#I’m not an overly critical person when it comes to media

[snowystarguardian]

Its been like years since it came out and I know that everyone like hates the p5 anime, but like, there are a lot of good things that came from it that I really loved. For one, Ren Amamiya is a hella good name and I will not accept any criticism. Also RenRen was immaculate.

Aside from that, one of the things I really loved about the anime was the way it dealt with the fallout of the interrogation room. Specifically that they actually showed Joker being beaten up and having to recover. My biggest pet peeve in the game was that he got back from the interrogation room and he was physically a-ok, which made like no sense. Them showing him healing from the physical injuries over time was a much needed upgrade.

Also the anime actually gave us more insight into his emotions, and I love it so much. It gave us more than “joker’s just a blank slate”, and I don’t think people appreciated that enough when it was coming out.

Also i know it was an extra OVA, but proof of justice fucking broke me. And thats one of the best additions to the game they ever made. And having that with the new added context of P5R hurts so much. Sucker punch to the emotions.

[sanasanakun]

Since people are discussing Larian’s “people pleasing” updates with this latest hot fix, I’m gonna add my two (unnecessary) cents to this as well. I really love Baldurs Gate 3 for the choices and agency it affords me as a player. That’s its main draw to me. However, when comparing it to its main inspiration (i.e BioWare games), the writing in BG3 is far worse.

And I think this shines through the most with the companion content disparity. I do think Astarion is a very well written character, but I also think his popularity partially comes from the other characters being far too underwritten. This isn’t even touching on Karlach’s lack of depth and the shocking disparity that is Wyll’s entire storyline/character. But other companions like Shadowheart and Gale, while well written, lack the same attention and suffer for it.

And god, the villains. I think that’s another egregiously bad area of the writing. Kethric gets a whole act! Meanwhile, Orin is interesting but crammed into sharing space with Gortash. And Gortash is given an incredible backstory that ties to another villain, but nothing is done with it and it’s mostly hidden in notes. And the story overall is just ok. Act 2 is easily the most compelling. But compared to BioWare, the story is lackluster imo. The Dark Urge plot line is the most interesting part of the overall main storyline, but it’s not afforded enough detail or content (imo).

And none of this is helped by Larian removing bits and pieces of their characters in these hotfixes. I really wish they’d just start adding content to flesh out these problem areas, especially Wyll and Minthara.

[starastrologyy]

Astrology Observations💜

Please do not repost anything I write on other social media platforms :)

When transit Venus conjuncts your North Node it is possible that somethings significant will occur regarding your finances or your love life. I had a friend who had met a significant romantic partner when transit Venus made an exact conjunction to her natal North node.

You may decide to buy a new car (or get a car) when you have your Solar Return Venus or Jupiter in the 3rd house.

People with Venus-Mars aspects especially the conjunction tend to be very attractive to the opposite sex. Even if they are not considered to be “conventionally attractive” people seem to find them charming at the very least. Individuals with hard Venus-Mars aspects often have high sex drives too.

Venus conjunct the composite ascendant can show a couple that is openly affectionate with each other, even if their rising sign is in a more subdued sign like Capricorn or Virgo. However, this may not always be true if Saturn also makes a conjunction or square to the ascendant.

I know I’ve mentioned it before but I just recently did a solar return reading where the client confirmed this was true for them. A solar return year where you have Chiron or Neptune in the 11th house can indicate a loss of a friendship. This loss may not be permanent but it can result in a certain level of heartache for you during the year.

People with mercury conjunct lilith in the 3rd house often have to deal with slander or people spreading information about them that isn’t always true.

Although Uranus square Chiron is technically an aspect that many people have (those with their Uranus in Capricorn and Chiron in Libra) depending on the orb, most people with this aspect feel as if they don’t fit in or they feel out of place in the world in some capacity. Chiron represents our deepest wounds in this lifetime. Thus, people with this aspect tend to feel alienated , ‘different’, or ‘weird’.

Individual’s with Neptune aspecting their Ascendant can often be accused of having plastic surgery. Often times they do (especially if they also have Venus-Pluto aspects). However, these people can be accused of changing their entire faces even if they have had minimal work done. Ariana Grande, Kylie Jenner, Khloe Kardashian (she has the sextile) and Kim Kardashian are celebrity examples. Please note that these examples likely have had a lot of work done, I’m just using well-known people. It’s also common for people to want to look like people who have Neptune aspecting their Ascendant.

People with many oppositions, squares, and retrograde planets in their birth charts tend to be very resilient. This is because they often have to overcome adversities and challenges that are represented by the planets that are being challenged or constantly being brought up by retrogrades and hard aspects.

I honestly have found that looking at the condition of the ruler of the 7th house can also tell you a lot about a persons relationship patterns. For example, I know someone who is an Aquarius rising, and a Libra Sun. Thus, the ruler of their descendent in Leo, is their Libra Sun. The Sun is in its fall when it is in Libra. Furthermore, this particular persons Sun receives squares from Neptune and Mercury. It also receives a 1 degree opposition from Saturn. Long story short, she tends to attract relationships with people who are dishonest or deceptive in some way. If not dishonest they tend to be overly critical or restrictive. This is not to say she is doomed when it comes to these relationship patterns. Her awareness has helped her make better decisions in love, I just thought it was interesting. I must add that her natal Venus is well aspected (as in it receives trines and sextiles from the other planets).

[communistkenobi]

what are some of your favorite nonfiction podcasts?

the big one I recommend is just king things - two marxist academics go through the books of Stephen King in publication order. extremely funny and insightful podcast, very accessible (like this is not a theory podcast or anything, it’s very laid back and casual), and I really appreciate their approach to literary criticism.

game studies study buddies is by the same hosts as just king things but this is a theory podcast. Each episode they go over and discuss a book from the field of game studies (ie the academic study of games). I very much recommend you listen to this if you want to like passively absorb critical/leftist theory. The hosts are academics, one of which teaches about games regularly as a professor, so it kind of feels like someone is teaching you about a text. I find it fairly accessible, I learn a lot about games, and as I said they very frequently structure their discussions with left wing theory. I find them very insightful!

blowback is very good, it’s about the imperial history of the United States. a history/journalist type podcast. this can get extremely heavy and difficult to listen to given the subject matter so I would not binge this (I usually listen to it when I’m doing a physical activity) but it’s a really good source of historical information and has helped me develop my political understanding of modern western imperial history. each season covers a different event: S1 is the invasion of Iraq, S2 is the Cuban Revolution, S3 is the Korean War, S4 is the invasion of Afghanistan

