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dlartistanon · 2 months

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While I always enjoy your buff Arknights characters (thank you for the Saria especially), what're your headcanons for your Doctor in your version of AK?

Hmm... My Doctor is either nonbinary or fem. Also very ace. Appearance-wise, they have medium-length hair and dark under-eye circles. They have spiral pupils. They're relatively short. Skinny and undernourished. Honestly my design for Doctor is just a haggard version of that one promotional concept art of Doctor that looks vaguely feminine.

Let me list some things about Doctor that I actually like, and kept intact in my own portrayal:

their parental relationship with Amiya

their awkward, sometimes hostile dynamic with Kal'tsit

they have lingering feelings of depression and detachment surrounding their amnesia and separation from Priestess

implied autistic

they’re physically weak and sensitive to light

their acute observational skills

a fondness towards physical contact

their academic background in neurology/history

a strange tendency to drink boiling hot liquids directly and eat random consumables

A lot has happened in over four years. Particularly the way Doctor is written and how certain characters are written around them. In a perfect world, Doctor as a vehicle for self-insertion does not exist. What currently exists is canon discontinuity for me, and I've realized that the only way for me not to gag at Doctor content in the game is if I reconcile their existence by superimposing my own take.

However, in doing so, I refuse to call it a self-insert. That word is so loaded with awful baggage and is a viscerally unpleasant reminder of how some of my faves' writing is ruined for the sake of pandering to the lowest common denominator in order to make the player feel special. At the same time, I'm not depicting "Canon Doctor" either because so much of the "canon" writing around them is so half-baked and poorly-constructed in a failed attempt to appease both self-inserters and people who want an Actual Character.

My Doctor is not In-Game Buckethead, not a self-insert, but a secret third thing. Taking characterization bits that I like and discarding the ones I don't. Same goes for every operator who's writing suddenly takes a nosedive whenever in-game Doctor is involved.

If I have any singular Doctor ship, it's with Priestess. Priestess is their tragic soulmate, and Doctor wanting to reunite with her gives even more reason/justification for other characters to distrust them because of the implication that Priestess was responsible for the Oripathy outbreak.

Maybe with Kal'tsit too, but the dynamic has to be very specifically complex and not reduce Kal'tsit into a tsundere.

#dltext #smithalspersonal #dl talks ak #and they aren't a freaking harem protagonist #i don't draw doctor a lot but if i do it's a much more bearable version compared to in-game #and any doctor-operator interactions are inoffensive to preserve the integrity of the operator #because i can't trust the writers to do it anymore

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oltammefru · 9 months

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One thing that IS3 does so incredibly well is how well it translates the feeling of fighting against the highly-adaptable, continually evolving, endless threat of the Seaborn into gameplay mechanics.

The emphasis on corrosion damage and the ability of the Retching Broodmothers to infinitely spawn enemies both do really great job of encapsulating the war of attrition of fighting the Seaborn. Sure, you survived the first wave, but will you survive the next? In a world where your enemies are endless and continually multiplying, and there is no such thing as a true victory, only survival until the next fight, all you can do is fight until you are worn-down and broken. One activation of corrosion isn't necessarily much on its own, but after a few more, the difference is night and day.

A great way IS3 translates the ever-evolving threat of the Seaborn into gameplay is with the per floor scaling difficulty. Fighting an Ocean Stonecutter on floor 2 is drastically different than fighting one on floor 5. The former is generally not incredibly scary but the latter can be terrifying and often requires you to adapt to their adaptation. If you try to use the exact same tools to deal with the same enemy on floor 2 as you would on floor 5 or 6 you're going to have a bad time, and it's great, both because it keeps gameplay interesting, and how it flavorful it is as a mechanic.

I've already talked about before about how great the design of the Ocean Stonecutters (the hermit crab-like guys) are, but I'll say it again. They're so cool and one of my favorite enemy designs in the game. A thing I'll add here is that they are also much more interesting they are to fight than most enemies because their pause while entering enemy range effect is itself exploitable; by baiting them with an expendable unit, allowing them to just idle out of range of any important unit. Love the crabs.

