#and end it with the conclusion of the anime
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petr1kov · 1 day ago
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actually an underrated little song from wicked to me is 'something bad'. i really like the ominous vibe and i kinda love dr dillamond tbh
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siryouarebeingmocked · 10 hours ago
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Can you imagine ANY other political/civil rights movement being constantly hounded and scrutinized like feminism/female liberation is?
You mean the massive, powerful movement that influences governments around the world?
Yes, yes I can. Because it happens all the time.
This is not special treatment, feminists are not the plucky underdogs.
Do you see people go after childrens rights groups, saying "but what about adults? You must want them all dead!". Or animal rights groups - "but what about humans? You must want them all dead!".
If those groups actually had #killAllAdults or #killAllHumans as a popular meme of theirs, yes, that would be a logical conclusion.
And also they had spent literally decades making negative generalizations about adults and humans.
Of course, you're using a rare, extreme example of criticism of feminism AND an poor analogy, to avoid addressing more cogent and common criticisms like, "why is this movement that says it's about ending sexism…spreading sexist stereotypes about men AND women?"
Even if just to say "no, that's not true".
Irony is, mainstream "liberal" feminism can barely even pretend to care about men, and even then, mostly as political meatshields. Male feminists and allies are usually the opposite of coddled.
Of course, if you're claiming that men do and always have systemically oppressed and harmed women, whenever possible, "don't piss them off to no productive end" is just common sense.
Especially when your movement also loves to claim women are always justifiably paranoid of harm from men.
Feminism is the only movement that gets scrutinized for its sheer existence;
BLM would like a word.
"what?! Women?! Having rights?! Having a voice?! Nah, can't be! Won't let be!".
Good ol' Motte and Bailey.
Privileges are also rights, and disagreement with what you say is not the same as denying your right to speak or have an opinion.
The irony is, most women don't identify as feminist, and have a poor opinion of feminism.
Claiming you speak for all women is, ironically, very misogynist.
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saw this pic in a tiktok moots slideshow and i love it (idk the artist sorry)
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ezziedoodles · 2 days ago
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Why Season 2 Of Arcane Felt A Little Off
Let me preface this by saying I adore this show, and I loved this season. I laughed, I cried, and I had a good time watching it. The art direction and animation is a masterpiece. This is probably my favorite show, but I think it's good to critique the things you love and this entire season I felt like I was waiting for something.
For a show titled Arcane, season one had remarkably little to do with the arcane. Yes, there was Hextech and magic, but the show was centered on this class divide between Piltover and Zaun and all the conflicts that stem from this. The very first scene of the show is enforcers killing citizens on the bridge, with Powder and Vi finding their dead parents' bodies. Zilco's reasoning for doing anything he did was because he believed he was helping Zaun, including raising Jinx the way he did. Vi was so passionate about her city and the injustice facing it. Caitlyn witnessing this injustice is what causes her to question the systems she is a part of. Viktor and Jayce (but especially Viktor) created technology with the intention of wanting to improve life for the undercity. Ekko is a revolutionary doing so much to give his people a community and a chance to live their lives. My point is literally every single character is connected by this conflict between the cities.
Now let's take a look at the second season. Where is this part of the story that was so essential to the first season? There's a brief revolutionary beat with Jinx and her followers but once they escape from prison, the show moves on from this and never touches it again. We see Caitlyn's descent into corrupt madness, becoming everything she and Vi wanted to stop. Eventually she realizes how wrong she was but do we see her make any reparations to Zaun specifically for the damage she caused? She gassed the city, poisoning the air even further (with gas that has been confirmed to make people sick in the long run), harming hundreds of innocent people. And Vi, a character so vehemently against enforcers in the first season, goes along with this for how long? Days? Weeks? And only stops when she can visually see the impact of Caitlyn's madness as she almost kills a child in front of her. These characters are flawed and I love that, but we see them get their happy ending without ever truly addressing or helping with what they did to Zaun.
Ekko sees an alternate universe of everything his city could be, everything they all wanted so badly in the first season. Equality, safety, education, food security, and more. He says he is thankful for the reminder and I fully believe he will go forth with this vision in mind, but do we ever see it? And that right there is the problem. We don't know what happens to Zaun in the end, we don't know if things get better. All we see is Sevika on the council but we don't know if that will fix anything since people have stood up for the undercity in council before and it did nothing.
