#Judging by the media

[annoyingann]

it's hard to be a rap and metal fan at the same time

Caleb's friends: "rap is shit!" / "no, metal is complete bullshit!" / "Nuh-huh!"

Caleb: "again.."

[hrokkall]

We are so bat

[issyoucool]

i’ve got lawyer disease

[confessionsdiaz]

can i just say the weird standard people try and hold queer romcoms(and queer media but) in general is so weird

It's always "its too juvenile" and "it's too wholesome," but then it's "this is too sexualised," and apparently queer ppl having sex scenes is automatically "fetishizing". Always "too corny" and "too angsty" and dont get me started on people who act like something has to be a bad representation just because they didn't like it

"its cringey" it is a fucking romcom bro. like half of the appeal of a romcom is the kinda cringey fun of it all . not your thing? fine, go watch something that is. Not being the audience for something is fine, but god stop acting like one romcom is gonna dismantle the movement for queer rights.

[Since this keeps getting notes, for the love of god stop telling me that I'm saying we shouldn't ever be critical. I am saying hold a queer romcom to the same standard you would a hetero romcom. They are of equal weight. They are allowed to both be criticised. Queer media in itself is allowed to be criticised. But why are you treating a ya show the way you would Oscar bait]

[set-wingedwarrior]

I just want to bring to your attention that, just like you can like something in fiction without condoning it in real life, you can also absolutely hate something in your fiction and be super chill and supportive of it in real life

[margaretkart]

The Double Standard in Depicting Greek Gods

It’s honestly baffling how people will bend over backward to justify changing the ethnicity of Greek gods while acknowledging that it would be wrong for other deities. The excuses? “The gods have many interpretations!” or “They’re universal concepts!” But here’s the thing—the Ancient Greeks never portrayed their gods as anything other than Greek. That’s a fact.

Now imagine if someone depicted Guan Yu, a major Chinese deity, as a Black man. Or if Thor, a Norse god, was drawn as a South Asian man. Or if Anubis, an Egyptian deity, was suddenly given blonde hair and blue eyes. People would immediately call it out as disrespectful, inaccurate, and erasing cultural history. And they’d be right. So why is it that when it comes to Greek gods, suddenly everything is up for interpretation?

1. "The Greeks themselves had different depictions!"

Sure, different regions had variations in how they portrayed their gods, but guess what? They were still Greek. Whether Athena was shown in Athenian or Spartan armor, she was never depicted as, say, Egyptian or Persian. Regional differences do not equal changing an entire ethnic identity.

2. "Gods are universal!"

Okay, let’s test that logic. Are Shinto kami “universal”? Would it be acceptable to depict Amaterasu as an Indigenous American deity? Of course not. Every pantheon belongs to a specific culture. The Greek gods were born from Greek mythology, created by Greek people, reflecting Greek values. They weren’t plucked from the void to be reshaped however anyone pleases.

3. "It’s just artistic interpretation!"

Sure, and if someone decided to "artistically interpret" African or Indigenous deities as white, it would be immediately criticized as colonialist erasure. So why doesn’t that same logic apply to Greek mythology? If people actually respected Greek culture, they’d represent its gods accurately instead of making them fit whatever aesthetic they prefer.

4. "Ancient Greece was diverse!"

Yes, Greece had trade and cultural exchanges, but Greek religion remained Greek. No amount of foreigners passing through Athens would make Zeus suddenly look Indian or East Asian. Just like how Egyptian gods stayed Egyptian despite foreign influences, and Norse gods remained Norse despite trade with other cultures.

Greek mythology belongs to Greek culture, just like every other pantheon belongs to its own people. It’s completely valid to call out inaccurate representations, and it’s frustrating that Greek mythology is treated as some open-source fantasy world while other cultures get to have their gods respected. If people genuinely admire Greek mythology, they should respect its origins instead of twisting it into something unrecognizable.

[please-read-the-manga]

'Sasuke deserves to die in a ditch.' Actually, though?

Decided to make this its own post because truthfully I don't know the etiquette here, but someone posted something pretty laughably egregious in the 'Sasuke' tag (as far as character interpretations go) and I felt compelled to gather up some manga panels to try and figure out where they were coming from and if you could feasibly justify their take.

