#I'm on a tangent anyway LOGISTICS

[asexualdindjarin]

I always wonder about the period of time between Cobb acquiring his armour and returning to Mos Pelgo. like did he take a few days to recover from severe dehydration before going back to kill people? did he stop somewhere else in the meantime to learn how to use a jetpack rocket launcher with helmet scope controlled aim?

did he just walk 3 days, collapse, acquire a drinky and a jetpack, walk 3 days back while sipping a space capri sun and fuck shit up?

did he practice with the armour beforehand? it was long enough for the mining ppl to set up reasonably comfortably but he did describe it as "overnight"

not pictured: after blowing up the mining company in retreat Taanti comes out like "you saved us!" and Cobb just gives a thumbs up and passes out. (the townsfolk move him gently because he is now covered in buttons and gizmos they do not want to set off by accident)

[vikingpoteto]

do you ever think about how comics kinda wrote themselves into a corner? I keep thinking about the DBZ problem in universes that are supposed to be taken seriously - like DC Comics.

It was fine when they were about silly men in colourful costumes that could jump really high instead of flying but now we’re supposed to believe that it’s a very serious issue in a very serious universe and that ruins the suspension of disbelief.

If we take the Flash, who can both run and process information at the speed of light, there is no way to believe he’s going to lose a fight against anyone that isn’t a Speedster. If we take Wonder Woman, a being that has been alive for centuries and has fought the gods, how you justify her losing against some alien that just showed up randomly? I’m not saying that there aren’t ways, it’s just that the universe and these heroes have existed for so long that almost every possible way has been explored and their power grew and now they’re supposed to be powerful for anything to be a threat anymore.

And then you have fucking Batman everywhere because of course the normal human dude can solve every problem.

[pelleas-at-castle-nox]

I'm surprised I haven't really seen anybody talking about the food sourcing theme in dungeon meshi. Like, the very first thing it made me think about when I started reading the manga was like "oh yeah, this really makes you think about food, where it comes from, the work needed to create enough food for one person, let alone a small group, to eat comfortably and nutritiously. Laios even specifically calls out that 'regular' food is also made using shit and dirt, intentionally grounding it in reality and subtly asking the reader to introspect on the food they eat and where it comes from."

Like, it's fair to say kui has the old "world builder's" spirit, it's easy to extrapolate a whole world when you're willing to both ask "how does x mundane task work?" And being willing to give it as fanciful or grounded an answer as you feel is appropriate, food is the central theme, but that sort of thinking extends to every corner of the lore and world building where you can practically begin to trace back a lot of world elements to these basic questions, like "what would happen if there were people who lived for 500 years, what would happen if you fought a creature with two heads" and I think that's really cool-

But like, that core question "where does the food that sustains you come from" is like such a relevant question that we should all be asking ourselves. I suppose it's just that I think about that often, both when I'm world building, and in modern and historical contexts.

In a lot of ways it's alienation of labor, most USAmericans (to keep it at least slightly contained in scope) don't get to know where any of the food they eat actually comes from. At best, you might buy your own groceries and maybe even be able to google some information as to the conditions at the place this food was grown, maybe you're lucky/resourced enough to grow some of your own food in like a garden. At worst you get your food premade and prepackaged and you're even completely divorced from the preparation aspect.

A major symptom of this is clearly shown in dungeon meshi's opening and especially in kabru shuro and even the canaries: when food is taken for granted, it becomes easy to neglect. The party initially wiped simply because they'd not considered how suicidal it was to press onward while exhausted, Kabru is so dissociated and focused that he shuts out most of his own biological signifiers of hunger, Shuro starves himself, equating food with leisure instead of a vital practice to sustain life and energy, and of course there's mister no desires.

It's no mistake that in all of the above cases, it's seemed to be heavily implied that food is either an after thought, or someone else's responsibility, or a simple logistical concern. Senshi's whole rant (in volume 1!!) about "oh the youths of today just buying prepackaged meat wine and bread" is especially tied in to this main theme of "do you know where your food comes from?" By taking it to the next level and asking "do you know why you're eating what you're eating?"

To take a personal side tangent, I was recently diagnosed as diabetic, and it's completely changed my relationship to food on a pretty fundamental level, but I'd say I'd always had a pretty good and healthy relationship with food (after I stopped having an eating disorder but that's a story for another day) so it was an easy enough adjustment to have to start actually thinking about how much of my diet was carbs and things like that, it just became a matter of considering what I was eating and when and why. I'm still not perfect at it and it's still a learning process but I'm working on it.

Anyways, my main theory as to why I've not seen it being pontificated on is just that in general people really hate being asked "do you know what you're eating?" Around these parts in a general fashion, but like, especially with weaponized starvation going on and very real issues of things like food desserts in America, and the fact that we all have to pay for just about every little meal, I think it's important for leftists to contemplate the political implications of meals.

An army runs on its stomach after all. Rant over

[fruit-sy]

All Masked Fools mentions I found in Gold and Gears so far/some other tangents

A bit of backstory: Farnsha (PR devision) and Korapao (cargo/logistic division) are IPC workers who worked together to monopolize the resources from across the galaxy, which caused wealth and poverty to not be in equilibrium, which then kickstarted the Borderstar Trade wars starting from the poorest starzones. De Wayne (Tech devision in IPC) took this opportunity to try and conquer worlds who are inhabited by inorganic beings, and recruit mercenaries (including "us"), to try and obtain the anti-organic equation (iirc, can give organic beings traits of inorganic beings to make them... stronger?).

Anyways, it does make sense that the Masked Fools are there in the middle of this chaos, since they love causing ripples of events to happen, but it still makes me wonder why exactly they're there... Did they take the anti-organic equation? If so, why?

When we first start gold and gears with a negative cognition value, we are greeted with this occurance. There's an inorganic being named "Andatur Zezzalo" (keep this name in mind) who welcomes us.

They tell us that they come from Golcondar-7, where the (I assume) inorganic beings believe in the Masked Fools'... mission? Life goals? Idk.

But what confuses me is that it seems backwords from what Andatur tells us about what inorganic beings are supposed to be, which is not having emotions, thoughts or anything of the like.

