#i'm just doing some preemptive damage control | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

bookwyrminspiration · 1 year

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wait wait wait I want to hear your thoughts on the fandom's interpretation of Alden

Sure! Keep in mind this is not a serious thing, it's not a hill I'm going to die on; this is all casual observation and thoughts, not anything important.

I feel Alden's character has gotten negatively distorted in general based on the extremes he's taken to. Is he a perfect person? No. But there are some characterizations--particularly the extreme bigotry/homophobia--that just aren't accurate to his character. And there are people who write that and know that Alden isn't to that extreme in canon! I'm not trying to say people who write and work with Alden like that are unaware and wrong and I'm trying to correct that.

Those characterizations aren't bad! They serve a purpose and I have no problem with people projecting experiences and using him for whatever they want--catharsis, fun, etc. There are some excellent homophobic Alden fics out there, but the fact that he would not fucking say that (to reference the og post) is something that can, and does coexist.

He wants the world to be a better place, he loves his family, he loves his kids. I genuinely think he would and does prioritize their happiness over any legacy and image. I think any concern over that is concern over how they're going to be treated and if they're ready/able to face the backlash, not him wanting them to be different--but my interpretation may be off.

But I do think that his character being used for negative extremes more so than any other can bleed over and makes it harder to stay true to him, if that makes sense. Perhaps my perception is distorted, but I feel like the vast majority of the time when Alden's mentioned, it's accompanied by something negative. Is some of it warranted? Definitely! His Keefe talk was...uncomfortable, to say the least, and that's not the only thing he's done. So there s definitely room for critique But some of it seems like it's negativity just because, unsupported. And I don't think he deserves that; he's literally just some guy. Not perfect, not awful, and serving a very specific role for the story that he completed. This is not to say people have to justify their actions or need to change, I'm just acknowledging that when I see it I'm more critical because opinions can be skewed.

Again, a lot of this is anecdotal and not serious at all (I know people know there's extremes and it's not canon, I don't think I'm like...more enlightened about him?). It's just my observation that the extremes he is taken to may be negatively skewing his canon perception overall past what's proportional to his character.

#kotlc #kotlc discourse #just in case #quil's queries #fintan-pyren #the tags I left make it sound more important and firm than it is #so if this doesn't match it in tone it's because that was like 3 really brief tags #and this is more in depth #i hope i wasn't misleading #but generally I always hesitate when I see alden discussion because I think he gets skewed more negatively #and because I feel like I see it often I try to be more firm in my neutrality and not just follow the trend #because I don't agree with everything in the trend #it's a harmless trend. but I do generally like sticking to canon so. that's where I fall #i hope i've articulated this in a way that makes sense #like I fully respect other people's right and freedom to do whatever they want! none of this is real he's made up!#i have no real problem with what people do with him #these are just some thoughts that have rotated #damn i'm really trying to preemptively damage control aren't I. i should figure out where that urge comes from and work on it #long post

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sharonisthebettercarter · 10 months

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So much suffering could've been easily avoided, had Billy's musty ass learn to calm the fuck down and instead of moping around, he should've took anger management classes before s3 ep 3. I understand it's very common for younger kids to look up to adults because Ryan probably admired Billy and now he let Ryan down.

If Ryan shuts Billy (and Shitlander) down next season, I'd say he deserved it. I know Billy's life have been hard too and I had compassion for him as well, but that's never an excuse to treat others like Billy did to Ryan in ep 3, s3. (I'd be) Glad Ryan (might be) mature enough to realize it was Billy's own fault that he decided to gaslight him.

Ryan has every right to cut billy off because at this point Billy is going to deflect and turn his back on everybody (like he did in the comics). Billy (like 🍇lander) will just brainwash Ryan with his own issues and turn him into a minion and i will never trust him around kids after using that infant and threatening to unalive children too. Yeah he didn’t kill a child (yet) but Ryan (nor any child) should get mixed up in his toxic bullshit. I wouldn't be surprised if he successfully unalives Neuman's daughter, like the unsentimental douchebag he is.

holy fuck anon! putting all your asks together in this but i'll try to respond as best i can between them (gonna put your shizz in italics), lmao there is a shit ton of ranting and i may do a little myself, don't mind me~<3

first off, that grapelander killed me because i have a sick sense of morbid humor but also wkuk the grapist

but i feel you, i get what you mean and for sure, billy is an enraging character that somehow manages to be less well adjusted and more fucking damaged than homie while having genuinely less garbage to show for on his 'shit has happened to me' roster. not even saying that as a dig at the guy but it becomes very very clear (and infuriating) when you actually read the comic or even just watch back the show. specifically, he doesn't have a single soft moment where he's being genuine with someone that isn't becca and it dives hard into that disturbing element.

the difference being that homelander has the power to do far far worse with much greater ease, but the craziest thing about that is that he generally doesn't and even in some cases (obviously not always, but james stillwell even mentions this in the comics, that homelander has incredible control over his temper) shows a remarkable sense of self control. and i think it shows for more that there's so much homelander chooses not to do at any given moment while billy is spending 1000% of his time and effort working towards these things, including chipping away at homelander's control (which as everyone keeps warning him is gonna fuck EVERYONE over!)

but billy is pretty much the next stage of what would happen to homelander if he actually did earn someone's love/learned to actually love them back. he latches on hard and it's borderline parasitic with how bad he can be and how he makes them his lifeline without actually addressing or working on any of his issues. his whole damn schtick is to drag homelander down to his level so they can duke it out. losing becca was a catalyst, but the reality is that it stopped being about her a long time ago. the real issue is his pride

that should be clear enough in his willingness to alienate ryan AND potentially and actually destroy whole buildings full of thousands of innocent bystanders just to get to ONE guy.

and the thing is, alienating ryan was completely unnecessary. it was billy being a preemptive cunt of 'i'm eventually going to hurt/disappoint this kid, so let me just make it easier on myself by doing it on purpose now instead of actually trying because trying is too hard.'

WELP. y'know billy, maybe if you hadn't done that, the kid would have kicked his grape daddy in the balls and left with you at the end of the season instead~!

but it should say enough that he actually said the words (more/less) "nah, it'll be years before ryan can take him(homelander) on" in regards to using him like a weapon against said grape daddy...