The initial assertion, from what I gather, is that Sasuke's supposed inaction towards Orochimaru's other prisoners/experiments is heinous and as a result has warped him into such an evil that even Itachi cannot/should not forgive him. I am summarizing, perhaps crudely, but the original post is not the most thought out concept lol. I did consider it, though... were we ever shown Sasuke participating or condoning Orochimaru's actions? Was Sasuke complicit and, if so, to what degree?

Now, I'll briefly caveat that I think it seems like the original post might have been more of a story request? Which, in that case, who am I really to judge what someone wants to write for their own fun/enjoyment? But taking it in good faith that that's all it is and the post wasn't actually bait (which I acknowledge I'm falling hook, line, and sinker for if it is lol), then that's still a pretty tall order for a story as it (imo) requires such a dramatic departure from the canon portrayals of multiple characters to make it work.

I mean, even the cognitive dissonance Itachi would have to employ in an act of ultimate hypocrisy to judge Sasuke's alleged inaction as any worse/less agreeable than his own active violence would be incredibly fascinating given he is the murderer of countless innocents, operated as a reliable agent in a terrorist organization for multiple years and faithfully did whatever it took to uphold the appearance of loyalty, and encouraged Sasuke to go to any length for enough power to defeat him/later be able to fend for himself post-assisted suicide.

But I'm getting ahead of myself. Let's just check out some panels and reflect on what Sasuke was doing while he was under Orochimaru's control and see what we can extrapolate from there.

1.) We can start out easy with Sasuke's alleged interest/participation in Orochimaru's experiments to which we are blatantly shown that he actually has complete and utter disgust for Orochimaru's methods.

He is revolted by what Orochimaru does for his experiments, even (in the panels above) likening Orochimaru's cruelty to that of Itachi's, someone who (at this point in the story) Sasuke views as the ultimate evil.

The rest will be hosted under the cut because adding panels (and I apparently hit the limit of that) drags out the length of these posts to an absurd degree.

2.) Kishimoto makes a point of showing us that Sasuke has deliberately chosen not to kill or even give in to Orochimaru's cruelty during their time together, something Orochimaru even mocks him for.

Sasuke's sole goal at this point in the story is exclusively to kill Itachi so he can achieve justice for his family and bloodline. He even continues to reiterate this point post-Orochimaru's death (but pre-Itachi death/reveal of Konoha's atrocious betrayal of the Uchiha) to Team Hebi.

3.) Sasuke outright states that he was only able to kill Orochimaru while he was weakened. He is also well aware that Orochimaru wishes to possess his body (ie. genetics) and, given that he is prepared to face Orochimaru at this exact, pivotal moment when he is most weakened/Sasuke is most guaranteed victory (ie. Sasuke is not taken off guard at all), I think you can make the argument that he was keenly preparing to attack/kill Orochimaru as soon as he was able. If he didn't do so earlier, then perhaps it stands to reason he didn't believe he was capable of succeeding at any other point.

4.) Sasuke certainly has some degree of freedom and maneuverability that other captives of Orochimaru do not, but he is definitely not an equal to Orochimaru and that power dynamic between them is reiterated frequently. While he is sometimes referred to with respect, he is also referred to as a pet/experiment. A gilded cage is still a cage. The power dynamic of Orochimaru as the master and Sasuke as his captive/future vessel/object of desire is notably and routinely emphasized.

*Note Suigetsu's use of 'we' and 'us'. To me, this implies that Sasuke is viewed by other captives as 'one of them' and not someone operating alongside Orochimaru like, say, Kabuto and Karin. Also, I'm out of images, but there's a panel I had to delete for space which has Orochimaru referring to Team Taka + Sasuke as his 'superior lab rats' again emphasizing Sasuke's shared status.

5.) Speaking of Suigetsu (who we know was experimented upon), he appears to be quite familiar with Sasuke when Sasuke comes to free him. While we unfortunately don't get to see it, its obvious that a relationship of some degree has been formed between the two. Their familiarity with one another highlights that this is not the first time Suigetsu and Sasuke are meeting and from this we can (perhaps) infer that he and Sasuke bonded at an earlier point and, due to the lack of antagonism from Suigetsu towards Sasuke compared to his immediate dislike of Karin who he does state experimented on him, that Sasuke did not participate in his torture.

