#(but I stand by it)

[ovegakart]

Do NOT let your fear of your ZELDA AU being tagged as LU stop you from making your own ZELDA AU. I see artists TOO OFTEN say that they dont even want to try because of LU and thats an excuse. Thats quiter talk. Make your own space. Make an ass kick-ier comic. Make it even shittier and stupid. It doesnt even need a proper title. Lifes too short, do what you want.

[into-fiction]

random glinda rant of the day bc im still stuck on the way ari looked in defying gravity and her subsequent thoughts on that moment:

I understand that, in the context of the musical, Glinda makes several very poor choices of her own free will in Act 2. However - I also firmly believe that Glinda not leaving with Elphie in Defying Gravity is not as simple as her just “not wanting to go against the system.” Is that a part of it? Certainly. Is that all or even most of it? imo No. 

As Ariana herself said: Glinda would’ve died if she left. There was no way both girls were flying out of there. Plus, Glinda’s whole world just got turned upside down, she just got chased by flying monkeys and almost fell to her death, her best friend was labeled an enemy of the State, guards are trying to kill them, the ruler of Oz is apparently a liar, like- these are crazy things to process in the moment! And then to expect her to get on a rickety broom and trust that it can carry her away???

Also- where would they go?! Elphie had no plan. Glinda had no plan. If they left, all Glinda knew was that they’d be on the run from people trying to kill them and she has no power. She can contribute absolutely nothing. People forget, she wasn’t Glinda the Good yet. She was just a random college student. Like I genuinely don’t think Glinda was over here thinking “oh no, i won’t be popular anymore” like the girl was probably thinking “shit what if we die?!”

(also: imagine your best friend, who the leader of your country has a personal vendetta against, pulled you to the edge of a building and was like “we’ve got one parachute, and i’m going to wear it, and i’ve never used a parachute before, but don’t worry- i think i can catch you”)

[gent-ly]

people saying the jun “love triangle” is pointless/bad writing are (in my opinion) wrong because…

all thame wants is time with po. he feels like he’s letting po down by not being able to give him that. all they get is small pockets of time: through work or walking each other home and back again despite being exhausted or hours long phone calls when they can’t physically be together.

and then jun… takes po’s time. shamelessly and demanding - jun takes it. and because thame isn’t like that… he loses precious time with po and feels like he’s letting him down even more.

so even if there’s no real worry that jun is going to win po over (because po is head over heels for thame and he recognises the small yet meaningful efforts thame goes to for him) it still has a big effect on how thame views their relationship and how he wants to change to be a better partner for po.

thus, jun’s character (and the drama that comes along with him) is important because relationships don’t exist in their own little bubble. thamepo’s relationship is affected and affects the characters around them. with jun, it is an opportunity for thame to realise what’s important to him and how he needs to do better (in his eyes).

[thedissonantverses]

So I got blocked yesterday cause I said something to the effect of Veilguard is a good DA game and well-written.

And since I’m well…me here’s another one. It’s better than Origins.

[honeybeefae]

Happy Father’s Day to

The Dads: Rhysand, Tarquin, Thesan, Tamlin

The Daddies: Lucien, Kallias, Cassian, Varian

The Daddiest: Helion, Eris, Lucien, Azriel, Suriel

[brekwrites]

In Defense of Sun: Addressing the Bald Issue

So, we all know that Sun adamantly insists he is not bald and his rays are hair, despite contrary opinions from literally every other character. While this is technically true, I personally believe that the nuance of the situation is being overlooked, and that Sun DOES, in fact, have the right to call Moon bald.

Let me explain.

So, to start off, let’s take a look at Sun’s claims:

1. He is not bald

2. His rays are hair

I’ll be analyzing both separately, but before we get into specifics, let’s define our terms.

Who is bald?

The dictionary definition of bald, according to google, is: having a scalp wholly or partly lacking hair.

To meet this definition, a person must be lack hair on their scalp, meaning there is no hair there AT ALL. This is the official definition, which I will refer to as Bald (with a capital B), or True Baldness.

Two famous people that meet this standard are Mr. Clean (left), and Saitama (right) from One Punch Man.