I am honestly confused here lol, I'm not sure if our POV is the same as the one in "Beginning: The Machine Empire". Though, from the first Andatur's words, The Masked Fools do have a place on that planet.

In a confusing twist, turns out Andatur Zazzalo might be a bunch of Masked Fools pretending to be him.

I don't know who exactly we are in this occurance, but it seems we are important enough that multiple Masked Fools would try to cheer us up.

Though, our memory seems hazy, and we're not sure what our own relationship with Andatur really is.

In the end of the "Supreme Organic: God's Three Revelations (III)" occurance, it mentions "There is one who will die for you, and one to whom you will perish", which is what the lady in the candy-coloured chiffon dress said in "Supreme Organic: Sanguine Condolences (I)".

Perhaps the one who will die for "us" is Andatur Zazzalo, countless of times because of the Masked Fools constantly assuming his identity; and the one to whom "we" will perish to is this lady, to which we will die to multiple times until our time to die alligns with what Nous had calculated.

Or perhaps a lot of these points seem confusing because of Mythus, The Enigmata who keeps twisting the facts.

[intertexts]

oh god i just realized I forgot to send you this. behold: the worst trivia ask out of all of them:

EPISODE 22 TRIVIA:

- they spend the first. 9 whole minutes talking about the logistics of snapping someones neck irl only to learn that its not actually possible and thats just something that was make up for movies

- "this is the most guy talk we've ever had at the beginning of a rolled. i feel like we need a trigger warning for boys"

- bizly wanted them seeing tide again to feel awkward and weird! like you're going back to your parents house after not seeing them for a really long time

- talking about how dakota has so many parental figures now and grizzly goes "except for ms. g. she has my whole heart" and WITHOUT missing a beat charlie goes "no. *i* have your whole heart"

- there was apparently a group of people on twitter who made a VERY long VERY well researched document about how all the medical stuff esp involving william would work and kept tagging bizly in posts asking how things would work and hes like "man i dont know!! i write a silly superhero show im not a doctor! it all comes down to his parents built a very strange machine that was designed to view worlds unseen!" (<< quoting the dp theme song in the most EXASPERATED voice possible.)

- "WILLIAM WISP SHOULD HAVE FUCKIN WORMS IN HIM. if we were playing this realistically william would be fuckin LOCKED UP with rigor mortis and COVERED in worms and FULL OF GASSES. he should be FOUL. and FULL OF WORMS. and I DONT WANT THAT" << hes a coward for this. btw. i feel like william should be grosser

- they just keep saying more things about how william should be so grotesque. at one point charlie goes "please dont draw this. its so gross". me, looks at my 4/7 jrwi freak week canvases that are william wisp themed. um. well.

- WARM BODIES MENTION. i love that movie. charlies like "thats how i want william to work hes undead but hes like. pretty about it"

- bizly: "because we've already explored this plot thread of William Being Dead so much, i dont want him getting a heart to just automatically fix that. its not like hes just magically alive now. i havent thought of the exact consequences yet but i want there to be some drawbacks to this to keep things interesting"

charlie: "william is just thrilled right now to be feeling stuff. i dont think hes considering the possible drawbacks"

- "ive never been prouder of any of my characters than when william wisp dented drywall"

- "why didnt vyncent get a fun surgery too" "because I'm a coward"

- they were on some absolutely insane energy for this rolled they keep going on like 5-10 minute long tangents and BARELY talk about the episode other than to mention how william should be a rotting corpse. I REMEMBER NOW that this was a SIGNIFICANT factor in my being frustrated with the heart surgery thing LMAO

- THATS IT. THATS LITERALLY IT. THE ROLLED IS OVER NOW. THIS WAS NOTHING !!!!!

TERRIBLE rolled youre right!!!!! help!!! this is so funny. great rolled guys lets wrap it up. william should be wormy and u cant snap peoples necks. good job everybody. it is really funny to me that people were... expecting medical accuracy?? how do u really seriously research putting one guys heart and another guys blood inside a body that's been dead for several years. frankly i would love to see it i'm very curious.

LOWKEY I'M GLAD HE *ISN'T* A BLOATED LOCKED UP DECAYING CORPSE!!!!! PERSONALLY!!!! i fully respect ur rights and taste to think he should be rotting and worm filled and stinky but frankly i'm on charlies side w this one. hes undead and pretty about it <33

anyway. i still have many thoughts about wiwi's soul/body/wisp relationship that i will NOT start talking about now because it would get LONG. but. its always great hearing their thoughts on it. eyes emoji. but yeah i really don't want him to be just magically fixed and alive now.... we'll see!! we'll see how it goes!!!!

[collectionoftulips]

I figured out my angst philosophy today as I was tidying my flat.

For me, angst or pining should be proportionate to the amount of privilege a character has in a story. What I mean is not that some characters don't suffer emotionally (because I do tend to put everyone through the wringer), but for example with a character like Anthony who is pretty much the definition of privilege of adhering to traditional forms of masculinity, being wealthy, white, benefiting from colonialism (plus, the show seems to imply that colonialism is still a thing as, as far as we know, racism is still a thing outside the UK, but anyway I'm about to go on a tangent so will stop myself), I really prefer writing stories where he suffers more of the emotional torment.

Logistically, he has none of the structural disadvantages Kate has, for example, and at least to me a story needs to have an arc and you want to follow characters on a journey and for the ending to have felt earned. Ergo, Anthony needs to have the brunt of the emotional turmoil, because he's unlikely to have external barriers put in place (even though with my current AU I'm enjoying playing around with the idea of making his privilege a barrier but, you know, that's the power of fiction).

Therefore I personally tend to make the choice when writing to have Anthony pine for Kate or have mutual pining, but if it was Kate pining after Anthony, I don't like that as much. The poor woman literally has too much on her plate in terms of obstacles to her happy ending (not to mention her own self-sacrificing tendencies).

Let Anthony carry most of the pining emotional turmoil vis-a-vis their relationship feels a little bit like balancing the scales. Plus, one of Anthony's most redeeming qualities is his taste in women and the fact that he doesn't like the typical type of femininity patriarchy advocates but much more independent, headstrong women. And since he has a preference for such a calibre of women, on a more shallow level, it feels only fitting that he gets to do more of the pining. Plus, the lowkey tragedy of Anthony's character (to me) is that I think Kate would be sort of okay-ish a future without Anthony, but I don't think the same could be said for Anthony without Kate.

