#Many benefits come with being a VA

[gcabestva]

Asset for being a Virtual Assistant

Virtual assistants are the backbone of many businesses. They provide administrative and clerical support to companies, allowing their clients to focus on their core business activities. While many people think that being a virtual assistant is just answering emails and making phone calls, there's much more to it than that! A great virtual assistant will have excellent time management skills, multitask while simultaneously keeping track of several projects, and pay good attention to detail when organizing information or documents.

Virtual Assistant Skills

You need a few skills to be a virtual assistant, but they can be learned. The most important thing is the ability to type quickly and accurately. You will also need excellent communication skills to communicate clearly with your clients and colleagues.

As far as customer service representatives go, there are several different types of positions available in this field: answering phones, processing orders or taking messages for customers who call in; helping customers find products through catalogs or websites; resolving complaints from customers (whether through refunds or exchanges); providing information about company policies or other issues related to using its services; researching solutions for problems outside regular working hours when necessary.

Being a virtual assistant is an excellent asset for those looking to make money from home.

Many benefits come with being a VA, including:

Flexible schedule - VAs can set their hours and work around their lives, so you can choose when they want to work and how much time they want to put into it each day. You may even be able to work while traveling!

Work from anywhere - Because most of our clients are located in different places worldwide, we need an office or other physical location where everyone works together daily. Instead, we communicate via email and phone, so we can all be in one place at a time (which would be expensive!). This makes it easy for people who don't have access yet and have wanted it since childhood.

Time Management Skills

Time management skills are essential for a virtual assistant, and it's your job to know how much time you have each day and prioritize tasks accordingly. It would help if you learned how to say no and when it's okay to say yes.

For example: If an opportunity will take up half of your day and doesn't bring in any money, it may not be worth taking on right now (or ever). You should focus on completing the most important tasks first so they don't get pushed back due to lack of time later on!

Organization Skills

Organizational skills are essential for any business professional. You'll need to be able to multitask, prioritize your tasks, and manage your time effectively. If you have this skill set, it will help ensure that you meet deadlines and complete projects promptly.

Customer Service Skills

You will need excellent customer service skills to succeed as a virtual assistant. You must understand your client's needs and respond to their requests promptly. You'll also need to handle questions and requests positively, solve problems and provide solutions.

Attention to Detail

Attention to detail is an essential asset for being a virtual assistant. You must listen closely and pay attention to your client's words because they may only sometimes express themselves clearly. You also have to understand the details of their project or task, which may involve researching information online or referencing documents they send you.

Finally, attention to detail can help you notice when something has gone wrong with their project--for example, if they didn't receive an email when it was sent out (or vice versa).

Virtual assistants are excellent for those looking to make money from home. If you have the right skills and can manage your time well, this could be a great opportunity! Global Conversion Agency has a lot to offer. 

[meanbossart]

I appreciate how you write Astarion so, SO much. I feel like way too many fic writers infantilize him to a point where I honestly start wondering if I'm the one who misinterpreted him so badly.

I'd love to know more about what you think of his character and his arc. Personally I saw him and immediately went "oh god this guy is gonna be the irritating tumblr sexyman of the year🙄" and it took me until Araj basically to warm up to him. What were your initial thoughts and did they change much while playing the game?

OH thank you so much!!! That's a shame if it's the case, and a little surprising to me, to be honest! While he's definitely written be an aloof jerk a lot of the time, I always found him to be surprisingly mature and introspective whenever he's not dishing out witty remarks. He comes off to me as the kind of person who learned to benefit from seeming dumber than he actually is, overall.

HAHA I had a VERY similar experience, not just towards Astarion but all the characters, really (I really disliked Shadowheart at the beginning, too). I had only seen pictures of him and pretty much expected a vapid character that was being carried to stardom because of a talented VA - and because people go nuts for anne rice style vampires lol.

While I was definitely enjoying his voice lines from the start (Again kudos to Neil) I definitely wasn't expecting much else. He piqued my interest after so devastatingly turning my character down at the tiefling party without me even having inquired, and that's when I, the gamer, was like "well, alright, I GOTTA fuck this guy now" (this is also where DU drow's personality began to come out as you can probably guess)

Obviously, if you have two neurons to rub together you can gather pretty quickly that he's not trying to woo you because you're so interesting and wonderful, so I started getting curious! With that dynamic being so different from what you usually expect of romances in these types of games, plus the charming way in which he is written, I started being won over.

I think what really did it was how gradually his attitude changed when responding to new, mostly trivial dialogue options and doing his greetings as you earned his trust, and ESPECIALLY with how he responds to your tav when you express any kind of fear or insecurity during his romance - which was with a lot of sincerity and confidence in his resolve to support you, and in you as a person, a complete 180 from his usual front - Which, again, makes me all the more surprised to hear that he's often painted with such an immature brush.

And obviously he has a DEEPLY ugly side to him (if you've read ANE, hopefully it's clear that I know this, and that I like to explore it just as much as anything else lmao) but it's very interesting to me how it seem to always come in the form of outbursts, rather than a constant evil-streak, usually followed by a glimpse of self-awareness. It feels very much in line with someone who's actually making a great deal of effort to manage their RAMPANT emotions and going through a lot of internal conflict in the process.

GAH. Yeah if you can't tell by this friggin' thesis I just wrote, I love the way they wrote this character a lot and I was definitely proven PROFOUNDLY wrong in my first impression of him - which, if that's not irony at it's finest I don't know what is.

And as an aside! I also very much appreciate that he's a "queer" coded character who's effeminate (in the Old Homo kind of way, but I digress) and flamboyant, but taken Dead Fucking Seriously. With as much progress as we've made in LGBT rep in media, I still often feel like gay men will only get that kind of treatment for as long as they "Aren't That Gay" (I know Astarion doesn't have a set sexuality - But lets not mince words: stereotypes exist, and he fits into most of them) and as a thin-wristed gay guy who's a little too found of linen shirts, I can honestly say that experiencing a character like that helped me with my own confidence.

[jewishvitya]

Rowling had nothing to do with Legacy and I think most people forget that. She wasn't even consulted. WB bought the license and the devs did whatever they wanted. "Sirona" is a beautiful, feminine Celtic name associated with healing, and "Ryan" is an extremely common Irish surname. I feel like people are looking for reasons to be offended, especially when it comes to trans characters and antisemitism. The goblins are not and have never been Jewish stereotypes. They're a fictional race. They're based on Tolkien's goblins and old English folklore dating back to the 1400's, where they have always been depicted and small, ugly, and greedy. Rowling herself was shocked by the antisemitism rumors and staunchly stated they weren't true. Just like the rumors saying lycanthopy is a metaphor for AIDS. Just... who thinks of this stuff?

What's really sad is people have argued that Sirona was never meant to be trans, but a male character that the devs rendered to look "more feminine" at the last minute. People have made fun of her voice and said it's "too masculine", so obviously WB just hired a man to voice her and changed her gender later. But that's not true! Her VA is actually a trans woman and the backlash against the character must be devastating to the VA.

Okay, so, I don't think you're here in good faith. You're here to be dismissive. But I'll reply anyway, just in case I'm wrong.

One thing at a time.

I'll start with the one point you made that I agree with: the VA. She doesn't deserve to have her voice scrutinized and criticized. That's horrible, no one deserves that. I did see - and share - the misinformation that Sirona Ryan was voiced by a man, and I regret that. I edited it out of my post as soon as I knew, but this is tumblr and unedited versions do go around. I hope more people will see that corrected, and leave the VA's voice alone.

Now for the mess you threw at me.

Hogwarts Legacy is related to Rowling by virtue of existing within the world she created. It's still her goblins, since she gave her permission to create this, and she let it be added to the canon.

Rowling's world is the context.

I don't care that she wasn't consulted about the details, that just means the other creators are bigots too. When you build within a world that has such large issues, where so much time and effort was devoted to highlighting and criticizing those issues, and you create a story that continues all the problems from the original canon and adds to them - that's a choice that I have a right to criticize. They had the benefit of being a google search away from knowing how to be respectful about all of this, and they did the opposite.

Sirona Ryan IS a beautiful real name, that's not the issue. I already wrote this post where I tried to explain the reaction, but I accept that maybe my feelings about this name come from cultural ignorance. If that's the case, I apologize, and I'd love to be corrected.

My real issue with the game is the antisemitism.

You say "folklore dating back to the 1400's" as if that's far too old to be influenced by antisemitism. Fun fact: antisemitism is older than goblins. Antisemitism is literally millennia old. At least as old as Christianity, which is the root of many antisemitic ideas. It's older than many European mythological creatures, and it infuses a lot of European folklore and mythology, down to the depictions of witches with their pointy hats. Stories about goblins being used as a way to dehumanize Jewish people is not new. And using a fictional race of non-humans as stand-ins for real groups of marginalized people - either intentionally or not - is a very common practice in storytelling. Most fantasy races have those roots to them. But even then, where, in the original lore of the goblins, did they control the banks?

It doesn't matter if Rowling was shocked by the claims of antisemitism and it doesn't matter if she denied them. The reality of her story is that she created an antisemitic depiction. I can believe that it wasn't her intention, but that doesn't mean it's not what she did.

You don't get to look at an antagonistic group that embodies EVERY SINGLE TRAIT THAT WAS ASSIGNED TO MY PEOPLE TO DEMONIZE US and tell me that's not antisemitic.

I already made this list, but let's do it again. All antisemitic traits that can be found in Rowling's goblins. I'll break it down to the original book canon, the movies, and the game.

Books - Rowling's actual canon:

Short, with clever swarthy faces, sallow skin and pointed beards

A guttural language

Ruthless and known for their greed

Pursue someone who owes them money with violent threats

Have cultural differences that make them impossible to trust

Harmed by dark wizard but still suspected to support them

Only worth associating with for their metalworking and control of the economy

She placed a goblin's rebellion in 1612 - the same year as the events that led to the Fettmilch uprising, which resulted in pogroms and Jewish deaths. Rowling stated that wars and political unrest parallel between the muggle world and the wizarding world as the two societies influence each other

The most prominent named goblin character, Griphook, betrays Harry. Harry is a Christ allegory - literally sacrifices himself to save everyone, and then comes back to life

Movies:

Hooked noses - the best known antisemitic feature

A six pointed star in the building they chose for the bank - I don't believe this was intentional, but it's an unfortunate choice and they could have covered it

Here end the parts I blame on Rowling directly. And the game was built on these foundations.

