#I mean... tangentially

[egophiliac]

(breathing into a paper bag) FRALIO....

can't believe they gave us another guy. oh my god. so I guess Kelka is more, uhhh, more OOO then, and Fralio is Ankh? not that it matters too much, although they do seem to be doing something with the connected Riders so. who knows. anything goes! or if I may, anything gOOOes! god. of course they're the Ambition parallel. of course they are. oh my god.

fortunately there's nothing else they can throw at me right now that could possibly --

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

[followthebluebell]

Lately my cats' water dishes have been weirdly dirty and I couldn't figure out why, but last night I caught one of the gremlins in the act... he used the litter box, then went to the water dish and splashed around in it like he was washing his paws? (I know I'm assigning him human behaviour; I'm just not sure how else to describe it lol) So now I'm realizing that it's not actually dirt that's been in the water, it's litter. Have you ever had a cat do this? Is this something that seems gross to me as a human but doesn't really affect cats? Or is this something that I should try to stop him doing? Do you think a fountain water dish would help? I've never had a cat doing something like this before.

oh yeah, some cats like playing in their litter. It gets gross SO FAST. It's not... ok, it's a bad behavior because it's gross, it means he's drinking litter slurry, and it's hard to clean.

It's also pretty hard to change because some cats just like playing in water.

Giving him a fountain MIGHT help. My first choice is to usually just move the water further away from the box. That way, when he goes for a little dip, his paws won't have as much litter trapped in his paw fur. A litter catcher around his box may help as well.

[withthewindinherfootsteps]

I sometimes see the opinion that MXTX took the clichéd tropes she'd critiqued in Scum Villain, and played them straight in MDZS. But though a lot of them appear in MDZS, I'd argue that none are actually played straight at all!

The main point of MDZS's tropes is subversion. Yes, WWX has a 'tragic backstory', even an arguably overused one (orphaned by his parents at a young age, forced to live on the streets with nobody to rely on, etc) – but how things differ in how it's used. Tragic backstories are normally used to build sympathy for a character, to make us care and get invested in them. But... we're never actually shown any of those street days, we're never shown and never dwell upon how much he suffered during them. They're only really mentioned in passing and whenever dogs come up! If the goal was to make us feel bad for WWX, this would be very ineffective writing. But what's actually important here isn't that WWX went through tragedies – it's how he doesn't let the tragedies he went through define him. He doesn't dwell on them, the narrative doesn't dwell on them, it's never used to earn sympathy points... because what defines WWX is his choices and how he chooses to act, not a backstory completely out of his control. What gets us invested in him is his personality and the character writing of MXTX, not tragic events used as a substitute for identity.

And this trope treatment fits extremely well with WWX's personality itself – he's someone who 'forgets the pain as soon as the wound has healed'*, but also who actively chooses to focus on the present because you can't change the past; someone who holds the belief that 'gains and losses [should] remain uncommented on' when choosing what to do.

The use of the tragic backstory isn't the only thing that's subverted, either – the other main thing is the 'blackening' of the protagonist, and its impact on the protagonist's fall. After being thrown into the Burial Mounds, on a surface level it does seem like this blackening has occurred: the first thing we see when he returns is his gruesome torture of the Wen cultivators; he's 'forsaken' traditional cultivation in favour of an 'evil but more powerful' path; and frankly, Sunshot-era WWX is terrifying. But MDZS is not a blackening story, and so the events of the Burial Mounds aren't used as a catalyst for that purpose. Though it's true that WWX's not entirely the same person he was before (because how could be be?), underneath it all, his morals, worldview and core** stay the same. Though gruesome, his revenge is directed towards the ones who wronged him, not those past that and certainly not the entire world. His experience in the Burial Mounds doesn't lead to him being some evil, blackened overlord... like everyone says he is at the start! That's subverted, because again, WWX's values and choices are more important to the story than genre conventions.

But the most crucial thing? What leads to WWX's downfall isn't any blackening! It isn't any vengeance or morally dubious actions***– he was praised for those things during the Sunshot Campaign! No, what leads to his downfall is something completely unrelated to that, something which would've disappeared had the trope been played straight. It's him doing what's right by defending the Wens, it's him following his moral code when it opposes the world's, it's him standing up to the injustice of others – not others standing up to the injustice of him. That's the subversion here.

