#it’s set post genocide route

[communistkenobi]

Hi, genuine good faith question if you'd like! How is TOS racist? It was my understanding that the OG Series was like, huge for equality in media?

I’m speaking primarily about the content of TOS itself, not its historical impact - I understand it had various historic firsts in terms of having characters of colour in respectable roles, which I’m not dismissing. My experience with the discourse on here surrounding the show is that people front-load these character representations as emblematic of the show’s progressive politics. Which, if we want to go that route, TOS was contemporary to the US civil rights movement, which provides us with a handy measuring stick to see how TOS actually grapples with race, not just the presence of characters of colour themselves. I'm going to be kind of defensive in this explanation, not towards you specifically, but because I have had this conversation with people online many, many, many times, and so any defensiveness on my part is in anticipation of arguments I know will come up as a result of making the basic claim that a show made in America in the 1960s is racist. I'm also going to be copy + pasting from an older post I've made on the subject since it's been a while now since I've watched TOS so some of the details are fuzzy.

Like okay, the premise of TOS is that the Enterprise, as an ambassador of Starfleet/the Federation, is seeking out new alien life to study. The Prime Directive prohibits the Enterprise crew from interfering with the development of any alien culture or people while they do this, so the research they collect needs to be done in an unobtrusive way. I think this is the first point at which people balk at the argument that TOS is racist or has a colonial conception of the world - the Enterprise’s mission is premised on non-interference, and I think when people hear ‘colonial’ as a descriptor they (understandably, obviously) assume it is describing active conquest, genocide, and dispossession. Even setting aside all the times where Kirk does directly interfere with the “development” of a people or culture (usually because they’ve “stagnated” culturally, because a culture "without conflict" cannot evolve or “develop” beyond its current presumed capacity - he is pretty explicitly imposing his own values onto another culture in order to force them to change in a particular way), or the times when the Enterprise is actually looking to extract resources from a given planet or people, I’m not exactly making this claim, or rather, that’s not the only thing I’m describing when calling TOS racist/colonial.

The show's presentation of scientific discovery and inquiry is anthropological - the “object” of analysis is alien/foreign culture, meaning that when the Enterprise crew comes into contact with a new being or person, this person is always read first and foremost through the level of (the Enterprise’s understanding of) culture. Their behaviour, beliefs, dress, way of speaking, appearance, and so on are always reflective of their culture as a whole, and more importantly, that their racial or phenotypic characteristics define the boundaries of their culture. Put another way, culture is interpreted, navigated, and bound racially - the show presents aliens as a Species, but these species are racially homogeneous, flattening race to a natural, biological difference that is always physically apparent and presented through the lens of scientific objectivity, as "species" is a unit of biological taxonomy. Basically species is a shorthand for race. This is the standard of most sci-fi/fantasy genre work, so this is not a sin unique to Star Trek.

Because of this however, Kirk and Co are never really interacting with individuals, they are interacting with components of a (foreign, exotic, fundamentally different) culture, the same way we understand that a biologist can generalize about a species using the example of an individual 'specimen'. And when the Enterprise interacts with these cultures, they very frequently measure them using a universalized scale of development - they have a teleological (which is to say, evolutionary) view of culture, ie, that all cultures go from savage to rational, primitive to advanced, economically simple to economically complex (ie, to capitalist modes of production). And the metrics they are judging these cultures by are fundamentally Western ones, always emphasising to the audience that the final destination of all cultures (that are worthy of advancing beyond their current limited/“primitive” stages) is a culture identical to the Federation, a culture that can itself engage in this anthropological mission to catalogue all life as fitting within a universal set of practices and racial similarities they call “culture.”

This is a western, colonial understanding of culture - racially and spatially homogeneous people comprise the organs of a social totality, ie, a society, which can then be analysed as an “object,” as a “phenomenon,” by the scientists in order to extract information from them to produce and advance state (ie Federation) knowledge. The Enterprise crew are allowed to be individuals, are allowed to be subjects with a capacity for reason, contradiction, emotion, compassion, and even moments of savagery or violence, without those things being assigned to their “race” or “culture” as a whole, but the people they interact with are only components of a whole which are “discovered” by the Enterprise as opportunities to expand and refine the Federation’s body of knowledge.

Spock is actually a good example of what I'm talking about, because he is an exception to this rule - unlike the others in the crew, his behaviour is always read as a symptom of his innate Vulcan-ness, where his human and Vulcan halves war for dominance in his mind and character. Bones (the doctor, one of the main cast) constantly comments on Spock's inability to feel things, that he is callous and unsympathetic, ruled by Vulcan logic to such an extreme that his rationality is a form of irrationality, as his Vulcan blood prohibits him from tempering logic with human emotion and intuition. Now you can argue that Bones is a stand-in for the racists of the world, that Spock proves Bones wrong in that he is able to feel but merely keeps it under wraps, that Vulcans are not biologically incapable of emotion but merely live in a socially repressive culture, but this still engages in the racial logic of the show - Vulcans are a racially-bound species with a single monolithic culture, and Spock's ability to express and feel 'human emotions' is the metric by which he is granted human subjectivity and sympathy.

And on the flip side you have the Klingons - a “race” that is uniformly savage, backward, violent, and dangerous. In the episode Day of the Dove, where Klingons board the Enterprise along with an alien cloud that makes everyone suddenly aggressive and racist (this show is insane lol), the Enterprise crew begins acting violent and racist, but the Klingons don’t change. They aren’t more violent than before (because they already were fundamentally violent and racist), and they don’t become less violent when the cloud eventually leaves (because they are never able to emerge from their violence and savagery as a social condition or external imposition - they simply are that way). Klingons are racially, behaviourally, psychologically, and culturally homogeneous, universally violent and immune to reason, and their racial characteristics are both physical manifestations of this universal violence as well as the origin of it. The writers and creators of TOS are explicitly invoking the orientalist idea of the “Mongolian horde,” representing both the American fear of Soviet global takeover as well as blatantly racist fears about “Asiatics” (a word used in the show, particularly in The Omega Glory where a fear of racialised communist takeover is made explicit) dominating the world.

This is colonial thinking! Like, fundamentally, at its core, this is colonial white supremacist thinking. Now this is not because TOS invents these tropes or is the origin of them, it is not individually responsible for these racial and colonial logics - these conceptions are endemic to Western thought, and I am not expecting a television show to navigate its way outside of this current colonial paradigm of scientific knowledge. I’m also not expecting an average person watching this to pick out all the intricacies of this and link it to the colonial history of Europe or the colonial history of western philosophy/thought. But this base premise of Star Trek is why the show is fundamentally colonial - even if it was the case that the crew never intervened in any alien conflict, never extracted any material resources from other people, this would still be colonial logic and colonial thinking. The show has a fundamentally colonial imagination when it comes to exploration, discovery, and culture.

I think a good place to end is the opening sequence. The show's first line is always "Space! The final frontier." I do not think the word frontier is meant metaphorically or poetically - I think the show is being honest about its conception of space as an infinitely vast, infinitely exotic frontier from which a globally Western civilisation (which the Enterprise is an emblem of) can extract resources, be they material or epistemic

#tos.txt #< have more posts in there also

[creators-lounge]

✏️ Creators' Content ✏️

This post is for anyone who is curious about our server members' content, and to share a lot of suggestions for people to check! 💕

Since Tumblr is a website that mostly depends on reblogs, everyone is welcomed to reblog to give these amazing creators a well deserved boost!

Remember to also encourage other content creators as well, you may make someone's day with a silly reblog or comment!

Note: This post might be edited depending on the members' information, comic updates, projects updates, etc, so check the original post instead of reblogs.

Note 2: This is a private server for plenty of reasons, we do not accept requests nor petitions to join, so we would be grateful if you do not put that pressure on our mods or on our members. Sorry in advance, and hope you still enjoy all of our artworks! You may check our QnA for a better explanation if you'd like, too.

v Members' Comics Section v

ALIVE by @tatatale

> First Chapter

A L I V E is not an AU as such, but a buch of characters from different AUs and timelines who decided that they'll form an AU. So it's technically an AU, but no. Enjoy.

Bovid-20 by @hansama

> First Chapter

Bovid-20 is a (very short) suspense mystery comic that tells the story of a home invasion in the middle of a lock-down. You are the main character of the story.

Bitty Problems by @theskeletongames

> First Chapter

A comic featuring bitties with Sanses, primarily focusing on Underfell Sans and his bitty

Delivery! by @anovainspace

> Comics

Three out!codes from collapsing alternative universes came together to one void, all just wanting to obtain access to the multiverse for their end goal; therefore, they created an alibi to not create suspicion for wandering around different places. Setting up a pen paling system for others to contact each other through mail and delivering said mail. 

Don't Forget by @zirkkun

> First Chapter

“Don’t forget us. We’re with you in the dark.” After years of abandonment, the Undertale multiverse has been mysteriously shrouded in darkness. there only remains one survivor by the name of Ink… but despite a faint hope from everyone who died that everything can return to normal, he’s forgotten all the pieces to restore the multiverse back to what it once was.