Game:

A historical time frame of pogroms, where our people were murdered in large massacres that often had support from authorities

Explicit ties between the goblins and the dark wizards

Aiming to undermine wizard society - the goal assigned to us in every antisemitic conspiracy theory

Kidnapping of children for their magic - literally just look up blood libel

A character says the goblins can't appreciate art. It’s absurd to say considering the quality and coveted status of goblin-made artifacts. In the real world, this is a claim that was made against Jews by the Nazis (and it targets other groups hated by white supremacists as well)

A ram’s horn artifact that strongly resembles a silver plated Shofar - a Jewish ritual item. Said horn is from 1612, from the same rebellion mentioned above. According to the item’s description, it was blown to rally the goblins and to annoy witches and wizards. It was stuffed with gorgonzola to mute it, a specifically non-kosher cheese (most kinds of cheese are kosher). It's so disrespectful I still don't have the words to fully convey it

Whether you want to acknowledge it or not, those traits became associated with Jewish people as a group through hateful propaganda. Putting all of them on a non-human race isn't better. It just adds to the dehumanization of it. It's not just Rowling's fault. That's shared by every single person who had a hand in the creation of this story. For the issues in the game, I blame the people named here more. I see no reason to extend grace to far-right bigots.

But to focus on Rowling. You brought up lycanthropy. You seem to think we made up the idea that it's a metaphor for HIV. We didn't. She said that. In the ebook Short Stories From Hogwarts of Heroism, Hardship, and Dangerous Hobbies - she said that. She said it before that, on Pottermore.

Lupin's condition of lycanthropy (being a werewolf) was a metaphor for those illnesses that carry a stigma, like HIV and AIDS. [...] The wizarding community is as prone to hysteria and prejudice as the Muggle one, and the character of Lupin gave me a chance to examine those attitudes.

This is a quote of her thoughts. It still exists on Lupin's page on her Wizarding World website.

And it's actually a pretty good example of how it's absolutely possible to be awful about depicting a stigmatized minority through a fantasy stand-in.

HIV+ people are stigmatized through no fault of their own. But in her books, it seems reasonable for the wizards to fear werewolves. And she did that, she made prejudice reasonable. We have: Remus Lupin, a named werewolf who is good and kind, and tries to avoid hurting people. Even then, he nearly does cause harm more than once. He turns in front of our heroes and spends a night loose in the forest. He tells the heroes that as a student, he almost bit people while out with his friends. So even while well-intentioned, he's a danger. That means we don't have a single safe HIV+ allegory in her work. The other named werewolf is Fenrir Greyback, who intentionally targets children to turn them young and raise them to hate the society they came from - which is fucking homophobic, whatever she intended, because of the way HIV gets associated with homosexuality. And the rest? A whole community of werewolves who side with the Death Eaters.

Did she mean to make a whole community of marginalized people into wizard Nazis? I DON'T CARE. SHE DID THAT.

I don't care to argue about her intentions while writing the text. I can't read minds. I can read the text she wrote. I can see what was put into the game that was added into her world. I can read about the history of my people and their persecution. I can see how disturbingly similar this game's story is to the propaganda that led to my grandparents suffering through the holocaust and losing their families to it.

If she cared about the antisemitism in her works, she wouldn't just act horrified and say "No, of course I wasn't being hateful to Jews!" - she'd look at whatever she lets people put into her IP, to prevent further harm. I do blame the other writers of the game more than I blame her for that plot, but it's not better that she gave her approval without being consulted. It's her IP, it carries her name, she gets royalties, it's her responsibility.

And at the very least, she doesn't care about antisemitism enough to worry about minimizing harm. I know that, because I know her friends. I know TERFs and Gender Criticals. Rowling saw an anti-trans event with white supremacist speakers, and she chose to criticize the counter-protesters. She went out to eat with Maya Forstater and Helen Joyce, who participated and spoke in events organized by Posie Parker - who explicitly includes far right groups in her events, and shares platforms with white supremacists. Rowling bought merch from Posie Parker. She wrote about Magdalen Berns as a "brave young feminist" - as if she didn't push the antisemitic George Soros conspiracy theory and share Breitbart articles. She praised MATT WALSH. The people she associates with now, read from Mein Kampf in their rallies.

She didn't put the antisemitism in the game, but she's very comfortable with antisemitism. Don't tell me she was horrified by the idea that her goblins could be called antisemitic. She just didn't want the label applied to her. If you willingly associate with Nazis, you're a Nazi. And enough of her friends don't seem to mind that.

I stand by what I said: playing this game, even pirated, is like printing out an antisemitic caricature and hanging it on your wall, saying “well, I didn’t pay the artist, I just like this art.”

[prying-pandora666]

“The Search” Rewrites, Book 4: Air, Leaks, and A Call for Help from the Fandom

I’ve talked a little about the Book 4: Air restoration project @book4air. If you haven’t seen it yet, check it out! Three full episodes are already out and episode 4 is going to cover Zuko’s early days right after his banishment, exploring his relationship with Iroh and the world as Zuko understands it as a lost boy rapidly coming into manhood.

Wait until you hear the VA’s performance with music and everything! It’ll break your heart.

But I want to talk a little bit about what comes after these next few episodes: our adaptation of “The Search”.

If you’ve seen our adaptation of “The Promise”, you’ll know it was quite faithful. This won’t be the case for “The Search”. For the purposes of the overarching story we are telling, this story is getting overhauled. (Please still support the original release if you’d like to see the canon version).

The biggest change that’s been announced is the addition of Toph. The team felt that a story about family, identity, and faces could benefit from including Toph’s perspective as she comes from a unique but toxic family situation, has a strong conflict between the performance expected of her versus who she really is, and is completely blind and so faces don’t even register for her.

Here is the sample scene we released:

But I want to talk a little bit about what we are changing about Zuko and Azula’s roles in the story. While the set up is virtually unchanged, there is one small alteration that makes a big difference.

(Sorry for the poor quality, this is technically unreleased content and I’m being kinda risky leaking it.)

Ursa’s letters are now a diary. This means that rather than get random flashbacks, the narrative framing now becomes Zuko and Azula reading these entries together. As a result, they get to discuss their discoveries about their family, and even share each other’s perspectives.

What that means is that when things like Zuko dangling Azula over the cliff happen, now we actually are forced to address it. The characters have to talk about how they treat each other and the reasons why. They have to confront the toxic family dynamic they’ve been forced and groomed into since childhood. Zuko has to realize his mentally ill little sister isn’t the monster here and in fact he’s the one with all the power now, and Azula has to realize that Zuko can be trusted if she can let go of her fear long enough to talk to him about her vulnerabilities.

We also address issues like this:

Many people criticize this for being OOC, but I think there’s a way this could easily not be. Sokka has been known to be juvenile and reactionary as a first response, the difference is that he always eventually apologizes and learns from his mistakes. Without even needing to be asked.

Threatening a mentally ill person who has just been removed from an asylum—even as a joke—is not okay. It would be questionable even if they’d been friends before this, but considering their prior relationship it really does seem like an boneheaded lack of awareness or compassion for how triggering this could be.

So rather than remove this interaction, we addressed it. And I am really taking a risk posting this here, but here is a brand new script page:

Sokka isn’t just comic relief. Sokka is smart, Sokka is compassionate, Sokka is brave, and Sokka knows when it’s time to apologize and reach out versus when it’s time to fight.

Safe to say, there are several things that stay the same and we tried to keep faithful to the spirit of the story, but there’s a lot we wanted to do for the Gaang and for the Fire Sibs, and I hope you’ll join us on this adventure, whether you’re a diehard fan of the comics and just looking for a fun AU, or you hate the comics and would like a rewrite, or even if you’ve never read them and would just love to return to the world of ATLA.

The only trouble is, we can’t do it alone. The project is very expensive and time consuming to produce. Our team pays for everything out of pocket and some of us don’t even have reliable housing, so it’s been a hard time.

If you can help in any way, even only by spreading the word so YouTube will stop burying us in the algorithm, that would be huge!

If you can afford to help, we have a Patreon where you can get all sorts of early goodies.

Reblogs and comments greatly appreciated! As the head writer and voice of Azula, this project is very near and dear to me. Avatar was my first pro-writing gig when I was just a homeless 19 year old, and it’s here for me again as I struggle to rebuild my life and health that COVID destroyed.

I love this series and the community that has helped me through the hardest times in my life. I can’t wait to make something beautiful with you all!

[xcerizex]

Lovebrush Chronicles: Godheim Review

_________________________________________

My very long, informal, and definitely biased review. This will contain minor spoilers for the Godheim arc only so take caution. This review is also only limited to the Godheim series so there will be no overall thoughts on the game itself. I followed Otome Kitten's format and I really hope it helps out any beginners to LBC.

____________________________________

ART:

I found the art very pretty and was extremely glad to see that they did not skip out on giving us CGs either! The sprites all looked good, but I personally have some issues with Lars' outfit (the orange did not look good on you sweetie 💀).

Not all CGs are drawn by the same artist however, which may be off putting for some. The total count number of proper CG's for each route (not including common route) boils down to around 4-5, so that also may be a pet peeve for some.

On another note, there are also mini CG's which appear as small boxes, whether you consider it as an actual CG is up to you. Personally, I enjoyed the roles they played towards aiding the narrative.

Unrelated note, I'm banging on the floor crying and wondering who the hell did Ayn's CGs (the one where he was cleaning his sword was my absolute favorite 😍) and why didn't they come back.

MUSIC:

If there's one aspect of the game that I shall praise to the ends of the earth, it's the music.

Colour me shocked when I listened to the intricate and deep soundtracks for the first time, they just took my breath away! There were many gorgeous orchestral scores that depicted the fantasy setting perfectly. Not to mention the battle ost's which had more effort put into them than necessary.

My personal favorite OST's would be the "River's End", and "Starry Sky", which plays the same tune as the OP song you hear when you log onto the game. It's honestly so iconic. 😭👌

Opening theme:

VOICE ACTING:

I was absolutely flummoxed by the stacked japanese voice cast, which all included extremely famous seiyuus from the otome industry:

1. Ayn Alwyn

[JP VA: KENN]: Shelby Snail (Cupid Parasite), Yukimaro (9R.I.P), Limbo (Bustfellows)

2. Alkaid McGrath

[JP VA: Tachibana Shinnosuke]: Seiya (9R.I.P), Henri (Piofiore), Rafayel (Love and Deepspace)

3. Lars Rorschach

[JP VA: Junichi Suwabe]: Artem (Tears of Themis), Van Helsing (Code: Realize), Sukuna (Jujutsu Kaisen)

4. Clarence Clayden

[JP VA: Kosuke Toriumi]: Rei Mukuni (CollarXMalice), Ichiya (Variable Barricade), Chojiro (Nightshade)

5. Cael Anselm

[JP VA: Daisuke Hirakawa]: Saint Germain (Code: Realize), Tower Overlord (Psychedelica of the Ashen Hawk), Lucas Proust (Virche Evermore)

COMMON ROUTE:

To my delight, the pacing was done very well. Nothing was dragged out and the introduction to the overall plot of the game was well established minus a certain plot point which definitely could have benefited better by being introduced in the common route itself.

I didn't really expect it to turn out as dark as it did however. The common route + modern prologue took me around a total estimation of more than 4 hours but in reality the prologue itself shouldn't take that long at all.

