#I could choose a time with a lot of other people. and others would be fully informed of my plans

[gaywineauntsstuff]

Okay I’m gonna drop an unpopular opinion here

I really

Really

Really

Hate the Jason and Damian met in the league and have a close brotherly relationship

I honestly think it detracts from BOTH of their development and makes both the characters a lot more 2D and boring.

And also I think it disrespects my GIRL Stephanie brown. Bc that close personal bickering, anything goes sibling shit? Yeah that’s Damian and Steph all the way.

And yeah I tend to credit Dick Grayson (bc he’s my boy) for a lot of the Growth Damian goes through. But Stephanie brown and him have the funniest sibling relationship in history

And I think to have as interesting of a development as Damian has had you needed characters like Dick and Steph to be his Batman and Batgirl.

Dick who I think we can all agree is objectively the least violent of the bats at a baseline (Richard crash out Grayson moments notwithstanding) as well as Steph. Both have angry moments of doling out justice but BOTH prefer rehabilitation methods and tend to be more mouthy and loud about their thoughts during a battle

Steph CLAWED her way up into her position, she fought for that and held on with an iron grip that left indents. She wasn’t as good as, Dick born acrobat Grayson, Barbara prodigy Gordon and Tim genius Drake. So she worked her ass off and FORCED people to pay attention to her and got good enough that she matches the rest of the bats on the field.

Dick HAS the experience of working with difficult cases. He’s lead teams his age filled with drama, infighting and death successfully, he’s trained kids younger than him successfully on panel.

He’s canonically a very adaptable teacher, who has strength in meeting you where you’re at and getting you to move to where you want to be.

Both these things helped Damian exponentially

Now let me be so clear.

Damian did the work.

Damian put in the blood, sweat and tears into changing his beliefs and perceptions of the world. But that would not have been possible if these two didn’t at least make it known that “hey you can be the kind of person who cares and still have value and not be weak and pathetic”

Damian going vegetarian/vegan bc of his morals, Damian choosing not to kill, Damian choosing to leave Robin, Damian making choices unrelated to mantles, regrets and vengeance. Is due to the fact that he had Dick Grayson and Stephanie brown as examples (now ofc Alfred was also very very very imp but I feel like no one ignores his significance so I don’t feel the need to add him here)

And Jason?

It also imo, FUCK UP JAYS DEVELOPMENT.

Bc if Jason could be this kind, empathic older sibling to Damian? WHAT THE ABSOLUTE FUCK WAS HE DOING WHEN HE FIRST CAME TO GOTHAM? the way he treated the bats and the rogues gallery? Slaughtering all of blackgate to end up in Arkham, making dick watch him fall to his ‘death’.

No absolutely not

This is the ‘pit madness’ nonsense all over again

Jason had to see the world outside of Gotham and work with other people who were anti-heroes who fall into the category.

Bc Jason didn’t start out as an antihero

Jason was a full on villain with a grudge against other villains, he worked for the place he’s in. It’s bc of characters he interacted with, it’s bc of realizations he’s dealt with. It’s because he’s been a little too trigger happy in the wrong place and ended up looking at the grief he caused others and realizing he didn’t want to do that.

It gets rid of Jason realizing HE CAN work with his family.

It gets rid of Jason BECOMING a solid older brother to Tim and erases the Jason who WANTS to have a relationship with his family.

It erases all of the times he’s tried and failed and still got up and tried again

Both of them have grown bc of the people around them and I think if they had each other at that time it would’ve gone 1 of 2 ways

1) a toxic loop re-establishing bad beliefs and practices that damage both of them and leave them more resentful and stuck in their ways

2) they would’ve hated each other and tried to kill each other

In summary

-both these characters didn’t show up nice, they worked for it, don’t erase that

- don’t erase the characters that helped them grow (my girl Steph Brown being left out of conversations she started will kill me)

- Jason can have close relationships with the family im not saying he shouldn’t. I’m just saying that Jay is the cool older brother who very obviously loves you but was at college when you were a kid and now doesn’t really know how to interact with you and it’s awkward but you know you can go to him even if he isn’t your first call in most situations

- Damian was not a good person, he CHOSE to be that’s important to his growth. And with that growth came the ability to form the close connections he now has in canon. Without the growth he undergoes he wouldn’t be able to form the protective loving group of family and friends he has around him

- STOP IGNORING STEPH, I AM LITERALLY A DICK GRAYSON STAN ACCOUNT AND I AM OVERHERE TRYING TO GET CRUMBS OF MY GIRL OHMYGOD

- I would highkey love a short miniseries of Jason and Damian working together and developing a nice relationship both in and out of the masks but until we get that. I’m sticking to awkward brother that loves you but doesn’t get you at all

Also if you disagree/ have more nuanced takes on the Jay Damian sibling arc please leave in the reblogs and comments, I like hearing more nuanced takes and discussing just please don’t be a dick (hehe) about it

[gulpchulp]

my goodness some of y’all are exhausting when it comes to Gemma

People really wanting kids is very very common in a lot of circles. Probably less here on tumblr or reddit but amongst others just out in the world, stuff like fertility issues is a huge deal. A lot of people start to feel inadequate when they struggle with fertility although they really shouldn’t. But I think it makes people hurt because they feel like their body isn’t doing a thing that it should be able to do and feel like it is stopping them from reaching their goals.

Additionally, just because someone cares about their career (like Gemma) doesn’t automatically mean they don’t want kids. People can want both AND people can struggle with that. Especially women as they are often shoved into a box of ‘needing to choose one or the other’ (like i have seen some people on here say) when these two things can exist side by side. Wanting kids doesn’t ruin your career or mean that you have lost all ambition, it just means you want to be a parent.

And on top of that I really do not think at all that Gemma voluntarily left to do some random treatment retreat thing. I think that is a misinterpretation. Now maybe I am wrong and if I am sorry in advance but the way I see it is that Lumon took her. They faked her car accident the night she was going out, they had probably waited for a situation like that so they could take her (at night, alone). Yes her and Mark were having trouble but again this is very common amongst the general population. Relationships can have rough patches, you are just people and people are emotional and reactive (to different extents depending on the individual).

Honestly Mark and Gemma’s marriage stuff didn’t seem that unusual to me. I mean they weren’t in a great place but it was in a very normal way, a way that happens to a lot of people. That doesn’t mean that it is automatically great and that the way they were communicating with each other was amazing and is what should have to happen in a relationship but they were in a dark place. But I think that they were both stressed and tired of working towards a goal they presumably both wanted.

