#This isn't trying to be critical of anyone

[leviathan-supersystem]

while you are correct to point out that estradiolovia made a silly error re: "Biden lost" given that biden wasn't running, however, that fact also undermines your own argument.

saying "being critical of biden means they're a Russian psyop" is already a deranged thing to say if biden were running, but it's truly freakish to say that when he wasn't even the candidate running.

if you want your candidate to win elections, you have to actually talk to people who aren't sold on your candidate with respect to try to win them over. If you just accuse anyone who isn't voting for your favored candidate of being a Russian bots, you are going to lose.

moreover your jab about "the current administration" would only make sense if you were talking about people who actually, you know, voted for the current administration. of which there are plenty- there are numerous actual trump voters on this site, have you ever harassed them the way you harass left-wing non-voters? no, of course not, because they wouldn't take that shit from you, and you're an utter coward who only attacks people you think won't fight back.

internet politics and real-world politics have gotten so separated, and pretty soon all this internet weirdness is gonna come crashing into real life and politicians are gonna start throwing around words like “SJW” and “anime communist” and “dark enlightenment” and it’s just gonna be the most ridiculous fucking thing

[toskarin]

hiii im trying to get into original tsukihime and i noticed theres a web browser version and a downloadable version, do you know if theres any difference between the two and if ones more worthwhile than the other? i couldnt find anyone talking about it online 🥺 i trust ur expertise 🙏

it's an easy call to just say the browser version

the fact I can say that at all without being sideways about it shows what a labour of love it was, and how much I appreciate the fact that the most stable version of tsukihime (tbf not a high bar to cross) is also the most accessible

but I want to elaborate that a little, so I'll ramble about it a bit. you can ignore everything after this if you just wanted the answer!

the downloadable version is, of course, the original and most authentic version, so it will prime you for an easier transition into the plus and kagetsu tohya games, which feel much older

that being said, the browser version is genuinely going to be a better time for you in most regards. the original tsukihime is old enough that it churns on a technical level and I'd say it would actually probably make for a pretty good first reading experience

this is a different stance than I take on the browser version of Fate/stay night, which is also really good, but made for an entirely different purpose (it's tooled around allowing you to search up scenes and cite them, so it's got less of a focus on preserving presentation)

my main criticisms of the browser version all come down to modernisations in text display style and like... display ratio. they DO include a display ratio selection option, so the latter is basically a non-issue

it also feels important to get this out of the way even though it barely factors in: there isn't a retranslation of tsukihime. both english versions use the same translation, and the browser version pulls ahead in this regard by allowing you to hot-swap script translations

so my answer is going to end up being entirely down to how much of a sicko you're willing to be about this. if you really want that oldschool doujinsoft charm and can stomach the nightmares that come with it, the download version might be for you

circling back to the beginning, the broad spectrum recommendation at this point, from me, for the foreseeable future, is the browser version

[luna-azzurra]

Hello! I hope you're doing well 🤍

I was wondering how I could go about writing a character with sort of opposing natures (if that makes sense, haha).

My character experienced the trauma of losing her mother at a young age, followed by the abuse of her extended family until she became an adult. It was never physical, but she had to go through a lot of pressure to meet their standards. When her mother was still alive, my character was spirited and bold by nature, and she spent her childhood in a healthy environment. By the time she reached adulthood, however, she became incredibly reserved in how she expressed herself and grew into an anxious perfectionist out of self-preservation. Despite that, she wishes that she could one day be as free as she was when she was younger.

My question is: How could I go about balancing her older, spirited nature as well as her desire for freedom with her current perfectionism and need to meet the standards of those around her?

Also, if she were to one day find herself in a situation/ environment where the source of her perfectionism (her family) wasn't around. How would she behave? Would she become expressive and spirited again, knowing that her family isn't around to criticize her? Or would you say the years of abuse permanently changed her nature?

Hey dear! 💛

First of all, what a raw, beautiful character you’ve created. Seriously. You’re not just writing a character with trauma, you’re writing a girl who remembers who she used to be before the world told her she was too much. And honestly, that kind of storytelling hits deep. It teaches readers things they didn’t even know they needed to learn.

So, your question. How do you balance her spirited, bold younger self with the anxious, perfectionist adult she’s become?

Maybe you don’t.

Not in the sense of trying to weigh them out evenly or give them equal screen time. Because those two sides? They aren’t opposites. They’re layers. They’re the same girl, just seen through two very different lenses of survival. That bold, expressive little spirit is still there. It never disappeared. It just got buried under armor. Perfectionism isn’t her real personality, it’s self-protection dressed up in neat lines and high standards. It’s what she had to become to survive.