ALAB (all lawyers are bad) is good with some caveats. It’s a podcast by a bunch of lawyers who spend a lot of time on twitter discussing how horrible lawyers are, usually either focusing on specific high-profile lawyers (Kavanaugh, Dershowitz), specific american legal regimes (anti-BDS legislation, sanction law, etc), or specific trends in the legal system that causes structural problems (eg lifetime judgeship appointments with no mandatory retirement age). They also sometimes do random funny lawsuits or cover legal responses to events like Jan 6th. A mixed bag in terms of focus but mostly it’s hating on American law and the legal system. This is a critical recommendation because it’s a bunch of lawyers dudes riffing and some of their analysis can be stupid/bad, they say stupid shit that comes off as “anti identity politics” at times, etc. I’m pulling from memory because it’s been a while since I listened to them so I’m sorry if this is overly vague/general. The best way to describe it is chapo-adjacent if that means anything to you lol

and finally the podcast knowledge fight. this is a podcast dedicated to covering and debunking Alex Jones. in all honesty I don’t find this podcast super valuable in terms of analysis, like they are only really focused on debunking the claims Jones makes and explaining why they’re factually wrong. Which like that’s a good thing to do, I’m not saying its bad, but I don’t really need to be convinced Jones is lying about everything lol so I don’t personally find it super useful/insightful. If you have to interact with Alex Jones fans regularly (like family members) then maybe that will be more valuable for you! Totally depends. however the reason I bring them up is because I DO recommend the series of episodes they have titled formulaic objections - in this series they go through all the deposition material from the sandy hook lawsuit against Alex Jones (the one that cost him a billion dollars in damages and court sanctions lol). They play clips of the depositions throughout these episodes, which are so fucking insane to listen to. Like listening to a bunch of employees of an insane fringe right wing media organisation being questioned by lawyers for hours on end is so entertaining lmao. This lawsuit is about the sandy hook school shooting so a warning about the subject matter, it can get dark at times, but on the whole it’s extremely fucking funny to listen to. And the hosts provide a lot of context for what’s going on in the lawsuit, talk about it, and also they debunk the shit Jones lies about in court that you may not know about, so I find that part of it really good.

[tenebrius-excellium]

It leaves me very confused and a little sad that there isn’t a richer, larger, more united and more enthusiastic fanbase for the Avatar movies. I’ve been waiting for commentaries on the second movie, both indulging and critical, and there’s a mere trickle of content appearing in the tags. So far, they all fall in weirdly isolated columns of character x reader, Kiri stans, ‘I loved the movie!’ one liners, ‘boycott Avatar’, Na’vi learners and people being horny over clone!Quaritch on main. 

There isn’t much meta despite the universe being huge, fairly consistent, and ever-expanding. The like-to-reblog ratio on posts is catastrophic. There’s not much art. I miss people being excited. I miss discourse, headcanons and AUs! I miss people giving detailed reasons for the way they respond to the movie, no matter whether they liked it or not. Nothing seems to stick despite so many refined details, e.g. the Metkayina using sign language underwater and having inner eyelids like amphibians! Or the fact that the explanations for the use of English, Kiri’s and Spider’s existence etc. were quite thought-out and satisfying. 

Sure, there’s the epic Pandoran world on one hand, and then there’s of course the “Cameronism”: The two-pronged personal fantasy of the director who is playfully exploring colonialism as negative while reaffirming it in the same breath, combined with a bland, overly conservative story. If the plot really reflects Cameron’s thinking, it is dangerously outdated by 15-20 years and cannot stay relevant. But the point to me is: It was to be expected. 

Avatar and Avatar The Way Of Water are US-American Hollywood stories based on military culture. Once you know that, it is my firm belief that it’s possible to detach yourself from that lense. But perhaps I really am arguing from a merely European perspective that is so used to mediocre language dubs, the strange obsession with heroism, patriotism, weapons and violence, and other US-specific phenomenons that just feel generally outlandish to non-US viewers. We don’t have the same problems, so being constantly faced with yours through entertainment media causes us to... kinda tune those out and enjoy what’s left, tbh. Because some of them are really painfully cringe up to completely unthinkable to the rest of the world. Even the first Avatar was never intended as a global story; - although the RDA is supposedly composed of international players, the representation on Pandora is purely US-American, even more, it’s not even covering all of your own ethnic variety. So if we can’t even expect European, Asian, African and South-American scientists in the space mission, what are we supposed to expect about indigenous voices of smaller civilizations? 

What I’m trying to say is, US media currently have a certain range of messages they convey even here in Europe, because, well, you still have the monopoly on filmmaking and we watch all of your stuff. However, we are very aware that your POV is narrow and limited since it rarely actually applies to us. And sooo, what do we do with the reality of our own exclusion that we are inevitably constantly reflecting? We ignore it, we roll our eyes and don’t think too deeply on it, we leave you guys to solve your own problems and enjoy what’s given. Perhaps we are able to separate a fantastic narrative from the cultural/ political clashes that come with it a little better, because most of the time, we don’t identify with the latter. I’m not saying the differences are in any way good or that they should stay that way. I’m saying that from where I’m at, Batman, Spiderman and Avatar don’t look too different to me when it comes to elaborate escapist fantasies about good vs. evil, and media might not quite be as relevant to conflicts as they seem in the US. Education is much more important, and to act in real life rather than in fiction. As for me, I’ll appreciate Avatar like any other fandom space, because the concept is extraordinary, its future potential still enormous, and I would love for more positive interaction. I harbor the sliiiight hope that Cameron might grow out of his current spree and redeem himself in one of the later sequels. Since there are going to be 3 more of them, you know. There you go :)

[ysabelmystic]

For the whole Derek Landy thing, I know it’s not uncommon in the fandom, but I find it strange to judge the quality of the books based on your personal feelings about the writer, because those are two very separate things, as shown by your liking the original books before encountering his online presence. Similarly, I think it’s strange to call Phase Two ‘Trash’ when you’ve only heard about it second hand. It has lots of issues, but I think it’s always worth reading things for yourself and coming to your own conclusions. If it’s still trash then fair enough, but it’s better than missing out on something you might enjoy, or going in with a pre-bias towards disliking it because of your feelings about the author and the words of your peers.