[bts-polls]

hi. i know this blog is just for fun, and i don't want to be a downer, but jk rowling is a terf. she actively does not want trans people to exist. as a trans army, it makes me wildly uncomfortable when people who aren't fans are called 'muggles' or when people Sort the members. again, i know it's all supposed to be fun, but. i don't feel at all safe anymore whenever hp stuff is brought up. i hope you have a good day though <3

Hi anon,

First, before I get into the rest of my response I want to say that I while i can't truly empathize on this specific issue, I do sympathize with not feeling safe due to a marginalization from 'the mainstream'. I do apologize for any part my posts played into this for you and anyone else that may have seen them. I'm going to put the rest of my thoughts on this topic below a cut for anyone that isn't up for a discussion-type post from this blog.

HP was my first real fandom and as someone who was raised in an extremely conservative rural area, I'm unfortunately very familiar with this mindset and viewpoint.

I also had to do a hefty amount of soul-searching when deciding how much of hp-fandom I would continue to engage in. I've never been a merch-focused person (which honestly gave me some heartache getting into kpop..there are legit ppl out there that try to make you feel like a fake fan if you don't spend serious money on this interest... but that's a discussion for another day). Anyway, back to HP, I'm not into merch and I didn't like the movies, (I've still only seen the first two and a handful of clips from some of the others) so I'm personally not contributing anymore to the money channeling in but money isn't the only thing that fuels this massive engine.

Again, I had to have a very frank heart-to-heart with myself to see where I personally feel comfortable continuing to engage. For me, being involved in the Fandom to any degree and even having casual conversations about the themes and meanings was an essential part of learning to be curious enough to see more lifestyles different from the one I was raised in. And my story is not dissimilar from many that I knew in situations similar to mine. So I know that this body of work has actually had cases where it fosters discussions and mindsets for minority groups more than anything else of its time. I really cannot overstate how significant the HP books and fandom were in creating the first space where we were able to even explore the idea of being different from those around us, let alone feeling comfortable or even celebrating it. To us, HP was less about the magic of being able to move items without touching them but more about the magic of finding your own worth when everyone around you said otherwise. This concept takes different forms each generation, for some it's superheroes or musicians; for my generation, it was HP.

Do the unveiled viewpoints of the original creator now undo all of the progress that was triggered by her work? And should we all attempt to bury it as if it never happened? Another point of discussion, especially where I now live in the southern US with many entrenched systems of racial discrimination. (Again, another tangent but we're not here to talk about tearing down ugly statues that don't add any value to the current population).

There's also the literal logistical issue of deciding that I can't engage in anything because I don't agree with the views of the ppl in charge, then there will literally be no viable method to exist. My professional expertise is in systems design, implementation, and maintenance; and let me assure you, the world is legitimately run by people who have despicable beliefs. From entertainment, food manufacturing and distribution, to health care and politics; there are scummy mindsets infecting it all. The biggest lie in our society is that good ppl do good things and bad ppl do bad things. No. People with awful motivations do good things continuously. And the inverse is true as well. There is remarkably little black and white in the world, everything is on a spectrum.

Attempting to cut myself off from ALL of it is not possible, nor do I want to engage with ALL of it. So again, I need to decide where that line is. And it needs to be re-evaluated frequently as both myself and the world around me grows and changes.

But this really comes to my main point of this whole post. I had to do my own personal soul-searching to decide where my own boundary is with this issue. And each person should do so as well. We are all so beautifully different in our life experiences and thoughts and mindset. I would NEVER want to claim my personal boundary on any issue should be upheld for ANYONE else. That's where we must empower ourselves to understand our own sovereignty. I have complete control of how I choose to respond to a push of my boundary but not to dictate that others must place their own boundaries.

This is where we are right now. I recognize that my past actions have induced some harm, intentional or not. Again, I apologize for that. I've shared a few reasons why we have different viewpoints and may continue to create similar polls in the future. So, to move forward, I will be more diligent in tagging any polls so that anyone trying to avoid such content may do so. You will have to decide if that is sufficient for you or if you will need to also disengage here.

Whatever you choose, I do wish you the absolute best and thankyou for bringing this lapse to my attention. Like you said, this is intended to be a fun place where we can vote in meaningless tumblr polls about a group of guys in Korea that make music. I would never want to compromise someone's peace with something so trivial but I am just another stranger on the internet. The one thing I can do is try to give you the tools so that you can make informed decisions about what type of content you may encounter in my space.

I'm not looking to turn this blog into a discussion one, so if anyone wants/needs to chat further, please reach out in DMs or through my main blog @curio-queries . This blog will continue to focus on BTS polls.

BORAHAE 💜

[dearweirdme]

one day I'll stop writing essays in your asks but your questions and the responses are always so interesting to me especially as a non taekooker! So here's another one,lol.

I always knew another member was coming to taes picnic. I knew for the same reason I wasnt surpised when 3 of the members performed at yoongis concerts.

BTS want to see army. That's their whole thing. If they can make time for it that's what they're going to do. I'll admit that I thought it was gonna be JK who came and I assumed it was going to be him up until I heard he left Korea again. Then I was pleasantly surprised when Jimin came.

Not to shade the person who is exhausted by the "vmin" soul mate thing but Jimin wasn't going to taes vicnic because of some elaborate ruse by hybe to push the soul mate narrative, like its not 2020. Nor do i think he was there to make it seem like their relationship is soooo strong.

I want to remind people this is the duo who people have joked about being divorced all year. They both have only recently started mentioning each other and hanging out so I definitely dont think they care about our perception of their closeness through a platonic soulmates lens.I think Jimin and taes friendship is beautiful and i think if youre lucky you'll have several playonic soul mates in your lifetime. I think thats what jimin and tae were/are saying when and if they still use that word about each other.

Its pretty obvious that Jimin was there, not for any elaborate narrative or as a flimsy substitute for Jk. Jimin came cause tae asked him too and beause Jimin enjoys seeing army. Its pretty in his nature to show up for his members and he misses army. He told us he did in his live less than 48 hours ago so why wouldn't he jump at the chance to see us/them?