So instead of balancing, you let her contradict herself. You let her laugh at something and then instantly shrink back, like joy is a mistake. You let her say something real and then regret it for hours. For Example, let her paint something messy and beautiful—and then throw it away before anyone sees it. That inner war between craving freedom and fearing rejection? That is the story.

Now, about her finding herself in a new space, away from her family, away from the pressure. Will she suddenly go back to who she used to be? Probably not. Because trauma doesn’t disappear just because the people are gone. Their voices linger in mirrors, in offhand comments, in silence. She’s still going to flinch when she feels too seen. She might sabotage joy before it gets too real. But, and here’s the important part, she might start to test the edges.

She might make a joke that’s a little too loud and wait for the shame to hit… but it doesn’t. She might wear something bold, something her mom would’ve hated, and realize no one says a word. That’s what healing looks like. Not some big, triumphant fireworks moment. But a bunch of tiny rebellions she didn’t even know she was brave enough to make.

Will she ever be exactly who she used to be? Probably not. That version of her belonged to a world that doesn’t exist anymore. But she can become someone new. Someone who remembers her spark and this time chooses to protect it—not hide it. And maybe that version of her is even stronger. Even more whole.

So let her stumble. Let her screw it up and backslide and question everything. Let her be messy. Let her take three steps forward and two breakdowns back. That’s growth. That’s healing. It’s not linear and it’s not clean. But it’s hers.

In the end, she’s not picking between her past and her present. She’s learning to carry both—and maybe, if she’s lucky, to forgive herself for needing to build walls in the first place.

This character is ready to come alive. All you’ve got to do is give her the room to fight for it. You’re already doing something so right just by asking these questions. Keep going. She’s almost there. 💫

[cuckoo-on-a-string]

Pay the Piper (Leitmotif 3)

mdni

Chapter summary: You've left an impression, and pirates' greed isn't only for gold.

Master list <--- All chapters in order

Chapter warnings: none. (Holy shit)

Unconventional Use of Haki: I'm playing with haki by introducing D&D flavored bardic talents. I'll explain further as the story grows, but I thought fair warning was needed. Always happy to answer queries in my inbox!

A/N: I alternate "verses" (main story arc chapters) with "leitmotifs" (critical flashback chapters with contextual adventures). It's a play on One Piece's own style and a way to keep things fresh.

I do not curate tag lists, but I do reply to comments when the next chapter goes live!

Shanks hid behind the brim of his straw hat, kicking the side of the bar with his dangling feet, stewing.

A man played guitar in the corner, leading shanties the Roger Pirates joined with gusto, and the space pulsed with stomping feet and laughing voices while a watered-down ale grew warm between his hands.

It just didn’t feel right.

Pirates were all about action, but his thoughts trapped him like quicksand, locking him in a frustrating spiral where he tried to figure out what he should have done differently, or what he should say to make his captain change his mind. He was stuck. Had been since the last port when Gaban rowed the girl and her guitar to shore.

The music in the bar just made it worse. It didn’t sound like her playing at all. But she did more than perform. He’d felt it. Lower, sweeter, and subtler than any haki he’d felt before – even from her, considering the way she’d demanded her necklace back. It was like the music had touched his heart and pulled. He hadn’t imagined it, either. He saw the looks the grown-ups gave each other, Rayleigh and Captain Roger in particular.

She was special, and small, and alone – and they just left her behind like it was nothing.

He grit his teeth. Clenched his fists around his tankard.

He hadn’t told anyone about the nightmare she’d had as she’d slept, too deep in her exhaustion to surface from the horror. He didn’t tell anyone how he’d scrambled to the floor, trying to shake her awake, staining his sleeves with her tears in the process. She hadn’t called for anyone. Not her parents. Not a friend. Even unconscious, she’d bitten her lip and pulled into a ball like she could hide from her own memories.

Shaking, she’d whispered into the dark, “I don’t want to be brave anymore.”

He sat next to her, out of his depth, but determined to… stand guard? Keep her safe, maybe. Prove she didn’t have to brave if she didn’t want to. Buggy snored above, and she slowly moved from sobs to deep, even breaths. She was still asleep when he was called to help prepare breakfast.

The next thing he knew, Rayleigh was escorting her on deck, and the tender was prepped and lowered for her departure. He couldn’t contradict his captain, no matter how much he wanted to.

Waving and shouting – listening to her shout back – was the most he could do. It was a promise and a tether. He wanted to stay with her as she fought her way to her fancy music school, a spark kept banked in the back of her mind.

Now he wondered every time he laid down in his bunk, cleaned the deck, or heard the pluck of a string. What was she doing? Had she picked a fight with someone dangerous? Was she safe?

