#meta will have changed by now

[lilyliveredlittlerichboy]

okay so i used to follow the overwatch league up to the 2020 season and ive been missing it a lil and decided to watch some old (ancient) matches from 2018, (which is just about the only old owl matches you can still find with any sort of ease)

then got bored and since the owl has been going continuously since then, i watched a lil from the 2022 season

and like. yeah i expected changes i know theyve been adding heroes to overwatch and changing the rules and overwatch 2 is a thing now??? i lost track of it a long time ago tbh ive not been following this for like 3 years

anyway okay different arena different stage - it’s only 5 people per team now huh?? oh Carpe is still there its nice to see a familiar face. what the casters tearing into him now cus hes been there too long??? okay uber and mr x literally the same casters as we saw in the inaugural season. lay off the good man Carpe fucking rocks okay hes a great player and i literally dont know anyone else in this whole match. only 1 tank now per team which is sad i loved watching the flex tank players. new heroes that im not familar with i was expecting that

but you know what really threw me, and made me unable to watch anymore?????

lijiang tower!!! it’s not even night time anymore!! what the hell is this??

okay im done now i think it may be time to never check out the owl ever again sadly

#honestly though i think the 5 player thing is more of a deal breaker. tbh #i fucking loved watching the tanks and supports in the past #they introduced role lock in 2020 i think and i hated that. goats meta was my fucking jam ok #and i watched games from 2018 and it was so much fun to watch a player play roadhog bastion and brigitte on the same map #dps centered meta will never be what i want i know the casters and analysts fucking love their genji tracer widow sojourn #i dont even know sojourn but they seem pretty big in current meta #i say current this is from the 2022 season playoffs #meta will have changed by now #is overwatch out for switch yet tbh i miss playing it a lil #could boot up the ole ps4 and play on that but i was never very good at that #anyway the meta has been too dps focused who cares about reaper. give me dva reinhart. zen lucio bastille please #i just wanna see my tanks and supports who cares about dps #overwatch #overwatch league #i need a tag for my own rambles

[underwaterbanshee]

I am obsessed with Tula. The last five minutes of tonight's episode just cemented for me that everything about her comes down to the fact she never got to mourn Geoffrey.

Even if she did bust a cap in him. Even if he did have it coming. She never was allowed to let him go.

She went from being annoyed and concerned about her husband's dangerous behavior regarding the Blue and monsters to becoming a single mother of two children and living entirely for them--

--just as her sister meets and marries a man who is a lot like Geoffrey.

It's so clear that Tula wants Thorn to be nothing like Geoffrey for Viola. Hearing that he completely supports Viola's ambitions has to just eat her up with jealousy and grief.

This family is so fucking good at saying things without saying them and Viola does not want to be trapped the way she thinks Tula is trapped.

And her mom is trying to get her to marry again? Every male stoat Ava points out to Tula is just another pale image of Geoffrey. Even Bennett. Especially Bennett.

Of course Tula fundamentally lies to her children. It's constant. Everything is so focused on making sure they are physically and emotionally safe.

So what's going to happen when Lila can finally see that the mother she trusts so much is hiding something fundamental? And will she forgive her?

#burrow's end #burrow's end spoilers #dimension 20 #dimension 20 spoilers #this is how i meta #also I've been thinking this for three episodes now #the hardest thing about writing thoughts for ttrps #is knowing that everything can change so quickly #it's beautifully unpredictable #but this season has already been a gift #i am excite for every stoat #and god i have feels about sybil #i love her so much

[pokimoko]

The fact that Main-verse Ooo is as good and as kind as it is (relative to the other universes shown so far, at least, it's obviously not perfect) all because of the same character that starts off as the OG series' antagonist, the person we were made to see as the bad guy (albeit an often ineffectual one) for several seasons, is making me lose my mind.

Imagine finding out the guy you spent your childhood beating up and saving princesses from is in fact a driving catalyst behind you being able to exist, and not only exist but also live in a world that knows what kindness is. All because that man, the same man who you've witnessed do terrible things, once met a little girl and taught her how to be good.

Simon's story really shows us that even if you lose your way and forget how it is to be good yourself, the world keeps the memory for you. That act of love Simon showed Marcy by protecting her and seeing her as more than the monster she thought herself to be created ripples upon ripples, small at first but eventually enough to help give their wreckage of a world—a world that easily could have been forsaken, its goodness overlooked because of its inhospitable remains—a chance to grow into something beautiful. Because of those very same ripples Simon created, the people of Ooo grew up in a world where they know enough about kindness that they were able and willing to spare the 'bad guy' some, to see beyond the wreckage and allow him to grow too.

In saving Marceline, Simon helped to not only to save the world, but also himself.

