up. James says he's willing to talk about almost anything. Andy says he loves this kid and the host says she knew he would. She says he has so many amazing videos and she wants Andy to collab with him. James says before he went on, he was joking if Andy was like "you're a POS" and screamed at him, he'd still be a fan. He says Andy is top 5 comedians. James says Andy's still a comedian because he's made millions laugh. Says Andy took social norm and threw it into a woodchipper and does whatever he wants. He says he never saw a comedian with no limits, other than Sacha Baron Cohen. He says some comedians pretend they have no limits, but censor themselves later on. Says Andy seems to be on the same path, which is amazing. Andy thanks him.

Andy starts to get upset with them comments on the live. James asks if there's comments and takes a look. He says "this is great" and announced he will give them a crash course on the internet. He says there is an algorithm that promotes whatever you want to believe, like if you're a conspiracy theorist that believe in aliens. You keep seeing videos about it and it's an endless cycle of telling you you're right. James says Andy would probably laugh at this concept, but they took countless clips from comedy sketches and framed them as if they were from real life. He says there's one clip where he says mean things to someone, but they don't address he's dressed as the Joker and they're dressed as Harley Quinn.

He says he did countless pranks where people thought they were real. He says he did meltdown video series, which was one of his favorite video series ever. He says he rubbed poop on himself, lived in a box, etc. He says people ate it up and believed it was real even though he left hints in the videos that it was fake because they wanted to believe their pre-existing narrative that he was a nut case. He says it was entertaining until someone showed up to his house, then he stopped doing it. They drank the kool aid to the extent that they brought it to real life. (He's talking about Chris Hansen.) The host asks if it's scary to have people show up. He says it is when you have small children. He says when people show up to your house you think these people need mental help because they don't understand this is fiction. The host asks if this is the main reason he said goodbye? He says it was more an assortment of emotions. The host says he's an emotional guy. James says it depends, he could be. He says he's chill until you put someone he loves in danger. He says on camera he is "whatever I wish to be" because being a character is fun.

The host says she saw him go crazy in a few videos and wondered if he was bi-polar or had depression. He laughs and she says that's something she suffers from, so that's why she asking. He asks, you're bi-polar? She says yes. James says he is not. She asks if he has depression or anxiety. He says he has major depressive disorder and he was diagnosed last year so existential crisis happen often with him. Andy says "boo-mother-fucking-hoo." James laughs and says that's the father figure he needed growing up.

The hosts says she knows his parents divorced when he was 2. She asks if that affected him. He says "probably." She asks if it affected his relationships because he seems to have volatile relationships. She says she's in one currently. Andy asks what does she mean? She says sometimes Andy calls her a cunt. James laughs and says "yeah." James asks if it's a comedian thing to call people cunts? She says it didn't sound very comical. James says he wouldn't take it personally because what matters is if they stand by you, don't hurt you physically, that they give you love, and they don't say anything out of pure hate.

Andy shows a pill to the camera and takes it. The host asks what it was and Andy says muscle relaxer. James looks a little shocked, but mostly amused.

They have fans on to ask James questions. The first one asks if he really chained a girl in his basement. James says that's another thing the conspiracy mill musters up and no one was chained in his basement. The fans says he doesn't get why they would demonetize him because his channels were dead and he wasn't making any money. James says he was actually making money, he was solidly making a living and it was taken away.

The fans asks about the 14 year old James and Kai groomed, he says he's not saying it's true but he was wondering. James says it's not true and that person ( Sarah ) swore on their grandmother's life it wasn't true. He says if you to to Onision.com/IRL it has videos footage and texts of them saying they were not. The fans asks if James thinks he could sue YouTube for suspending him for offline behavior. James says it's hard to find a lawyer that would not mind being bombarded by negative reviews. He says cancel culture affects people with actual jobs too.

The host talks about how she and Andy are trying to find Andy a new place to live. She jokingly says with Onision. James says he's not in an entertainment-friendly place to live. The host asks what he means. He says LA is more relevant. The host asks why he doesn't live somewhere like LA. James says he's more of a rain and clouds person. The host says she always thought he would make a great actor. He says going to LA feels like his eye are being melted.