As to why JK wasn't there its the same reason he didn't get on live for like a month. He had a schedule, he's very busy. And for any taekooker who worries or gets irrationaly annoyed by them not having as much time together, you should know that taekook is more used to each others schedules than any of us are. Im sure JK was worried about tae and missed him when tae was going non-stop as I'm sure tae is worried and missing JK now. But whatever you believe they're doing, jk not being there today doesn't change it and I'm sure he wish he could have been.

I dont see him not showing up as a grand scheme by the company to push any type of narrative but just obvious logistics. Frankly if JK was home and didn't have a schedule I think JK and Jimin both would have come.

((((And this is a bit of a tangent but regarding the idea that theres a fandom narrative that taekook isn't close, I personally am not a taekooker or a jikooker and have never seen that narrative in any of my fandom spaces. I don't think the majority of the Fandom outside of the straw lovers believes that at all, but i could be wrong. Now do I think there's a huge focus on their closeness, when it comes to marketing or pairing them up? No, lol.But if I'm in a queer relationship with my band mate and I'm not ready to be perceived by the public I would take there not being a huge focus or emphasis on my relationship as a blessing. Just a different perspective i thought id offer ,but I get pushing back on the narrative when you see it because honestly its annoying when anyone says two members arent close, but I will say ive never heard anyone say taekook isnt close personally.))

anyways that's my essay for the day and since I seem to be popping up here a lot I will sign off this time so in the future when i pop up you know it's me lol- BYM

Hi BYM-anon!

Sorry for being a bit late in responding!

I agree with most of your ask. I think the things we disagree on are that I think Tae and Jk are more to each other than friends, and I think a large portion of fandom actually does think Tae and Jk drifted apart between 2016 and 2020. I think most of fandom sees that they are close now, and have been for some years.. but there's still those (yes, probably Jkkrs mostly) that disagree.

I think in part the lack of Tkk footage is from allowing them privacy and safety. From Bighit's perspective, having an actual in band relationship must've been super unconvenient, no matter how they personally view queer relationships or Tae and Jk as persons, business wise it's seen as a risk. There's the risk of them breaking up, there's the risk of them having a rocky relationship with drama, there's the risk of them being distracted, there's the risk of discovery in a queer unfriendly country. So I think as soon as BH became aware, they introduced boundaries and rules Tae and Jk had to adhere to. Which isn't all too weird, because in 'normal' situations companies would also probably tell their dating coworkers to act professional. I think Tae and Jk, as well as the other members, do want their privacy. Was the intent from Bighit to protect them? No, I think they just want to protect their company. You can tell that at times Jk and Tae did not like the way they were treated.

How do Jk and Tae feel about the boundaries and rules they had to live by? Probably very conflicted. I think rationally they probably understood, but emotionally it was very hard and different situations probably came with varying feelings. There's so much to consider. There's the band as a whole, they wouldn't have wanted to put the other members' future at risk, they also wouldn't have wanted to put their own future at risk (though at some points they might've wondered if things were worth it). Keeping their relationship safe and hidden, was the safest way for them to carry on professionally and privately. But, being young and in love calls for feelings that are so strong.. they must've felt very frustrated at not being able to show that. I think they also felt the rules and boundaries were too strict, prohibiting them from even acting as close friends. Having to watch other members be close with your partner (having a full blown other ship to take root) while not being able to do much themselves. I think it truly hurt them.

We see a lot of "Jk is trying to hide" stuff, and I do think Jk is a bit more carefull (of sharing friendships and bonds in general), but when all you've ever known is to hide your relationship, that's what has become your safe place. I do believe Jk doesn't like the shippers comemnts in his lives, and justly so. It's people asking for information they have no right to.

Mentioning Tae and Jk in one sentence always comes with some tension.

[agoddamn]

Was thinking about fuckable old men, and had some thoughts about mentor figures in stories. Often with a wise mentor/guide, people will either complain about how boringly perfect they are, or be weirdly resentful of any flaws. Even more so if the character is initially presented as very wise, only to later show any flaws (thinking of like Rose Quartz and idk. Dumbledore). It's weirdly common for people to go on about how boring and perfect a mentor is, and then freak out that they're not perfect and instead just a person.

It's like. It seems like a very childish response to me, and whenever I see that kind of behavior from older people, it just screams "I have mommy/daddy issues". Idk where I'm going with this, but you're the #1 fucker of old and pathetic characters so, thoughts?

Tangent: I think I'm like the only person who liked Dumbledore being gay and thought it was believable. Usually, if a narrative introduces an older male and female pair (Dumbledore and McGonagall, from the literal page 1) it's with the intent of eventually setting them up.

Otherwise, if there's no implicit romantic match for a mentor character it's because a similar-age women literally does not exist (Obi-Wan Kenobi pre-TCW)--or because they're so narratively isolated it would be impractical, typically by their imminent death (Yoda). Batman's Alfred has Leslie Thompson to play off of, frex. Dumbledore having no vague chemistry with Minerva whatsoever was noticeable, even way back before the announcement. His fondness for flamboyant fashion is also, in retrospect, classic gay coding. I fully believe that JKR purposely set that up and didn't just go "uhhh yeah Hogwarts was SUPER diverse" after the fact.

(She did do that with a bunch of other things, to be clear, just not gay Dumbledore.)

(As a tangent to a tangent, we can safely blame Wertham's Seduction of the Innocent for all characters ever having a bad case of the not-gays. It all comes back to comics every time!)

Anyway! Real answer!

Yes, I agree that people tend to get a bad case of projection when it comes to older characters. It happens to characters in any form of fiction that features a relatable everyman protag, but older mentor characters seem to get it extra bad.

I think some of it comes from mentor characters typically being presented as entirely supportive figures; they don't get the same narrative real estate--the same opportunity for character growth-- that, say, the rival gets. A mentor's job is to Be Good And Support MC, not have a character arc. Thus, the particular sense of betrayal the audience has when the mentor character has slightly different goals than the protagonist.

And I do mean "slightly different" goals--to use OT Obi-Wan as an example again, think of how angry people get at him hiding that Anakin was Vader. People get angrier than Luke did in the actual canon discussion the characters have about it! Luke and Obi-Wan align in 99.5% of their goals--the only difference is that Obi-Wan feels that Luke has to accept the reality that he may have to kill Vader.