I hope fans turn against trashlander when seasons 4-5 rolls, after its revealed homelander is a shitty, unsupportive parent who's ruining his kid. I also hope they realize Creeplander was given a choice to go to the light side, leave vought, and call them out on their shit, numerous times, yet he refused and then killed or tried to kill the people who offered him such. This man has made his choice MANY TIMES, AFTER choosing to fall to the dark side in the first place. Why should he be offered yet another chance? And why would he expected to make a different choice? And even if he did, why should he be considered eligible for redemption? He can’t un-murder all those innocent people, he can’t un-torture his victims. He does not want to be redeemed.

But if they wanna keep having the flying creep in a wholesome light, then go do that, mother teresa. Imma see this dude get folded by kryptonian dogs

listen... i gotta level with ya...

as much as trashlander is accurate, and as much as i look forward to the coming chaos and destruction and blood and death~<3<3<3 excuse me~

that is an unlikely hope when we got fucking rape apologists in fandom. just. i gotta be real.

and homie's not gonna be the shitty unsupportive type parent. don't get me wrong, he will absolutely be shitty. but less 'you're a fucking disgrace and i'm going to abuse the shit out of you' so much as... 'my kid is perfect and can do no wrong ever' entitled parent nightmare. he's going to be supportive... in all the worst and most horrible ways, enabling the shit out of ryan to be terrible (you remember that little smirk ryan got at the very end of s3? think more of that type of shit, tho i do think it may become too much for ryan to handle, right now, homie is the only person telling him what he would want to hear and providing him with **dangerously unconditional 'love' while he's in a very vulnerable place)

that being said, there haven't been instances where homelander's been presented with any real chances to leave vought. and i'm going to say this because it comes from a place of first hand experience with abuse.

homelander is trauma bonded to vought. yes, they abused and did so much terrible shit to him, but they were still his 'parent', his 'mother' or 'creator'. and when someone is trauma bonded to family? especially in a place where *family* and love is the ONLY thing you long for and the ONLY thing that you have? it is NOT that simple to be presented with an 'out' and just take it.

especially when you have nowhere to go.

abused is a precarious place to be put in (never say that people choose this, they don't). because it is not always obvious, it is not always painful, but it is unbearably blinding. it is a vicious cycle that continually hurts you. but it also offers you comfort, and love, and everything you could possibly want... without ever actually following through or instead giving you the bare minimum to keep you addicted. and most people don't realize they are STUCK in the cycle until it's dug its claws in and won't let go, or until it's gone too far.

but it is NEVER a choice. it is a specific psychological response and preconditioning that is extremely difficult or even impossible to break through and break free from.

abuse victims never want the abuse. what they do want is to *fix* the situation and not abandon the people they love, even if they shouldn't love them. but it is not an easy place to be in, and it is not a choice either.

homelander doesn't want to abandon vought because they are all he's ever known, he doesn't want to be abused either. he wants to fix it, and even if that's a lost cause, he doesn't see that because vought robbed him of the ability to see that. by making him BELIEVE in them and having control of his life since before he was even born.

he never had a choice and he still doesn't have one because no one has shown him that he does.

sorry for the lecture, but for me that subject hits way too close to home and any time i can correct misinformation or prevent victim blaming, i am who i am.

anywho. agreed that 'redemption' may still not be the best choice for homelander's situation. not to say it's impossible, but he also DID become an abuser and has hurt countless people. and you're right, none of those people will get a second or their lives back. but i think there is also something to be said about what homie could do to make up for it/how many more he could save if he did make different choices (even if unlikely, lmao)

comics homie is actually a different (even more fucked up and tragic story) who honestly might have chosen to go back to being 'good' post epiphany/reveal if he'd had the choice, but i digress.

i am looking forward to him flying off the deep end tho~<3

Ryan needs to ditch Homelander (and Billy) to secure his future and live his own life because at the end of the day, it's all about control (especially when it comes to the flying cunt). Ryan will not only lose his childhood, but lose his adulthood as well, the past and future being stolen from him, unless he manages to escape the flying cunt (and Billy too because fuck him and Ryan has every right to not forgive a poor excuse of a human being too) to make his future secured and his life not ruined any further than it is. Also, tell vought to fuck off too.

I also hope he find some strangers who will genuinely help him and treat him right than those scumbags (and Mallory too because she sus).

Get orchiectomy when he's of age because if I came from a fucked up bloodline and surrounded by fucked up people on a daily basis, I'd do the same too (I mean I wouldn't blame him at all if he did that)

Change his identity legally and move to a different ass Country because start anew.

agreed that ryan is pretty much better off without any of those mofos lmao. like honestly, he's too good for half of fandom advocating for his fucking death as they dick ride soldier boi. i don't care how handsome any of them are, ryan is a fucking child, becca's child, not a goddamn hot potato to be tossed around or cooked.

castration is a little extreme even with his powers i'm gonna say. i mean i kinda get what you mean but at the end of the day, we are not our bloodlines. ryan isn't his father and you def recognize that so i think he could move on with his life without necessarily going that far.

mallory is def sus but i still love her and i actually think the likeliest option is that ryan ends up saved after the whole scorched earf debacle (for real this time) and then adopted by annie and hughie in the end.

Despite the fact that Ryan really has been given the shit end of the stick in the reality he calls life. I wouldn't be surprised if he eventually becomes something without forgiveness, and he certainly becomes a part of some unforgivable acts, but really haven't been given the chance to thrive and succeed. It's gonna be sad, because I think Ryan would have been entirely different had he been given a chance. But chances can possibly be too late for him, or something will happen that emphasizes that.

However, depending on how seasons 4-5 goes, he should grow a backbone ditch both homelander and Billy because he can do better w/o them because all that poor boy wanted is to find a place where he is loved, safe, and appreciated. Yet, every time he finds that, it gets ripped away from him. I can't imagine what outcome he will have to suffer next. I fear what comes.

...

i almost don't want to do this to you but the irony is just too fucking poetically palpable.

LIKE FATHER. LIKE SON. and so the cycle fucking continues... jesus fucking christ fuck me.

'growing a backbone' is easier said than done. one of the pain points of the general hero genre is to teach us to protect those who cannot protect themselves. and what the boys does is take that ideal and put it through the meatgrinder of reality. we often don't do this in real life.

that's supposed to sorta be the lesson taught with lenny. he didn't 'choose' to 'sink', no one does. you could argue that the world is tough and people need to be stronger (like billy's toxic piece of shit sperm donor), but i would argue the world needs to be softer for those that won't be able to keep up or who are vulnerable.

one suicide is too many. what are we really doing if we let so many people fall that far?

EVERYONE deserves to feel loved, safe, and appreciated... and it's the lack of those things that CREATES monsters of men.