With a groan and creak of the barstool, Rayleigh plopped down beside him. He tapped the bar for a refill, and as his cup was refilled, he glanced down at the sullen apprentice. Shanks didn’t have to look up to know. He could feel it. Even when Rayleigh wasn’t using observation haki, Shanks felt like he was – peeling back time and intention and embarrassing things that could make a grown man squirm. But he refused to cringe away, holding his stoic silence and posture as he braced for a jab.

The first mate scoffed. “Hells.”

Rayleigh threw back half his drink.

“Your fruits haven’t even dropped yet and you’re hung up on a girl.”

Shanks flushed. He dropped his head even lower, hoping his hat’s brim would hide the worst of it as he tried to flip the humiliation back into the festering anger he couldn’t vent. What did Rayleigh not about it, anyway?

“No ordinary girl, I grant you,” Rayleigh said, leaning on his elbows. Settling in for a Real Talk. Shit. “A prodigy for sure. Never seen – or guess heard – haki used like that before. But that doesn’t change the fact that she’s moved on. And so should you.”

Without looking up, without showing the first mate any level of respect, Shanks grumbled, “It doesn’t feel right. She would’ve made a great pirate. And she was alone.”

Rayleigh grunted, the only acknowledgement he’d give Shank’s point. “You can’t keep every stray. Remember that cat Buggy wanted to keep? Could’ve been a good mouser. Would’ve fit on a ship. Not a bad idea. The cat had other ideas, though, and when he tried hauling it off the dock it scratched the shit out of him.”

“She wasn’t a cat.”

“No.” Rayleigh’s voice turned harder. Colder. “She may be a young person, but she’s still a person, and she gets to make her own choices. A school is hardly the worst place she could go. You grew up in this life, so your perspective’s skewed. Just because she can fight doesn’t mean that’s what she wants to do for the rest of her life. Take my advice: never get between someone you like and their dreams. It won’t end well.”

Every word weighed Shanks’ spirit down a little lower, letter by letter until he felt he could lick the spilled sake and peanut shells from the floor. Rayleigh was right. If she didn’t become a pirate by choice, she wasn’t really free, and that was the point. Mostly.

None of that changed what he wanted, though, and a hint of selfish greed that had nothing to do with piracy chafed, stuck in his throat.

He wouldn’t get her name. He wouldn’t get to show her how to string up a hammock so it looked steady until Buggy jumped in. He wouldn’t get to see how she played his favorite shanties. He wouldn’t get anything.

He sighed, letting his shoulders rise and fall with the force of it. And then he got busy burying those feelings. Rayleigh really wasn’t joking. She was really gone. And even if he could do something about it, he shouldn’t.

Putting together a smile, he finally looked up at the first mate. “Just miss her, I guess. She was fun.”

Rayleigh dropped a hand on his head, relaxing in turn. His own wicked smirk cracked his face, and he offered an answering shrug. “You never know with these things. As the captain likes to say, some connections are just meant to be. If you’re destined to see her again, you’ll cross paths somewhere out there.”

His smile stretched. The weight lifted. A new road to adventure opened where he thought he’d run into the Red Line.

“You think so?”

“Oh,” Rayleigh took up his tankard again, “if she’s half as much trouble as I think she is, I’d bet on it. Troublemakers tend to run into each other. Sooner or later.”

“Heh.” Fully grinning, Shanks chugged his own drink, heels kicking the barstool as fresh energy surged from the top of his head to the tips of his toes. Rayleigh was never wrong.

Of course they’d meet again.

And maybe next time she’d join the crew.

Every great crew needed a musician.

[sometimes-prompts]

105 RP Starter quotes from The Locked Tomb!

"Life is too short and love is too long."

"Go loud."

"What an entirely haunted time to be alive."

"Love and freedom don’t coexist."

"Well, I tried, and therefore no one should criticize me."

"The truth is, we're all just a bunch of weirdos trying to figure out how to exist in this bizarre universe."

"Strike me down. You’ve won."

 "I’ve lived my whole wretched life at your mercy, yours alone, and God knows I deserve to die at your hand."

"You are my only friend. I am undone without you."

“Death first to vultures and scavengers.”

"It’s finished, it’s done. You can’t take loved away."

"What can I say? I love a little gall on gall."

"Things are, frankly, going to be antonyms of fine."

"If you do not find yourself a galaxy, it is not so bad to find yourself a star."

 “You got the face of a rat and the body of a dead person.”

"Ghosts and You Die is my middle name!”

“Anyone can learn to fight. Hardly anyone learns to think.”