This is a viewpoint that makes perfect sense for his character. Even before the prequels added the backstory that put Obi-Wan in the same position as Luke, where he could have killed him but chose not to deal a finishing blow, it's...not actually all that strange to keep the sordid details of a parent's past from a kid. Kids want to love their parents. Kids don't want to hear, "hey, your dad tried to kill you!" and they certainly don't want to hear that at a formative, tender age.

You can argue the technical logistics of Force connections and whether Luke was more or less at-risk with his knowledge of Vader, but I genuinely believe that the intended real-world parallel was this situation ("I want to let the kid believe he had a good father") rather than...some of the more extreme interpretations I've seen.

Because people hate this lie. In spite of it being a perfectly logical choice for Obi-Wan's character, they hate him for it and rail against him for "stealing Anakin's children." I've seen fics/headcanons/'metas' that go "Obi-Wan had to have been planning on setting him off like a school shooter in 20 years" or "Obi-Wan was planning to use him as a guided missile from the beginning" and...that's just way harder for me to buy than "he couldn't tell this kid who wanted to love his father than Anakin tried to kill him."

tl;dr mentor characters typically don't get character arcs and so people feel betrayed when they have visible needs and desires outside of validating the protagonist.

[rotten-games]

Re: polys in coi

I think I asked this before but want to make sure. Is Arthur/Deimos a possibility or it wouldn't work (besides being a pain to code)? Don't get me wrong, both romances are interesting, but I'm greedy and if I can get the two I say why the hell not.

Anyway, I'm on the edge of my seat waiting to play both games 👀🍿

See, it's definitely an option I'm considering. I guess my main sticking point is the current uncertainty I have with which other characters would work together. Realistically, it will probably be the one I end up adding after Adra/Perci, but I'm just looking at my options and seeing what sticks atm if that makes sense.

Like, I'd LOVE to add Saga into a poly, but narrative wise and with their story, I feel like it's too dense to add another romantic subplot for them. Dagda is, however, another option that I'm considering but they're relationships are so transactional most of the time I don't think a poly option with them involved would work because they're sort of just learning to become a person as the game takes place.

So that leaves me with the Perci, Adrastea, Deimos, Arthur, sets and what I can possible do with them. I think I'm pretty stuck on Perci/Adrastea. The idea of Perci/Arthur is interesting. I also like Deimos/Arthur. Deimos and anyone else wouldn't work because he's, you know.

I guess the alternative I could come up with is potentially allowing the option of the player to determine who Perci/Arthur ends up with in this regard but that adds a whole lot more work and doesn't necessarily account for any super secret extra love interests who might pop up and become important.

I'm saying 'super secret' like I have a plan but realistically I'm just accounting for my penchant to add more LIs as I go. Anyway, what this long tangent was basically about is that Arthur/Deimos will probably be the extra added, I'm just sorting out the logistics for other things.

[the-technorats]

3, 5, and 7 for the writing asks :)

!! thanks for the question!! :D

What is your writing ritual and why is it cursed?

man, i feel like i don't have a good answer for these first two but i'll yap about it anyway. i think maybe because i'm still learning and figuring myself out as a artist/writer in general, i don't have too many specific behaviors engrained? i'm pretty bad at getting started at writing things so clearly i haven't found the ritual that just gets me in the zone. also, with my depression, it gets hard to self-motivate to do things - often times i need external pressure/reinforcement (ideally positive, but, yknow. negative also works lol) to really get moving since it's easier to do things for others (or the idea of a general audience/'s enjoyment/validation) than find reason to do things for myself.

some preferences i do have include: having tea (jasmine and earl grey are some favorites), having a candle lit, writing at dusk/night. and then often times i reread old stuff i've written/posted to remind myself that i'm capable lol. after that, i just have to bully myself to get the ball rolling. the blank page really fucks with my head, enough so that i can't even make a new document to write my notes, i have to put them in my notes app or in the discord server i have with myself because it tricks me into thinking the stakes are way lower than i've convinced myself they are. (this is, ofc, on the occasion that i even have notes at all, which i often don't.)

something else i've found that unfortunately works for me is making writing the lesser of two evils; writing is one of those things that i love doing but never opt to do even though i want to? i wish i did? i hate it i dont know. even now, i'm writing this because i don't want to be writing an academic paper. i find it a lot easier to write fic/tion or other leisure types of writing when my alternative is doing something way more dreadful.

Do you have any writing superstitions? What are they and why are they 100% true?

honestly, i don't have a good answer for this one either. i wish i had a more glamorous writer lifestyle than my run-of-the-mill "start two days before it's due" or "hammer out two pages and then abandon the idea for two years" process. i feel like all of my writing habits are purely logistical and not spiritual. (maybe i should try and be more spiritual about it? i'd try anything to make writing an easier process but i also think i have a sort of house m.d. mentality about suffering and artistic process and whatnot.)

the only thing i can think of is that i can only look back and edit a few paragraphs behind my current progress. i can't go all the way back to the beginning and reread until the first draft is finished. if i realize a continuity error at the current point that would warrant needing to go way back, i still can't edit it, i have to leave myself a comment. only once i officially proofread/do a second draft can i touch any of the earlier stuff. again, though, this seems almost entirely logistical; i just know if i go back to reread, the rest will never get written. (tangent note: i have a friend who makes a new document for every draft. i don't know if that's normal? maybe like using layers for digital art? but i definitely don't do that. the doc i start in is the doc i paste my notes in is the doc my final draft is in)

also, once i post something/deem it finished, i will never edit the google doc again. i just believe in like, the sanctity of the way i chose to write something as the me i was at that point in time, including the font, grammar, cringiness, etc. (and i also like how google puts the timestamp of "last edited on [x]." if i edit it again, that timestamp won't be true to when the writing was finished.) this one's still not exactly superstitious, it's just like. you wouldn't go back to your childhood drawings and make edits.

