#IT ISN'T EVEN A LEGIT TERM I JUST DON'T KNOW WHAT TO CALL THOSE WHO BLEND IN VIA ASSIMILATIVE NATURE

[katyspersonal]

I follow because I think you will lead us to the age of the deep since you keep DREAMING about it and I am a fan of intelligent oracles that aren’t afraid to consume orphan children and hire freaks like me to carry out their grand message. Also pill bugs cronchy.

djhsdh suuuuuuure, Royce. SUUUURE you are VERY sneaky.

OKAY ON A SERIOUS NOTE THOUGH lmao like if this blog will ever be serious Remember the dream from a few months ago, in which I was Aldrich who lowkey travelled in time to take a bite of Gwyn's Soul, and strange continuation transpired, in which there was a world full of so much sunshine, sounds and life but everything looked like it was getting dried after a strong flood?

Past that point not only I started liking the sunlight and completely melt and warm up emotionally every time I see a dandelion (because it looks like a small sunshine). But I soon had a dream where I was burying shells and other symbols of the sea in the earth, simultaneously with Fantomette having a dream about me chasing Adeline (another huge character for my identity and psychology) who got sick and weak and perished by the end of the dream. And just recently I've been experiencing concerns, because not only change of the vibe never self-corrected, but it got worse as I've stopped having dreams about the water and darkness, instead it is often "visions of fire" (sometimes so much that I breathe it out like a dragon). I've been seriously worried also because experiencing weird dissociations had lessened and I've been *gasp* enjoying living. Like, on this planet, in general (THE worst!)

@val-of-the-north SAID I'VE GOTTEN IRON KING'D AND I CAN'T GET OVER THAT REMARK LMAO FDSHHSDFGF

(okay on a SERIOUS SERIOUS note, I am glad you are enjoying the weirdest shit I am cursed with fdhshfds Hopefully I haven't lost my ability to send you prophetic nightmares, tune in for more unexplainable events that mysteriously effect everyone who gets close to me also watch it for the pillbugs to not eat YOU XD)

[fairuzfan]

would you classify “jihadist” as a slur? personally i feel like it’s mainly used by islamophobic white people who want to demonise and antagonise muslim people.

tbh even “islamists” feels like a slur. like no muslim calls themselves these terms. and i’ve only ever heard these be used when white people are trying to spread hate.

i think there needs to be more discussion within western communities on the language surrounding muslims and arabs (because they love conflating the two). people should be held accountable for saying islamophobic shit just as much as they’re held accountable for saying any other sort of slur/hateful comment.

honestly "islamist" doesn't even make sense as a term to me because like what do you mean? its different from "islamic extremists" (which is kinda a vague term in itself) because it implies something intrinsic to islam that is violent and shady that muslims are trying to push. are you saying that salafis for example represent the majority of muslims? if so, i personally would disagree lol. its a super vague term that doesn't mean anything other than "i hate muslims."

"jihadist" also doesn't make sense because islamically speaking, jihad is a pretty wide concept that means different things in different scenarios. im not going to go too much into this, but "jihad" doesn't mean anything involving armed conflict intrinsically. the way i learned it is that its a "struggle" you do in the name of Allah. so things like studying to be a doctor (as long as it's for the purpose to please God) can be considered jihad. so like, when people use "jihadist" in the west im like.... ok... you clearly don't know the history and context and you're vilifying the concept of jihad overall.

you're right, i agree that these terms are only ever used to vilify and spread hate. when people use these terms they show me what type of person they are. and even when they call people terrorists (which in the united states, terror laws were specifically conceived and strengthened to criminalize palestinian resistance, even unarmed) its obvious that they're doing this to de-legitimize. because they never call israel terrorists because its state sanctioned violence. they view anything that isn't a "state" as terror activity because they consider the state as the only legitimate use of force and violence. israel was literally founded on terrorism of palestinians. but they never use those words to describe israel, do they?

but yeah i generally don't take people who say these things seriously and i don't think anyone should either. of course there are terror groups around the world that are LEGIT terrorists, but when talking about palestine, the media and even the law only calls palestinians terrorists. i dont know how to combat it other than rolling my eyes and talking over them tho. this is a problem within media overall thats so widespread.

[a-legacy-not-to-be-forgotten]

Why Ceroba and the Feisty Four were right

Not bothering with any fancy opening, it's exactly what it says it is: Ceroba and the Feisty Four were right to call out Starlo.

Now before you crucify me, I love Starlo as a character. But I'm tired of people (not calling out anyone in particular) pretending that he's done absolutely nothing wrong and demonize Ceroba and the Feisty Four for snapping at him (largely Ceroba, but I see the Feisty Four get shat on every now and then). And this is not me calling Starlo a jerk. Typically, calling him a flat-out jerk would mean he did shit on purpose with malicious intent, and I don't think he acted out of spite. Rather, he did all those things because he just didn't think about it in the moment. I understand that, and I can 110% relate to that myself, honestly.

That being said, he did make some legit dick moves over the course of the game. Exhibit A: Having Moray walk around with a snake in their boot and giving them rashes.

IK some of Starlo's more wild fans would probably do anything he says and all that, but put yourself in Moray's shoes (or boots I guess would be more appropriate). If your friend made you walk around with a rubber toy in your footwear that gave you a nasty rash, I think you'd be reasonable at least a bit angry at them.

Exhibit B: The Boulder Droppers

They're literal goddam boulders. That shit could've killed someone. Setting them up at a busy mineshaft is reckless enough as it is but leaving them on after you're done using them just makes things even worse.

Exhibit C: Blaming Clover for everything that happened and shooting them over it.

What am I supposed to say? If you hate Ceroba for what she did to Kanako and Clover, keep in mind that Starlo basically did the same exact thing.

Again, this is not me calling Starlo an asshole overall. Yes, he is a good monster deep down and just made some legit mistakes. But my point is, he does have flaws nonetheless and I can't stand people who ignore them. Like, him accepting what he did was wrong and coming to terms with that is one of the best parts of his character! C'mon guys.

And yes, people treat Ceroba as a horrible friend because she wasn't into it and apparently 'hates that part of Starlo' or whatever. If Ceroba actually hated Starlo's obsession with Western culture, do you think she'd indulge in his ramblings on humans?

...or helped him set up all of those wanted posters for him?

...or helping his family search for him when he 'goes missing' during a neutral run?