“You skull faced fruitcake.”

“I might lie down and see if this fixes itself.”

“Once you’ve stepped in, you’re in. This isn’t Hokey Pokey.”

“There’s no skeleton like the home skeleton, you know? I have so many happy memories there.”

“We do bones motherfucker!”

“Genuinely sad, bordering on very funny.”

“Life’s a bitch.”

“Cows watch sunsets.”

“Cows exhibit mourning behaviors for other cows.”

“Cows have best friends and complex social relationships.”

“This is a cult.”

“Chickenshits don’t get beer.”

"NOW isn't the TIME! You DUMB, HILARIOUS BITCH!"

"When I am in heaven I will remember your mouth, and when you roast down in hell I think you will remember mine."

"Stop wearing that pillowcase any time you like.."

"Why, your fist is so big and my asshole is so tiny."

"All I ever wanted you to do was eat me!"

"I can’t keep my promise, because the entire point of me is you."

“I cannot conceive of a universe without you in it.”

“We were children – playing in the reflections of stars in a pool of water... Thinking it was space.”

“I am sick of roses, and I am horny for revenge.”

“I’m boobs and hair and talk and a hell of a sword hand.”

“I ate peanuts, discreetly, the once.”

"The cold death to anyone who looks at me in pity; the heat death to anyone who looks to me in amusement; the quick death to anyone who looks at me in fear."

“Your heart is a party for five thousand nails."

“Someday I’ll die and get buried in the ground and you can take it up with me then."

"Bury me next to you in that unmarked grave."

"We knew that was the only hope we ever had–that we would live to see it through."

"Oh, we’ll still hate each other, my dear, we have hated each other too long and too passionately to stop."

"My bones will rest easy next to your bones."

“Why was I born so attractive?”

“Then we’re all dead, [name], but let’s bring hell first!"

“You were so afraid anyone might touch you. You had always been afraid of anyone touching you, and had not known your longing flinch was so obvious to those who tried it.”

"You hating me always meant more than anyone else in this hot and stupid universe loving me. At least I’d had your full attention."

“I didn’t think this was the time for dirty talk, but I can roll with it-”

“We had something very nearly perfect... the perfect friendship, the perfect love. I cannot imagine reaching the end of this life and having any regrets, so long as I had been allowed to experience being your[s].”

"That’s not a defence force, that’s a cop and six different kinds of nerd."

“Please elaborate opened up, because my imagination is better than your description and I am not having a lot of fun here.”

“I understand you didn’t ask on purpose, but I like to think that there was a grain in your soul that saw yourself in need, and perhaps thought to itself, I wish I had Abigail Pent.”

“I came prepared, my sweet.”

“What are you even saying half the time –.”

“Alas. I have a bad personality and a stupefying deficit of attention.”

“See, I did make a utopia.”

"Then perish."

“Oh, this is boring, I wanted one with a skull puking another, smaller skull, and other skulls flying all around. But tasteful, you know?”

“Why are you not appeased? That is how meat loves meat.”

“Yes, well, jail for Mother.”

“I’d aim to get out of here alive, but our odds don’t look wonderful. If we stay put, we get squashed, or eaten. If we swim, we probably still get squashed or eaten.”

“I need you to hide my infirmity. You see, I am insane.”

“I have lots of fealty in me. I fealt the Emperor with every bone in my body. I fealt hard.”

“Ask me how I am and I’ll scream.”

“I see you calling my bluff and I resent it,”

"Don’t give yourself away. Do you know, it’s not worth it... none of this is worth it, at all."

"Remember this, and don’t let anyone do it to you ever again."

"I’m sorry. We take so much. I’m so sorry."

“If you want to wallow in your shockingly vast reserves of self-pity, cut your throat and save me the food bill.”

“As I’ve been told tiresomely often, a half-cocked version of something is significantly worse than not being cocked at all.”

"Your tolerance for man-eating magma fish would have been tested sorely by anyone who was not God."

"But nobody listened to us. Nobody investigated the things we told them to investigate."

"I gave you my whole life and you didn't even want it!"

"Suffer and learn."

"It was good. We were happy."

“If I forget you, let my right hand be forgotten.”

“Don’t worry, honey. I’ll keep the home fires burning.”

"I know you're there" he rasped. "Kill me all you like. I would know you in the blindness of my eyes... in the deafness of my ears..."

"I just want to know the truth... after all this time."

“You have rendered yourself unlovable.”

"I am nothing, I am pointless, I am unmanned."

"I will accept your chidings gratefully. I will watch you slay whomsoever you feel the need to slay, and I will sponge the blood from your brow … but when I lay me down to sleep, I am a fully grown man who is allowed to feel precisely what I want, about anything I want."

