#I kind of think calling the people who disagree with you on this “stupid” sucks

[ashweather]

I feel like this is a misunderstanding or bad faith read of this position, to be honest. "If you're gonna treat the Imperium like an actual fascist government…" Yeah, kinda! That's part of the point of fiction, and of satire specifically - to critique and comment on real-world phenomena. Media doesn't exist in a vacuum divorced from the world, it's inextricably a part of the world.

If you want to paint your minis how you please, give them whatever background you like, and have fun with them, go nuts, but that's really not what the post is about. Words and themes and motifs mean things. Like, let's talk about "putting the transgender flag on power armor." This isn't some generic "evil warlord." As @sirobvious points out, if you put the transgender flag on a Space Marine, it immediately invokes some very common and very pervasive transphobic tropes that do real harm to people in the present day. It would turn one implication by way of sex and gender (these fascist monsters we're depicting are patriarchal and traditional) into another WAY WORSE implication (the brutish trannies we're depicting are an arm of the government created to enforce their will on the populace). And yeah, as a trans woman myself, I kinda do want people to think about that implication!

That's the actual point: you have to think about what the fiction is saying. If you make a setting where the holy land must be purged of evil filthy bad guys and the "good guys" doing the crusading are ultra-diverse 21st century queer and marginalized people, then from my lens that's way worse than the alternative! Because under that reading you're implying that these identities and the cultures built up around them are just aesthetic. They don't mean anything, they don't have a history, they're just a signifier that can be slapped on like a decal to any damn thing you please. It's thoughtless.

One reply to this asks, to paraphrase, "Why wouldn't the Imperium be diverse, by human standards? They're human supremacists." You know what, yeah! You're right! There's a lot of grist for good storytelling in that idea, but here's the kicker: you have to think about what that decision is saying, how it impacts the work. Putting, say, black people or gay people in Imperial positions of power would kind of be a pretty harsh statement: these facets of someone's person don't exempt them from the same banal evil that characterize the Imperium and the worst parts of human nature. Absent their current marginalized status, there's no reason a lesbian or a disabled person or whatever couldn't be drawn in by the seductive lure of supremacist, fascist rhetoric. I actually think that's a pretty valuable thing to say, but it is something that decision unavoidably does say, if you catch my drift.

Things mean things. It's fine to critique the Imperium as written on the basis of disagreement with the ideas it presents or its framing of them, but I think it's kind of shallow engagement with art to dismiss its ideas as purely fictional, existing in some void outside of our reality, and therefore not worth taking seriously. The Imperium isn't real, but fascism and our discussions of it are. If you're going to build a fictional setting a certain way, you should consider what it's actually implying given the context it's being consumed in. None of this means that you can't have diverse settings that are also flawed or bigoted, or paint your minis however you damn well please, this has to do with being thoughtful while writing and consuming fiction. What does this piece of art, y'know, say?

“You just wrote your medieval fantasy setting to have medieval gender roles and homophobia and prejudice because you secretly fantasize about being able to be sexist and homophobic in a land with no PoC without any pushback! It’s fantasy, there’s dragons and wizards, it doesn’t have to have prejudice unless you, the writer, want it like that! In *my* D&D setting, there’s no sexism or homophobia, so that gay transgender women of all races can be holy knights fighting to protect the good kingdom from the endless hordes of the evil dark race that has threatened its borders for a thousand years!”

[suffersinfandom]

When it comes to fandom, a thing that is supposed to be fun and not that serious, I'm usually a filthy moderate. I want everyone to feel safe and heard. I'll jump through a hundred hoops to avoid conflict. I only block people who are hostile or triggering because I know being blocked is hurtful to some. I genuinely try get along with everyone, even the folks I disagree with.

In OFMD fandom, I never tag my posts with "Izzy Hands," not even when it's a strictly canonical observation or analysis. I use the "Izzy critical" tag whenever I mention the guy just in case my bias against him shows. I don't outright call him abusive when I'm writing meta because I don't want to stir up drama or tempt anyone to deny my lived experiences of abuse. On the rare occasion when I reply directly to someone I disagree with, I do everything in my power to be neutral, polite, and understanding (when people aren't being overtly racist).

And you know what? It kind of sucks! I'm not having fun!

Every day I get to see people complaining about harassment that (when they link to it or refer to it directly enough for me to figure out what they're talking about) is just... other people disagreeing with them or challenging them. I see all kinds of spite and pettiness aimed at the low-media-literacy idiots who love OFMD, season two, and Ed and Stede. People like me who love Ed are called abuse apologists who're incapable of recognizing that he did things wrong (in spite of the fact that everyone I follow does recognize that, yes, Ed did do things wrong -- we just don't think that he's a monster). I get to see people telling me why Izzy, a man who does and says things that my abusers have done and said to me, is the actual victim, or why he and Ed are soulmates who invented love, or why the show would be better if the season one antagonist who abused the indigenous lead had been centered like he deserves.

Look. I don't care if people like Izzy. That's none of my business and I'm happy to leave Izzy enjoyers alone as long as they aren't being racist (that does happen) or running my mutuals off of social media. I'm not going to hang out with or trust someone who thinks Izzy was in the right, but I'm also not going to bother them. I love not bothering people! I've been doing it since I first poked my head into the fandom in June of 2022!

But, like, If you want the fandom to get along, maybe being a spiteful bully isn't the best way to accomplish that, you know? Maybe you shouldn't call people abuse apologists or idiots who are just too stupid to understand why the show that you're in the fandom of is bad and terribly written and a piece of shit with only the most lukewarm, heterosexual (?) queer representation.

And if the person who came into my inbox and told me that I'm a Zionist bitch who should set myself on fire is reading this, log off. Book a therapist.

[oceanwithouthermoon]

the way some people straight up have no respect for asou's writing is actually kind of insane to me 😭 like youre a fan of HIS manga, but you outwardly express your disregard for the intentions he had when writing....... disregarding canon can be super duper funsies and cool sometimes, but to straight up say "i dont care what he intended and think my headcanons are more canon than what he wrote because i think he wrote it badly/he sucks at writing this dynamic/i dont like the ship (or whatever) he was trying to imply" is literally just insanely disrespectful IN MY OPINION 😖

i think maybe im just annoyed at how badly people misuse the words "canon", "coded", and "implied" (which im also guilty of occasionally- especially when i first came here) cuz like... "i choose not to acknowledge this thing that is canon or technically canon or implied" is fine (usually). "i know what the author intended but i dont like it or care, so im going to call my headcanon/ship canon and anyone who disagrees is disregarding canon and is stupid because i said so" is NOT fine... ☠️☠️☠️

[thyme-in-a-bubble]

It’s beneficial for others, but usually ends up hurting you

A/N: this was an old blurb originally posted back in the summer of 2022. kinda forgot I never reuploaded it... I remember writing this in a frenzy after being in a fight an ex friend. or well, idk if you would call it a fight when it was just them shamelessly and blindly not comprehending why their words and opinions hurt me........ ANYWAYS! good thing that person isn't a part of my life anymore. that relationship really was a great reminder of the important lesson that not everyone deserves your kindness or to be your friend.

warnings: Spencer Reid x reader, hurt/comfort, hyper empathy, meltdown, the aftermath of dealing with some stupid people

∼ gentle reminder that feedback, but especially reblogs are the way you support writers on here ∽

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“Hey,” you heard, causing you to peek open your eyes and see Spencer hovering over you. 

Letting out a small hum in response, you attempted to offer him a small smile. Kneeling down next to your vertical position on the couch, he gently rested his chin on your arm.

“How long have you been laying here?”

“I don’t know,” you whispered, staring firmly at the corner of the ceiling. 

You felt one of his fingers hook around your cold ones, “did something happen?”

“No,” you automatically replied, then tried again, “or well, maybe? I don’t know… I’m fine, really, it was nothing.”

“I think your body disagrees with you there… you’re shaking.”

“Yeah, I know, and my pulse is all funky and my circulation is weird,” lifting up your left hand to check, “see, it looks like I have blue nail polish on. I’m okay, my head is fine, my body’s just not on the same page about how I should react, that’s all, I’m just waiting it out.”

“Are you sure that your body is the one that’s not reacting logically?”

“Yeah.”

“What happened?”

“It was nothing, just had a conversation with someone who has polar opposite views on some things, and they sometimes hurt me… not intentionally, of course, and I don’t try to make them change their mind, we’re all different and that’s beautiful, but I just tried to make them understand that what they said hurt me and they just couldn’t see it. And I think because I understand them, and where they were coming from, I don’t feel like I can be mad at them. They’re my friend, just because they have opinions that hurt me doesn’t mean I can make them out to be the bad guy.”

“So, you make yourself the bad guy just to what, potentially save a friendship? Avoid conflict?”

