#WHICH AGAIN IS A NUANCED THING

[aparticularbandit]

Also makes her a better mentor for America Chavez than Strange, but....

So I said agatha was not a villain, just scared and broken. Someone had the audacity to say "pretty sure she's a serial killer but okay".

FIRST, SHE ONLY STARTED KILLING PEOPLE BECAUSE HER MOTHER WAS THE LITERAL DEVIL AND TREATED HER AS IF SHE SHOULDVE DIED AT BIRTH.

It was NEVER EVER her fault that she was the type of witch she is. The worst part of it is that i am 100% certain that if her coven had taught her and nurtured her power, she would have been good. All she wanted was to be taught how to control her power; to learn how to use it for good. No one gave Agatha that chance. She spent her entire life thinking she was what everyone else thought she was; evil. Of COURSE she ended up having villainous traits and doing insane things, it's all anyone ever expected!

Bottom line, YOU HATERS DO NOT GET AGATHA HARKNESS LIKE I DO. SHE IS NOT A VILLAIN, SHE IS STILL THE GIRL TIED TO A FLAG POST BEGGING HER COVEN TO TEACH HER HOW TO CONTROL SOMETHING THAT WAS NEVER HER FAULT TO BEGIN WITH.

She never wanted to kill, or take another witch's power, but it's the only choice she was given if she wanted to survive.

[antirepurp]

delivering controversial takes to the "the gang plays minecraft" discussion

[puppyeared]

i feel like im not making any sense but does anyone else feel like there are stories that let u run with them and ones that spell everything out for you

[i-dreamed-i-had-a-son]

Broke (2016): BBC Sherlock is a phenomenal piece of media and anything that seems like a flaw just hasn't been fully explored yet

Woke (2020): BBC Sherlock is an incredibly flawed series run by an egotistical writer, it never deserved the hype and is actively bad on so many fronts (especially representation)

Bespoke (2024): BBC Sherlock is flawed and bogged down by increasingly poor writing, which many fans refused to see while it was airing, leading to hugely misplaced expectations (particularly for the final series), AND it has the seeds of some compelling characterizations and portrayals, some genuinely solid performances, and touches--albeit imperfectly--on complexities that are still being discussed today (particularly as it relates to the relationship between Sherlock and John). The huge cultural impact of the show has created a massive pendulum effect in its public perception, leading to most people today remembering a caricature of the show (whether positive or negative) rather than appreciating its nuanced merits and failings...that being said Season 4 sucked

[dariusaurs]

i think dinostar is such an interesting ship right now even if i've kind of turned away from it after this season. the problem is that it's complicated, and fandoms historically don't like nuanced situations or takes. i don't think it's fair to say darius is putting brooklynn on a pedestal, since from his perspective, she hasn't done anything wrong, and kenji has been framed as this unfair partner to her. it does feel like his feelings are very immature and more of an infatuation right now ("if he loved you half as much.."/"unless?"), especially when you compare them to kenji's own feelings for brooklynn - his girlfriend who he's loved for 6 years - but that isn't a horrible thing, it's just different. i do completely understand if people dislike the ship right now, and even criticize darius' way of handling the accidental confession, but i just think people have been way too harsh on all three of them without being willing to see that all of their perspectives are different

[serpentface]

Does Janeys know that Brakul has a wife and son? How would he react if he learned?

He actually does know and has known pretty much from the beginning.

Early on in his stint as a POW turned mercenary, Brakul would repeatedly invoke his wife and son as reasons he could or could not do certain things + to insult Janeys like 'okay but some of us have actual, tangible responsibilities in this world and people who depend on them. Like my wife and son, who I will be returning to immediately when my contract is over. You're never going to see me again. On account of my wife and son.'

When he started actually Liking Janeys and wanting to be with him, and seeing a chance to Avoid All Consequences And Never Go Back Home, he gradually reversed course (and attempted to rationalize it to himself) like "Ahhh they'll be fine. I mean everyone probably thinks I'm dead and/or an oathbreaker anyway so Sirudan's gotta be remarried by now. My brother probably got in on that, and he really has his shit together so they're in good hands. Honestly it will be worse for them if I go back. They're better off without me. They're fine. It's not a big deal. I'm soooooo single and unattached btw" And Janeys was like "Okay. Yay."