#fionna and cake #fionna and cake spoilers #adventure time #simon petrikov #ice king #marceline abadeer #simon and marcy #meta #this was just a phone note to get thoughts out of my system but then it came out semi-coherent #so welp guess i'm writing meta now. i'm really in the deep end now. but yeah...Ice King and Simon's story being about the power of kindness #A cruel world requires constant cruelty to be maintained. But kindness? That reaches across time. one act of kindness sparks another #'I need to save you but whose going to save me?' That act of love and compassion is gonna save you ya dingus....eventually #In a less kind world finn and Jake could have watched those tapes about Simon and still decided IK was a hopeless cause. #That he was too far gone to be saved. But they didn't. They chose to treat him nicer and actually be friends with him. #One thing i always loved about IK's story is that he didn't have to completely change himself for people around him to treat him better #They changed their perspective and were kind to him and it was THAT that helped him change. to grow beyond the 'antagonist' role #to quote my go to and all time favourite good place quote: #'the point is people improve when they get external love and support. How can we hold that against them when they don't?' #Arrgh sorry I just always loved Ice King's arc in the show. From pesky antagonist to the person Finn dived into a chaos god to save #(the world's new beginning and its near ending being all because of simon. he has such main character energy and boy does he not want it) #And now we're getting Simon stuff and I'm so normal I'm so normal I'm so normal (<- has never been normal about this character) #(i...i have many MANY drawings of ice king and simon from 2015 and the years after. i was doomed from the start. F&C was the final straw) #(as was reading marcy's secret scrapbook recently...and here i thought i'd truly reached the capacity of hurt i can feel about these two) #Going insane over these last two episodes. 'she didn't have a me'. Fionna and Simon bonding. Gumlee kiss. PETRIGROF BACKSTORY #and the implication that Simon isn't remembering it accurately? Their sweet sounding love song actually foreshadowing their issues? #I am clawing at the walls. thank you AT crew you are enriching the enclosure that is my brain

[starfiretruther]

sorry tumblrinas but batfam stans pulled a goncharov first

#the way they just invented canon and changed every character’s personalities #and then made meta analysis of their own fanon #they’re even making it canon now 😍 (i blow my brains out) #i feel like kathy bates in misery: HAVE YOU ALL GOTTEN AMNESIA

[kingsandbastardz]

I'm becoming increasingly convinced that JLQ's clear refusal to believe DFS could even be slightly gay is the one and only reason she didn't try to skin Wuyan alive. Wuyan who, is trusted by DFS, allowed extremely close proximity, and has all the same skills DFS values in her. TBH if there was a possible love rival outside of anyone other than LXY - she should have suspected Wuyan first, before any of the 12 Pillars.

It's sad that we didn't get enough episodes to see a little more of Wuyan for anything, or JLQ for her actual Alliance duties -- but I know enough about what it takes to run operations that I can extrapolate the skill sets needed:

Skills they both have:

budgeting and currency exchange/issues

managerial acumen/ability to organize and move large groups of people

planning

communication at both upper and lower levels

resourcing

logistics

strong understanding of timing, topography, weather and how to deal with issues

stealth

esoteric knowledge for random shit they likely have to source or deal with themselves due to rarity, etc

negotiations

how to present yourself to the public

thorough and systemic thinking

planning for failure

Where JLQ fails but Wuyan succeeds:

ability to anticipate what DFS wants

ability to deliver what DFS wants in the way he wants it

ability to not sexually harass DFS

putting DFS' desires over their own (Whatever Wuyan's feelings are, we have no idea)

Where Wuyan fails but JLQ succeeds:

getting public credit for hitting their kpis

choosing to not be subservient

public leadership / getting public buy-in

It's interesting that with the both of them -- if DFS chose at any random time to just get up and leave Jinyuan Alliance behind -- both would immediately drop everything and follow him.

They're both used to seeing DFS' back - Wuyan because he deliberately positions himself there regardless of what DFS seems to wish (his own show of willfulness). JLQ because DFS is always walking away from her.

And of the two - i feel like DFS would likely take Wuyan with him, while leaving JLQ in charge of the things he doesn't care about.

So yeah. I'm still surprised Wuyan wasn't killed before DFS came back from seclusion. It's pure speculation but maybe his outward presentation of being a servant is the thing that saved him. Why does he play a servant when DFS himself is like, "You do know I think you're supposed to be standing up there with the higher ranking ppl, right?" Is it from a sense of distrust of everyone, leading him to create a persona? An emotional need to serve DFS? A not-so-secret kink? A sense of loyalty that he feels he can only express in this manner?

Just what history do they share that DFS feels comfortable enough to cry in front of him? Twice. Both times while mourning LXY/LLH.

I have so many questions.

#listen i know im couching everything in modern managerial and operations language but it's honestly not changed from ancient days to now #like even in the 80s and early 90s corporate training would trot out the Art of War to train their CEOS and upper management #it's just in wuxia land you have the option to kill someone for not delivering on their promises #mysterious lotus casebook #di feisheng #jiao liqiao #wuyan #jinyuan alliance #my royal ramblings #meta

[desidarling123]

We do NOT talk enough about post-breakup Kaz Brekker.