Flicker of a Neon Soul by @harmonytre

> First Chapter

Since the beginning of time, monsters have had colored souls. Only the royal family's soul could change color. That is, until two young skeletons find their colors.

How to greet a new pal by @theskeletongames

> First Chapter

A crossover comic with Sans falling into Underfell.

Idoltale by @nekojaf

> First Chapter

Idol and her friends go on a big multiverse adventure after a new and strange Force threatens their universes.

Impostortale by @s3-izures

> Masterpost

Armed with an obsession for masks and semi-immortality, a shapeshifter roams the multiverse in search of roles to fill, missions to complete, and shenanigans to commit.

Non-Lethal AU by @s3-izures

> Masterlist

A certain Destroyer has been found... except this one doesn't seem to be destroying anything so far. In fact, he seems like a bit of a wimp, doesn't he?

Paper Crane by @little-noko

> First Chapter

Where timelines and lives ends, in the void are countless shattered souls struggling to remain alive and come back to the living world they came from. A being without a name gather them to form a single entity, with nowhere to go, they found themselves traveling endlessly to make sense of who they are and why they are here.

Prismtale by @harmonytre

> First Chapter

Havana, Sans, Scarf Mouse, Bob, Monster Kid, Fuku Fire, and Ficus Licker are thrust into an adventure they'll never forget. Will they find a way home? How will they deal with their new powers? Who on earth is PC?

Spitetale by @nosebleed-inglishera

> First Chapter

After several genocidal routes, everyone in the Underground started to remember, causing monstersto fearing for the next time they get killed again. Will Frisk take the choice to finally save everyone and fix their mistakes?

Timetale by @allesiathehedge

> Prologue

Seven hundred years after they were sealed underground, monsterkind still hopes that they would one day return to the surface. Not only does Sans have to worry about finding a solution to destroy the barrier on behalf of the King, but he also has to face a ghost of a past that he sorely wanted to keep buried. Will Sans be able to make peace with himself, his duties, and his failed love? Only time will tell...

Underlust Reimagine by @zirkkun

> First Chapter

An Underlust AU that takes a spin on the original concept to present a thematically similar story, but with some slightly different aspects that have led some of the characters to take different roles.

Under/Source by @slylock-syl

> First Chapter

After a virus wielding hacker threatens to cause chaos throughout other universes, Necros takes it upon himself to track them down and protect anyone he can along the way.

Underwizard by @susartwork

> Prologue

Humans began hunting monsters to gain great magical powers from their souls. After a huge massacre, seven human wizards decide to seal the monsters underground with a magic spell. Hundreds of years later a human child appears, determined to free all the monsters and save them from a new threat.

Unitale by @toky502

> First Chapter

Unitale (An alternate tale) is a comic of an alternative and altered version of many other stories from other undertale au's together, is just an alternate tale more.

Various comics by @wr-n

> Masterpost

> Eldritch AU

> Dust comics

Dust Comic is a comic following the Bad Sanses as they look for a way to cure Dust of his lethal dose of Determination and LV.

Members Projects and WIPs

Blocking Sans by @samess-moon (Twitter)

Damaged tale by @6nimus9

Damaged tale is an Alternate Timeline of Undertale that takes place in a frozen post-genocide timeline where only o̸n̵e̷ ̵c̸h̷a̷r̷a̶c̵t̷e̸r̸ remains, basing its concept in how consequences can strike back.

Encantale by @codeyspace

The Human vs Monster war ended a millenium ago. Monsters trapped in the underground with hope and magic. What should've led to their extinction was instead replaced by something... enchanting.

Escort Mission by Yoki-Doki (DeviantArt)

Way before the events of Undertale, even before the war between humans and monsters, a little girl lost her way in the monster kingdom. This is the quest to help her return home.

Flowerfield AU / Ask Sunflower by @asksunflower / @tatatale

This is an ask blog about a silly guy who acts like a cat and a goat king, but is actually a skeleton. He likes flowers and tea, and sometimes things happen.

Herb by @omero-megane (Twitter)

LAU by @nixensibrat

Lonertale by @blvdcharms

Lonertale is an AU revolving around a medieval, single-most pacifist timeline where war between humans and monster is post-poned up until the main cast of characters are young adults. Follow Asriel and his friends as they go on to protect monsterkind.

Storyteller by @cursedmuii (Twitter)

“I exist based on the will of stories. I have no place to return, no name, or age, but I am called Storyteller... Come here with me, I can take you everywhere with the stories I tell… only you listen to them.”

Strays AU by @stoukadraws

“Give me your hopes and dreams, and I shall grant you true salvation.” An unknown human falls into Mt. Ebott, and begins their journey through the Underground...But something is off. Will they discover what’s truly going on behind the scenes?

Undereats by @sui-imi (Twitter)

A food delivery service that works with restaurants across the multiverse. It's run by a Gaster called Exec. They work together with - and are located in - Commercetale, an AU where trades and sales empower monster magic.

Underforgotten by @nezu-tan

Undergut by @theartist-june (Tw. Gore)

Undergut is an AU where hunger makes for desperate times. It’s not that there is no food… it’s that food could barely sustain, could barely satisfy. Magic is not enough. We need more… more…! Will you be able to survive the hunger?

UnderREM by @socksandbuttons (And @/ohlookanothercartoontofallinto)

Dreamtale with dreams and the cast of Undertale.

Underrewind by @wishingstarinajar

A comic and fanfiction/short stories are currently in the works to tell the story about Rewind, the main protagonist of this AU.

Undervalue by @6nimus9

Monsters, instead of getting trapped down by a magic barrier, are trapped directly by humans, who after winning the war started by greed have decided to take advantage of the monsters’ ability to create precious stones and gems of different values.

Wickedtale by @alch3mic (AO3) (Read Tw's.)

WICKEDTALE is a reader insert fairytale inspired Undertale AU set in the twisted Ebott City. As one of its many unfortunate inhabitants, do you have what it takes to survive in such a wretched town surrounded by secrets and misery? Well, luckily for you there seems to be a certain skeleton in your life who will go to any lengths to assure your happy ending together.

Great artist you should check anyway!!

@bloowe-blu - @lazzlady - @minaruzi- @normalayasstuff - @sanssupremacy - @shenzcorner

Other fandoms content!

@galaxii-star (Multifandom) - RazzyPossum (FNAF) - @jadenskyfare

#Undertale #Undertale AU #Undertale OC #Undertale comic #UTMV #UTMV AU

[under-lore]

EDIT 14/03 : Since many people have been sharing this post around (mostly on reddit) and incorrectly assuming it to be the full argument tied with the book reveals mentioned, please keep in mind this was made just a few hours after the book extracts were released and it doesn’t contain all the information there is at all about the book or even about the arguments made regarding the extracts. It was just made (in a slight rush, i may add) to briefly inform people of the overall discoveries made via the book a few hours earlier. There are more things to say about those with are not shared in this post !

So you may have heard about the Undertale legends of localisation 3 book currently available for pre-order of Fangamer.

Recently, a few images from this book have made their way online a few of them are very intriguing lore wise. At first i’ve suspected them to be fake due to the magnitude of the information given, but after verification those did in fact turn out to be real extracts from the book.

This book is a document which is both specified as "made with full access to Toby Fox" and "not part of Undertale merch" (Possibly to avoid the stigma about debatable merch canonicity due to Toby’s old tweet about it ?).

(Most) of it was not written by hand by Toby but it was said to be reflective of Toby's vision of the game and is therefore to be considered as official information.

The most important piece of information to have come out of this book as of today is the following section, more specifically the first paragraph.

And this tells us several very important things that seem to confirm and deconfirm a couple of old UT fan theories !

To start with the less important one :

1 - Chara is excluded from "The three members of the Dreemurr family".

This line coupled with the alarm clock dialogue and a couple lines where Toriel and Asgore refer to Chara in an odd manner seem to imply that Chara may not have wanted to be considered a Dreemurr (Which the Dreemurrs would respect, but the rest of the kingdom would still assume them to be Asriel's sibling), or that they were simply never properly 'adopted' by the Dreemurrs and only lived and were treated as if they were.

(is Chara not considered their child ?)

2 - The Undertale three entities thesis is correct. That is, that there is a trio of 3 entities able to control Frisk's body (Frisk, Chara, and the player.)

This has two sides, first off, it means that :

1) Chara does in fact, have to be bound with Frisk in every route and not just in genocide. There were already several ways to know this via the game of course, but no direct implication of this from outside media existed until now. (There were a couple indirect ones)

It is however not a proof of NarraChara as it could still be possible for Chara to fulfill this role described here by being around Frisk, but not necessarily also being the narrator of the game. Nevertheless, it does still fairly strongly supports the theory and deconfirms one of its antithesises).