It was disappointing and stressful and when people are stressed they snap and they say or do things that they wouldn’t otherwise. Like Mark, who pulls away and gets snarky when confronted with pain or grief, he runs away not because he doesn’t care but because he does, too much. So I don’t think him and Gemma stopped loving each other and that she would run away to Lumon because they were having trouble. (I honestly don’t even think it would have ended in divorce or anything though that happens a lot too).

I get that pregnancy and birth plot lines are not for everyone, but I think it is narrow minded to write it off as a cop out or bad writing. Pregnancy plots and discussion of children and family’s have always been in the show, they just weren’t the main focus. And this was just one part of one episode. Gemma exists as a person outside of wanting a child, half the time we see her she is not worried about that at all, she is too busy being tortured. And yet many of you have latched on.

I think that sometimes in people’s discomfort with traditional societal norms (for a lack of a better term) they end up leaning into the toxic side of them. You allow Gemma’s desire to be a mother to overshadow all other things occurring and ridicule the show for including it. You blame her for her own torture and you think that if a couple ever struggles they do not love each other. You blame Gemma for everything happening in the marriage as if it wasn’t Mark buying the crib and later taking it apart.

Anyway yeah imma need people to start thinking critically in regard to Gemma cause these takes are some of the worst I have seen.

[atlaculture]

Hi! You are awesome, your blog is awesome, it's a great inspiration and very interesting to read!

(I even want to translate some of the posts, with credits and everything, to share your awesomeness with not-english-speaking part of the fandom, if you don't mind)

I saw you helped other fans with creating looks for their original characters... Please, can you give an advice: where to look for references if I want to draw an AU with Yue being saved by not the Moon, but the Ocean spirit? Just mentioning the general direction would be great! She definitely should have a different hairstyle (+hair color ofc), a different spirit-form and a different name... I barely know anything about asian/ingenious cultures and don't want to make rude mistakes.

I know it's a lot so any small advice will be very helpful.

And thank you for your posts, you are absolutely amazing! 💜

Aww, thank you! I'd love it if you translated my posts into German. <3

Interestingly enough, both the Chinese and Inuit ocean deities are women, so there is plenty of inspiration to draw from for Yue. ^_^

Like most mythology, these stories have countless versions. I'll be choosing the versions that are most relevant to Yue. This will be a two-part post, with the first part covering Inuit culture.

Inuit Mythology: Sanna / Sedna

There was once a beautiful and kind girl named Sanna who did not want to marry and turned down many suitors. One day, a seemingly talented hunter passes through her village and demands she become his wife. Her father decides to marry her off against her will, in exchange for the hunter's large haul of fish.

The man reveals himself to be a powerful raven in disguise and carries her off to his nest--- this won't be the only time that The Raven tries to kidnap a pretty girl in Inuit mythology. Realizing his mistake, Sanna's father gets in his boat and steals her back from The Raven's nest. As he and Sanna begin rowing away, The Raven flaps it great wings and conjures up a storm.

Fearing The Raven's wrath, Sanna's father throws her into the sea as an offering. She swims back to the boat and grabs on to its edge to stay afloat. Fearing that she'll capsize the boat with her weight, her (asshole) father chops her fingers off in a panic.

Poor Sanna sinks helplessly into the ocean, her chopped off fingers following behind her. Fortunately, she is reborn as the Mother of the Sea and her chopped off fingers transform into the beloved sea mammals of the Arctic (and a much more substantial food source than fish): Whales, narwhals, seals, sea lions, and walruses.

The waters and animals that Sanna watch over will be good to those who treat animals and other people with respect.

You can see how her tale relates to Yue's story. Physically speaking, Sanna is often portrayed as resembling a mermaid, but with a seal's tail. Yue's hair could be black like a murky ocean. I also think it would be cool if you gave Yue line tattoos on her fingers, to represent the tragedy that befell Sanna.

Additional Thoughts

I like the idea of ocean goddess/mermaid Sanna wearing a parka with mittens; she only takes off her mittens to show off her finger stubs and give people a little fright. She's got a sense of humor about it. ^_^

Chukchi people, who are culturally similar and geographic neighbors to Inupiat people, believe the ocean god is the son of The Raven. I guess their version of Sanna ended up staying and having kids with her bird husband.

Sanna's story is so heart-wrenching. She should spend the rest of her days playing with baby seals and pranking people with her hands.

[shanblackrx]

Ok, first of all, I have just rewatched the special episode and although I already knew how it'd end, the moment the credits went up I literally buried my face in my hands and SOBBED. It's not that hard to make me cry with media, but I usually just tear up and nothing more. The last time I remember sobbing like this was with the end of Chimera Ants arc of Hunter x Hunter manga, which is a completely different type of story and media whatsoever, back in 2012. And I didn't know the end. Spectacular manga btw go read it

That said, I'm freshly out of it so here's a few of my considerations, personal opinions and also my theory. I'm not diving into the analysis of the episode itself for now, as I like to make these for more specific things I find in the work so they deserve a separate post for each, though I will be analyzing the post-credits scene because we don't have answers so we need to speculate.

Looooong text with almost no pictures ahead, just my yapping:

I expected the special episode to be really just Jack and Joke's cute little established relationship, which we did get to see (they're so disgustingly sappy, oh my god. I love them) for a good chunk of the episode. But we all also expected the wedding which, technically, did happen, just not how we wanted.

I think a lot of us just wanted only the happy part of it, maybe just a small conflict that would resolve within the story, which is what special episodes usually offer, especially because the original series wraps up perfectly and doesn't really give that much room for a continuation. And I think that because a lot of people expected this, they were utterly disappointed with it, even mad (that and also killing off one of the leads, like. Yeah I get it lol).

And I understand. Jack & Joker is perfectly balanced, with a nice and perfect ending. If I could choose, I wouldn't want a continuation either - you know, the chances of ruining a perfectly good show increases if you extend it for more than it should, and J&J is already perfect the way it is.

But I was offered the special episode, and now I have to work with it.

The first time I watched it I thought it was a bit rushed and confusing, albeit very intense (in a positive way). In my much calmer (as one can be), much less stressed out and anxious mood of my rewatch, I could feel it better. And I think it's way more seamless than I thought at first. Curiously, I also had the same feeling with the og series; it got so, so much better once I've rewatched it, and it kept getting better with all the small details I caught in every new watch.