*sarcastically* Wooooooow, what a horrible friend...

Yes, I understand Ceroba is a very blunt and sarcastic person, but I think because of that, she ends up coming off as harsher than she means to be. Trust me, I can relate to that.

To call her a heartless bitch is a disservice to her character. She does care deep down, even if she isn't that good at showing it.

And hey, she's a mourning widow and mother, I wouldn't blame her for not being good at showing positive emotions.

As for the Feisty Five, our favorite enby fish puts it best themself:

My point is, despite snapping at him, Ceroba and the Feisty Four did not hate Starlo. They understood that his obsession over Western Culture was really important with him. It's made clear that they know he's a good monster deep down, despite his transgressions and were very ready to forgive him.

They just wanted him to dial it back. And yeah, he needed to. Granted, this is targeted at the 'Starlo did nothing wrong' crowd. If you admit that he's pretty heavily flawed but that Ceroba's done worse, I can accept that. Hell, despite me being a Ceroba apologist, I might even agree with you to a degree. But I am a bit tired of the fandom putting him on a pedestal while overhating everyone who remotely criticizes him.

[fangswbenefits]

Rant ahead:

I am so tired of men treating women like this when it comes to them being attracted to a FICTIONAL man. And, of course, just like in the old days, they resort to using derogatory terms like "psychosis of the average woman" (do they even know what psychosis means lol), which is just the updated version of "female hysteria" that was so commonly thrown around as a legit medical diagnosis.

You don't have to like the character. You can call him wtv the fuck you want. Astarion isn't real. But the women in these spaces are. Even if you disagree with their perspective, don't be that dude who is so blatantly misogynistic.

Also, of course we are once again dealing with those who keep mixing fiction with real life and "women just love Astarion and in real life they like men like him too" as if we are all the same and too "dumb" to see through an obvious facade.

The whole "You are being emotionally manipulated by a fictional character"??? Do you guys even hear yourselves??? Astarion was written by real people. He was brought to life by a trauma survivor, so you are basically implying that those who were involved in creating him are manipulating women in real life.... like gtfo.... seriously.

THIS IS FICTION! A GAME!

[sharpth1ng]

What do you think is mentally wrong with billy and stu other then being “insane”

I don't actually think they're insane, tbh. I'm going to give a long explanation of this but I just want to say I'm not judging you or the question. Terms like this get miss-used a lot in pop media (including in Scream) so it's easy to get the wrong idea.

"Insane" is a legal category, not a medical diagnosis. Legally, insanity refers to someone being in a state where they are so out of touch with reality that they can't be considered responsible for their actions. The way this works is complicated, but simply put if the crime was violent then it needs to be proven that the accused person didn't actually know what they were doing.

Successful insanity pleas are very very rare, both because the burden of proof is super high and because people with disorders that involve a break from reality don't commit violent crime that often at all. It's actually pretty rare.

So yeah, by that definition these two are not insane at all. They know exactly what they are doing and they intend to do it. They call themselves "psychotic" but that's also a miss-use of the term. They very clearly don't have psychosis, and aside from that people with psychosis are less likely to act violently than people who don't have it (this is a statistical fact).

On that note I just want to point out that the way media connects violence with psychotic disorders is a real problem. It stigmatizes and isolates the real people who struggle with this stuff. It causes others to judge and fear them, it makes them fear themselves, and it makes it harder for them to access treatment and care. So yeah the psychotic line in Scream is a real pet-peeve of mine, that's why I changed it in my writing.

Getting back to Billy and Stu I really don't think their issues and behaviours can be boiled down to any mental health issues. To be clear I don't think anyones bad behaviour can be boiled down to mental health issues. In some cases mental health issues can help us understand where behaviour is coming from, but they're never the only cause. So I'll talk about the way I write them in terms of the issues they deal with, but just keep in mind that these things not the cause of their actions.

I write Billy autistic partly because I am (but also because of the canonical horror movie special interest and third act meltdown) and I'd say my portrayal of Stu also indicates some type of neurodivergence- probably something like ADHD but I don't have any specific diagnosis in mind. Billy also has some attachment and trust issues- these aren't diagnosis or disorders but they are definitely things he struggles with. For his part Stu is dealing with parental neglect and struggles with loneliness as well as under-stimulation.

All of this stuff informs the way they behave with each other, the walls they put up, and the types of relationships they have with other people. For example Billy isn't emotionally open to Sidney at any point. Even if he wasn't gay there was never a possibility for their relationship to work out because he's completely closed off to her. He doesn't trust her.

In terms of what I think is truly wrong with these two it's the misogyny, the slut shaming and the self-centeredness. That's the kind of stuff that I think explains their behaviour for real, and none of it is related to their mental health issues or insecurities.

Stu is a rich white boy living in suburban California and the way I write him, so is Billy. They have shitty values and the kind of privileged upbringing that teaches men to see themselves as the main character. Billy literally has one of those scary tiktok boy moms, like when we see Nancy in Scream 2 she fully excuses all of his behaviour. He's been brought up not having to take accountability or consider the real effects of his actions. Neither of them have.

So yeah tldr: They aren't insane, they do have some legit mental health issues the way I write them, but none of that stuff causes their actions in the movie. Their actions are caused by a toxic combination of sexism and main character syndrome, which are not mental health issues.

I hope all that makes sense!

[hyba]

I tried AI for the first time...

Hm.

I tried AI today for the first time, and gave it a prompt to outline an article, and then to draft the article. I've never generated any writing with AI before, other than a few bits of AI art back when it was a sparkly new thing, and even then it felt... odd. I've had very definite thoughts about it, and since someone wanted me to use it for a job-related task, I decided to try it out and see what everyone was so addicted to.

First thoughts:

It's surprisingly good at understanding complex prompts. I actually didn't expect it to pick up on a few things I put in the prompt, but it managed to touch upon every single point. I thought I might confuse it, but apparently not.

It provides a clear and concise draft, which I also didn't expect. It reads smoothly, and there's a logic to the way the information is presented.

I'm not really liking the final results, though, because they still feel a bit bare, and that's probably a good thing because at least it means that it could still benefit from the human touch.

It's painfully reminiscent of every single article I come across online these days, making me wonder just how many bloggers, magazines, and websites are using AI to generate their content.