And 2) : The second side is that this would also have to make the player a canon entity in Undertale as well in order to complete that triforce. The player cannot be a third party vying for control of Frisk’s body if they do not exist in-world.

You can also point out how just before saying that, the text also portrays Monsters, Humans and the player as a set of three and thus shows that Frisk must be a different entity from the player that way as well.

This book contains yet more information to be analysed and whilst i intend to obtain my own physical copy as soon as possible, until then updates regarding it will only be as fast as new information appears.

#undertale #Undertale theory #undertale frisk #undertale chara #frisk #chara #Asriel #toriel #asgore #undertale player #undertale asriel #undertale asgore #Undertale Toriel #chara dreemurr #sorry for being gone for like a whole month #im gonna post again now #hopefully

[coochiequeens]

“I did assault her and I will do it again,” he said. “And if I need to be 10 years in prison I’m happy to be 10 years in prison.” Says a man fled anyway.

The trans activist who threw tomato juice on a women’s rights campaigner during a free speech event in Auckland has been charged with common assault and appears to be fleeing from New Zealand authorities as a result.

Eliana Rubashkyn, also known as Eliana Golberstein and Eliana Rubinstein, is a male who identifies as transgender and intersex and uses “they/them” pronouns. On March 25, Rubashkyn attacked women’s rights campaigner Kellie-Jay Keen during what was supposed to be a peaceful women’s rights demonstration. 

Keen, also known by her moniker Posie Parker, had arranged for a speaking tour of New Zealand centered around giving women the platform to express their thoughts on gender ideology. But she was forced to cut the tour short after being met with extreme aggression at her first stop in Auckland at Albert Park.

As Keen approached the bandstand in the park, where she was set to speak to a crowd of approximately 200 supporters, Rubashkyn dumped a liter of tomato juice onto her and her security detail. Videos of the incident have since circulated on social media, and Rubashkyn told a local news station that he was able to approach Keen because he lied about his identity and pretended to be a supporter of hers.

Following the event, Rubashkyn gave an interview where he claimed that he targeted Keen because “her words are blood because they are killing our people.” He continued: “That tomato juice represents the blood of the people she is trying to kill.”

Rubashkyn also addressed the crowd after Keen was escorted away from the park by police, and stated that he wanted Keen to be “full of blood … because she’s advocating for our genocide.”

Information on Rubashkyn’s charge was first reported by Newsable, which received a statement from Rubashkyn where he again claimed the assault and suggested he was comfortable facing justice.

“I did assault her and I will do it again,” he said. “And if I need to be 10 years in prison I’m happy to be 10 years in prison.”

But despite his words, Rubashkyn fled New Zealand shortly after being made aware that police were planning on issuing a warrant for his arrest on charges of assault.

His latest travel-related post suggests he has now left Australia and is en route to the United States.

A fundraiser has been launched to support Rubashkyn, citing support for a legal defense fund as well as “personal security needs.” It has since raised just over $1,300 as of the writing of this article. The fundraising campaign is currently under review by GiveALittle, and some on social media have noted it is likely against the platform’s terms of service to be fundraising for a known fugitive.

Rubashkyn is originally Jewish-Ukrainian from Colombia, but currently lives in New Zealand. He has worked with the UN and as a Program Officer at ILGA World (the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, and Intersex Association). Much of his origin story and gender identity has come into question after a March 28 Twitter space wherein Rubashkyn appeared incoherent at times while addressing a live audience for almost 8 continuous hours.

During the space, Rubashkyn made a number of anti-lesbian, racist, sexist, and violent remarks, including that trans-identified males were the “first victims” of the Holocaust.

“Trans women were the first victims of Nazism. Trans women were killed before the Jews were sent to concentration camps,” he said, continuing: “In the 1930s, Nazis relied on TERFs to promote hate… TERFs became holders of concentration camps for females. TERFs were quite instrumental in the system that the Nazis built for making more babies… to keep Nazi Germany growing.”

Rubashkyn claims to be Jewish and says he can speak fluent Hebrew, but seemed to be unable to understand a Hebrew speaker who challenged him on his assertion.

In addition to the marathon space, Rubashkyn also uploaded a video to his Twitter account in which he was seen sobbing while claiming there was a “trans genocide” occurring, and that “Nazis” were trying to murder him.

“I am so full of joy because I am trans, but I am so scared because they want to kill me. The Nazis, they are– they just really want to get you.”

The March 25 event was part of an international Let Women Speak tour hosted by British women’s rights campaigner Kellie-Jay Keen. Keen has hosted rallies across the UK, USA, and Australia encouraging women to use her platform to speak about how gender ideology has impacted their lives.

While Keen’s events are often met with hostility, the New Zealand rally descended into violence so rapidly that it had to be cancelled before it could even begin. 

As she arrived at the Albert Park venue, Keen went live on her YouTube channel as she usually does to provide her supporters updates from the event. 

Immediately, the scene was chaotic as police did not appear to be present. Those watching from a distance through the YouTube stream were able to see Keen being led by her security though a braying crowd of trans activists. Once she managed to make it to the stage, Keen could immediately be heard expressing concerns about the lack of police presence. 

Keen and her supporters were quickly surrounded by an increasingly aggressive mob of trans protestors. The activists broke through established barriers, and didn’t take long before the decision was made to cancel the event and leave for the safety of all involved.

In addition to Keen having been assaulted by Rubashkyn, an elderly woman who had attended the demonstration in support of Keen was battered in the face by a male trans activist.

The woman, who is said to be in her 70s, was left with a darkly blackened eye after being both head-butted and punched in the face. Videos of the assault went viral on Twitter as multiple angles of the altercation between the elderly woman and the male trans activist began to leak in the aftermath of the rally.

#New Zealand #trans activists and violence #Eliana Rubashkyn is a man #Albert Park #Auckland #GiveALittle #Let Women Speak #Assault of an elderly woman

[prior-medium]

"Your choices do(n't) matter" -> Deltarune to Undertale

I have been wanting to make a post for a long time, but I have a free hour on my hand and a mind full of Deltarune soo allow me to draw my favorite parallels about how Undertale and Deltarune both tackle the concept of choice, and how they are distinct but both still tell a necessary story.

Also, if you are reading this post, I am assuming you have played through Undertale and Deltarune Chapters 1 and 2, because this post will have spoilers for both. Without further ado…

Undertale’s approach when it comes to choice is one that directly targets and addresses the player. Much of the characters’ dialogue with Frisk often address them as “the human”, which, depending on your stance, could be a comment meant to speak to Frisk as a character, or to you, the player, as a human being.

In fact, as much as I adore Frisk as a character all of their own, they aren’t necessarily given any defining personality traits. They are, in the purest of senses, meant to directly be an in-game representation for the whims and desires of the player. “They” act, “they” fight, “they” flee, but it’s always you, the player, making the decisions. This isn’t necessarily a unique concept, but it’s the way that this is applied that makes this particular idea special in Undertale. 

Obviously, the most noticeable instance of this is when Sans calls the player out towards the end of the game, explaining that those little levels and numbers that we, as the player, loved seeing go up, were affecting the world that we had just spent the last few hours immersing ourselves in. There is a direct effect of our choices on this universe. It is a pre-established place, and it will continue without us, the player, making an impact. In fact, in the neutral and genocide routes, you are actively making this universe a worse place! It puts the player in the position to act as themselves and make a decision about how they want to impact this virtual world. In essence, the decisions made by Frisk and you, the player, are presented as one in the same. Frisk isn’t necessarily seen as a vessel for your intentions, but rather, as your intentions themselves. 

This created a unique meta-narrative when it came to the idea of how we, as players, consume media in universes. It presented the idea that universes made by creators aren’t just things to pick up and put down, but that each game world has their own story that continues onwards, with or without input. You aren’t seen as some great hero, but rather a nuisance at best, a mass murderer at worst. This was the way that Undertale addressed the idea of stories in their universe: you, the player, were seen as synonymous with Frisk, the character.

Deltarune took a different approach to this. Of course, it becomes instantly recognizable to players that “our choices don’t matter”, which is told to us almost immediately in the game. There are some sections of the game where the decisions you make don't directly influence the storyline, which differs from the narrative set by Undertale. It takes this idea of “choice” that we had pre-established going into the Deltarune experience by Toby Fox’s other works and toys with it.

Kris is their own individual. Kris has had a hard time making friends. Kris has a brother at college, and is a known town citizen. Kris is greeted by neighbors, classmates, and teachers. Kris loves chocolate and pies, shows anger at Spamton’s demise, and has a tendency to make some scary jokes (as referenced by Noelle). They are their own person. This is when Undertale and Deltarune start to split on the concept of choice.

Frisk was seen as the culmination of the player themselves, but Kris isn’t the player. This is what makes the ending of Chapter 1 particularly shocking– the idea that Kris could directly address us, the players, and our influence on them, by removing their soul. They don’t want to be the culmination of our actions. They want to be Kris. 