What is your deepest joy about writing?

all of the typical artist shit rings true, of course - materializing something that didn't exist before; being able to create something that others can connect with; of course being a part of communities that share my interests and obsessions and nerdiness and insanity. the most indulgent part of it is the part where i get to play god in my own little head, projecting all of my emotional inner workings onto a character and getting to therapize them via their environment. allowing the things that depress or upset me to receive comfort and gentleness and understanding and all of the things i don't think i deserve when they're in my head.

and of course, writing is one of those things, like art, like any form of just - physically making marks - that is so innate. like how beautiful is that, that since the beginning of time one of the things we've always done is depict. illustrate. we just want to understand things. weather and outer space and the elements and animals and human nature. we sang songs to remember epics before we ever wrote them down. and god, damn, fuck its just one of those things that fucking gets me, deep down, that i'm just human and part of humankind and no different than anyone else has ever been, in a good way. that someone will sing the epic to me and i will sing it to someone else and i don't have to do some monumental thing to have a purpose; i can just pass on one more story.

[ursbearhug]

On a small tangent train, might be a long read, enjoy or run away, I don't know?

Before the pandemic hit I've switched to shampoo bars. And I remember it rather clearly because 1) I had to pick up my package with a mask on and 2) I could fuck off and wash my hair in peace because my highschool was not fit for remote classes, so we literally never had one. Other reason why I remember switching and talking about it so vividly is because there was subset of folk, my friends or friend adjacent, that thought this is like some big anti capitalism, pro vegan movement on my behalf. And it's like... None of that?

The reason I swapped to bars is quite simple and has nothing to do with most of the good quality shampoo bars being 100% vegan or whatever. That reason is: I just refused to pay for shampoo bottles. After half year of using bars I did my math and it just checked out. I can get myself a bottle that costs me (I did all the wonky exchange math, so bear with me) 4$ and lasts *maybe* 3 months (depending on whether other household members decide to use it too)(nobody touches my bars), whereas I pay 10ish$ for a bar that lasts me up to 5 (here; depending on how often I'm forced to wash my hair by external conditions, like hot weather). This also means that instead of throwing away a bottle of shampoo, and more often a conditioner of sorts, every 3 months I can get 2 bars that come in paper or cardboard packaging and make me feel less horrible about amount of plastic that serves no real purpose. Logistically it would also make sense, since most of the shampoo and conditioner brands need to be internationally transported, whereas the soap shop I'm getting my stuff from is a smallish business from my country.

It was also a bit of checking whether it will work for my hair or not. It was looking up what is inside said bar as I started to take care of my curly hair a bit more than in the past. I'm not particularly moved by products being vegan or not. I also can never make anti capitalist movement that would actually hurt capitalism. So yeah? I finished vet school and petty squabble about protecting bees or sheep, or whatever, is not affecting me.

Anyway have good day and make get yourself a piece of cake?

(Folks interested in switch, remember that there is stark difference between shampoo bar and soap for hair. These are two different things and require different care)

[void-inked-pen]

Pen Rants About Fantasy BNHA Fics For Too Long

Aight people, I'm sharing the same thoughts on here I did on twitter but with more to add because twitter won't let me rant long like I can on here.

its "pen talks at length about fantasy au's and fanon around said established au's" so I'm a huge nerd for fantasy au's if the original story isn't fantasy and I'm even MORE a nerd for it if one of those characters becomes a shapeshifter or something. With BNHA it already has a kind of canon au where horikoshi literally made a fantasy au ending sequence and I remember all the hype for it back when it came out and that love for it resurfaced recently because... again... I'm a nerd for it.

But one thing i've noticed fantasy fics do often is they kinda just... don't do the leg work with what it means to make a whole new world with magic and lore. they just assume the reader will read "oh they're a fae" or "oh they're a dragon" and get it which... pls dont do. There's a lot of fun that can be had figuring out legistics of how magic and creatures look and work and I get it if that isnt your cup of tea but if you have a fantasy world... you gotta usually do some extra work with it.

So fanon has this thing with bnha where whenever they write certain characters, they kinda automatically are always the same across the board in various fics. which is fine, I appreciate consistent headcanons, but when it comes to PORTRAYING those headcanons... I get bored. There are only 2 FICS (if you wanna know which I can toss them your way) that I have read for fantasy au which both actually do leg work for the world and put thought into how these characters work and out of the literal thousands (over half just being plain boring smut because they are just weird and horny) it bums me out.

One thing that seriously gets stunted is Bakugou as a barbarian which... what would that mean in a fantasy world? not many fics go into that but they def go into it more frequently than some of the other concepts. I just think there's more that can be messed with there. Like, what kind of culture did he grow up in? how did he meet Deku? did they still grow up with each other and if they did how? are they from the same villiage? Horikoshi's art makes it seem like they were born in different cultures, so how would they have met? would their interactions still be the same if they didn't grow up together? there are a LOT of questions to be asked with interactions I think

It's even WORSE with kirishima tho. He is a dragon in some fics, part dragon in others, but they hardly ever go into the logistics of what that means for him. They never touch on his culture or how people treat him or ANY ANGST and as an angst lover with my favs it suuuuucks. Kiri in general has hardly any well-written long-form angst and I'm starved for that kinda content. Also, when people write dragon Kiri they always, ALWAYS introduce him to Bakugou by him somehow being captured (I wrote him that way too but its mainly for a specific situation to happen and a scene that's been stuck in my head for ages now so I'm calling myself out) but then, they do that to him and expect him to... what be fine afterwards? Tangent but not many people write good angst for my boy and I'm DEPRIVED.

but anyway, I think there's more that can be done with some of these concepts. like if Kiri is a dragon, would he still breathe fire? If so, how would he use it? if not, why/how does he work? Can he shapeshift willingly or is he forced to or does he need outside assistance like a ritual or something? is his hardening just his scales, in which case if he's in dragon form and has his hardening magic is that just a special ability he can do to make his scales harder? there's a lot about shapeshifting that can be messed with as well! (both those fics i mentioned before have major consequences if Kiri doesn't shapeshift frequently and I love it).