Keep in mind that, at this stage in the story, this is a hardened Sasuke who has fully embraced his role as the sole arbiter of justice that can do right by his family, but it's still Sasuke. This is still the same Sasuke who fed Naruto, violating Kakashi's rules, and risked never becoming a ninja. This is the same Sasuke who sacrificed his life for Naruto, who called Naruto and Sakura his precious people he wanted to protect, etc. This is the same Sasuke who a few chapters later goes out of his way to show great respect to the ninja cats and Nekobaa, thanking her for everything! Even if he may have been hardened, I'd argue we are almost always encouraged (as readers) to remember that Sasuke is fundamentally a good, kind child (like Naruto) that was horrifically tortured and manipulated by bad actors and the corrupt ninja system into embracing those more violent tendencies out of his deep love for others and a need for survival. Naruto, importantly, never lets this image of Sasuke fall from memory (even calling Sasuke out when Sasuke tries to fancy himself a villain) and, in my opinion, the reader would do well to remember who Sasuke really is as well.

And, in this vein, who is to say he never fed Suigetsu when Kabuto wasn't looking, igniting their bond? That he and Suigetsu didn't talk about their brothers? It's pure conjecture, but thoughts to consider that aren't the most braindead 'Sasuke is pure evil' nonsense you see out there lol.

*Also, 'I knew you'd show up' can imply so much. Did Suigetsu know of Sasuke's plans to overtake Orochimaru? Why was he so sure Sasuke would come rescue him? Much to consider there.

6.) Outside of Suigetsu, let's take a moment to look at how other prisoners/captives view Sasuke. We are directly shown that they, in some form or another, view him as one of them. Again, I interpret this to have emerged from an understood kinship that informs Sasuke's status as 'Orochimaru's next vessel' as not inherently divorced from the idea of him being just as much a captive/victim as them.

Sure, he is afforded some privileges as we've already mentioned (being at Orochimaru's side and not in a cell, for example) but this does not negate the fact Orochimaru always intended to use him, just as he used every other prisoner/captive under his watch. Also, as far as these privileges go, I find it interesting that it's also implied Sasuke was constantly (or at least a majority of the time) accompanied/monitored by Orochimaru and Kabuto given that his mere presence without Orochimaru/Kabuto breathing down his neck is notable enough that multiple people comment on it.

*Note the use of 'chaperone' here, it's an interesting word choice.

7.) Now, let's discuss the curse mark which is the sole reason why Sasuke is with Orochimaru to begin with.

Orochimaru deliberately coveted, targeted, and groomed Sasuke as far back as the Chunin Exam arc so that he could harvest his genetics. He forcibly placed a curse mark (again, read: CURSE, this was not some fun little power-up, it retains extremely negative drawbacks) on the body of a 12-year-old genin who was taking a state-sponsored meat grinder-style exam and found himself up against one of the Legendary Sannin, someone he couldn't possibly hope to defeat.

And we know that the curse mark Sasuke never asked for includes the following:

It debilitates him/constantly erodes his body.

It could have immediately killed him (multiple characters familiar with the curse marks are shocked he survived and continues to survive).

It amplifies and inflames his hatred (we see Orochimaru taunting him and inflaming his survivor's guilt while he is knocked out, ie. utilizing his horrific trauma against him).

And, ultimately, it is implied it would have eventually always required Sasuke to seek Orochimaru out to survive it.

Additionally Orochimaru is frequently shown targeting vulnerable children just like Sasuke and manipulating them for his own gain. This is standard practice for him and as far as extremely vulnerable children go, there are hardly any better examples than Sasuke. There was always an inherent power imbalance shown in the relationships between him and the children he is manipulating. He handles them in a way that is expressly individualized to exert ultimate control over the relationship and exploit their vulnerabilities/trauma tenfold.

8.) And, on top of the curse mark, Sasuke must contend with Itachi's conditioning of his psyche. At the ripe age of seven, Sasuke was actively encouraged by Itachi to give in to killing to try and strengthen his sharingan (ie. the infamous 'kill your best friend' directive). Importantly, Sasuke resisted this! Even though he had no reason not to follow the bloody path his brother laid for him, he refused to give into such cruelty. This is on top of the intense psychological torture and enormous weight that Sasuke had to bear in his quest for justice. Knowing you are the only survivor and no one else cares half as much as you do about avenging your annihilated family and culture is no small pressure to bear. To then actively choose to do it your way and stay true to yourself/values, is also commendable.

9.) I saved this one for later on as it's pretty well known among fans already and so directly refutes OP's concept of Sasuke holding no care for the other captives around him. But Sasuke goes on to free Orochimaru's prisoners as soon as he can. He straight up does not leave them hanging lol.