Mans was rocking a fresh cut, brand-new fit, deadl(ier) cane and (most importantly) plans to massively expand his reach across the city of Ketterdam like oh my GOD!!

#we have no choice but to stan #kaz brekker #sab #sab netflix #i do have some more serious meta on how his costume change reflects the next big shift in his character arc but for now new suit go weeeee #mans is a *little* lost without his girl but he's trying and that's huge #freddy carter

[quinn-pop]

(pt 3/3)

a question - 1 2 3

#is bandee aro? you decide #i don’t have a lot of headcanons on this stuff but i could definitely see it #kirbyposting #my art or something #meta knight #king dedede #bandee #bandana waddle dee #metadede #metadad #quinn does comics #if one thing about my art never changes it’s that my habit of drawing at an angle makes everything a little bit sillier #drawing affection makes me so happy tho wah #i hope you liked this!! it’s been a while since i’ve done a big comic and i’m excited to see the reaction #messy sketching and all #metadad & bandee i will fight for you /j #semi future au #because I guess that’s what this is called now #kirby oc

[mint-termsandconditions]

Rope MF is a first stage in his evolution next is Chain MOFO

About that…

Rope MF is to much of a rope purist to touch anything that isn’t a rope

but you know who isn’t much of a rope purist?

THAT’S RIGHT! MIR-ROPE MF!!!

But I’m going to steal the name Chain MOFO because that’s a better name lol

Bonus doodles because I had to much fun with the design:

#kirby #kirby oc #kirby ocs #waddle dee oc #waddle dee #Rope MF #thanks for the ask I now have an excuse to show Rope MF mirror dimension design #Sorry for not drawing Rope MF with chains as his next evolution but if he did have a second evolution they’d be holding two ropes #third evolution: God #Also please excuse the different style changes I get distracted really easily #It’s also cannon that Chain MOFO does not trim his eyebrows so that’s why they’re bushy #Rope MF does #Bandana Dee #king dedede #meta knight #<- they all show up in the doodles #Also I love the joke you added about the abbreviation for motherf*cker getting longer

[tippenfunkaport]

something something, visited by three spirits that push you to reinvent yourself

and meanwhile, the three mother-type figures in Adora's life were all key to her to figuring out what she really wanted and who she wanted to be but literally...

Light Hope "died" trying to right a wrong from the PAST

Queen Angella died trying to preserve Adora's PRESENT

and Shadow Weaver died to give Adora a chance at a FUTURE

#I could say this more intelligenty with time but this just occurred to me and I'm making it your problem #Shadow Weaver as the terrifying faceless cloaked figure #then her last words being 'this is only the beginning for you' as she bought them time (in the long and short term) #light hope essentially ending the world because of old programming from a long dead race of colonizers #then letting herself be destroyed over memories that should have been deleted bc she regretted what happened with mara #and the way the way the crystal castle gave you a tour of moments of your past like the first spirit #meanwhile angella was just trying to close the portal to save the present aka the life they had right now #but of course her staying behind completely altered the present for everyone especially glimmer #and meanwhile each of these losses served as key moments in Adora's journey (pos change arc if ur nasty) #and she emerged on the other side realizing it was not too late to change and make a new world #spop #shera #she ra #queen angella #light hope #shadow weaver #adora #a christmas carol #meta #do you see what I'm getting at? #this all started because I was picturing the three of them as ghosts at the end watching her Star wars style

[mollysunder]

Time travel is pretty op in League, and doubly so in Arcane, the drawbacks might be devastating tho.

This exchange always comes to mind because it's so ironic, Ekko does that all the time with the Z-Drive he just doesn't have it right now. For the concept to then be straightforwardly called out as dangerous just screams dark foreshadowing to people (Ekko) who practice it.

Ekko even has a real voice line where he jokes about the after-effects of time travel.

#arcane #ekko arcane #ekko #ekko is such a well of angst #it's already a mindfuck to literally experience other timelines none of your companions remember or expeirenced #so you there's a lingering feeling that you can't be sure it happened #but you have this power and you KNOW it did but some timelines are SO horrible why bother believing it happened #now include the possibility of BRAIN DAMAGE #and even if he noticed Ekko would still keep going becuz if he had the opportunity to change things from going wrong he'd take it #look at what happened with cait and the crystal he wanted to use it and was steered away #Ekko's probably going to be more reluctant to listen to other's caution and follow his gut #arcane meta #ekko lol #league of legends

[guckies]

I went back to watch the moment about Bad bringing up purgatory and really it’s just that everyone is confused and Bad needs to explicitly say if he is canonically on or off the island without some weird loop hole that gives him both lores on the both islands for one character to know.