These two individuals are Bald. This is the standard of True Baldness.

However, I would argue that there is, in fact, another definition of bald that is commonly accepted by society. To differentiate the two, I will refer to this secondary category as bald, with a lowercase b, or apparent baldness.

So, what is apparent baldness? I think the best example of apparent baldness is Seth Everman.

Seth is widely known for being bald (among other things, but I’m focusing on his baldness here). However, upon closer inspection, we can see that he does actually have hair in his scalp, he’s just shaved his head.

Thus, Seth does not meet the standards for True Baldness. He is, however, still widely accepted to be bald, as seen in his notorious youtube comment:

1.6 million people agreed with this, so it must have some merit, but Seth is not Truly Bald, so what is he? I would argue that Seth fits into the secondary category: he is bald, but not Bald.

What this means is that Seth appears to be bald, but is not truly Bald. THIS is apparent baldness.

I think the biggest factor in apparent baldness is the smooth silhouette, which I’ve highlighted here.

Seth shares this shape with Saitama. Both are bald, but only Saitama is Truly Bald. Do you feel me?

So now we have:

Bald: lacking hair on the scalp

and

bald: sharing the smooth silhouette commonly seen in Bald people; widely accepted and labeled as bald

By this definition, Saitama is both Bald and bald, and Seth is bald but not Bald. Finally, if someone who is Truly Bald wore a wig, they would be Bald, but NOT bald, since they lack the appearance of baldness.

Now we can examine Sun’s arguments.

Claim #1: Sun is not bald.

When you go by the traditional definition, Sun is Bald. He lacks hair, plain and simple. However, I would argue that his silhouette does not have the appearance of baldness.

Thus, he is not bald.

Moon, on the other hand…

Is very much apparently bald. And even if you argue that his hat disrupts the silhouette, let’s look at Pitbull, another famous bald individual.

Here we see Pitbull performing in a hat. Though the hat disrupts his smooth silhouette, we all know the truth: he is bald beneath it. Thus, Sun is Bald, but not bald, but MOON is Bald AND bald.

Whether or not the statement is true depends on the definition of bald you are using, and Sun could technically argue that he is not bald. Additionally, I don’t believe he is in the wrong for calling Moon bald either, because of relative baldness.

Relative baldness

Can Sun joke that Moon is bald? I say yes. Here’s why.

Let’s say I’m 5’5” tall, and I have a friend who is 5 feet even and one who is 6 feet even. The national height average is 5’4”. Thus, by technical definition, I am not short.

However, I would argue that my 6 foot tall friend could still call me “shorty” as a joke and get away with it. When standing next to them, I do appear short, even if I’m not technically Short in the official sense.

I can also turn around and call my 5 foot tall friend short, and I would be within my rights to so so as they would be both apparently short and Truly Short by definition. Finally, someone who is 5’2” (True Shortness) could probably still get away with calling my 5 foot tall friend short.

By these standards, I would argue that Sun has a right to jokingly call Moon bald, since Moon is relatively balder than him. This does, however, mean that the animatronics with synthetic hair, who are still technically Bald, are within their rights to joke that Sun is bald in comparison to them.

As an aside, you could also argue that one requires a scalp to be Truly Bald, since that is included in the definition. This would mean that technically none of the animatronics are Truly Bald, but the rights for who can call who bald would still default to relative baldness in this case, so the outcome would be the same.

So, to summarize: Sun is either Bald but not bald OR neither Bald nor bald, and either way you swing it, he’s still LESS BALD than Moon. On to the final claim.

Claim #2: Sun’s rays are hair.

Again, the technical answer is no. None of them have real hair that they grew from their head, but there are some technicalities here based on the same relativity theory.

No animatronic truly has hair, but if you want to define an animatronic equivalent to hair, it would probably be ‘something that is attached to or comes out of the top of one’s head.’

If we go by the attachment theory, animatronics like Monty and Puppet can be considered to have more hair relative to Sun and Moon. But is a wig truly hair?