Side note: I love these panels, I wish a lot more had been done with them. It was around this time in the manga I really wish it had been renamed Sasuke, because everything going on here was x10 more interesting than anything happening with the Konoha crowd lol.

10.) Finally, as far as Sasuke goes, we have to acknowledge that Sasuke's ultimate goals always revolve around avenging the grave injustices done against those he loves/loved. Sasuke continually represents selfless love, he will sacrifice everything so his loved ones (his mother, father, brother, and clan) who have had all these wrongs done against them are given proper rest and justice.

He is deeply traumatized, he doesn't always fully know the entire story (as it's in the best interest of the bad actors around him -Itachi, Orochimaru, Obito- for him not to know everything/the entire truth), and he often struggles to express his thoughts/feelings in an adequate way that will afford him the help/answers he needs from others. So, Sasuke is not without his flaws/difficulties. But you'd have to be purposefully misinterpreting the text/his characterization to not see the good in him that Naruto, the main character, is loudly, constantly, directly shouting about at every chance he gets.

And let's end on the quick, again, laughable idea Itachi would ever 'put down' Sasuke. We have a couple of Itachi's to consider:

We have Itachi 0.0, a traumatized child who had far too much responsibility foisted upon him and who took Danzo's shit genocide deal that guaranteed ONLY Sasuke would be spared. At this stage (and again, we're talking a young, traumatized child soldier) Itachi would rather have his name besmirched for eternity and be the mass murderer to his own flesh and blood than ever put his baby brother in danger. The dilemma he was presented should also be coupled with the fact that Danzo is an incredibly manipulative, evil genocider who simply couldn't wait to mutilate some bodies/rob some graves for his own power/ambition while ruining countless lives (Itachi's included, and especially Sasuke's) as he knowingly shoved Itachi into a corner.

We have Itachi 1.0 that hoped traumatizing his brother and encouraging him to become as strong as possible (by any means possible) and avenge the clan/kill him so he could become this 'ultimate hero' to the village would lead his baby brother to theoretically (lifelong trauma notwithstanding) living a long, safe, productive life after he was gone.

We have Itachi 2.0 that wondered if Naruto might be able to help his (understandably) spiraling brother and was heartened when Naruto insisted he would never kill Sasuke and would always find another way - ie. reiterating the unconditional love Itachi has and always had for his baby brother. This, interestingly, resulted in Naruto being given Shisui's eye that would have forcibly brainwashed Sasuke into serving the state that sanctioned their clan's genocide, but let's ignore the horrible implications of that for a minute...........

And finally we have Itachi 3.0 who admits he was wrong to go about the early plans for Sasuke's life in the way that he did. He states, ultimately, he will love Sasuke no matter what. It's unconditional. He stops trying to forcibly alter his brother's lifepath and he states outright and blatantly that he will always love Sasuke, nothing will change that. His actions have always been influenced by his interpretation of love for Sasuke and that cannot be divorced (in good faith) from his character.

I'm being a bit facetious in some of these summarized points, but generally Itachi's stance on Sasuke's well-being never changes, he always loves Sasuke, only the way in which he offers guidance/expresses his love/thinks about what Sasuke's well-being looks like evolves throughout the story.

*Apologies, I have no idea why the font is so atrocious on these panels lol, but it says "And not matter what you do from here on out, know this... I will love you always."

Idk man, whoever is writing this story OP is asking for, is going to have a crazy uphill battle trying to convince readers that Itachi would ever give up on his brother (that he... directly encouraged this type of behavior in...) when Itachi exists to support and love his brother, when Itachi has always done everything for Sasuke. The debate about whether those actions were in any way good or healthy is wholly separate, but the text outright emphasizes that Sasuke has Itachi's entire, unconditional support and love no matter what. I know some people are allergic to the concept of unconditional love for some reason, but this is a crucial, critical, overwhelmingly highlighted point in the manga and these two specific characters' respective arcs that are known and cherished by many, many people lol, so, I don't know how you renege on that...

But I'd love to see a writer try, I guess. Why not? If you can keep both Sasuke and Itachi in-character and manga accurate, I'd be very interested in seeing a Itachi that not only abandons his beloved brother he has done everything for but also tries to kill him. I definitely wouldn't know how to go about making that convincing given all the direct evidence to the contrary presented in the manga.