1) these two things are intertwined which I will demonstrate. It’s less about “author bad so book bad” and more about “author does not see good elements that existed and could be expanded upon” and “writing is inconsistent due to elements of author’s personal life”. An example of the first is Derek’s tendency to kill characters off and torture characters for what seems like shock value, judging by several tweets about doing those things specifically to hurt/shock readers. I think this harms the quality of the story because it leaves characters and arcs underdeveloped. Another example would be Derek’s failure to commit to a timeline and take notes (see Grimoire incident). An example of the second would be inconsistent character writing due to opinions of people in the author’s personal life. This is something I somewhat suspected for a while but was seemingly confirmed. Another example is his history of changing editors/publishers.

I actually do still love phase 1 for what it is. Derek would have to do a lot worse to take that enjoyment away.

If you like phase 2 that’s fine. Keep in mind that I’m an overly-analytical bitch who gets Way Too Into Media (I have read phase 1 at least 15 times) and likes writing/talking about it. Maybe if I wasn’t this way I’d be less critical, but I am.

2) i read the first two books of phase 2 and did not care for them. I also know much, much more though than whether people liked or disliked them to the point that admittedly at this point it might’ve been less time-consuming to read the books myself. At best, it seems underwhelming, which by comparison to phase 1, means phase 2 is hot garbage. Not the-worst-garbage-in-the-world garbage, but not great. Of course I will read phase 2, and the prequel, and phase 3 when it comes out. I’m not reading them just to trash them. To my knowledge, I will have some positive things to say. I’ll also be reading Demon Road again (kill me). That, I have nothing good to say about….

Edit: I want to be clear, if I did not care about this series, I wouldn’t be here writing this.

[caes-funnyarc]

oc ask game answers!! (please let me know who posted these originally, as i can't find it ! i will edit and add credit :3)

tw for parental issues / abuse in later questions

- How did you come up with the OC’s name?

🌸Dominic Dotty was inspired because I wanted Dotty to be his name at some point (as he’s covered in freckles) but I eventually figured that it would work better as a last name. I wanted some alliteration, so then I introduced the first name “Dominic” as I think it’s rather silly :]

- How old are they? (Or approximate age range)

🌸He’s about 19 ! He’s one of the youngest on the show, according to my headcanons. :]

- Do they have any love interest(s)?

🌸*cough* shop *cough* keeper *cough cough cough*

 - What is their favorite food?

🌸Rocks. :] Shiny ones.

- What do they do for a living?

🌸Dominic runs a local library! He does it for jokes and favors, similar to Howdy.

- Do they have any hobbies?

🌸He plays a few instruments (cello, piano, electric and bass guitar) and enjoys gardening !

-What do they do best?

🌸Play cello! He’s rather good at it.

-What do they love to do? What do they hate to do?

🌸Dominic loves to talk to people he’s comfortable with. He also hates meeting new people who are overly personal with him from the get go! He has issues with certain textures and loud noises, especially piercing ones. Noises that come from scratchy or dry sources especially irritate him.

- What is one of your OC’s best memories?

🌸One of his best memories is when his adoptive father taught him to garden. It’s been a passion for a long time because of it.

- What is one of your OC’s worst memories?

(tw for abuse)

🌸Dominic’s birth parents were the first people to teach him the phrase “Blood is thicker than water.” They were mentally abusive to the point where he no longer felt comfortable being around them. Eventually, when he was six years old, his parents dropped him off in the woods to fend for himself. He was eventually found in critical condition by a hiker and his wife. 

- Is their current design the first one?

🌸Yes and no. His original design had certain patches, but they change per episode. This isn’t exactly super different, but it still pertains to the question.

- What originally inspired the OC?

🌸I wanted a way to channel some feelings I was having, and I also have a Welcome Home hyperfix. You’re welcome. /j

- What genre do they belong in?

🌸In media, video games (like a bad spinoff that has side characters and he’s just a funny joke) and TV (because WH was a show for television lol). In actual literary genre, usually psychological horror, though he has been in comedic pieces too.

- What is your OC’s gender identity and sexuality?

🌸Dominic is FTM trans, demiromantic, and pansexual! 

- How many sibling does your OC have?

🌸 He isn’t sure ! He’s the only child his adopted parents have, and he hasn’t spoken to his biological parents since the incident.

- What is the OC’s relationship w/their parents like?

🌸He loves his adoptive parents to death, and so their relationship is incredible. And of course, his relationship with his biological parents is not good at all.

- What do you like most about the OC?

🌸I love that he gave me an opportunity to channel some hurtful emotions into a character that can heal through my hyperfix. I’m also excited because he’s my first ever arospec character!

- How often do you draw/write about the OC?

🌸I doodle him rather often. Little silly <3

- Do you ever see yourself killing off the OC?

🌸Only in an AU angst. My little baby man :[[

- Does your OC have any phobias?

🌸He’s terribly afraid of the dark and being alone in the woods. I’ll give you three guesses as to why. (He’s also weirdly afraid of boomboxes. What’s his deal?)

-Who is your OC’s arch-nemesis or rival?

🌸 The man in the mirror that he sees. He looks just like him, but broader and taller. He looks like a memory. (Three guesses as to who that is, too.)

- How long have you had the OC?

🌸A couple months !! He’s relatively new, but I’m rather fond of him.

again, if anyone knows who originally posted these questions, tag them in replies so that i can edit and tag them as well !! <33

[dinitride-art]

Some Thoughts I Have on Queer Stories (Currently)

Okay so with heartstopper and red white and royal blue and good omens we’ve got a lot of gay content right now. And that’s good! That’s lovely! However… (also note that I love and cherish the many aspects of good omens that explore identity and the idea of angels/demons/god and their relationships with gender/concept of it and the many queer characters- and i love that very much and feel very seen in a way that I don’t know if I’ve been able to have in a piece of media before- but my point in this post is going to hinge on aziraphale and Crowley within the story being for the most part what we consider male presenting and perceived for the most part as male presenting. Just to make this clear now. This is not a criticism of any of these media, I’m just pointing something out that I’ve noticed. Now that that’s out of the way- back to the post!)

… the main queer aspects of these media are about queer men (you see why I had to write the good omens disclaimer paragraph). Don’t get me wrong! I love stories about all queer identities and I certainly don’t want less of one story and more of another. I just want to talk about how the current popularity and visible amount of stories about queer men contrasts pretty much every story not about queer men. It’s great that there are so many stories now and especially that these stories (especially good omens and heartstopper- in different ways but no less meaningful) have other queer characters in them and are telling smaller stories about other queer identities within them, but the fact of the matter is that a lot of popular queer stories centre around queer men. That might just be where we are right now but I think that’s all the more reason to think about it.