Squeezing your eyes shut, you sighed, “urgh, hyper empathy sucks. I wish I could just be mad and that’s it, but no, I have to understand, empathise, and then I feel bad for them and feel like I can’t just be angry with them. It complicates everything,” zoning out for a moment, you revealed, “you know, a lot of bad things have happened to me in my life, a lot of bad people have hurt me, but my first instinct is never to be angry, it takes me years to just be plain mad at them. I have to fight tooth and nail to discard the compassion and simply be angry.”

“Being hyper empathetic is like a superpower. It’s beneficial for others, but usually ends up hurting you yourself instead,” he grabbed a hold of your hand, trying his best to transfer you some of his warmth, “and you just take it because that’s what you’re used to.”

Peeking over at him, you took a deep breath and let his words sink in.

© 2022 thyme-in-a-bubble 

[writing-neverheardofher]

The corner of a gala is the best place to make a friend. pt1

Gala’s were typically tedious and terrible. But you promised your million dollar friend James Anderson to go with him because and you quote, “If I bring someone then I have to leave with you so others will no to back off ya know?” Which, no, no you don’t. Bruce Wayne dose that all the time, you could just respectfully tell the girl no, you don’t want to take her home cause you have no interest in sex. But that would be way to hard for you computer nerd friend so here you are, standing near the corner waiting for 2am to it so you can go over and drag your friend out. It was almost clock work at this point. 

Almost to the point that the press started calling you his Cinderlla, always forcing him to leave. You didn’t care, as long as you got your Jet’s Pizza or some fancy tuna afterwards you’d attend these stupid events. Which brings you back to today. One of Gotham’s elites was hosting some kind of fancy party, for what you didn’t remember or care about, and anyone who was worth anything was here. Which meant you got your three glasses of champaign and went to the corner. 

You noticed Bruce Wayne come through the huge double doors, (three kids trailing behind him) because who wouldn’t, most of the crowd drifted closer to him imminently. Swarming the man with charming fake smiles and way to happy to be here conversations. An hour passed, James came to check up on you once and refill one of you glasses before he was sucked back into anther fake conversation. 

“What a great way to spend a Friday night.” You mumble to yourself. 

“I’ll have to disagree with you,” a young voice sounded beside you, startling you to almost drop one of your glasses. You turned to look down at Damion Wayne, staring back up at you, frowning, “I’d much rather be reading a book with my pets.” 

You initial shock set aside you smile slightly and the weirdness, “Really? I think I’d rather be eating Jet’s and watching a Disney movie. Good way to destress without giving myself a headache. But books are nice too.” 

Damion nodded courtly, I’m Damion Wayne, Bruce Wayne’s only blood son.” He stuck out his hand for yours. 

“F/N L/N?” You responded slowly, suddenly wondering why he was giving you a formal interdiction, firm handshake and all. Or as firm as a 12 year old hand shake could be. 

“Father says it’s rude if I don’t interduce myself to new people, hence.” He took his hand back and made a back and forth gesture. 

“Ah, that.. makes sense?” You smiled and chuckled to yourself. This kids was a good kinda weird. James would like him. 

“Are we friends now? I’m going to be in school soon, so I figured I should learn how to make friends with other humans.” He went back to staring out at the crowd of people mingling about. 

“Umm, sure.” You responded, not quite sure of yourself, “although, word of advice, it might help if you didn’t call other humans. Makes them feel weird.” 

“Did it make you feel weird.” 

You blinked for a moment before thinking about it, “No, not really. But I’m weird, don’t use me as an example.” 

Damion turned back to you, looking very serious, “I shall take that information and carry it to farther conversation.” 

You made a questioning hum in the back of your throat. 

“Well,” Damion spoke, a little sheepishly now, “we are friends now. And friends have conversation regularly right?” He turned to look down at his shoes. 

You smiled teeth and all, “Of course they do, friend.” 

His head whipped up to you, you turned to look back at him. Now both smiling in the corner of a gala neither of you wanted to attend. 

-----

pt2

https://www.tumblr.com/writing-neverheardofher/709535511925194752/the-corner-of-a-gala-is-the-best-place-to-make?source=share

[allycat75]

Some thought on choices and decisions...

There has been talk on some blogs about what choice a certain Boston Dumb Fuck had when it came to the current shitty situation he has found himself in, so I wanted to dig a bit deeper and discuss how we are all often put in between a rock and a hard place. And I apologize, it got a bit long.

(Before I begin speaking in hypotheticals, it will be helpful to clarify, if it isn't already know, that my deduction is, after looking at the facts presented in front of me, that this is 100% PR and that there is not one ounce of chemistry or love in this kinda "married" couple).

Ok, Hollywood is a soul-sucking shithole that swallows dreams for fuel and there may be a point in an actor's career where the only options presented to them are a Turd Sandwich and a Giant Douche (thanks, South Park). I could make the argument that one does not just find themselves all of a sudden backed into this corner, that this was probably the culmination of multiple bad decisions or just plain carelessness and shushing of anxiety producing thoughts and instincts, but that is up for debate and at this point is only supposition on my part.

However, that does not absolve the decision maker from the consequences of their choices. Intent vs. impact are two very different things- teachers could lose their jobs; entire fandoms could be called crazy, stupid or jealous for pointing out truths we all see clear as day; being told one thing, then seeing the exact opposite in action, leading to an irreparabe erosion of trust; introducing a new invasive arrogant, lazy, immature, racist, fatshamming, antisemetic, clout chasing species into an environment, when a more talented, hard-working and kind-spirted actress would have been more deserving of the opportunity (wow, that metaphor got a little away from me).

In also flaunts privlege, especially by saying the actor will be fine, if not better, after this chaos. Again, this is an affront to those not afforded their shade of skin, their male gender or their connections a middle to upper middle class can offer. And getting brownie points for doing the bare minimum by, say "running" a useless political website at a time when democracy in burning to the ground, all the while ignoring the strong ties to the very beliefs that are tearing us apart. Married or divorced, the connection to that "invasive species" provides a normalization and tacit approval to racist, antisemtic and body shaming beliefs. Hypothetically speaking, of course.

We can only change our behavior if we learn from our mistakes and make amends to those we have hurt. But if there is no acknowledgment of a mistake in the first place, where does that leave us? Especially when we receive perceived rewards from these endeavors. But don't doubt karma is always watching.

I like seeing people succeed. I especially like seeing them succeed when they have worked hard and deserve the fruits of their labor. But I am particularly satisfied when people are in control of their lives and know who they are and what they want and don't want from life. There is absolutely no joy in watching a soulless creature wander through life, programmed to say and do what others want them to do when, where and with whom. Everyone loses in the end with that sort of inauthentic existence.

You are welcomed to agree or disagree, think I am too naive or sensitive or taking this way too seriously. But wanted to put this perspective out there.

PS- oh, and I will never give grace to that little fish mouth Nazi wifey.

[sevilemar]

Hi Sevi, anon ranting about media here. I swear I didn't forget or left it on read, I was taking some time to process your words. (This one's long)

First of all, thank you for responding and having this place in the Internet. I really hope it's fun to you and it didn't become something you think you should do, cause that would suck all the fun out of it.

I agree, first season of Witcher is pretty awesome, second season meh, but I still don't get where all of the hate was coming. My problem was them overvaluing Ciri, but oh well.

I like your idea about big thinkers and concrete thinkers. It puts more emphasis on pattern of thought then on how it's result looks like. I also like the change of words as someone who more or less doesn't see myself as having actual ideals, outside of maybe 'boundaries' and 'personal freedom'. But then again I think I would get stuck, as I don't care about affecting the most people, doing the most good etc. I would still vibe with the concrete thinker, what's the most important is in front of you, and how you understand the world sets a system to your actions, what you want to do and what type of person do you want to be. But that might be just me. Maybe I don't believe in affecting the most people and settled down on a few near me, who knows.

I can imagine doing almost everything for my two siblings, I think if I have my people, it's them. I don't even like to think about them doing something really deeply against my core values, I'd better do that myself in their place than watch them do it and then have to figure it out. But what does this fantasy reeking thought have to do with real life and searching for your own place? Not much, huh. What does it matter if I love my cat but don't have the funds to bring him to the vet? Nothing. And you're right about burnt lion secondary, although I'm sometimes wondering about burnt courtier badger as well. It doesn't matter what you value if you have no power to do anything about it.

My mother isn't in my circles, and it brings me a lot of pain to say it, but there's just a number of times you can hurt someone and pretend you are right and you don't see pain. Also, family should be a safe place to discus all kinds of ideas without judgment and fear. Naive, I know.

Why do you think discussing/ defending big picture things against your loved ones and family is used as a tell tale sign for idealists? I know that it's a common idea, but why exactly? To me it was just what people do, we can still disagree and defend our people against the world if needed. It doesn't mean I don't value them or value thoughts more, or that I don't care if I hurt them, but I want them at least to listen, to acknowledge the different side. Sure, it's about validation of my opinions as well. I had to listen to the world constantly telling me how stupid I am, was I the only one and nobody else got to listen to it? No, of course not, it's also emotional as well.

"Roaring truths into a void" such a pretty expression. Can I turn it around and say I'm the void now, and the world is roaring, it sure feels like that sometimes.