13 years down the line Janeys almost never thinks about it and when he occasionally remembers it's like

He does not give a shitttt about the wife/child abandonment angle whatsoever, but he's aware that Brakul still has some attachment to them and regrets over skipping out, and he's kind of insecure about it. The concept of Brakul having a child out there completely independent of their whole Thing also makes him uncomfortable in ways he can't really put his finger on. He's not actually scared that Brakul will return to his ex-wife though, like even with all his profound insecurities and abandonment issues he knows there's not a chance in hell that he's gonna actually attempt to make amends. Bottom line is he doesn't like to think about it, and mostly doesn't have to.

[followingrose]

fully expect to get backlash for this but also

It’s my blog and I get to choose the opinions

As a dwarf pc enjoyer, I’m kind of obsessed with the reveals about how it was the evanuris all along who killed the titans—and for such a HEINOUS reason. I know people have ~feelings~ about DA elves and the lore being revealed in Veilguard, but like…

That’s kind of how history works? Sometimes you learn that a people you respected were actually INCREDIBLY shit awful chucklefucks. It doesn’t erase the way elves have been treated in the series thus far (re: the absolute worst) and I think the convo between an elf Rook and Harding is really intriguing.

Idk I just think they tied up loose ends in a really interesting way, and if the lore doesn’t work for you that’s valid! That’s why we have fanfiction and such!

(P.S. if you’re like me and genuinely enjoying the game and our new blorbos pls talk to me about it I need more ppl to be happy with)

[feedingicetothedog]

also this was the first ep where i could feel the effects of them filming during the writer's strike bc it didn't feel as polished as the others and a lot of that comes from the writers being able to be on set and make changes in the moment or the actors and directors being allowed to play w the material but bc all of those things are against the rules of a writer's strike it felt less cohesive/finished

[muzzlemouths]

help me settle a debate i didnt even know EXISTED until today.

picture for clarity

[fromtheseventhhell]

"It's normal for siblings to fight" Okay well it's not normal to be extremely classist and look down on your sister for being non-conforming. Or to go to the woman who ordered the death of your pet to tell her about your father's plans, when he specifically warned you against doing so, because you want to marry the boy you saw attack your sister and her friend (contributing partially to said father's death and your sister being unable to escape on the ship he chartered). Or to think of your sibling as unsatisfactory in comparison to another when you believe her to be dead. I notice that none of the "Sansa and Arya are going to reunite and instantly have no issues" crowd ever acknowledge any of this, which makes it seem like they don't actually believe what they say about their relationship being normal and easily reconciled. People wanting them to have no issues simply because they're siblings is another example of how fandom likes to flatten complex characters and relationships. They get reduced to being bickering siblings when their conflict runs deeper than that. If the author is telling you that they have "deep issues" to work out [X], I don't understand being so adamant about ignoring said issues. I also get the sense it's about ignoring the capacity for a certain character to be flawed, but that isn't going to change the fact that her "slip of the tongue" is very likely to be revealed and a source of further conflict 🤷🏾‍♀️

[xxplastic-cubexx]

what is your favorite thing about charles and your favorite thing about erik? separately, as in what you like most about their characters :]

a devious question this one is, my friend!!! it's hard enough for me to explain my thoughts cohesively, but having to pick ONE thing i particularly love is difficult. with characters like charles and erik, theres been so much done with their characters over the decades and so they have so many components to them that make them so interesting and fun to observe. BUT I TRY FOR YOU TODAY. under the cut i kinda ramble and the size of this text box makin me anxious