Now the mini events aren’t always like a lore canon thing but the eggs are in lore majority of the time. This is cause the eggs are lore/rp characters the same way Cucurucho is and the only way they aren’t is when they explicitly say it or the cc says that the info they’re saying is out of rp.

But this is what happened -

Bad brought up first that he saw Tubbo that day to sunny who had been with Fit the entire day. Then Richarylson questioned him saying “Aren’t you meant to not be spiritually projecting rn” and he said “I don’t know what you’re talking about” which is just as confusing as what Richas said to him.

Then the others asked a general question just saying how was it and if he was winning not anything about any of the lore aspects. He then later brought up the quesadilla lore stuff with Phil despite it not really being the time or place, as well as him not supposedly being there to the other characters (specifically Fit and Phil think he’s kidnapped because he hasn’t clarified and they honestly act like they can’t be bothered asking anymore about it which not gonna blame them on) who all think that he is kidnapped because Bad has evaded the question and not given them an explicit answer.

So the eggs, current quesadilla islanders and the viewers are very confused.

Cause none of it make sense and Bad’s “1/3 is in purgatory”(which is the spiritually projecting thing richas is eluding to) is a struggle rp wise too because how is he meant to participate in lore or rp when he’s giving so many mixed signals if he is or isn’t canonically on the island.

Like he’s telling the eggs about their parents when they’re always meant to be in lore, then telling the other islanders that he’s on vacation which implies he’s not doing lore. So then it looks like meta gaming (because the eggs are just being told info randomly without knowing they’re getting told ie like a twitch chat that a streamer reads except eggs can’t really ignore it) from the pov of someone who has no clue if it’s in rp or not especially when it’s told to the eggs who are in rp 24/7. But then even the eggs don’t know if he’s actually there or not so they have to come up with a rp opinion about it and now think he’s lying about their parents because they aren’t meant to know about it really.

Along with this how come he can only just now separate himself in parts like this(yes things are secret but that raises the question how come he didn’t preemptively do this in purgatory 1), how is he getting the info back and forward from each “part” of him, how is it even a different part/version of him if he’s still in the same dimension(cause travelling back and forward from the island defeats the whole purpose of purgatory 1 and he isn’t a slime so how would he be able to make a clones/another version) and then why is he even telling the kids that information when they are separated from their parents which is just going to make them sad(but it is giving the eggs a rp struggle because not all of them are going to know if they are meant to know that info or not).

But really the real question is why does bad have to be involved in both lores and knowing everything. It’s not as if the others are going to keep everything from him and not tell him. Like when has anyone not ever told people about lore that affects everyone, he will be told everything all he has to do is ask. By the time he’s back the photo if the eyed workers will probably still be up as well all he has to do is ask them about it and they’ll give him an answer.

#like bad is the only one everyone is struggling with now bc he’s bring back p2 lore to quesadilla and then apparently bads in lore 85% of - #the time and he’s not actively clarifying if it is or isn’t lore now #so no one knows where tf he’s meant to be even the bloody eggs who should know everything #as well the only one we really know isn’t kidnapped is bagi but idk if thats changed #then we have pac tubbo and etoiles who havent really logged in but when etoiles has he is always talking in meta which is clear bc you know- #when he’s in lore mode and bc the topics he’s talking about are so meta and never involved the quesadilla lore #qsmp neg #bbh neg #qsmp discourse #<- tags for those who need #also the excuse he’s addicted to smp is stupid and concerning if he’s addicted then he need to take a break #bc that’s turning weirdly parasocial on his part #like yeah its his friends but then what about when no one is on or when the server is over like he needs to take healthy breaks from the smp

[demonslayedher]

Hantengu: As Bad As You Can Get Without Being Muzan

I've touched on this in old meta entries and I'm just going to wind up linking them here, but a friend got me going on this again today, so I'll state it again: Hantengu is one of the most insidious characters in this whole series, if you're going by sweeping themes of self-mastery which Gotouge may or may not have consciously intended.

For starters, I'm going to compare Hantengu to his polar opposite, Rengoku Kyojuro, mostly by referring you this post where I already explained how Kyojuro displays samurai-style idealized virtues of self-mastery, stoicism, and inner peace about death or aging. A common theme in oni lore is how letting one's passions run amok is what brings out the demon any person has potential to become, whether these passions are greed or worry or even joy. Kyojuro is very clearly a passionate person, but he's self-aware enough to know that his passions must be kept in check in order to benefit from them, and that means putting effort into maintaining them. He's seen how that can lead to burn out as in the case of his father, so he maintains his own balance by recognizing and accepting the harsh truths of any situation with as much grace as he can muster, recognizing and taking steps to overcome his own shortcomings, and recognizing and making a choice to "set his heart ablaze" instead of getting lost in frenzy.

Hantengu, on the other hand, lets his passions run so amok that they take their own physical forms, and even then no single one of them is ever consistently powerful enough to be sustained for long before he's spawned something new based on whatever new frenzy he's in. It's his reckless abandon of self-control that made him so demonically powerful.