Not only does it feel a bit bare-bones, it's also very surface-level in the content provided. I wonder if that's just the limitations of my prompt in the works, of if it's a legitimate concern with content generated by AI. Both would explain the dismal quality of some of the traffic-sucking AI-generated content out there in the web: people not knowing how to prompt the AI software well enough, and people just taking whatever it spouts out and copy-pasting it without any additional effort added.

The single most worrying thing for me, though, is that it used 3 sources. One of them was a book on Amazon; I still don't know if the AI had access to that whole book or if it just grabbed something from the summary. Another one was legit, as far as I could tell, and the author was an expert in his field. Unfortunately, his expertise wasn't in the subject area I was looking for. And the last one was interesting, because the author wasn't an expert, but the article anyway was more of an opinion piece. I don't know how I feel about this selection of sources; I don't think any teacher would have passed me if I wrote a paper using only these three sources in high school, let alone college.

All of that being said, I understand now the addiction of it. How quickly it wrote a whole article for me, and not a bad one, either - with a little more tweaking and a little more depth and analysis here and there, and some new sources, the article could be very good. I suppose that's essentially a rewrite... So you get a backbone/skeleton, generated in a matter of seconds, and I think the ideal approach is then to fix it up and add a lot more content, since it doesn't look like it really goes in much depth? I wonder if this is what the workflow looks like for someone who uses AI for their copywriting. Or if they just copy paste and call it a job well done. (That can't possibly work though, right? Like, people can tell, I think?)

I know my standpoint on this, but outside right/wrong, I'm afraid this isn't going to go away anytime soon, with capabilities like this. Which means... Well, I'm a little worried and a little unsure what this means. Already I'm seeing job posts for jobs that never included the term AI before, now placing it as a requirement. I think we're definitely entering a time where it won't be about whether or not you like or support it; it'll be something imposed upon you by your employers, so that you can churn out more, and be more productive, and positively impact their bottom line.

So, those were my immediate thoughts after using AI to generate a whole article.

...And then I asked it to write a story.

Specifically, I asked it to write Apartment as a short story.

Check it out.

[your-ne1ghbor]

I don't know if you take drawing requests or not (seriously, I forgot, lol.) But I kind of want to see how your Starboy would interact with WG!Star.

Like would he be excited or scared cause WG!Star can get wild when he meets other Starboys. He'd be zipping around all over the place, I'm not sure if yours can handle it. 😅

P.S my Star is a hugger, so take that however you want. 😆

(I do take requests, I love drawing/answering your guy's questions even if it takes forever 💀)

AND ONG RASCAL I AM SO SORRY IT TOOK SO LONG TO ANSWER THIS-

This took me a while to think about/draw since I saw them having a similar relationship to TKORAT Star with Orion, but still different enough from that. SOOO after long while of deep thinking, I figured out on how I would see them interact :3

So when they first meet, well, WG! Star ofc would get excited and start zipping around a lot to his potentially new friend. TKORAT Star starts asking a bunch of questions, starts pacing and moving around a lot, and starts talking so fast that you have no idea what the hell he is saying. Like buddy slow down 😭

Ofc besides that, I would see them relate on some personal levels with each other. First of all, on the lonely factor of their lives and confronting Magnus/Magnifico.

I thought that they would relate on the loneliness part of their lives in a way. From what I know about WG! Stars, is that they are basically like nomads, floating in the vast void of space and time. Ofc they would meet other stars, but it really looks more like a co-worker relationship than a long term friendship from my pov. I mean, what is the chance the star you just met is someone you will see again? Honestly kind of depressing. Poor guy 😢

For TKORAT! Star, (though I'm still figuring out the overall culture and lore of the stars) I also viewed it pretty much the same (though it could change after I figure out the star lore lmao). I mean sure, the other stars kinda treat Star Boy like their little sibling (i mean he technically is), but they aren't around enough to where someone could consider a friend. It is more like Teacher to Student type of situation.

Next it is confronting Magnus/Magnifico. Ngl, reading Chapter 7 and 8 was legit insane, hands up to Rascal 🙌

Although how I see TKORAT Star confronting Magnus being VASTLY different from what WG Star went though, the outcome is somewhat the same. Both through their rage later realize that they can't defeat Magnus/Magnifico. Even with their somewhat devine power that have (ie. Able to shapeshift, create objects out of thin air), it isn't enough to defeat him. They both basically got humbled by a guy who probably eats hair gel for breakfeast (aint no way he got his hair like that without proper hair treatment)💀🙏

Needless to say, they both can relate to that sort of pain they felt in those moments (I doodled them in their cosmic forms, though it is techically TKORAT Star's true form and it is also a draft)

Ok enough agnst 🙄, this duo would cause havok on Rosas.

Between them, there would be explosions....lots of explosions. And probably turning breads into talking cake creatures that beg you not to eat them. HORRIFYING...

Honestly imagine a whole group of pranksters showing up at your door (looking at the star boy gang for this). You're a goner man.

Cant draw WG! Star without hugging someone, am I right?

(And yes, my star boy doesn't know what a hug is. Like he has seen it, since he has seen mortals do that, he just doesn't understand why or know what it is called. Plus it is so infrequent of mortals doing that, which basically makes him forget hugging is a thing lol SUCH A UNCULTERED SWINE(srry couldnt resist lol) )

Anyways thanks for the ask Rascal! Again, sorry if it took so long, I was busy with school and also thinking deeply on their interactions with each other 🐀🐀

. . . . .. .

Shimmy shimmy yay shimmy yay shimmy ahhhhh

drank

falalala

drank

falalala

@signed-sapphire @oh-shtars @chillwildwave @rascalentertainments

@spectator-zee @tumblingdownthefoxden @dangerousflowerpanda

(sorry for tagging you guys again, just entering the silly hour (its 12 am by the time I wrote this))

[illegiblewords]

Serious talk about meta under the cut.

I don't know who might need to hear it, but fwiw mental flexibility is a huge part of analysis (and interacting with other humans lol). You need to be able to account for multiple possibilities when examining a work, or understanding a social exchange. You need to be able to separate what is objective fact from your own subjective interpretation and judgment. The most negative interpretation is not automatically the most worthwhile or true. Someone throwing accusations around in-line with their own worst interpretations does not guarantee those accusations are warranted. You are not a bad or stupid person for disagreeing. Shit needs to withstand scrutiny. I don't always strike the right balance myself. I do the best I can but I'm definitely not perfect. Tbh I'm not beyond pettiness either--although I try to keep that out of actual analysis lol. There have been times I've griped to friends privately or blogged about how I felt (sans tags, with spoiler blocks so people can opt out). I've griped recently. I'm bound to gripe again in the future. Some level of griping is inevitable imo and I figure no one is 100% immune.