I've seen kids manage to leave their fucked up situations, despite difficulty. It's going to be simple though. Besides, not all strangers are bad, right? In fact Ryan had better luck with those he doesn't know very well- like kimiko- than he has with his own family. Buuuut, who knows how long can that 'luck' last.

Sure he has his maternal aunt and grandmother, but welcome him w/ open arms?? If a child comes to your doorstep, saying they're you're nibling (the child of your sibling) and grandchild, along w/ your sister and daughter dead because they accidentally killed her?

Because his entire life has been out of his control from being raised in a hermit place because of satan dad and vought, to the death of his mother, to his mom's so called 'husband' gaslighting him, and now satan dad most likely forcing Ryan to distance himself from others, and then said father involving Ryan in murderous plots and promising him family in return which he will never provide. Yeah, Ryan had zero control.

If it ever happens, a group of people (or supes such as super-duper), could be the point where he actually has a say, his freedom, and a support network and hopefully he embraces it but... It might not be a happy ending, depending on how things go in his future. And that is depressing.

Better to leave the hell he's in now than staying. Also, he can defend himself (for obvious reasons), until he finds some strangers who genuinely want to help him, rather than hinder him and the best way to survive in a new environment is to learn from the locals. He should fight tooth and nail to cut ties w/ shit from his past and no longer associate with it as he starts to get better because if I was him, I wouldn't even go back.

Unless something in him clicks in, which he feels he has to go back, as if there's (a) haunting shadow(s) constantly following him. People underestimate the power abuse can have over a victim. You even got oppressed nations or people glorifying their own oppressors/abusers in the real world. he might not be raging and trying to kill anyone right now, but he might clearly mistrustful.

i'm gonna take a moment to get a bit more serious and mention survivor's bias. (i'm also assuming you mean '*not* that simple' hopefully??)

but keep in mind and this more a guesstimate outta my ass so don't quote me on it. but while it's great that those kids get out of those shitty situations, keep in mind that for every 10 kids that do, you might have a 100 more that don't. (just look at the foster system or pedo church rings, sorry, yuck, i know... but there are a lot more child victims that suffer in silence than we could ever know)

and for ryan, yeah, i for sure hope that he is able to get out of it all and get into a better situation, at the same time you have to remember that he is a just a child. he is not going to manage that on his own and things are likely to get worse before they get better.

i don't think becca's family would reject him tho because shocker, i REALLY don't think they'd be like BILLY~! especially with ryan being the last piece of becca left. i do think they might have some fears or be wary, but i do think grams and sister would just be happy to have him and the closure

LMAO AT 'SATAN DAD', can vouch for that. tho to be fair... satan is a GREAT daddy~ but an AWFUL dad... ;)))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) (i cannot resist and i am not sorry.)

but yeah, i think the ideal here would be for ryan to NOT become either of his 'father' figures

and what is all this shit at the last part??? see you DO get it! just try not to forget that billy and homie are also products of their upbringing. but they WERE ryan at one point too. innocent kids that didn't deserve what the world gave and *didn't* give to them...

billy got out of it but carries every fucking scar with him and it still has an ironclad hold on him. homelander still hasn't gotten out. ryan is a snowball waiting to happen.

ugh, this shit gets depressing but you ranted, i ranted, we all had good fun and great discussion of these shitheads and i am looking forward to the new season~!

fuck me this is long, and thanks for comin' to my ted talk.

#billy butcher #homelander #ryan butcher #becca butcher #the boys #ask #long post #abuse #trauma #soldier boy #multiple asks #hughie campbell #annie january #bad parenting #vought

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martianbugsbunny · 7 months

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You know what was not fun? Suddenly out of nowhere developing eczema when I was in my mid teens.

1, it gets bad every time the season changes—every summer I'm like no yeah it gets really gnarly when it gets all hot and humid and every winter I'm like no yeah it gets really gnarly when it gets all cold and dry.

2, I'm horrible at the not-scratching thing. Do I know it will make the problem worse, and probably also cause some bleeding/weeping? Yep. Does that make it easier to resist? No. It itches. When things itch I want to scratch. I often do it without even thinking and oh shit now I feel bad because I should've "just not scratched" and also now my hands hurt more.

3, I fear even scratching what appears to be a regular itch on my hands, the insides of my elbows, or the backs of my knees, because I have it predominately on my hands but it's been really horrible on the backs of my knees especially, like before I realized there was actually something going on there I scratched so much it hurt when I ran soap over the skin while I was showering, and there were always these big red bumps with little spots of blood, and if I scratch in one of those places what if I cause it to flare up by irritating the skin?

4, I feel bad for complaining about it, because I feel like people are going to see me feeling sorry for myself about my (legitimate) skin condition and say okay dramatic bitch it's just a skin thing it's not that big a deal, and because I sometimes feel that way towards myself about it even though I live in my own body and I know it is a big deal; it itches all the time and it hurts and as you can clearly see by this post that all effects me mentally.

5, it makes me feel ugly sometimes. When I had it on my knees it was summer, and therefore I was wearing shorts, and it was visible and I knew it. I was so worried that people were going to look at it and be revulsed or make fun of me or just laugh about how ugly it was, because it's not pretty—and it's a medical condition, it's not supposed to be, but it still makes me feel lousy. On my hands, depending on how long my sleeves are, I can cover most of it, but I still know it's there and I worry that if I shift my hands too much while talking other people are going to see it and wonder ew, what's wrong with you, and not want to be near me.

6, it started at the worst possible time. I was a teenager with my first boyfriend, a very hard-won boyfriend mind you, talking to him in the first place was the boldest thing I'd ever dared to do not just because I knew he was cute and smart and that he liked superheroes, but because he was a human being and speaking to other humans is one of my greatest trials, and it was all well and fine until our second date was coming up and suddenly I had these horrible red patches all over my skin and all I wanted out of life at the time was to hold hands with my boyfriend but I felt incredibly self-conscious and sad about the idea that my eczema might gross him out and he wouldn't want to hold hands with me. (In case you're saying poor Martian, hunny did he let you down? no. he did not. I drove myself crazy not scratching and was lotioning day and night to try and get it under control and for the most part I did so I suppose I'll never know if he would've, given the opportunity, but I didn't have to worry about it on the day of the date itself so that's what counts for me.)

7, it's something I had to adapt to. not very good at doing that tbh. Every time I have a flare up I'm can't help thinking it wasn't always like this and being upset, because my skin used to act the way skin is supposed to and for some reason I don't even know, it stopped.