There are other characters who lack self-control, though--Inosuke and Zenitsu are who they are because they are the perfect agents to introduce chaos to any scene. They gradually take steps to learn self-mastery, however--Zenitsu is hyperaware of his own failings, to the point of rumination, and Inosuke is hypoaware. However, at their core, their desire to do better by other people leads them down paths of self-improvement, a path which keeps them aligned with humanity as opposed to the allure of powerful demons.

Demons in this series display similarly admirable traits, though--Kokushibo and Akaza have striven as hard as any Corp member to improve themselves, for instance. Gyutaro and Daki might have had blatant disregard for others due to a lingering jealousy and hatred for how much better everyone else always had things than they did, but they have always taken active roles in standing up for themselves and trying to improve their circumstances.

If we dive into more loathsome, demented demons, we still see that they know themselves enough to own their faults, whether they see them as faults are not. Douma is quick to recognize his own lack of passion, Enma is unashamed as about what gives him pleasure and uses his underhanded, self-protecting tactics in order to play the long game in his strategy, Gyokko is an artist, and Muzan is perfectly clear and at peace with who he is and what he wants. Muzan's desires are so plain to him that it even opened up a believable opportunity for Tanjiro to feel sympathy for him in their final encounter, though Tanjiro made the choice not to.

Tanjiro never even entertained the notion of pitying Hantengu, though.

I'll come back to Tanjiro, but to borrow from this post about themes in KnY as they relate to oni lore: In many philosophies, even an excess of positive emotions can be detrimental, and people who follow those philosophies are instead encouraged to not given into any emotion too strongly. Likewise, the lack of a virtue can be bad, but an excess of it becomes a vice.

While the Ki-Do-Ai-Raku fearsome foursome represent the danger of unchecked, excessive emotions, Zouhakuten represents an excess of virtue, which turns it into a vice. From an outside perspective, of course Tanjiro was doing the right thing attacking a tiny oni, because this oni will go on killing people if he doesn't, but Zouhakuten focuses so intensely on the injustice of attacking the small and weak that he is ignorantly convinced of his own self-righteousness.

The other demons don't do this, particularly--they justify what they do, like Daki saying how this is just the way the world works that beautiful and powerful oni can do whatever they want because that is how the world works, but she doesn't claim her actions are righteous. Muzan also makes rational points--which Zouhakuten echos--about how the demon slayers drive a lot of the violence due to their own inability to make peace with their lot in life, and going out of their way to attack demons. However, as much as Muzan believes he is superior, he doesn't belief he is a god who can cast moral judgement on others, nor is he interested.

Zouhakuten, taking the form of a deity that fiercely protects the precepts of Buddhism and threatens those who defy it, makes the daring claim that he is just.

The Demon Slayers Corp members, at least those like Tanjiro, are guilty of the same thing. The difference, however, comes back to self-awareness. For example, Tanjiro is confronted with the question of whether Zouhakuten/Hantengu has ever eaten anyone in Tanjiro's life, and as he has not, Tanjiro must at least question if justice is on his side anyway in attacking Zouhakuten. It was an easy answer, but being mortal and easily killed for sticking his neck out by picking fights with demons, it's something Tanjiro continually has to question and reaffirm.

Yes, the answer is always easy for Tanjiro, and yes, there are Corp members who are only in it for the glory or the money (and these characters are not treated as heroes). However, Tanjiro must also continually self-reflect on his own weaknesses and failings. Taisho Secrets tell us he's even reviewing his training and battles in his sleep to analyze and learn from them, and we see his continual efforts to improve no matter how beaten down he's gotten. In the heat of battle he has to keep himself confident and focused. He's got to keep from beating himself up unfairly, and he's got to keep from getting over-confident, it's a balance to maintain and it takes practice to read oneself with clarity.

He's constantly having to practice self-mastery, which means Total Concentration of whatever strength he needs to pull from, including passions like righteous anger that make it feel like his heart and/or forehead are ablaze. It takes him practice to be able to keep rebounding, but he's got humility to be able to learn from others, take criticism, and analyze himself with clarity.

These are the virtues which Kimetsu no Yaiba extols, and which most separates the paths of righteous from the paths of those who who gave into their passions.

As a few other examples: --Nezuko retains her virtues by recognizing her own weakness and focusing on self-mastery --Rui lost himself in a feeling of entitlement, conviction in his own sense of justice, and disappointment in his parents. Or so he thought! That was all the result of running away from a truth about himself he didn't want to face; the fact that he was the one responsible for breaking his family bonds. --The Pillars, with all their human faults, remain righteous because they could easily succumb to their own sorrows, angers, and self-loathing. The fact that they do not--however much these things have messed them up--and they keep striving to better themselves, for the sake of a conviction in something difficult to achieve otherwise.