All that said, even if someone’s take isn't canon AND even if it's something I really dislike--I'd personally rather people follow their passions anyway. Hands down. I could be in the middle of a rant and my answer would still be that the subject of my frustration gets to exist. I'm not the boss and odds are we're going with different versions in our own heads. Discouraging another fan from creating due to my preferences or narrative approach would horrify me. I've seen fandoms where gatekeeping like that killed the creative community and it was fucking awful.

Not everyone is confident in their own judgment. Not everyone faced with a pissed off person trying to use lore and accusations like clubs will feel okay continuing with their own vision. Elitism and manipulation (especially through rhetoric) can be present within analysis. People are not being taught how to recognize those things properly. Analysts aren't always aware or invested enough to even be careful. It’s legit easy to get caught up in ideas or feelings to the point of forgetting about other people’s, and adjusting to account for alternate approaches takes some work. For me at least, I think having a 'no insults' policy and being super careful when it comes to absolute claims (assertions not qualified by 'I think' or 'it could be argued') helps.

Anyway. Just because a person calls something ‘meaningless’ doesn't make it meaningless. Someone pooh-poohing an observation you made doesn't make your observation less true or important. Employing a literary term doesn't mean that individual actually understands the term, how it works, or how to apply it. Which is to say nothing of romantic chemistry or whatever. I encourage readers to extrapolate on this. ‘Shallow’ could apply as much as ‘meaningless’. Denying parallels exist by itself doesn’t actually negate those parallels. Your version of a character may not be the same as the fan next to you’s and that difference doesn't have to detract. There's more I could say on the subject (I've edited out a lot) but basically--just because another fan isn't into what you're doing doesn't automatically make what you're doing wrong, immoral, shoddy, or otherwise less.

Seriously, vet shit. Question the entire premise an analyst tries to establish then decide for yourself if it holds water. Turn over word choices and assertions in your head before deciding if they're appropriate. Do it to me too. I don't care if someone is the holy goddamn emperor of analysts. Just because a person says something is good or bad, true or false, whatever the hell doesn't make it so. Just because a person uses a technical term doesn't mean they're discussing it effectively. Quality of argument matters beyond the packaging it’s wrapped in. It's important to protect yourself from people whose priority is enforcing their own preferences, including dismissing things they aren't partial to.

I just don't want anyone shamed silent man. Not even people whose takes drive me up the fucking wall. Neither I nor any other analyst is an authority here. And there are people who are absolutely ready to take advantage of other people’s insecurities to assert themselves. Might not even be malicious, just indifferent.

For me, analysis feels kind of like uncovering a dinosaur skeleton. I want to share the cool and exciting things I find with other people. Sometimes I might be sorting out what my own thoughts and feelings are. It's also possible to examine why you're uncomfortable with something, or why you love something another person hates, while making very clear what is YOUR READING and not THE READING. Offering a variety of possibilities is very different from presenting yourself as the only correct one. One note at the end when everything else was insulting and intolerant is like a band-aid over a wound.

EDIT: As a last point, that I'm throwing in just-in-case. If anyone reading this thinks they may have overreached and done stuff I've mentioned + feels shitty about it… that's still not the end of the world. It’s okay. This is hard stuff to learn and I really don't think anyone's perfect at it. Worth the effort though. Just gotta take a deep breath, acknowledge you're a fallible human same as everyone else, and do the best you can going forward. Life goes on.

[rallamajoop]

There’s definitely some stuff pre Miranda in terms of pagan imagery, no? Between the ancient Kings with clawed hands and feet protecting the “holy grail,” or the Lord of the Castle creating a dagger to slay demons, or goats and goddesses and so forth — I wonder, why Miranda didn’t necessarily get rid of it all. And on top of that, there’s a lot of Christin art in the ruins from the ceremony site to the alter. The stronghold was once occupied by non “heathens,” so — the history feels rich here.

Well, firstly, calling everything pre-Miranda 'pagan' is simplifying a lot. Here's some of what you can find around the village which presumably pre-dates her:

The statues of the four founders, which are referenced in a diary which seems to be centuries old (They don't have clawed hands in the game, though I guess they have kinda weird nails in some of the concept art? Is that what you're referring to?) We don't know if they worshiped the megamycete, or whether they perhaps even claimed the 'grail'/Giant's Chalice was a legit Christian artifact, so 'pagan' isn't really accurate.

Images of Orthodox Christian saints painted on the walls of the village church and other locations, implying the building was repurposed by Miranda for her cult.

The statue and relief of the Maiden of War protecting the village from a demon with her goat's head shield, and a recurring motif of goat heads or goat sacrifices for protection.

The dagger has no obvious spiritual motif, and probably doesn't even come from the village (poisons on it supposedly come from "across the continent"), so not much to say on that one.

"The stronghold was once occupied by non “heathens,”

The term actually used is 'heretics', not that it makes a lot of difference. But given what part of Europe we're in, 'heretics' could well be a reference to the Ottoman empire ‒ or heck, maybe even just some other Christian sect to whoever's defending it. The letter exists to contextualise the existence of the stronghold (past battles fought in the region), and to emphasise the age of the statues (though it's undated, so all we really know is 'they're old'). I wouldn't take it as necessarily significant of much more than that.

"I wonder, why Miranda didn’t necessarily get rid of it all"

So, here we get to the real crux of the question! But really, why bother? None of that history threatened Miranda, and plenty of it enhanced her own image. Being able to claim her four lords were descended from ancient founders with those enormous statues could only boost her authority. Images of Miranda from around the village are thick with appropriated catholic or orthodox imagery too. And why discourage a tradition of goat sacrifices if people could just sacrifice goats directly to her? You don't have to rebuild everything from scratch.

Savvy religions do this sort of thing all the time. It's not unheard of for newly Christianised regions to turn local culture heroes into saints, recast fairies as fallen angels who tithe to hell, and add a layer of religious overtones to older seasonal festivals like Christmas and Easter. It creates the illusion that your new religion has been part of the landscape since long before it actually arrived, and saves on disillusioning locals who don't want to give up old traditions.