It still has all the essence of J&J. The absurd comedy, the action, the romance, the heavy angst, the visuals, the lack of canon tattooaran even if it's heavily hinted. So all in all it was still a complete J&J experience.

I really do like the fact Save is not a perfect boss - he's basically just a math kid. He's not prepared to take care of a whole neighborhood like he did with bank accounts. Variables - people - were not in the system of his little bank computer. Taking care of a whole community is no easy task, especially since he is no mafia, he doesn't have the kind of experience and intimidation to keep bad apples in check. And even so, he still worked his hardest; and even so, it's still not enough.

So having criminals that were under Alice's thumb but now scattered like cockroaches searching for another ditch make having control over these fires they set even harder. I think it's a nice and coherent touch, and stuff happening because of it makes sense.

Also, although the uwu language JackJoke used throughout the moments they were out and about making everyone unwilling witnesses of their disgusting love was extremely funny and cute, it was really nice to see their heartfelt conversation when they were alone in Jack's room. It felt much more like they were baring their hearts for the other to hold, a genuine moment of intimacy, especially since they were making their wedding invites individually and by hand. It bore such a huge significance to their relationship I really can't begin to tell you how much I loved this scene. (they're also wearing shirts of complementary colors 😭💚)

I wasn't really expecting Carbon to make a comeback. But his explanation on why makes sense, and once again it hints that money and power walk together. It also gives him a more definite end (dying, finally. bitch) to take him out the picture for good since he could just eventually walk out the prison and go after them once again.

The casino mission was SUCH a delightful surprise to me! It's such a heavy wave to the pilot episode and it was really thrilling. Joke playing and cheating on poker was one of the sexiest things he could've ever done in his life lmao also even when he's cheating he manages to be gay af with his little ace and jack cards.

Admittedly, I was a bit underwhelmed with the fighting scenes. A lot of them were subpar compared to the ones in the og show, it not only lacked intensity but it was also awkward to see people in the background waiting to join the fight instead of throwing themselves into it, much like Jack's rampaging into Boss' office, which is one of my absolute favorite scenes in the og show, that's what I was expecting of them. However it was super nice to see the other piggies fighting with what they had, showing they were better prepared. Aran here takes the cake for me.

After that it was downhill. Joke not letting other people decide his destiny is one of the most Joke things in the entire show. With all that was happening it was rather predictable, but then again J&J does its thing and takes the predictability for a twist. "กูรักมึงที่รัก" ???? Using tirak in this situation when every other situation it was used was extremely, sickeningly sweet? Devastating. These words in that tone will be branded on my brain forever.

The whole thing with Jack going through the stages of grief and the ghost wedding destroyed me, even more so in my rewatch. Once again I'm here EATING UP Yin's crying scenes (one of my most favorite scenes in any BL ever is Vee crying under the rain at the bridge). I know everyone talks about War's acting when it comes to crying and obviously he always nails it, but I still think Yin should have more recognition in these kind of scenes too, because he always manage to make it so heartbreaking, and it wasn't different here.

The swings scene with him hallucinating Joke to be able to accept his presumed death was one of the most beautiful, most heartbreaking 'endings' I've seen in a Thai BL.

HOWEVER. I absolutely refused to believe they'd actually end in that note. It could be as devastatingly beautiful as it gets but I genuinely thought if they ended it like that it'd be SUCH a huge stab in the back of fans. Jack and Joke barely managed to live a happy life to then be yanked from it. It really didn't feel fair, that they gave us such a perfect little ending in the og show to then just say 'how about no?'. I was honestly in shock and denial. I was really thinking like 'I really, genuinely don't think they'd do this. I will only believe it ends like this when the episode reaches the end and stops playing by itself.'

And I'm glad I thought like that because they really didn't let me down. Some Marvel level of post-credits scene this is. The relief to see Joke isn't actually dead. The enormous cliffhanger.

I still am of the opinion that J&J didn't need a continuation, but now that it's out there, I just hope it's as good as the og show. And that maybe we don't have to wait for another 2 years, although I will gladly do so if that means they will deliver another sublime experience.

But I also hope it ends with that and they manage to move on to other, new things, because they've already proven they can do anything they want and it will be good. I really, really want them to take over the Thai BL world as a power couple with their independent productions, because they showed everyone they can.

Now, to the post-credits scene. Here goes my theory:

Reading all theories and also frying my brain to come up with what will they do with that cliffhanger, I thought of something that might make sense. This, however, would only work (well) in a full 10-12 eps season rather than another special episode or movie.

First of all, I think it's a new character (and that's why I think this will only work with a full season, because introducing a new character just for a short episode will give no substance to it). It's no one we know and I tell you why I think that: Joke had someone specific in mind. I don't think he's talking about Carbon here. Especially because everyone in the conversation knows Carbon very personally, he could just say his name.

So having this in mind, he might've been referring to this new character. So the fact this person is the one... 'housing' Joke, and who tended to his wounds, and also for his shock, this person might be either an old cellmate or someone else that's been incarcerated and Joke knows about or personally. Maybe a rival thief. So he's talking about this person here.

Also, VERY important missing information in the subs: Joke says "someone like me" in the sense of 'has the same abilities/did/does the same things'. This is crucial information that is in several other subs but not in the English one. Because the English subs on this ep are dogshit, lbr.

So I think one option that could happen:

This person wants Joke to either work for or with them. After all, you can't just wipe an alias like "legendary thief" in a year. Whatever it is that they want him for, it might be convenient for them that Joke's deemed dead, or they actually needed Joke to "die" for it to work. They might be in cahoots with someone we already know, or they might be acting alone.

This can be a double-edged sword because the person can be good, neutral or evil and we might not know until the very last minute.

Now one thing that caught my attention: The black shirt in the background.

Absolutely nothing when it's about clothes is Just There in J&J. There's always a lot of subtle storytelling in their clothes, especially when it comes to black and white. And specifically a black shirt hanging in so openly there and no other piece of clothing while Joke is wearing white? This is deliberate.

Do you remember Jack's red ticket? When the joker turns black to white, etc? This might be the opposite of that. This might mean starting from square one, undoing everything up to that point, or it might also mean Joke's darkening arc. Joke's wearing white, so washing this away to taint it black. It might also mean someone who's opposite of him if the shirt is referring to this new character, but I'm not too sold on this idea since black is mainly Jack's motif, especially in relation to Joke. Also, maybe this is the 'enemies' Nang was talking about.