Zouhakuten, instead of rising above his own shortcomings, is a deeper concentration of, a wallowing in those unbridled passions. Being so convinced of his own righteousness, he does not have any clear self-understanding, and therefore, has no inclination toward self-mastery.

He is, after all, Hantengu.

Hantengu made himself into what he is because he convinced himself of his own lies about his own helplessness, and this utter lack of self-awareness and his unchecked passions are what make him a demon. By doing nothing to improve himself, he grew out of control. And, ultimately, Hantengu is selfish. Everything must revolve around him and how he is the most wretched creature, the most powerless thing to ever have the harshness of the world thrust upon it. Among a cast of relatable demons, made victims of their own poor luck or circumstance or a desire to amend some wrong done to them, Hantengu is the worst because he got himself there for nothing but his own self-centered lie.

While all the demons have relatable traits which have flown out of control, he's the most realistically like someone we all know or have met. He's the most benign and hardest to catch, one whom many philosophical, religious, or therapeutic texts try to warn against for how his insidious fleeing from truth grows into something monstrous.

The scariest part is that the wallowing Hantengu might be closer than we think.

#and now I'm going to bed #can you tell I'm excited to watch Noh this week? #Hantengu #kny fandom theories and meta #by this logic Douma is also pretty bad but for nihilistic reasons #and at least Douma displays a willingness to change his mind if challenged #I don't care about anything ACTUALLY NO I THINK I LIKE YOU SHINOBU LOOK I DO HAVE FEELINGS AFTER ALL THIS IS NICE #and what's fun with Muzan is that we get to see his worldview challenged by panic #but also Muzan KNOWS he's a coward and OWNS THAT by trying to run away #AND I LOVE IT #I love all the tension from seeing the battle from inside his head #anyway #right #bedtime

[adelinamoteru]

the problem with jason’s writing post resurrection is that like. you spend all this time while he was gone building up these batfam characters and their views and morals and way of interacting with each other and their world. and then you bring back this one character who’s been dead for however long, but an insanely long period of however long, and you’ve made it so his worldview has become drastically different than what he was being taught. then you dump the antagonist route completely and start trying to figure out how to bring him back into the fold.

but once again, you’ve spent around 15yrs expanding these characters separately from jason todd. so what do you do? you mold and reform what jason is meant to be post resurrection until he fits into those standards. its what makes sense to do. how can you justify the batfam characters doing an almost complete 180. maybe a 90. on their views purely because of one character? purely because of jason todd when nothing has set ever been able to set that change in motion beforehand? so now jason has to be the one to change. except the change completely contradicts all the beliefs he’s formed in his post resurrection plot-line.

and now jason todd as a character becomes bland. he becomes a victim to bad writing and character assassinations. he’s wishy washy. nobody knows what to do with him so his character and the characters he interacts with only continue to suffer as a result. everybody begins to stop taking him and his stances seriously. all because you’ll never remove him from the sources that led to the origin of jason todd.

a batfam character away from batfam? well now why would the writers ever think to do that!

#jason todd #dcu #red hood #dc #dc meta #it’s aggravating like #you bring back and hes put into this role— into being a foil and bringing stellar contradictions to the norm— and then u realize that would #Be too much of an upset to the world u’ve already built and the status quo u’ve already held #So u toss him in the gutter and keep cutting him up to fit into that norm #And as a result his character suffers his writing sucks and absolutely zero positive changes in his relationships have occured #LET THE LITTLE BIRDY FLY AWAY FROM ITS NEST #already jason has trouble finding writers that like him #and now u want those writers to develop batfam characters in a way where they have to actually acknowledge some of jasons points? #its like telling them to shoot a dog dead #except that dog was robin jason and they actually gladly did it #and also all of this is a part of the reason why fanon reconciliations are handled the way that they are #both the writers and the fandom just dont know how to write development on the side of batfam minus jason #Its never been done before!! Not when it comes to THE rule and THE percieved legacy of jason todd the dead robin #how would they change? how would u write it #THEY DONT KNOW HOW #its literally never been seen before #How do u resist the system ur boxed in 😭😭😭

[dazais-guardian-angel]

Dazai truly has become Oda in every way imaginable now. :’ ) the final words he gives to Sigma are the exact same words Oda gives to Dazai in the original scene Asagiri wrote for the end of the Dark Era stage play, 後は頼んだよ, “I will leave the rest to you.”

And I really love the progression of the way his eyes look in this chapter, and how Sigma is allowed to have this moment of questioning and rebelling against all the faith Dazai had naturally been leading him to place in him up to this point, which is what I hoped would happen. He’s been confused ever since Dazai first chose him, and everything he’s ever known about how everyone sees/treats him turned upside down by Dazai’s words and actions, and just when he’s finally started to feel like he’s found some hope and lowered his guard, Dazai pulls him back underwater, instantly reinforcing all of Sigma’s trust issues and reinforcing that he should never believe in anyone, because (he thinks) everyone lives to manipulate other people. Dazai’s dark eyes here reinforce that, too, and the other panels around this point where they look white and hollow and demonic, all like Fyodor’s. He appears like an evil, looming force pulling him back under, trying to kill him, when Sigma is so close to the freedom of the air he desperately wants (aka free from pain, which is what he’s been seeking his whole life).