(Also, once again, the fall of Lotus Pier, the Burial Mound, etc, aren't used for sympathy points – and if it was relevant, they wouldn't have been used to excuse any actions, either. Using tragic events as an excuse for doing bad things is critiqued many times in MDZS, through characters like Xue Yang and Jin Guangyao. And that's not exactly a trope subversion, but it is a critique of badly handled 'excuses'.)

These are by no means all the tropes MDZS subverts – the nature of guidao vs the usual nature of modao being another very major one – but they're the main ones that feature in Scum Villain.

So, though at first glance MDZS seems to play the tropes MXTX critiqued there straighter, it's not a simple case of using them as cliches, and we see that by how they're used to impact the narrative, and how that differs from what they're traditionally used for. MDZS doesn't fall back into clichés Scum Villain satirised – it's the subversion to Scum Villain's exploration and critique.

--

*Which I know is generally used negatively, to describe someone not learning a lesson from a punishment, but it really describes WWX in general, too. He doesn't dwell on that pain, he does his best to move on from it.

**...heh

***And, because it's often debated – whatever the morality/culpability of Nightless City is doesn't even matter! The events happened at a pledge conference against him that was already taking place. WWX's actions there didn't make people want to kill him because that was explicitly happening beforehand.

[hunybody]

celebrities that spin out over anonymous hate not even like death threats or something just twitter accounts are so embarrassing to me. just don't look king some of us are tumblr users getting paid dozens of dollars an hour and we cope just fine. make a bed from your thousands or perhaps millions of dollars and lay down to deep breathe i'm sure it will all be okay <3

[ourflagmeansgayrights]

context, if such a thing even exists

stede: i think we should ask the crew to provide their own linens when they visit

ed: aw, what? what kind of shitass inn doesn’t even do linens for their guests?

stede: we can still do linens for regular guests, i just think-

ed: oh, cmon, we can’t give the crew worse service, they already hate me

stede: they do not hate you-

ed: well they might if we skimp on the linens!

stede: ed-

ed: i’ve gotten really good at washing linens, actually. i don’t know if you’ve noticed that. see how little jizz is on our sheets?

stede: …i mean, there is that rather large—

ed: ok that’s from literally a twenty minutes ago that doesn’t count, you know that doesn’t count

stede: alright, alright

ed: we literally haven’t even gotten out of bed yet

stede: fair enough

ed: if i wasn’t good at doing laundry this sheet would be just one big jizz stain and you know it

stede: this is true, you’re right. you’ve done an excellent job, sweetheart

ed: aww thanks babe :)

stede: im just a bit worried about the foursome

ed: (experiencing a sudden coughing fit) the what?

stede: the foursome? jim, olu, archie, and zheng?

ed: oh. oh. (clears throat) i thought you—nevermind. um.

ed: uhh what about them? you think i can’t handle their post-orgy cleanup?

stede: well…

ed: wait, seriously? it’s just two extra people, mate, it’s not that much more mess

stede: it’s not the quantity i’m concerned with, it’s the. well.

ed: …well?

stede: well. the thing is, archie always refers to sex with her partners as “goop sex”

ed:

ed: goop sex

stede: yes, goop sex

ed: are you sure she doesn’t call it “group sex” and you’re just mishearing her?

stede: no, it’s definitely goop sex

ed: hm

stede: admittedly i’m not completely sure what goop sex actually is—unless you happen to be familiar…?

ed: yeah no i’ve never heard of goop sex

stede: darn. well, in any case, i imagine there’s a very strong possibility that goop sex stains fabrics!

ed: hm, yeah, probably

stede: so you see my concern

ed: i do, yeah

stede: with the linens

ed: mhmm

stede: especially since we only have the one set!

ed: mhmm

stede: which we should probably do something about, actually, if we want to provide free linen service to our guests. although maybe we can wait until after the crew visits so we have an excuse for not doing their linens? what do you think?

ed: mmm

stede:

stede: ed, darling

ed: hhwhat sorry huh

stede: you zoned out for a moment there

ed: oh shit, my bad, babe

stede: no worries! i was just wondering where you’d gone to

ed: right, well, i’d gone to goop sex

stede: yknow i probably could’ve guessed that myself actually

ed: specifically i was thinking that we should try and figure out what goop sex is

stede: i

stede: hm.