Media that is about queer men seems to have the ability to build large fandoms and get very popular. It’s not overly hard to find stories about queer men if you check the tumblr trending tab every couple of weeks (or days if we’re thinking about the past few weeks). I heard about Red White and Royal Blue when it was a novel, from a couple different tumblr posts. Even books can get really popular. I also remember going into bookstores and when I was looking for queer stories most of them were about queer men. It was rare to find books about queer women and nearly impossible to find a book that had anything to do with gender in it, and while I haven’t been in a bookstore and sifted through as many books as possible in a while I believe it’s become slightly easier to find stories about queer women and… honestly I have zero hope for any other queer identity when I walk into a bookstore. That’s of course based off of where I live and my own personal bookstore experiences but I honestly don’t have much else to base it on. I honestly think I’ve only read one book that was explicitly about a non-binary character in my life. Are there more books about non-binary people? Yes of course there are but I have not been able to find them easily nor have they been uplifted to the same heights as the stories of queer men have been.

Books I’ve found are far better than film and tv for queer stories. Things like The Locked Tomb series and other stories with sapphic protagonists have come up on my radar but still less than stories about queer men. This is a pattern I’ve been noticing for a while now and it’s a pattern that’s been going on for a while now. At least in my lifetime (which really hasn’t been that long but again, I don’t have anything else to base this off but myself and my measly nineteen years of being alive and about eight years of actively looking for queer stories) this has been the pattern. I’ve read a lot of stories about queer men. They were very important to me. A lot of them were the first place I was able to see queer people and I’ll always love them for giving me a chance to see people like me in them, even if they didn’t have me specifically, those stories were and are endlessly meaningful. Most of the stories I’ve read and shows I’ve watched that are about queer people are about queer men. Those are the stories that people talk about and those are the stories that are popular and loved and respected enough to have more than one season. I don’t know if we’re there yet (or it it matters that we aren’t) but I know that I want more than that. And I think that’s enough for me to think that we should have more than that.

There are a lot of different queer people. There are more stories that can be told than can probably be read in a single lifetime. There’s queer history and there’s also the history of the entire world and the cultural importance of differences in gender and sexuality. A lot of that has been lost and buried and hidden away and destroyed. Everything is very large and very old. What we consider queer has always existed in some form and the current state of the world and different places is only a single point in time. But… we don’t live for thousands of years and we only exist in this point in time. At this point in time media about queer men is held just a bit higher than other media about other queer people. It’s far more complicated than that but that’s what I’ve seen in the simplest way I can explain. It’s not a bad thing that these stories are being written and seen, of course it’s not a bad thing, but it’s the difference between media about queer men and everyone else that seems worth contemplating.

[illwynd]

Not to be overly intrusive but I very much want to hear your rant about jms lady loki arc? Your thoughts about thor stuff are fascinating generally, and it either makes me go " I hadn't even considered this aspect of things ", or " oh that's what bothered me about this but I just couldn't find the words!" I mean it goes without saying that you don't have to if you don't want to, but I haven't heard people say anything about that arc other than it was sexist, so now I'm very curious about your opinions on it.

Oh nonny you’re not overly intrusive at all! Thank you for asking this and giving me the excuse to blather about it XD and thank you for the kind words. I clearly think about this stuff way too much, and all I can hope for is that someone else finds it of some sort of interest or value.

Re the JMS lady Loki arc…

So OK I guess I should summarize the thing for the benefit of anyone who hasn’t read it. The main gist goes like this: Thor is having to call Asgardian souls back into the world after breaking the cycle of Ragnarok, and when Loki is brought back, he is “inexplicably” in a female body. Loki has in fact arranged this as part of a con, using his new appearance to better sell everyone on the idea that he’s changed and no longer villainous, but the truth is that it’s Sif’s body he’s stolen, and Sif’s spirit is trapped in the body of a dying mortal, so it’s basically attempted murder (though Loki’s plan is thwarted and Sif is saved at the last minute). In the meantime, the “lady” Loki is a sexy, buxom caricature of played-up femininity, using her wiles to manipulate the men around her, and through it all it doesn’t really seem to be motivated by any genuine gender fluidity on Loki’s part. It’s just a trick. 

So I can see where the criticism comes from: that it’s sexist, that it’s bad genderfluid representation since it’s in the form of a murderous villain, that it resembles transphobic tropes of trans women being “really” men trying to steal whatever from women. But those criticisms never seemed to me to land quite right. They seemed to be superficial and missing something important. And there are several angles you can take in looking at it more deeply where all those criticisms just fall apart.

I’m not even really going to go into the problems with decrying it as bad representation because he’s a villain. I really hope we’re past that. It’s not good when your media queers can only be villains, but having every queer character be morally upright and squeaky clean isn’t a good answer either, because real people aren’t like that. What I ask for is that the whole range be available, and that for any given character, they are first and foremost an interesting character with believable motivations for what they do. So “but he’s so evil he was trying to kill Sif! Bad representation! Bad!” is a complaint we’re just going to set aside and make dubious faces at, because for reasons I’ll get to later, I think there is an emotional truth to the portrayal, and in fiction that matters far more than any black-and-white moral claims.

So next up, we have the complaint that he doesn’t seem to be motivated by any genuine genderfluid feelings, since it’s all just a con. And my issue with that is that… it’s a very superficial take. He is motivated by gender stuff. Just not in a way that the complainers recognize. 

The absolutely crucial detail is that his target is Sif. I say again. It really matters that he targeted Sif for this con. And yes, sure, part of his reasoning is jealousy over her close relationship with Thor (thorki is canon, y’all). But another part is this: Sif is the only other (that we know of) gender nonconforming person in Asgard, and definitely the only other one that we see as being close to his social circle. But where she is celebrated as a woman who is active and successful in traditionally culturally masculine pursuits, Loki’s gender nonconformity—his failure to live up to Asgardian masculine ideals—gets him demeaned, derided, dismissed. The gender fuckery going on here is that he is furious at the difference in how their GNC-ness is treated. His resentment and anger at that injustice, and he's being a right bastard in expressing it. We stan. 

(I also do think there is something genderqueer in how the trickster considers using a feminine appearance to be just one potential tool in his arsenal, the kinda just shrugging and doing whatever works for his purposes rather than getting worked up about having to do such a thing? I mean. So shocking for a trickster figure, right? But hold that thought.)

So that was where I was with it for several years. But I kept coming back to how relatable Loki is to me as a trans masc person, and trying to figure out why it was that way, and what that had to do with this particular arc, and then it finally hit me.

This scene. 

“Thus is Loki truly beautiful.”