Sevi, thank you again for your time and I freaking hope that you find this nonsense interesting. If not, fork this. Have a nice week!

Hi nonny, sorry for leaving your answer for this long. Life happened, as it is wont to do, and I wasn't in the mood for shc.

It's weird for me as well to think about having ideals; I think of them more as behavioural guidelines to make my life easier. Things like 'leave a person or a space the same way you found them or better', or 'be polite/kind when you can', or things like that. It's practical advice to live a more positive life, tested in 30+ years of living, not something that's born out of a need to do good to others. And it's just for me, other people can do what they want. I wouldn't call these things ideals, not really.

I don't think it's helpful to put the standard definitions of ideals/idealist on the shc definitions, because that way, confusion lies. Here are Inky and Cat's defintions again, because I have also forgotten them over the years:

Idealists focus on concepts and truths and what is right and what is good. They are big picture thinkers and have moral drives that closest to what we think of when we think of typical moral drives: this is right because the most people benefit, this is wrong because people get hurt, this is gray so we have to look at the specifics. There is a system of rights and wrongs and in betweens and those things all matter. 

Loyalists care about people. Whether it’s a few people or a whole world of people, at the center of their moral system is to do what is best for those people.

The words they choose for the categories are confusing, and so is the false either/or thinking it often creates. I feel it's easier to think of it as having a different natural focus, hence big picture/concrete. Because big picture people also care very deeply about the people in front of them; they just naturally focus on the big picture to help. And concrete thinkers also see the benefits of big picture help, they just naturally focus on the people right in front of them first.

As for arguing about big picture or idealistic ideas with loved ones, I never felt the need. Why argue when you can learn instead? I know they're good people, so whatever they have thought a lot about and decided to believe in can't be too horribly wrong.

People who are wrong, who hold beliefs that are harmful to me or mine, they will sooner or later be a dick to us anyway, and that's my cue to avoid them. I do not feel the need to convince strangers of anything, and if it happens with my people, I will try if it's important enough, or just agree to disagree if it's not, and avoid the topic in the future. If they hurt me or mine because of it, I will downgrade them, or cast them out if I have to.

Another reason why I do not feel the need to argue about bigger picture things is that I more often than not genuinely don't see how my actions, or those of other people, affect bigger picture ideas/discourse/etc. That's probably just a me thing, but I simply do not see the world from that perspective.

I did not realise that 'leave a person the same or better than you found them and be kind when you can' could make the world a better place if everyone did it. It took a lion friend to point that out. Or how me ranting about my own asexual frustration with romance in media is just one side of a much bigger discourse about who is 'allowed' to even have a sexuality in media. It took a bird friend to show me.

I don't know if that's just me, nonny. But maybe, if you find yourself arguing about big picture things with your family often, then maybe either them, or you, or both have at least some idealist vibes going on. Especially if arguing about it hurts you as much as I think it might, based on your words. Because I know from experience that big picture people can only tolerate so many differences in the really important things. I think it's because disagreeing on these fundamental levels hurts them personally, at the core of who they are.

But then, being forced to argue about things a lot, and feeling like the other people do not even listen to you, would hurt anyone. It's one of the basic ways human beings show respect and appreciation, after all.

That does not mean that you cannot defend them against the world, or value them as a person. Believing in defending your family, no matter how imperfect, is definitely something a lot of people value, idealists and loyalists alike. And you definitely have a snake's exception for your siblings, which I think is incredibly cute, btw.

You're also right, family should be a place where people listen to each other, and where it's safe to try out new ideas if that's a thing you're interested in. But it's often not with the blood family you find this, but rather with a found one.

[deadbirdvibes]

If you were in charge of Peanuts, how would you have done it? Let me show you how I would've done it.

I would've written a comic strip (and done a TV special based on it) that involved Charlie Brown running away because of the bullying.

The storyline begins with Patty, Violet and Lucy tormenting Charlie Brown as usual. Then Violet goes too far by slapping him across the face and pushing him in the dirt, all while saying the most cutting remark.

This causes Charlie Brown to run away, sobbing.

Later that day, he calls up Peppermint Patty and asks her if she can stay with him for the night. She agrees.

That night, Charlie Brown packs his things, right after he leaves a note informing that he will never return. The note goes something like this.

Dear everyone

I'm leaving this neighborhood and I'm never coming back. All of you treat me like garbage, and I've had enough. What is the point of even living anymore if nobody will ever be kind to me? If none of you like me, why can't you just admit that, you stupid jerks? I hate all of you.

Sincerely,

Charlie Brown.

Then Peppermint Patty's dad picks him up

Sally reads the note and then informs Snoopy and Woodstock that Charlie Brown ran away. Then Snoopy and Woodstock tell the entire neighborhood, and they all look for him.

Meanwhile, at Peppermint Patty's house, Charlie Brown tries to end his life by cutting himself and jumping out of a window. But luckily, Peppermint Patty and her dad stop him. They tell him that killing himself won't solve anything, and they teach him how to stand up for himself. Charlie Brown decides to stay for at least two more days and during that time, Peppermint Patty, along with Marcie and Franklin teach him not to take crap from anyone. They tell him that if anyone from his neighborhood ever picks on him again, he can always talk to them.

Meanwhile, at Charlie Brown's neighborhood, everyone (except Violet) wonders how they could've been so horrible to him. Violet thinks that he deserves to be picked on, but everyone else disagrees. They all turn against her after seeing her true colors. Then, surprise, surprise, Charlie Brown comes back and everyone is overjoyed to see him. Everyone that is, except Violet. She tries to insult him, but this time, Peppermint Patty gives her a very scathing "Reason You Suck" speech, and it goes a little something like this:

"Let me tell you something Violet, Chuck has told me all about you and frankly, you are not a good person. You are a selfish, spoiled, shallow and manipulative person who thinks that she is better than everyone just because she is rich and pretty. And you treat everyone like garbage for being "below you" and you have given thet worst of that to Chuck. He might not be as intelligent as you, but he's a sweet and kind boy, and he would never do anything to hurt any of us. But you go and pick on him to the point where he has no self respect. That says a lot about what a disgusting person you are. And besides, your so called "friends" don't even like being around you. They only hang around you out of fear that you will start being mean to them if you don't. You are a horrible person, and frankly, nobody cares if you live or die, including me."

Charlie Brown gathers whatever courage he has left, and calls Violet a stupid, disgusting, selfish, shallow hag, and tells her that the world would be better off without horrible, awful people like her. Then he slaps her across the face, giving her a taste of her own medicine, teaching her a lesson.

After this, Violet runs off crying.

And then she gives a brief one to everyone else:

"And for all of you, if you ever pick on Chuck again, Franklin, Marcie and I will kick your butts so super hard, that none of you will be able to sit for two weeks. You got that?"

Then Peppermint Patty goes home.

Patty then says: "You guys, I think it might be best for us to never pick on Charlie Brown again".

Everyone agrees, and they all promise to never hurt him again. They also stop hanging out with Violet.

How's that for a storyline? I'm just sharing my idea on how I would've done Peanuts.

(I'm not trying to ruin it).

that was a really well thought out storyline! i like the running away idea a lot actually, that seems in character. i also love peppermint patty sticking up for him, that’s so cute.

not a huge fan of the whole suicide attempt thing, in my mind this is an eight year old boy, but i get why you would put it in there.

i think it’s a really good idea, i don’t think you ruined it at all.

[skewbforty]

Story time

2020, although not the worst year of my life, definitely ranks at least top 5. But it didn't suck harder for me than it did in July, when at my most vulnerable, someone who ran the community that I at the time called my family, had everyone gang up on me and made me feel as betrayed as possible. I won't go into the details, but long story short, I eventually got better. Slightly.

But 3 things became my beacon of hope in those times. 1 was my own server which I had established soon afterwards, which turned out to be a huge success, 1 was my now girlfriend who stuck with me and gave me support, but 1 was a slightly less likely source.

It was an Animal Crossing parody account on Twitter which back then, as a site, wasn't 180% pure anger and hatred. There was still salvageable material on the website at that point in its life.

That's not to say there weren't angry people tho, and boy did they fuck that account over.

I'm not gonna say the account's name to protect my own ass, but what happened one day not long after I had found it, was the account had said something slightly stupid, either knowingly or unknowingly, that could be seen as slightly racially insensitive. All of a sudden, they got absolutely lynched by people for that tweet, wave after wave after wave of hatred, threats and toxicity which broke them to the point where they deleted that account.