And maybe because Joke has no choice but to do what he's told, whether if it's under threat or because maybe Jack would be in danger if he doesn't because that's their thing, or both, probably both, he can't show up to Jack or any of the piggies, and that is the main conflict of the season.

This can tie with the whole 'moving on' thing about Jack that everyone is terrified of. I don't think that even if it might seem so to add to the tension, Jack will ever actually move on; not FROM Joke at least. He can move on from the pain, make peace with the idea he's not coming back, but not from what he feels for Joke. If Joke appeared in front of him be it tomorrow or in 10 years, he'd probably just resume their lives together (after coming back from the shock of seeing him alive which can take some time). He himself said Joke is the one he loves the most. And some people change you so viscerally and completely that they'll always mean the same to you, forever, which is definitely the case for both.

Maybe if we're going through this route because J&J's classic angst and pain, Joke's gonna watch him from afar going on with his life, then that lack of self-worth he has that I'm pretty sure doesn't just vanish in such a short time even if he's found love and some healing, might keep him from approaching Jack even if he wants to and can do so; he wouldn't want to ruin whatever Jack has built without him so far.

If that's the case, if this really happened, I'd want Jack to find out and tackle Joke on the ground when he's being watched just like their first encounter after the 5 years. It'd be one of the most poetic cinema cycle closing one could pull off with this possible new season. But that's just my wishful thinking.

It can also be something completely different and I'm all for it as long as it retains J&J vibe, quality and unpredictable turns.

And also many more YinWar kissies, there's never enough of those.

[heartz4levi]

mhm... i keep thinking ab scummy till..

you're screwed up and brilliant !

☆ thinking abt scummy till . . .

☆ till (alnst) ,, gn reader . . modern!au ,, actor!au ,, reader is a mua ,, till is ooc in favor of making him be as scummy as i could ,, till is just. a bitch in this one. and reader cannot stand him ,, is this?? anything at all?? i tried anon, i tried. hope i executed ur ask to ur liking. </3

stark in contrast to the character he plays, till is an absolute scum.

alien stage, one of his biggest projects, but not the most. you're co—workers with him.. sort of. he's an actor in the series who plays a pretty big role, but all you are is a make—up artist for the cast.

while the cameras were rolling, you would drop by ever so often to see which scene they where shooting, to get a better grasp on what the plot is and also to see the brilliance of each actor up close.

everyone was generally kind whenever they were getting their make—up done. some are quieter than others and don't say much, some are more energetic, but all in all each and every one of them treats you with basic desency. the bare minimum that till doesn't even think about achieving, because of course, out of an entire roster or renowned actors someone has to be a lot shittier in terms of personality behind the camera.

you love your job, you really do. you get to collaborate with a bunch of celebrities, you get to create some of their most iconic cosmetic looks and, most importantly, it's fun to do make—up on people. but sometimes you feel like dropping out of this project solely because of till.

he willingly sits still in the chair when it's his turn to get his make—up done and he isn't picky about what styles he does and doesn't like. makes him seem like a regular client, right? wrong.

till will stare at your reflection in the mirror, shooting you the dirtiest looks known to man. if you notice and ask him what's wrong, he'll complain. oddly enough, never about the make—up, but about you, nitpicking any and every single thing you do. it feels like you're not even allowed to breathe in his presence.

if you ask him to calm his face muscles down because you cannot work on someone's face when the canvas is contorted all weird, till will do the complete opposite. he'll scrunch his face up even further, refusing to relax and allow you to do your job in peace. that shenanigan just makes him look childish. but don't tell him that, or else he'll throw a hissy fit. a childish hissy fit.

to be fair, you aren't the only person whom he critiques whenever he gets the chance to. he does the same with his co—actors, shooting nasty glances their way and calling them out on their acting specifically. as if he has a shit ton more years of experience and has better technique.

before you know it, filming for alien stage is wrapped up. then, some time later, it officially airs and although the fans gravitate in every direction, to each character, a lot of them choose till as their favourite. understandable, because his character is a lot less of a douche.

you would think that such a dedicated fanbase could only serve to inflate till's ego even further. but it doesn't, because he doesn't need any fans to consider himself superior and able to judge everyone without ever suffering any consequences. till cares about those fans just about as much as he cares about everyone else who has worked with him — long story short, he does not care. like at all. no fucks given.

but people still don't know that. during promotions for alien stage, till doesn't say much. he leaves all the talking to his co—actors, spacing out and occasionally nodding because god he does not want to be there with all of those people — yeah, he likes acting and starring in ambitious projects, but the promotions part? yeah.. no.

if any reporter, or anyone else for that matter, decides to ask him a question, till will do anything to evade it. if the question isn't about him and he is there witb a fellow actor, he will immediately glance pointedly at them, a silent order that they should do the talking, not him. if he can't evade the question, the answer he gives is short and blunt, making the interaction be as brief as possible.

well, that is none of your concern. he's done with sitting in your chair, having your products be applied on his face and you're done with having to tolerate him for hours on end. thank the fucking stars.

or maybe.. don't thank them.

plenty of time passes before you're thrown into another project that is bound to gain endless popularity once it's out. it'll take a while, it'll take a lot of hard work, maybe even some blood, sweat and tears — but you're glad to be apart of the team regardless!

you're glad until you see who is playing the main character.

not again...

[revserrayyu]

3.1 Amphoreus thoughts [part 2]

***Spoilers ahead*** for everything up until the rematch with the Flame Reaver, so turn away now if you don’t wanna get upset. At the time of writing this I’ve completed the full story quest so be wary if I mention any details that may happen later.

Starting off nice and calm with the ladies heading to the hot baths for some fun and sweet lord how did Aglaea become even prettier?? I’m in awe.

This whole splitting of the souls chatter reminds me of Harry Potter horcruxes. Becoming a demigod doesn’t seem like the most fantastical job in the world if it comes with such a big drawback, such as this or having your emotions slowly fade (as seen with Aglaea). I can only wonder what Mydei will have to deal with now.

The teasing just never ends between these two and it’s giving me life. Every interaction they have is such a joy to listen to.

Dang, no wonder our boy couldn’t overcome the trail. He was faced with the most tragic day of his life and all the trauma that came with it.

Okay thank heavens someone said it! Every time Mydei would mention how fear/fleeing/romance or any other word that shows weakness isn’t in the Kremnoan language I wanted to ask him like, okay, so what words are there then??