I want to see Ekko rally his people and repair the damage caused by the war. I want to see Vi open up the last drop and make it what it was always meant to be, a place of community. I want to see schools open in the undercity in honor of Viktor and Jayce. I want to see the two cities heal from the damage done to each other. Fuck it, I just want literally any closure on this plotline! Just tack on a 2 minute montage of what happened to this city after the war and I'd feel a little better. But instead this part of the story was completely sidelined throughout the season and ignored entirely in the finale. I'm not someone that thinks every story needs to have a moral, but this show was trying to tell us something! The first season was screaming from the rooftops to beware of privilege, beware systemic oppression, to fight inequality, and I find it really sad that there was no conclusion for that.
I do wish there had been three seasons to give it a smoother transition form politics to magic but it is what it is. Nothing is perfect. This season gave me so much including the best depiction of soulmates I've ever seen in my life so you win some you lose some ig.
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eerna · 2 days ago
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Hi, I read a little bit of your rant about Arcane, but then I stopped 'cause it's making me notice so many things and so sad thinking about what a perfect series could have been if... what? They had more time? If there were someone else with the writers that pointed out things? If they had another act? Maybe two?
For what I have understood act1 was supposed to be the last one in season 1, right now I can't find the source, maybe I'm just imagining it? Idk. But even the season 1 opening finished with Jinx and Vi's fight.
If that's so, maybe season two was supposed to be four act and not two acts super full of things to talk about, to develop, and also so not to forget the starting point of all of the Arcane.
Or maybe this is just me rumbling about a series that I love and I can't accept that they finished it forgetting things really important about Arcane, and it hurt so much.
But I also loved it. It was beautifully done, songs, animations, and voice acting, I know that ending for CaitVi was a little controversial, but I'm keeping that salame in my eyes and be happy for them. Is it so wrong to do this?
Sorry about my English, I don't usually write, but I wanted to express these feelings.
Pls don't apologize for your English, I'm not a native speaker either, we are totally on the same page~ The first arc DID feel like the conclusion to s1, so maybe you are right about that!
Listen, you get to choose how to deal with a show you love ending in an unsatisfying way! I can't police how you are supposed to express your feelings! I can only offer you my thoughts on the matter, and those are this. Engaging with criticism and reading detailed explanations of what didn't work is not a moral responsibility. I express my love for media by analyzing it to bits and pieces, and that's how I deal with disappointment, too. I like to understand why I love something, and I like to understand why I don't love stuff, too. It's just my way of interacting with fiction, not some kind of an ethical statement! I only have a problem with those who think all criticism should be silenced. Those people enter the realm of anti-intellectualism, where the only correct way to interact with media is as a mindless consumer only processing what the writers want you to think and feel and nothing else. So in my opinion, it is not at all wrong to tune out the criticism and just enjoy the good parts of the show for what they are. Because even with all the complaints about the writing, the show excels in every other area, there is a ton to enjoy about it!!
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frebbyfazballz · 3 days ago
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yuri on ice hits so deep for me bc how it portrays a story abt reigniting one’s passion. w alot of sports animes a big aspect of the story is making ur way up from the very bottom - (which don’t get me wrong, i absolutely LOVE), but the professional level is is usually the conclusion. the end goal. but in truth, as obvious it may be, professionals are still human. they can and will make mistakes and theres that added pressure of supposedly being the best in their field which only adds to the crushing weight of their passion.
yuuri katsuki is already a well established, professional figure skater (despire how he may describe himself). but he’s at a loss. he’s suffered a crushing defeat and made plenty mistakes and he’s reached a point in his life where he’s unsure of how much further his passion will take him. hes loved figure skating, always has, but that love has begun to dwindle inside of him as his insecurities and anxiety takes over.
but the comes viktor. he comes into his life, and things begin to change. he finds love again. for his sport - the art he’s been cultivating since he was a child, for the people around him, family and friends, understanding just how much they have been and will continue to support him, and of course, for viktor. slowly, but surely, he’s changed.
and when i watch him, i can’t help but feel like i’ve changed a little too
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frankotalk · 1 year ago
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squidward voice i have GOT to make a reki/nemu doujin
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nwarrior777 · 2 months ago
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"fat!amputee!fem!laios" bro just make an OC instead. that's no longer laios
well i made one
this oc and laios inspecting each others bodies in ways which i am afraid person bitching about jpegs can't handle
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liliumofthevalleyy · 10 months ago
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THIS PANEL HURTS ME TO THIS DAY.