In this scene, Loki has just been able to finally return to his male body (with Hela’s help), and he expresses his relief and joy in it, all while the art makes him look… kinda grotesque. And my gods that is such a trans masc mood. Knowing that while you pretend to be a woman you’ll be seen as nonthreatening and acceptable, and maybe you can put up with that for practical or social reasons for a while, but it isn’t how you want to live your life, it isn’t how you want to be seen, it isn’t the appearance that makes you happy. Constantly hearing how by changing your form you’ll be changing from sexy and desirable to ugly and monstrous… but thus you are truly beautiful to your own eyes. 

(I think it is worth pointing out here, for anyone who might not know, that it is not uncommon for trans masc folks to have a phase of trying to go hard femme before they really accept themselves as trans. I personally didn’t, but I can imagine that the exaggerated femme lady Loki might be familiar to some of those guys. I, on the other hand, had a phase of treating my afab body as a tool that wasn’t really connected to me, so there are some other bits of the lady Loki arc that I find familiar. And here I should note that I’m not saying JMS had all this in mind, I have no idea whether he did or not, but death of the author, baby. The interpretation is very much there.)

And there is another little bit that I want to mention. There is one point where Fandral says to lady Loki, “even when you thought you were a man, you weren’t the man you thought you were.”

And. Firstly, screw you Fandral. Seriously. Secondly, the interpretation of this arc as being related to trans femininity gets a lot more press but that is an insult that is far more relevant to trans masc folks. The insults against Loki’s masculinity are reminiscent of how trans guys are not seen as real men, especially if they are GNC in any way, as Loki is. Loki may be amab, but his struggles are so incredibly similar to trans masc struggles (and really, I can’t be the only trans guy who fuckin loves that: a character who feels so familiar and relatable, flawed and angry and messed up in ways that I know all too well, but also has the goddamn body I wish I had. It’s the perfect combination.)

So yeah. That’s the short version, at least, of the rant about what everyone gets wrong about the lady Loki arc. The sexism, and complicated gender politics, is a thing it is commenting on, and I don't see how so many folks miss that.

[the-martyrfication-of-the-matron]

I had a lot of trouble phrasing this, I’m very sorry if it comes off as overly critical of your rewrite or your plans for it. I’m just concerned about how this is being handled.

Is Nicole going to be condemned for what she does? I understand it’s the cycle of abuse and Nicole isn’t doing what she’s doing because she’s a bad person at heart or something like that, but that doesn’t really reduce the harm or fault in the situation even if it provides context for her actions.

That’s not even mentioning the balancing act that sounds like. I can’t think of a way that Dancole wouldn’t be uncomfortable because from what I gathered (please correct me if I’m wrong) Nicole tries to get with Dante when he’s a minor and then later actually gets with him when he’s an adult. I can’t see how Nicole could stay a ‘good guy’ character after trying to date him as a minor, let alone see how her dating him as an adult could be handled well.

Tw, grooming, pedophilia, the cycle of abuse and how the themes correlate to Amaranth

Dw about sounding critical! This is a sensitive topic so I completely understand any kind of critical tone that comes with discussing it. It’s part of the deal with writing this stuff that criticism is expected.

One of the reasons I didn’t want to discuss these events happening in Amaranth yet is because I haven’t fully figured it out yet and they are subject to change with ever piece of media I consume or conversation I have, or simply just if im left alone to think for too long. That’s why my most recent posts about Dante and Nicole’s relationship were from about a year ago.

Most things I’ve said about Dante and Nicole’s relationship pre-recent discussion don’t apply. Nicole and Dante never date as adults, and in fact Nicole never steps foot in Phoenix Drop between the last chapter of Amaranth season 2 and beyond, despite the 15 year gap and all the time after that. Their relationship, which is how I will be referring to it due to a lack of better terms coming to mind though it isn’t at all to be considered genuinely romantic, lasts for all about a week during the events of Amaranth s2, and despite its brevity, it was a very bad situation and Nicole does face repercussions. Those of which I am still trying to figure out, as it’s a difficult spot to try and navigate.

By the time Nicole would face the punishments for her actions, it’s is known she is the heiress of Scaleswind. It’s known that she has immense amounts of power of Ru’Aun and that no physical harm can come to her. They couldn’t even imprison her without inviting another war. So far, the list of punishments ends with permanent exile, and to cut off contact with Dante entirely. The only conversation she should ever have with him is regarding politics and nothing beyond that. Even Dmitri isn’t a topic she is allowed to bring up with him. But of course I am considering other punishments as well as to leave it at ‘oh you can’t be here anymore’ feels too little for what she did.

But aside from it being written that she is very clearly in the wrong despite her lack of understanding, and a conversation she has with Garroth, it’s hard to try and figure out how to make it clear her actions aren’t forgivable. That’s why I wanted to wait until I had done some research to really talk about it, alongside other things of course. Because I’m still figuring out the finer details.

But, to simplify, Nicole isn’t going to be treated like a good person afterwards. It’ll be clear that Nicole is someone who did good things, but they don’t negate the bad. She’s going to be punished for what she did, and it’ll never be stated that what she did was okay.

Talking about the cycle of abuse doesn’t mean that the people that are caught in it are innocent, it means they’re victims as well, and that the only way for the cycle to be broken and to make sure no one else is hurt, is to make sure that victims are given the proper means of healing and coming to terms with what happened to them. It’s why Zane is still considered a villain even though his actions are a result of the abuse he experienced. Because he was never given the chance to heal from his abuse, he abused other people. He is not a good person, his actions are his own, but there is a reason for them and if he had been able to properly heal, or if the reasons didn’t exist at all, he wouldn’t have done what he did. And the same goes for Nicole. Both characters will be treated the same way in this regard. Zane will be held accountable for what he has done, Nicole will be held accountable for what she has done, because even if there are reasons for what they have done, there are also victims.

If anything I said here isn’t clear or makes it seem like I’m justifying anything, please let me know. And if you have any questions or criticisms about how I’m handling it, I’m more than happy to receive them. I wouldn’t post this stuff if I wasn’t open to actually discussing it.

Also yes, this makes Dmitri 15 in season 3. Older than canon but I don’t want to have Dancole happen again so it’s a needed change.

[aftout]

Sorry for SU posting on main I’m aware that it’s, like, a show and a half when it comes to thinking critically about media but with its recent resurgence on certain platforms I’ve been pondering like a bitch over one topic specifically and it’s just??

I love, love Rose Quartz’s character. It’s a hot take I know but I truly love what the series did with her, as rushed as it was at times. Rose is so important to me because she is what Steven Universe is all about: growth, forgiveness, and change.