ROUTE ORDER:

Once you've completed the common route, you are given the option to start either Ayn's or Alkaid's route. After you've completed both, Lars' route is unlocked. And once you've finished all three routes, Clarence's route unlocks as the grand finale.

This was my personal playthrough and I wouldn't have changed it if given the chance. I believe it had the best flow of story progression. Though that was mainly because I wouldn't have enjoyed Alkaid's route as much if I'd played Ayn's first:

Alkaid = Ayn = Lars = Clarence

____________________________________

AYN ALWYN:

- Crown Prince of Godheim

- Tsundere

- Sweet tooth ❤️

Ayn is Lars's cousin, but you soon find out that there is not a hint of familial love between them. He shows up as a mysterious figure during the common route and portrays a conflicting character, making the heroine unsure of his standing. While he appears blunt and crude, he is a determined young man who's sworn vengeance, and with an unexpected love for sweets.

Ayn's route in my opinion had the best consistent pacing as well as romance. I did find the romance somewhat abrupt early in the story, but the strong chemistry between him and the heroine more than made up for it! 🥰 It was just so enjoyable to watch them banter with one another and watching them just click.

I enjoyed the storyline for this route a lot and I think it had something to do with the fact that Ayn's route provided a different perspective in comparison to the others. In this route, we learn more about the the political situation surrounding Godheim and the royal family.

I also loved Ayn as a character, and not unexpectedly became my oshi ❤️.I do think a lot of people will enjoy him as a love interest. His route also has a wee bit of spice 👀, so for y'all thirsty gamers be sure to savor it slowly, as it's the only bit of spice we're getting here lmao. I did find some of his actions, mostly in the bad ends, to be OOC, but I easily brushed it off seeing as how much I liked him.

ALKAID MCGRATH:

- Member of the Noventrate

- Good, sweet boi

- Tea

Devoted and caring, Alkaid is the mage assigned to guard the heroine during her stay in Godheim. He's always expressing his concern for the heroine and will do anything to help her, even if it means betraying his mission.

Alkaid is the character who the heroine interacts the most during the common route. His romance with the heroine was sweet, even if it did feel way over the top in it's initial stages when I first played it. But once I got to learn more about him, I realized that he truly just wanted the best for the heroine, romantic feelings aside. 🥺

The route was fine. But I personally wasn't the biggest fan of the direction (?) it took on halfway. Some parts of it felt irrational to me and didn't really feel like it had any real relevance to its own story.

On another note, Alkaid is such a dreamy man. 😩 I adore just how respectful of a man he is in general (women respect juice, bottoms up!), and it was so sweet how attentive he was in making sure the heroine was always out of harm's way. I guess you could say he was someone akin to a hero in fairytales.

LARS RORSCHACH:

- Emperor of Godheim

- Good at combing hair 🥰

- That chest doe 👀

Known as the "Tyrant Emperor" from the heroine's manga, he immediately sweeps her off her feet, claiming her as his bride the moment she first arrived at Godheim. While his initial impression was flirty and playful, he lives up to his name as a cold-blooded tyrant. For some aspects at least.

His route focused more on the Silver Knight, which was the main (and wrong) reason why I enjoyed his route so much! 😆 On that note, I think that the writers had a bone to pick with Lars. They just had to force him to share the spotlight with an intriguing side character lmfao. The route itself was paced and executed well for the majority, but the quality of the writing towards the end was slightly skewered.

But to be honest, I quite enjoyed Lars a lot as a character, rather than a love interest. It was interesting to see the conditions surrounding his birth as a tyrant and his motivations for his questionable actions.

That's not to say that the romance wasn't enjoyable. I actually quite liked the relationship between him and the heroine. I found some moments they shared together really sweet. I also adored the development of Lars' feelings, and you can see just how important the heroine's existence was to him at the end of the route.

Though I guess I would have found the romance more believable if the heroine articulated her feelings for Lars more. I found it difficult to see the romance from her side. In short, the romance wasn't it's strongest point.

Clarence Clayden:

- Godheim's Archmage

- Get the tissues

- I've never been the same since...

Clarence has somewhat poised himself as an antagonist, only giving leeway in Lars' route. Distant and cold, he is stubborn in wanting to use the heroine for his goal and is willing to sacrifice anything to achieve it.

This route was an emotional rollercoaster. It broke me down, dumped my heart 6ft underground, trampled on its grave, and then some. It left me broken for a whole week for real goodness gracious...😭

This route can probably considered the "True Route", seeing as how it tackles the problem straight on unlike in other routes. The pacing slows down a little bit for a few chapters, but once it picked itself back up, it picked up HARD.

Now let's get to the romance. Out of all routes, some may say it had the least sugary romance, and a part of me agrees. But do igaf? No! ❤️Clarence turned out to be such a longingly sweet character and despite all the harm and pain he's done, I have no qualms in forgiving him and wanting to love him with all my heart🥺, as does the heroine.

I honestly don't want to say too much as it may ruin the experience. I went into this route completely blind and boy was I glad. All I can say that this route was the most popular out of all the routes for good reason. Got me playing up to 2 am with no regrets.😆😭

CAEL ANSELM:

- The Silver Knight

- The bias wrecker

- The sus

- He ruined me...

He is known in Godheim as the Silver Knight as well as the leader of the Rebellion. Decisive and apathetic, the heroine is unable to affect him emotionally in any form.🤡

Cael does not have an actual route, but a personal story, labeled as Expedition from his POV which may serve as an epilogue to the Godheim series. In his story, any unanswered questions are explained here, as well as the many actions he took that did not make it on screen.

If this wasn't a review I'd spend one whole section brainrotting about him so be grateful I'm trying to keep this short. 😅 Cael is a surprisingly interesting character by nature and it was very liberating to finally get a glimpse of his true feelings and thoughts throughout the heroine's journey in Godheim.

I'm scared to say more in case it may ruin any surprises. In my opinion, I enjoyed his story a LOT! It definitely made me feel depressed and empty in its own way and it hurts my heart to see that he never got a route of his own for reasons I won't get into right now. Absolutely amazing and one of my favorite parts of the Godheim series!

_________________________________________

TRUE EPILOGUE:

Once you've finished all routes, the game will give you the option to choose one "True Ending", wherein you choose one of the boys to have a happily ever after with and by your own accord.

"One can only paint a world in which they believe in." 🥰

Please note that you can only choose one boy at a time. Your choice will then give you a Pictura based on which boy you choose.

To change your "True Ending", buy the Diadem from the shop to change your choice. You will not receive a different Pictura however.

I think the best thing about these endings were the music.😆 Each soundtrack was unique to each character and drop dead gorgeous to listen to. 😩

HEROINE (LITTLE PAINTER):

- Cheeky

- Anonymous manga author

- Needs a therapist (rly tho)

Despite China's strange attempts at creating self-insert heroines by leaving them nameless, the Little Painter was far from a blank slate! She's extremely relatable when it comes to her reactions and actions. Often times I would react a certain way to something an LI said or did, only for her to do the same thing! 🤣 I guess that could also count as a self-insert personality.

But if there's one thing I admire her greatly for, it would be her drive and determination to save Godheim. Her journey was far from easy and I doubt I could ever stay sane the way she did. Tbh, I didn't like the fact that her sufferings were never truly addressed properly, or rather, professionally ig?

I also found her quick adaptation and flexibility to her new environment extremely impressive. That goes the same to the way she wielded her powers for the first time. And how she grew stronger to go head to toe with even Clarence in his own route! You👏 Go👏Get👏 Em👏 Girl!

That said, she's not perfect. Some people found her to pushy and annoying though I personally found it okay. I was really glad how she didn't force herself to tolerate any crap and got that anger out rightfully.😆 (Asmoran deserved it...)

_________________________________________

Final Thoughts:

I have enjoyed my journey immensely! The whole premise and setting drew me in, and I was surprised with the impressive narration which absolutely pummeled me to the ground (mostly on Clarence's route and no I'm not shutting up abt that).

The localization was also really superb? Yes it had a few typos + mistakes here and there, but they really pulled out all the stops when it came to making the dialogue natural and relatable. Not to mention a few large words that even I don't understand. 😂

It's not without it's imperfections of course. There are definitely some issues with the writing. And if you're looking for heavy romance or even fluff, Godheim is not the place to go to. 😅

Playing the Godheim arc took me about a week-ish, considering I had to level up and such. It may be a tedious process for some, but for me, it was an iron gate which I violently shook every day, screaming for the next chapter.

All in all, it's definitely worth playing! You don't lose much anyway considering it's free, so just give it a try. You can always drop it if you don't like it. My rating for this game is also very much biased and should not be taken seriously:

8/10

[mc-critical]

Come to think of it, it's namely Mahidevran's small amount of scenes in S02A that show her coming into her own and having settled down at least a little bit, emphasizing her getting used to the status quo around her to some extent and her hopes for it to change becoming more likely to be realized than ever. Because her (both gleeful and earnest) happiness in these episodes isn't as fragile as it once was, with Mahidevran getting numerous victories in succession, both new ones she wholeheartedly embraces and old ones she couldn't reach before no matter what she did alike: seemingly getting Nigar on her side [like she aimed to in S01], SS showing her favor again by giving her money for charity, Isabella bringing woes to Hürrem [and it's in relation to Isabella Mahidevran gets one of the few scenes of happiness in front of a mirror where that happiness isn't tainted but enforced afterwards] long enough for SS to even bring her to the harem [Mahidevran senses Isabella's possible danger but she's less of a threat than she would've been; her being in the harem is welcome to Mahidevran as long as it bothers biggest individual threat Hürrem, and Mahi could gain advantage while Isabella and Hürrem are fighting, even Valide mentioned that in E37], Mustafa getting Hatice's chambers [what Mahi also wanted in S01], Mahi gaining possession of Leo's diary several times and being the one to fully incite the revelation of its secrets by giving it to Valide [another S01 callback as Mahi had suspicions about Leo as well], with the biggest, most important victory of all being her seeing Mustafa grow and Süleiman acknowledging her efforts as his mother {and that's very interesting not only because Mahi obviously becomes closer to Mustafa the further into the show we get, but also because most of her interactions with Süleiman in S02A are also about Mustafa - his education, his progress and the benefits and approval Mahi gains from SS due to that, it's only due to that she could gain it now and it looks stronger than ever, fueling her hope to get SS's love back, in contrast to early S03A where Mahi gets more scenes where she interacts with Mustafa before he leaves for Manisa and her hope, her love for SS have already evaporated, along with SS's changed view of the one thing he approved from her in forever - her motherhood - post-E55, arguably even post-E48?}. And even if these victories don't last or aren't actual victories, the bad doesn't linger in Mahi's mind, doesn't impact her as much precisely due to the scarse focus she gets throughout the half-season.