This is where the idea of choices is twisted from our prior conceptions. Just like in Undertale, our choices in Deltarune are either praised or criticized depending on how we interact with the world we are given. However, in Undertale, we are judged as players by the characters aware of our influence. In Deltarune, we are judged in a far more intimate setting: directly by the person we are instructing to do our bidding. Because, at the end of the day, our choices do matter in Deltarune. They just matter on a smaller scale. They matter to Kris.

In this way, both games address the way our choices are impactful; they just happen to do so in two, unique settings. I think this is what makes both Undertale and Deltarune so interesting– they have a similar concept, but they completely flip the script on what that concept means, and how it applies to universes. 

#this is basically a love letter to toby fox's way of #adding themes to his games #deltarune #undertale #frisk undertale #kris dreemurr #kris deltarune #frisk deltarune #undertale theory #deltarune theory #utdr #undertale meta #deltarune meta #undertale analysis #deltarune analysis

[kokote]

The Korean War, which broke out on June 25, 1950, followed the example set by the United States during World War II of massive bombing campaigns targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure. Nevertheless, throughout the war, American leaders claimed that U.S. airstrikes were being used in a “discriminate manner,” avoiding harm to civilians.

During the war, the American military stretched the term “military target” to include virtually all human-made structures. Under this logic, almost any building could serve a military purpose, even a minor one. Nearly all of the civilian infrastructure on the side of North Korea was deemed a military target and open to attack.

“More than 428,000 bombs were dropped on Pyongyang alone, the number more than that of Pyongyang citizens at that time. The U.S. had completely reduced the whole territory of Korea into ashes by showering bombs of nearly 600,000 tons, 3.7 times greater than those dropped on Japan during the Pacific War, even using napalm bombs prohibited by the international conventions."

On December 15, 1950, under the guise of preventing the “communist imperialist” threat to world peace and the liberties the American people enjoy, President Truman declared a state of emergency and the necessity to increase the military budget given the “recent events” in Korea. About a month later, on January 15, 1951, Truman requested from Congress 71.5 billion dollars (840 billion dollars today, adjusted for inflation) for a new defense budget.

President Truman’s December 15 proclamation stated:

“whereas if the goal of communist imperialism were to be achieved, the people of this country would not longer enjoy the full and rich life they have with God's help built for themselves and their children; they would no longer enjoy the blessings of the freedom of worshiping as they severally choose, the freedom of reading and listening to what they choose, the right of free speech including the right to criticize their Government, the right to choose those who conduct their Government, the right to engage freely in collective bargaining, the right to engage freely in their own business enterprises, and the many other freedoms and rights which are a part of our way of life…”

Despite the U.S. state narrative, the U.S. sought the division of Korea to secure and advance U.S. political and economic interests in Northeast Asia, economically and militarily expanding into new markets and puppet states for cheap labor and resources.

Korea and its proximity to Northeast Asia represents strategic importance to the U.S., and the Middle East occupies just as important, if not a greater position, in U.S. geopolitical interests. Access to cheap oil is essential for the economy of the U.S., and since 1945, the U.S. has made continuous and sustained efforts to secure its grip on the region.

Back in 1948, the same year the United States divided Korea into North and South, the U.S. became the first country to recognize the state of Israel over the land of Palestine. From 1948 until this day, Israel has received more than $280 billion in direct military assistance and economic support, making it the largest recipient of U.S. foreign aid. Israel has U.S. interests in formulating its foreign policy. U.S. and Israeli military presence furthers its economic interest in oil, controlling the trade route of the Suez Canal, and maintaining a monopoly on the extraction of resources from the Middle East.

The U.S. genocidal support for Israel’s crimes is not out of the ordinary. Israel is a carbon copy of what the U.S. did to the indigenous people of Turtle Island, and all the crimes it has since committed against anti-colonial struggles in the global south in the name of “freedom” and "democracy." Israel is a continuation of American and European capitalist expansion post-World War II and its project of European white supremacist dominance over the world. 

Their methods and lies for destruction are all the same. The U.S. pays, the media lies, and civilians are gunned down in the name of “peace”.  

Today Palestine shows the world the truth and depth of American intervention and imperialism overseas. 

#for the two people who engaged with my go posts here #palestine #korea #anticommunism #israel #us war crimes #gaza #imperialism #DPRK #north korea

[daphnasworld]

someone is really posting a real long text about how they were in a pro palestinian demonstration and where fished by nazis only to go on how you have to be careful as anyone is vulnerable towards propaganda and that antisemitism is wrong while at the same time literaly writing:

"They started talking about "Zionist" propaganda in the US, about how it was deeply entrenched in capitalism. Things that, on the surface, seemed reasonable but it set off alarm bells in my head."

Excuse me, but if you are talking about Zionist "propaganda" in connection with capitalism and say that it sounds reasonable, than you are in fact antisemitic. Point blank. It is just picking up the old antisemitic trope of "jews and money" while connecting it with the "jews control the world/media" trope.

You can be left all you want and believe in how good of a person you are and that you are against all hate, but you are proving with your very own words that you are not that pure of a person as you would like to be. You know that antisemitism is bad so you of course claim to be not antisemitic. But your words prove the opposite.

(It's just the same with all the racists who hate to be called racists, but have no probl3m qith acting racist.)

Many leftists are sadly very antisemitic, you just don't realise it. While far right wing people are rather open about their antisemitism the far left is hiding it behind words like capitalism and establishment - which ironically many people in the right have adopted today. So of course you are open to being fished by literal nazis and of course it takes you hours to realise it. Simply because so many of your views agree with each other. You simply believe that it is about israel, while the right know that it is about jews.

Now if you don't want to be antisemitic you really have to think hard about all your views regarding not only jews but also capitalism, the media, "powerful" people in politics and also israel. Because many people use those points to hide their antisemitism. It is possible that those people have teached amd shown you stuff regarding these matters that sounded reasonable. It is okay that you believed them. But check all of that regarding antisemitism. Really analyze them. It can be that if you deny any connection with antisemitism right of the bat or start to feel uncomfortable once you take a closer look while inforning yourself on the many forms of antisemitism, that this reactions/feelings could be an indicator for actual antisemitism.

While you are at it please inform yourself what words like genocide and appartheit mean, how the israeli army takes care of making escape routes safe and hamas doesn't and think about what other state informs the people hours if not days before in various ways where they are going to attack because someone started to shot bombs at them from there, and how you would want and expect the country you live in to react to an attack like on october 7th. If 240 people of your country - even children - would have been abducted. What would you want your country to do? And if you are asking for a ceasefire, who are you asking? Only one side or both? And if you only ask one side, why are you asking the side that got shot at first? Why not ask the side that started shooting rockets? And can it still be called a ceasefire if only one side stops shooting rockets?

And isn't it weird that apparently only Israel is commiting a genocide on the people of gaza, even though they inform them when they are gonna bomb which buildings and are making sure that the escape routes are safe, while hamas doesn''t give a fuck about their own people. How can you claim that hamas doesn't want to and tries to commit a genocide on the jewish people after even admitting it themself and constantly shooting rockets at Israel, and made all those horrible crimes on october 7th and say that they will never stop and even tell every palestinian in the whole world to take a knife and grab a jew?

Hamas doesn't care about their people. What is happening to the people in gaza is horrible. I cry with and for all the innocent people there. But hamas isn't innocent. What is happening right now happens because of hamas. That is why they attacked israel, that is why they took hostages. Because they knew that no country in the world that cared for it's own people could let it slide.

They did it so that Israel would have to defend itself - and that so called leftist would be stupid enough to go on the streets and protect hamas and spread antisemitism.

#i stand with israel #israel #antisemitism #Sadly i only got to know of that post because neil gaiman liked it #neil gaiman #i am dissapointed #sorry for babbling #Very emotional right now #I hope you still understand the point i wanted to make

[taviokapudding]

Protestors consistently ruining the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade footage is actually really great & keep boosting their footage when you see it

Every company featured in the parade sets up a contract (similar to the super bowl) where they buy a spot to then get a l a r g e endorsement via placing their ad on a float or in a balloon. Within the line up this year McDonald's, one of the biggest pro-genocide donators, got a large balloon rather than a float. This is important because balloons gets more air time than floats because of their size. On top of that floats may not have guests performing & paying for someone to perform; ideally McDonald's wanted to have a longer air time with their balloon without paying an hourly cost for performers. More air time = more ad revenue = more eyes seeing them = more customers.

The move by pro-Palestinian protestors to jump in front of McDonald's does 2 things:

1. McDonald's is getting less air time than what they were contractually promised, it'll be up to them to request what is owed (because it depends on the agreement made) by Macy's to them

2. And it messes with NBC's obligations with Peacock as the 2nd most important party of the parade + 3rd party in all contracts

So while McDonald's loses money and Macy's is scrambling to figure out how to loophole their way out of not losing money to owe McDonald's, NBC gets fucked too.