#arknights #is3 #integrated strategies #i think there's something to be said about how the broodmothers at higher difficulties are extremely constraining with regard to what #operators are good and what operators aren't #and i know a lot of people will disagree with me when i say this but i do think they add a lot to the IS3 experience that you wouldn't get #if they were less oppressive than they were

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tea-earl-grey · 1 month

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i have resentment for all tumblr ads that have flashing images despite me blacklisting every relevant flashing content warning and turning off autoplay on gifs/videos on mobile because they trigger migraines/sensory issues but i have a special vitriolic hatred for the specific ad with flashing images that keeps coming up that's advertising some right wing us political thing. please go away and die in a hole.

#also can websites pls integrate accessibility functions to avoid flashing ads #like i get advertising. websites have to make money to operate but no flashing!!!!#my issues arent even that bad. like its just a mild annoyance and likely wont bother me in the time it takes to scroll past #but so many people have issues that are more easily triggered! it can be dangerous!#my posts

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exoticalmonde · 4 months

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IS2 also known as Phantom & Crimson Solitaire but the Part where I learn about some of the Lore via Operator Records

This all started because I am a stupid idiot simp and have no self-control, okay?

The other day I was trying to mind my business when I was wondering who out of my Bandorio (husBandorio) squad I want to E2. It was almost an unfair match between Shalem and Mr. Nothing (whose position in the band is already shaky with Lessing and Hoderer coming eventually).

I thought to myself 'The best way to really know who I want is to see how useful they are in batte-' WRONG, I wanted to know if I vibe with them on a personal level. Which meant that I had to sit down and read their Operator Records.

And proceeded to yap about Shalem on TWTR since harlot gloves and an iridescent shine on his tail + it being cutely wrapped around his leg is the go-to if you want to impress me.

Also because I like the look of sheer exhausted, barely clinging to sanity look he gives me when I zoom in on his person.

Continue below if you want to see me cry about Shalem, the Troupe and then about the Crimson Solitaire and what it was throwing at me the last two days.

So being said, I started admiring... everything that is happening in his E2. Prior to actually reading anything I knew that Shalem has something to do with Phantom, at least something enough that he has to go and save him from IS2. I've dabbled with it before just a tiny little, never reached an ending and I still haven't as I write this.

Items of background as of yet unverified, which is really funny because I think the same goes for Phantom. Maybe I should look him up while I'm here to read side-by-side comparison.

Take note, it says Shalem works in logistics.

Both Victorian, born within a month and a bit of each other, so that's interesting. What's that? Phantom is taller?? Than shalem?? The twink black cat is taller than the black snake?

Insanity.

Oh, he's doomed. Who do I like that ISN'T infected with Oripathy??? It feels like they're all sick... But now that I look at my list, Chongyue, Ebenhol-

Okay... that leaves SilverAsh, Vigil, Lee, Tequila, Lessing they're all fine.

My head is too full of Czerny and Hoederer being Infected on a very advanced level, so it feels like my world is ending every time I start reading the Medical Analysis.

-Shalem Trust 50-

Considering Rhodes Island's operators come from all corners, races, temperaments, histories and myriad diversities of the land, there are indeed plenty who are weak with communication yet possess a kind heart, and thus HR's operators haven't had serious concern, vis-a-vis the state of Shalem's life.

Me *handshake* Shalem Disliking mixing friend groups so we just avoid it at all cost

He's been waiting forever, waiting for his chapter's end, but he doesn't anticipate that in ten or so months, when Rhodes Island life has long since become routine, that a shadow of the past will sorrowfully arrive.

Congratulations, everybody, another sad boy has reconsidered subearthing themselves because he found a place to call home and a bed he can sleep in with both eyes closed.

-Phantom Trust 50-

When Phantom first set foot on Rhodes Island, he terrified the logistics personnel who were on duty at the time. He suddenly appeared behind one individual, standing there without a word until the person turned around to discover his presence.

IF SHALEM WORKS IN LOGISTICS WAS THIS ACTUALLY TALKING ABOUT HIM???? I can't believe Shalem was stalked by Phantom for absolutely no reason and then Closure got pissed that this arrogant feline just boarded the ship without telling anybody, or anybody noticing even, until it was too late.