The less we see her, the less detailed or possibly drawn-out reactions we witness (even SS getting mad at Mustafa in E29 isn't as much about her or even Mustafa at the moment as it is about what Valide thinks could happen with SS in the future) and the more we zoom in not only on her relation to the main protagonist's story (her even more frequent antagonising of Hürrem), but also on the main highlights of Mahidevran's own life. Mahidevran not having as many scenes points to her not getting development but the setup of one, to her being in certain stasis until that transitory period passes, and this stasis is, for once, calmness and even happiness while she's doing her own thing and she learns about the main events she is less involved with than usual, that she always returns to no matter what (instead of returning to sorrow as she did for the majority of S01; this also reverses that emotional joy vs. sorrow dynamic she had with Hürrem especially in early S01 for many episodes). Her good mood and all the reasons for her to have it last and/or accumulate before a sorrow not just for one or two episodes but for an entire half-season and even when Mahidevran gets her full focus back (arguably E38-onwards, but really in, IMO, E40-onwards) and things start to be stacked against her again, with her facing subsequent failures instead (Isabella's disappearance and that scene in the balcony in E38; Valide falling ill; Hürrem getting freed in E40), she still holds onto getting SS back (E41) and gains even more presumed victories (the recognition for her charity and Leo's diary in E39 again; Hürrem's exile,marrying Nigar to Matrakci, even Hatice's pregnancy all in E41 again; Mustafa in general again) as a compensation that only give her strength to continue (E41 as a whole is a transition between the states of pre-wedding Mahi and post-wedding, pre-Edirne Mahi).

All that, of course, is there to only open the door to the biggest sorrow for Mahidevran, the one that confirms that she can't ever get SS back, that all hope is gone for good: Süleiman marrying Hürrem (and even that happens and is announced during a victory of Mahidevran's: Mustafa's circumcision, but Mehmet is also circumcized, so the victory too is shared with Hürrem this time). The presumed victories begin to recede and center on the one and only person she always has beside her: her son (E42 directly makes the near completion of that turnaround clear through Mahi looking at Mustafa when she tells Hürrem that her hope is right here), while the sorrow escalates again as Mahidevran processes SS's marriage (E43-44 where she witnesses either Hürrem's victories or the turmoil of her closest people, namely Valide and Hatice). This is how E45 gets an even more culminative feel (with Mahi fully leaning on Mustafa at the end, the shifting of priorities on Mahi's part that S02A built to completes itself) and her infamous E55 scene with Mustafa, or rather a certain line of it, is revealed in another light: "I kept quiet for years. I've waited patiently for my punishment to end! But it didn't". Because it's become true. Mahidevran really kept quiet in anticipation of that faithful day SS embraces her again... not in S01, but in S02A. She really waited patiently for the end of her punishment...not in S01, but in S02A. So when that end never comes, when she can't wait any longer, watching as her fate is dictated by someone else, allowing it with her silence, you can really feel the years of pent-up resentment and anguish (and in E43 and E44 she even slides back to the background of the events again both figuratively and literally for everything to truly pile up). You can really feel her pain. But perhaps that would've never been entirely possible without S02A. Perhaps it all would've never been as impactful, as powerful if S02A wasn't set up the way it was for her.

[dropintomanga]

What Smoking Entails in Manga

Last year, a survey was given to Japanese manga publishers about what top 5 manga to recommend for 2023 and the number one title was symbolic of many things related to Japanese culture - one of which was smoking.

The title was called Smoking Behind the Supermarket With You by Jinushi. I got a chance to read Volume 1 recently and it's a very fascinating romantic comedy about a middle-aged salaryman and a early 20s' female convenience store clerk and how they're bound by their love of smoking. The author made a comment saying that their admiration of how cool smoking was in fiction was a huge inspiration in creating the story.

Which got me thinking about how much smoking is prevalent in the anime and manga worlds and how much characters who smoke are beloved by many.

When I was still exploring new titles to follow in my '20s, one that stood out to me was Great Teacher Onizuka. The main character was someone who was a total idiot, but was pretty badass. Oh yeah, he smoked. I later got into Rurouni Kenshin and fell in love with Saito Hajime. Oh yeah, he smokes. A LOT. It's funny because I got into comics because of X-Men and the characters Wolverine and Gambit smoked quite a bit. I liked both, but not as much as the anime/manga characters who smoked.

When you think about it, there's a lot of anime/manga characters who smoke. Sanji from One Piece, Revy from Black Lagoon, Nara Shikamaru from Naruto, Toshiro Hijikata from Gintama, several adult characters from Cowboy Bebop (like Spike Siegel pictured above) - I could go on.

In video games, there's Yakuza/Like a Dragon characters and one of my favorite heroines ever, VA-11 Hall-A's Jill Stingray, smokes.

I love how cool all of those characters look when they smoke and I don't even smoke. I don't want to because of all the health risks smoking entails. My father used to be a smoker, but quit before I reached junior high school because he was having health problems.

At the same time, I do something a bit silly. I pretend to smoke with the air around me. I like to pretend I'm holding an imaginary cigarette to my mouth and inhale/exhale oxygen when no one's looking. It's a habit I've built from following my favorite characters who smoke.

Smoking is indeed something that shouldn't be romanticized. But I think about why people smoke in the first place - particularly my dad and Chinese people (particularly men) smoked. I remember one time when I was at a Chinese doctor's office, there was a video played for Chinese people addicted to smoking. There was a doctor in the video who said when Chinese people immigrate to the United States, they're often exposed to a lot of stressors (usually related to acculturation) that weigh a ton. Smoking is one way to help process and relieve their stress. They're coming from a country where smoking is definitely the norm in their culture.

There's a lot of talk about smoking being a sign of maturity and surviving through tough times. I decided to look up the relationship between smoking and mental health/illness. It's not surprising that there's negative effects. People with depression and anxiety may smoke a bit more than those who aren't affected by them. What makes it really hard for them to quit is that smoking has social benefits. Nicotine can help calm nerves and make smokers feel more confident in behaving in a proper social manner.

When I think about the many characters who smoke, smoking does help them before they get ready to take on a big task involving other people. It's literally the calm before the storm. Hell, I do "oxygen smoke" as a way to feel calm before facing reality or having big conversations with my friends. But I was drilled so hard by United States anti-drug programs (when compared to Asia) that I didn't want to feel like I was dying. That's why I never took the plunge despite the coolness of smoking found in Japanese media and try to encourage anti-smoking measures. Plus I think it helped that I wasn't super-stressed despite my mental illness to the point where I resorted to substances. Plus I had people who genuinely cared about my well-being and a somewhat optimistic belief in the best of humanity.

While Japanese media (and other Asian media in general) continues to showcase smoking to a decent degree, there's contentious pushback in America over the portrayal of smoking in their media. Yet smoking rates in Japan have gone down though quite a bit over the years due to anti-smoking measures. It's not as low as health organizations would like, but progress is progress.

The only thing I think we can agree on is that the world is so cruel and there should be wider acknowledgement of how the bad parts of life can lead people down to dangerous substances in order to cope. I think this is what creators intend to show when they have characters who smoke. Yeah, they look cool, but they're flawed people trying to find some sense of meaning/connection to worlds that disappoint them over and over again.

We're just trying to find ways to breathe life into inner peace, whether it's with oxygen or smoke.

[phantomram-b00]

Okay I wasn’t going to be active today, but I saw this post about Crowley, and I do recommend you check it out it bring up many good points. It does inspire me to make a post about something I’m kinda surprised no one talks about exactly (or maybe they did idk.)

Now keep in mind, I do love Crowley and Aziraphale, they’re both my favorite characters and also my comfort characters/ship. Not just for their good deeds and characterization but also because they flawed. Or as they said in the blitz episode, they shade of grey. 🩶 I just feel like Crowley behaving a bit stupidly here. (But here might have more validity but still felt it was unwarranted)

Now onto the post, probably wondering what I could be talking about The Jim Situation all the way back in season 2 episode 1

So I’ve been meaning to talk about this, but I wasn’t exactly sure if it would be well received or wouldn’t make sense. But I think the post I linked help me have some confidence, as I do feel that people when talking about it forgot that, Aziraphale DID NOT want to help Gabriel at all. He never wanted to see him again after 2019; why would he, he not only approve of the first armageddon but also wanted to execute him (specially but also crowley) and overall was passive aggressive asshole towards him. Why would he ever want to help his toxic ex-boss? He kinda didn’t have a choice here, now he did say no at first when Gabriel asked to come in (I mean— idk about you but your ex-boss who’s naked want to come into my house I wouldn’t let them inside neither just no-) but he did bring him inside because he felt obligated because everyone is looking at him and the naked man friend, I think if things were different I think Aziraphale wouldn’t even think about helping him as another thing, Aziraphale moved on from everything that happen, he’s living his life, he even said so to Crowley when talking how he doesn’t report to them anymore. So the have this happen, just felt like ABBA song “Mama Mia here I go again”.

But another thing is that, Aziraphale also (while hesitantly) want to know what happen to Gabriel? Why has he forgotten about himself or really everything? And asking him or the empty box didn’t solve anything at all. As patient as aziraphale is, even his was running really thin as he talk to Gabriel. Not to mention of the fact Gabriel revealed that something terrible might happen which understandably terrifies Aziraphale. So, he turns to Crowley, which gifted us Nina asked about the naked man friend (Sorry I love his face when she drop that, the expression speaks so much volume I love it! XD)

Okay back to my ramble, now at first I’ll give the benefit of the doubt of why Crowley was kinda suspicious at first, Aziraphale wasn’t being up front about it at first (though to be fair, trying to tell someone “hey my naked ex-boss is in my bookshop and doesn’t know who he even is” is probably the most bizarre to even try to explain or tell anyone). And then as they go inside the bookshop, he got spooked rightfully so, this was the same person who wanted to kill Aziraphale, even saying the worse thing he can ever say: “shut your stupid mouth and die”. So to see him again, yeah, being scared is a valid response even as well as being showing keep resentment.

But, as they went to the very Va-Va-vroom yellow backroom, Crowley first idea was to take Gabriel somewhere far away, which if you really think about, wouldn’t solve any of their problem. It like putting a bandage or tape on a crack, sure it might help for now but more cracks will come up and will eventually break (I’ll get back to this later). What aziraphale said kinda valid, Gabriel does need them because who knows if this something terrible would only affect Gabriel, it could very well affect him or even Crowley or earth, so in Aziraphale’s view helping him out might neutralize whatever’s going on or will happen and taking him to dartmoor as Crowley stated do anything.

Now okay to give more benefit of the doubt, again, I do understand why Crowley was acting this way, and Aziraphale selflessly helping Gabriel is infuriating for him. As Crowley seeing this as “how can you help the person who want to murder you? How can you look past and forgive them this easily? How can you possible find it in your heart to help him after everything?”, which is pointing out Aziraphale’s flaws, him being selfless and need to help. Gabriel could’ve curse him out or bring him down to his lowest yet he still want to help. Now, there nothing wrong with being selfless, it an honorable thing to do, however, it become an issue when your selfless without thinking how it’ll affect you or the person involve. But, as I mention before, Aziraphale never wanted to help Gabriel, the only reason Aziraphale’s want to even do far as help this angel is because 1) he was obligated to as who else could possible help an amnesiac angel? 2) Gabriel mention something terrible will happen, so aziraphale want to know what can that be to prevent it. And 3) he’s pushing away his qualms against gabriel aside just so he can help him. So I don’t think Aziraphale’s exactly wrong for not wanting to sent Gabriel away as it wouldn’t solve the something terrible.