Obviously, there are also plenty of histories and cultures which have been lost under the spread of Christianity (or Islam, or whoever else has just moved in and reclassified whatever it doesn't like as pagan heresy). But not all conquerors bother, and even major religions can be remarkably pragmatic when it suits their purposes (and I'm sure plenty of individual locals will do likewise, when they want an excuse to carry on like they always have). Heck, half the real-world cults out there today start with someone sharing their weird bible fanfiction. Try and build it all from scratch, and you'll just alienate people.

As for RE8 specifically, well, it's pretty safe to say that any village which has gone merrily on treating goats' heads as a protective symbol well into its Christian era is not going to be an village that's keen to throw out all its old traditions overnight. Why build a new church when you can just retrofit the one you've got?

Maybe some of this history dates back to when there was supposed to be a whole section of the game set in the past. Other elements were clearly there in concept work from long before Mother Miranda became the centre of the cult. There's guaranteed to be a wealth of other unused material written to flesh out the village and its history that we never got to see.

Now, as I said in my post on the goats, I don't know how many of these beautifully-formed sedimentary layers of religious history were laid down by the writers deliberately, or how much was simply an artifact of a complicated development history, but I love it anyway. Real European history from places like the village is frequently every bit as layered as this, and then some.

Miranda's cult may have been around for a century, but that's nothing in historical terms. Before that, the village was presumably Orthodox Christian. But the mould had clearly left its mark on the landscape since long before Miranda's day, and the giant's chalice attests to something much, much older. The note from the stronghold suggests those statues were ancient even in medieval times.

Was the demon pictured on the maiden relief a mould-empowered monster? Was the goat's head pictured on her shield the origin of the protective goat's head superstition, or merely a reflection of it? Who knows ‒ even the writers may not have had specific answers in mind - but you can imagine you see remnants of these pre-existing eras and superstitions still reflected in Miranda's cult in the present, and that creates something that feels genuinely organic to me in a very satisfying way.

There is a wealth of material hinted at here that could easily form the basis of RE9, but I have no idea whether Capcom means to do that. What matters is that what's already in RE8 works on its own merits, even absent hypothetical further lore dumps from future installments.

[minipisi-is-dumb]

hai, sorry to bother, but what exactly is giftedness? i dont think i trust google on it and id rather hear about it from someone who's gifted. is it like being a genius or something?

hiii thanks for asking about it!!! and sure lemme tell ya

it's a bit lengthy sorry

ill briefly explain the symptoms and then other extra stuff, thanks so much for asking, not a lot of people know about it :)

giftedness is a form of neurodivergent condition/neurodivergency or however you call it, that is characterized by asynchronous development between intelectual and "chronological" growth

an easy way to explain it (even if the theory is disproven so it's just as example) is how people see mental ages

you might be chronologically 15, but intellectually, your needs are those of a 19 y/o and emotionally your regulation is that of a 13 y/o. that's what asynchrony means essentially

the current "official" way to diagnose people is through iq tests, they're not always specific and is usually in a margin of error, but if it's a legit test and not one of those online, is used to measure the amount of connections your brain has. of course the results may vary if you have more than one neurodivergency or you have a mental illness. it's always important to discuss it with your doctor!

the more connections u have per braincell → the faster processing you got. the amount of connections is measured by iq number

the criteria for being diagnosed is simply getting 130 or more in the iq test, there's different types of depth to giftedness as a condition, just like there're different symptoms and levels of depth for autism, but that's the beauty of it isn't it

and contrary to what you might think, fast processing can be very difficult, it feels like your brain goes faster than you all the time you are asked a question, say, in a test, and you just know the answer! that's it, you can't explain it even to yourself. your brain "skips" steps to get to a conclusion since we don't have a linear way of thinking, or you make connections at the moment that somehow end up making sense all the time and you don't even realize it. it's overwhelming

other important symptoms are similar to other nds like autism or adhd like being able to hyperfocus, stimming or sensory sensitivity, but there are some different ones like latent inhibition deficit

latent inhibition deficit (you can google it for better understanding) it's basically not being able to prioritize the information you recieve

have you ever found yourself in a restaurant or a crowded space, and even if there's a lot of talking and music, eventually you "forget about it" and stop paying attention to it since it's not important? That's latent inhibition!!! your brain can filter information, wether is sensory or cognitive and ignore whatever it doesn't see as important

my brain can't, I am always listening to the music, the people talking in the room, small changes in smell, sound or how too many colors confuse me and give me migraine, my brain cannot "filter" importance in it, so it pays attention to everything and sees it all as important since it perceives it as one whole thing

connecting most of the stuff around you or "seeing the big picture" always is very normal, feeling like everything is happening at the same time simultaneously and you can't just pick and choose is the best way I can describe it

we also have overexcitabilities!!! that is a bit long to explain but you can google it

here's a very useful explanation that also mentions giftedness, since the term was created from studying our behavior

here's my favorite talk about the topic, I watched it years after being diagnosed and it explains it very well, the woman giving the talk is gifted herself and works in gifted education programs too!

she also has a talk about overexcitabilities!!

I really like this image because it is a quick way to see some basic symptoms, is not the be all of it but you can get a general idea compared to autism and adhd, since there's more info about them around

Alright we done w that

the BIGGEST misconception about giftedness is that it is just good grades, it's a complex condition just like any other! adhd is not "just getting distracted", autism is not "just being socially awkward" and giftedness is not "just being a genius"

I cannot stress enough how grades have nothing to do with giftedness , in fact, most gifted people end up dropping school or college since it never fits fully fits our educational needs

giftedness and academic achievement are not inherent to one another, you can be neurotypical and have good and bad grades too, it doesn't matter really . it could be a clue for some, where good grades might lead a parent to take the test, but the results are not there just because of grades or high achievement rate

now we need to talk kinda quickly abt ableism and how the concept of iq was originally created to stigmatize non-white races, women and neurodivergent conditions

the first people to coin the term for iq were (shocker) rich white men who liked the idea of being smarter than everyone else

however, the arbitrary measurement used to discriminate towards people on the bases of iq started to change it's perspective

we know NOW that there's a lot more than "just genius" and is a complex condition people like me live without, but the subconscious idea of high iq being something that makes you ""superior "" is still around due to it's origins and lack of common knowledge. the stigma about telling other people you're gifted is huge, people change the way they percieve you, they change the way they treat you, or at best you seem like an egocentric superb who thinks they're better than everyone

it's sorta how being a narcissist is used as an insult or to demonize the actual condition instead of people actually understanding what it is to have npd? kinda that. if you call yourself gifted you're basically doomed to be the egocentric one

and languages outside of english don't make it better.

for Spanish (my native language) even though we have one of the best resources imo for giftedness (the book "¿Demasiado Inteligente para ser feliz?") we also have the term "superdotado" that translated roughly means "super gifted". not doing much for the "we're literally people and not inhumane geniuses" part

but UGHHHH I kinda think that's most of my base info for u, I am SO happy you're interested, I have a little giftedness tag you can look at, and there's also gifted-centered blogs around this site

thanks for reading!!!