Since Oct 7, 2023, NBC has been one of many US news media outlets who actively lied to the US masses. But why do they matter for the parade? Their job is to be the main outlet who records and then uses their main platform, Peacock, to stream the parade. If protestors are seen throughout all your footage, delay large portions, and cause enough disruption to the footage being aired- that means they don't and won't immediately have their show footage ready to go.

Peacock does an offer every year to new customers to watch the parade for a $1.99 USD (not including taxes) monthly plan that can be canceled at any time with the first month free; but in the last 4+hrs after the parade aired people aren't going to stay for the year because their is no footage as promised. I actually have been checking throughout today and it's not available at all.

So not only is McDonald's going to be hemorrhaging alongside with all the other companies whose footage got cut or edited out to match the contractually obligated run time & censor protestors, but both NBC and Peacock will be losing money with each minute they don't have enough footage and a full stream to air- which is money that Macy's was also supposed to get a cut of. Which btw it's now 5pm cst the same day and there's still no footage - which is a $ problem for Peacock & NBC when folks prioritize now finding a service to watch the Superbowl > Parades.

Do not be surprised if Macy's stuff becomes more expensive and the possibility they'll change which news media outlet + streaming service covers the 2024 parade occurs. And yeah, McDonald's is going to become more expensive than it already is long term. Everybody who were financially complicit in the death of 14,000+ Palestinian men, women, and children will have a financially shit end of the year and rough 2024.

In short, despite the arrests, the protestors who sat & glued themselves to the parade route and those who stayed in the crowd to hold up flags and signs throughout really won. A 4 day cease fire for a very obviously one sided genocide isn't enough & tons of rich people are learning the hard way (as I post) that this is the beginning of their punishment by the universe for the actions.

#mun post #macy's thanksgiving day parade #free palestine #palestine #fuck the israeli government #i really hope somthing similar happens at the Superbowl #because rich people getting inconvenienced is already funny but having them bleed money at the same time is better #also shout out to livestreamers making the parade footage free on youtube today - you guys are the eyes on the ground to show the prooof #i watched footage where you could see staff moving reporters and cameras to different zones of the parade to get better footage and the #slow increase of nypd throughout it paints the picture of what was happening and why there's no stream up yet #most of the protestors stayed around the Macy's store but you can see tiny flags throughout w 5th st worn by people not making a ruckus #so reporters and staff had to travel whole blocks down to get footage - making it harder to get consistent shots for a faster stream upload #happy boycottmas #boycott mcdonalds #boycott macys #boycott nbc

[redladydeath]

re: your vox mindbreak au, it's such a fascinating scenario with so many avenues of interest.

does vox definitively become one of alastor's thralls. you know, just like nifty is even though we're not sure her soul is alastor.

what sort of conflicts of interests would occur if he's still — if not commercially then emotionally, to them — part of the vees?

would alastor drag him to the hotel, making him a reluctant staff member, even though it fails to capture his interest? what surprising dynamics would crop up?

and if it occurs during/post-canon, and the hotel ensemble knew who vox used to be, would this irrevocably change his relationship with the cast who do not know alastor's cruelty? does vox have dysphoria when he remembers his head isn't a CRT, and then forgets, and then remembers, and then forgets, and then—? please reply asap im going insane.

Oh gosh, thank you. It's really flattering when people show interest in my weird little ideas.

does vox definitively become one of alastor's thralls

Not definitely. I have two avenues for this AU: One where the mindbreak happens in the 1960s, when Alastor and Vox have their first big fight, and one where it happens in the modern day, when Vox is part of the Vees. In the 60s route, he's one of Al's thralls; in the modern route, Alastor vanishes (possibly for seven years) immediately after breaking him and Val and Velvette are left to deal with the aftermath.

what sort of conflicts of interests would occur if he's still part of the vees?

Oh God, the subconscious yearning. Vox can't remember why he cares so much about these two random overlords, but he demonstrably does. He wouldn't feel so drawn to them and their products if they weren't important in some way. If Alastor ever ordered him to hurt them, he'd probably refuse (or at least try to talk his way out of it), which never happens anymore.

would alastor drag him to the hotel, making him a reluctant staff member, even though it fails to capture his interest? what surprising dynamics would crop up?

Of course! He's basically Alastor's loyal pet now– no reason not to bring him along! The hotel is novel enough that he's not particularly bored (always some wacky nonsense happening there!), even if the whole redemption thing is a bit out of his depth and doesn't feel possible.

Vox scares the absolute crap out of Husk. Knowing Niffty wasn't just a one-off and that Alastor is willing to do this to someone he considered a friend just because he didn't like his attitude is terrifying. Vox would also end up pretty close with Niffty, not because of their shared situation (neither of them are really aware of that), but because her 1950s sensibilities are comforting and familiar to him– she always makes sense to him in a way the rest of the world just doesn't. She also wouldn't even be remotely bothered by the constant out-of-nowhere topic changes or the short-term memory loss, so that's a plus.

and if it occurs during/post-canon, and the hotel ensemble knew who vox used to be, would this irrevocably change his relationship with the cast who do not know alastor's cruelty?

Oh yeah. I think seeing Alastor do something this extreme and unnecessary would be the final straw for Charlie. She's not even comfortable with killing genocidal freaks like Adam; no matter what Vox did, she wouldn't be okay with this. Plus, actually seeing him do this would make it click for everyone that maybe Niffty's not just some funny little creature, which would feel incredibly violating in retrospect given how much they've all come to care about her. Charlie would kick Alastor out of the hotel, which he'd be thrilled about, although he might end up back on their doorstep due to the constraints of his contract.

does vox have dysphoria when he remembers his head isn't a CRT, and then forgets, and then remembers, and then forgets, and then—?

Imo, in both routes he'd probably go back to the original 1950s set that he manifested with. It's just something he feels compelled to do– it's what Alastor would want him to do, after all. He'd probably need help making the change, but Alastor would do so happily / Velvette would do so reluctantly if that's what'll make him feel comfortable. I have a mental image where, when he first wakes up after The Incident, the first sign that something's wrong is that his display is fully black and white, despite the fact he's still using the modern flatscreen. But yeah, I imagine there'd be a lot of loops of "something is wrong– nevermind!– something is wrong– nevermind!" about various things, whether it's his body, the situation, or the presence/absence of certain people.

#btw all my ideas are open source so if anyone wants to scoop up this concept and do something different with it feel free #redlady speaks #hazbin hotel #vox #words are only at 50% capacity right now but eeeeeee #i kind of want to come up with a name for this au but i can't think of any broken television puns i like #randomly accessed memories (RAM)

[bestworstcase]

hi, found your post about Yang and Salem. Didn't know that she, out of all people in team rwby, is the one who foils Salem the most. Like she's the most normal member in team rwby.

Which led me thinking, Yang has a lot of parallels with the villains, notably, Adam, Cinder, and Salem. What do you think is the ideal route of Yang during volume 4?

well that’s the thing about salem, isn’t it? she wasn’t anyone special. her father was a lord in a world ruled by kings and queens, and he abused and isolated her so viciously that whatever notional privilege she might have had by virtue of noble birth was stripped away from her; after she and ozma murdered her father and escaped, she was a commoner. the raw magical power that sets her apart on remnant was commonplace then. there was nothing extraordinary about her at all.

but she was brave. passionate. determined. angry. she walked into the domain of gods and refused to flinch.

who does that sound like?

anyway, yang’s core allusion is goldilocks. too hot, too cold, too hard, too soft, just right. balance. compromise. scathing eyes ask that we be symmetrical, one-sided and easily processed. rwby is a story about complexity and nuance. every dichotomy is false. yang is a good person—good to the bone—but she’s also strong-willed and not inclined to be forgiving. who would she have become if, say, ruby died on one of those occasions they were left home alone as children? what would it have done to her if she watched adam kill blake during the battle for beacon?

it took millions and millions of years for salem to break. she tried so hard not to become a monster. cinder bowed her head and endured years of torture because rhodes told her it was the right thing to do. before adam lost his way, he fought to protect others; the first time he killed, it was in defense of his leader.

the difference isn’t as simple as a choice to be good or bad. yang has always had ruby and now she has blake and weiss, too, and—bluntly, her trauma is of a lesser order of magnitude than her villainous foils. yang has endured a lot of suffering—parental abandonment, childhood neglect, the vytal tournament and the battle that followed, losing her arm, being left behind by her sister and friends—but she wasn’t enslaved and tortured as a child. she isn’t the sole survivor of a genocide. she did not spend millions of years alone.

if you put yang in salem’s or cinder’s or adam’s shoes, would she have turned out different than they did? would she make better choices? would she still be a good person?

would she even know how?

and if you put salem or cinder or adam in her shoes, would it make a difference? if salem wasn’t alone, if cinder had even the smallest taste of genuine love, if sienna had seen adam’s increasing anger for what it was years earlier—would they still have become what they are now?