8, I was prescribed medicine (one that will literally do permanent damage to my skin if I use it too often but that's barely here or there), but if I forget to put my preemptive strike on for a couple of nights and there's a change in the weather and I don't use my anti-eczema lotion enough during the day then I have a flare up anyway.

9, once a flare up starts it's really hard to stop. Nine times out of ten one of the problems is that my hands are too dry to start with, but the medicine only makes them dryer, which while it does help them heal, it also creates a different secondary sort of problem that stymies the healing at a certain point. So I take a break from the medicine to focus on getting my skin to a healthy moisture level but that's really hard to do, I don't know why, and the eczema is getting worse because I'm not applying the medicine and I'm kind of stuck.

So...yeah. Eczema sucks and I'm not even a little brave about it, I'm just tired and sad.

#I'm not happy bob. not. happy.#eczema #skin health #or lack thereof #skin #also pretty sure I have low-grade psoriasis on my face sometimes bc it looks hexactly like when my dad has the same thing #it's way less visible and usually not a huge deal but it also itches and then of course I scratch and it bleeds #which just isn't good #anyway my hands look and feel horrible right now so oof lmao #martianbugsbunny grumbles

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the-nysh · 2 years

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Hello! I am also shocked by this chapter. But I remember that Garu liked to win in battle. He did not want everyone around him to simply die from the sight of him, as if he were the Medusa Gorgon. Garou wanted to become fear or terror. But who will be afraid of him if everyone is unconscious? Therefore, I think that GOD controls everything, and Garu restrains him as much as possible so that everyone does not die for real. The radiation in their world can be cured by transferring the power of Blast or Saitama to other people. How Fubuki healed the Master. As for Genos, I'm afraid he's not what we think he is. But this is my opinion. It may be wrong, but Genos won't die because he doesn't and never had a human brain. This was suggested to him by Dr. Kuseno. For the cyborg to stop being cruel. It's anonymous, but I need a witness to confirm my hunch if it turns out to be correct.

Ooh, you have lots of thoughts in there, so let's see if I can address them.

Garou did want to win as the symbol of fear/terror, to scare everyone into uniting against him and solve the world's problems of injustice. (Trying to achieve it with the faster/preemptive/roundabout 'two birds with one stone' approach.) So yes that requires humanity to be ALIVE for them to 'be scared' of him and evolve into the better. So eliminating all life/humanity by literally killing everyone is precisely god's hostile agenda, not Garou's.

"Garou restrains (god) as much as possible so that everyone does not die for real." Which is a nice thought. :') Unfortunately the hostile god isn't as merciful or humane as the real Garou, who's always managed to hold back vs humans on purpose. (As in: he can't hold back or simply fake 'scare' the radiation damage now though.) Garou's 'resistance' was shown when he refused the offer, but endured an incomplete (forced) transfer anyway, enough to retain some of his lingering consciousness. However, as Blast said, his mind is still a warped fusion under the influence. The most we can still see of 'Garou' in there, is during those moments where he stops and visibly pauses when people ask him things or personally call out to him. Before processing a mental beat and then denying/twisting his words around into something else. Whether that's god's control/corruption at work actively blocking or spiraling Garou's last remaining awareness/humanity away into the void is one thing, or whether that's a sign of Garou still mentally struggling against him - or desperately trying to adhere to his usual script while blinded from reality, is another. Either way there's definitely two opposing forces at work (god's influence vs Garou's mind) struggling for control/balance, making his current mental state highly unstable. I think the really cruel thing is when the 'Garou' in there still thinks he's playing along 'scary' and in control as usual, without knowing how much the angry/hostile god in there is fully intent on (using him as an avatar) to enact divine wrath for real. Whether the real Garou in there can still hold back at all or make his actions seem much worse/brutal than they are, remains to be seen.

"The radiation can be cured by transferring the power of Blast or Saitama to other people. Like how Fubuki healed Tank Top Master." Now there's a thought! It's not the first time I've seen people bring up the idea that Saitama might sacrifice his power in exchange to save Genos + everyone. (It sounds like a very Murata-esque idea.) But I also feel like....to actually heal, instead of just transferred power/energy, it would need....actual cell reconstruction or something like some of Zombieman's power maybe too. (That is, if we're not doing a whole timeloop undo with Blast's warp powers.) But also when you mention sacrificing power.....what about from Garou himself once he fully realizes? :O If he can truly copy/absorb powers around into his own, what's stopping him from reversing god's powers against him too, from destruction into a different miracle. (He could even learn it from watching Fubuki too.) Esp if he truly feels the crushing weight/guilt/remorse and finally realizes how he can directly save the world at will. To me, narratively he'd be the most fit for this role in his arc's climax.

"Genos won't die because he doesn't and never had a human brain." Ah wait wait waitwaittttt, no - Genos is a cyborg precisely because he has a human brain. Otherwise he'd be fully robotic, which he's not. But beyond his power core, his body could have other life support functions we don't know of. Whether he's actually dead (meaning, his brain getting destroyed) or whether it was a huge scare made to look like he's dead (to piss off or break Saitama - which is what god wants) well....we still need those answers. How Genos can recover too - his body can be fixed, but his brain.....that's a different problem. He could end up with permanent damage/amnesia if things aren't simply just 'undone' the easy way thru timefuckery or something. So...yeah. :')

#opm #garou #genos #manga spoilers #omurasaki #replies #speculation #fandom grief #whew there was a lot to cover here #but yeah genos is no robot

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amazilla · 20 days

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In the read more, a few choice thoughts for you on the subject of being a fictive and how that affects my view of things.

I came into being because Tsukasa already existed. As far as our system goes, Tsukasa is as close to a "core" as we can get, and I exist to protect him. But when I first gained awareness, I was angry that I was me, especially because I knew I was only taking on this form and personality because of someone else. I've gotten over that, though, and come to find some joys in being a fictive.

Over the last several years, I've been able to expand my view of the world with help from other parts/personalities/headmates, whatever you want to call them. In particular, the last few months, our Angel has helped me realize my role outside of our system as well, to exist and enjoy existing. That my purpose isn't only as a guard dog for the others, nor even just as a peice of a whole. While I do still view us, as a system, as parts of a "whole" out of nessecity (one body and all that, got to see things this way) I am still allowed to exist as myself and make myself as an individual seen and understood. Life doesn't have to be strictly as part of someone else.