[religion-is-a-mental-illness]

It’s quite incredible how many people suddenly come out slamming Israel. They claim to want to support Palestine but it’s just the “woke” “socially acceptable way” of expressing the age old hatred of Jews. They claim that the Israelis are occupying and should leave but my question is where should they go? Nobody else wants them. Where do they find a home?

Remember when Antifa thugs were declaring people to be "Nazis" so they could punch them? The same people are either remarkably silent, or worse, actively defending or even encouraging, terrorist violence against Jews and Israel. Literally taking the side of the Nazis.

Don't forget, there are still people who think the 9/11 attacks were completely justified.

This Babylon Bee post is parody, of course, but the reason it works is that it's so realistic.

[ Link: The Babylon Bee ]

What we've also seen is the mask really drop from the "right side of history." People who gave the anodyne Motte defence of "decolonization" have really come out swinging with the violent Bailey.

They're actively saying "this is what we meant."

https://www.thefp.com/p/this-is-what-decolonization-looks

Meanwhile, the ersatz activists of Hollywood and Silicon Valley are eerily quiet. The people who turned the Ukrainian flag into their avatars, those who worry about misgendering and triggering and safe spaces, those who insist words are violence (those for whom violence is apparently not violence)—they’re busy ignoring all this. We should listen closely to these latter-day Bolsheviks and their many enablers. They are being honest. They are saying exactly what they believe and what they want to see happen.

As I've said time and time again: believe them when they tell you what they're up to. Stop moderating it because it sounds awful, and you assume they must really mean something less appalling. If you're genuinely unsure, press them to be specific.

There are two things you can take away from this horror.

It's never "just about" something benign. If it sounds awful, it is. The people saying this are either lying or ignorant. This is akin to apologetics over Islamic doctrine framed as "you're taking it out of context" or "translation problems"; if it sounds like it's advocating violence, it is. Once you talk to an Islamic scholar, they will unapologetically and unashamedly tell you that it's exactly what it means. Same thing.

The people who want to scold you for your lack of adherence to elite luxury beliefs - neo-pronouns, "privilege," accuse of you of being a "Nazi" for having completely mainstream, liberal values, say slogans like "words are violence," "wE'rE LiTeRaLLy dYiNg," call everything "harm" and "danger" - are hypocrites who endorse actual violence, actual antisemitism, actual genocide. You've been duped by manipulative language. You need never feel ashamed or guilty again.

Pay attention who screamed at you that you were a "racist" for thinking The Little Mermaid was pretty shit, overly long, didn't make any sense when they rewrote it with intersectional feminist themes, the actors expressionless, the CGI amateur... who are now studiously saying nothing about those calling for actual genocide. They've shown who they are, they're morally confused, and their righteousness card has been revoked.

If anyone hasn't already peaked by now, I legitimately don't know what else it will take.

As far as answers, I legit don't know. Both claim entitlement based on their ancient superstitions. Both claim to be justified by their gods. Islam is rampantly and inherently antisemitic, so I don't see much long-term ability to co-exist. It doesn't matter that Israel existed before Palestine, and Judaism before Islam, Palestine isn't going to give up, so I suspect Israel would have to. But then, Islam is never satisfied, as it's a supremacist ideology. You can't negotiate with it, you can't reason with it, and you can't capitulate to it or it will simply escalate its demands; if we've learned nothing else from the betrayal of Salman Rushdie, it's that. So Palestine conquering the area would just embolden other Islamic regimes, as well as terrorist organizations like ISIS and Boko Haram which claim the same entitlement.

EDIT: Or all-out war, I guess.

[ahiddenpath]

Recently, I've been thinking about reading for pleasure and reading for challenge and I remembered your answer to that ask game where you mentioned your friend's list of literature. If you feel comfortable, could you share the list?

Sure thing! This is going to get really long so... List beneath the cut.

So my friend split these into two groups: authors you must read for a masters in literature (that you will actually enjoy bc they kick ass) and books you will enjoy that kick ass. Her recs were centered on fantasy and magical realism, at my request.

Magical realism you’d be forced to read in a masters program that’s also good actually (tm) Salman Rushdie

Morrison obviously

Louise Erdrich (tho she’d prolly object to being called magical realism)

Haruki Murakami

Stuff that is Not School Stuff but Actually Good (tm):

The Witcher novels

These are the Witcher novels in order:

blood of elves time of contempt baptism of fire the tower of the swallow lady of the lake

There are also two short stories.

Kingkiller chronicles (unfinished but worth it anyway)

The entire hainish cycle by Leguin

Michal moorecock’s elric saga (as or maybe more influential than Tolkien in pop culture fantasy, why D&D exists) read this before the Witcher books maybe

Pratchett obviously

Kelly Link’s stories (all over the genre map)

Gene Wolfe shadow and claw collection

Books to Grow By

This is a combination of recs from my friend and stuff I found myself, apologies for linking out but typing it again seems redundant.

-List 1

-More on the biographies of women mentioned at the bottom of the post linked above

-More on The Left Hand of Darkness, LeGuin

-More on Beloved, Morrison and how it impacted the writing I was doing at the time, although it's embarrassing to say that bc Beloved is an absolute master class in the novel and is incomparable and I feel almost blasphemous even talking about it, except that it might inspire other people to read it, so I will talk about it!!!! In the hopes that people read it!!!! Please read it.

I haven't spoken about it yet, but I really want to add Ducks, Kate Beaton to the list. It's an autobio graphic novel about Kate, a woman from Nova Scotia who took a job on the oil sands to pay off her history degree. It gets dark fast, I would check out trigger warnings first.

This book is so packed with... So many things that I... I hate that they exist, but I really want people to see them, to know about them. I grew up in a lower middle class family on the east coast of the USA. My parents spoke about money problems constantly, so I legit thought we were poor. We were not, although my parents struggled with money their whole lives and will likely never retire and will pass away in debt.