"I am sorry for everything … I am sorry for what they did …"

" I was weak because weakness is easy, and because rebuff is hard."

"I should have offered help."

"I merely want to put you in a jail, and fill up the jail with acid-"

"Staaahp being so fucking dramahhhtic!"

“You’ve got two short minutes before I punch you in right in the butthole.”

"Follow me. We haven’t got much time"

“Delicious num-nums for baby.”

"I have bested my father."

"Did you see me? Did you behold me, [name]?"

"Thank God I had a pencil in my pocket; I’m in the process of crafting the sequel on a section of wallpaper."

"I’ve felt heaps better since I got here. I’ve coughed a few times, but it’s mainly for show."

"Which is, coincidentally, what your mother said to me last night."

"You know it was killing me twice that you weren’t there, right?"

“Get in line, thou big slut.”

"How are we to understand 'potato'?"

"Should we hold hands in girlish solidarity?"

"Old people should be shot."

"I completely fucking hate you, because you are a hideous witch from hell. No offence."

(Btw, read the books, you will obsess over them.)

[theoddityherself]

To add onto the conversation about Dina because I keep seeing people criticizing anyone who isn't immediately in love with the direction they've taken her character and have now moved on to saying that "the girl is just trying to figure herself out" or "it's natural for bisexual women to go through a time where they're questioning their sexuality". This is a commonly used storyline for bisexual characters and that's why some people aren't feeling the direction Dina is being taken in. You had a character who was confident in herself, her sexuality and didn't need to question anything because she knew who she was and what she wanted. And the show has essentially taken that side of Dina away for this new storyline.

People's opinions on Dina's writing may change next episode but it's completely normal for people to not be okay with the way the lines were written for Dina and how her sexuality was addressed in the last episode. Just like it's okay for some of you to completely eat up the direction of Dina's story.

Also, two things. One, stop bringing up Neil Druckmann and him knowing about his characters and all of that. Neil did not write romances for The Last of Us II. I feel like some of you forget that that game had multiple writers. And secondly, stop using Dina's character being more fleshed out in the show as an excuse to try and silence any criticisms. Dina's character has barely been fleshed out in the show as of yet and any fleshing out she has had revolves around her relationships with other characters like Joel, Jesse, and Ellie. I'm interested in seeing her character being fleshed out for Dina. I want to see who Dina is as an individual.

[brf-rumortrackinganon]

This is in reference to your April 15 response to someone whose friend isn't a big fan of the monarchy. Because of the context, I will start by stating that I am black, though I do not normally start this way. I would like to share my perspective regarding the racism experiences.

Regarding the faced racism Meghan purportedly faced within the institution, I find the evidence presented, to be very disingenuous, and here is why. The unprecedented statement by KP, which raised the issue of race before anyone was aware of who Meghan was or that she was in a relationship with Harry, and if they did know, did not recognize that she was black, suggests that she was not acting in good faith concerning racism. Granted that the controversial blackamoor brooch was indeed insensitive, it could have been addressed internally and there was no need for a hullabaloo. If Meghan had been gracious at this point she would have elevated her stature.

Regarding the conversation about the baby's skin color, given that Meghan expressed her offense in the context of an interview filled with inaccuracies, I find it difficult to take her claims seriously. She did not hear the comment herself, and her account contradicted Harry's, who was the one who actually heard it. Furthermore, in any culture, it is common for people to wonder what a baby will look like, especially a mixed-race baby. In my opinion, which is, of course, subjective, her claim of experiencing racism appears to be a strategy to justify her request for special privileges. It also serves as a defense against criticism for her behavior and provides a rationale for her abrupt departure after such a brief period of time.

Having said that, considering how her thinking appears to be disordered, I can see that when certain boundaries were established and she could not be afforded the same privileges as the Cambridges, she might assume that racism was a factor. I am genuinely trying to see things from her perspective and give her the benefit of the doubt.

Here is something that feeds into my skepticism. I have worked with black children in the USA who, when confronted about their destructive behavior in the space we were using, chose to deflect responsibility by claiming that the reprimand from the white person in charge was due to their race. This occurred despite the individual being very kind and lenient in their response. Accusations of racism can and should be challenged in some cases. Are you seeing what you think you are seeing? Perspective is essential. This way, everyone can reflect on their perceptions and biases and arrive at a better understanding.

With reference to the Lady Susan incident, context is crucial. Two contexts were at play.