Tsuki has since taken an extreme backseat in our life, leaving me and two other parts to take over physically. We do take turns, although not really on purpose or anything, it just sort of happens. It can be jarring to suddenly realize you are the one present fully when you thought you were floating by watching as someone else did the work. Switching can feel so smooth and gradual like this, but it can also be jarring and feel like whiplash. Sometimes I'm able to step back and sleep, not be present at all.

I'm still pretty unsure exactly how we function, but it's something I'm interested in observing and attempting to describe, for the benifit of understanding. Of course it would be helpful to recognize patterns, predicting things is preemptive damage control.

That's a lot of words to say I've been enjoying being in control and dominant and present much more than I have in the past. lol

In this time I've come to an understanding of why I was Amane to begin with, and also understood I don't have to fit some kind of narrative for the sake of others. Angel is similar, he won't even use his canon name because he wants to be able to enjoy the fandom and the character he is based off of without immediately associating them with himself. But he will still respond if we call him that name, its still his.

With that being said, I'm going to be doing a re-read of the source material that Tsuki and I are sourced from. With fresh eyes, maybe I won't feel so strongly about the events and can enjoy them as a story?

But let's talk about that, about how the story is completely different from my "canon" which I associate myself with. For me, it feels like if I am a fanfiction version of Amane, essentially. It's not that I come from a fanfiction, I'm pretty sure this story doesn't exist IRL just in my head. Tsuki said one day he'd write it and post it anonymously. Since I'm an AU from the Amane in JSHK, it's easier to look at fandom. I can enjoy fanart and fanfics knowing that there is no way that these people are making this about me, like me me specifically.

I may see myself as Amane, but the reality is I'm nobody, and I am not the guy in all those fanarts and stories that get posted. I can project myself on them if I want to, but I can also disengage easily if I see something I don't like. This is, in my opinion, the way fictives and fictionkin should approach fandom if they're interested in taking part, either as an observer lurker or an active member in some capacity.

I thought maybe if Tsuki does write that fic based on our "canon" that if anyone got inspired by it and drew art of it, would I then have to admit they were finally depicting me and Tsuki as we exist now, or could I still divorce myself from that? I think I would try my hardest to separate myself from it, no matter how close it feels. The artist would have no way to know it was meant to depict the fictionalized mythology of two members of a plural system, unless there was a note on the fic and then that could be dangerous.

It's wise to be careful what kind of information you give out to anyone, especially things that could impact your health or safety. Some details of our canon would give away information on manipulating us, and so it would be something we should take care to replace and re-write for the fic. Even if nobody knew, I'd still have it be changed. The fic would be a sort of way to share, catharsis and venting, or getting it out on paper. For me and Tsuki, keeping everything a secret forever when it impacts us so greatly is frustrating. And part of why I made this blog.

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caffeineandsociety · 3 months

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The problem is way too many people either think - or know better, but want you to think - that the Venn diagram of shitty policy is like this-

When in fact it's like this-

Full overlap. It's not "American deaths OR non-American deaths, pick one", it's "so, you're watching and sharing control of a bus that's hurtling over a cliff, you have 5 minutes to choose - will it be better to crash it into a busy campground? Or through a hospital that will collapse ONTO the campground, a busy shopping center, a load-bearing pillar holding up a huge chunk of the densely populated city you live in, then finally an oil refinery, which will explode and run off into the water supply and pollute the planet for decades to come? There are allegedly third options, but none of them are actually viable if you're being even remotely honest with yourself, and there are a LOT of people who really want to do the latter for some reason already tugging on the wheel."

This is what we mean when we say that voting is damage control. It is not the be-all and end-all. It is to societal improvement as breathing is to staying alive - FAR from all you need, but one of the fastest ways to fuck yourself if you stop doing it, or worse, lose the power to do so. Which is a risk this cycle! Voter disenfranchisement is a big deal battleground tool of the far right! I'm always hearing cynical takes about how "if voting worked they'd make it illegal", but the counterpoint to that - if voting DIDN'T work, they wouldn't be trying to do exactly that; why else would 2023 have seen a near record number of voter restrictions proposed and enacted? Hell, why would January 6 have happened?

I want everyone who SERIOUSLY thinks "oh, we SHOULDN'T vote because BOTH parties are bad, and anyone who says otherwise doesn't care how many people die as long as they get theirs" to ask themself, as seriously as possible - how likely do you think it is that we'll have a functioning alternative system in, at the time of this writing, 9 months? What are you doing to achieve that goal? What will you do if Trump gets reelected and ramps up police activity to make even your keyboard activism enforceably illegal? Your entire existence? Because that's a big part of what they're trying to do! Do you realize that the system doesn't void the results if turnout is too low? That a significant contingent of right-wingers religiously - literally - vote for ANYONE running with an R on the ticket? Do you think abstaining - and thereby allowing that contingent to go uncontested - will save a SINGLE non-American life?

It won't.

Voting against that won't save the world, no, just like breathing won't save you if you decide to never eat or drink or move from your bed again, but if you DON'T do it, then be honest with yourself - you're fucked no matter what else you do or don't do.

Voting is to buy time so we CAN dismantle the system and rebuild it better, because one side wants to kill us all preemptively to fortify it.

#like to be cynical and mean re: what are you doing to achieve that goal #i KNOW the answer is ''little to nothing #maybe rping ya revolutionaries with your friends online''#because if you were doing shit #you would realize how TINY a timeframe 9 months is for sweeping systemic change to be likely #and have at least a SLIGHT inkling of how much harder a trump presidency will make it

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ddarker-dreams · 4 years

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Hello there! I was wondering if you could do hcs for the adult trio with a Witch s/o. I'm especially curious to see how Chrollo would react to not being able to steal their power due to it not being nen instead being harnessed from deceased ancestors. And also witches = lots of strange books that he may not even be able to read and of course being able to contact the dead aka dead troupe members. I apologise if this is too much to ask of but it's always interested me.

I’ll give my general thoughts on the instead of straight up headcanons, I hope that’s okay!! I feel like I can more into the concept this way.

He’s going to take an angle of wanting to learn more. Chrollo wants to understand himself more, and what better way than to constantly be taking in information? Even if he doesn’t get an epiphany one day as he might hope, all the specialized knowledge will certainly come in handy in some other way. So for a witch darling, he’s going to ask lots of questions, taking a keen interest in every aspect. Chrollo still hypothesizes that nen is connected to the craft to some degree. Since it doesn’t manifest like a nen user’s hatsu, he wouldn’t be able to steal it. That doesn’t mean he won’t try sometimes lmao.