In general, I feel like people see the au with these characters and just don't think of the nuances and it bugs me. And then the fandom also has fanon about it and some of the tropes are tired... so I started thinking about scenes around fantasy au and ye a lot of what I'm deciding to do with it isn't really... how I normally do it. like there's thought into what I'm imagining because it's me we're talking about but world-building I'm leaving a bit up in the air and to be interpreted however.

anyway, thanks for coming to my Rant-talk lol, if you have fantasy au fics that are long form, arn't constant smut, have kiri or bakugou angst and good world building I'd love to hear recs. the two fics I was talking about are:

the (I think discontinued) fic Blood Of My Hand by PurplePersnicety - its about Kiri being captured by humans and possibly sold but his fire got locked away and he can't shapeshift, while an exiled Bakugou is a barbarian who has a problematic goal and the two make a blood pact to try and help the other and then shit hits the fan And the currently still updating fic, Wandering Home by Milligramme - Kirishima was raised in a human town and told to hide his beastly traits when one loud blonde shows up, tries to steal and then eat said stolen lemons before the two decide to travel together and help Bakugou return home and Kirishima figure out what he is.

(links are being weird so i could only add the link on "home" on the second one idk why)

[roetrolls]

What is it like to be a part of Kiyana's collection?

I was gonna answer this in character but honestly I doubt she'd answer this at all, let alone honestly.

It's Not Good™! I'm making up a lot of this answer on the spot because man. The logistics of this are hard to pin down.

She doesn't want them to do anything she just. Wants to know she has them? Ohh shit Kiyana's a proto-Kincaid. Only I know what that means but trust me it makes sense

So ANYWAYS. They just kinda. Get locked in rooms in her hive. She liked to visit and watch them, she's very amused by the ones that are scared of her. It's some fucked up shit!

If she likes someone enough they don't get locked in just one room all the time and she actually wants to keep them at her side. Which is arguably worse.

She's not violent or aggressive or anything, but is very imposing. I wish you guys knew about Willow Wren because it would be so much easier to explain through comparison to that. But alas, it is a personal project I have only shared with a handful of people.

But that's a tangent. Anyways. She's like... Weirdly affectionate. Acts like everyone should be happy to be there. Fucked up situation. Especially if she likes you! But if she gets bored you get eaten by her snake mom, so. Catch 22 honestly.

[nightcoremoon]

is it problematic to kin scarlett o'hara. please. obviously not the fucking slave ownership part but the naivety and hopeless romantic ness like GOD i'm so conflicted

(edit- I'm writing this preface after the fact. I had whiskey today, the first alcohol I've drank in months and months, and aside from a single mikes hard blackberry lemonade, is the only I've had in well over a year. I am a huge lightweight and my brain gets stupid after one shot. I am very brainstupid right now so please excuse the long post and potential rambling tangents as I originally wanted to just say the first one but then I realized hey wait no I have things to say) I feel like you should ask an actual black person about the moral logistics of kinning a fictional character who happens to be a slave owner because black opinions on black social issues supersede white opinions on black social issues, but with that being said you are asking for my personal opinion so I will give it: every character in classic literature is problematic in some way/shape/form. in fact EVERY SINGLE FICTIONAL CHARACTER IN ALL MEDIA IS PROBLEMATIC IN SOME WAY BECAUSE EVERY SAPIENT BEING IS FLAWED & SHAPED BY THEIR EXPERIENCES/ENVIRONMENT AND THEREFORE ULTIMATELY SUBJECT TO SOCIAL CONDITIONING, and as fictional characters they are also subject to the inherent bias of their creator. when you start nitpicking this it never ends well so think of it this way: scarlett's character is not built on being a slave owner, but on being a- as you put it- naive hopeless romantic. she is clearly on good terms with mamie, and doesn't abuse her or call her the n word in a derogatory sense (at least from what I remember from the movie), and doesn't spew any antiblack hate speech or ethnosupremacist ideology. this means that while she is still white and benefits from white privilege and contributes daily to the systemic oppression of black people and is for all intents and purposes racist in the same way that every white person (even me) are, she is not "racist" as by the definition of "hates black people and wants them to all either be subservient or die". these are two different things defined by the same word which causes no end of needless debate. anyway the point is, you're not idolizing her inherent racism, but her personality. it's not like you're kinning Leo DiCaprio from Django, or the nazis in American History X, or the cops from Do The Right Thing, or the racists in Get Out, or any other character whose traits consist pretty much exclusively of "I am a giant racist asshole". Scarlett is a round, dynamic character who goes through growth and change as the story progresses; she isn't a plot device that personifies an ideology. she isn't just a racist. that's an incredibly reductivist and narrow minded way of thinking; a very shitty character analysis. she's a character in a changing world dealing with massively changing circumstances who ultimately becomes a better person after trials and adversity. she's flawed, she's imperfect, she's kind of an immature spoiled brat at times, but that's just how humans are. humans are flawed. humans are imperfect. and seeing yourself in a character who happens to be from a different culture than you (owning slaves is bad and it was bad when everyone did it but like so is free market capitalism but that doesn't mean people who like A:tLA's cabbage merchant are all bootlicking oppressors of the proletariat) isn't "problematic". it's perfectly normal. my boyfriend kins a character who's a cop, a mass murderer, a former assassin, the CEO of a corporation, etc. I kin a character who's an imperialist monarch, a terrorist, a current assassin, an incel [simon from cry of fear I should clarify not fucking mineta ugh], etc. you're fine, it's fine, you can chill.

[kaz3313]

Meeting with the Opposition

Chapter Two; Chapter One is below (previous link wasn't working) Chapter 3 is in the makings

@artthingymabob is who inspired me!

@dystopianinterstellar @azirafuck (also ask if youd like to be on the tag list!)

I honestly thought this would be a one off thing but oopsie daisy I got inspiration big time! Hope everyone enjoys 😊 Reblogs super appreciated

[[MORE]]

  Azriphale doesn't mean to be late yet here he is running through a crowded sidewalk people giving him nasty sideways glances. He isn't technically late but he isn't early; everyone in Heaven is slightly early as the term "fashionably late" was made by a demon and no angel wants to be associated with one of those. Well besides two; one of which is dubbed a traitor and the other is desperately weaving through crowds and could be considered a hypocrite if anyone is to find out why.

  The reason he is running late is because of Heaven; an angel gone off the deep end. They created quite a ruckus- shouting threats at everyone, causing damage to walls, and pulling up several plants from a garden. It was a fit not tolerated in Heaven and so it ended with them being locked in a room until further notice. He being the one to find an unoccupied room as well as having to catch them. Aziraphale is almost positive they'd have to put them through a trial (and he'd have to organize it) but when is still in the unforeseeable future. Even if he does calm down in that time period they is no possible way of getting out of a punishment.