Talk about being a professional assassin.

Accompanying Phantom on his arrival to Rhodes Island was a person as mysterious and alluring as the night itself, someone known as 'Ms. Christine.' Through her demeanor, it was clear that she was a refined and haughty woman. No one knows whether she will remain or leave, and she is not always seen with Phantom, instead happy enough to wander around as if quietly patrolling her turf.

To this, I have only one responce

*Throws 15, 000 of those at Phantom* I HAVE THE LADY'S PERMISSION!!

-Shalem Trust 100-

After a field mission ended, Shalem noticed a phantasm behind him. He was the most brilliant of those young stars in the troupe, its leader's favorite, a crimson blood diamond, and he stared at him, naturally not seeking to reminisce.

Oh my god I was right.

An acquainted operator informed him someone called Phantom had joined as an Operator in the past few days. Who was Phantom? Shalem knew in his heart as clear as night.

Joined like it's nobody's business.

After which Shalem just decided his anxiety is too much to handle and didn't go out of his room for a small eternity.

When he received a mission on his terminal to seek the missing Operator Phantom, Shalem believed someone to be pranking him, but after verifying high and low, he realized Phantom truly had departed Rhodes Island, and no one was more familiar with the mission objective's search area than Shalem. It was his and Phantom's home, and the beginning of their nightmares. The past had already found Shalem, and he could not choose to stay uninvolved again. He accepted the mission to search for Phantom.

Oh no, he's being sent to whatever hellhole the Troupe is situated at. That must actually be one hell of a notice to get on his terminal. Go look for the person you have been trying to avoid, with whom you were potentially raised to play an endless play because he disappeared.

How did Phantom even end up there??? I have more questions than I have answers now.

-Phantom Trust 100-

After receiving his permission, Rhodes Island conducted a series of tests aimed at targeting this ability, basically confirming that Phantom's ability to alter the shadows is related to sound. By using his throat to vocalize certain sounds, he is able to interfere with and severely damage the psyche of a living being. The more intense the emotion in the tone, the deeper the effect is, producing psychological damage that is difficult to repair or reverse.

Sweet Mouthpiece... What the actual hell?

-Shalem Trust 150-

After the flood receded, some sumptuously graceful guests entered the village. Yes, they handed people money to seek local aid; yes, they carefully selected, adopted many children who were without claim, now their parents had vanished or been lost.

I have a bad feeling about thi-

Numbering one of them was the young Shalem.

I hate this with all my life, actually.

'You are children of the arts. Now, you may rest well.' So the old butler promised, and so Shalem believed. Soon after, his life became a play. Modest and gentle was the label the troupe gave to Shalem, and ever since then, it has become his 'true personality.'

'Modest' and 'Gentle'? Explain this, then

We shan't dwell on the daily physical training and rehearsal of lines. Understudies as excellent as Phantom would be led upon stage, given verbal motivation and material reward in front of them all.

Yeah, so they did know each other and everybody hated Phantom because he was good at what he was doing. Actually terrible by definition.

The children who entered the troupe together one by one disappeared, and those left were completely changed in temperament, not a speck of the innocence of their years left visible. As they grew in years, Shalem had convinced himself to accept one fact: We were only brought into this troupe to offer our lives to the arts. If we are unable to perform... Then we have no right to live within the troupe. Whether voluntary or not, so long as you joined the troupe, the script you were given would be written long in advance. To run until your life's end.

God, Shalem... My darling...

Survival drives all to the brink, and they who ought to have worked together past these difficulties began to slaughter each other. In the end, no one escapes. Only a few uneaten slices of meat remain, scooped away by fowlbeasts, flapping their wings across the endless waters.

Is this... hinting at... cannibalism...? Again?

-Phantom Trust 150-

We can infer from our investigations that a wave of Oripathy that ripped through parts of Victoria a few years ago destroyed this troupe, and changed the trajectory of Phantom's life. He may have had a wonderful voice in the past, but as he is now, he could not be further from the stage.