Now, I am NOT saying what the parody account did was right. I do think they should maybe have thought a bit more about what they said, especially in an age like this. But it's not like they said any slurs, or direct attacks, or anything any government would consider hate speech. And yet they got absolutely flooded with hate with whatever they said (which btw, I don't even remember what it was, go figure)

I've been victim of this too. On one of my old accounts on this website I talked briefly about why I thought Sasha (which funnily enough is also an Animal Crossing character) was not transmasculine. I tried to remain as inclusive as I possibly could about trans people, and I even went out of my way to say "I could be wrong, if you disagree, that's perfectly fine, and you could be right". In the end, it's all a game and it was just a ramble in good fun in the spirit of the game. Didn't work. That post got so much hate. Not nearly as much as the parody Twitter account got, but I was called "cis scum" left and right. (I find it painfully fortuitous that people in defence of trans people called a trans person who wasn't 100% perfect in their wording "cis scum" >.>) but that's the kind of place we live in atm. Yes, the haters out there are just trying to do the right thing, but some are trying too hard. And ultimately doing the opposite of what they sought out to do in their extremity.

I will miss that parody account. Not for their one dumb tweet they made, but for their other thousands of delightfully funny tweets. And it's not like the only one. I just found another account that's similar in style only on this site, and for Minecraft instead of Animal crossing. So I’m glad I was able to find some humour in this chaotic world again. Because the show must go on.

[randomnameless]

hey, sending this anonymously because i try to avoid the prying eyes of the weird fe fans when i can- but stumbled across your blog recently and had to tell you i appreciate it! you have a lot of the same insights to the games (both old and new) that i do, and it was a relief to find someone who can see through a lot of the bullshit writing/localization in games like fe16 and isnt afraid to point out how ridiculous the treatment of some characters and story lines are. i got very seriously harassed on fire emblem twitter during 2019 when 3h released and i was vocal about my disdain for edelgard and her route, so finding this corner of tumblr where people don't pull any punches calling out the racism and antisemitic vibes of the whole thing is refreshing.

No worries anon!

It's kind of sad we can't exchange or talk without going all "anon" like, and while I want to say it's exclusively because of the FE16 wank, imo it's a deeper current in the fandom, where some people just don't know how to enjoy things without ruining other people's enjoyment anymore!

Like sure, if there's something you disagree with, usually you'd make a reply, and then they're would be discussion, and ultimately everyone would part ways and joke about memes or something stupid, but now it's full on insults, spam asks and harassment...

I remember an old meme around circulating on SF that would be posted each time someone started a topic with "am i the only one who thinks X is better than Y" or something, and each time there'd be a person going all "yes you're the only one of the millions of internet users around the net lol"

But sure, in 2019 it was a bit, uh, complicated to have dissenting opinions because everyone bought a certain narrative and refused to consider anything else no matter where you went, so at least I thought on Tumblr I could post whatever I wanted without attracting the downvote pogroms from redshit or that one posted who posted each day for several weeks a post on the 3H topic about how Supreme Leader is good ackshually - but apparently even Tumblr isn't a safespace anymore, since people were harassed out of the general FE community!

Still, fwiw, I'll still be there to enjoy the things I like about the Fodlan verse, and let others enjoy the things they like about the Fodlan verse, and that's it and make fire jokes

Lizards BaD and the reason why Fodlan sucks, and actually the meta reason why every FE world sucked at one point?

Have that instead :

Modern!AU where Seteth accepted to house his siblings for a few months, but ends up kicking them out when Indech drinks all of his milk and puts the empty bottle back in the fridge, when Rhea gave the keys of Seteth's newest car to Willy, or when Macuil told him to shut up because he was watching cartoons with Flayn.

[purplesurveys]

1622

Have you ever had a dream that your teeth were falling out? Once or twice. I remember this mainly because it’s my sister who gets this type of dream all the time, so when I had the same I immediately shared it with her.

Do you have a fence? We used to, but we took it out more than half a decade ago.

Do you think that in the end, everything will fall into place? Doesn’t always for some people. I like to believe it for myself though, at least.

When was the last time you went bowling? Oh gee. That time had to have been around 4-5 years ago.

Who was the last person you disappointed? I’m not sure, maybe Bea? I have some slip-ups at work here and there and I may have disappointed/slightly pissed her off in those moments.

Would you ever get a significant other’s name tattooed on yourself? I’d consider initials, but not an entire name. Even then I’m not entirely sure I’d actually do this; like if that relationship ultimately failed I’d hate myself for getting the tattoo.

Name one unpopular opinion of yours: Fruits suck.

Has the person you like ever made you upset? I don’t like anyone.

What is one thing people automatically notice about you? These days, it’s the fact that I wear braces, I guess.

Does anyone know your deepest darkest secret? That would be this blog, and yeah a couple of people know about it but never check it out as far as I know.

If you were getting unwanted attention by some creeper, would the person you like stand up for you? I’m really not into anyone...

Favorite kind of soda? I dislike soda, but in a hypothetical situation where it was the only thing available I’d probably ask for a Sprite. Idk if it’s the same for anyone else but the fizz (which I hate) is milder to me than other softdrinks, which makes it more tolerable for me.

Are you closer to your mother or father? My dad. Both because he’s away far more often and because we’re also simply more similar.

Are you afraid of the dark? Nah; I’d be afraid of it only if I was in some abandoned or ‘haunted’ spot.

What’s your favorite shape? I don’t have a favorite shape.

How social are you? Pretty damn social. I try to find people to talk to regardless of where I am lmao; unfortunately for me Filipinos by nature are very guarded and they like keeping to themselves – and for the most part find it weird when you try talking to them.

What’s your favorite primary color? Blue!

Do you like hot chocolate? For the most part I find it just okay, but I take great exception with Spanish hot chocolate. So good it’s almost stupid.

What do you have pierced? Just my earlobes.

What’s your favorite type of tea? I don’t like tea.

Who are you subscribed to on YouTube? Oh, so many channels. I’m not strict or crazy organized about curating my subscriptions; like I’m still subscribed to channels that I subscribed to in like 2010 lol. These days though I keep my views to any BTS-related channel and my latest obsession, Team Payaman hehehehe.

What’s your favorite thing about the winter? I wouldn’t know.

What motivates you? Money. And the desire to travel, which technically is still related to money.

Would you rather have a hot tub or a pool? Pool. I don’t need a hot tub in a country where the temperature is constantly above the 30s.

What’s your favorite Yankee Candle scent? I’m not a regular scented candle user, much less a Yankee Candle customer so I’m not familiar with their line-up.

Would you rather learn how to play the ukulele or guitar? Guitar.

If you are up after 3 am, what are you most likely doing? Watching BTS, getting food delivery, or scrolling through Instagram reels and Reddit. Would you ever keep your favorite animal as a pet? I already have two of them. :)

What are your thoughts and feelings towards work/jobs in general? I don’t entirely disagree with the whole concept of work; I personally think it’s an acceptable way to work on your skills while at the same time make a living. What I hate are the 8-hour, 5-day standard of work weeks; the idea that you can always be called to work overtime and weekends and not have much of a choice; and the idea that being employed is basically a contract to keep your phone constantly alive in the case of any urgent matter to attend to.

Do you believe in astrology? Nooooooooooo no no no no.

What is something that you’ve made/created? Do you take pride in your creations? Outside the events I’ve mounted for work...not much. I’m not creative enough to make things by myself.

Do you have any cultural or family traditions that you know are uncommon in the area that you reside in currently? No, we never really did have any quirky or unique tradition in the family.

What are you grandparents' names? Not sharing those.

Have you ever been bitten by a dog? Just playful ones.

The last time you got blood drawn, what was the reason? 2020, to figure out what the fuck was causing my fever that wouldn’t go away.

Where are you, exactly, right now? I’m on my ‘couch’ in the bedroom, having Jungkook’s chicken mukbang the night before in the background. I say couch because my mom and I recently did this cute thing with my room where instead of getting an Actual Couch, we got these foldable mattresses that kind of stack up – we got two of them, so when placed together it totally looks like this adorable mini sofa haha.

What is your relation to the last child you spoke to? I can’t even remember that...maybe Camille’s niece? She brought her to work like last August.

Are you scared to look at your own organs on x-ray or ultrasound? No, I find it interesting actually. Biology and anatomy are also some of my fav branches of science so seeing organs has never bothered me.

Have you ever walked on a frozen lake/river? Nope, never even seen one.

Have you ever seen a volcano? Sure! We have a couple ones here that I’ve visited.

Have you ever met an Alaskan? I don’t think so.

Describe how you’ve broken a bone, if you have. Never had a broken bone. I have sprained my left ankle twice though – once in school, when I tripped on my way to my car 🙃 and the second was on my birthday weekend last year, tripping over stairs after having had a handful of shots.

Choose 5 friends, and briefly describe their relationship status. Angela’s been in a long-term relationship the last 8 years; Reena’s single; Kata’s single; Jo is single as far as I know; and Kaye is seeing someone. 

Describe the last situation in which you found yourself feeling awkward. My teammates were invited to the (very bougie) 123rd anniversary party of a major broadsheet, but we all traveled separately and I arrived too early so I was standing awkwardly for an hour while surrounded with a bunch of 50, 60, 70 somethings. Hated every minute of it.

Do you have a neighbor you'd like to get to know more? Not so much but I just wanna know if there are any other BTS fans here so I can befriend them and get them cookies and invite them from time to time to watch whatever lol.