When I was in college, I made friends with my literature pal above online. We've been friends for... God, probably about 12 years now, chatting daily online. I don't want to get into her life too much on Tumblr.com, but she actually grew up in poverty, and graciously taught me what poverty actually is. That might sound sarcastic, but it isn't at all. Sharing your life experience like that takes a lot of trust, time, and emotional energy, and it isn't something we can just... expect to be given for the sake of our own growth (ick, right??).

Like Beaton, lots of people are born in places where comfortable and lucrative jobs are not readily available. Also like Beaton, many folks earn a college degree that will almost certainly not pay for itself in terms of securing gainful employment. People in those circumstances often end up in jobs that destroy their body, their mental health, and their dignity. Class status isn't only dependent on income; it's also dependent on the type of work a family unit does. Jobs that wreck your body can pay well, but at what price?

There are a million themes and glimpses of humanity and horror in this book, I wish everyone would read it. The book was a huge success, and most libraries carry it, so try to check it out!

[bro3256]

Reproductions are just Counterfeits with a different name

Since the dawn of time, video games have been copied illegally and sold on the second hand market without the endorsement of license holders. However it was pretty easy to tell the difference between a legit copy of a game and a bootleg. You couldn't fool anyone that this was a legit copy of Super Mario Bros. 3, right?

They were often sold for cheap, or in some cases were able to be rented. However as console gaming moved from cartridges to discs these bootleg cartridges slowly started to fade away in western markets. They didn't completely disappear but the prominence of them dwindled up until the 2000s. Then slowly but surely, we started to see cartridges pop up that look like the real deal but are actually counterfeit.

These are often called "Reproductions" or "Repros" for short. Despite the new name, the purpose of these cartridges still serve the exact same purpose as those bootleg cartridges from decades ago. Except this time these repros were made to look real to the point where it can fool people who don't know any better. Sure the hardcore collector can easily tell which is real or counterfeit, but everyone else?

But wait! There are also cases of "reproductions" being made of games that technically don't exist. Here we have a copy of Kid Dracula on NES which... hang on a minute! This was a Famicom game that never left Japan which never saw an NES release. This also seems to contain an English fan translation which I doubt the manufacturer of this cartridge got permission to use that for this cartridge. So wait why even call this a reproduction to begin with? This isn't mimicking anything that exists, it's no different to any other counterfeit cartridge.

There's also folks who consider modern cartridges such as this to be "reproductions". This is not trying to replicate anything that exists. It's a bootleg multicart, it's also not a "fake" game. The games on this cartridge are very real but the cartridge itself is worth next to nothing due to it being counterfeit.

There's also a huge issue with "reproductions" being sold for an absurd markup. Even if its not trying to replicate an existing game, why would you spend around $40 for what is essentially an unlicensed cartridge that realistically is worth dirt. If your argument is because this allows you to play these games on original hardware then invest in a flash cartridge or anything that lets you run rom files on original hardware which negates ever considering purchasing any of this.

I'm not a huge fan of calling all these newly manufactured cartridges reproductions when there are many which clearly do not fall under the actual definition of a reproduction. For something to be labeled as a reproduction it must replicate the original such as this EarthBound cartridge.

It's clearly based on the real thing and without further inspection looks close enough to the authentic cartridge. Compare that to other cartridges such as this seemingly innocent North American cartridge of Animal Crossing. The thing is that this never left Japan at least on the N64. So would you call this a reproduction?

Going by the actual definition it does not qualify due to it not replicating the original cartridge but instead mocking up what an American copy would look like. Since its distinct from the original cartridge I find it hard to call it a reproduction when it isn't even reproducing anything outside of the core game within (with a stolen fan translation might I add). If you were to give it a label it's simply a counterfeit or unlicensed cartridge despite the fake ESRB and Nintendo seal on the cartridge.

If I had to guess as to the reason why everything of this nature is labeled as reproductions is probably just to cover up the fact that these are by nature unauthorized copies of games which in return technically falls under copyright infringement. So its likely that this term is widespread to cover up that fact. That's not to say I'm completely against cartridges like this in general. I like collecting the odd bootleg cartridge every so often, but these newer cartridges don't appeal to me. I'll just stick to either buying original copies or play these games on flash cartridges.

[blackmoonrose13]

Okay so I don't know if this is a legit question or not I am acting like it is.

It's more or less a boundaries respecting thing, um more detailed explanation under the cut

Reasons this is now a thing, it's mostly in discord. Because there has been this massive uptick in, Unsolicited Direct messages. I think that is the term I hope it is.

Aka rando messaging you with out even like having a back and forth in the said server you are in...I personally prefer a back and forth in the server before private messaging because I don't know call me old.

People randomly just info dumping on something they like or dramadumping to you thinking you care...not saying you don't but you know read the room.

If you happen to be a streamer (like me) or someone with a following and you run a server so people can easily get updates on projects, when you stream etc, you do get those fans who think because they are in that server that gives 100% okay to message the said creator. And it's a mix bag and also can be yikes.

This massive uptick in. "Hi I am a GFX artist I want you to commission me" Scams especially if you are in more gamer/streamer based discords, at least from my notice as a mod. Aka bots join the server and spam scams and shit.

If you are in servers that may have a NSFW section or are NSFW based...MASSIVE AMOUNTS OF CREEPS, if you happen to be female presenting in one of those servers, those unhinged horny folks will just barge into your space like a drunk scevy guy at the club trying to solicit you or show you their junk, or try to get pics of your junk. Oh the number of creeps you can get in discords some times, heck even if you aren't active and give off the female presenting vibe it happens. Some servers like this do have roles that are like dms open, ask to dm, do not dm, You know showing the consent of it all. Yea the creeps don't care and just wanna be creeps and gross, and don't know how to socialize I guess...a lot of those servers actually take those things seriously because nothing is sexier than consent. And if they are breaking that boom out. Those are good servers.

And due to all the things happening above, when you get a random dm from a random person and you never interacted with that person in the server you both share, you automatically get defensive. You feel like uh you know that one worker who doesn't get the hint to leave your space you are trying to work and insists on staying so they can gossip or talk about their family drama? Yea it is kinda like that.

Now Yes I am an artist who has commissions open and I advertise it in many a server, but 9/10 times if a person dms me about a commission they usually state that in their first line. And I am not as prickly and I go through the process and hope the person in question isn't trying to just get free art out of me or something.