The first context involved the blatant attempts by the Sussexes' to undermine the work of the then Cambridges. My suspicions were raised because this was the first day of the Cambridges’ visit to Boston for an important event, accompanied by various activities. After the shenanigans during the Caribbean tour and other deliberate attempts at overshadowing, anything could be expected from the Sussexes' "friends" who had influence with the press. The first question that arose was: how did this individual gain access to such high profile platforms to voice these grievances on this particular day?

The second context was the revelation that Lady Susan attended a predominantly black church.

Although it has been a few years since my visits to those churches in England, I recall that congregants often identified with their foreparents' origins. This is how the people I knew described members of their congregation. There have even been YouTube videos from a predominantly black church in Croydon, where individuals who identified as being from the Caribbean led the singing during one service, and members from different African countries at another times, and so on. Therefore, it did not strike me as unusual that someone who is a member of a predominantly black church would inquire about a black person's origins. Could she have been more tactful? Perhaps. However, surely the individual in question would be aware of these forms of identification among some black individuals in England.

I have attempted to give Meghan the benefit of the doubt, believe you me, but I have come up short. Of course, this is all subjective; however, things are not always what they seem.

I apologize for the length of this message. I couldn't find a way to shorten it. If you prefer not to post it, I completely understand.

On another note, I appreciate the attention you dedicate to these posts - yours and others - and your commitment to fairness and honesty. Thank you.

Thanks for sharing!

Just a quick note - the Lady Susan incident happened in late 2022 so William and Kate were the Waleses then.

[the-far-bright-center]

#both as individual characters and as a ship #how anyone can possibly see anakin’s behavior towards her as creepy or pushy is beyond me #after she sat him down and told him they couldn’t be together he quite literally dropped it until she told him she loved him #granted i haven’t read the novels so things might be different there. but like as far as the movies go you have to reach to come to that #conclusion#people criticizing padmé for *checks notes* being in love and having emotions #and don’t even get me started on the things they say abt my bbyg anakin. dpmo #and obviously they both have flaws. but my dudes i fear the point of anakin’s character is redemption #it is important to be aware of his flaws but it is arguably more important to sympathize with him #sigh (via @musicalmoritz)

^ exactly 😭

And , if anything, the novels support what you're saying even more strongly! In the AotC novelization, Padme isn't creeped out by Anakin's attentions, she mostly just taken aback by the intensity of her *own* response to his overtures. She is trying to resist her OWN feelings for the first half of AotC. That's why it's important she makes that love declaration on Geonosis. She's finally admitting what she'd already started feeling upon being reunited with him. There are also a couple of important deleted scenes from AotC (which are likewise included the novelization), in which Padme brings Anakin along with her to meet her family on Naboo prior to heading to the Lake resort at Varykino. The fact he meets her parents, sister, and nieces (who like him and accept him immediately!) puts what happens between them at Varykino into even more meaningful context (the fact that there's already an emotional and even familial intimacy developing there prior to the balcony kiss, meadow scene, and fireside scenes). The deleted/extended scenes of Anakin and Padme's arrival on Naboo and their time with Padme's family also make it clear that Anakin is very supportive and encouraging of Padme's career, even while being protective of her physical safety.

And the tags I bolded.... YES. One of the problems I see with current fandom is that they don't seem to even register the fact that TPM's Little Ani exists in order to demonstrate that Anakin is a good person, actually, and that Padme knows this. She know his ‘True Self’. Just like Anakin always loved Padme for herself because that's how he first knew her....not as a Queen or a Senator, but as Padme. And Padme knew Anakin first as the heroic and extremely selfless boy who risked his life to save her and her people twice, called her an angel, cried for his mother, and gave her a japor snippet he carved for her. The fandom insistence to view Anakin solely in the context of AotC and RotS seems to lead directly into people claiming he was ‘always like that’, when TPM goes out of its way to prove otherwise.

Anakin's story-arc, when viewed in its entirety, starts with him as a hero (TPM), and ends with him as a (tragic) hero (RotJ). It's only during his time on the Dark Side that he's meant to be seen as an antagonist. So in AotC, Anakin is depicted as a troubled young man, but still good at heart. He makes a terrible mistake in reaction to his mother's brutal kidnapping, torture, and murder and immediately feels remorse for it. The Tusken Massacre is intended primarily to show that he has the potential to succumb to his darker emotions when the loss (or impending loss) of a loved one is involved. Anakin Skywalker is tragically-flawed character, that whole scenario is a set up to show the audience his tragic flaw. Even so, at that point, he's not supposed to be seen as an outright 'villain' or as wholly 'evil'. He wouldn't have to have an entire apocalyptic Fall to the Dark Side depicted on-screen in RotS if he were 'already evil'.