Depending on how their synthetic hair is attached (is it a wig glued down to their head or threaded through the exoskeleton like a barbie?), it’s possible that what Sun has is actually the closest thing to hair, since his rays clearly originate from his head and are extending out from it, not just glued on top. Would you say that someone who is Truly Bald and wears a wig ‘has hair?’ They certainly appear to, but it’s not a part of them, so maybe you could argue that they don’t.

So, if Sun has the closest thing to hair, relatively, then I think he at least has more of a right to call his rays hair than is being let on, especially if we consider that he’s not apparently bald. And if Monty and Puppet’s hair is glued on, like a wig, then I would argue Sun has more relative hair privileges than them, since they are an actual part of him that extends from his head. Thus, the argument is not QUITE as ridiculous as it sounds, even if Sun’s rays are not truly hair by definition.

As another side note, you could maybe argue that Sun’s rays are closer to horns or even antennae? But I think that since they aren’t clearly defined as anything, it can go either way.

In Conclusion

Tldr: Sun is Truly Bald, but not apparently bald, and thus has the right to call Moon bald as a joke. He is less bald than Moon. Additionally, there is an argument that his rays could be considered at least the closest thing an animatronic has to hair, depending on your qualifications for animatronic hair and how Monty and Puppet’s wigs work.

[andreal831]

Who's Responsible for the Monster Klaus Became? (I'll give you a hint, it's Klaus)

It's a question as old as time (or at least as old as the show): Who should be blamed for Klaus' actions because surely it cannot be Klaus? Should it be Rebekah for wanting to seek her own life? Should it be Kol for planning to kill him? What about his son, Marcel, for taking his city? His parents for cursing him? I've heard all of these, but the most common one I hear is, of course, Elijah.

I'm referencing a specific discussion, but it's one I've heard many times. We should not feel any sympathy for Elijah because he is the reason Klaus became evil, and then abused everyone he ever encountered. Not only should we blame Elijah for Klaus turning evil, but we need to blame him for all of the abuse everyone suffered at Klaus' hands. Elijah is the true evil of the show, despite Klaus naming himself as such.

The argument starts as such: Klaus was a perfect person before Elijah helped Esther and Mikael suppress his wolf side which made him turn evil. We are conveniently going to skip over the SA on Tatia at the festival. He's just a product of the time, I guess. And then to top it off, while Klaus was being perfect (despite the catalyst event they claimed caused him to go evil had already occurred), Elijah vindictively made Aurora break his heart, turning him into the complete evil person he was. Although, we cannot call him evil. We have to continue to say, "no one is born evil, they are just broken." Removing all accountability from a thousand year old man.

However, there is a fatal flaw with this argument. If we are saying that betraying someone and breaking their heart shifts the responsibility from one character to another and removes any sympathy, this should first have been used to protect Elijah from any blame.

The entirety of The Originals originates with Klaus taking his kid brother to watch the wolves turn, despite knowing better. During this event, Henrik is killed. Now, I don't blame Klaus, but if we are blaming characters for all of the unforeseen consequences of their actions, we would have to blame him. Because of Henrik's death, Esther and Mikael turn their children into vampires. As we all know, Klaus kills someone, triggers his werewolf curse, and goes on a killing spree in their town, leaving Elijah to clean up the mess as he does. But that doesn't make Klaus evil, the murders were all an accident, I guess. Based on the lack of blood on Elijah's clothes, it doesn't seem like Elijah even took the time to feed himself (an assumption, but still). Leading to Elijah losing control and killing his love, Tatia. All of this happened in a short period of time. So when their abusive parents bring up the idea of binding Klaus' werewolf side, I don't blame Elijah for going along. Even still, we see that he does so reluctantly. He saw his brother's body, which had been torn apart by wolves, and then watched his brother turn into one of those wolves and kill people they grew up with. Even after all of this, he still stood by his brother's side, not from guilt, but out of love. He comforts his brother who is covered in the blood of their neighbors.

But this is really where the logic really falls apart. Sure, maybe we argue that binding the werewolf side sent him off the rails, but let's not forget the people he killed in his village before that happened. And I'm pretty sure hybrids can control their werewolf side...