Chrollo still wants to hold some control over his witch darling. Isolating them with his charisma and winning them over will be the methods he relies on the most, with varying results. When he catches wind of his darling’s ability to speak to the dead, he’ll likely mull over the option. His curiosity needs to be sated. How vulnerable he’d have to be to go through with the act and possibly reveal more about the Troupe might outweigh any of the possible benefits. He’ll end up indulging only once, to the founding members. Giving them closure feels like what he should do as a leader.

Illumi would take more of an interest in hexes, or any magic that could possibly inflict mortal damage. If it’s something he himself can’t master though that changes things. Anything that could possibly be used in assassination is always on his radar. He might pressure his darling into using darker magic on unreachable targets, or at least using their magic to help locate them. Other than practical uses he’s not going to press the subject often. Might go out of his way to get them a rare book or two as a “reward” for helping him with his jobs.

He’s gonna be wondering if any kids he has with his darling will be capable of what darling can do. That would be an amazing concept — capable of wielding magic and nen — he’s gonna he painting a nursery preemptively at that point. Illumi is willing to let his darling do whatever is necessary for their kid to inherit those abilities. It wouldn’t be wise to betray his trust and pull something under his nose, Illumi won’t take kindly to any hints of betrayal.

Similar to Chrollo, Hisoka is going to be asking a lot of questions. It might be somewhat irritating since he starts off asking some stereotypical garbage, hoping to rile his darling up bc he’s an ass. He is genuinely interested in seeing what the magic might do to others. Hisoka is 100% going to ask his darling to test some stuff on him for “fun”, but isn’t so stupid as to want to be cursed. Generally he considers it a hindrance, since keeping you under his thumb is his primary goal. He’s slightly more wary of his darling’s abilities. Hisoka is going to try and take away the tools necessary to perform anything with a heavy impact.

As someone who floats around to whatever catches his eye, his witch darling won’t be getting rid of him anytime soon. At least Chrollo seems a little respectful of his darling’s craft under the guise of gaining more info, Hisoka is doing it more of a way to pass the time. He’ll make offhanded remarks or try to rile his darling up. Asking why don’t they just get rid of him with their magic and the like. Basically Hisoka is playing with fire because that’s how he is. It’s all fun and games until he gets cursed somehow...

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fleeting-sanity · 3 years

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There was an uneasy silence as they returned to Odessen. Everyone's faces were somber except for one Vinn Atrius. The failure in the final step of his plan was made up by seeing the atmosphere of defeat around him. Rionnic noticed his smug expression which irritated him even more.

"Better get used to your sweet new home. Take him away."

Debris of the Eternal Fleet could be seen with the naked eye, a testament to how massive the destruction was. Admiral Aygo had already started counting the losses and the remaining ships not affected by the Gravestone. The numbers were disappointing. Fortunately there were no ground casualties--Odessen remained practically untouched. However, some personnel already off planet by the shuttles took this chance to escape with some of the Alliance assets. Yet another problem to deal with.

Riornivo was determined to help his brother through all of this. Starting with the damage control of finances, administrative work, fixing relations and governing Zakuul. He saw the latter objective as an excuse to visit the planet again; specifically to stop by the penthouse. Both twins took the first shuttle to Zakuul the next day. Long hours of paperwork was draining their spirits and filling them with boredom.

"Red… I’d like to take a breather for an hour or so. You should too.”

“Go on ahead. I have a feeling I know what you're going to do.” quipped Rionnic, without looking at his twin.

"Uhm… I… I changed my mind."

"Just. Go."

The Jedi sheepishly removed himself from the office. Out of the Spire and straight to the secret penthouse. At the front door, he sensed two presences inside. He recognized Arcann's familiar energy, but the other was quite enigmatic. It was neither Senya or Vaylin. He pressed the bell to let them know of his arrival.

"Looking for her, aren't you?" teased Arcann by the door, his face more relaxed and content.

"She's really gone then? I'm just checking..."

"Come in. I need to talk about something."

Arcann instructed him to sit in the living room while he proceeded to input new commands for the butler droid. The other presence revealed herself to be Arcann's partner, Aryuni. Her face lit up when she saw the Outlander, enthusiastically greeting him like a puppy.

"Ary? You're… with child?"

Rio's jaw dropped, eyes widened in disbelief. It has been months since Ary's resignation from the Alliance and now he knew why. The curly-haired woman responded in a whispering yet funny tone; "I know right? Can you believe that guy's gonna be a father soon? To twins, I tell you!"

"Twins? I--congratulations!"

"Aren't twins delightful? I can already picture the shenanigans they'll be up to. By the way, how are you doing?"

Rio detected a hint of sarcasm in her tone, preemptively including himself to the twins equation besides Arcann. "It's mostly work. If you watched the news, we've recently taken a huge hit. Will take some time to recover from that, but I think we'll be fine."

"I know, I saw the news. But what about you? Riornivo the Jedi Master, the… Barse? Barcentaur?"

He chuckled at that, making no attempt in correcting her. "Thank you for asking. I'm… fine. I don't have to be all the time, but I feel fine. I hope your pregnancy is going well for you."

"I hope so, it's still quite young but the father's been hovering over me and the grandma's jolly, so that's nice."

"Come to the Alliance base sometimes. Some of them have been missing your energy."

"Hah, do they offer pregnancy classes now?"

Both of them laughed as Arcann came with some drinks for their esteemed guest. Again, Rio sheepishly thanked the former Emperor for the hospitality, but noticed the change in Aryuni's expression.

"Hey my big guy, could you get me some glowshrooms? I need to make something for the cravings… please?" asked Aryuni with the best puppy eyes to her partner. Arcann obliged her request, excusing himself to fill that role of a devoted future father. Aryuni turned to Rio with a slightly nervous body language, making sure Arcann was already out of the room.

"So… Rio, I wanted to thank you again for keeping that letter from way back. I have the same thing for you now. A holocom smack dab in the center of the bed. Don't freak out--but I doubt you will--but I uh, I watched the message and I'm sorry about that."

"What do you mean?"

"A message for you, from her. Hold on, let me get it."

As soon as Aryuni said “her”, his heart skipped a beat. Her knowledge of Vaylin’s status contributed to his anxiety, and it almost peaked once she placed the holocom on the table. Aryuni quickly picked up on his mood and moved to comfort him. “Hey, hey, it’ll be fine. Here, have some tea--we really don’t have to look at it if-”

“It’s alright, Ary. I have to see it. I’m just a little tense. But I have to ask, does Arcann know that you know?”