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So upset the anime left it out, too. Just the first third (quarter?) of the panel explains a lot about William's guilt and how much the Final Problem was visibly weighing on him.
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thewistlingbadger · 2 days ago
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Things I loved about season 2 arcane
Jinx slapping Vi. Oh man was that shit deserved
Ekko and Jayce interaction. I love that they let them interact, especially since they're who started it all. Ekko's tip led to everything.
Jinx and Viktor interaction. I prayed for times like these and we got it.
The scene with Sevika's arm was so much fuckin fun
Jinx's reaction when she saw that Vi was an enforcer. The fact that she couldn't pull the trigger.
The return of Jinx's episodes
The interactions between jinx and Sevika, and jinx Sevika and Isha. I wished we got more of their dynamic they were a highlight
The music and animation of the final moment of the show. That shit was mind-blowing
Mel's new design and her power was the moment!
Seeing Kino!
Certain moments with Jinx and Silco. That opening in ep2 S2 had me sobbing. It's so tender and sad and God can you tell she loved him. Every moment she returned to his office was incredible.
Seeing Vander and Silco's hideout. The jackets. The fucking letter. Oh it hit me like a train.
Jayce mother fuckin Talis. He is everything. I love the focus he got in this season. I loved everything about him this season as well as his arc. This man kept getting more and more attractive as we saw him on screen.
The relationship between mel and jayce. They were so sweet and soft with each other. And in the end they parted on such beautiful and respectful terms.
Certain phrases and vocabulary. "Inextricably Bound" "you will never be a passenger" "you are the wolf" Felicia's monologue and Jayce's final monologue
Seeing grown up Mylo and Claggor was cool.
Jayce's reaction to seeing Viktor after the explosion was heartbreaking
Jayvik, Jayvik, Jayvik. Man did they steal the show for me. Seeing Jayce worry about Viktor, "it should have been me," their first hug, their first separation. All the way to that beautiful finale. Oh man it was everything.
Renni was an amazing addition at the start of the series. Her design, her weapon, and her ability to thrill the audience was amazing. That scene where she was looking for jayce? Chilling. The fact that she landed a back injury on him was crazy
The conclusion to act 1 s2 had my jaw on the floor. The reveal. The presentation. The music
Singed's whole storyline was awesome. I loved getting more information on him
The opening of act 2, with Jinx looking directly into the camera as a match announcer. That was so fun.
The blisters and bedrock flashback. I so wasn't expecting that and I was flailing about when I first saw it. Yeah it has its flaws but I loved seeing it. It recontextualizes everything for better and worse and I love that we have it even though it causes problems
Jinx's reaction to seeing everyone rally behind her. Babygirl needed that
Seeing more Sevika was nice, same with seeing more of the undercity as a united front
Designs just went hard this season. Ambessa, Caitlyn, vi, etc.
Ekko saving the day with his Z drive was epic
In ep1 s1 it was really sweet to see the way Caitlyn relied on Vi
The caitvi kiss was pretty cool
The Caitlyn betrayal. I wish they would have done more with this bc it was cool
Maddie saying "I appreciated the warmth." That line was COLD.
The Jayvik fight sequence in the council room
LEST!!
Some of the humor in this season was really funny
I love how they really said without Silco, everything falls a part
Please tell me what you loved about Arcane season 2. What parts really resonated with you on the most fundamental level? What made you feel with your whole soul and body? What parta made you think about the show for days after as you stared at the nearest wall?