Mydei speaks so fondly of his fallen comrades. Being immortal really is cruel, and it hurts even more that we walk past all of his buddies again in a memory where they’re so excited to see him return.

At some point, Mydei’s teacher infiltrates the vortex by sorta kinda kidnapping Trinnon to do so and after going through this long spiel about the future of Mydei and the Kremnoans that I truthfully wasn’t paying that close attention to, Aglaea decides enough is enough and doesn’t hesitate to most likely execute him.. until Trinnon speaks up. I can’t lie, I genuinely find it a bit comical how quick this woman is to just end anyone who dares break any rules in this city.

So.. this image. First things first, I love that he uses such language at his father. Secondly, can I trade places with him? I’d love to open my eyes and see this marvelous man looking down on me. Step on me, king~

Poor guy has every one of his people wishing to return home to Kremnos someday with him as their king and yet he’s terrified on letting the miserable traditions continue if he decides to take the crown. It really is a difficult decision. Do you keep everyone safe and unhappy, or allow them to thrive in a world of danger?

Oohhh buddy, why must everyone on this planet be gorgeous?? Her mom is looking like a long lost cousin of Argenti and Himeko.

Not gonna lie but this whole scene with the dolls felt so Sparkle coded that it scared me. I honestly jumped the first time everything glitched out.

Well that’s a bright, red death flag if I ever saw one. Some trailers already gave me bad feelings regarding Tribbie, but this worsens it.

Pfftt, Aglaea has no chill and I’m here for it. Protect your people, queen!

I mean, sure, choosing how you pass on individually on your own terms may be better than losing every part of yourself all at once, but Aglaea has a point too, that seeing the many Tribios clones perish over and over again is a lot harder than having it happen just once and being done with. It’s not an easy situation to be in for either side.

It really is incredible how powerful these century gates are and it kinda reminds me of Finral’s spacial magic (Black Clover) the way it’s able to teleport others and redirect incoming attacks or enemies.

If I wasn’t already panicking then I sure am now! Look how upset and scared these cuties are! They know Trianne’s pushing herself too far for their sake and there’s truly nothing that they could do to stop what happens next, especially after seeing how much weaker she’s been getting recently.

Aaahhh, I knew it.. seeing this scene from the Song of Divine Silence trailer gave me such bad vibes from the moment I saw it! And after learning the whole meaning behind “see you tomorrow” just makes everything hurt twice as much!! Trianne was definitely my favorite out of the trio too.. this is such a bummer!

We interrupt the sudden heartbreak to bring you an adorably surprised Trailblazer.

I do love that Mydei trusts Phainon with his one and only weakness. I dunno how thrilled I’d be if such a literal backstabbing does take place in a future patch though.

Anaxa, the renowned scholar, using his gun as a shield against the Flame Reaver.. he’s doing his best. Forgive me but I do not remember much of this cutscene to know if he ever used the weapon the proper way. I was in a mix of tears and hype at this point.

Bro look at how relieved Phainon is when he noticed that Mydei has arrived to help them with the fight! That’s such a wonderful smile.

Sir, your confidence! It’s extraordinary! And I’m also very pleased with your sudden assistance!

Just two bros, ready to go knock some sense into a common enemy. What could possibly be better than that?

Okay, so I dunno about everyone else, but how did we feel about this fight? I personally had no trouble at all, even when we first fought him at the grove. The way they showcased him during the 3.1 livestream, I figured he was gonna be serious trouble, but I think the Nikador boss offered a tougher challenge. I didn’t even get the chance to see this dude’s big, fancy attack animation.

Look at him, protecting his man. What a good lad. We still dunno anything about what Phainon’s path or element would be, but for some reason he gives Preservation vibes? like I know he wields a giant sword and is quite capable of using for offense, but seeing him defend Mydei like this makes me think he can use it as a sort of counter I guess? Maybe give me a taunt too? Who knows. We definitely need more Preservation units though.

All hail the new king successfully securing another win for all.

I feel like a whole lot just happened in such a short amount of time. Next post should cover the rest of this patch.

[hadesknockedupintheunderworld]

Insane again thinking about Sonic and Tails

Everyone always talks about the ways in which Tails is dependent on or revolves around Sonic. We talk about the ways in which he's depended on Sonic to save him, the way he likes tagging along on journeys, the way Sonic has inspired him, the way he always maintains Sonic's plane, leaves his door open for him with place to rest and good food to eat

But we rarely talk about the ways in which Sonic is secretly dependent or reliant on Tails

In a large portion of the games, if Tails isn't straight up on the journey alongside him, Sonic has the security that Tails can communicate with him from afar, and Tails usually appears to help out at some point during one of Sonic’s solo journeys. He doesn't have to be without Tails for long

And we see what happens (especially in Sonic Frontiers and Sonic Prime) when Tails is inaccessible. In Frontiers, he wonders where Tails aloud is unprompted, wanting to find him. Sonic's other friends even convince him to bother with the secrets of the starfall islands because doing so may lead him to Tails. He wants to find Tails so Tails can make sense of what's happening. And in Prime, Sonic ends up scrambling without Tails around. Especially in Prime S1 while things make the least sense, he seeks out Tails first (and then later hopes variants other than Nine can fill Tails' role) because he trusts him. He trusts that if Tails is here, then he can just tell Sonic what to do (come up with a plan for him to execute). With Tails around, Sonic doesn’t have to worry about not understanding the situation because Tails can figure it out. Without Tails, Prime!Sonic often shifts between trying to handle things himself to the best of his knowledge while rolling with the punches, and deferring to someone he can trust as a smarter strategizer to tell him what to do (a role Nine fills most notably, but other characters such as Rebel and Shadow fill on the occasion).

Of course there's also the earlier mentioned way in which Tails takes care of Sonic as well. I'm sure Tails isn't Sonic's only friend that he could crash with, but it's Tails who goes to such lengths to open his arms for him. If Sonic wants to crash in an actual house, if he wants to eat his favorite food, if he just wants to hang out, or if he needs help, Tails's home is open to him, accommodating his every need.

In my eyes, Sonic is the one who is surprisingly codependent here, who flounders a bit when everything goes to shit, Tails is nowhere to be found and can't be contacted, and there's no one else that can help him make sense of things. He takes Tails with him on so many journeys, even in games like Colors, where Tails largely follows behind Sonic while Sonic does a lot of the physical work. Tails doesn't need to be "useful" to tag along. He likes having Tails around, he wants Tails around. When Tails can't go with him or it's something Sonic should go alone for, he can always communicate with him and hear his voice from afar. And I'd argue there are more examples than Sonic Prime that may demonstrate Sonic trying to find someone to fill Tails' role the first chance he can get when Tails isn't around and can't be contacted.