Before we even get into Aurora breaking his heart, we see Klaus and Aurora killing in such savage ways (with the rest of the family, minus Finn), that Mikael has found them. We don't really know who was doing it, but we see Aurora and Klaus taking joy in it. Do you know how much chaos/savagery they must have caused for Mikael to have gotten word before modern technology?? They were on a completely different continent than when they first started running from him. So I'd argue that Klaus was already pretty evil at this point.

The other argument is that Elijah lied to Klaus and broke his heart because of Aurora, causing Klaus to spiral. But who lied and broke whose heart first? Elijah and Rebekah made a vow of "always and forever" to Klaus based on a lie and a huge deceit. That Mikael killed Esther. This to me is the moment Klaus loses touch with his humanity. He is so ashamed by what he's done, he lies to the people closest to him. At the end of the day, Esther was still their mother and Klaus killed her in cold blood. He is so traumatized by this, he puts her body in a coffin and carries her with him for centuries!! No matter what she did, he still feared his siblings would not forgive him. So he lied, causing them to run for their lives with him.

So again, who lied and broke whose heart first?

It is not until Elijah accidentally compels Aurora to tell him what she knows that Elijah finds out about the lie. And in his heartbreak he compels Aurora. His actions are spurred on by Klaus' betrayal. And now, don't get me wrong, I blame Elijah and believe Aurora has every right to be angry at Elijah for those actions. But if we are trying to use this logic I laid out above, Elijah shouldn't be held responsible because Klaus made him that way. Klaus lied and betrayed him, breaking his heart, so Elijah had no choice but to become evil and do evil things.

This is why this logic is bad. There can always be some event or person who "caused" a character to act that way. It's called their lore. But that does not erase who they are and what they do. It does not excuse it or shift the blame.

Klaus ruins countless lives after this, doing far worse than what was done to him, and we don't see those people turn evil. Rebekah is abused by him for a thousand years and doesn't come close. But according to Klaus stans, all of their pain is just a "side effect" of Klaus' actions and Klaus can't help that. It's not like he's a grown man or anything. People have trauma, but it doesn't mean they get to do whatever they want. They are still held responsible for the person that trauma turns them into.

Also this person tried to argue that Klaus' actions weren't responsible for Elijah because of intent. Klaus didn't do anything intending to hurt Elijah, whereas Elijah acted in every way to hurt Klaus and only stayed by him out of guilt. This is just a gross misrepresentation of both of their characters. Elijah regretted his actions so much that he literally erased them from his memory. And yes, I do think part of his toxic devotion comes from guilt, but even when his guilt has faded, he does not waver from his love of his brother. Klaus is the one that weaponizes the guilt anytime he thinks Elijah may choose a different path.

Honestly, I don't get how people enjoy TO with this logic. It ruins all of the complexity of stanning the villain or liking morally grey characters. If you want to love a villain, love a villain. Don't try to turn them into a defenseless teddy bear who can't be helped for his own actions.

[transsongtaewon]

I don't think Yoohyun is agender I think he's gender apathetic. No he doesn't have a gender and no he doesn't really care. He's a guy by virtue of people calling him that so he just goes with it because it's not like he cares.

One time he walks in on Yerim doing her e-shot and asks her what she's doing and she says "I'm trans? You didn't know that???" and he say "no what do you mean"

And Yerim sits there for a second and contemplates if she wants to Explain Trans to Yoohyun of all people but they literally live together so maybe he should get the basics so she says "you know, because when I was born they said I was a boy but I'm actually a girl?"

And Yoohyun is like "what"

And Yerim is like "cause I feel like a girl"

And Yoohyun is like "what does that even mean"

And Yerim in her endless grace tries to explain "you know how when you were born they thought you're a boy and you feel good as a boy and if everyone suddenly started calling you a girl and treating you like a woman you'd feel really bad"

To which Yoohyun says "no, not really, why would I care what other people call me"

And then they stare at each other for a few seconds and Yerim decides that explaining "non-binary" or even "agender" to Yoohyun sounds like the stuff of nightmares so she just doesn't cause he seems happy enough as is anyway.