Star Wars isn’t exactly a 1:1 version of our real world — in Star Wars, the concept a ‘True Self’ exists, which is akin to the essence of one's spirit or soul. This has been established since Anakin’s redemption in RotJ, which has been an essential part of canon for over 40 years! Anakin's redemption what the entire PT x OT storyline is building towards. The Chosen One, enslaved by Darkness for so long, finally returning to himself and fulfilling his destiny in order to save his son, and setting the galaxy free. And in doing so, fulfilling Padme's dying words, 'there's good in him, I know....there's still... '

Anakin's final words echo this.... 'tell your sister you were right about me'. He might as well be trying to reach back through time, to tell Padme that he was wrong, and that she was right about him, after all.

Blocking isn’t enough I think I should be allowed to shoot people who have bad takes on Anakin and Padmé

[jon-sedai]

And remember kids, the next time someone tells you, "George R. R. Martin wouldn't make Jon Snow the typical fantasy hero because that's cliche".....

Oh yes he would!

One viewer wants to know what character would you play (on the show)? GRRM: If I could magically clap my hands and become a different person, it would be cool to play Jon Snow who's much more of the classic hero. Everybody wants to be the classic hero! ABC Interview, 2014

GRRM: And the character I’d want to be? Well who wouldn’t want to be Jon Snow — the brooding, Byronic, romantic hero whom all the girls love. Meduza Interview, 2017

In fact he already has ☺️

[utilitycaster]

at the risk of making a somewhat fraught political metaphor, so many of the people who complain about criticism of Campaign 3 remind me of anti-abortion states when abortion was federally legal: "Oh no, you can have the clinic, but per state regulation the hallway needs to be exactly 16 feet wide no more no less, and if not, you are violating state law and are going to be shut down (this is not a requirement for any other medical procedural clinics)".

It's obviously uh, far less of a fundamental human rights issue here and the people complaining are whiny, bratty, and deeply unpleasant but do not ultimately hold any power and can be blocked and such criticisms can go forward but it's the precise same mentality. Oh no, you can criticize Campaign 3 but you can't phrase it in a way that makes me feel like you're stating it as objective fact rather than your opinion. You can criticize Campaign 3 but if it's a post longer than 500 words it has to be under a readmore so I don't have to scroll (this is not something they ask of any other post). You can criticize Campaign 3 but I find your tone condescending and arrogant so you're going to have to stop, but how dare you tell me that it's my responsibility to curate my experience. You can criticize Campaign 3 but when you say that I'm being an entitled child for making these demands that hurt my feelings so you have to stop (I've been silent about any harassment or insults you've received). You can criticize Campaign 3 if you're a heartless monster I guess but it was for FUN it was THEIR GAME why are you MEAN (They haven't said this on any posts that insult other campaigns or even the cast directly). You can criticize Campaign 3 but you have to abide by all my demands but you can't ever set off any of my vast list of insecurities and you also can't remark on any of my behavior ever; I can say anything I want to you and you can't ever say anything back.

And it's just like...really, I think there was a world (one that required the fandom to respond differently starting back with Laudna's death at minimum, but one that could have existed) in which this was a somewhat amicable disagreement about the quality of the campaign. But I've so rarely seen a group of people so incapable of seeing fandom opinions outside of their own personal experience or existing beliefs and acting in a remotely adult manner (ignoring or blocking). They always have to go up onto your post or in your inbox and tell you to stop having your own opinions.

[the-prima-vista]

I can't get over people going on about Solas' redemption ending as though it's the best outcome, like... he only agrees to "atone" because he's LOST. If he had won that fight, he would have gone ahead with exactly what he wanted. At no point has he ever considered what he could actually do to help all the people he's wronged, he just wants to fix his own mistake (the Veil).

And to say that his is the best redemption in Dragon Age? When Blackwall is right there? Blackwall gets less content and has a much better redemption arc than Solas could ever dream of. Blackwall makes the decision himself to accept the consequences of what he did, even if those consequences mean death, and he's angry with an Inquisitor who takes those consequences from him. But if he is allowed to live? He then spends the rest of his life making up for his actions. Solas doesn't even consider other options until Rook's holding a dagger to his throat.