yang’s gone through her own personal hell and back, but she wasn’t alone. she had role models and a loving sister and a father who provided for them and at least made some effort to be involved—he read bedtime stories and trained yang, tai is far from the worst parent in the story. it was bad. it could have been so much worse. how much of a difference did it make for yang that she had these crumbs of support?

as the blacksmith says, even the smallest act kindness can change a life. no one is an island. everyone is responsible for their own choices, but sometimes our choices are limited by forces beyond our control. sometimes there is no right thing to do.

everyone has breaking points.

everyone has a limit.

yang… in addition to having all these villainous character foils, is also the heroic character most inclined to ask why. why did raven leave her? why did ozpin lie? why did he make the branwen twins into birds? why did raven sell them out to salem? why is she the spring maiden? why did blake run away? why did ozpin think it was okay to hide so much from everyone? why shouldn’t she and blake think critically and follow their consciences instead of blindly obeying orders? why is salem waging this war? why why why

yang isn’t the most empathetic character—she can get too tangled up in her own feelings to see clearly where other people are coming from. she isn’t the most compassionate, either—she can, in fact, be rather ruthless. but yang does care, a lot, about why people make the choices they do.

and i think that is because yang knows her own darkness. she sees herself clearly; she knows she’s capable of cruelty, of being vindictive, of hurting people in anger. the reason yang isn’t an angry person is she works fucking hard not to be. i think yang is self-aware of these similarities between herself and adam, or raven, and maybe even cinder and salem too, and the question of why she didn’t end up like them bothers her. what made her different? what saved her? if she could have been like them, then doesn’t that mean they could have been like her? why aren’t they? what made the difference?

so she keeps asking. why. why.

weiss helped her understand why blake ran, but yang has never gotten a satisfying explanation from anyone else. the resolution of ruby’s arc in v9 leaves her asking why summer chose to leave; the natural trajectory is toward answers. why did summer leave, and why didn’t she come back? why did raven keep her secrets? why has salem gone to war? why did ozpin hide so much? it’s all tangled together. it all needs to be answered together. i think, if the olive branch comes from the heroes, it’ll be yang who plants the seed—what if we just ask salem what she wants? it’s not like we have any better ideas. and if salem’s the one to make the first move, it wouldn’t surprise me for yang to be the most open to hearing her side of the story.

after all, yang’s the one who asked.

#idk if ''volume 4'' was a typo or not #but i really like yang’s v4 arc #it sets everything up really well

[springbloggy]

Mini Deltarune theories I have that are not quite big enough for a true post, but interesting to note. In order of most confident to least.

Ralsei is luring the lightners to the Dark World in order to trap them

In chapter 2, Ralsei creates rooms for Kris and Susie that "they can go to no matter what is happening outside". Unlike Queen's rooms, which are guesses based on search results, Kris and Susie's rooms are accurate to an unsettling degree. Not only is Kris' room identical to their light world counterpart, but it also has all of Asriel's trophies on their side of the room with Asriel's side gone, a reflection of their potential secret desire to no longer be under Asriel's shadow. Similarly, Susie's excitement on even having a room suggests that Ralsei could know what Susie's light world home life is like or lack thereof if she's homeless.

By creating these rooms, Ralsei is fulfilling the lightners secret desires and judging on his phrasing, wants them to go there in order to avoid whatever is happening "outside" the dark world. By doing so, he is effectively strengthening their desire to stay in the dark world so they can't escape.

Chapter 3 isn't going to be Undyne or Napstablook, it's Asgore

Chapter 3 taking place in Kris' home with the fountain being created by Kris suggests to me that the world may mostly involve whatever the Dreemur family drama entailed, which would include Asgore who was the former chief of police. Not only that, but the combination of Toriel having troubles calling the police and the station being closed in a preview for chapter 4 suggests to me that Mayor Holiday could have closed the station during the night of chapter 3 after they failed to catch the mysterious criminal wrecking Hometown, leaving Asgore as the only character left who might want to resume his policeman duties when Toriel's call is made. It is also more fitting for Toriel to kill Asgore in the hypothetical chance the Snowgrave route continues with her as she already dislikes Asgore and possibly blames him for Dess' disappearance. Speaking of...

Asgore really was involved

There's a lot of weird forshadowing on an "evil Santa". Lancer believes that "ho ho ho", a laugh associated with the mystical Christmas gift bearer, being an evil laugh. Noelle is also scared of Santa and it's revealed in Undertale that Asgore dressed up as Santa to give gifts to the monsters. All of this seems setup to me that Asgore really was somehow involved in letting Dess disappear, something that may be revealed during Chapter 3's Snowgrave route.

Dess is ruder than she appears

This is a more playing by expectations theory, however there's certain lines and implications that become interesting once looked under the lens of this theory.

It's revealed that Dess once beat Kris with a wiffle ball bat for scaring Noelle by telling her that ICE-E "eats kids". This puts a precedent that Dess has at least somewhat violent impulses in order to protect her sister, even in situations that don't need it. It's also a bit odd that unlike Asriel, no one in the hometown mentions Dess after her disappearance except for Noelle. Even Berdly, Noelle's best friend, doesn't bring her up. It could be that the hometowners may not want to hurt Noelle by reminding her of the disappearance, however since she's so open about talking about Dess to even new kid Susie it may be another reason why the hometown doesn't mention her. It's possible that the simularities to Dess and Susie (both are horror loving, somewhat violent, tomboys) are deliberate and are setting up the reveal that Dess is/was actually a bully and a future scene with Noelle may parallel the scene in Undertale where Asriel reminisces that Chara wasn't that good of a person.

Gaster blasters are named after Gaster, but not created by him

If you spare Papyrus in Undertale after an aborted Genocide run, he will say this.

The most common theory is that the "Special Attack" would be a Gaster Blaster. What's interesting to me is the phrasing "my Special Attack", which suggests that Papyrus owns this attack and it could have been unique to him before Sans or the annoying dog stole it. If Gaster Blasters are really his unique attack, it could mean that Papyrus created the Blasters and named them after Gaster, rather than the fandom interpretation that Gaster made the Blasters then gave them away.

There might not be a singular "Knight" because anyone can dream

At the end of each chapter, the characters ask if the dark world adventure they had was some sort of dream. Since anyone can fall asleep and dream, it's possible the game is setting up that trying to seal the fountains is impossible because anyone can dream and thus become their own "knight".

#deltarune #deltarune theory #deltarune analysis #deltarune speculation #utdr #utdr theory #utdr analysis #utdr speculation #undertale #undertale theory #undertale analysis #undertale speculation #deltarune meta #utdr meta #undertale meta

[hurgablurg]

So, Undertale.

The funny thing to me about Undertale is that anything the game, and it's fangames, try to tell the player about peace and choosing non-violence falls completely and pathetically flat for at least one big reason: no one who isn't a main character takes that lesson for themselves.

Sure, Undyne chills out, you can guilt Toriel down, you can therapize the Amalgamates, you can even redeem Asriel, but what about the random encounters and side bosses...?

When does Washua stop trying to drown a child? When does Froggit stop pouncing? Why does Snowdrake, a literal child, think it's a cool idea to murder someone in the woods? When does Tsundereplane finally figure out that killing her senpai doesn't work? When exactly is Muffet supposed to learn that killing and eating people for not giving her money is bad? Are any of them even meant to go through the same improvement others do?

Are they after human souls? In most cases, apparently not, because much of the Underground doesn't even recognize Frisk as human in the first place. Even Undyne apparently needs to be told what the human is wearing to find them, as if she wouldn't be able to recognize a human right away.

Are they trying to "communicate through magic" but are inadvertently doing harm because magic is like that? No, that was a fan theory people came up with to explain why they attacked first. If monster magic really did work like that, then Frisk would have to avoid projectiles in every. Single. Conversation. You can buy items without dodging the SOUL around heaps of merchandise. You can talk to the Snowdin bear without having to duck around the presents he's setting under the tree. You can hang out with Papyrus without having to dodge his bones during the entire date.

The only explanation we are left with is that some people in the Underground just really love murder, and will happily attack anything that crosses their line of sight.

Hell, even the cripplingly depressed Shyren will STILL make a token effort to kill Frisk. Like, whats her deal?

Why do we want to befriend people like that? Especially if they keep trying it after being spared? It'd be understandable if each encounter only showed up ONCE and then was befriended from then on, but no, every time until post-game True Pacifist they will keep coming back to try to kill Frisk.

Where are all the moralizing friendship speeches about their actions?

Random civilians are free to attack children with impunity, but those same children acting in self-defence or fighting back is abominable, enough to make humanity in it's entirety worthy of genocide.

And genocide is the Underground's goal, in case everyone forgot. The whole purpose of Asgore absorbing the human souls and "becoming god" (that's literally how it's described in the game) is to take revenge on humanity. Asgore may not be willing to go through with it because he's a depressed weeny, but everyone else is pretty hyped for the destruction of humanity once the doors are open.