(also if she pursued this to the end they may get to a point where Yoohyun realises he's not actually Yoojin's younger brother so he couldn't call him hyung anymore and she thinks if that happened Yoohyun would probably spontaneously implode)

[wildgothorita]

listen i enjoy the final fantasy series but theres no denying that its a series for fujoshi. and i think they should make a final fantasy for himejoshi. i almost want to say thats what the atelier series is, but unlike final fantasy, atelier games have fun combat.

[itadorey]

geto who cleans your glasses for you before putting them back on your face gently vs. gojo who likes to leave his smudged fingerprints on the lenses to annoy you

[whurnp]

Look I KNOW it's a very serious thing and I KNOW it's one of the last stages before literal death from hypothermia but I wonder if the Terror fandom and others related have fully embraced the wonderful narrative possibilities of Paradoxical Undressing?

Picture a Cold Boy of your choice - a lieutenant perhaps?

Maybe he's just returned from a gruelling leads party, maybe he's met with some more specific mishap, maybe he was just out doing regular lieutenant things and didn't realise how much the mercury was dropping.

Point is, he's suddenly freezing, he's shaking like a very handsome leaf, breath coming in ragged hitches and gasps, tearing off his own clothes in his delirium. Too confused and too disoriented now to do anything to help himself, he's half-naked and vulnerable and alone in some random part of the ship.

Until someone finds him...

Picture another Cold Boy of your choice - personally, I'm thinking someone subordinate to our shivering, scantily-clad Whumpee.

Picture Cold Boy B scrambling around for something with which to cover Whumpee's stark and indecorous nakedness, taking the poor man in his arms, rubbing at his exposed flesh to warm it. Trying to comfort him in his delirium, explaining - as one might to a frightened child - what is happening to him and why.

Perhaps picture a steamy scene a la The North Water, more men drafted in to manhandle the utterly helpless Whumpee, lathering him up with fat, his skin glistening with it as he, half-conscious, chokes down a mouthful of whisky or some such.

Not only do we have the delicious thought of that physical process of hurt and comfort, but also the fall-out afterwards.

How can you look your superior officer in the eye again when you've seen him in that state? Naked, delirious, frightened, stripped of every bit of autonomy and control of his own body? Profoundly vulnerable and oh so exposed?

[twicearoundthebend]

is this anything ?

[fullmoonhijinks]

Can we talk more about how truly weird (affectionate) Emma Mountebank is? This woman is genuinely out here kicking in doors, marking her arrival with fireworks, doing 1950s housewife pantomimes, opening random spooky trapdoors, twirling about for no reason, taking flASH PHOTOGRAPHY IN LIFE OR DEATH SITUATIONS

[zuko-always-lies]

In defense of Admiral Zhao and how he treats Zuko (or he's still a dick and an imperialist, but this is why/how his actions made sense to him).

So the first time we see Zhao chronologically is in this scene, when he watched Ozai burn Zuko with a smirk on his face:

Obviously this doesn't speak highly of Zhao, but the context was that Zuko was refusing to defend his honor by fighting back and thus, under Fire Nation culture, getting "what was coming to him." It's pretty like that Zhao didn't particularly hate Zuko before that.

Then almost three years pass, and Zuko and Iroh show up acting all suspicious at Zhao's base with a damaged ship. Zuko offers an extremely unconvincing story, so naturally Zhao investigates further.

Zhao gives Zuko a chance to come clean and Zuko refuses to, solely out Zuko's self-interest. Zuko is willing to screw over the Fire Nation just to have a slightly better chance at going home. That just confirms all of Zhao's negative opinions about Zuko.

Zhao: My search party is ready. Once I'm out to sea, [Cut to a shot from over Zhao's head to reveal Iroh and Zuko sitting in two chairs in front of him in the middle of the tent.] my guards will escort you back to your ship and [Close-up of Zuko, who angrily looks down.] you'll be free to go.

Zhao is willing to overlook this and let Zuko go.

Zhao is being a dick here, but he's also telling Zuko the truth, the same truth Iroh has refused to tell him. And Zuko challenges him to an Agni Kai over it.