There’s the obvious: she went from presenting herself as a diamond to presenting herself as a quartz. She changed her name. She moved from homeworld to Earth. She went from surrounding herself with the other diamonds and their colonies to surrounding herself with humans and the crystal gems. But even outside of all the things that are presented to you surface level, her entire existence and personality revolves around changing.

The earliest stage of her that we see in the show is, iirc, the dream sequence where Stevonnie is in her position (on that abandoned command center) with Connie’s mom replicating Yellow Diamond. Rose was, at that point, a literal child. Though not in consecutive order, we see how Rose goes from a spoiled, overly emotional, and even abused kid to this levelheaded, grown woman. And that is literally what the show is all about. I keep saying this over and over again but she is so integral to SU’s overarching theme. She’s imperfect, both as a gem and also as a person, but like? She persists and moves forward. She’s so human.

Even in context of design, her quartz form looks substantially more humane than most of the other gems do. She mingles with humanity constantly and even goes as far as to give birth to a (mostly) human son. She is messy. The rubble of it all means a lot to me because I feel like SU did a good job at portraying just how ugly trauma can be. We really see this in Future, where Steven has an onscreen meltdown and finally cracks under several seasons’ and a movie’s worth of trials and tribulations. It’s really interesting to me because I feel like, in that story arc, we really see that he is his mother’s son.

I don’t think it’s outlandish to say that SU does touch on themes about generational trauma. Rose has her baggage from her days as a diamond, and clearly though she tried her best to grow and break the cycle, there were a few bumps and bruises that got passed down onto Steven. He then goes on his own journey to heal and break the cycle himself. Hell, both of their stories even end with them leaving Greg and the Crystal Gems behind; and though Steven doesn’t sacrifice himself in the way that Rose did, there is still that feeling of moving on and accepting the next stage of life: whether it be finally allowing oneself to grow up or, well, die.

These themes of growing up are found in the Spinel debacle, as well. Rebecca Sugar themself said that a lot of Spinel’s character was based off of this situation they found themself in where they left a toy rabbit they had in the garden, forgot about it, and then found it again six months later. They described it as “wondering how they could be so careless over something they thought they loved so much.” It’s rough because, unlike Sugar’s stuffed rabbit, Spinel is sentient. But even then, throughout the movie she is described as Pink’s toy. Symbolically she captures what it’s like to grow out of toys you once loved as a child. And then, at the end, she is taken in by the other diamonds to reminisce over who Pink once was; much like how parents may keep old stuffed animals their kids owned as a memory.

Idk. At this point I’m fully rambling (I had better points when I was talking to myself about this and making myself cry), but I just. Yeah. Rose is such a wonderful character to me. Her humanity and imperfection means a lot. I think it’s cool to have such a nuanced character be shown in children’s media, and seeing her development is genuinely fascinating. I think she really shows that beauty isn’t necessarily found in one’s pain, but in the strength they withhold to power through it. Does that make any sense? Idk.

[charmanderxerneas]

I’m really tired of the notion that “if you disagree with me on this piece of media, you must be stupid or watching it wrong or mot thinking critically enough”. Maybe this is just a problem I have (because I have interacted a lot with terminally online young people), but whenever i like something thats popular to be hated on and I explain that “Yes, I legitimately thing X is a good piece of media and I disagree with many of the criticisms” People act so fucking rude and dismissive and just act like you’re Stupid. “Oh but you know that theres a difference between liking something and the quality actually being bad” Yes, I know this, when I say X is good i legitimately think its a technically well constructed thing. People get baffled by this.

I get it: it can be fun to really rant about bad games or movies or something. And it’s good to have opinions and to criticize things, that’s how art improves! But I think on the internet people who are chronically online tend to be really overly negative, since anger is what drives the most clicks, to the point where I think the words “bad game” is over used and no one can see the positives in a piece of work anymore :/ . When you’re calling perfectly decent games “horrible atrocious bad the worst game ever” when its competent and well put together, it kinda makes those words lose all their meaning. If you’re calling everything horrible, then when you actually play a truly bottom of the barrel piece of shit then you’ll be in for one heck of a surprise. A game doesn’t need to be perfect to be a good game. In fact, its impossible to create a flawless game or movie or piece of media!. if the gameplay is a little messy but the writing and characters and art and everything else is fantastic, I think it makes up for it. Games/movies/ect. are the sum of all their parts, and when most of the components making up a game are good, then it’s safe to call the game good (I understand thats very subjective and there are people who are like “nuh uh bad gameplay makes the whole thing ruined” which. if you wanna live like that be my guest but sounds exhausting dude)

But overall, even if someone DOES think a piece of “bad media” is good: does that justify being mean or rude to the person? Does that mean that they’re stupid or that they must not consume media critically or that they just have bad taste in all media ever? No, of course not. If my friend were to tell me they’re really into like. the minions movie or some shit, I might be like “oh i don’t think that movies good lol” but you should know when to draw the line when it comes to disagreeing and just being mean and dramatic. (ie, stuff like “Wow you have horrible critical thinking skills” “I can’t trust anything you say because you think the newest pokemon game is actually good, you must be stupid💀” (real things people have said to me about liking certain movies or games or whatever))

(Do not derail: this post is not about problematic media/creators like harry potter or south park or shit where there are such bigoted flaws in them to the point where you cannot separate the art from the horrible ideas in it . this post is about Normal games/movies/ect. that are so hated on that people are actively mean to fans of the thing, even though the media is probably just Fine)

[modernmanblues]

you're a wonderful person and people who don't want to see what you post won't follow you. that doesn't make you a bad person, it's all up to preferences! (also i'm terrible at social interaction as well it doesn't mean you're a bad person. i fuck up all the time and it sucks, but don't be so down on yourself) honestly you seem like an amazing person. please enjoy yourself in liverpool, and take a break from social media if you need to. you are loved.

you’ve got a point there, anon. i get overly critical about myself sometimes and tend to bring myself down for no reason. i often get very self-conscious about the things i do or say and fear that i might be upsetting other people when in reality that may not even be the case. i guess i should just be a bit gentler on myself..it’s something i struggle with as someone who’s a raging self-critic. but you know (and maybe i’m wrong in thinking this) there are times when i really should keep my thoughts to myself. there are things better left unsaid. i should remind myself this.

and to top it off..i’ve been stressed out about taking my certification exam next week and that’s been putting my anxiety in overdrive. not good. i’m just glad that when it’s all over, i will finally be rewarded with a visit to the one place that i truly consider “the happiest place on earth.” 10+ years a-waiting and this girl finally gets to walk the same streets that my beloved John, Paul George and Ringo once roamed. this trip is a very big deal to me- a dream come true if you will.