Another fan comes on. She says she grew up watching Onision and used to be a Patreon of his on and off for a couple of years, but she's more indifferent now. She says she already knows both sides of everything, but she thinks it''s a lot of it is bull crap. She says as someone with a similar mental disorder as said person- she understand why they would flip like that, but it's extremely shitty. James says he wasn't the person who went through all of the horrible things. Yes, he was demonetized and lost a means to make a living off other platforms, but the person they betrayed was the person he's married to. Kai didn't insult or engage, or do anything bad to anyone ever. The fact that their life got ripped apart makes him feel bad that he ever spoke to them. They have a family so it's hard to regret that. He says that's the only person anyone should feel bad for. He kicked someone out of his life, then he made passive aggressive videos about dating people and it leading to the same result. That person took it personally and lashed out. He triggered them and they attacked. Kai did nothing wrong.

They get into a bit(?) about Andy cheating on the host and her exposing him with a video. James just kind of sits there and watches.

The host asks if James is in a committed relationship with his wife. James says Kai is transgender and identifies as a guy. He says he heard the person earlier that implied he changes people's scientific genders. He says he was confused by that. The host just says "yeah" and there's a bit of a pause. James says they are in a committed relationship. She says he used to bring in other people. He says he is committed, but sometimes they were not exclusive. She asks if he has threesomes and orgies. He says not orgies.

They bring in another guest. She says she is new to him, but is familiar with cancel culture. She says it has to have been hard for him and his family. She asks what advice she has for people dealing with this. He says to not engage with anyone. He says people would do things that were illegal and a danger to his family so he kicked them out of his life. He completely isolate himself from them and they would try to hurt him. He says when you are in the public eye and you have a falling out with someone they can destroy you by spreading rumors. He says the Youtuber Anthony Padilla was terrified of getting into a relationship because he didn't want it to go south and his life to be destroyed. He says if you get in a relationship with someone, don't get out of it.

[gaymer-hag-stan]

I wanted to do a more in-depth ranking of my faves from yesterday.

So I give my 1 point to Australia

I liked her outfit I liked the rainbowy colours and honestly I loved her spirit. Performing miles away from everybody else must have sucked but she did her best and I think that's what matters.

I give my 2 points to Sweden

I'm one of those people that always complain about Sweden being extremely basic but still doing consistently well... But at the same time their basic songs have this "homey" and "familiar" feeling to them so I can't ignore them.

I give my 3 points to Belgium

I see everyone giving so much shit to Hooverphonic for being "boring" or "basic" or for the band members, and particularly the lead lady, being too old and I say fuck that. Yes they were too "mild" for Eurovision but there were far worse entries competing and you guys ate it the fuck up and even got them in the final and I'm sure the second semi will be much worse because the majority of those entries are actually boring. Hooverphonic was good.

I give my 4 points to Romania

A shame she didn't qualify because the song was good and she seemed so nice. Not to mention that if this was from a Western or Northern European country you guys would have already turned her into a superstar... A pity.

I give my 5 points to Croatia

ALBINA WAS ROBBEDT!!!!1!

I was so confident she would make it but when I saw both Israel and Belgium (that were both kind of on the verge of not making it) did qualify I went "Uh-oh"

A bop will not be forgotten, and I'm glad to see we actually all seem to agree on her being robbed.

My 6 points go to Malta

I don't have much to say about Malta other than the fact that it's an obvious bop and that I admire Destiny's emotional and mental maturity despite only being eighteen! The way she's been handling all the fatshaming comments since her first rehearsal is remarkable!

Go girl!

My 7 points go to Russia

Manizha's performance was so fun! And I really love her passion and energy both on and off stage! She's amazing and Russia sending a feminist song I think is pretty important.

Now... With all that being said, Russia as a country is notorious for handling a lot of things in a very shitty way, from LGBT rights to the ongoing situation with Ukraine, among other things, so even though I think Manizha is wonderful and her message should be heard, I won't be voting for Russia in the final, as a means of protest against their shitty policies.

My 8 points go to Azerbaijan

The song is so catchy! And Efendi is GORGEOUS, if there's one thing I can't hold against TIX is him being obsessed with her! Now, for the same reasons explained above I won't be voting for Azerbaijan either. Love the song, love Efendi but that's it. And I'm actually surprised by Europe's tiny attention span. A lot of people complain about Israel and straight up booed them but apparently it seems Europe thinks what's happening between Armenia and Azerbaijan is okay? Or did you forget already?