The more I think about it, the more I just see the things I disliked about it, and I really really want to love it as much as I see others do, and as much as I loved it when I first watched it
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super-paper · 4 months ago
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ALL FOR ONE REALLY IS THAT GUY. HE HAD THE MOST WINS AND SATISFYING CONCLUSIONS YIPEE
if someone had told me back when i first started mha that AFO would end up being one of my faves + also end up being one of the only characters to not get completely derailed-slash-assassinated by mha's grand finale-slash-epilogue i would've laughed but like
here we are 😬
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caw4brandon · 5 months ago
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How to End a Story
Stories are often told through two styles. It's either a recollection of something that has already happened. Or, it's an ongoing event happening to the character's life.
The story can be told through just one main character or multiple characters but like all stories. They have to end. Let's discuss the ending of three shows that I recently watched. (I'll try not to get into the spoilers)
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- They're Not just Frogs -
< Amphibia > by Matt Braly; follows three girls; Anne, Sasha and Marcy who stole a mysterious music box that transported them into another world of talking frogs, toads, newts and other horrifying monsters.
Our main character is Anne Boonchuy who found her temporary home with the Plantars; Hop Pop, Sprig and Polly. A small family of frogs who took Anne in and helped her better understand the world. The show is good at using little segments to build the world. Such as a mind manipulation sentient spore, the divisions between the main races and the mystery behind the music box.
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Story-wise, the show tried to make the flow of events happen at a nicer pace. Season 1 was used on Anne to better understand the world and how things have changed between her friends. Season 2 used that change to add another twist to their relationship. As the seasons progress, the cast slowly expands.
The show eases in the main trio and their new friends. Some episodes foreshadowed what was coming for the characters, and some felt pointless. With a cast that big, it would slow the story down but surprisingly, it felt okay.
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You get to spend some time with them, learn what makes them tick, what changed them and how they felt about the current state of the story. As a person who had some regrets in life, I really liked Sasha Waybright's development. She went from someone who took charge to becoming a character who matured into a better person. Giving her time to improve, showed that she improved but is still a work in progress.
As far as the ending goes, I felt a little bittersweet. I liked that it ended and that the big arc of the main trio is resolved but I would really like to see an expansion for how they deal with all the events they went through as it was rather traumatic. Thankfully, we have fan artists for that!
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- Eat This Sucka!!! -
It would be impossible to avoid spoilers when < The Owl House > by Dana Terrace was at its peak. Spoilers were happening left and right!
Context, The Owl House follows the outcast teen; Luz Noceda who was meant to go to a summer camp. On the day she was about to go. Luz got distracted by a thief who went through a mysterious door that led Luz into the Demon Realm.
The series takes on a familiar arc where the outsider; Luz learns the ways of the witches but with her own creativity and innovation. Luz also resides under the care of the Owl Lady; Eda Clawthorne, King and Hooty (The house itself)
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As the seasons progress, Luz helps the other witches her age improve and come out of their shells. Importantly, she finds new friends she never had in the human realm.
The Owl House is a show of obviously coded Queer characters and individuals that don't fit with the norm. Dana is a genius that never made a big fuss over the fact that some characters are openly Queer. Although the studio; Disney tried to limit the screentime to avoid public outcry.
The show is my first-ever witness to openly Queer characters being completely normal about it instead of being preachy. Perhaps this has to do with the title; Demon Realm.
"Where the general belief of the overzealous conservatives in a so-called Good and Righteous God thinks that's where Queer people and other abnormal people belong."
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The main villain; Belos tries his hardest to "purify" the realm by limiting how witches use magic and violently persecute anyone who opposes these new rules. It's a symbolic view of the Puritan tyrant. That their ways are destined to be divine when it was all a ruse to further their own personal agenda.
The show suffered a mess of developments as Disney has a strong Anti-Queer policy with their shows. But Dana, the sneaky bastard that she is. (he says affectionately) Slipped in undeniable proof that the characters are proudly Queer and the Puritian miserably fails.
The ending was pure cinema! The show uses Luz's perspective to show that kids can have their own complexities and what we may think is good may not be what is right for said person. The show also displays good values of being open to change, that it's never too late to right the wrongs and Weirdos Gotta Stick Together.