But Crowley doesn’t want to help (at first), so Aziraphale despite desperately loving nothing more but for Crowley to help him; said he’s welcome to go. He’s at least giving Crowley the opportunity to choose. Even though, Aziraphale want his help more than anything as the one thing both of them share is that, they don’t want to see Gabriel anymore. However, with aziraphale telling him he can go, Crowley well leaves. But not before (granted he did try to calm down though):

Aziraphale while most likely understands why Crowley left, I feel given his expression just wished Crowley tried a little harder rather than just walking away that easily. I almost said maybe he also feels envious that Crowley got the choice to walk away from this but I don’t see Aziraphale as someone who’s envious to that degree, but I feel Aziraphale wasn’t at least wishful he could avoid this whole Gabriel thing more than Crowley. But it just their luck.

Okay back to Crowley again, so we back to see him inside the car and then he is teleported back to hell by Beelzebub, there Ze tell Crowley what Shax mentioned before that Gabriel is gone and try to bribe Crowley by saying he can name his own price and even get his job back. Then tells Crowley that heaven up and arms about the disappearance and will dealt with anyone who’s helping Gabriel with extremes sanctions. Which absolutely mortified him because then there that possibility of being erased from the book of life.

And no, I don’t think Crowley’s original plan would’ve solved anything because in a way, that’s still helping Gabriel in some way. Does it more or less benefit Crowley and aziraphale yes but not by the long run. Like I said, it’s putting a bandage/tape on a crack, it could hold but not for long as it will ultimately fall apart and they would still be punished by doing this. So I think that’s why I never got why he still said “no no no aziraphale what have you done!?” Like sure even though I said my benefit of the doubt, I feel he should’ve at least understand this wasn’t Aziraphale’s choice neither, or even that this isn’t all on aziraphale anyway. It was Gabriel that just showed up and came to Aziraphale’s bookshop in the first place, so this was sprung on him. So I felt this was kinda irrational for him to think this way as Aziraphale never wanted this at all.

So Crowley comes back and Aziraphale decides to play petty (which sure valid since he did walk away but he did give him a choice? Idk it complicated), and Crowley goes on to say he was right which prompted to aziraphale wanting the apology dance from him (which okay imma be real, I have a headcanon where I think Aziraphale was dying to see this day. Been waiting until they first invented it which— I’m curious who idea was this.)

Now, you can debate if this thing was apology dance worthy but frankly, to see the dance, peak performance. But this isn’t about the dance, it about the grey heroes so let get back into it. Now Crowley does decide to help after all, and they decide to do what it seem to be the most powerful miracle anyone probably have ever seen or ranked. And it was only a half miracle. Which is really interesting. But I think even though Crowley does decide to help, I felt his earlier action was not exactly stupid but was unfair toward Aziraphale but at the same time it valid because of what I’ve stated and his underline trauma towards heaven period, so I can’t really call him stupid for this, but more or less deeply flawed here. However while the situation itself was unfair for Aziraphale as he want to help whatever going on I felt he should’ve also been more considerate about Crowley’s feeling with this whole ordeal as was equally unfair to Crowley in a way too. But I think the most common thing is that they don’t want to do this and want this thing to be resolved so they can move on with their lives. And even if Crowley did what he did, at least Aziraphale foot at forgiveness :) (I hate myself for making that joke— someone sedate me)

Now that’s my thought, this probably is controversial, so you’re welcome and valid if you disagree or even agree with this. Tell me what you think or if you agree/disagree tell me why? If you guys do have good omens question or question in general you can ask me on the AMA. But if you have any commentary on this blog you can unleash them, just please be mindful that’s all I ask. I have more analysis I got plan but for now, imma head to bed and relax. I’ll go haunt with you guys later but for now I’ll go haunt somewhere else. Hope you enjoy this blog and please check out the post I link on here, it was an interesting take and help me inspire me to make this one ^v^ so hope you enjoy that post too.

[helly-watermelonsmellinfellon]

I need y'all to understand that this quest and the following event sucked ass, and the best parts were Boothill and the hot but shady director.

I don't know what it is but the dry patches of HSR that don't really push the main story of the game are way worse than the dry patches of Genshin. Penacony was so good for the first 2 updates of it but anything afterward(including the finale of the main quest) has just been draining, repetitive, and annoying. I'd rather go back to Belabog and I can't stand that place.

As for the new character... It's so interesting how lame she is but how the 'hold them accountable' crowd is nowhere to be seen. They've helped make her so unlikable on top of how HSR refuses to give anyone who is playable melanin. How many more characters with designs or lore that mirror those of ethnic groups irl, are going to be pasty white?

I saw someone complaining about lacking representation in Genshin, and were especially mad cuz Mavuika isn't brown, but then salivating over Rappa. They got mad because I asked why they weren't offended that the pale character is a bad rapper and how, once again, HSR has added no brown characters to the cast since release and won't be adding any anytime soon based on leaks.

Something about a pale-skinned woman rapping badly and using Japanese terms somewhat incorrectly depending on localization, but also having an 'urban' style and interest in a type of graffiti that originated in the Bronx doesn't sit well with me. All the opportunity to make her not white and they dropped the ball on it quite hard.

Her character was obnoxious, and I couldn't stand her talking. Voice actress was great, but the writing was God awful.

I picked every mean option I could. I did not want to be there. I did not like the environment or the music this time. The characters were really grating on my nerves. The only people I listened to all the way through were Boothill and the sussy director guy. And March, oddly enough. Her VA has grown on me, especially since she's entered Genshin, and I like her portrayal of Citlali as a character.

Something I've been thinking about recently, that I think I finally have come to understand, is that being tricked into helping people in Star Rail is far more annoying than it is in Genshin. In Genshin, it's mostly just like NPCs who actually can't really do anything without elemental powers or martial arts training, but in Star Rail, it's literally Pathstriders and people in high positions of power who seem incapable of doing anything on their own(or are just lazy).

And the bigger problem is that the MC doesn't really feel appreciated. Genshin's Traveler gets credit for everything even when they set the record straight about who was involved, but in Star Rail, it feels like the Trailblazer is given another useless title and then people are less grateful for them doing all the work, and more interested in trying to use a connection to them for their own benefit.

"It's the Shareholder!" followed by something greedy. "It's the honored guest!" followed by something greedy. "It's the hero!" followed by something greedy. "It's the Nameless!" followed by something greedy.

The one person who feels like they genuinely appreciate the MC is Jing Yuan. He's still thanking them like a year later and including them in events and stuff. And comes to help if there's a problem even when he'd rather be sleeping.

Sumeru is so special in Genshin because almost the entire cast of characters from there, are connected. They all know each other to some extent, and even when the Traveler isn't there, they have regular interactions with each other. Their stories and their lives continue on even when the Traveler isn't present, and they have new things to share whenever the Traveler comes back. The Sumeru crew-meru feel like friends/family. They feel like people with real relationships and lives. I get a similar feeling from Mondstadt's crew as well.

HSR just doesn't have that feeling yet. It's been a year and a half, and we're 4 unique 'worlds' in, and it is still missing something.

[lasersheith]

I really need to stop looking into the comments on posts on here. I just saw a big post about the current admin pardoning a bunch of military personnel who had been court martialed and dishonorably discharged effectively for being caught having gay sex and the notes added many more cuts in my faith for the future turning out ok. So many people were like "it's bad actually that gay former soldiers are going to be allowed to vote and have access to VA benefits like healthcare now, because they signed up to be soldiers and are therefore evil and bad and deserve nothing."

Do you understand how manipulative military recruiters are? Do you understand how hard it used to be (and in a lot of places still is) to be queer and poor and stuck living with your unsupportive family? Do you have any idea how expensive college is in the United States? How expensive healthcare is? Retirement? Fucking housing even?

So many people join the military here because they have no other choice. Their family has bad credit or no credit and they can't get loans for college. They can't leave their unsupportive community without a job or a school to go to. And then a big tall man in a shiny uniform with a bunch of fancy ribbons comes to their high school senior year and says "look at all this good stuff you could have, look at all these cool places you can travel. We'll even pay for your bachelor's degree, and if you're really good maybe even something beyond that. All you have to do is sign on the dotted line and we'll tell you where to go." And then you get there and they tell you exactly what to do, what to say, what to wear, how to cut your hair, how to stand, how to walk, give you things to eat that always taste the same at exactly the same time. For a lot of neuro divergent people it's like heaven. Finally there are rules and you can learn all of them and none of them are secret they're all in the book you got on day one.

And then they traumatize the shit out of you. Convince you to do things you otherwise wouldn't because you're inside the propaganda machine and everyone you know and everyone you trust is doing this so you do it too. And then you come and your world falls apart and everyone abandons you.

I'm not saying we should worship the US military or that the military industrial complex isn't one of the largest forces for evil in this world, but that is not the fault of the large percentage of the regular ass people who get suckered into joining up because they have no other options. The fact that the entire strategy hinges on offering these desperate people (most of them barely adults yet) healthcare and education and housing in exchange for their indentured servitude for literal years of their lives is the fucked up part.

It's also a big part of why it's so hard to get education and healthcare reform in this country. What would we offer soldiers if everyone got healthcare and education for reasonable prices? Which is obviously fucked up, but again, not the fault of the desperate people who sign up for the deal.

[clonerightsagenda]

Pick a favorite character for the ask thing

(Ask meme here)

Did you know in my years of doing this ask meme, no one has asked about my beloved Hera? Possibly bc I talk about her so much already. Jokes on everyone, we are doing it again

First impression

I have told this story many times, but I was white knuckling it through the whole podcast terrified that she would get her memories deleted. To be entirely fair that was a rejected season 3 concept.

Impression now

I love her! Favorite AI character of all time. Chronic pain solidarity.

Favorite moment

I have many favorite moments, but what's coming to mind now based on some of my other responses to this prompt is that Hera delivers the only "I love you" aimed at people who are physically present. Minkowski says it in a message to her husband, Eiffel says it in a recording to his daughter, but iirc Hera is the only one to say it live, and it's platonic and to the group, which I Just Think Is Neat. (Iconically aro podcast w359 strikes again.) Also the whole quote is "I love you guys, but you need to get it through your heads that what goes for you doesn't go for me" which really gets back to one of the show's points that love isn't enough. You can genuinely care for someone and want the best for them and still fuck up, still hurt them, still not fully understand what they're going through. But you still have to communicate and you still have to try.

Idea for a story

Currently working on a PGW fic where the crew swings by the Hermes on their way back to Earth to rescue that station's AI and Hera has to work through her feelings about facing someone who was in the same situation as she was but did not come out on top. Rn she is being unfair about it.