And again, DO NOT hate Eden Alene for being Israeli, do not hate Efendi for being Azerbaijani, do not hate Manizha for being Russian etc. It's not the artists' fault.

Sure you can dislike certain artists or songs, I really can't stand TIX, Jendrik and Gjon's Tears for example, but not because of the countries they represent.

Okay, I think I got all the controversial stuff out of the way so moving on with my 10 points which I give to Ukraine!

I've been obsessed with Go_A since last year and I'm so so glad that not only they returned but they also outdid themselves! Loved their performance!

And finally, my 12 points of course go to Cyprus!

Yes a Greek giving 12 points to Cyprus, how original but, honestly? The Nordic countries consistently do the same and so do the German-speaking ones and many other cliques yet you fuckers only boo us. And sure go ahead and boo Greece getting 12 points from Cyprus because most of our latest entries don't even deserve 1 point from Cyprus or anyone else but Cyprus has had a major fucking glowup since 2018 with Eleni Foureira and Fuego so you will shut the fuck up and respect Cyprus or you're gonna catch these hands.

Now, about the song and the performance itself, I really love the staging and the outfits and the makeup and the dancing and the song itself. Elena's accent in English is another thing though because it's not Greek, it's not British, it's not American it's just weird. But the song slaps so I can deal with it.

That's all for now~

#Eurovision #Eurovision Song Contest #ESC #Cyprus #Ukraine #Azerbaijan #Russia #Malta #Croatia #Romania #Belgium #Sweden #Australia #Spotify

[sternerstufftoys]

Hooray! Hooray! It’s a Harley-Harley-Day!

Did you know that there are toys out there that don't turn into cars? I didn't.

I don't like it.

Still, it could be a lot worse. Hello there Harley Quinn.

I can't remember a time when I wasn't aware of superheroes in popular culture, and Batman has a large part to play with that, despite the fact that I was never really in to the concept at any point in my childhood. Perhaps it's more a case of superhero concepts being utterly saturated into wider culture, that they had, by the 1980s, lost a lot of the mystery and intrigue that they once had had. He-Man had an alter ego, so it couldn't have been weird to see Bruce Wayne have one. Hong Kong Phooey was around to send up both costumed vigilantes and the 70s martial arts craze. Hell, the Transformers disguised themselves as mild-mannered F-15s, so a guy wearing a mask to fight crime wasn't enough to turn my head. Not even the Tim Burton films were all that interesting to me aged 5-10.

But Batman: The Animated Series? Oh, that was something else entirely. While it handily piggybacked off the popularity of Burton's films, BTAS owed more to the sheer brilliance of WB Animation during the 1990s. Taz-mania, Tiny Toons, Animaniacs of course, the criminally underrated Freakazoid (which took loving potshots at BTAS itself), all parts of a golden age of animation that those of us old enough to remember should consider ourselves lucky to have experienced. A golden age that afforded WB the freedom to break from the norm and use their resources to create a kids cartoon with a serious tone, deep, thoughtful stories, an easily-recognised visual tone with its art-deco retro-futurism, and crucially, not just created to sell toys.

Yes, I'm aware of the irony of mentioning that in a toy review. Harley Quinn then. Among many near-perfect moves by the show was to introduce a permanent sidekick for the Joker, an equally-deranged woman who idolised her boss and could be more or less counted on for her loyalty to Mistah J. And that was pretty much all Harley was to begin with. The series would go on to explore what a relationship with a psychotic criminal would be like - one-sided and often abusive, but Harley was always going to be on Joker's side, and indeed, a sidekick. Now, nearly 30 years on, Harley has become almost an icon of surviving abuse, of moving on, of rejecting toxic relationships, and defining oneself on their own terms. And for being repeatedly shipped with Poison Ivy.

I suppose that's why this figure feels a little out of place. A modern(ish) toy that represents Harley in her original form, and designed for the adult collector - the interchangeable hands, heads and complete lack of accessories is testament enough to that. But it's those same adults, the ones who have carried Harley from the early 90s to the current day, who are responsible for her myriad changes as a character. The fans that sympathised with her abusive past, who loudly supported every step she took away from the Joker, the DC writers and artists who listened and followed the trends and allowed Harley to breathe free as her own character on her own terms, even the shippers that desperately wanted to see her kiss a green lady... and then given this toy as a reminder of how much smaller Harley was back in 1993.