And for what, exactly? The Underground is perfectly livable. All that's missing is the sun, but unless a lack of vitamin D is what's turning everyone into slavering psychopaths, I don't see the problem. They can probably even just make their own artificial sun with the technology they have. Everyone's just hyped up on propaganda about how cool the surface is.

Is their bereavement worth the explicit extinction of the human race? Is it worth the inevitable monster casualties that will come from humans fighting back? I don't think so, to be quite honest.

I think the hypocrisy of this running thread is best displayed in the Yellow fangame, by Martlet during the game's Genocide route:

"We only took five, but you've taken dozens".

Sure, that's factually true, but it's also a fact that you intend to take the rest of humanity whether they fight back or not. It's not equivalent if the plan was always to do worse damage. It's hypocrisy.

The player (and by extension Frisk) has to put in extreme amounts of work into building relationships with people who will gladly turn physically violent at the drop of a hat, who are literally planning a genocide, constantly defying logic and self-preservation just to get a couple shots in on Some Guy.

Hell, I don't think Frisk as a person even comes into it in the first place. They are just a shell for us, the players, to experience the story.

And why? Because we saw a let's play of it? Because game reviewers said it was game of the decade? Because we want to see what it's like to play? To "befriend" these oh-so-whacky, predictable characters again and again a decade after the game's heyday?

The story, in the end, is all to fulfill a narrative who's foundation is a shaky legend about humans being mean to monsters millenia ago, some immortal, royal brats having bruised egos, and a mutated goat prince scaring a bunch of peasants into violence, told from the perspective of the Underground, with little inference as to what the surface is actually like.

For all we know, Asgore and Toriel are lying and were the conquering tyrants of a human-monster empire who were sealed underground by opposing kingdoms of the surface in the days of yore, causing them to rewrite history (and "rewrite" population demographics) to make themselves look like the victims to their entirely-captive audience. If the barrier was a cooperative measure, it would go a long way to explain why human and monster souls are both needed to break it. if the humans really DID want to kill all monsters to prevent their souls being stolen, why were the monsters allegedly allowed to surrender? The royals even have an equally-immortal "war hero" at their beck and call with a cross-game skill for writing Tolkien-esque fantasy literature, settled down "doing archaeology work" in the region where the Underground's supposed history is written. That's a coincidence, I'm sure.

All that said, and mostly by the by, I say Deltarune is the better game.

The previous, pitiless freaks are friendly neighbours. The foes in the Dark World are overlords, mercenaries, guards, animals, and madmen - people with purpose to capture or kill the Lightners, rather than random civilians who see fit to attack anything that crosses their path. It makes sense. Plus, the story is actually engaging, the mystery is more intriguing, the characters are more entertaining, Kris is an actual character with a will of their own that we are explicitly subverting, and the "evil route" is actually, undeniably evil.

Deltarune came first conceptually, if you will all remember. Undertale is the weird off-kilter AU Toby made for practice. Not the other way around. And it definitely shows.

#undertale #undertale yellow #deltarune #utdr #undertale spoilers #undertale yellow spoilers

[mossy-rainfrog]

Build A Cowboy Round 5!

Hi good evening sorry for vanishing OK SO i mentioned in the tags of my first poll that this cowboy is not just going to be a vaguely historical cowboy, but from a Very specific time frame, because of the fic that his partner Javi exists in. That being said, there is a lot to unpack here with this! The time period exactly is 1841, the setting is Texas (because I am texan and we are predictable) and oh my god this is one of the most insane times for a character to be from texas 😭

Our cowboy will have in fact lived through the Mexican War of Independence (1810-1821), the Texas Revolution (1835-1836), tx's CRINGEFAIL attempt at self governing, rapidly approaching our annexation into the US in 1844-5, and then coming right up on the fuckign CIVIL WAR in 1861. These guys deeply understand the concept of "get me the fuck out of the interesting times, im sick of the interesting times". im so sorry cowboys, you can blame Herman Melville for this.

anyways yall didnt come here for a history lesson but you are in fact going to get one because i am insufferable first and an artist second :) and also as a note, race and backstory are always intertwined things but Especially when it is fuckign 1841 so. yeah exercise caution, there will be discussion of racism, medical close-calls, and anti-indigenous genocide. PLEASE ACTUALLY READ THE BACKGROUNDS BEFORE CHOOSING ONE! you dont have to read the sources. those are just there because i have autism. 👍

DETAILS BELOW THE READMORE BC I GOT WAYYY TOO WORDY⬇️

BACKSTORY A: Black Cowboy fled Texas* to Oklahoma with his family after the revolution, now travels up the trade routes breaking wild horses, passing along abolitionist messages, and assisting refugees. A miracle baby surviving a cleft lip with limited surgery and sustained permanent hearing damage as a result, he took up the trade of horsebreaking with flying colors, keeping right up with his older brothers. A sharp shot, keen eye, and a talented horseman, his best trained horses help him identify sounds that he otherwise can't hear. Loosely familiar with PSL, but primarily used a mix of lip-reading, localized/community generated sign growing up.

* After the US aided Texas in staging a coup against Mexico and declaring independence, an ordinance passed in 1836 that fully banished free Black people from the region unless they had personal pardon from Congress. This ordinance was not passed without pushback, and it changed shape and restriction over the years as people of color such as Joseph Tate, John and Charity Bird, Diana Leonard, Allen Dimery, and more all fought for their right to their own lands and lives. The law eventually settled into what was known as the Ashworth Act in 1840, which allowed free Black people to stay IF they had been residing in the state before 1836. It certainly wasn't the victory many had hoped, and even though many free Black persons in Texas were granted pardon to stay, like the Ashworths who the act was named after, many others were forced to leave after their allotted time was up, and were threatened with the future of slavery should they return. thank you texas history for being a vile piece of shit 👍

BACKSTORY B: Mexican/Tejano Vaquero from West Texas whose family has been ranching and cattle driving for decades. Has no interest in moving post-revolution, fuck you very much. If the borders are going to cross his family without asking*, then there's no need to cross them back. Technically lives with his family, but spends extensive periods of time away from home on cattle drives. Steady-handed, steadfast, quick to keep his herd safe. Miraculously survived a cleft lip as a baby and sustained permanent hearing damage** as a result, but that didn't stop his father from teaching him everything he knew, nor our man from taking to it like a fish to water. Knows more about cattle driving than you will ever forget.

*Some brief notes on the borders shifting and alienating people in their own rightful land.

**There was no official sign language of Mexico until the first Deaf school was established in 1869, but he and his family likely have a community-based one that works for them.

BACKSTORY C: Coahuiltecan (specifically Payaya)* cowboy, farrier, and leatherworker. Picked up the line of work as family was pushed to assimilate, one of the few still claiming Coahuiltecan identity at this time**, and has made a good living for himself and his sisters with it. Like the others, miraculously survived a cleft lip as a child but sustained permanent hearing damage as a result. Knows Plains Indian Sign fluently, and also relies on the direction of his horse for picking up sudden sounds before he can spot them. Tries to keep his work as local as possible to avoid separation from family for long, and whenever that is necessary, makes sure to come back soon.

*Note: Coahuiltecan is a term referring to several northern-Mexican and southern-Texan autonomous groups with distinct cultural differences. However, since Spanish and French colonizers lumped these groups together, an immense amount of distinguishing knowledge has since been lost.

** Also note: the Tāp Pīlam Coahuiltecan Nation is still very much around today (check out their site!) but nearing the mid 19th century, people at least claiming/listing this heritage on legal documents dwindled immensely for a variety of reasons.

#build a cowboy #polls #mossy art #described #collaborative character design #also yes i know cleft lip lost the last poll but i dont care. im including both. its my poll and i get to do voter fraud #anyways my god this is a fucking tx history lecture in a tumblr post. sorry everyone #i checked out 9 books from the library for this #but yeah heehoo!! here we goo again #id in alt

[apricotbuncakes]

"How does donating to your GoFundMe support your Top Surgery?"

I'm glad you asked about this -> gofundme and how it works!

But first: if you can't afford to donate, REBLOG THIS TO HELP IT REACH MORE PEOPLE. You can also repost it to other sites or share directly with those you know can help! This helps a lot because I'm unable to constantly reblog and share it, limiting my reach to external communities.

GoFundMe, in it's most basic explanation, is a collection service that tracks how much money a certain fund has been donated to and holds onto it for the individual/group/organization until they withdrawl (or 'cash out') the money.

GoFundMe takes a portion of what is donated to keep their own business running, but most of it still goes to the person you intended to donate to! This is also why surpassing a goal when on a crowdfunding service is extremely important. If I got exactly 10,000 in donations, I wouldn't have actually made all of that money because of the portion that is taken out.

That said, it is still incredibly helpful! Of the money that I can receive from the donations, I can put that towards so many different things!!

Due to legislation and otherwise hostile environments being created for trans people across the United States (in what is rightfully being called a genocide, but I digress) I'm choosing to go the 'out of pocket' route for top surgery, meaning I'm not relying on my insurance for the procedure. Insurance can take significantly longer, and they have a limited number of people in network (aka people who accept my insurance for payment) that can perform this. It can also limit 'cosmetic' aspects, even if those things are considered standard practice, like nipple crafts.