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- The Freaky Friends -
We finally came to my favourite show of this batch. < Hilda > by Luke Pearson is a fun and adventurous show about a young girl who loves adventures living in a world that is brimming with magic. I would like to talk more about it but I've already covered that in [The Beautiful World of Hilda]
For the sake of this post, I'm only focusing on Season 3. The final season of the series. While the show is not as plot-driven as the latter mentions. I think there is much to be said about the breath of fresh air Hilda brings to the table.
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Hilda has a special place in my heart for how she managed to bring wonder and joy into my viewing experience. This season, took on a more ominous turn where the adventures get deadlier and the stakes get higher in this little world of the blue-haired adventurer.
Season 3 was commented on by the viewers as "underwhelming and inconclusive" and that it tore its own "fan theories" apart. Personally, I loved that the showrunner revealed everything and also nothing because that's the point.
Hilda is not about a big mystery, it's a pure adventure and curious exploration of the mythology surrounding Trollberg and the rest of the world in Hilda. The feeling of fulfilment but also, melancholy that the series has ended is in my opinion, the best conclusion.
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Admittedly, I didn't know how to end the post. I just wanted to get my thoughts out about these three shows and how it ended. It feels like the end of another era. A close to another chapter for animation and the stories it can tell.
These three shows; Amphibia, The Owl House and Hilda proved that animation is still taking new heights but still maintains the charm of what stories are. A good ending where the arc may be over but the adventures will still carry on.
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It's been a fun and tear-jerking journey with Hilda, Luz and Anne. Their worlds are unique and brimming with excitement that I haven't felt in years and a desire to catch up more.
I'll miss them dearly but hey, such is the life of an adventurer. Don't be sad that it's over. Be happy that it happened and above all. Go make your own stories!
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half-of-the-story · 1 month ago
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god im really about to force myself to reread my tkg fic bc i heard a song that Took Me Back and then i read the last chapter i posted and forgot i had??? a whole really cool plot???? so. have to endure shit i wrote almost 10 years ago.............
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okay. genuinely
i think there’s a subtle layer of insecurity over your entire community. it’s hard to describe but a lot of the “i hate my body” talk could be questioned. how many hate it because it’s just them? or how many don’t know how to articulate those feelings so they come to the conclusion that they’re somehow another creature entirely, instead. if it’s not all of you, it’s some of you. i don’t have to directly prove that (that in itself isn’t that important) as much as i can safely estimate
i do understand all of this though. over the last few months i’ve gained a genuine understanding of “nonhuman/alterhuman”s, etc. i don’t come from a natural stance of opposing the concept or anything. it’s actually hard to stand with my own thoughts on this, especially because i WOULD agree. why not? i don’t know. it doesn’t really matter
i don’t think i can go so far into this without contradicting myself. i feel as if my position on this subject is volatile so i apologise if i end up doing exactly that
i should again insist that your community is in fact comprised of humans, but the argument doesn’t hold up if i deny that it’s based on self-perception and you are arguably animals in some way. (arguably.) i do not know you better than you know yourself, yet outside perception is also something to consider
“why does it bother you so much that i am the way i am?” i would say that is slightly confusing and kind of vulnerable to explain. i think i have some idea but i’m not sure
i’m willing to deprecate myself in this, and “being in the wrong” doesn’t necessarily mean that i’m wrong myself, and it doesn’t mean that i’m doing to flip my beliefs
what i think i mean is that; it’s complicated. i’m not afraid to say that my own view is hard to hold up, but that’s only because i already have some understanding/experience in this sort of thing. i don’t want to do a 180 on myself(again) yet i’m not ignorant enough to NOT give the the time of day to self-reflection if it comes down to it. i hope that makes sense, sorry
i don’t think my words hold much value to people like you, and i don’t think you would be willing to listen or take it to heart, but it’s still worth trying. i would like you to realise that you are human in every way. you are not an animal, you are not a dragon. (you probably already know this. maybe you’re in denial. i don’t know) either way, none of you would actually be willing to give it even a second of thought because you’re insecure about yourself, and you’re insecure because you know you’re human. i assure you that you will not reach full personal contentment until you live out your life without pretending to be a mythical creature. wtv have a good day
Ooh, I haven’t gotten one of these asks in a few years.