[cassbarlow]

i’m a mirrorball, i can change everything about me to fit in. 

statistics.       biography.       wanted connections.       pinterest. 

FULL NAME: Cassandra ‘Cass’ Barlow

AGE: 26 years old

DATE OF BIRTH: January 9th

GENDER & PRONOUNS: Cis Woman / She/Her

OCCUPATION: Model

ASTROLOGY: Capricorn sun, Aquarius moon, Leo rising

STRENGTHS: Creative, loyal, outgoing, determined & goal oriented

WEAKNESSES: Impulsive, needy, critical, stubborn, overly analytical 

TL;DR. 

trigger warnings: anorexia, drug abuse. 

Cass is the youngest of the Barlow girl’s and has spent the majority of her life feeling as if she is living in her sister’s shadows. Her father has never quite gotten the hang of actually fathering and her mother seemed so busy with focusing on Brie’s career that Cass often felt like she was slipping through the cracks. Eventually, after spending her entire life being told she’s pretty and nothing else, Cass decided to use that to her advantage and go into modelling. 

Her career began when she was fifteen and thus began her rise into stardom as well as her descent into the party lifestyle that the fashion industry is so well known for. Her career quickly skyrockets and Cass soon becomes a household name, being named as ‘model of the year’ in 2018 and to this day continues to be one of LA’s ‘It Girls’ with the press often running pieces on her and everyone wondering what her next move will be. 

She keeps it pretty well hidden to people who aren’t in the industry, but the last couple years especially Cass has begun to really depend on substance abuse to get her through the days and nights, though she hasn’t quite at a point where she can accept what a problem it has become. Somewhere in her mind she knows that something has to give, but she isn’t there yet. Additionally, her issues with food and disordered eating have also begun to get worse than they ever have. Cass finds herself tired in most of her downtime and sometimes wonders if this life is something she really wants to continue, but she doesn’t know what else she could do. 

Ideally, she would like to get out of modelling and start her own company of some kind. She leans towards some sort of make-up or skin care line, but right now it’s just a fantasy. While Cass is smart underneath the dumb blonde, party girl persona she plays up for the media and her brand, she lacks the confidence in herself and her abilities to actually pull the trigger on something like this and honestly, her personal life is too much of a mess right now for it to work anyways. 

MISC. FACTS.

She’s currently living with Brie in Beverly Hills and has been for the better part of the last year, but she still has her luxury apartment in West Hollywood she had been living in before. Over the last year it’s become more of a glorified closet and storage unit, but she’s been known to sleep off the occasional bender or take a hook up there rather than to Brie’s place when she doesn’t want to hear her sister bitch. 

Cass is bisexual and biromantic. She came out of the closet via an instagram post in 2017 despite any urging from her mother and agent not to. While it was met with some initial backlash from closed minded people, it was mostly positively received and actually resulted in all of her social media followings increasing.

She can come across as an airhead and often plays into the dumb blonde stereotype that comes with her looks, but Cass is a smart person even if it doesn’t always translate well in words. She’s a very creative person and has been known to be quick on her feet when it comes to problem solving. 

Grew up riding horses and still has her horse. She is a chestnut quarter horse with white markings on her face named Poppy. Cass visits her as often as she can, striving to go at least once every few weeks if her schedule allows. The boarding stable is one of the few places these days where she can really allow herself to relax. She doesn’t have any other pets, though she has played with the idea of getting a small dog. She doesn’t fully trust herself with the responsibility. 

[lit-city-gal]

The Perfectionist’s Guide To Prioritising Self-Compassion and Consistency Over Perfection

In a world that often equates success with perfection, many women find themselves striving to meet unrealistic expectations in their careers, education, and home life. I’m guilty of this myself, most certainly in regards to the state of my home and the quality of my uni assignments. I’m known as the control freak of my family. The over-achiever. The perfectionist. However, the pursuit of perfection can be detrimental to our well-being. 

Many times, I’ve found myself the victim of severe burnout, and earlier this year, I decided it was time to learn how to change that. How can I accomplish my goals and be the best without ending up so exhausted that I have no choice but to put my plans on pause, or worse, give up?

After some intense research and self-testing, I found that practicing self-compassion and focusing on consistency offers a more balanced, sustainable path to growth and fulfillment. In this post, we’ll look at how to prioritise self-love and steady progress over perfection. 

Embrace Self-Compassion

Self-compassion involves treating yourself with kindness, especially when things don’t go as planned. Rather than being overly critical, acknowledge that setbacks are a part of life and learning. Whether it's a missed deadline at work, a challenging course, or demands at home, understand that imperfection is natural and doesn’t diminish your value. Self-compassion allows space for growth and builds resilience, helping you stay grounded in times of stress.

Celebrate Consistency Over Perfection

Consistency is about showing up regularly, even when things aren’t perfect. In your career, being consistent could mean contributing steadily to a project rather than waiting for the perfect moment, or setting boundaries with colleagues and time-blocking to manage your workload.

In education, it’s about dedicating small, manageable amounts of time to studying instead of cramming for exams. At home, maintaining daily routines such as simple to-do lists and meal plans, and allowing yourself breaks, rather than striving for an immaculately clean house or scrambling to make meals every day, will bring more peace and stability.

Let Go of Comparison

Social media and societal expectations can create pressure to have it all together. It’s important to remember that everyone's journey is different, and what you see is often a curated version of reality – People rarely share their losses! Focus on your own progress rather than comparing yourself to others.

By prioritizing your own path, you free yourself from the burden of perfection and create room for authentic success. Try to take short breaks from social media now and then, and use the time you would have spent scrolling to do some self-reflection and planning for your own life. 

Be Flexible and Adaptable

Perfectionism often comes from rigid expectations, but life is unpredictable. Cultivate flexibility in your plans and goals, allowing yourself to adjust as circumstances change. In your career, this could mean adapting to new roles or projects without feeling like you must be flawless from the start.

I’m the type of person who tends to quit things as soon as I feel like I’m not good enough at them, so I understand this is a hard one. Working on improving your self-esteem and the relationship between your own expectations versus other people’s, can help tremendously with this. In education and home life, it’s about understanding that plans can change, and that's okay. 

Create a Support System

Build a network of friends, mentors, or colleagues who can offer encouragement and remind you to practice self-compassion. Having people who understand your goals and challenges can help keep you motivated and consistent, especially when perfectionism starts to creep in.