It doesn't help that as toys, this entire series is somewhat lacking. I've mentioned with Transformers the idea of figures being articulated but not poseable, and ho boy does Harley fit this bill. Every joint is there, but the range of motion is poor, especially in her legs. She can't bend her hips far, her knees won't fold in properly, and it only barely matters anyway because good luck getting her to stand on those dinky little feet.

Yup, screen-accurate to a fault, these figures. For Batman this means being basically an upturned triangle, but for pretty much every female character until Amanda Waller was introduced half a decade later, they might as well be stick figures with boobs and bums stuck on. And giant heads to muck up the balance even further. It's a relief then that the screen accuracy is so damn good.

Yeah, forgive me. While I do love the fact that Harley is by now a predominantly emancipated character, I do still love this design. I know it's become symbolic of the Joker's hold over her, I know, I know. I know we're looking at a thoroughly damaged and abused woman here. But it's still a great design. Shut up. And the heads are downright hilarious, being a sultry purring face and a wide-eyed goofball. I'd prefer if she came with a mallet and hands to grip it, but let's be honest, she'd only fall over again, wouldn't she?

I like Harley Quinn. I like that she's become defined by her ability to change, in a genre which so often traps characters and refuses to let them grow. I like that she's found fans who find her empowering. I like that she is such a fun character that Margot Robbie essentially pushed for the new Birds of Prey film because she loved playing Harley so much she didn't want the godawful Suicide Squad to be her only credit as the character. I kinda like this figure as well, but not for those reasons, more in spite of them. She looks kinda nice I guess.

#toy review #dc comics #harley quinn #harleen quinzel #batman #batman: the animated series #btas #btas harley quinn

[dreamwatchpro-wrestling]

Dreamwatch: SLEEPING GIANTS (Match 2)

Fernando Diyas, Alex Alvarez, and Carlos Moreno vs Bondad (Javier Fernandez/Daniel Gonzalez/Davi Fernandes)

Match two of this show sees some exciting trios action between two teams of luchadores currently engaged in a heated rivalry! Fernando Diyas, Alex Alvarez, and Carlos Moreno want to show that Bondad are not above them, and that Bondad do not represent them as luchadores. Bondad is trying to build themselves back up after a rough 2021 and are looking to unite luchadores around the world so they can lift each other up! It was only appropriate for this match to be a 2 out of 3 falls match, as is customary in Lucha matches. It was time to see what these teams were capable of!

My goodness what a fun match this was! This match was fast paced, tense, mind-boggling, awe-inspiring. I've never seen a match like this in Dreamwatch before. The passion and love and pride for their craft was on full display, both teams unwilling to be outdone to the point where the first fall came after THIRTY MINUTES of action. In that first thirty minutes though... Wow. Diyas and co. looked like completely new wrestlers here tonight. They often talk about putting on the best shows and staying in the minds of the fans whenever they perform, and its impossible to say that they're wrong now! Their ability to do tandem dives especially had be audibly gasping and jumping out of my seat. They reached new levels of agility tonight, which made it even more impressive whenever Bondad were able to actually catch them and slow them down. Bondad could not match their speed, but Bondad have incredibly impressive strength and fundamentals that can shut down anyone in a flash. They were true equalizers in this match. It seems like Diyas was the most clever person for the first fall, as he managed to slap on an achilles lock in the midst of a chaotic brawl, getting the tap out from Davi Fernandes for the first fall.

Going into the second round I expected Bondad to be a bit more careful and to an extend they were, until Daniel Gonzalez seemed to smell blood in the water and went for the victory. This caused another chaotic brawl in the ring that, once again, Diyas managed to take advantage of, suckering Gonzalez into his teams corner. Diyas tagged in Alvarez who caught Gonzalez by surprise with a cazadora into a rolling senton, followed by a Phoenixplex hold that Bondad were too far away to break up. Diyas, Alvarez, and Moreno get the victory!

--

Fernando Diyas: Aha! Let's go boys we did it! Bondad, we told you! We told you, didn't we?! You're not above us! You don't represent us, and you can't steal our shine anymore! My boy Alvarez put Gonzalez down and we're gonna gonna rise from here! Big plans for the three of us, right boys?