If you're female, would you rather be called a girl, woman, gal, chick, b*tch, or lady? Woman.

What magazines did you like to read as a teenager? So magazines were in their heyday when I was a kid, so the ones I used to collect were those targeted for my age group, like K-Zone and Total Girl. Oh I do remember my dad also supporting my love for wrestling and getting me WWE and PWI magazines, too.

Did you use Lisa Frank folders in school when you were younger? I didn’t. The rich kids had a ton of Lisa Frank stuff though.

Do you watch any doctors' channels on YouTube? No. I’m subscribed to Institute of Human Anatomy though and watch their videos from time to time.

Have you ever lived in a house that was on a street corner? We never have.

What’s your favorite app? These days I have YouTube on pretty much, like, 18-20 hours out of 24. It’s the first thing I open and the last thing I close.

Do you want any tattoos? I only ever consider them and think of my dream designs, but never push through with an appointment because needles and I don’t mix.

What is the saddest song you’ve ever heard? Why We Ever by Hayley Williams. Also her songs HYD, Trigger, and Wait On. I have such a complicated relationship with her music, as much as I hate to admit it; her albums sat beside me and kept me company during what was arguably the darkest point of my life, but the obvious downside to that is I can’t really listen to those albums anymore without getting hurled back to that time.

Are you afraid of snakes? I mean if I saw them in the wild and they turned out to be venomous then yeah I’d be shitting my pants. I’m not afraid in more contained situations though and I’ve actually held snakes before.

Which “famous couple” is your favorite? Bey and Jay are a given, but I also like David and Victoria Beckham because of how cute and close their family is. What’s your favorite love song? Yellow by Coldplay.

How important is it to make a relationship official (p.e. on Facebook)? I personally think the “In a relationship with” feature is cringey so it’s not at all important to me. But I’m all for other ways of showing that a relationship is official, like sharing photos or writing appreciation posts for a significant other. Are you the “dominant” or the “submissive” part in a relationship? Submissive.

What career do you want? I already love being in communications and PR.

What about having kids? I wanted kids in the past, but I’ve moved past that. I like to think that in another universe I’ve happily got the two-kids soccer-mom picket-fence life I once dreamed of having.

Do you think you’ll marry your current significant other? I don’t have one and don’t think I’ll ever want to be in a relationship again.

How did your first serious breakup go? Not counting the one from high school, I’ve had one serious breakup and it went just about as bad as bad gets. Didn’t show up to family and friends for months (in fact my phone will literally show you I had no activity from Sept 2020 to, like, Feb 2021), barely ate, didn’t see a life past 2020 basically.

[TW: SELF-HARM] Have you ever cut yourself? Yeah.

The first time you dumped someone, was it hard? I’ve never dumped anyone.

Do you regret who you lost your virginity to? Eh, no. I wanted it at the time.

Do you watch WWE Raw? Not anymore, but I continue to check in for the major events like the Rumble and Wrestlemania. I can’t even tell you a single current running angle.

Do you dye your hair? Not regularly, but yes I did it twice last year and plan on having it redyed to purple again.

Which of your parents will you see next? My mom. My dad and I aren’t seeing one another again until like May.

Have you ever been hospitalized? Just once.

Do you make fun of obese people? Not because they’re obese, because that’s sick. But sometimes there’ll be those videos of racist people in those scooter things harassing Asians and telling them to get out and threatening to call the police or run them over or whatever. Those always get me into frustrated laughter every time lol.

Do you eat when you’re upset? No. I lose my appetite when I’m upset or nervous.

One word to describe your most recent ex? I barely have any memory of that person, so let’s go with the most boring, inconclusive answer I can think of lol: girl.

Fried, poached, boiled or scrambled eggs? Scrambled.

Where, in your current country, would you like to live, other than where you do now? BGC.

Where wouldn’t you want to live? The grossness that is Cubao.

Name three things that are overrated: Superhero movies, Taylor Swift, the whole 90s fashion throwback thing going on right now.

List four things about your facial appearance: I wear glasses; I have braces; I have one prominent dimple on the left side of my mouth, but another one on the right side will shyly peek out if I smile hard enough; I have the faintest eyebrow scar that you’ll see if you’re close enough.

List four things about your general appearance: I’m petite in height and body type; my arms and legs are pretty long; I practically have no boobs; my hair is currently sporting an ash brown shade that is rapidly fading into a brighter brown.

What was the last thing that made you laugh out loud? I was rewatching a few of the boys’ lives earlier this evening and was laughing over some of their jokes.

How many weddings have you ever been to? I can’t tell how many I’ve been to (because all of them happened when I was a kid, so I barely remember them), but I can share that I haven’t been to a wedding since ‘07.

Would you ever wear real authentic leather? No.

How old are your parents? My dad is 52, mom’s turning the same age this September.

What song is stuck in your head at the moment? Unholy by Sam Smith and Kim Petras.

What’s your boss’s first name? Do you call him/her by that name? My immediate superior is Bea, and yeah our workplace operates on a first-name basis. It was a deliberate decision so that nobody feels intimidated and so that everyone, down to the associates, would feel confident and comfortable sharing their ideas.

--

What is your favorite thing to cook or bake?: I do neither. The kitchen and I do not mix, haha.

When someone is tailgating you, do you drive faster or slower?: It would largely depend on how big of an asshole they’re being. If I catch them having been idiots to other drivers then I’d drive slower; but if I can tell they’re genuinely in a hurry or in an emergency, I’d either drive faster or (if there’s space) move aside so they can go ahead.

What place outside of your own home do you spend the most time at?: You can usually find me at a coffee shop.

Do you have any checks that you need to cash or deposit?: No.

Do you know how to use AutoCAD software?: No. I wouldn’t even be able to tell you what that is.

Do you read peoples' answers to the surveys you've created?: I don’t make my own surveys but I do read answers that I come across on my dashboard. What is your least favorite household chore?: Folding laundry. There are just so many clothes lol and the repetitive motions make me feel restless. What career field are you in/would you like to be in?: Like I said in the previous survey, I like where I am and it’s not so much a matter of figuring out what career I wanna be in, but more so on figuring out what places or companies can offer me the biggest opportunities. Meaning to say I already like being in PR, but it would be cool to one day work PR for a company I genuinely follow and support, like WWE.

Have you ever been snorkeling?: Sure.

Why did you last see a doctor?: Dentists count as doctors, right? I got braces last Saturday. How often do you check your email?: Only during weekdays. My work email is off-limits on weekends.

What is your favorite outdoor activity?: I wish I had an answer to this but the Philippines barely has any public spaces.

Do most of your relatives live in the same state/province as you?: No, we are pretty spread out on both my mom’s and dad’s sides.

Have you ever participated in a medical study?: Nah.

Do you have any magnets on your refrigerator?: Yep, magnets from all the countries my dad has traveled to for work. He’s been to every continent except Africa and Antarctica.

What is the last thing you got in the mail?: Indigo :) Got both versions.

Is there a food you hate that everyone else seems to like?: Virtually all fruits.

Have you ever donated to a charity?: Yes.

What is your favorite kind of soup?: Mushroom soup and miso soup.

How long would it take to drive from your current home to the last place you lived?: 15 minutes only because of how ridiculously far my house is to the entrance of our village. If we lived any closer to the front it would take literally only 5.

What do you usually order from Subway?: I don’t even know what options there are at Subway haha, I never order anything from there.

Are you the oldest of your siblings?: Yes.

Are you the oldest of your cousins? Nah. I’m the second-eldest on my mom’s side, and the third-eldest on my dad’s. And that’s only referring to first cousins.

What is the most expensive thing you own?: My car.

Have you ever had to evacuate from a natural disaster?: Nope.

Do you have any family members who are cancer survivors?: As far as I know, no.

Describe your favorite pair of sunglasses.: I don’t have one.

Are most of your friends shorter or taller than you?: Most definitely taller. I’m the short-ish friend.

Are you allergic to any medications?: Not that I know of.

Do you have any licenses other than your drivers license?: Nah.

What's your favorite Nintendo 64 game?: I didn’t grow up with an N64.

What all do you have on your keyring?: Two Tata keychains, car key, house key.

Would you rather ski or snowboard?: Idek the difference. What job does your significant other have?: I don’t have one.

Which class would you rather take: computer programming or astronomy?: Astronomy in a heartbeeeeeeeat. I love outer space.

When you were in elementary school, what was a typical afternoon like once you got home from school?: Ditch all my homework, play outside, watch TV.

Is your favorite movie part of a series?: It isn’t.

[suffersinfandom]

I was going to make some embarrassing, fluffy New Year post about how grateful I am for OFMD and this fandom and how cool it is to be here and participating for the first time ever (I mean, I made some goofy meme edits for BSG and Star Wars, but I sure as heck wasn’t brave enough to share actual thoughts). I was going to type about how awesome and smart and funny so many of the people I follow here are and how much I love all of the meta and art and fanfic, and I was going to go on about how important OFMD is to me and how much it’s brightened up my life.