I feel like I need a little more context about this. Shalem's town was flooded, but the Troupe exploded because of a wave of Oripathy? Where did it come from? Did I miss it somewhere? Obviously, this information is outdated because we know the Troupe exists in a much more bloody cult-like fashion now, but WHY? What is their point?

I can also tell you about the impressions I now have about him, but it may not be of any use to you, because there's a good chance you won't listen. But if you insist? Very well. I don't have much to say, but there is one suggestion. —Stay away from him. He's still caught in a nightmare, not fully awake yet.'

—A conversation with Schwarz

Schwarz?

This Schwarz?

Ma'amn you need to explain why you think all of that, I'm getting a little sweaty about how much people know and what they think about Phantom, because I kinda still do like him.

-Shalem trust 200-

He should have delivered that dagger to their heart, felt the spasm of their limbs, watched the light in their eyes little by little melt away. But the boy of the abyss did not do so. The weapon meant to murder instead cut the rope, and was handed to another to become a tool protective of life. And so did a meticulous production end. A play rendered a complete shambles by this boy of the abyss. A stage offered to him to prove his talent, so wasted and defiled by a conscience. Sinner, sinner! This coward, this lamentable coward. A hunter letting go its prey, presuming to still return to the castle, to report to its king. And yet he! He follows the prey's steps, disappears with it into the barrens' ends?! Let him be far from civilization, far from art, to go to that wild brink. He is fit only to be exiled.

HE ESCAPED BY TURNING ON THE TROUPE IN A MOMENT OF CONSCIOUS GUILT AND REBUTTAL!! My sweetest, tormented darling yeah, you get to stay in my husband team forever.

-Phantom Trust 200-

[Classified Log] We found the site of the incident that befell the troupe at the time.

Alright...

All the residences, facilities, and public spaces have been preserved as is, including the troupe's tents stationed in the park, just like in the records - the only thing that's missing are the residents.

Gosh, the description is like they got wiped away by Nuclear power. What in the world kind of Oripathy wave was that???

The best way to describe it is as if a piece of cake was sealed within a plastic bag, then thrown into a fervent crowd at an Iberian festival.

Someone gave their all fishussy to write this line.

What we managed to recover is pretty similar to whatever would be left in that bag afterwards. As for the portion of the data that was sent out, the path was too vague and could not be tracked.

Data sent out? Am I understanding this correct, the show was being streamed?

In order to verify the content, we played a portion of the video footage that could be considered somewhat intact. While doing so, three of the investigators present experienced degrees of psychological disturbance, so we were forced to temporarily seal off the remaining files.

What the absolute hell, so we never got to really see/hear what was happening? Was Phantom... the one to do this? Was he singing and it destroyed everything?

[Video File - Encrypted] [Encrypter - Kal'tsit] [Danger Level - 3] '■■■stage, death■■■■behind■■■loop, song■■, ■■■■end, all■begin.'

I need to ask Dr. Pinkie as soon as they wake up about this. I didn't read a lot of stuff about the game while I was playing it, only laughing at items I got.

-Shalem E2 Promotion-

When a person begins learning to perform, or takes up the profession of an actor, they bear for the rest of their life a curse: Are you doing what you would, or carrying out an endless performance?

This is not going anywhere nice.

Do you enact your true personality? Or is your false personality itself the true you? Oh, I imagine you likely can't make heads or tails anymore. Let me show you a way forth. Whether you're the bottomless boy of the abyss taking the stage, or the nobody Shalem aboard Rhodes Island. Listen to this suggestion from your old butler. Everything is a sham. You are not your own self. You were born a performance. Don't be led astray by your self. You are a role, and the role is all that you are. The role's choices are your choices. Now take the stage, performer. The time to offer yourself to art has come.

-Phantom E2 Promotion-

...