Alex Alvarez: That's right, that's right. Bondad aren't hungry like us. Their hearts weren't in it, and they paid the price for it. Maybe they should take a break too. I'm glad I'm done with them.

Carlos Moreno: Its nice to get a win at a big show like this. In my opinion, we've been the coolest trio around. We've been wowing the crowd with all of our performances, and now it all pays off with all of these eyes on us.

Fernando Diyas: And I bet they're glued now! Now you know what's up, Dreamwatch! We're goin all the way up!

--

Davi Fernandes: Ah no... No...

Daniel Gonzalez: I'm sorry. I got overzealous and angry at the end there. That was my fault.

Javier Martinez: Don't worry, man. I mean... They deserved that win. I'm not going to lie they surprised me there.

Davi Fernandes: Yeah, for sure. They were different tonight. Part of me wants to say that Bondad inspired them to improve but that sounds weird. In the spirit of competition, I hate losing. Felt like we needed this win a lot, too. Been a rough first year for us in Dreamwatch. I want Bondad to rise up; this means so much to me. We... We can do it, guys. I'll bring us up. We just have to recollect and rethink. We're not done yet.

#Dreamwatch Pro Wrestling #Fire Pro Wrestling #Dreamwatch: SLEEPING GIANTS #Bondad #Fernando Diyas #Alex Alvarez #Carlos Moreno #Davi Fernandes #Javier Martinez #Daniel Gonzalez

[aph-poland]

It may make you angry, but I'm from Poland and I can't stand the fluffy-pinky-gay image of my country in Hetalia fandom. We're one of the most traditionalist country in the EU, a man would be probably beaten if he went outside in a fucking skirt. It sounds still ridiculous for me that two people of the same gender can marry, because it's illegal here.

Wow um, that doesn’t really make me angry i guess just?? a little taken off guard by this weirdly hostile ask out of nowhere lol. But here’s what I have to say:

I’m not sure how long you’ve been familiar with my blog or if u just decided to yell at a hetalian today and chose me at random, but I wouldn’t really classify myself as a fan of the “fluffy-pinky-gay image” of APH Poland either tbh. It actually makes me really upset when people just want to stereotype him as such based on the image that the fandom has dubbed for him, and instead overlook all of his history, struggles, triumphs, culture, and basically everything “Polish” about him. If you knew me you’d know I’m actually one of the most angry and disappointed people in the fandom at this because it constantly infuriates me with the way he gets categorized simply by the way hima drew him.

Idk there is so much to address in this ask I’m struggling to try and write this as eloquently as possible but forgive me i’m doing this at work so i may sound a lil jumbled. The deal is, it’s actually pretty problematic when people want to erase all that Feliks is and represents and just paint him up as “the gay character” or “transv****te cross-dresser” simply because he wore a skirt in a strip that made him fit that stereotype. There is so much potential to his character as far as depth and exploration goes that is often horribly skewed or ignored by other hetalians in favor of just reducing him down to “fabulous valley girl.” And to be quite honest its pretty ooc, but thats more of a different topic for another time.

Don’t get me wrong, I have a few qualms with hima myself and some of the problematic content that he’s decided to include in hetalia, but if you pay attention to Canon Feliks vs Fanon Feliks, you’ll notice alot of the “fluffy-pinky-gay image” has been forced onto him by young (lowkey homophobic) fans. The way Feliks acts in canon (if you take away the over-use of the “valley girl accent” that the translator chose to assign to him to match w/e Japanese dialect hima was trying to give him) you could actually interpret many things differently. By doing so, it’s much easier to see how strong, tough, charismatic, loyal, trusting, and deep he actually is. You see his strengths, his faults, his mistakes, his victories, his growth as a character, nation, and person over the years. You can see moments of happiness, sorrow, silliness, seriousness, moments of weakness, moments of power, moments of worry, moments of confidence, love, hate, regret, revenge, but above all...perseverance. So trust me, it makes me just as confused and angry when people want to ignore what a diverse -if not somewhat ironic/conflicting- character he is and instead change him around to fit what they want to see him as. I wish he was treated with more respect.

However

I understand how traditional the “real’ Poland is, believe me. I’ve been in this fandom for many years and you’re not the first “””real polish person”” I’ve seen get angry over aph poland. You’re not alone.