Hera’s equally on edge. “The collar program is still running, she might not have that much processing power. But be ready in case she tries something. She’d better not try anything.” “It’s not her fault, is it?” he asks, surprised by the viciousness in her tone. “I beat a collar program.” “Didn’t Dr. Maxwell help you a lot, though?” Hera doesn’t like talking about Dr. Maxwell. “I don’t care,” she says instead. “She shouldn’t have let Dr. Pryce make her hurt them. Just because she couldn’t stop Dr. Pryce from taking her crew away from her doesn’t mean she gets to take mine away from me.”

Unpopular opinion

You mean besides my post that got me vagueblogged about? Here's another one: I don't think Hera would want or enjoy a human/humanoid body. The one time she's limited to a single source of visual input, her response is "it's weird; I don't like it". She's proud of being able to see colors our skull-gelatin can't comprehend, even if she's sorry she can't share them with anyone. She enjoys being a AI mother program when she's on a functioning system like the Sol. Yes she envisions herself as present with the crew in parts of Memoria, and there's an implication she's given herself a humansona, but my interpretation of that was that she wants to be treated as one of them, and unfortunately most of the crew's approach to treating her as a person is trying to treat her like a human. She's not wrong to think they'd relate to her better if she looked like them. (Is that not the same principle the Listeners used?) Maxwell was able to meet with her on her level, but as much as the other crewmembers care about her, they don't understand Hera in the same way. Downloading her into an android body feels like an accommodation for their benefit rather than trying to find a way for her to thrive on her own terms. Smarthouse Hera forever.

(For the record when her VA was asked if Hera would like being human her response was 'she'd try it for a day to see what it's like but she wouldn't want to stay that way'. Seems reasonable to me.)

Favorite relationship

As most followers know I am very fond of her (non-romantic!!) friendship with Eiffel. They've got a lot in common! They fuck up with each other but then do better! They were both sent up there knowing they were disposable and then decide to care about each other on purpose. However most followers also know that in my last few relistens I've been thinking a lot about her overlaps with Lovelace - how they are both surveillance tools that entities use to try to hurt other people, and they both overcome that. Hera is extending non-human solidarity but she wants to be recognized as a non-human person and Lovelace would really prefer to be viewed as human, thanks. There's tension there.

Favorite headcanon

I've posted before that I think she retains some of Pryce and Eiffel's memories which has funny, sad, and interesting implications. Among these I think she kept override codes Pryce can use on AIs so she can fight that kind of thing off in the future, and something that will come up in that Hermes fic is her deciding whether she's willing to use those on someone else. Stay tuned.

[battleangel]

Truth, Justice & Northrup Grumman

Four genocides are happening right now:

Palestine/Gaza

Sudan

Congo

Tigra

Last 3 are in Africa so no mainstream news coverage.

US is funding the 1st one because of Zionism (Israel).

There is a 3 front war coming due to US presidential election being next November: Palestine (siding with Israel, Russia (siding with Ukraine), Iran (siding with Israel vs Iran & Palestine).

Biden is asking for $100 billion -- $60 billion for Israel & $40 billion for Ukraine.

He refuses to say how long the US engagements in Israel & Ukraine would be or to give any kind of timetable yet he is demanding 100 billion US dollars fund the genocide in Palestine & the war in Ukraine.

Biden is already openly threatening Iran using very bellicose statements that they had better stay out of Palestine and essentially doing everything he can to start WW3.

Biden is already making an argument that wars in Palestine & Ukraine are good for the US economy in trying to get Congress to approve the $100 billion in aid to Israel & Ukraine.

He claimed that US weapons manufacturing plants that make the weapons in the Israeli and Ukrainian conflicts would be responsible for creating 15k+ US jobs.

It is the Iraq War all over again.

Trumped up, contrived, fake as fuck, only happening to prop up sagging presidential approval ratings, to assure reelection & to drum up jingoism, nationalism & virulent blind patriotism that leads to nihilistic militarism, warmongering, national bloodlust & endless empire building on the corpses of young men, some idealistic, many black brown & poor, endlessly exploited by the capitalist war machine.

Ads to Be All You Can Be while Uncle Sam pays for college education that should be free when student loans literally just went back into repayment will coincide nicely with the aggressive push for WW3.

American jobs. American corpses. American mothers weeping for their dead sons.

Caskets draped in US flags for 21 year old boys.

18 year olds dying in a country they've never visited for no fucking reason.

Hamas is the enemy. Russia is the enemy. Iran is the enemy.

Go die for your country.

Go die for Biden.

Go die to build Americas empire.

Go kill people you've never even met.

Go pull a trigger when your only experience with guns is Call of Duty.

Go destroy your innocence.

Go make your parents proud.

Go risk your life for $30k.

Go risk your life for the VA to treat you like shit if you manage to survive.

Go risk your life so you can have your college education paid for.

Go get PTSD and night terrors.

Go be a man.

Go fight for your country.

Go get permanently injured and disabled.

Go be a wounded warrior.

Go for the propaganda.

Go so people can "Thank you for your service."

Go for free burgers at Applebees on Veterans Day.

Go so you can see your best friend in your squad get blown to smithereens in front of you.

Go to see civilians used as gun fodder and pregnant women used as shields.

Go to see toddlers killed and babies exploded.

Go so you can be given orders that will kill you just so your CO can look good.

Go to get endlessly hazed, bullied, harrassed and almost killed by your fellow Marines so you can get a fancy certcomm later.

Go so you can add "US veteran Armed Forces" to your LinkedIn.

Go endlessly traumatize yourself as an infantryman for noone to hire you once the "conflict" is over and you come home.

Go so you can see endless horrors in war then have endless difficulties "transitioning to a civilian career" once you get home.

Go for the death squads and rape parties.

Go to be captured by the enemy and tortured.

Go to be a prisoner of war.

Go so your weeping mother can be handed a folded flag at your burial to be put inside a glass case.

Go so you can fill the burial plots at military cemeteries across the country.

Go so Biden gets reelected and Trump gets reinstated on twitter.

Go for the chevrons and the stripes.

Go to get pinned.

Go for the trauma and nightmares.

Go so your VA benefits can get cut later.

Go so you can blow your brains out in a VA parking lot since theres still a waiting list to see a psychiatrist for your PTSD, depression, suicidal ideation, insomnia and night terrors.

Go for the sleep demon paralysis.

Go for the disfigurement.

Go for the IEDs.

Go for the bombs on the side of the road.

Go to drive a Humvee.

Go for the Nazi dress blues and shining saber.

Go for valor.

Go for courage.

Go to brag at future Christmas dinners and family parties.

Go to be a dutiful son.

Go because America needs her sacrificial lambs.

Go to be a colonizer.

Go to build empires.

Go to liberate people by destroying their country.

Go to be dehumanized in boot camp.

Go to be broken down and never built back up.

Go to be hazed by the biggest fraternity in the world, the United States military.

Go for the toxic masculinity, stay for the lifelong traumatization.

Go to be a stone cold killer.

Go to kill without blinking or thinking.

Go for the brainwashing and endless conditioning.

Go for the psychological torture.

Go for the pseudosexual sadomasochistic ritualistic tortures and humiliations of boot camp.

Go for the endless mindless roll calls.

Go for the halls of Montezuma to the shores of Tripoli.

Go to lose your humanity.

Go to have your sensitivity shredded in a blender.

Go to assert your manhood.

Go because the NFL had fighter jets fly over the stadium during Sunday Night Football.

Go because youre proud to be an American.

Go because its The American Way.

Go because of Pat Tillman.

Go because its what tough guys do.

Go because you cant find a job anyway.

Go because you can make a career out of it.

Go because of Modern Warfare III.

Go because of the Star Spangled Banner.

Go because of the Stars and Stripes.

Go because of the Pledge of Allegiance.

Go for the bald eagle.

Go for Reagan and the shining city on the hill.

Go for Dubya.

Go for the rockets red glare and the bombs bursting in air.

Go for the Super Bowl honoring you at half time.

Go for the proof through the night that our flag was still there.

Go for the home of the free and the land of the brave.

Go for spacious skies and amber waves of grain.

Go for purple mountains majesty above the fruited plains.

Go to crown thy good with brotherhood from sea to shining sea.

Go for the blood on your hands.

Go to blow someones brains out.

Go to rape a local girl.

Go to vent some steam.

Go for the myth and to build your own mystique.

Go to build a persona.

Go to reinvent yourself.

Go for GI Joe.

Go for Captain America.

Go to be superman.

Go to be a boy scout.

Go for truth, justice and the American Way.

Go to spray nerve gas on a local population.

Go to commit war crimes.

Go for the genocide.

Go for chemical warfare.

Go for psychological warfare.

Go for espirit de corps.

Go for teen spirit.

Go for Northrop Grumman and Raytheon.

Go for Lockeed Martin.

Go for Skunkworks.

Go for the CIA.

Go because pain is weakness leaving the body.

Go to get your head shaved and humanity stripped away.

Go be a cog in the machine.

Go because you havent done anything for your country today.

Go for the military industrial complex.

Go so your father can Friday Night Lights you and vicariously live through your military experience.

Go to be a neighborhood small town hero.

Go to get your head blown off so your high school gymnasium can be named after you.

Go to be a local dead celebrity.

Go to be honored at your hometowns Memorial Day Parade next year.

Go for the NFL to have a collective moment of silence for you and the other dead boys before kickoff.

Go to be thanked in a random celebrity PSA.

Go for free pancakes at IHOP on Veterans Day.

Go to fulfill your fathers warped sense of manhood, masculinity and being a man.

Go to continue the US history of violence and patrimony.

Go for the blood.

Go for the foreign pussy.

Go for the horrors.

Go for the viscera.

Go for the spilled intestines.

Go for the agonizing screams.

Go for the panic attacks and endless insomnia.

Go be a paranoid android.

Go because you havent earned your freedom.

Go to write your name in future US history books.

Go to cotinue the endless cycle of war, terror and violence.

Go for the injustice and genocide.

Go for the inhumanity.

Go for bootcamp graduation.

Go for the framed picture in your dress blues.

Go to be brave and strong.

Go to be fearless.

Go to be John Wayne.

Go for Oppenheimer.

Go for 9/11.

Go for America.

Go because We're number 1!

Go for a US flag waving on a Ford pickup truck.

Go for a Budweiser commercial with galloping horses and amber waves of grain.

Go for the Korean War.

Go for Lyndon B. Johnson.

Go for Richard Nixon.

Go for General Dwight Eisenhower.

Go for the Department of Defense.

Go for the Vietnam War.

Go for Emperor Hirohito.

Go for Hitler, Mussollini and Stalin.

Go for General Franco.

Go for Lenin.

Go for Mao.

Go for Admiral Yamamoto.

Go for Pearl Harbor.

Go for Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Go for Ferdinand being assassinated.

Go for the Hundred Years War.

Go for the Spanish Inquisition.

Go for Columbus.

Go for the Founding Fathers.