But then I logged on and remembered how flawed this fandom is, too. It makes me sad to see all of the insults and personal attacks in a fandom that is -- or at least claims to be -- more queer and more accepting and more invested in kindness and goodness than any other I’ve come across. 

There’s the block button, I know (believe me, I use it every time I come across someone who goes on about how abusive Ed is because I absolutely won’t entertain that), but the hostility runs deep and blocking alone isn’t fixing anything. People act like the mere existence of interpretations that contradict their own are direct attacks on their character, and they retaliate by calling people idiots with zero reading comprehension and abuse apologists and cruel sadists who wouldn’t know suffering if it bit them on the dick and so on. It’s not enough to disagree; we have to tear people down and insult them and make everyone angrier by showing our followers strawman arguments being tossed around by ~the other side~. 

Don’t get me wrong, there are definitely abhorrent takes that demonstrate, at best, ignorance on the part of the person making it. We should call those out! 

Idk, I just wish we could have discussions and disagreements without attacking actual human people. Like, I love it when people engage with things they don’t agree with in good faith and pick apart arguments and make new points. I even love passive-aggressive indirect responses to bad takes. Those can be very fun and, tbh, it’s not a fandom without a little pettiness, as a treat.

But it sucks to scroll around and see people in your fandom throwing out very personal insults and attacking others for interpreting things differently or thinking a fake guy is a piece of shit, y’know? I want better for us. We deserve better. 

Also, just to be clear, this isn’t in response to anything specific, okay? I was just generally set off when I scrolled through the OFMD tag today and saw yet another “well, if you don’t see things the way I do, you’re a stupid piece of shit who loves abuse” post from someone I hadn’t gotten around to blocking yet. Not to get personal, but as someone who was regularly called an abusive, stupid piece of shit by someone who was genuinely abusing me when I had the nerve to challenge them, that kind of thing can be legit triggering if it hits at the wrong time.

Also also: I do feel all of those things that I mentioned in the first paragraph! I’m so grateful for OFMD and the fans of it! There are so many brilliant and talented people around here, and I know I wouldn’t be as bummed about the unsavory parts of OFMD fandom if I didn’t love it so much as a whole. 

[juni-ravenhall]

yesterday on sso ig post i saw some number of ppl commenting that the final 50sc wasnt enough for the disco reward, that we shouldve gotten 200sc since it was 200k people, stuff like that

this is one of the few times that ive felt some (mostly kids/teens..) criticism of a sse choice was kinda silly, since we have been getting a lot of free sc in the past half year, and at the current rate id assume we will get more small free sc codes again in the next months. if youve been using every free code since xmas til yesterday, you prob got more than 200sc for free in the past half year. which is nice and very welcomed from sse, who had otherwise gotten very dismissive and disinterested in rewarding players' loyalty and patience with them (which they should be grateful for due to all sso's years of problems!) with rewards that the players feel actually matter.

but, i dont have anything rude or disrespectful or mean to say about those people (mostly kids/teens...) for saying it was cheap of sse to not give out more sc yesterday. i dont think theyre greedy and i certainly dont think it would be okay to publically (including in gc/servers/communities) call them greedy or whiny or entitled or stupid, if you did think that about them. (i say that bc ive seen those kind of words used over and over. do *you* want to be called those things, especially in public, or in someone's gc? is that really how you want ppl to treat each other? instead of having respectful convos about things you disagree on, or just take a deep breath and move on [when the thing isnt really a real problem hurting real ppl]?)

even if i disagree with their opinion, the fact is that

1) most of those players are frustrated with sse for a lot of valid reasons. even tho sse is trying to give out more rewards, it feels like too little too late for them. which is okay. they dont have to be loyal or patient with a game they paid like $€100 for that was a hot mess and often failed to deliver things or didnt uphold a standard quality (or even child safety, like human moderation, player reporting, manipulative marketing tactics to children who dont understand theyre being exploited...). they might not know how to convey their frustration in other ways than asking for more loyalty rewards bc they are regular young ppl who dont deeply analyse things before they talk. its not hurting anyone in this case and therefore isnt really an issue (sse is a company and can not be hurt. if any one person at sse is hurt by "give us 200sc you suck" comments on the company ig page, something is wrong that can be fixed), and companies do need to get negative feedback as well as positive. even when that feedback isnt well-phrased: "i love this game" is also not well thought-out feedback, the same as "i hate this game". or "thank you for the reward" vs "i wanted more rewards". both are okay. neither are especially concrete or analytical.

2) some of them make a point that for the free sc we've received lately, you still can't even buy a 350sc pet, much less a 800+ sc horse. in.... you know, the horse game. which is a fair point. if you're a young player, without an income or the ability to make your own digital purchases, and maybe your parents either dont pay for sso for you *or* only pay occasionally... then, if you're passionate about wanting to play this game, you really *wish* you could buy a horse in this game but you cant, you're an engaged player/customer that should be valued by the company for your interest and loyalty... it does make sense to think that you could be rewarded with enough to buy a horse, once in a while. you would barely even be able to buy tack or clothes or a pet, still, without buying more sc (esp until recently when firefly shilling grinding wasnt a thing - but u still lose access to that if u lose your sr sub bc you / your parents couldnt pay for another month). and, you probably still want to buy another horse. its not as if getting 900sc for free and buying a horse means you wouldnt be interested in buying more sc later, for another horse, for tack, for clothes, for pets. you were engaged enough in the game in the first place to desire that horse so badly. its not likely youd just immediately stop being interested in buying sc or paying for sr... rather, you might be even more passionate now that you have that pretty horse you wanted for a year, now you really, really want to try to get star rider, or get that tack set for the horse. and maybe you can afford paying for a month of sr or use double sc weekend next time, even though you couldnt last year. engaged, passionate and loyal players/customers are important and should be valued. (not as in, value every single thing they say. value as in consider how to keep them positive towards your product and company. they will also spread word of mouth advertisement etc for free for you, if you keep them happy.)

ive said this before, but remember that getting a free horse should actually be a normal thing in sso (sc allowance isnt really "free" considering you have to be paying to get the allowance). the same way giving out a free weapon or free mount in other games makes sense (if its not possible to just earn them with non-premium currency). it brings in attention and eyes on your game when it happens, the same way their current micro-dosing-sc campaigns are getting them lots of players attention, and brings positivity and excitement in the playerbase. it makes returning players come check out what they've been missing and maybe spend some cash if they like what they see.

alternatively they could offer some horses for shillings instead of sc to help reward the players who just cant pay much for the game, if they dont want to give out large sums of sc (like 500-1000) or give out free horses. ofc the 10k js limit is a problem here if they want the horses to cost more than a sweater (tho... i think instead, no objects should cost more than 5000js individually..), but even that can be solved by making some system where you pay 10k js multiple times, like by unlocking different parts of a bundle or buying a few items that together will combine and form the full "key" to buying your shilling horse.

anyway. i think that before you call people names (greedy, untitled, whiny, stupid, mean, rude...) for something you disagree with, you should think properly about whether theyre actually hurting any real people (saying "i hate this" about a company or product or situation etc =/= saying "i hate you / i hate this person / i hate these people" about actual individual people or groups of people - and no, saying "but sse staff are people" doesnt make it different than criticising a company/product, unless one is literally sending hate to individual staff members as persons).

and, you should also try to understand where that reaction is coming from - both theirs, and yours. people are frustrated with Thing, people express negative emotions and thoughts and opinions towards Thing, and sometimes thats fair and okay. sometimes Thing has bad things that are worth being frustrated over or criticising, and yes, even if there are also good parts to Thing, its still completely valid to criticise the bad or less good parts, and to be frustrated about them. (nuance is necessary - its not okay to want people not to criticise Thing just because it has good parts, or just bc you love it - criticising Thing also doesnt mean they hate it or hate you - those are unhealthy mindsets without enough nuance.)

yes, sometimes people also "hate" on a Thing to take out frustrations that arent even related - it does happen, but its really just.... not that serious if 3 people are taking out their frustrations on a commercial product or capitalist company.... if you had a hard day and say, comment on a brand of soda's page to say "fuck you i hate you", this should not be a big deal to anyone. professional social media page managers need to be trained in how to cope with spam and other negative interactions. on the other hand, you taking out your frustrations on actual real individual people - or groups of people - is a genuine problem. saying "these people on ig are so whiny and greedy about this videogame" is rude and disrespectful when those people's frustrations are actually coming from a pretty reasonable source and arent hurting anyone. this teenager on instagram doesnt have a social media manager, this unprofessional sso youtuber is just a normal person like you, this tumblr blog doesnt deserve mean reactions from their peers just for expressing opinions about a Thing that isnt a Person. not if its not harming people.

but i know its really hard for me to ever get through to people about this bc some people just feel so strongly that "hating" on a product/company *is* somehow hating "on real people", is "harmful", usually both on the staff of the company and on the non-"haters". we're "harming you" by criticising your favourite game or disagreeing... "harming sso staff" by leaving negative comments... and so on. which is just not true and not reasonable. (usually painting people as either lovers or haters - and those of us who love the game but also criticise it and criticise the company, get painted as haters for no other reason than lack of nuance. i really cant believe how i've had a sso-centric blog for 5+ years and play this game a lot and people will STILL claim that actually i hate sso, im biased against sso, i dont care about sso, etc, etc, etc. its crazy.)