The conclusion here is that a lot of people talk about Tails being dependent on Sonic or revolving around him, but they truly are partners. Sonic wants to be around Tails at this point perhaps as much as Tails always wants to be around Sonic. The two are strong together, they fill each other's gaps in ability. They both feel more secure when the other is around, and they rely on each other's presence. They are each a comforting existence to the other in similar and different ways.

[doctorweebmd]

ok my OTHER reflection:

on the one hand its really frustrating to see the posts about docs and healthcare in general on here be so narrow-minded. bad experiences with certain providers have lead to a huge spread of misinformation and mistrust with the whole system. which can and HAS lead to people avoiding 'evil' doctors for perfectly treatable illnesses and dying from them (the vaccine bullshit, anyone?)

but on the other hand. it is TERRIFYING how some of these docs practice medicine. at times i think 'are you just burned out and don't give a shit or are you straight up just stupid?' and i work in critical care. where quite literally every case is life or death. even in the academic sector where there is supposedly a standard of excellence, some doctors i would not let touch my loved ones with a ten foot pole.

and that sucks. i know this is the no nuance piss on the poor webbed site but 'the medical system and people that work for it are fallible and aspects of it are morally questionable at best/unethical at worst' AND 'the field of medicine exists to help people first and foremost and mistrusting/avoiding it can be detrimental in the long run' can and DO co-exist

[khorneschosen]

I would be honest with you my guy The fact that you're just saying Europe is kind of the proof I need that you don't know what you're talking about.

Because there are many programs like this in Europe some of them successful at great cost and others horrifically failing. For example you could be talking about Greece the economy that just went under or you could be talking about Norway the economy who entirely funds their welfare programs through natural gas and oil exploitation.

You could mean the swedes or The Danish who fund their massive welfare programs through completely leaving the market unregulated in order to make sure it maximizes profit as much as possible and taxes the individual but not corporations.

You could have meant Spain an agrarian country that has over the last couple of decades slowly had to rebuild itself after leaving fascism. Or Italy the country that after leaving fascism became much more focused on its industrial pursuits.

So when you describe Europe I really want you to understand that one the context is different for each of these countries They don't have the same economic scenario that we currently live in. And two that these countries haven't posed their own versions of cost for these policies and they have been at times been very devastating and each and every last one of them is facing their own version of an existential crisis over how these policies have affected them.

For those that try to solve most of their problems with immigration they now have a difficult choice before them of dismantling their own traditions and values such as freedom of expression or or proposing hard stances against immigration and dealing with the consequences of that. Which basically puts them back in square one of an economic crisis that they now have to deal with with a population that doesn't trust them anymore.

I'm going to be honest with you my guy This from what you've said so far it just sounds like you have absorbed a lot of propaganda about how these states work without actually having talked to people from these countries or studied how the systems works.

As it turns out when you have a deregulated economy and you just let people be free turns out they actually produce a lot more wealth their economic situation improves a great deal they have a lot more flexibility and how they choose to live their life and are ultimately happier healthier and overall better people in terms of virtue.

They did an experiment with the East and West Germany after you reunification studying both and they found that the capitalistic Germans were happier healthier and better people more honest less likely to steal from you less lazy and more benevolent overall. The opposite was not true for the Soviet Germans.

Rising Tide Economics: What is it, and why should you support it?

Hi there! I'd like to introduce you to a bold new way of thinking about economics and how we can build an economy that works for you! 🫵

A rising tide raises all ships!

Rising Tide Economics is based on a single principle. That when you build an economy that supports its members that are most in need, you build an economy that helps everyone!

For a long time, grifters have sold America on a concept we call "trickle down economics." What trickle down economics proponents claim is that when you support the wealthiest people in the country, they will spend their money in ways that benefit the poorest.

For the past 40 years, we have gone all in on supporting the wealthiest in the country, and where has it gotten us? Wealth disparity is larger than ever, the poorest people in the country struggle to get by, and 30% of the wealth is owned by a mere 1% of the population. Meanwhile, the bottom 50% of America splits a mere 2.6% of the wealth between them.

Our middle class is smaller than ever and shrinking.

What's been found is that money given to the wealthiest isn't invested in the economy. It's hoarded.

You cannot raise the tide of the economy by keeping money in the hands of people who would rather accumulate wealth than reinvest it.

"Okay, but I'm a small business owner or entrepreneur or independent contractor. Won't I get poorer if my tax money goes to people with less than me?"

Nope!

First, this is a lie that the mega corporations and the American oligarchs want to sell you on. The truth is that nobody is interested in putting more taxes on small business owners and the middle class.

In reality, if you are a small business owner, entrepreneur or contractor, Rising Tide Economics is going to benefit you more than anyone else.

You have been playing a game that has been rigged from the start. Mega corporations have huge advantages due to their size and wealth that you simply can't compete with. They can sell their goods at lower prices, create monopolies that eliminate all competition, and afford to hire massive lobbying departments that are designed to create laws that will benefit them by killing your businesses and killing your dreams.

Rising Tide Economics is about leveling the playing field.

Let's say that you own a store in a small town. Maybe it's a grocery market or a book store or a clothes shop. Maybe you're a struggling farmer selling goods at a local farmer's market. Whatever it is, you built this business yourself with your own two hands and hard work. Then a Walmart comes in next door.

Corporations like Walmart are able to keep their prices low by negotiating bulk prices through China and other countries where they can get goods cheaper than you could ever dream of yourself. These are options that you do not have access to because you lack the means to compete on this level.

The way Rising Tide Economics benefits you is twofold. First, it forces an opportunity tax onto the mega corporation. If they have greater opportunity than small businesses, then it's only fair to give small businesses a leg up so they can have a fighting chance.

The second way it will help you though is because people want to support your business. They want to buy local. They want to support the up-and-coming entrepreneurs of the world. They don't want to give money to a soulless mega corporation if they can avoid it. But sometimes, you have to do what you have to do to survive. Because the economy forces you into it.

Imagine a woman named Sarah. Sarah is a hard-working mother of three. But wages are too low in this economy to be able to afford her rent and feed her children at the same time. She's living paycheck to paycheck. Sarah would love to have the economic freedom to support your business, but she lacks the opportunity to.