Remind yourself that talent and ambition mean nothing if you don’t have the discipline to stay consistent; You can visualise and manifest all you want, but nothing will come of your dreams if you don’t show up and put in the work. 

By prioritizing self-compassion and consistency, you give yourself permission to grow at your own pace, embrace imperfections, and achieve sustainable success in every aspect of life while avoiding burnout and maintaining your mental health. Routine and dedication are important to achieving our goals, but so are breaks for self-care, reflection, and improvement.

Instead of chasing perfection, focus on showing up and making progress little by little, no matter how long it takes, and remember to stop and smell the roses along the way. As Confucius said, “It does not matter how slowly you go, as long as you do not stop”.

[concupiscience]

Critical theory has caused the west to be overly self-aware, to the extent that culture can no longer organically develop without obsessive comparison. Its tendency to dissect itself has left nothing but shards of thoughts, fragments of images that were once so tightly interwoven.

Therefore, we shouldn’t be concerned with the current popular trends, or even the forthcoming zeitgeist which is always visible over the waves of those successive trends, each obliterating the last in an endless cycle. Not now, not next, but what comes after that is our objective. What is unseen as of yet, that is our goal.

THE STARS THAT FLOG THE SEA WITH WHIPS OF LIGHT

NOT ME.

ecstatic rites of an elegant, ancient beauty

perishing under sickly skies

NEVER LOOK BACk

WHO FUCKING CARES

If u have formed some type of notion about me please just do us both a favor and just forget that shit because human beings are in a constant state of change

To taste every forbidden fruit,

松の木々を通る夕日の最後の光線 寒さを逃れるために南へ飛ぶ鳥たちを照らす

You are limitless potential. You are the clay at the potter’s wheel.

Is this hell? This is definitely hell.

that dusk-tinged demigod

Industrial society operates under the presumption that resources are infinite

A triumphant, arrogant attitude may be necessary from time to time

The same moon my ancestors and descendants behold

We’re all hoes under the same blue sky

Ephemeral and fleeting as a smoke spirit

Having drunk deeply from the cup of sin

Spoiling the land with hubris and greed

Wow imagine that, In our modern society everything has to be done for money

I think you live longer when you have a good attitude. There’s cases where cancer goes into remission when a person starts believing they don't have it anymore. Likewise, there’s also cases of people dying on purpose from resigning their will to live, like those super old couples who die within days of each other. You can control your health with your mindset, at least that’s what I believe. If your mind is thriving your body is thriving. Right but we do have free will to influence our future. “The system cannot be sustained indefinitely ” Right. Like why did a religious impulse develop independently in every single ancient culture.

Media consumes us. Objects own us. Money spends us.

The flowers bloom without caring if they are observed.

Pattern-Matrix

Mass media, escapism, distraction, bread and circuses, whatever you want to call it. Recorded by studios with more money than some countries, packaged neatly for mass consumption. This is the result of capitalism working flawlessly for over a century. the spectator becomes a mere receptacle for media, they become a consumer, the same way food is consumed then comes out as waste, media consumes us. The more people are emotionally invested in fictional people and fictional worlds the easier it is to distract them from what’s happening in real life- the panopticon of modern life. Your superheroes, singers, actors, exist for one purpose only: to sell you a product. Through our complicity they buy our complacency. They have taught us to be satisfied with “what is” and not think about “what could be” because that’s just the way it is. They exist to sell us an image of what our lives and the world ought to be, and we stupidly buy into it. It’s a drug we regularly take.There’s nothing wrong with enjoying movies, TV, books, music etc but you have to realize what is illusion and what is real. When you watch anything, imagine the processes that go into its production. Could this potentially be used to manipulate people into feeling a certain way? Is this fact or does it reflect the views of its creator? All I’m saying is that if you unplug from this “machine” things seem much more relative.

we are bound to our era. we cannot escape the present. 

The notion of a grand, divine scheme negates the possibility of free will. If God does have a plan for everyone, that would mean we only have the illusion of free will.

Tragic figures such as these

Traditions everywhere are dying, we must forge new ones

Wholly effaced by time

Writ large

Pastoral vibes

I believe there are multiple paths to God. The fact that religion has sprung up independently in so many places over so vast a distance is incredible. Jesus and Buddha weren’t so different in their teachings.

Some got it more right than others, obviously.

So there is actually very compelling evidence that early Christianity was heavily influenced by similar savior-centered religious sects such as Mithraism, Orphism and the veneration of Dionysus (they all belong to the subset of Rising-and-dying gods). We know for certain that in Alexandria, an extremely important centre for early Christianity, Buddhist monks taught at the library of Alexandria around the time of jesus.

Wine was central to the rituals of Dionysus, who was believed to have died and been resurrected.

The real importance is that Jesus and Buddha were real historical figures that established schools of thought that endured for millennia.

They both preached the importance of virtue and morality, sympathy for the suffering and acceptance of the transitory nature of the material world.

The library itself was mostly intact until the 260s AD when it was burned by Aurelian.

There is ample evidence of eastern thought circulating in the near east around the time of christ. Statues of hindu gods were found in Pompeii, in Alexandria itself a tombstone with the Wheel of Dharma was discovered, in the port city of myos hormos in Egypt a sail cloth of Indian manufacturing was discovered. The trade routes between judea and the east were active until the 4th century AD.

Theres a Christian tradition that the apostle Thomas died in India where the church he established still exists.

Paganism is an umbrella term for anything that isn’t Christianity, or more accurately the animistic traditions that predate monotheism.

Judaism is fascinating because we have proof it originally was polytheistic. It’s totally Canaanite in origin but over time yahweh was promoted to the status of one true god. The painted pottery from Kuntillet Ajrud Shows yahweh and Asherah (later ishtar, aphrodite) as his consort.

Religions dont appear from nowhere. They’re the product of thousands of years of tradition, thought, and self reflection.

Do you believe the bible refutes evolution?

I dont think it does either. Those seven days of creation are metaphorical. The bible says our lives are like a single breath of god. Which implies he operates on a much longer timescale than humans. So the space between the first and last days of creation could have been billions of years for all we know.

Because the second to last thing he did was to create humans. Evolutionarily, anatomically modern humans first emerged in east Africa around 100,000 years ago. The first stirrings of human culture were around 20,000 years ago. The pyramids were only built 4000 years ago. Rome was only 2000 years ago. We can’t even comprehend how early on in our journey thru the universe we are.

A mere blip in the cosmic timescale. We might not even survive another million years.

I’m tired of getting hurt

旅に病んで 夢は枯れ野を かけめぐる

Falling ill on a journey my dreams go wandering over withered fields