So I ask this, and every other question I will follow up with, completely genuinely, and if you’re willing to really get into the weeds discussing it I’d love to do so (though I’ll probably reblog any follow-ups to my other blog): why do you think you know me and my experiences better than I do?
Why do you think you can armchair diagnose me with insecurity? What evidence do you actually have for that, besides the fact that I’m nonhuman? What evidence do you have that I’m not already content and fulfilled in my life?
Is it possible that identifying as nonhuman is unrelated to those things entirely, and you’re making a false assumption?
I get it. It looks crazy, when you’re completely new to the concept. It’s weird - it is! But pause and listen to us when we talk about our experiences for a moment.
For many of us, myself included, finding nonhumanity is a moment of suddenly understanding - of pieces falling into place, of my life experiences suddenly making sense. Awakening is something that made me more content and fulfilled, not less - there’s a sadness in it sometimes, yes, but so too is there the comfort of understanding yourself in a new way, of realizing, oh. I’m not just weird. There’s not something wrong with me. There are other people like me.
(If this sounds a lot like the experience of figuring out you’re queer, there’s a reason for that.)
To use myself as an example of the flaws in your hypothesis: there’s… honestly not much dissatisfaction with my life right now. I’ve got a stable job with decent income. I’d like to be able to cut back my hours a bit, but that will come in time. I’ve got enough free time as it is to do my art and play my tabletop games with friends in my off time. I’ve got family and friends around me. Sure, I miss my wings, but I’m hoping to pick up powered paragliding in the near future and hoping that’ll scratch that itch at least somewhat. I’m doing pretty well, honestly. This isn’t the case for all otherkin, but it’s not the case for all orthohumans (people who aren’t alterhuman in any way) either. What it does indicate, however, is that your hypothesis that being otherkin inherently means you’re insecure and unhappy with your life is false, or at minimum flawed - if it were true, I wouldn’t exist.
So, I ask again: why do you think you understand my own experiences better than I do? And moreover, why does it bother you so much that I am the way I am?
The name for the thing you’re doing here, intentionally or not, is concern trolling - trying to push me out of an identity by professing concern for problems that don’t exist. Why? Why are you going out of your way to tell other people they’re wrong about their own identity? Why is your reaction, when you see an identity you don’t understand, to decide it’s unhealthy, or just make-believe, or whatever, and then to make that the problem of the people who identify that way? What exactly makes you think this is inherently unhealthy?
Would it not be better to devote that energy to trying to understand us, instead of trying to change us?
You don’t have to answer these questions to me, obviously, but I do encourage you to answer them to yourself at least. Pick apart your worldview for a minute and see if it actually holds up under scrutiny - it’s good for you, and mental enrichment to boot! If you are willing to really get into the weeds of this discussion with me, again, I’d love to do that - I love having discussions like this, and it’s good for me to have my worldview challenged every so often too! Please, genuinely, pick at the flaws in my logic if you see them - if it can be pulled apart under scrutiny, it needs to be pulled apart and rebuilt. No one on the internet is obligated to let a stranger do that, obviously, but personally I enjoy it - it’s a meat pumpkin for me - so let’s talk, if you’re up for it. It’s been a hot minute since I’ve gotten a good interesting antikin to debate with.
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inksandpensblog · 2 years ago
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We completely misinterpreted the hug scene
I was going to make this into a nice, well-composed essay, with each section talking about a different aspect of the episode's construction or execution, and about narrative theming and character arcs, and about why so many people thought this scene was enough to ruin the episode for them. I was going to do that, but then it took me eleven hours to try and narrow down what the actual problem with the scene was, when taken into context with the entire rest of the episode and episode 29; and then another three hours to realize what the actual intent of the scene had probably been and why nobody, including myself, seemed to have picked up on it (except for Lui and @k1ttyadventurer apparently-). So instead of the nice essay, you're getting a conceptual overview of my entire thought process, from beginning to end, as I tried to figure out the deeper reasons behind why everyone hated this scene so much, and then why we all had it wrong. You're welcome.
For the sake of internal consistency, I'm invoking author's bypass and using the names my server-mates and I have picked up for these characters. King shall henceforth be known as Mango, his child as Apricot, Purple's dadfigure as Cobalt, and Purple's momfigure as Orchid.