If we can put more money into Sarah's hands, she will have the economic freedom to put it into yours.

What does rising tide economics look like in practice?

Rising tide economics should take a multi-pronged approach towards leveling the playing field and giving The People economic freedom. Here are a few examples:

By providing Medicaid for all, we can ensure that people with medical conditions won't be overburdened by medical debt due to situations they can't control, and can continue to have the economic freedom to contribute to their local economies. This needs to be coupled with efforts at bringing drug prices down across the board to save taxpayer money.

By investing in affordable housing initiatives, we can get people off the streets and into homes, fighting back against a growing housing crisis in the United States.

By investing further into programs that provide food to the hungry, we can ensure that people can not only be fed, but use their cash to invest in other areas of the economy.

And as a long term goal, we should work towards providing a Universal Basic Income. That way everyone can have money to reinvest into their economies.

To pay for these programs, we start by closing tax loopholes that only benefit the wealthiest in the country. Tax loopholes that the mega corporations lobbied for, using legalized bribery to make sure they wouldn't have to pay their fair share. Another unfair opportunity they have that small business owners don't.

After that, we start looking in to opportunity taxes. How much of an unfair advantage does the wealth of a mega corporations allow them to have against the competition? What type of penalties could be applied to make a fair playing field to let smaller competitors keep up with them?

An Era of Rural Revitalization

If you live in a rural area like us, chances are that life hasn't been kind over the past several decades. Sadly, Rural America is dying as industry and wealth becomes more concentrated in the cities. If you're like us, you've probably watched businesses that you love close down or leave because they just can't make enough money in small towns to survive anymore.

Rising Tide Economics seeks to change that by taking the income out of the pockets of megacorporation and putting it into yours! Into your communities!

Under Rising Tide Economics, rural businesses will be able to thrive again, and the American dream will be something attainable no matter where in America you live!

Rising Tide Economics Isn't About Red Or Blue! It's about Green!

It's about money. It's about keeping money flowing, keeping the economy healthy and booming. And it's about getting money into the hands of the people who need it and the people who deserve it!

[bookwyrminspiration]

intergenerational friendships are completely normal and the shift in thinking that we should only be friends with people from our age group is limiting vs i am a young feminine person and he is an older man and there are creepy people in the world who are good at pretending to be friendly and innocent so am I going to die, a rational essay

[andragoras-in-vanity]

i finished veilguard, my life has no meaning, also what yhe FUCK was that post credit scene, im afraid. and i cant wait for the next one tbh. i hope my rook gets to be a lil well remembered hero who stays ready as the veilguard but has decided to protect thedas from demons and twisted spirits using their expertise as a mourn watcher and my likely connection to the fade, ya boy would spend time learning ancient elvhen funeral practices from bellara and how they effect the fade too.

i just want my boy to have some peace with his husband, go on ...safer adventures...cause his heart nearly gave out a few times and itll take a while to put it back together again. hes always going to be looking for harding and honouring her too, i want to think she was the one he went to when he had panic attacks. i think hed be searching spirits and the fade, and hed go visit hardings mom (would probably cry more than she does too especially if she looks like lace). hed have tea with mahanon and visit the griffins, and the caretaker a lot, but when its all over and everything is mosty recovered and he visits vorgoth and myrna he gets a lecture from myrna and a begrudgingly relieved hug, and vorgoth doesnt really say much but takes him aside and pats his head like when he was child and would hide from his lessons because they made him feel dumb.

i love dragon age, i never want the series to end, i need to revisit inquisition again

[brrdhouse]

ok this is getting LONG so i'm putting it under a readmore —

not what he seems + a tale of two stans

for that very reason, i do not want gideon to be there.

i know i knowww, it could be fun, but i don't want him to get in the way. i imagine he'd get in a fight with stan an episode or two before because of the mounting portal stress making them both antsy, and get dragged out of the picture for a little bit. he'd come back during dd&md though! he'd be in the "this game is for loser nerds" group but sit in the same room just to spend time with his dad. i still don't want him to be super important, so i don't think i'd involve him in the main plot, but he'd be there in the background before shit hits the fan, and he comes back after running errands or something to the family watching the ducktective episode. he could be in the main group, but i want to keep grenda as the main side character here because i love her.

family dynamic

i don't want to take away the dipper and ford scenes, so i'm adding them to the tension.

ford gets back and while he's obviously happy to see his son, he's kind of distant like he is towards stan, just a lot less upset. he also skews more towards involving dipper in his projects, and gideon's conflict for the rest of the season is if he even wants to be in gravity falls anymore if his dad's acting so weird towards him.

yeah, it was 30 years ago, but ford used to tell gideon everything about his studies. and it hurts that it feels like he's being replaced by dipper just because he grew up while ford was gone.

he'd spend more time with mabel, soos, and wendy, and accidentally feed into ford's isolationist worldview as well as the one he's projecting onto dipper.

(also because i feel it vaguely relates, something else goldsixer drew for this that i can't stop thinking about)

society of the blind eye + sock opera (+ into the bunker)

you're right, i wouldn't put gideon in into the bunker.

i would however put him in sock opera and blind eye!

sock opera, i'd give him the same place as everyone else: just generally unaware of what's going on with dipper and bill in this episode. i think he'd clue in when dipper gets possessed because wow that seems pretty familiar, if only you could put your finger on it. this would be the episode that makes him get that much stricter in watching the twins. he doesn't want dipper to end up like ford, and he doesn't want mabel to end up like him.

i'd have him in society of the blind eye big time. he'd get dragged in like soos and wendy, and just be really fucking sad hearing fiddleford talk about himself after being accused. same plot really, just with the added context that he's the anomaly being erased from people's minds and he's kind of pissed about it. ("is that why i have t'reintroduce myself every time i go to th' library? are you serious?!")

gideon gets briefly mentioned in fiddleford's memory tapes, but it's a blink-and-you-miss-it reference to "a visiting researcher and his son," which dipper obsesses over. (psst.. here's a quick thing for this btw..)

the last mabelcorn

again, gideon would choose to spend more time with the girls. he doesn't dislike dipper or anything, he just can't handle being around ford right now.