#arknights #arknights IS2 #Phantom #Phantom and Crimson Solitaire #Arknights event #Arknights Integrated Strategies #Arknights Phantom #Arknights Shalem #Arknights Lore #Arknights Operator Records #Arknights makes me feel sick again #Arknights The Troupe #Arknights commentary #Event experience #IS2 makes a crybaby out of the Doctor #I can't handle this anymore #Actually upset I dont know more right now #This calls for a second post

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clintbartoncore · 8 months

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it can be really fun to play with the guard dog/(un)trained puppy metaphors for ClintCoulson

Like, people misconstruing Clint’s trust of/willingness to work with Coulson as doglike obedience. Clint wasn’t socialized or trained properly before Coulson got ahold of him (*cough* his potential and skills were being wasted *cough*). Clint looks out for Phil before he looks out for anyone else other than himself. Coulson is the only senior agent who knows how to command Clint (ough. double entendres).

but I also love when we play with the reciprocal idea of possession. Coulson is Hawkeye’s handler. Coulson belongs to him more than he belongs to other assets because he’s the one holding Clint’s metaphorical leash, and nobody else is allowed to do that (or good enough to do that) and that means a deeper sense of obligation and connection (in Clint’s mind (and also in reality bc this is my scenario)).

#.txt #clintcoulson #Phlint #i feel like that second point isn't conveying as much as I want it to convey. Like. obviously he was raised in a circus but also #nobody helped properly integrate Clint. or his actions that help save lives on missions are seen as rebellion. and him trying to give input #on operational plans is seen as defiance etc etc

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spockvarietyhour · 2 months

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youtube

Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country Deleted Scene "Operation Retrieve" feat. Rene Auberjonois as Colonel West

#Not my ass finding out last year they named him Colonel West bc of Oliver North 😂😂😂#anyhoo they should have kept it in every edition #the 4k versions kept it but not the blurays #the directors cut of the dvd had it #Also with a ran of Colonel - which in Starfleet we hadn't encountered before - I wonder if that's been retconned to MACO thing.#maybe a leftover from the enterprise era and we're still integrating them #also always gotta point out this is happening in Ten Forward #Star Trek VI #Star Trek VI The Undiscovered Country #TUC #Colonel West #Rene Auberjonois #deleted scenes #Operation Retrieve #Odo #DS9 #Youtube

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adiduck · 7 months

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WIP Wednesday

A little bit of a lighter moment from Operation Groundhog today ;)

“Why does everyone assume we’re not going to be able to figure out Google?”

The Captain shrugs. “Apparently it’s hard for people or something. Anyway, don’t overload the pizza with veggies.” He points at Ice without looking. “I mean it. Nobody needs six different veggies on a pizza, it gets soggy and the cheese doesn’t melt right.”

Maverick blinks, raising an eyebrow at Ice. “Really?”

“It’s healthier that way,” Ice says.

“It’s pizza,” Maverick says, appalled. “It’s not healthy no matter what you do.”

The Captain claps Maverick on the shoulder. “You got this, kid,” he says. “I’m going to go steal Ice’s tablet. Good luck.”

#wip wednesday #wip snippet #adi is a writer #operation groundhog au #are you a many veggies person or an integrity of the crust and cheese person?#I'm with Ice: more veggies is better

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bobbile-blog · 3 months

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Haven't seen anyone talking about this but at the beginning of the month they kinda shadowdropped a pretty big progression boost for new players with IS3 memory mapping. Because you get four T4 chips and two chip catalysts from each mission reward, and you can access both the IS2 and IS3 monthly squads, you now theoretically have access to enough resources to promote an operator of every class without having to clear the second set of chip stages. It lets you fast-track a few ops, makes those second chip stages much easier, and you only have to make it to the start of floor 3 so you don't even have to fight a boss to get them. Good stuff all around!

#arknights #integrated strategies #new player stuff #I'm actually not 100% sure this works because i can't go back and test it but I do have a friend who's a new player trying it at the moment #Update: it worked! Was a pain but they managed to E2 an operator without the T4 chip stages!