Basically, by paying 'out of pocket' I'm allowing myself a shorter wait time because im not having to fight with insurance, or sacrificing quality over coverage.

Is crowdfunding my only option to cover this? No! I'm saving up what I can, but I work an hourly-wage job that is considered under livable wage even though it's above the minimum. I'm scheduled to work 116 hours at a part time job for college students, just in the month of March. Because I'm disabled in several aspects, this is taking a significant toll on my physical well being. I am in a better position than other people because I'm living with one of my partner's family who provides transportation, rent (housing), electric, and water utilities, and in trade I help with food through Food Assistance, a portion of the car payment, and my portion of the phone bill. I'm also paying back the minimum monthly cost for my student loans (though I'm working to get that paused for the time being). But I'm still not making $1,000 a month after taxes and bills, which means that without spending extra money, I'm only saving a few hundred a month on my own for this goal.

All of that means that I'll need to look into financing options, what are essentially loans for medical procedures. That's where the crowdfunding comes in. While I am able to make monthly payments to cover this, depending on the plan, interest can start up in under a year. With a $10,000 surgery (that price includes the estimated costs for doctor visits, tests/scans, the procedure itself, aftercare supplies, money set aside for bills while I can't work during recovery, etc) waiting to pay all of that after the interest has started adding could take literal years, and I'd be pouring more money than I can afford into it. By crowdfunding however, I would be able to get the surgery and prior/post supplies and expenses paid for, and then pay for most (if not all) of the finances/loans I took out for it after.

Basically, in my circumstances, the crowdfunding is being raised to help me pay the loans I need for this procedure off, amongst other expenses related to the surgery.

"But why do you NEED top surgery?"

Without getting into the statistics, or even legislative parts of it (and what may try to stop me from getting it by proxy), I'll stick to the facts of my individual situation.

My breasts are a literal pain in my back, and with Fibromyalgia (a disability that causes chronic pain, even when 'nothing' is wrong, a poor explanation but one that is satisfactory for this discussion) it just makes it that much worse. My breasts are rather large and are causing me a great deal of struggle to even breath properly because of their weight.

Even if that wasn't the case though, they cause me significant gender dysphoria, meaning my body is distressing me because it doesn't match my perceived sense of self as a man (or masc) person. Socially, emotionally, and mentally, they limit my transition and health, so removing them is in my best interest (my therapist even agrees). Getting this surgery done ASAP is a priority for me because of this, as well as the aforementioned growing hostility for trans people, and Anti-Trans legislation that feeds into that.

"What else are you doing to raise money?"

I understand that some people are cautious to donate money to someone who may not bring doing tbeir on effort to save money themselves.

As I said before, I'm saving what I can with my disposable income (or money that does not go directly to bills and expenses). I'm not spending on frivolous things (for me, that's eating out, new clothes, trinkets, subscription services or otherwise unneeded items). Unneeded items do not include pet supplies, medication expenses, NEEDED clothing (like weather appropriate clothes for the season), hygiene products like deodorant and soap, and other items that are not bills but are still needed.

But I'm also going to start applying for grant/scholarship money for trans people, or money I don't have to pay back. This money (should I qualify AND receive it) will go directly towards my surgery expenses so I don't have to pay as much money back on loans.

There is a chance I won't receive any of them that I apply for, which is why my gofundme goal is the total cost still, so I'm not low balling myself and having to raise the goal later.

If you really want to, I'm also opening commissions (three slots total). Because I'm packing myself to the brim with my main job, I won't be able to complete them as quickly, though I will work on them as frequently as possible. Commissions have the benefit of the money going DIRECTLY to me, so gofundme doesn't get a cut of it.

Have any other questions? My ask box and DMs are open!!

#medical gofundme #gofundme #top surgery fund #top surgery #lgbtqia #lgbtq #lgbt #transgender #support trans people #trans gofundme #transmasc #trans nonbinary #ftm #ftnb #female to male #female to nonbinary #nonbinary #he him #xe xem xyr #asks open #asks are open #comissions #comissions open #open comissions #comission slots open #open comisson slots #digital art comissions #digital artist #gofundme please #gofundme open

[elendsessor]

i keep seeing so much smt5 stuff on my dash so i think it’s a good time to express how i really really hope aogami isn’t done dirty in vengeance

ik not all stories need a happy ending and smt knows that well but there’s a right way to do it and god given how the protagonist and aogami’s relationship actually was during the game it made true neutral so much worse

so it’s ok for all the other human characters to die or continue existing with their demon soulmate but not the protag-

seriously though it’s harming the themes of 5 when tne already has a bunch of thematic flaws

there’s so much of the game that convinces you not to go through with tne which is fine!! it makes sense why the game would punish you emotionally for it. but having the ending bias most mainline games have (aka make it super obvious what ending they want you to go with by not putting as much or straight up no effort into the other endings) it makes it obvious this was the ending being pushed when it shouldn’t have been. that’s why it pisses me off so much—you either shoot for tne or get a half baked ending monologue. it’s extra sad since aogami’s goodbye leaves you feeling like shit but considering apparently this is the ending that matters, you’re ultimately forced to go with it so it doesn’t have the right impact.

i will defend 5 on a gameplay standpoint and a thematic standpoint but atlus i’m begging you just because da’at’s technically a post apocalyptic setting and tokyo is in the matrix does not mean everyone is fair game to just kill or write off and i am desperate for the other endings to put in real effort so tne feels more like an actual proper ending for the one guy who wants to do the equivalent of undertale’s genocide route.

#i will never stop talking about this until vengeance releases but imma make it an actual post so it’s official #as poorly written as the plot is there are in fact themes and true neutral just gets rid of all of them because of that writing #aogami’s also like the best written character (a few demons were done really well actually) #so basically writing him off the way they did was so scummy #what if i like the half robot dad huh. what if i think demons have rights huh. #seriously so many of the demons in 5 that are in the main story or sidequests tend to be pretty chill #probably the most characterization for them aside from devil summoner #so i just. feel bad and the ending bias makes me feel even worse ok #shantien rambles #smt #megaten #smt v #smt 5

[let-us-cultivate-our-garden]

Tbh I still like the Collector in TOH as he is but mostly cause it opens up possibilities of frightening cosmic entities and, though kinda sloppy as is, the possibility of retconning his character to something in between the 2 "versions" of him we see (pre and post freedom Collector I mean) if the show is ever allowed more episodes or seasons.

Like, Collector having experienced death before or that some things hurt others being something he dislikes can explain why he scribbles out the genocide part of his book.

Or like, since they took the child route, he's seen death, knows what it is, but when he's faced with it on a personal level it's not something he can process.

But on the other hand, I wanted more of the mean-spirited troublemaker we saw at first. So once things calm down, we could get a glimpse of him being more like that again. I feel like being around Belos would have a more... Lasting impact on his personality. Once he calms down, he starts to show these pretty concerning lacks of morality and even somewhat sadistic sides that he learned from Belos.

I'm just so upset cause I like the concept of Collector and his siblings a lot, but since the show was getting cancelled we lost our on a lot of possibilities.

Like many things the show has, the Collector is good in concept but the execution was lacking; we essentially have two different characters in Season 2 and 3 and people have been bending over backwards to justify or explain it.

The simplest answer I think is that the creators liked this character but did not want him to be a major antagonist so they stripped him of any cruelty or malice, shifted any wrongdoing onto other unseen characters, and butchered his characterization to the point that he doesn't even make any sense anymore.

I've seen a lot of people point to Belos as the main reason the Collector is so malicious in the previous season but for me this raises two problems: one, it relies on Belos once again being the cause of all things evil in the isles when that concept is already stale and boring and actually kneecaps your world building and characters because you have to rely on ONE character to actually drive the plot and everyone in it. Two, the Collector is implied to be thousands of years old (or at least older than 400), and yet I'm expected to believe that Belos was the one who had the greatest influence on him in all that time? If so, then the Collector should be trying to appease Belos all the time for the fear that he may go back on his word (because you know Belos would use that to keep him in line). Instead, the Collector openly mocks him and acts like the two are equals.

As you said, a better characterization for him would be a proper blend between the two versions we see; instead of scribbling over the Archivists' genocidal plans, have him be casual about it.

"Yeah, my siblings like to play this game where they set the world on fire but it's been done so many times before!"

Have him get a genuine kick out of people being hurt because his concept of morality is so different from our own and it is the kind that Belos reinforced instead of planted. And if you've had that mindset for eons, completely blind to the fact that you've been hurting innocent people, then that would be a difficult mindset to break out of.

Obviously, the show has zero time to get into all this so they decided to retcon his character and make him an 8 year old with god powers.

It's just another waste of what could have been a great antagonist.

#asks #the owl house #toh critical #toh criticism #toh collector #emperor belos #philip wittebane