Go for the sweet land of liberty.

Go for the land where my fathers died.

Go for the Pilgrims pride.

Go for General Washingtons apotheosis in the rotunda as a American god.

Go to deify yourself as a war hero.

Go to make yourself a comic book character.

Go so Ben Affleck can play you in a war movie.

Go for Blackhawk Down.

Go for Napoleon Bonaparte.

Go for Ridley Scott.

Go to be a gladiator.

Go for Julius Ceasar.

Go because Rome was built in a day.

Go for Christendom.

Go for Alexander the Great.

Go for manifest destiny.

Go for militaristic expansionism.

Go for your corpse to be found on the side of the road in a foreign country you cant even find on a fucking map.

Go so your Humvee can be exploded.

Go to terrorize the local populace.

Go to put on the armor of God and breastplate of righteousness.

Go be a christian soldier.

Go climb Jacobs Ladder.

Go be a soldier of the cross.

Go to be baptized in the blood.

Go wade in the water.

Go for the homesickness and depression.

Go for the drugs and alcoholism.

Go for the panic attacks and anxiety disorders.

Go have your sensitivity, vulnerability and innocence destroyed.

Go to be violated.

Go for the smell of napalm in the morning.

Go for Apocalypse Now.

Go for the victory formation.

Go for the mushroom cloud.

Go for the blitzkrieg.

Go for Army vs Navy.

Go to be politely saluted by strangers at airports.

Go to be a commissioned officer.

Go for the honorable discharge.

Go help Biden beat Trump.

Go help the Democrats look tough.

Go help the Army go viral on TikTok.

Go so Sexyy Red names her baby after you.

Go be used and abused.

Go for Saving Private Ryan and Tom Hanks.

Go for Schindlers List.

Go for Braveheart and Mel Gibson.

Go to remeber the Alamo!

Go for General Custer and Henry Fonda.

Go for John Ford and John Wayne.

Go for Green Berets.

Go for The Last Samurai and Tom Cruise.

Go for Gundam and Neon Genesis Evangelion.

Go for Star Blazers and the Battleship Yamato.

Go to rape comfort girls.

Go for Voltron.

Go to transform like Optimus Prime.

Go for the Gram.

Go for the likes.

Go for the follows.

Go for the LinkedIn reactions.

Go for a pinned tweet.

Go to blow up on the for you page.

Go for virality.

Go for the silver play button on Youtube.

Go for the blue checkmark and verified account.

Go for the clout.

Go to be respected and admired.

Go to be shipped home to your mother in a pine box.

Go to prove youre a man and unafraid.

Go to be a Roman gladiator in the arena.

Go to slay the dragon.

Go to be King Arthur.

Go for the Sorcerers Stone.

Go for the key to the Euphrates River.

Go for the Sword in the Stone.

Go to be a Knight of the Round Table.

Go for the Queen of England.

Go for King and Country.

Go for your rightful place on Mount Rushmore.

Go for E Pluribus Unum.

Go for the Iliad.

Go for The 300.

Go for Thermopylae.

Go to bring down the walls of Jericho.

Go for Numbers 31:18 -- "Kill all the boys and all the women who have slept with a man. Only the young girls who are virgins may live; you may keep them for yourselves."

[frogsonalotusleaf]

Kaibaman, Ally of Justice

AKA Seto Kaiba (formerly Seto Hekigan)

“A villain like you could never defeat a hero like me.”

Quirk: Dragon

Can transform from white wings & a tail to a full dragon form to a dragon with 3 heads. The entire process is very painful (and ruins his clothes) so he rarely uses it & rather fight using his self-made support gear.

Occupation: Hero, CEO of Kaiba Corp (hero support company)

Age: 21

Male (He/Him)

Sexuality: Heterosexual

Birthday: October 25th

Languages: Japanese & English

Height: 6 ft 1 inch

Eye color: Blue

Hair color: Brown

Scars: 2 on his back (where his wings come out) & one on his tail bone (where his tail comes out)

Other: Slim but muscular, uses hydrogel injections (at least until the right woman comes along), prosthetic right arm, prosthetic left leg, robotic right eye

Japanese VA: Kenjiro Tsuda

English VA: Eric Stuart

History:

After both of their parents died, Seto & his younger brother Mokuba grew up in an orphanage.

He developed his quirk at age 4 after several days of severe pain in his back, large white dragon wings & a long white tail bursting from his body. As days went on, his body completely transformed into a Blue Eyes White Dragon then a Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon (similar to his previous form, but with 3 heads.) Seto eventually turned back into his human form.

At age 12, he played against Gozaburo Kaiba in a game of chess & won, the man adopting both brothers.

Their new father forced Seto into a rigorously accelerated school program, studying several subjects including economics, social studies, foreign language (English), hero theory, business acumen, and corporate management proficiency, wanting the boy to become the heir to his company Kaiba Corp. Seto complied, wanting to secure a better life for his little brother.

After realizing his father made weapons of mass discussion & sold them to villains, Seto decided to take over Kaiba Corp and did so with his & Mokuba’s shares of the company. He refocused the company on hero support equipment, collaborating with Schroeder Corp. in Germany & Industrial Illustrations in America.

Despite being highly recommended for the UA hero track, he placed second in the entrance exam. He spent his entire UA school life trying to outrank his rival, Yugi Muto, but still graduated as second in his class.

Along with running successful Kaiba Corp branches in both Tokyo, Japan & Miami, Florida, Seto’s goals remained the same after graduating: surpassing Yugi in the Japanese hero rankings &, eventually, becoming the number one hero of the world.

Kaiba soon realized that he couldn’t just save people-ranking higher more so was dependent on popularity. Seto reluctantly saw that his attitude made him unlikeable by many people & was stagnating his chances of being ranked higher.

Switching gears successfully, he took on the hero name of ‘Kaibaman’ & took inspiration from the Sentai genre with his personality when dawning his hero outfit, gaining him thousands of fans. He climbed up the ranks, but has yet to surpass his high school rival nor become the number one hero in the world.

Does stage shows & other kid-focused events for free, wanting to be an inspiration of justice & hope for children.

Misc:

Seto isn’t looking for marriage quite yet, but he will go on dates if he thinks it will benefit him in any way.

Likes sex to relieve stress. Uncircumcised. Favorite position is reverse cowgirl.

Reference pics:

[blackjackkent]

You know, Hope, you're really not living up to your name right now.

At first, it looked like we could just waltz out via the portal that we came in by... but obviously that was a trick.

Narrator: Time slows for a moment, and the air becomes thicker.

Narrator: The master of the house is coming.

Raphael sizzles into being out of the flare of light. He looks much as he always does - crisp, cool, every hair and line in place... but one thing is very different. Hector has never seen that burning rage in his eyes before - and it is terrifying.

"You," he hisses, the growl of his voice as ice cold as his eyes are hot.

A sharp gesture, a snap of his fingers. Korrilla appears on one side of him, her expression twisted disdainfully.

At his other side - the orthon, Yurgir, that Hector last saw in the Gauntlet of Shar.

"There are many things in this world that I loathe," Raphael says coolly. "Litters of kittens, chattering children - the noise and chaos of it all." He glares at Hector. "In my world - in my HOUSE - there is order and there is decorum. You came here uninvited and you stole from me. In doing so, you brought the chaos of your world into mine."

He takes a step closer; Hector can feel the infernal heat radiating off his body. "I will not abide it," he hisses.

(A/N: Raphael's VA is so freaking good. XD )

Had Hector seen less here, he might be tempted to offer a truce - to tell Raphael there is no need for bloodshed, if he's allowed to leave in peace. (Not that Raphael would accept it, but he would offer it nevertheless.)

But he has seen the true workings of the House of Hope. The torture and sadism and pain. Raphael, in his eyes, no longer deserves any leniency, any benefit of the doubt. Hector is tired, and he is angry, and his voice matches the devil's in coldness.

"Your house is in disarray," he says, pointed, almost mocking. "The guards couldn't stop me from freeing Hope."

Hope, meanwhile, has been staring at Korrilla with wide eyes since she appeared.

"SISTER OH SISTER," she wails. "I'VE WEPT AND I'VE CRIED, BUT ALL WOULD BE WELL IF YOU WERE BY MY SIDE!"

Raphael laughs as Korrilla deliberately ignores this plea. "Oh, Hope, you are such a piteous thing... all it takes is a crumb from the table and you forget the centuries of starvation. This insolence has earned you centuries more." He glances at his warlock, gestures her forward. "Korrilla, tell our unwelcome guest about your role in their tragic downfall."

Korrilla shrugs. "I permitted you the freedom to decide your own fate," she says carelessly. "You could have been smart, selfless - saved the world. Instead you came here and risked everything."

"It's the fatal flaw of mortalkind," Raphael says harshly. "Take away their free will and they call you a tyrant. Allow them to indulge it, and *they* become tyrants." Another step towards Hector; they're almost the same height and he stares into the monk's eyes as if trying to burn a hole through to the back of his skull. "You would have been heroes if you'd only dealt fairly with me," he snarls. "Instead, you're not so different to doomed Karsus, over-reaching your limits and burning your world to ash..."

"WRONG WRONG WRONG!" Hope squeals, stabbing a finger in his direction. "They will save their world and smash you to smithereens!"

"It's this charming naivety that makes your company such a joy to me, Hope," Raphael sneers. "I'll even forgive this little rebellion once you're suitably chastised."

Hope straightens, her own eyes flaring to match Raphael's, albeit with much more madness in them. "This isn't a rebellion!" she cries. "It's a revolt! I'M REVOLTING!"

Raphael snorts. "Then Hope dies today," he says icily. His head turns, flashing a look at the orthon. "Commander - you can salvage a trophy from these insects when I'm done with them."

Yurgir's glowing eyes have been locked on Hector's face, an angry grimace playing around its lips. "These insects tricked me beneath the shadowlands," he rumbles. "I'll make a necklace of their cunning tongues."

Hector swallows. Tricked? No. He had meant what he said in that black room full of corpses - he thought he was giving Yurgir the way out of its contract. Clearly he was wrong, but he had never been lying.

But that aside, he did manage to convince this creature of something once. Is there any chance it might be possible again? It's a desperate stab in the dark, but it can't make things worse...

...can it?

[PERSUASION] "Join the winning side," he says softly. Panic has been swirling through him with every moment that this showdown has stood on the precipice - but his training and his control do not fail him; his voice is steady. "Raphael doesn't stand a chance against me."

(A/N: 30DC. I had to savescum aggressively for a nat 20 here because it was the only way Hector was going to pass it, but I like this as a parallel to Hector's persuasion success against Yurgir in the past, which was something of a formative moment for him in this whole adventure. Also @zenjestrr said it was a good idea. XD )

The enormous creature stares down at him for a long moment in silence. Perhaps it reads the sincerity there, perhaps it recognizes the truth - that Hector failed it back in the Gauntlet, but not intentionally. Perhaps it simply reads the balance of the room and recognizes that Hector and his friends have desperation and fury -- and hope -- on their side in a way that Raphael and Korrilla do not.