[niconiconwo]

How bad is the culture war stuff that drove you from the left?

The biggest thing that has me hard nopeing is BRIDGE, essentially a DEI evangelicalism that wants to force DEI culture on everyone. Not just your typical woke shit either, it's absolutely cult level re-education or get unpersoned.

I don't like financial services pushing this shit either. On a related note is all the places that now police you off-site which should be absolutely illegal but is postured as a safety and inclusion thing. A person's behavior or speech off platform should have zero bearing on their access as long as they comply with platform rules and TOS. This part is the twitter cancel mob mentality being appeased. Numerous sites are like that now, ones I've noticed that are bigger are places like Medium and other creative spaces. I'd be fine with general bans on anything too spicy or outright hateful, but controversial speech isn't hateful and being banned off a site for something unrelated on a separate platform is bullshit.

I've never liked tokenism and always opposed affirmative action as a racist ideology. Now it's being championed as the highest morality you can act upon. Likewise is this push towards equity thing taking root in mainstream; I can agree with the idea that if you have any kind of job there is a minimum living standard you should expect to have accessible to you but I strongly disagree to the idea that the minimum effort should guarantee you a middle class or greater lifestyle. UBI is a great idea, telling employers they have to pay their cashiers enough to afford a suburban mortgage, a car, and put their kids through school is laughable. You want a high flying life, you need to do the work that gets you there. Equitable Outcome is ridiculous.

Next on the sheet is that thing the FHFA did punishing people who actually played by the stupid credit rules to get half-way decent rates in order to subsidise sub-prime loan fees (this point is debated but it's most sensible conclusion; the other one is that actual discrimination for the sake of discrimination is happening). I think the credit system is atrocious personally, so it's even more insulting that people who suck it up and play by the book honestly are paying higher fees than those who fucked around like asshats. And of course it has been done in the name of "equitable access". Why should honest folks who did everything right, especially poors who climbed up the hard way, have to pay more in fees?

This one is not new but has gotten worse, particularly in tech and more specifically in open-source development, codes of conduct that favor radical social policy over code-is-code. People being pushed out of the space purely because they disagree on political or social beliefs, just voicing dissent is enough to get you permanently blacklisted. I find tolerance to be a fine rubric myself, however this goes beyond tolerance. When you begin enforcing inclusion politics, you lose that nice "we're here to make good code" vibe purely to sate certain spastics that want to usurp power from others.

I don't want to longpost more than that, but I could probably go on. The worst part is this isn't all just some fifth column shit, it's originating out of big academia and mega-corpos as some gambit that is incredibly shady. A lot of it is smaller corpos trying to get those free DEI grant bucks, and investor class folks trying to twist the narrative to turn us all into own nothing little slaves even more than we have been. "The work", as they call it, will be your life and will follow you out of the office and you will be obligated to do "the work" forever and everywhere or risk being unpersoned and ruined. It's like a turbo woke 1984. Don't say the bad words, don't think the bad thoughts, don't feel the bad emotions. I'm not some libertarian cuck or aut-rite spastic, but god damn this shit freaks even me out.

[sukirichi]

black magic [01]

REQUEST. arranged marriage + enemies to lovers (sukuna is a simp and lowkey a housewife)

CONTENT/WARNINGS. some suggestive scenes, but overall fluff and romance! slight crack fic, I guess? I was laughing when I wrote this lol

NOTES. I NEED A HUSBAND! SUKUNA I’M GOING TO CRY GOODBYE THIS HAS ME SOFT. also anon i’m not sure if you wanted something with more ~sexual tension~ since this is kind of just comedic, but I hope you like it anyway!

part one | part two (nsfw)

“This is new,” you comment with a glare, your ankle propped on Sukuna’s knee.

“Shut up,” he rolls his eyes, pushing your skirt aside to clean the wounds you attained through exorcising curses. You’ve taken a particularly strong curse today and you’re caught off guard, barely finishing the mission unscathed. Limping all the way back home isn’t easy especially since you live on top of the darned mountain, but if Sukuna’s going to kneel in front of you like this...maybe it wasn’t too tough a journey. “You should stop going to missions you’re not ready for. Look at you, all wounded and bloody.”

“You sound like you care.”

“You’re my wife,” he huffs while dropping the bloody towel on the floor. Sukuna wraps the bandage around your ankle and carries you bridal style even though you’re perfectly capable of walking, but he shoots you a silencing glare. You’d have knocked him in the face any other day, but he’s particularly warm and smells nice today – plus you’re beat – that you bury your face in his chest, ignoring that stupid fluttering in your stomach. “Of course I do.”

You snicker, mind tracing back to your earlier years of this dreaded marriage.

It definitely wasn’t the best – the memories blurring between strangling each other to making out as if breathing was never a thing – and it felt like forever ago when you first met him.

You’d never say it out loud, but... you don’t regret this arranged marriage. Not when Sukuna is tucking himself beside you on the bed, your head above his muscular chest a place similar to home. He covers both your bodies over with a blanket, pulling your body closer to him with a strong arm, his lips pressing onto the crown of your head.

Ugh, you think to yourself, giving in to the need to cuddle your husband after a long day of work. You still refuse to say it out loud, though, and you irk him further by muttering, “That’s not what you said two years ago.”

“I wasn’t in love with you then.”

 “I refuse to be married to you!”

Sukuna fights back the urge to cover his ears. Ever since your clan decided to visit his land and started exorcising curses one by one, his life has been nothing but hell. Not only are your relatives the most arrogant people ever with a consistent god complex, they just had to let their little mortal child be in charge of taking on the stronger curses. Seriously, what were they thinking, sending you – who’s barely even out of their training bra years – to deal with curses like him?

Everyone knows Sukuna is a no bullshit man. He won’t hesitate to cut your head off the moment you came raging at him, but then he sees how young you are and decides to send you back to your family.

Expecting that everyone would just call it a day and he’d get offerings for his unexpected mercy, Sukuna is beyond stupefied when they send you back to his temple, all dressed pretty with a basket of fruits and flowers braided in your hair. He remembers growling because you look adorable, but that’s easily wiped away when you open your mouth, your voice scratchy against his ears as you stomp your feet like the young mortal you are.

Sukuna pushes a thumb to his forehead to ease the impending headache, and that’s just from your presence. Something inside him tells that you’re going to be a bigger pain than you look.

“You don’t have much of a choice. You should’ve thought of that before deciding to run rampage over my land,” he reminds, turning boredly to his lone servant from above his throne. Sukuna isn’t impressed, to say the least, especially with your clan’s audacious proposition to gain his favour just this once. “Is this really the woman you bring me – the one they insist to be my wife?”

“She is their best fighter, my Lord.”

Well, he can’t disagree to that. You did, after all, single-handedly give him a cut on the cheek. “She’s feisty indeed.”

“Don’t talk as if I’m not here!”

“Mouthy too,” he mumbles to himself, but your sorcerer senses are sharp and easily picks up on it. He sees you flush angry again, looking immensely adorable with your tiny fists clenched like that and he snorts, waving a hand in the air. “Whatever. Get the wedding over with,” he nods to his servant, his sigh loud and tired as he makes his way to you.

You don’t stiffen at each haunting step, his eyes only glimmering harder with entertainment. It’s rare to find a mortal that doesn’t quiver at the sight of him, the urge to break you only growing stronger.

Even as he cups your face, making sure to not let his claws dig into your precious skin, Sukuna smirks. You’ll be entertaining indeed.

So Sukuna makes a promise, four eyes surveying the way your body is starting to fill in curves at the right places, the swell of your flesh just perfect in his hands... He chuckles to himself, daunting you further as he leans down to your ear, taking pleasure in the slight way your breath hitches. “Maybe then I’ll get to teach you a lesson or two.”

You’re definitely something else, taking advantage of each presented opportunity and not wasting any time before you make your move. Right after the wedding and everyone’s left, leaving you alone with your new husband behind closed doors; you push him until he’s on the ground, legs straddling each side of his hips while you growl above him – the sound similar to a battle cry.

Sukuna merely smirks, barely moving a muscle as his large hands come up to rest on your hips to steady you. “I’ve imagined countless ways you’d be on top of me like this,” his eyes light up with humour upon feeling the cold blade on his skin, “None of them included a knife on my neck though.”

“Shut your mouth. I will kill you myself,” you warn, pressing your knife harder until it draws a slight tinge of blood.

You hardly look threatening above him like this, dolled up to look the best in your wedding with this cursed being. If anything, you look more divine than deadly, and Sukuna thinks that perhaps your beauty could be your best weapon. You are bewitching, after all.

“I refuse to be your Queen and sit next to your throne.”

“Then why didn’t you stop the wedding?”