he comes along for the same reason wendy does, to keep an eye on the kids, but he also knows unicorns exist because he vaguely remembers seeing them as a kid, so he's not as cynical as she is about it. he's not 100% around for her goodness montage because i think it's funny for him to be like "wendy, i have t'go buy smokes, you're in charge for now." (🐦 <- also an older gideon smoker truther, especially in this au because he's not suffering from the amulet / a chronic illness metaphor to me)

he'd be there when mabel gets told she's a bad person and stick with her to comfort her while the other girls make their plan, and helps them take down the unicorns when it comes to it.

roadside attraction

i'm sorry i'm killing roadside attraction.

not entirely, but i'm making the dipper plot less important because i hate it. he'd still flirt awfully with girls and candy would still have a crush on him, but he wouldn't get ambushed, he'd just say something dumb and upset candy, and it'd end the same way.

stan would still get kidnapped because i like him being tied up. next question.

i'd replace the dipper plot with a ford and gideon plot back at the shack. i think it'd be fun to have them kind of stepping around each other and thinking "well that's not how i remember you acting" before they realize they're being dumb and apologize to each other. it's stilted and awkward and not quite bridging the gap yet, but it's a start.

weirdmageddon

if this takes a day or two to get posted, this is why. weirdmageddon in AUs, my worst enemy...

i think i want weirdmageddon to go SIMILARLY. not exactly the same obviously, but i think it'd be fun to still have gideon and the bikers be minor obstacles, only instead of them having the key and attacking dipper and wendy (iirc.. i haven't watched weirdmageddon in a while), those two find the key another way and gideon's just still really strict and doesn't want them to run into the action. they have a heart-to-heart along the lines of "you can't stop us from trying even if it ends up bad and you have to stop being a control freak about it" and he lets them go.

because he has less contact with bill, i don't think he'd get captured the same way, i think he'd either go back to the shack and help there OR stay on the outside and end up back at the fearamid somehow. pretty much every thing afterward would be the same, and then he'd regroup with the rest of the family after it all clears up. i think it'd be cute to have him talking stan through a lot of the last 30 years because he's the only other person who remembers them, and it'd be a healing/bonding moment for both of them 😊 i love family

okay i THINK that's all. i THINK. this took me a few days to think on lol

silly au from twitter:

+context lol

[mabaris]

ok i’m listening to yesterday’s vows and vengeance episode and i had to pause immediately because harding swearing by the stone was so unexpected??? the idea that surfacer dwarves still believe in the stone as an actual religion is so interesting because unlike the other religions in thedas that believe they were abandoned by their respective deistic force(s), it is the individual who abandons the stone. the maker left the physical world and the creators were locked away against their will, but the stone is always there until you leave it, by choice or by force.

to have someone born and raised on the surface who still pays some importance to the stone introduces the idea of redemption to the philosophy of the stone. to me, being on the surface and still putting some kind of importance on it implies you left unwillingly right? because if you choose to walk away from it, you don’t care about preserving those ties. i wonder if she’s going to be something of a foil to varric—a child of exiles, born and raised on the surface, but she actually does have a desire to connect to that culture. and maybe that desire to reconnect is related to her weird new powers

[maliro-t]

some game design thinky thoughts.

[lucalicatteart]

Poll adventure (paventure? lol) Day 15: read the small story tidbit below the poll for more details, OR just vote based on initial impression

(✦ see past poll results + further information HERE (link) ✦)

Yesterday's poll decided that The Adventurer should purchase some new shoes for himself while he's in the city...

~

It costs quite a bit of coin, but in the end he decides that having a new sturdy pair of boots will serve him well on his travels. After he's done in the shop, he rushes back to the local inn before nightfall, eventually settling into a somewhat restless sleep..

The next morning, he orders some cheap vegetable stew from a food stall, then lounges in a park as he has his breakfast, watching the squirrels weave through flowering trees and birds pecking about in the dewy grass.. When finished with his meal (and sufficiently recovered from the emotional turmoil of burning his tongue on the soup), he quickly sells his old pair of shoes to a sketchy pawn shop before finally getting back to his journey...

By his calculations, if he he walks all day, it should only be two more sleeps before he gets to his destination, so he sets out to travel as efficiently as possible. He doesn't have the money to rent a cart, or the skill to ride a borrowed horse, but, he does have some fancy new walking shoes and a renewed sense of purpose. No more meandering through fields looking for flowers, napping in the shade, or scanning the ground for cool rocks.. He's going to focus this time!

......After a few hours, he comes across a broken down carriage in the middle of the road, with few people surrounding it, seemingly stuck trying to repair a wheel or something. It's hard to discern from afar..

Maybe if he helps them, he could get a free ride.. or some coins.. or make a new lifelong friend! Who knows? Possibilities flood his mind, this is what adventuring is all about! Wandering into interesting situations and making the most out of them!! .. But, then he recalls his previous oath.. he's supposed to focus today and not allow himself to sidetracked.. And who says he has the skills to help anyway? It could always just be a waste of time... Hmm...

What should he do?

~

~

Additional Information

the adventurer's current main quest: follow his map to reach the abandoned castle ruins and see the rare animal specialist about the mysterious egg he has

[horsemeatluvr23]

i currently watch 18 of the hermits and am constantly stuck between wanting to watch more hermits and knowing i should probably drop a couple before i get a job again. but also like... what if i watched more anyway....

im too behind atm to actually add another pov, and i need to catch up on the life series too but like... man what if i just did it anyway. whos gonna stop me? no one. thats who. i will feed my own hyperfixation and no one can get in my way!!!!

if i do end up adding a new pov who would you recommend? i currently dont watch Xisuma, stress, false, wels, hypno, jevin, joe and doc

i also dont watch xb, but i tried to and i just cant get past the texture pack (it upsets me that i cant)

i get you so much .. idk how i have technically two jobs (although they're very much part time) and am in school full time and still somehow manage to keep up with 26 different povs or. however many it is.

out of all the people you don't watch i'd probably recommend xisuma the most, i think his videos are super easy to watch even if you havent seen a lot of his content before. he has a great balance of building/redstone/interaction with the other hermits and his episodes are typically on the shorter side but he uploads regularly. i may be biased because i really really love his content but. i think he's great

also totally understand the issue w xb's texture pack lol, it's taken like 4 years of me watching him to adjust to it and i still don't like it buuut. i like his content enough to look past it... he's such a silly guy. although i do find that with quite a lot of his episodes i end up playing them in the background like a podcast rather than paying close attention to what's happening on screen. tbh if you watch keralis and beef you probably get quite a lot of xb content anyways so i wouldn't worry too much about missing out!!