Zuko and Zhao fight, and Zuko clearly wins. Zhao, recognizing his defeat, tells Zuko to burn Zhao.

There's two things we need to understand here. First, Agni Kai's can only end with one participant being burned or killed. Second, by burning Zhao, Zuko would show his adherence to the Fire Nation's norms and culture, show he's "manly enough" to adhere and be a "man of honor" within the code of honor. By refusing to end the duel, Zuko disrespects the very practice of dueling.

Then Zuko turns his back and walks away, Zhao tries to attack Zuko, and Iroh stops Zhao and claims that "Even in exile, my nephew is more honorable than you." The thing to understand here is that the duel was not actually over, at least from Zhao's perspective. That's why he tried to attack Zuko, because Zuko had refused to end it.

Let us fast forward a few episodes. The next time we see Zhao is in "Avatar Roku," where Aang is trying to reach Roku's temple and Zuko is trying to stop him. Zhao is commanding a blockade fleet in their way. This exchange provides important context:

Iroh: [Close-up.] Sailing into Fire Nation waters ... Of all the foolish things you've done in your sixteen years, Prince Zuko, this is the most foolish! Zuko: I have no choice, Uncle. Iroh: [Angrily.] Have you completely forgotten that the Fire Lord banished you? [Fearfully.] What if you're caught? Zuko: [Breaks away from telescope to talk to his uncle.] I'm chasing the Avatar! My father will understand why I am returning home!

By chasing after the Avatar into the Fire Nation, Zuko is violating the terms of his banishment.

Anyways, this happens:

To be clear, what Zhao does here is 100% a dick move. But from Zhao's perspective, Zuko demonstrated his lack of loyalty earlier, and is now also trying to violate the terms of his banishment.

So Zhao chases after Zuko and Aang and doesn't manage to hang onto them since Avatar Roku goes super-saiyan on him.

After that, we get this exchange:

Zhao: [Turns angrily, snapping.] No Prince, no Avatar! Apparently, the only thing I do have is five traitors! Great Fire Sage: [Interjects.] But Commander! Only Shyu helped the Avatar. Zhao: [Close-up.] Save your stories for the Fire Lord. As far as I'm concerned, you are all guilty! [Orders.] Take them to the prison hold!

Again, total dick move. However, it's worth pointing out what Zhao's justification is likely to be: the Fire Sages violated the law by refusing to apprehend and instead helping a banished fugitive, Zuko, who was illegally in the Fire Nation.

The next time Zhao and Zuko interact is when the Blue Spirit breaks Aang out, but nothing particularly interesting happens there.

Finally, in "The Waterbending Master," we get to see Zuko and Zhao's final arc. As Zhao prepares his expedition to the Northern Water Tribe, he shows up and takes Zuko's crew:

Zhao realizes that Zuko is that Blue Spirit and a total traitor, and that just confirms everything Zhao already thought about him. So Zhao tries to have Zuko assassinated by the pirates. It doesn't work.

The next time Zhao encounters Zuko is in the Siege of the North Part II:

Again, Zhao's contempt and hatred for Zuko is driven by Zuko's treasonous behavior.

Of course, the Ocean Spirit shows up, and then this is what happens:

Zhao is consumed by the energy in the shape of a hand and dragged toward the water. Zuko: Take my hand! Zhao considers it for a moment before retracting his hand. The energy plummets into the water, Zhao dragged along with it, and dissipates.

Whatever else you can say about Zhao, he's consistent to the end.

So again, my main point is not that Zhao is a good person. Zhao is a terrible person, an utter jerk, and an imperialist with delusions of grandeur.

However, with regards to Zuko in specific, Zhao's treatment of Zuko is almost always reactive to a degree to Zuko's actions and has a certain logic behind it. Zhao treats Zuko so poorly largely because Zuko keeps confirming Zhao's worst opinions about Zuko.

That doesn't mean that Zhao is right to be a jerk to Zuko, who again is a banished teenager, just that Zhao's actions make logical sense within his cultural context and considering Zuko's actions.

[lenin-it-to-win-it]

my reaction to the first two star trek movies