[some-pers0n]

I'm really sorry for Hazbin posting again but godddd because this one clip of Alastor and Bill Cipher has been going around late on Twitter reminds me so much of how utterly lame it is when Alastor swears. Like the whole thing that makes him unnerving is how well-spoken he is. I don't even like him saying "fuck you" to Lucifer. Him saying "I'm about to end your fucking life" sounds so lameeeeee he sounds like an elementary schooler who just learned the fuck word

The part that makes him fun and interesting is how well-spoken he is. It kinda plays on the gimmick of radio hosters being kind, chipper fellows and how they don't swear or do anything. It acts as a contrast. I literally don't understand why Viv is allergic to making characters not swear. Him not even swearing would probably be better when it comes to threatening Adam. Like I don't get it. Why is this show's writing like this. He's so uncool and unthreatening when he swears

[cybershock24601]

Not to say Veilguard's writing is perfect or doesn't have any problems because it does but I feel one of the biggest reasons people don't like it is because it treats the dragon age fandom like it is, stupid and reactionary.

When Inquisition dropped in 2014, those were some dark fucking days. People were coming out with the most wild hot takes and ready to start putting heads on pikes over differences of opinion. I totally get why the devs choose to file down some of the rougher edges and not put some of the darker and more problematic elements of the setting into such sharp focus because if my memory serves me right, people were pissed the fuck off that bad things were depicted at all in Inquisition. There were pages and pages of discourse over every little thing so trying to side step the stuff that made people start frothing at the mouth probably seemed like a smart move to the devs especially since the way the fandom talked about a lot of the stuff was like they didn't want to see any of it onscreen at all. It's not like Veilguard doesn't have fucked up stuff going on but its more in the background now and I can see how that decision was made considering fandom sentiment over the years. Also a lot of people who like to roleplay oppression don't get to do that in Veilguard, not saying that's the reason for all the push back on the shift in tone in Veilguard, there are a lot of legitimate criticisms, but there were definitely people that took rping as a fictional minority a little too seriously back in the day.

The other reason people can't stand Veilguard is because it definitely holds your hand sometimes when it comes to the narrative which people get upset about because it makes them feel stupid because duh, its so obvious I didn't need the game to treat me like a child but is it just obvious because the game is explicitly spelling it out? Considering some of the horrendous fucking takes I've seen whenever the writing has some nuance or requires some critical thinking, yeah no shit the writing team decided to be a lot more explicit when it came to certain aspects of the game because oh boy does a whole lot seem to go over people's head. Things go over my head too sometimes since I'm usually more focused on playing the game then analyzing it especially on a first playthrough, but my god do I get why the writing is a lot less complex in Veilguard. Some of it is definitely a result of rewrites and budget and time constraints and EA doing what EA does but there is a reason Veilguard can feel like Dragon Age for babies because when the game does choose to treat people like adults, so many people seem to completely miss what the game is trying to say when it isn't hammering the point into directly into your skull. There are things Veilguard could have done better on but I've seen a lot of common complaints that just seem to be the result of people refusing to do any deeper thinking about what the game is saying and doing very surface level readings.

[spurgie-cousin]

trying to figure out a shorter mid-week video to do, and I'm so lost in the fundie sauce I'm not sure if a Rodrigues family "crash course", ie shorter videos giving some background on the family, Jill's early youtube days, etc would be redundant or something people would be into. so surprise, here's another poll:

*know not more 😑

[pigeonstab]

Y'know that post talking about how ppl interpret sans reacting to Papyrus' death? And how in trying to stray away from the earlier 2017 misconceptions we went too far the other way?

That's how I feel about Swap sans sometimes. Like, I get trying to get away from the whole 'blueberry' thing but like!!! You removed all his whimsy!! If you're trying to make him canon then he shouldn't be completely blasé and tired of life!! He wants to be in the royal guard, and he's funny and he makes tacos and he likes puzzles cause he's just the Sans version of Papyrus!

[rainbowtitania]

I've been chewing on Eddie's absence from 8x14 for a couple days now, and here's where I've landed:

If there's one thing I can say for Eddie's (and Buck's) arc in 8B, it's "deliberately paced." It feels like the most calculated part of 8B right now, with substantial, serialized movement in every episode (already a rarity on this show lol).

Also, if they'd wanted to bring eddie back at the end of 8x13, they so easily could have. one extra line to either chris or helena, "and by the way, we're going back to LA where we belong," and it's done. Add Eddie and Buck to the cake scene at the start of 8x14, maybe one line about being happy to be back at the 118, and it's established. Not well-established, but established.

I think if they truly didn't care about Eddie's character arc, that's what they would do. It's a more efficient use of the episode run time and shooting time/resources, vs needing to write a separate scene in a separate shooting location where he decides to come back. It clears Eddie's plot away in time for the big disaster, and basically sets everything back to baseline neutral. It's way easier to write eddie in the background of an ensemble scene than it is to write him alone. Just like, logistically.

So I guess I'm approaching the next couple episodes from a place of curiosity: why aren't they taking that easier route? what story does eddie not coming back from el paso before 8x14 allow them to tell?