The thing about hetalia though, is that it is just an anime. All told through the views and thoughts of a japanese man. The story is intended to be a light comedy making fun of nationality stereotypes while simultaneously celebrating the history, culture, and people of each said nation. The intention, as I’ve also taken it (or choose to take it anyway), is to take the setup for these lovable, flawed characters, and kind of???? have fun with them per say...

People are free to interpret things, events, practices, and the characters themselves how they choose (generally speaking anyways). I think there’s nothing wrong with that as long as it’s respectful and not gross in anyway (again, another topic). So therefore, there’s nothing wrong with headcanoning Feliks as being gay. I understand how “the real poland” is set up and what their laws are (though I don’t claim to be an expert or openly discuss them as I am not polish nor do i live there, so i feel that is not my place) but there are so many other things to take into consideration before you come off as homophobic yourself.

One thing to consider, is how the same thing could be said for well over half the nations. To claim that a hetalia character “can’t be gay” because of politicians and a government party’s standpoint is pointless and irrelavent tbh. I’ve always felt it?? weird to try and tie a nation down to a specific time period or law when they’ve been around for literally centuries, and have witnessed and believed in all different type of social norms and morals and laws that evolve and change as time progresses. Its actually pretty closed-minded to expect thousand year old nations to buy into every single detail of present-day customs and viewpoints. Many of the more conservative viewpoints of many nations around the world are relatively new ideas as far as strict practice goes in comparison to the personified character themselves. Something that’s been an enforced idea for the last 50 years or so could just feel like a month or two to an immortal being lmao. But again, I believe most of it is up to interpretation.

I don’t want to speak for the lgbt in poland, or any polish lgbt throughout history as i don’t feel i have the right or enough adequate knowledge to do so, but a hetalia nation is supposed to be sympathetic to and feel the struggles and pain and happiness and glory of all their citizens. Regardless of what the political standpoint of the country is on (I personally believe nations choose not to align themselves with political parties in general as a conflict of interest would ensue) hima has stated time and again that the nations also have the ability to be their own person, and have their own views and standpoints on things that might not match the “majority” of the current political climate (ex. Germany himself was shown to be annoyed with and hated dealing with Adolf Hitler). So it’s not really fair to pretend like a nation has never-looked-at-the-same-gender allllll throughout history just like it’s silly to presume that all people are StraightTM until proven otherwise. 

Canon APH Poland, Feliks Łukasiewicz, the man who likes pink, the man who doesn’t care about gender norms or what kind of fabric he puts on his body because he’s old and has obtained a certain level of nation wisdom enough to know that not only is gender a construct and there’s nothing shameful about “””feminine clothing”””” (even though clothes are just pieces of fabric meant to cover your body and dont have genders lol), but has also seen all kinds or fashion and different types of clothing all throughout history and has worn frilly neck ties, jewelry, heels, makeup, and capes back when those were once considered to be “”masculine”” at that time period as well and remembers how fucking good he used to look in that shit and after all he’s been through knows that he has the right to rock w/e the fuck he wants, the man who historically, legally, culturally, and personally married to another man, the man who still remembers his childhood before he even heard of Christianity, the man who had one of the most tolerant and flourishing commonwealths in history, the man who has such strong ties to the romantic period and who, as a nation, is much more complicated than mortal humans could ever hope to understand........is absolutely wonderful.

Now I’m sorry that lgbt representation and rights is lacking in Poland at the moment, as it is all over the world. Truly I am, and it makes me upset. I don’t know if you share those same homophobic and hateful views (your tone implies that you do), but the fight and struggle of the lgbt people is far to complicated and powerful to use as a playing chip on a silly Japanese cartoon, and i think basing a headcanon off of prejudice and hate like that is disrespectful to the nation, and to bringing that into a cartoon is disrespectful to the lgbt struggle as well and belittles it all tbh. But as i said before, that topic is best left for another day.

I’m sorry you felt so insulted by a cartoon character to come to my inbox about it, as if i have any control of what this fandom does to him, but I try to just look past all the forced, fanon garbage to see feliks for what he really is. A strong, tough, talented, complicated, fearless, resilient, yet still endlessly sarcastic, funny, mischievous person.

Do you not think that is a good tribute to the Polish people?

#long post #aph poland #idk man i love the guy so #if u really hate him that much dont??? watch it??? #i prolly sound all over the place and maybe spoke out of turn but #hey i finished this before i had to leave!! #yay!! #Anonymous