“I—”

Sukuna’s teasing grin grows wider when you pull back, trying so hard to not trip over your words. It takes all of his self-restraint to not take you right then and there, but he does a good job of holding back, enjoying this view above him instead. “Could it be you’re attracted to me after all, hm, little one?”

“Do not test me, Curse. I’m more than capable of exorcising you myself.”

“Oh, I don’t doubt that. You’re the strongest in the Gojo clan, are you not?” he prompts to appease you, “I don’t even want to see what you’re capable of, but maybe, just maybe...” just as his eyes darken, the edges of his lips turning up into a smirk, Sukuna digs his claws into your thigh in a possessive show of ownership, a painful reminder that you’re his now. “...You could put on a little show for me?”

“I hate you!”

Experienced and strong as you are, you’re nothing compared to a thousand year old curse who’s killed a lot more people faster than you could blink. Sukuna immediately notices the animalistic way you draw your blade, arm swung back with rage written all over your face. Before you could so much as bat an eye, he easily switches the positions until you’re under him, using only one hand to pin your arms above your head, your blade effortlessly thrown to the other side of the room.

“As I thought, you’re a lot prettier under me like this,” he observes, roaming his eyes shamelessly over the fabric clinging prettily to your body. You’ve fallen silent at his unconcealed attention, your compliance enticing him to lean closer just to inhale your intoxicating scent.

“Not so feisty now, little one? Where’d all your hatred for me go?” Sukuna pulls back with widened eyes, “Oh? Am I hearing it wrong or is your pathetic human heart beating so loud right now?” You refuse to look at him, wriggling your hips in an attempt to leave, completely unaware that the mere movement is hypnotizing the curse above you. Sukuna grips your hips in warning, not wanting to destroy you – not now, anyway. “You know all you need to do is say it. I’d gladly take you right here and then.” His words spoken with that deep, throaty voice immediately sends a wave of heat down your core, but you turn away from him, breathing hard and nervously; something Sukuna picks up on in an instant. “Little one...have you never had a man hold you like this before?”

“N-no...”

“I see. Pure and innocent behind that ferocity, huh?” He surprises you by pulling away, smoothening his white robes down as he leaves you panting still on the floor. “Fine. I won’t touch you unless you ask me to.”

“I’d rather die before that ever comes out from my mouth.”

“We’ll see about that,” he smirks, winking at you before he shuts the door. “Little one.”

There’s a lot of weird – and utterly inconvenient things – about being Sukuna’s wife. The man eats everything, absolutely everything, and it doesn’t help that he sucks at hunting too. For a man so huge and burly, he sure is lazy, preferring to do the laundry in the riverside instead while you go out every day to prepare your meals.

You actually don’t mind, but it’s very fun to complain around him.

You’re on your way back to the temple when Sukuna grabs at you, making you drop the freshly caught birds onto the ground. Your brows furrow, about to scold him for being too eager again when Sukuna stares at your arm, his lips pressing into a thin line.

Following his line of sight, your lips form an ‘o’ shape. There’s blood trickling down your forearm from his claws accidentally cutting you, guilt written all over his face. Another weird thing about Sukuna is that he babbles a lot when he’s emotional, and you’re too tired to hear him beat himself over it that you just drag him inside your room, sitting his ass down before taking a clipper.

Sukuna scoffs when you start cutting his nails. It irks him that you don’t even bother wiping the blood off first and he tsks, eyes narrowed at you. “You should have thicker skin.”

You roll your eyes as you file his nails; you’ve been married to him long enough to know it’s his way of saying sorry. Not wanting to let him wallow in guilt any louder, you pad kisses over his knuckles before swiping the black ink off your desk, using a pen brush to colour your nails instead. Sukuna hovers behind you, head tilted to the side as he watched you. “Are you painting your nails black?” he utters in disbelief, trying to ignore the fact he feels...proud and even a little smug. “Not so fitting for the angelic sorcerer now, isn’t it?”

“I’m only doing this so you don’t feel left out.”

“Maybe I’ll add markings to your pretty face too,” he cups your jaw to make you turn to him, landing a solid kiss flat to your lips which makes you sigh, pretending to be annoyed but leaning over for another peck anyway. Sukuna laughs and pulls you onto his lap, kissing your neck this time around, a little annoyed that you don’t stop in brandishing your nails. “Wife, what do you think?”

“I have work, Sukuna. You flirting with me doesn’t change the fact I need to go.”

“Come home safe for me, at least?” he breathes down your neck, his touch sending shivers down your spine. You’ve definitely changed since the first time he’s met you, starting from a mean (although he stands strong that you are still mean to him sometimes) temperamental little one to a mature, stronger sorcerer who’s secretly weak for his wife.

Unable to resist him as always, you turn around once you’ve finished painting your nails, rubbing your nose over his until your strong, scary husband is turning into putty at your hands. “Of course I will,” you peck his lips one last time, Sukuna’s eyes closing as he dives in for a deeper kiss. “I’ll always come back home to my handsome husband.”

If anyone were to ask how it’s possible that the King of Curses is actually very soft for his sorcerer wife, everyone would claim it’s impossible and a heresy – but if you ask Sukuna, it’s probably just black magic doing its wonders.

[raviosrupees]

Super Specific Linked Universe Headcanons Pt 1.

All of the Links are autistic but they all have wildly different ways of presenting it. Ask me about their special interests, please. Please.

Warriors is in his 20s. He is an Aquarius. I'm right.

Sky is the ultimate straight cis ally, but he has bi wife energy. He is best friends with Legend, and they're kind of inseparable.

Twilight is a taurus, he's cis and bisexual, but leans towards women and fem ppl (and too hung up to think about anyone but one woman)

Wild is taller than yall think, 17 or 117 whatever is more convenient for him, zelda told him his birthday is november 7th (scorpio, ofc) and he just accepts that.

Hyrule is pansexual (mostly cis but might be genderfluid, he likes to wear feminine clothes and makeup)

Four is like? 3'8, and he's 20 yo but most people don't believe him. He's a trans boy, and most of the colors are too besides vio, who I think is either genderfluid or pangender, uses all pronouns. Four is bisexual but leans towards guys, though he loves his Zelda.

Legend is 4'10, 17 yo, born december 14th at midnight. he is trans, any pronouns, and bisexual.

Ravio is same height and age as Legend, and they're both born on the same day but ravio was born at noon. This really bothers Legend, he wants his own birthday. Ravi loves it.

also ravio is gay, asian/latino, chubby and has the best smile <3

war is cis and bisexual but he leans towards women, I think he's aromantic but probably could be romantically involved with someone.

Times eyes are more gray than blue

Sky 9 times out of 10 has no clue whats going on. Stupid and confused, and its perfect.

Twilight always knows where all of them are, and I don't even know if it's just smell. He has mom instincts "where are my kids, what are they doing"

Wild got mad anger issues pls calm down babe. Kind of scary. He lets hyrule braid his hair sometimes.

Hyrules eyes are more green than blue, and he has freckles all over his face and body (jokes he ought to get a kiss for every freckle)

Whenever Wind gets mail from his little sister, he reads it to the group. He's very proud of her, and she's very proud of him. She has a bunch of big brothers now.

Four + the colors are white-asian mixed (or looks like it yk, bc he's hylian) his eyes are dark brown.

Legend goes non verbal a lot, esp when they're stressed, but when she talks, she talks. I mean, hand gestures, ranting, cussing, pointing, "and you a bitch, and you a bitch." favorite curse word is cunt.

warriors ruffle everyone's hair, and they all hate it (esp four and legend, who claims he's going to choke him with his own scarf)

Sky likes to sing and dance, and wishes more of them would dance with him.

Twilight has slept as a wolf so often that it's practically natural for him, he really prefers it. Also, he takes all of his nightwatch shifts as a wolf.

Wild will teach literally anyone about edible flora and mushrooms and such, and foraging around hyrule, if only they would listen. Sometimes talks random animals ears off about his favorite flavor combos. Sky loves to listen and ask questions.

Hyrule will hand his favorite people random stuff as "gifts" like feathers, flowers, rocks, dead bugs (he's obsessed with bugs, he loves them so so much and they're all his friends) his favorite animal is a bumblebee

i know we all agree wind swears likek a bloody sailor, bc thats what he is, but how about him using random shit for swears like, "crabs cankles," "bilge-sucking" or calling the others landlubbers. also feel like he'd be the type to say "bite me" when someone disagrees with him.

Four keeps a bunch of books in his bag, and if their reading is disturbed they all have different reactions. Blue pinches or glares, Vio ignores you unless she deems what youre saying important, red gets physically distressed, and green will actually tell you to be quiet. (blue pinches a lot actually)

Legend is a very picky eater, especially with textures, this pisses wild off (wdym you dont like it YOU HAVENT EVEN TRIED IT)

Sky's Zelda is a bisexual virgo, and she knows everything.

Malon makes very good bread. I want to shove that shit in my face ong. Also she insists on giving each of the boys big hugs when shes sees them.