stede:

stede:

stede: okay, but—

ed: oh cmon don’t give me that

stede: ed, th-

ed: i saw your face just now! i bet you already have some ideas!

stede: ok but ed we really only have the one set of linens!

ed: and you’re telling me you’re not willing to risk those linens to try out some of your guesses about goop sex?

stede: y—i’m—well. I-I mean,

ed: yeahhhh that’s what i thought, you fuckin pervert

stede: alright well i better not hear any complaining when our only set of sheets is reduced to one big goop stain!

ed: that is a price i will gladly pay to let you try out your goopy sex theories on me

[mousemannation]

is jannik like. Cosmically allowed to win turin since aryna didn't win the wta finals?

[plounce]

elle and emmett from the legally blonde musical are one of those m/f couples that i think work best as a woman and a man purely because their relationship and how elle wouldn't stay at harvard for him because she has grown to want true respect & success more than a man she loves' approval/desire is like so important to the themes of the story and it's the whole point and it's part of what makes them so good. on the other hand emmett could be such a hot butch lesbian it's crazy i want to eat drywall when i think about emmett forrest but a butch lesbian BUT it simply would not improve and in fact would detract from the themes of the story. they have to be m/f

[candied-cae]

I know some folks have been saying “Ed wanted to die in the same place he laid next to Stede-“ WRONG! HE WANTED TO DIE WHERE STEDE LAID NEXT TO HIM!!!

The place Auntie points out as being where his head was crushed by the cannon ball is the exact spot where Stede’s head had been during the arrest and that’s even more insane than the first option. (Anyway, I wanted to correct that assumption. It’s only a matter of like 2 feet, but I still find it an important detail, and figured a visual might help!)

[seriema]

when sophia said "i want to be free..." when romeo said "maybe this is what freedom feels like." when both of them thank p for the mercy of death. you understand.

[accursedthing]

[tangential-hooligan]

My handsome and pretty man…. 🥺🥺🥺🥺 One day, I’ll draw a full body picture of you, but for now- this!!! 💖🥺💖💖

[pseudophan]

tumblr please stop recommending me christian communities i can't take it anymore why are there so many of them 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

[d-dormant]

if i had a nickel for every time i read a bit of the maleficent novels in english and realised the russian translation i'd read years prior is shit out of ass and the original's completely different i'd have TOO MANY FUCKING NICKELS I CAN'T BELIEVE IT HAPPENED AGAIN

if you can believe it in russian she says "and you won't be one, wish as you might" i am going to start biting into furniture ive spent the last few days thinking up how to even bring the characters to that state for the fic (diaval wishing to be a human? since when?) and even managing to do that somewhat only to find out its not even what she says and she says the very opposite thing sjskshdgajaoatquqoshdgshjahaa

[linka-from-captain-planet]

small but favorite Rana (slash Neve slash Neve/Rana) moment #2 - after Knight-Commander Lennos lets Bataris walk because Bataris' magister father bought him off, they both glare after him for a moment before Rana turns to Neve and promises, "I'll find a way to fix this."

Which I find a) hot and b) an impactful way to phrase it. It's not just "I'll fix this" but "I'll find a way to fix this". It makes the promise not about the fixing, but about the finding of a way - it's a vow of effort and commitment, despite expected challenges, not just guaranteeing a result...

Something that Neve would feel conflicted about, because at this point in the story, she doesn't trust that people will follow through on the good they promise to do [for her]. She knows that good intentions don't always mean a person will show up [for her!] when it counts.

So I find it Interesting TM that this promise and the lingering shot of Rana walking away are delivered through this over-the-shoulder angle, hiding Neve's reaction while also inviting the player to see Rana from her point of view and also wonder: will Rana follow through after all, or will she, like Lennos, turn her back on not only Minrathous, but Neve herself?

[dimsilver]

btw re: the homeschooling debate and related things - this site has been absolutely wonderful for getting to appreciate people who aren’t automatically My Sort of Person. it’s actually opened my eyes to look for and enjoy all sorts of things about in-person people that I don’t automatically connect with. I’m not even sure how to express this but basically this site of such a good outlet for people’s inner selves that I am constantly confronted with the richness and complexity and honesty and quality and beauty of people who aren’t super similar to me and I think that’s awesome.

[sexylinoleum]

Based off that one Ralsei valentine. He is such a weirdo.