   The angel arrives just on time but his face falls at the sight of the demon, Crowely, has already nabbed a table. An odd feeling, that isn't embarrassing, arises in him at the thought of the demon sitting at the table, awaiting his arrival. An odd tingly half familiar feeling he shoves down while approaching the demon in wait.

   "I would usually apologize for being late but l, since you are a demon and I don't dare say sorry to your kind, I won't," Azriphale states sitting down not daring to make eye contact with the other.

   "You aren't late, really you're perfectly on time. But our kind don't take well to apologies anyhow; anyone who tries we throw into the hell hound pit and bet on how long they will last," Crowely says and Azriphale looks up; the most horrific look plastered on his face. "I'm joking! I'm joking! Thought a being from Heaven could take a joke!" He lets out a hearty chuckle and Azriphale gives a forced smile in return.

  Crowely is only half-way being truthful in this, as he is with most things, as demons tend to throw each other in hell hound cages all the time. The difference being from what he said is that apologies don't cause such a reaction; it really is just a sporadic action done whenever something mildly inconvenient but thoroughly irritating happens. He doesn't explain the logistics though as he can clearly see the angel is troubled.

   Why he cares is a completely different story that Crowley will rather not want to think about. If he did try to explain though the conversation that followed would contain lots of half truths, hissing, stuttering, made up words (which if you mention that they are made up he will snarkily reply with "well all languages are made up) and end with someone getting stabbed in a major artery. So it's best to leave him be with his unusual consideration.

  "I suppose we should get right on to business since the jokes have ceased?" 'And proven to be unfunny' but Azriphale only adds that on in silence. He doesn't want to push any buttons he doesn't have to today.

  "Thinking 'bout ordering drinks first; Hell has been a bitch like usual and I've needed something to take my mind off it. So drinks first, work talk after," 

  "Drinks don't sound half bad," He momentarily massages his temples before picking up the drink menu "With no war I'm assuming Hell's been rowdy?"

  "Rowdy is a group of bratty teens whose equally bratty parents are going out for a month. Hell is a barnyard that has no food,drink, or cages and several exotic animals. Everyone is ravenous. Demons are thirsting for bloodshed so much we've had to bust several groups trying to form secret strikes to Heaven that would not only fail miserably but be embarrassing to see play out. One guy thought he could do a solo mission- and I have little respect for your army but I'm also not stupid and would send a single low ranking demon against God's army," Crowley rants and if not for the waitress' arrival he would've gone on a tangent. He orders the drinks flatly and expects Azriphale to follow suit immediately.

  The angel however is smiling at him which led to a flick of rage ignite. What had he to smile about? That hell was hellish and chaotic? He should know that just because everything is a shit-show they were not to be reckoned with. 

  "Same wine as his, dear," Azriphale addresses to the waitress and she smiles politely before heading back to the kitchen. "I find it amusing; the angels above are getting antsy themselves. Today actually one of them was found flinging a sword around wildly yelling about how they would deliver "divine justice" to anyone in their path. Of course angels aren't as cruel as demons but...the war not happening has thrown everyone off course. Even the most mild mannered".

  That's why he was smiling- a light weight lifts off Crowley's shoulders. "This is exactly why the two traitors need to be dealt with soon- I feel it would bring ease to everyone. Including, the eventual, second Armageddon," The waitress returns a smile of ignorance on her face. She didn't understand how weeks ago she should've perished nor does she know what these "fine" gentlemen are discussing. All she knows is what wine and food they order and all she hopes is that they give her a significant tip.

  "No doubt; those trouble makers will be given proper justice," Azriphale says picking up his glass of Chardonnay.

  "And no mercy," Crowely adds on, raising his own glass "Toast for the second Armageddon that-is-hopefully-soon-to-come, Angel?"

   "To a successful second apocalypse!" The two clink glasses both wearing uncharacteristic smiles and having found a new sense of determination.

  "Ssso you're ssaying?" Crowely slurs out, its blurred whether alcohol or his snake side were responsible for his long s'. Many drinks are shared between the two and many more were to come. Business is attempting to be addressed but as neither has the gull, or maybe the relaxation is a tad addictive, to sober up halfway thought up plans were being discovered.

   "I say that- well I think anyway. Why not just, we'll just watch the two! Eventually they'll bl-blab out something of importance! How they- how they gone- they gone to go be naive,"

 "Native, you ssstupid Angel,"

   "Oh, same difference! It doesn't matter exact terminology. All that matters is...well is the- the plan," Azriphale waves his hands around before returning to his empty glass. Instead of flagging down the waitress, they had the poor girl running back and forth like mad, he flicks his fingers and both glasses fill up. Crowley opens his mouth to say something but thinks better of it and sips the wine. "Whether its the Great Plan or Ineffable Plan or might as well be Plan B, I really don't care. We just need a plan,"

   "We have our plan," Crowley says with a slight huff.

   "Our plan?" The words our, referring to him and Crowely feel so foreign, scandalous even, but fit on his tongue like a well tailored outfit.

  "Yeah- Watch Gabriel and Beelzebub until they fuck up again. Y'know feel too safe let some information slip. Maybe we'll learn a weakness or two-whatever. And once we know all the right sstuff we crush them!" Crowley slams his fist on the table to reiterate his point.

  "Our plan," Azriphale still echoes quietly as if it is a secret to keep. Which in a way it is; if the other Archangels knew what he's up too, even under the sake of serving retribution, he could get in big trouble. Consorting with Demons led to well... he looks up at Crowley whom he's had two meetings with so far and more to come...apparently it led to professionals getting involved to track you down to find your weaknesses.

  Sure maybe the other Angels wouldn't understand and take what he's doing a completely wrong way but he is doing what is good! Surely if he wasn't God would punish him, right?

  "I'd say let's get dessssert before we head out our separate ways, eh?" Crowely says bringing the fretting Angel out of his worries (or at least creating a temporary distraction from them).

  "Dessert sounds lovely. I heard the creme brulee is to die for,".