“Well, not yet. I get the feeling that it’s hush-shush, so I’m still not sure on what to do with this. But you can trust me to not tell anyone. You have my word.”

The more people who knew, the more problems it could present. But wouldn’t this be the eventual conclusion the longer they’re keeping Vaylin a secret? “I suggest you tell Arcann about it soon. But there's Senya. Please don’t let her know.”

“Got it. I swear this to secrecy. I’ll be upstairs for a bit if you need anything.”

He put the concern over her discovery aside to play the message. Once the holocom lit, Vaylin was displayed still wearing the green dress with the complimenting flower crown; her beauty was preserved in the holo message. She fiddled with a datapad, likely containing the script or perhaps a to-do list. There were a few unintelligible grumbles on her end, but she quickly snapped out of it after realizing she already started recording. “Dammit!”

Her mannerism was all too endearing for him, carving a heartwarming smile.

“Okay, ugh, okay, I… I’m hoping this reaches you, Rio. I’ll keep this short. First I want to thank you for all you’ve done and… endured from me. I’m not leaving forever. You don’t have to worry about me--I won’t do anything stupid, I promise. I… um…”

Vaylin linked her fingers again, the usual gesture of her nervousness. "I'll come back soon. If you'd… wait for me."

She abruptly ended the recording. He wished it was longer, and he could sense that she had more to say but couldn't. He replayed the recording, finding comfort from Vaylin's awkwardness. The front door opened just after he'd finished watching, revealing Arcann with a bag of glowshrooms. After he delivered the ingredient to his partner, she promptly got to cooking.

"Here, we'll talk outside," beckoned Arcann to Riornivo.

"Yes, before you ask: When I found her on Corellia, I brought her here but only temporarily. Some of my other penthouses were destroyed months ago. There's one left and the droids have just finished cleaning it. We should be moving next week."

"... Just how many penthouses do you own?"

A smirk formed on Arcann's scarred face. "The only relevant intel is that they are all secret. But I digress. I wanted to talk about Mother. She told me about that incident. Said that the energy felt like Vaylin. Obviously I deflected, but now she's curious…"

Both men sighed. "It's good timing that she left now. Gives me time to think up something to solve that. I do have one alleged solution but she won't like it," as Rio leaned on the railing. “Unless you can convince Senya, but it’s quite likely she’ll find out after that incident.”

“What exactly does that entail?”

“It’s not going to completely sever their bond… but… ah, I probably shouldn’t!”

The Jedi was starting to regret his decision. Arcann raised his eyebrow, motioning him to continue regardless. “I can… sever the Force out of either Senya or Vaylin. It comes with great consequences, and I doubt either of them would agree to this. But it would stop the whole sensing through the Force.” explained the Jedi.

“This is all contingent on revealing the truth to Mother… and Izax forbid, Vaylin.”

And that conversation was a few days ago. Both Arcann and Riornivo were kept busy with Alliance work. The last paperwork Rio signed was Koth’s unpaid leave; he was still distraught over the destruction of the Gravestone, but lately he had been quite receptive to Rio's and his crew's therapy.

Every chance he got, Riornivo would find a secluded place to play Vaylin's message for comfort. He was yearning like a fool; Rionnic would occasionally give him the side-eye. Eventually days turn to weeks and then months.

The Outlander's heart couldn't take it anymore.

Meanwhile for Vaylin, she never stayed on one planet for too long, and tried her best to avoid suspicion or identification. As the months passed, she visited and enjoyed planets such as the farmlands of Dantooine, the resort vistas of Makeb, the lights of Nar Shaddaa, and the waterfalls of Tython. The next destination was the planet framed in the picture on her table at the sanitarium: Alderaan. She made up a line of disguises, and chose the fifth one.

Upon exiting the spaceport, the chilly, petrichor infused air of Alderaan swept her skin gently. The planet was just as beautiful as the picture from her horrid childhood. Her steps were vivacious as she sought out her objective being there: riding a thranta. A thought flashed through her mind--that it was so much better to bask in the sceneries of each planet rather than bombarding them. It made her stop and hang her head low.

She then shook her head and resumed her course, cautiously this time.

When the droid asked about her destination, she couldn't answer due to the lack of knowledge. In a shaky tone, she said; "The longest ride, anywhere!"

It was an acceptable answer, and after paying the fare, off she went for a thranta ride over the lower skies of Alderaan. Her face was the happiest in a long time. When the thranta flew higher, she removed the hat and glasses concealing her face, then untied her hair to let it loose. The air felt amazing, seeping into her pores and blessing her with such peace.

Perhaps a life of travelling could be in her foreseeable future, seeing how many benefits she received and how happy it made her. To have that second chance at life and finally be free...

[ Next Entry ]

#swtor #swtor fanfic #vaylin #swtor fic #star wars fanfic #star wars OC #vaylin x outlander #VayRio #sageboi #jedi consular #vaylin x jedi consular #riiiiiio #Star Wars The Old Republic #fanfic #FS'OC

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biologyweeps · 5 years

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hi owlet! i'm researching liver health and saw a website selling N-Acetyl Cysteine supplements, which is what they gave me in the ICU when i accidentally overdosed on a LOT of tylenol. my question: is it healthy or effective to take NAC as a preventative measure for liver health? I thought it was only administered by medical professionals in specific cases (acetaminophen poisoning, some lung conditions). i also found this: healthlinedot comslash nutritionslash nac-benefits. ty, have a good week!

Link

Taking medication ‘preemptively’ is only something to be done in very specific cases, and under medical supervision. You wouldn’t preemptively take aspirin just in case you get a headache.

For one, NAC when taken orally (please tell me people AREN’T setting up their own IVs with this…) has side effects like nausea and vomiting, which is ok if someone’s ill and needs it, but inflicting it on healthy person for no reason at all is bullshit. Plus, there’s a reason risk of anaphylactic reactions, which is y’know, bad. Those seem mostly tied to IV applications, but then again, oral NAC is used less because the bioavailability isn’t great, and as mentioned it has a tendency to make people spit it right back up which makes it a bit useless. So I’m not quite sure if the statistics look as they do because the IV version is genuinely more likely to give you anaphylaxis, or if that’s just the version you’re much more likely to see when people get smacked with high-dose NAC.

In case of paracetamol poisoning, it works by specifically allowing your liver stop a metabolic product (N-acetyl-p-benzoquinone imine, NAPQI) to stop accumulating and thus damaging your liver cells. The thing is, if you don’t artificially deplete your body glutathione stores, your liver doesn’t need the help. Do note how the list mentions conditions that are actually a problem, not ‘Take this if you’re healthy’.