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hypaalicious · 10 months

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#yeah I went through too many hoops to make this shitty meme on my iPhone #but ion be on my laptop unless it’s for work or watching anime I fear LOL #anyway yeah let’s talk about how the best vanguard in the game is locked behind IS #HG flew too close to the sun making Tulip ngl #they said ‘what if Chen was a Vanguard and only could use s3?’#I don’t even recruit a Guard if I have Tulip ngl cause she’ll handle it all #her and Touch are the most broken operators ever and I’m not mad at it #arknights #myrtle arknights #bagpipe arknights #tulip arknights #integrated strategies

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raayllum · 1 year

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Gosh yes, your tags on that last post. Like, I don’t blame people for liking Viren, for enjoying his character, for finding him sympathetic (or attractive, even if I personally don’t). He’s a compellingly written character! But don’t be offended if people hate him or find him evil… he’s the villain, that’s literally his role in the story

"How dare this villainous character do villainous things" / "how dare the protagonist get narratively rewarded for making good choices" like do y'all even hear yourselves sometimes, y'know?

especially when - and i cannot stress this enough - tdp is for children and will ultimately have a happy ending. this isn't a grown up drama or tragedy or even a grimdark fantasy by any means. it's a hopepunk high fantasy story. people who further retaliation and violence and push people into inherently defensive positions are the 'bad guys'

like i love viren! i think he's very well written and interesting. he's a great examination of how we can lie to and martyr ourselves in a search for security that is also about status & wanting to feel special, about the harm done when trying to win a rigged system rather than solidarity in tearing a system down and making a new one. i appreciate his dry/deadpan sense of humour. he's also one of two primary antagonists in the first 3 seasons. and like, all that can coexist? it's multifaceted character writing? we all presumably passed grade 10 english class?

i also cannot emphasize the importance of being able to separate audience reaction or response from what a piece of art is actually doing or saying enough. "this story is bad because it was personally upsetting to me" without examples given or analyzed it is not well, analysis, it's just a currently very unfounded opinion. and sometimes stories are supposed to be personally upsetting, so like. you also gotta know your lanes

it's why subjective analysis is very useful but learning structural (objective) analysis is arguably more important. something can be structurally pretty weak but very enjoyable (frozen). something can be abysmal enjoyment wise but very structurally solid (1984, which i'd argue isn't meant to be enjoyed, either). and it's important to know the difference if you want to write actual analysis rather than opinion based stuff. analysis isn't necessarily better than opinion based pieces but analysis is more expansive because it can cover the subjectivity and the objectivity and more. which is precisely why i can read "the iliad" and think "wow that was good" but if i wanted to write an essay on it i'd have to do a lot more thinking because i'm demanding something greater of that artistic experience by virtue of wanting to expand on it

a lot of people take "art for art's sake" as a statement regarding the fact that art - which is inherently symbolic in its construction, even in what meaning we construe to words themselves - doesn't have to mean anything and fighting back claims that art should mean something. but i think of "art for art's sake" is more worthwhile to examine under the lens of "this art doesn't exist for the sake of capitalist consumption, but amid it, or sometimes precisely in spite of it" and like. very few things artistically have zero meaning precisely because meaning is also "what was the reasoning behind this" and if there is none (think a tattoo you got "just because") that's typically a subjective reflection of the creator and still indicative of their personality. sometimes the meaning is meaninglessness (nihilism is still a creation in response to us searching for meaning, after all)

i'm getting into the weeds now but the point is that there's definitely been an upswing in recent years of people thinking opinions = analysis and while that often is the case (particularly if that opinion is expanded upon enough to be grounded in the text and the text's context) it absolutely is not as often actual analysis as people think it is

#the english major strikes again #thanks for asking #i was in the atla fandom casually from 2013 to 2016 and when i say Head Empty fandom dear g o d #and ppl get very butthurty about it y'know? which i think stems from a general anti intellectualism #bc who needs the fucking humanities and History in times of crisis am i right #but like. legitimate experts in their fields do know more than 16 yr olds online who think #the curtains aren't blue for any particular reason #like to engage with a text you have to operate under the assumption that Everything has meaning and then #parse out the patterns and then debate what meanings are being ascribed #how they may be integrated interpreted or completely unintentional b the author but still very much ther #tag ramble #anonymous #i feel like ppl very much shield themselves with their own perceived intellectualism and #i know so many ppl who are significantly smarter than me and i fucking love it bc i get to learn #it's not a threat it's an opportunity #what's that one socrates quote??? 'the first step to knowing is knowing you know nothing'#or something along those lines

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