Now, the stuff we don't know about Suigetsu and Sasuke's time together or spin-offs that maybe explore a Sasuke that continues on his trajectory to support and lead the people the shinobi world has abandoned? Like the kekkei genkai users (much like himself) who were abused by many in the shinobi world and further victimized by Orochimaru's vile ambitions? I'd, personally, be really interested in reading a faithful exploration of that. There is a lot to explore with Sasuke's time with Orochimaru, but I'd recommend reviewing the actual manga if you're after a realistic/authentic portrayal of these characters in your work.

[saywhat-politics]

Musk's social media posts criticize judges, calling them "corrupt" and "radical"

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/judges-face-rise-threats-musk-blasts-them-over-rulings-2025-03-05/

[alexsinner3]

LOST BLOOD MERIDIAN CARTOON!

Name "GLANTON GANG"

I don't know how this got here, I was just looking for some content on my favorite book "Blood Meridian". I was looking for copper, but I found gold. I found some frames from this lost cartoon, and there are some that are not desirable to show here. If you are interested in something about this cartoon, ask questions in the comments. I will answer everything.

[funkytrashcan]

Epiphanies about what I like in my media

little guys facing the Horrors

little guys becoming the Horrors

incomprehensible/incomplete/vague lore (that i try to comprehend and interpret anyway, for the laughs)

see also: "is this a bug or feature"

cool tech

sad old isolated women learning how to move on from past traumas

world is absolutely fucked but we find beauty and hope in it anyways

random god(s)

finding meaning in our messy lives, making friends along the way

[ponytailzuko]

tho i will say its actually kind of incredible how atla is used as the bastion of western animation. the pinnacle. nothing lives up to it. how? its not perfect. it reuses tropes (in a good way!!!). watch an anime. etc. how is it the pinnacle of western animation? but at the same time, i cant actually list a better western cartoon when it comes to long form narrative storytelling. which baffles me because atla could literally be better. "zuko is the pinnacle of redemption arcs" i have literal critiques about it. its just like i swear there can be other shows like it. or similar. or on par. or better even because it was written by two white men in 2005. but i cannot list one.

[yourlocalabomination]

I am only one mans girl, Max, and his name is Jesus Christ.

[syazam-whazam]

When the critters are smiling idk

[suburbanforestwitch]

They Can't all be Straight Janet : Erasure of Queerness by Some BL Fans

It kills me when I see a post on here or on tiktok still pretending all BL actors are straight and any sign of affection is just fan service. Sure. That makes complete sense… if you ignore math, experience, and the entire concept of human diversity.

Let’s start with the basics: a percentage of the population is LGBTQIA+. That’s just how people work. So if you put together a group of actors—any group, really—some of them are going to be somewhere on that spectrum. That’s not speculation; that’s statistics.

Now, I happen to be the mom of someone with a theater degree. I’ve been around theater kids since my daughter was in middle school. Theater has always been a space where queer people gather. Because it’s one of the places where self-expression, chosen family, and breaking norms aren’t just tolerated—they’re part of the job description.

So, let’s take that already LGBTQIA-heavy industry and apply it to a genre that specifically focuses on relationships between men. Are we really going to act shocked when queer actors are drawn to that work? Like it’s some kind of wild plot twist?

The idea that entire casts of actors in a genre built around queer relationships are somehow magically exempt from the basic demographics of queerness is just… silly.

But Also—can we talk about how Hollywood is absolutely full of straight couples who met on set and fell in love after one movie or show together? It’s practically a trope at this point. But we’re supposed to believe that in the world of BL, where some of these actors work together across multiple productions, travel for fan meetings, do joint interviews, promotions, live events, for years… absolutely nothing real ever develops? Ever? That feels less like realism and more like willful denial.

That's what it is, denail and erasure—coming from people who want to enjoy queer-coded content without acknowledging actual queer people exist within it.

[loveinhereyes-flowersinherhair]

“with love in her eyes and flowers in her hair.”

[phoenixwithapencil]

Hey uh- hey

Noctis and Ardyn as the crystal-chosen kings

Noctis and Ardyn as the saviors of the people

Noctis and Ardyn as the ones to save Eos from the scourge

Noctis and Ardyn as sacrifices for Bahamut

Noctis and Ardyn as pushed into roles neither wanted, pulled to a throne neither was truly interested in inheriting, forced to take a crown to help their people

Noctis and Ardyn who wanted the same things, in the end, and yet were pushed into fighting as bitterest enemies.