If you read the article, you note a lot of use of ‘it may’ and ‘Test tube studies’. That means, studies down in-vitro, aka The Petri Dish Cell Culture. The in vitro study has a place in medical research, but taking them and saying ‘therefore use in humans is the same!!’ is bullshit. A ell culture does NOT behave like the actual organ, never mind a full organism. Say, for example, you’re testing on cancer cells, the med you’re using may well kill them. It may also kill every other cell in your body.

The same is true for mice models. Mice models are important!! but they’re not transferable to humans 1:1 because the human and the mouse metabolism aren’t identical so you should be progressing with caution when reading them.

GENERALLY, AGAIN,this is a medication. Taking medication on a ‘hey what if’ basis without anyone checking if it’s actually needed is a horrible idea. Talking to your doc and getting a prescription is one thing, but taking it as a regular ass supplement for no reason other than ‘might do something good for you’. Especially if that something is ‘hey we should fuck with liver metabolism and hope this doesn’t somehow end horrible’ especially if we’re talking about the potential long term use we’d be looking at with something used as a dietary supplement.

I am generally VERY skeptical of things sold as ‘supplements’. Broadly speaking, the evidence is often weak for the myriad of things promised, depending on where you live and/or buy your supplement, the control of these items can be weak to non-existent so you may not get what you paid to begin with (or best: you get a placebo. at worst: you get something actively dangerous). Many a supplement is also not needed and can be skipped entirely if you have a balanced diet. By all means, if you have an actual lack of something or condition where it is beneficial is one thing, but even then, you should buy from reputable sources only.

#celesticadream #asks #nutrition and health

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happymetalgirl · 5 years

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Whitechapel - The Valley

Though still one of deathcore's most widely revered names, Whitechapel's reputation as a steadfast bastion of the best the genre has to offer has been on a slow decline for the past few years with the slower, more groove-focused approach of their more recent albums. And while I'm not by any means a purist who believes that their old way is the one true way for them to do deathcore, their more recent efforts have not been super effective as far as being convincing of their similar strength in their more groovy side of deathcore is concerned.

Any quick side-by-side of albums like Mark of the Blade or Our Endless War next to the likes of their self-titled album, This Is Exile, or even A New Era of Corruption reveals readily how much more of a knack the band have for brutality through intense, ripping pace than they do for the djenty groove their contemporaries are drawn to like moths to light. While the band do have a few strong examples of indulgent 8-string groove to their name like "The Saw Is the Law" and "I, Dementia", most of their grittier, faster material outshines their djenty stuff, and this is coming from a real sucker for anything akin to Meshuggah. The past few albums have just reinforced how much stronger Whitechapel is at quick, relentless, hardcore-inspired death metal than common djenty deathcore, and instead of backing up and doing what repeated trials have shown to be their strength, Whitechapel opted for a curveball on their seventh LP.

The Valley is an inconsistent dabbling in more melodic styles than what the band usually opt for, most notably in the vocal department with Phil Bozeman making prominent use of clean vocals on several tracks. Most of these brief episodes of departure, which seem adventurous at face value, wind up simply taking from alternative metal's playbook and doing little of anything interesting to that style or in cohesion with Whitechapel's style of deathcore, the more recent form of which they frequently pedal back to as though preemptively performing damage control. Maybe seeing the reception Suicide Silence got for their use of clean singing made Whitechapel only want to dip their toes in the water.

Of the ten songs on the album, only three feature this "bold" stylistic departure. The clean guitar sections and clean vocals on the opening track, "When a Demon Defiles a Witch", are meager passes at a more proggy and eccecntric approach, nothing special or beyond surface-level experimentation, but not entirely off-putting. But the melodic hardcore vocals on the track are completely out of place with the rest of the song's traditional, speedy Whitechapel deathcore pummeling. The song "Hickory Creek" is undoubtedly the most uncharacteristically neutered and shockingly radio-friendly Whitechapel have ever sounded; they sound like fucking Five Finger Death Punch when they try to do power ballads, especially with the tone of Phil's layered baritone cleans. And while it's still more gutsy than anything Ivan Moody and company are doing these days, the basic, formulaic structure and generic alt metal ballad ideas poured in over Bozeman's unimpressive crooning just diminishes the emotive impact the band were definitely going for. "Third Depth" sees the band returning to trying to balance heavier instrumentation and Bozeman's deathly growls with his zoned-out clean singing and basic-ass spacy alternative rock backing, and it makes for such a meandering cut. I'm glad it's not as structurally formulaic as "Hickory Creek", but it sounds like the only idea the band had going into the song was using Phil's cleans and growls on the same track, which is hardly revolutionary and makes for hardly a thrilling juxtaposition either.

When the band backpedal and stick to what they do well on fast-paced blazers like "Forgiveness Is Weakness", the filthy growl-heavy groove of "Brimstone", and the blackened death guitar storm of "Lovelace" they come closer to sounding like they've captured the glory of their old raw power. And although it's a bit repetitive, the song "Black Bear" even shows the band working well with more of the mid-paced djenty groove that has characterized their more recent work. The closing track, "Doom Woods", makes use of a more sprawling structure, which the band have worked well with and do work well with again here, but the alternative rock guitar flair serves as an irritating distraction on what is clearly meant to be, and otherwise serves decently as, a bombastic finale for the album.

Overall, The Valley is a very disjointed experience and one that I don't really know what the band were trying to achieve with it. While its momentary similarities to Five Finger Death Punch are certainly haunting omens, there's nothing quite as horribly phoned-in here as that band's past several albums. But still, this album plays like a band having an identity crisis in a limbo between an increasingly more stale style they seem to have played out and some contrived sense of evolution beyond their genre altogether. And while those sound like very harsh words for an album that's by no means similarly harsh on the ears, Whitechapel have been a frustratingly unreliable figurehead for a subgenre that seems to constantly be on the defensive and in need of its biggest names to step up to the plate, not because the band are switching up, but because they have been coasting on their legacy for the past few average to above-average-at-best albums now. And unfortunately even as they try new things with not a whole lot of conviction, they are continuing to gradually reshape their legacy to one that reads of them being a flash in the pan that fans have stared at too long in hopes of sparking again.

Here goes nothing/10

#whitechapel #the valley #deathcore #death metal #metal #heavy metal #new album #album review #new music

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