i think if i were to be simple and broad, what i enjoy most about charles is his determination to help others, even if he isn't really thanked and/or if people don't even like him. ofc, this isn't to say he hasn't done wrong- to be honest, the fact he does wrong/questionable things at times is another aspect of him i really enjoy, maybe because- broadly speaking- he's meant to be altruistic (intent vs outcome and all that). i don't know if that's super exciting to most people, but it is for me

as for erik, my reason for liking him is easier to explain tbh. To Be Simple And Broad, his progression from villain to antihero over the decades has been fun to observe (as much as i have so far anyhow) and analyze. i think to be a bit more specific, him using his rage and pain as justifications for his villainous actions is definitely what compels me the most: hurt people hurt and the sort, an idea i've always found interesting (something something vicious cycles and the like). yet now, he recognizes this wasn't really. A Just Thing To Do and is beginning to change that, which i enjoy

[aroaessidhe]

2024 reads / storygraph

Outdrawn

f/f contemporary romance

two cartoonist who’ve been rivals since uni, and now have competing webcomics online, have to work together on the relaunch of a cult classic at the comic press they both work at

they both struggle with art-related physical and mental health issues, and complicated families

[looseinthecatroom]

Something something of COURSE in the end it's Stolas who has the power to end the conversation and whisk Blitz away rather then keeping at it when things get rough, off script, and honest.

Stolas want's a storybook romance. He's had it fermenting and stagnating in his head since he was a kid.

Stolas grew up in an environment of putting on airs and pretending to be perfect.

Stolas has no reference point for FIGHTING in a relationship except for an arranged marriage that they both openly did not want to be in, with zero real emotional stakes re: their bond with each other. (The primary stakes were playing bare minimum nice for the kid. Which they still failed at, but that's another topic.)

Of COURSE he doesn't understand that love and resentment at past wrongs (that can be exhumed and dealt with) can exist simultaneously.

How could he? He's never had an emotional investment with an equal, a peer, at all. ;-;

Blitz is intensely fucked up. They're BOTH fucked up, obviously. But this one? Dang it Stolas. ;_; If they'd just continued the conversation instead of Stolas' actively ending it and teleporting Blitz away, they might have GOT somewhere.

[dawnbreakerluna]

okay so i don't like that i have to make this post but i feel inclined to because the l&ds fandom is growing and i would rather hold the space for this important conversation AND because i am a queer woman playing this game (and have been here since day 1. lol)

while i do understand that this game is an otome game, i genuinely do not care that people are shipping the love interests together or that people have made male mcs/ocs to fit in with the narrative. i'm uncomfortable seeing people disagree about this and the overall inclusion of queer identities with the justification that this is 'strictly otome' meaning it's 'strictly for women' and more offensively the 'they're trying to make everybody gay'/'they're trying to be so inclusive but it's not right'.

to that part of the player base, i cannot emphasize to you how many women who play this game are queer, including the crowd that is nonbinary, genderfluid, etc and femme-presenting. i don't know how else to emphasize how homophobic those statements actually are. as a matter of fact, l&ds does have the capacity to be a queer-coded space despite it being confined to the otome genre. if we're really gonna push it, i'd say obey me had already pushed that. (do y'all even know the way people ship diavolo and lucifer? LMFAO)

the conclusion i'm making is that nobody's gay pairings are harming you, and y'all are acting up like somebody was murdered or did you harm personally. you're instead being dismissive of the opportunity to make more friends and acquaintances with people who share the same amount of love for the game as you do.

if we're gonna keep it a real buck... all four LIs don't even adhere to the traditional cis-gender heterosexual man. and if a great number of the player base is queer women... it's a sensible thing to consider the fact that these men are queer themselves without any labels.

also. THESE ARE PIXELS.

i want to emphasize that this is a safe space for lgbtq+ folks, especially if you play this game! thank you :)

[roseofcards90]

The fact that people were so willing to completely dismiss what happened in After Pain and Harrow after they saw It's Not My Fault and Deep Cover paint Mu and Kotoko in a worse light really shows that some people don't have literary comprehension 😭

[lokh]

it's tough that a lot of little but important things to dungeon meshi characterisations are all over the place and not the most easily accessible