To be honest, I do like the ask if its cool to dm first, But that is just my brain. I think of it less of a "What is with these kids?" Thing and more of a "Yea people are respecting boundaries can we please keep that up?"

What horrifying new social rules are the kids inventing now

[knxfesck]

Whos your favorite tf character and why

I legit just noticed that I had shit in my inbox (SORRY) but uhm. uhhhhhhhhhhh. hm. This might need a read more.

Out of the more "classic" characters I like starscream because 1) plane 2) villain. I think his character arcs in idw were pretty good overall and even though he's often used for comic relief (esp in g1) I like that he's a villain who doesn't know what he's doing all the time, who's desperate, who's kind of a mess, who keeps making bad decisions and who ultimately has to try and turn his life around himself, and its HARD and he shows that.

ANYWAYS he's not even my main favorite my main favorite character is Drift-formerly-Deadlock and I'm calling him that because I honestly find deadlock more interesting. I find I relate to him a lot in terms of how he sees and navigates the world, the anger that he tries to decide is righteous or not. His patterns of addiction, and especially his comittment to the decepticon cause. If this is what you decided was right and its falling apart what else do you do except go down with the ship? etc etc. Also the way he earns megatrons utmost trust but almost doesn't recognise it? like he's willing to leave whatever isn't working for him behind and megatron has this almost worshipping attachment (which is something I've experienced in relationships).

He's kind of on his own plane of reality and I like that that idea is taken further with his transition into being Drift and redemption. It gets a little muddy here because of Roberts' narrative plans for him that got scrapped but I am. A Huge fan of the whole Who do you have to be to redeem yourself? who are you redeeming yourself to and why? where is the line between the you that you are, the you that you want, and the you that you project so people will see you a certain way?? Can you get lost in becoming better? if you're lying to yourself and everyone else its just delusion right? How do you know you aren't lying if that's all you've ever known? thing.

Drift is so searching, he wants to find a way to make the world right and then he wants to find himself and that's a journey that will never end completely, no matter how agressive or determined he is about it. You finally put down the gun and you take up the sword, and you need to know what's stopping you from going back to bullets when shit gets tough, yk?

His design from drift: empire of stone is one of my favorite designs in tf (even though I'm biased towards deadlock and his fangs and lego block shoulders lol). The crossover part of my brain reaaally likes that he turns into a jdm racecar because. I like those a lot. Speaking of racecars I also find his relationship with rodimus really compelling because of their similarities and differences. I think it would be interesting to have a rodimus in my life. And ofc he's in a gay marriage with ratchet which is pretty cool even if it ascends him to fandom yaoi mischaracterization glory.

Overall I think my attachment to him is probably based more on other people's similar neurotices than on his comics even though I've read 95% of them (shoutout to @weapon-up-wallflower haha). Funnily enough I don't have any drift models or figures but I'm hoping to change that soon.

There are a lot of other characters that make the favorites list that I'd be able to tell you more about if I brushed up on my comic knowledge (cyclonus, sixshot, skywarp & TC, tarn, misfire, brainstorm, etc) but I think this is enough text.

But yeah, thank you for asking and triggering my long lost transformers brainrot :)

⬆️ the empire of stone design I was thinking of bc I'm not a huge fan of his mtmte bbl

and my favorite official art for deadlock

[tin-can-iron-man]

Anyway Im3 was fucking right in not having the mandarin be the legit villain of the film because it was 2013 and having Tony Stark, a rich white American billionaire, have his biggest enemy at the end of his trilogy be "Asia all along" sucks ass. im1 and im2 had asian enemies in it (the "ten rings" in Afghanistan and Vanko, respectively) but they were ultimately about rich people (and usually rich white people) being terrible. Which, in my opinion, was the better option.

In im1 and im2, the main antagonists that pull the plot along are other rich white billionaires who throw money at their problem (Tony) with unethical rich person means. (Hammer hires Vanko with the intention of using him as a way to get to Tony because he's petty as well as using him to further his own military business by selling Vankos inventions under his name) (Stane makes shady deals and puts Tony's weapons up on the black market (which, by the way, what happened to Wanda and Pietro was either a result of Stane's shady deals that Tony was unaware of (Tony was also almost blown up by a Stark branded missile! That he DEFINITELY did not sell! He made the arc reactor so that the shrapnel in his heart wouldn't tear it to shreds!), or US military shittyness, something that Tony was uneducated on, learned about, and immediately, as in literally the second he could, when he was literally supposed to still be in a wheelchair, called a in-person press conference and shut down his weapons program, and immediately became one of the most anti-military characters in the MCU (like in the avengers, when he got real angry about being referred to as soldiers).

Killian isn't a good character, he's doesn't have a particular compelling origin story and wasting the foundation of AIM in the MCU on him sucks. Yes. But he's the last in the list of Iron Man villains that make sense in terms of Tony's personal turning over a new leaf. Stane and Hammer (and Vanko to a degree) are exaggerated versions of Tony's own personal flaws, the things he has to keep in check about HIMSELF. And in that sense, Killian is too. Killian is, if looking in a mirror, an exaggerated version of Tony's desire to be acknowledged and accepted by the people he loves, not being able to take rejection well, and being a risk taker, blown out of proportion. (Tony does deeply crave the affection of those he loves but he doesn't think he naturally deserves it. And while he can be reckless it typically starts and ends with himself. The very last thing Tony would do is, say, start human experimentation (on anyone besides himself) on something known to be dangerous). Killian is impulsive, vindictive, dismissive, self-centered and incapable of reflecting on himself in a meaningful way (basically just any "nice guy" guy on Twitter). He got so butthurt about a single night he dedicated the rest of his life to trying to get back at Tony about it (REAL big "nice guy" on Twitter vibes). He's not well written, he's not even that fun. What makes him interesting, though, is that Tony was kinda all of those things too. (Before his time spent with Yinsen, before Iron Man, before the Avengers).

Tony has never been as bad a Stane, or Hammer, or Killian. But thematically their characters are all "this bad thing about Tony pre-Afghanistan taken 12 steps further."

I don't know I'm just saying in my opinion I think it was better for Tony's main villains to be exaggerated caricatures of himself over using the Mandarin. And that they were right to save a character like the real Mandarin for Shang-Chi where they could be explored and used narratively in a proper manner.