But then Dazai makes this face, and the first one I posted above, and Sigma understands, even without words, that Dazai doesn’t have evil intent: on the contrary, he actually is bound and determined to save his life -- and the light in his eyes comes out through this determination and kindness, arguably the most light we’ve ever seen his eyes have in the entire manga (in the “I leave the rest to you” panel too). The “No” could be Dazai wordlessly telling him to not leave the water, but my first assumption was that it was Sigma telling himself no, stopping his own train of thought about Dazai being the same as Fyodor and someone he shouldn’t have trusted -- he soon realizes why Dazai stopped him, and that he’s still going to try to save him, that he wasn’t wrong about him, and it’s all because Dazai’s earnest expressions get through to him.

And it’s just so heartwarming to see how far Dazai has come. :’ ) He tried so hard to save Sigma (doing the most physical action we’ve ever seen him do, really), did his best to be reassuring and comforting to him afterwards, and then reaffirmed his promise to ensure he escaped Meursault alive, his final words to Sigma echoing Oda’s and his last action being to save an orphan, just like Oda did in his last moments. Obviously Dazai isn’t actually going to die, he’ll be saved somehow, but I do think as of right now he really does think this is the end for him, and that he didn’t foresee the elevator dropping -- he was examining the wires a few chapters ago because he thought he might need to know how to open the doors in case Fyodor pulled an uno reverse, hence why he looks more annoyed than shocked when the water starts, but here, when the drop collision sequence is initiated, he looks genuinely shook in comparison. There’d be no reason for him to give the thumbs up if he knew more danger was on the way, either; that’d just be cruel. No, I don’t think he saw this coming, and it’s important that that turns out to be the case: it’s important that he spent what he believes to have been his last moments saving someone like Oda wanted for him, and doing what Oda would have done in the same situation. That doesn’t mean that it’s okay that Dazai throws his life away so easily, and cares so little for his own safety; he still has a long way to go in that regard. But it’s still so beautiful to see how much he’s changed, and how much he’s truly begun to embody Oda and his legacy; the fact that he messed up and miscalculated, because Dazai isn’t infallible, but in turn didn’t hesitate to use his last moments to save Sigma. Oda would be so proud for everything he did here. :’ ) 💖

There are a lot of options for how Dazai will be saved, and by who, but personally I hope (and I kind of expect) that Sigma chooses to not give up on him and ultimately plays a role in saving his life, to return the favor and repay him for his kindness. Not only would it be a beautiful way to initiate Sigma’s ADA entrance exam as people have said, but it would bring the Dazai > Atsushi > Sigma chain full circle: Dazai saved Atsushi at the start of the series, allowing him to (spiritually) save Sigma at sky casino thanks to the growth fostered in him by Dazai, and now finally, Sigma could potentially save Dazai thanks to Atsushi kickstarting his own growth (and Dazai continuing it). Fyodor is overly cocky right now and so tunnel-visioned on killing Dazai, it’s possible that he has no idea that Sigma managed to escape the elevator and is now a wild card; even if Sigma doesn’t go as far as killing Fyodor himself (which I don’t want, tbh; that’s endgame stuff arcs down the line and imo Nikolai and Dazai should be the ones involved with that), he could throw a wrench in the jailbreak duel, and help Dazai and Chuuya get out alive. It would be poetic, and only fitting, for Fyodor to underestimate and be outdone by the kind of person Dazai told him is the strongest in chapter 77 -- a self-proclaimed “ordinary man” -- who could only have the strength to take such action thanks to the chain of kindness that Oda originally started. 💖