Perhaps it is simply a creature of chaos at heart, and ill-fitted to Raphael's notions of order and decorum.

Whatever the reason-- it nods slowly. "To stand against a devil in his own home..." it murmurs. "That takes courage. I'm with you."

Raphael's head snaps around and his fists clench. "How tiresome," he snaps. "Am I to understand that you wish to die with them?"

"I wish to fight with them," the orthon says placidly.

Raphael scowls, returning his eyes to Hector. "It's all the same in the end," he says. Magic the color of flame is starting to twitch around his fingertips, up his arms. "If you have any last words, make it quick. It will only take a moment to finish you."

Say nothing.

"No words... no matter. You will scream before the end, little mouse."

"Now... down comes the claw..."

[boreal-sea]

@vriskarights

Reply to this post:

https://www.tumblr.com/vriskarights/706085331968065536/why-do-tras-call-lesbians-who-dont-like-dick

For whatever reason, Tumblr isn't letting me reblog to add my answer to your questions. Before we get to the questions though:

"by definition, no lesbian likes dick."

First, we're going to immediately denounce your transphobia right from the get-go.

Lesbians can like dick. Dicks are not gendered. Dicks can be attached to women. Trans women with dicks exist. Cis women lesbians can like trans women lesbians with dicks.

Lesbianism is not about "not liking dicks" and that's a super weird way to define your sexuality.

Now, if you personally don't like dicks, even when they are attached to women, that's fine. You're allowed to have a no-dick preference. Just don't sit there and act like you get to define lesbianism for the rest of the planet, because you don't.

Moving on.

"Do you have any sources of radfems partnering with and benefitting fascist organizations?"

Yes, I do. It's not hard to find these sources. Radfems saying things like "At least ISIS knows what a woman is" are literally everywhere.

Here's a news article for you from The Washington Post, "Conservatives find unlikely ally in fighting transgender rights: Radical feminists".

https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2020/02/07/radical-feminists-conservatives-transgender-rights/

The Women's Liberation Front (WoLF) has become very friendly with conservatives of various kinds in recent years. They've been featured on Tucker Carlson's show and have presented at the Heritage Foundation, which is an organization that promotes conservative values. WoLF received money from another conservative Christian organization, the Alliance Defending Freedom, to help promote an anti-transgender bill during the Obama administration.

That's a lot of damning evidence from just one source. Believe me, there are more. Bottom line: transphobic radfems eagerly align themselves with conservatives when it suits their needs.

"How is recognizing the relevance of biological sex to sexism and homophobia fascist? And how are we bioessentialist--what innate qualities do we assign to males and females?"

Recognizing that humans generally come in two sexes is not fascism. It becomes bigotry when you decide - against the evidence of science - that sex is binary and immutable. It's bigotry to say either sex has any inherent qualities. It's bigotry when you decide gender and sex are inherently linked and that trans people do not exist. Bigotry becomes fascism when you try to pass oppressive laws to enforce your bigoted beliefs, like anti trans laws.

Many radfems do assign inherent qualities to the sexes. Not all of them do it outright - it's much more of an unconscious bias. But almost all radfems are disgusted by males, masculinity, and manhood. Many radfems believe whether consciously or unconsciously that males are, at their core, bad.

Testosterone is usually listed as the thing that causes this badness. We'll get into how this affects their opinions on cis men and trans women, but I first want to prove this is bioessentialism by using trans men as an example. The radfem's fear, hatred and revulsion of trans men, and the way they talk about trans men, is all rooted in bioessentialism and associating maleness with disgust.

"Trans men who go in T become ugly, they're balding, greasy, covered in acne, fat, smell bad, and they're hairy" - all of those are innate qualities they associate with maleness and disgust. To radfems, body hair on a trans man isn't just hair, it's gross, even though they're feminists and they're supposed to support natural body hair.

The intense body shaming radfems express towards trans men betrays not only their own hypocrisy with regards to body positivity, but their bioessentialism as well. They would not be revolted by these traits if they did not associate them with maleness, and maleness with being bad and negative.

Almost all radfems I've seen have said something along the lines of "all men are bad". They don't ascribe this badness to socialization and often rarely even mention "male socialization" - no, they directly associate maleness with badness, as noted above.

Radfems are often not just afraid of males, they are disgusted by maleness, masculinity, and manhood. That's assigning a quality to the sexes: male = disgusting, female = good. That's bioessentialism.

Other innate qualities I have seen radfems assign to the sexes: males are always bigger and stronger than females, and females can never (or very rarely ever) overpower males. Therefore males are a risk to females, but females cannot be threatening or dangerous towards males. This is why radfems feel females need safe spaces but males do not. This is also why radfems rarely ever believe male rape victims of female rapists, and in some cases, do not believe males can be raped by a female at all.

That's all bioessentialism. And maybe you don't believe any of those things, but a lot of radfems do, and it informs their rhetoric. This is why radfems treat trans women like predators: not because of "male socialization", but because trans women were assigned male at birth, and that makes them tainted from the womb.

Cis men are completely capable of controlling themselves; they are not biologically predisposed towards cheating or rape or violence. That's all socialization's fault. But you'd never think that, listening to radfems.

Testosterone in someone's system does not make them good or bad, ugly or pretty. It does not make someone predisposed towards violence. It's just a hormone. If anything, listening to trans men describe their experiences and how T makes them feel proves that cis men who are actually awful cannot blame their behavior on their biology, as they desperately want to do.

Next!

"Believing that man is the word word adult human males and that woman is the word for adult human females (as the dictionary states) isn't bioessentialist as it ascribes no innate qualities (i.e. tough, nurturing, sporty, motherly) to the sexes."

The problem with the claim that male = man and female = woman is that it only works if language is immutable and never changes, and if trans people don't exist. I've already explained how radfems very much do assign qualities to the sexes. The belief that male = man and female = woman is bioessentialist because it erases the existence of binary trans people and nonbinary trans people, plain and simple. If you argue the only way to be a man is to be male, you are assigning a quality to both of those things.

"Recognizing trends brought on by socialization and observable in statistics != assigning innate qualities to males and females (i.e. acknowledging that the majority of violent crime is committed by men is not bioessentialist because it is a fact)."

It wouldn't be bioessentialist if radfems didn't follow it by saying that these statistics mean "ALL men are untrustworthy". The instant you say every man should be treated as potentially violent, it's bioessentialism, because you are now applying violence to maleness as an inherent quality.

"I have been called a fascist and a nazi for not liking dick,"

No you haven't.

"and for acknowledging that my female homosexuality (exclusive same sex attraction) is what makes me a lesbian."

This is why you have been called a fascist and a nazi, for reasons explained above. Not liking dick is perfectly fine; redefining lesbianism around your hatred of dicks is weird and also transphobic.

"As have many lesbians (hence why we’ve grown to be critical of the trans movement--it is homophobic and to our detriment, and why should we sacrifice ourselves when we’re already an oppression minority?)."

Cis lesbians as a whole have not become critical of the trans community. Transphobes like you are, thank the gods, a tiny minority. Most cis lesbians love their trans siblings, both trans women and trans men.

You are tiny, loud, annoying parasites leeching off feminists and lesbians. Like mosquitos.

[heckyeahponyscans]

The Jinxie Games

Thoughts on G5 MLP Make Your Mark Ch. 4, Episode 3

This episode has three subplots: Hitch competing in the Forest Critter Field Day event, Pipp and Zipp discovering their mom is dating Alphabittle, and Misty attempting to find something in the Brighthouse that she can take home to appease Opaline.

The latter two plotlines are pretty good, the first one drags and I think they should've moved it into the background more. Maybe have Pipp and Zipp find out about Queen Haven's date earlier and try to scuttle it, but then see that their mom is truly happy and have a change of heart?

Anyway, I feel very vindicated in having shipped Queen Haven and Alphabittle as far back as the original G5 movie. They just had that vibe.

Even though Misty spent most of the episode in one place, rifling through the Mane 5's belongings, this was a really good episode for her, first exhibiting her bitterness and jealousy at the main cast ("Ohhh, we're so HAPPY, we all have cutie marks and we get to live with our best friends!"), which helps the audience understand why a fundamentally nice pony keeps spying on / trying to steal from the other ponies, and then coming to a turning point when Misty finds that Sunny has included a picture of her, Misty, in her journal.

Misty's VA is so good; the gasp she gives when Misty finds the picture tells you everything you need to know. The foundations of her world have been shaken.

Later, Misty has a chance to kidnap Sparky--Opaline's main objective--and instead she leaves him at the Brighthouse, purposely disobeying Opaline's orders even though she knows she'll be in trouble.

Here's Misty, nervous because Opaline just called bellowed for her, metaphorically stuck between the two pictures: a childhood picture of Opaline and the photo of herself with the Mane 5.

Even though I do think this episode, and some others, have parts that drag, I do think Misty's story being spread out across the entire season is genius. It lets us really see what Misty's going through, the toxic push-and-pull of serving Opaline. There's no way her story would be as impactful if it was condensed into one or two episodes; we would get an info-dump of facts, but we wouldn't feel the weight of her burden

Random notes on this episode:

Queen Haven sending Zipp a text that just said "Don't" was extremely funny

the Forest Critter Field Day occurs every 4th purple moon

there's reference to bits as currency (Hitch mentions "flipping a bit" to see who goes first in a game)

When Hitch and Izzy initially explain what Forest Critter Field Day is, Pipp is zoning out on her phone

Queen Haven postponing brunch to "a time that's more inconvenient to you both" is the funniest bit of the episode

"Unicorns didn't have access to their magic for many thousands of moons." As previously noted, a moon seems to be the equivalent of a year. How many thousands is "many"? It's got to be 3000 minimum, right? Assuming Skye Silver is correct about this information, that is.

Speaking of Sky Silver and Dazzle (the reporters), one thing G5 does much better than G4 is parody. G4 is leaning towards Looney Tunes in its style of humor (slapstick, pianos dropping on people, Pinkie Pie leaping out of mirrors, etc) and whenever they tried to do parody on top of that already exaggerated humor it was juuust terrible. With Sky and Dazzle, they don't do anything specifically "comedic" but their performances are just over-the-top enough to be funny. Like the way they do scripted lines to "each other", but they're turned towards the camera because it's actually for the TV audience's benefit . . . Man, that is the kind of humor G5 should harness more.

I assume this ZBS special is based on a real life show about the British Royal family or something, because the ponies look so dour . . . lmk if this is the case, I don't watch TV anymore except cartoons based on Hasbro properties.

literally a wedding ring chilling in the background there, nice touch

Nice to see Hitch isn't the only non-unicorn contestant, Windy is there too. The purple unicorn, Elderflower, was mentioned in a previous episode as being the oldest and wisest unicorn in Bridlewood.

Once again Sparky shows some kind of earth or plant magic

"This is what every sport looks like to me." Same Pipp, same.