#bungou stray dogs #bsd 106.5 #meta #this chapter was literally everything i could have wanted i am SO EMOTIONAL #I WILL NEVER BE OVER IT #ASAGIRI GIVING ME LITERALLY EVERYTHING I EVER COULD HAVE WANTED #DAZAI HAS GROWN SOOOO MUCH HE'S BECOME SO MUCH LIKE ODA I COULDN'T BE MORE PROUD 😭😭😭💖💖💖 #as soon as i saw that big panel of his face i was like........ he looks like oda......... ASAGIRI I SEE YOUUUUUU #AND THE FINAL WORDS #I SEE YOUUUUUUUUUU #ISTG IF DAZAI THINKS ABOUT ODA WHEN HE THINKS HE'S GONNA DIE BEFORE HE GETS SAVED I WILL SPONTANEOUSLY COMBUST #ASAGIRI PLEASE THIS IS THE PERFECT OPPORTUNITY I WILL CRYYYYYYY 😭🥺🥹💖 #Dazai was so much like Oda here and Sigma looked just like Atsushi in that one panel DONT TOUCH MEEEE #THIS WHOLE CHAPTER WAS SO PERFECT #I NEED SIGMA TO SAVE HIM NOW #the longest chapter we've gotten in AGES and it was a banger god bless #tbh i really needed this after season 4 lmao i needed a reminder of why i love this series so much :''''') something to soothe my rage #asagiri saw my bitterness at anime sigma and was like 'here u go babe i got your sigma and dazai and oda feast' #probably means next month will be short again and a pov change lmao 🥲💔 #gonna enjoy this while it lasts #anyway i was really happy to see that moment of Sigma getting mad even if it didn't last long (and for a beautiful reason) #because he Deserved that #(because that's what i wrote in my fic and i feel vindicated now even if that wasn't the main focus of this chapter looool oops-)

[ruby-red-inky-blue]

a couple of years back i was pretty vocal about not getting when people complained about their art not getting "enough" notes. but i'm getting to recognise a sub-category of that frustration these days that, in fairness, was maybe what people were talking about all along? but i've also seen other posts mention how fandom spaces feel changed since the last few years, so maybe it's a new thing or at least a thing that hadn't reached my fandom corner until now.

i truly don't mind if my writing doesn't garner a lot of attention (although i say this from a place of priviledge where my writing has so far always garnered some attention, and often a lot more than i anticipated). but what is really starting to grate a little is the amount of attention vs. the amount of reaction. For example, before the latest update on my big multichapter fic, it sat at ~ 33,050 hits. since then the fic has been clicked 400 times. the kudos count went up by maybe three and there were three new bookmarks - this isn't super surprising because i don't expect to be reaching a lot of new people with an unfinished 100+k word fic in a dwindling fandom, and if they're return readers they can't leave new kudos. but five people have commented on the fic since the update. One percent of readers who have clicked on this fic have reacted. Did all these people see it on the recently updated feed, started to read it, didn't vibe with it and moved on? That honestly wouldn't bother me. But it's been steadily gaining attention for the last few weeks, long after it moved off the first page of the recently updated view for the fandom. so rather, I think it's mostly subscribed users (the fic has a little over 400 active subscriptions so that would make sense) or people actively checking back on the fic. in which case they must be at least somewhat invested in it.

and again, i'm not owed any feedback. i put my work out for free and people decide what to do with that. but fandom is a collaborative space, and it's been feeling like less that for a while. people seem less ready for conversation, and i think that's sad, and quite demoralising for creatives (at least for me personally). fandom work isn't meant as bingeable content that you consume and then leave. if you do that on netflix, that's fine, because you're paying the platform and they're at least supposed to recompense the creatives who made the show you just watched. fandom artists don't get that. we make things for the love of it, and because we wanted to share that love. it doesn't feel like sharing though when you put something out there and nothing comes back. it feels like standing in an empty warehouse telling my stories to nobody. and, again, i'm personally lucky enough that it's not like that all the time, but i get why people stop doing it. and i get that engaging with art as an audience member doesn't come easy to everyone, but fandom culture needs it. it's supposed to be an exchange. it's supposed to go both ways, and i think if you want to sustain the culture, you simply need to try and give something back, whatever that is.

because putting something you made out there and nobody looks at it is definitely not a great feeling, but having anonymous masses file by and look at your thing and then meet you with deafening silence feels... worse.

#again i cannot overstate how much this doesn't go for all my readers #and how lucky i am to still have anyone care about fics i started seven years ago i do get that #but yeah the engagement ratios have changed i think? #and it's on tumblr too and not just with art also just like. observations and meta posts and jokes and stuff #people like and reblog your thing but there's no comment no little smileys in the tags no silly ramblings just... #my new favourite pet peeve is seeing people asking for advice or asking a question and there's like fifty likes and not one reply or reblog #what are you supposed to do with that #yeah idk it's supposed to be collaborative right #and we can't all collaborate all the time but i feel like people used to interact with maybe 50 percent of the things they saw #and now it's like 10 #anyway #fandom #tbd

[harbingersecho]

THE ΣIGNS WERE THERE

#rvb #red vs blue #maine #agent maine #the meta #mine #art #*23 #maine is like an empty house with a bloody 'you could have saved him' scrawled across the walls to me #also i have this hc that maine used to have longer hair but it had to be cut for medical reasons and the meta kept it. + when wash sees #him in s8 his hair has grown bc he hasn't cared to cut it and it's a mess just like maine's used to be and it gives wash feelings #the more things change the more they stay the same #but its just a headcanon bc i can't give every man long hair. i can't. [gripping the sink tightly] i can't #i still have my tattooed to kingdom come maine hc. i'll never let it go. also he used have piercings in his face before unsc. ok ill go now