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What started me on this path, was this thought: We didn't like Mango's reconciliation with Purple, but aside from pacing issues, Mango's arc (thematic, character, narrative, etc.) is pretty solid. So if the problem isn't with Mango's side, it must be with Purple's.
So, what was wrong about the way Purple's arc was written? Was it just that reconciliation scene in episode 30, or was it something from back in episode 29 that didn't show its full implications until now?
But, again, Purple's arc in episode 29 alone is pretty solid. So, the problem was just the reconciliation scene. And, again, for Mango's arc the scene works, it's only for Purple's that it doesn't.
So, what's wrong with it? Does this scene contradict episode 29 in some way? That's how a lot of us felt, at first, I think. Purple learned last episode that he didn't need acceptance from Cobalt, and he follows through on that in this episode, choosing to do what HE thinks is right and not what he thinks will earn him approval, and his reward is...symbolic acceptance from Cobalt? It didn't make sense, and sat wrongly with many of us.
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But I still couldn't pin down why this didn't work, so I circled back. Maybe it was the relationship dynamics? Was that why many of us didn't like the idea of Mango being Apricot's father instead of their older brother, at first?
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But then I noticed something amazing: if you watch the episode while viewing Apricot as Mango's sibling, and then watch it while viewing Apricot as Mango's child...nothing about Mango's arc actually changes, on a thematic level. It all still works, no matter which interpretation you go with.
Why, then, is the distinction given so much emphasis? Why is it important that we know that Apricot is canonically Mango's child, if it doesn't change anything about Mango's story either way?
Because what it DOES change, is the implied dynamic between Mango and Purple, and the number of inverse parallels in their stories.
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I also think that at this juncture it's important to note that Mango seeing Apricot in Purple is something nobody seems to have had a problem with, even people who didn't like the episode. It's literally just Purple seeing Cobalt in Mango that people had issues with. Purple's side of the story, again, is the one that seems to be flawed in either its construction or its execution.
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Now, while the status of who Apricot is, to Mango, doesn't influence Mango's story much, something about Apricot that does hold heavy sway over Mango's story is Mango seeing Apricot in Purple. And, since this seems to be paralleled by Purple seeing Cobalt in Mango,  we'd naturally expect this element to have an equally weighty effect on Purple's story. But what does Purple seeing Cobalt in Mango actually DO, for Purple's story?
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@kikoqueenofrats and @luizastarry mentioned how after seeing Mango's backstory, seeing him be likened to Cobalt felt wrong. Specifically, that if Mango was meant to become a new parental figure for Purple, then having him become the new Cobalt, instead of, say, the new Orchid, felt really wrong, given how poorly Cobalt treated Purple (and, in my opinion, given how well Mango appears to have treated Apricot, whom he had recently likened to Purple earlier in the scene).
This is when Lui first brought up the idea that maybe the hug scene wasn't supposed to be a comparison after all, but was actually supposed to show how Mango and Cobalt were different. @iluvylalevu brought up pacing issues again, as a possible reason why the idea wasn't communicated clearly enough to the audience. Then they both discussed how some different body language from Purple in reaction to Cobalt's approach would've gotten this story point if it was indeed the intended point of the scene across to the audience a lot better; made the irreconcilable differences between Cobalt as Purple knew him and Mango as whoever he became over the course of this episode a lot clearer. 
I missed what Lui had already figured out, though, because my eyes caught on the body-language conversation, and it made me remember something: Cobalt, again and again, no matter what, forcing Purple to get up again when he fell.
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So, I muted the video, and watched the hug scene again, and observed Purple's body language. He doesn't look like he's expecting he'll need to fight, but...in my opinion, it doesn't look like he's expecting a hug, either.
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...maybe what he was seeing, during that moment in episode 30, hadn't been Cobalt turned around and returning to accept him, like he'd learned to stop yearning for in episode 29. (And really, would it be in-character for Purple to imagine his dad doing that? I think he knew his father better than that.) Maybe he’d seen Cobalt coming to admonish him, again. He had just defied Mango, after all, and then failed to stop him. And Green and the others weren’t here, to accept him regardless of his failure. And Orchid wasn’t here to catch him, all that was left were petals. And when it wasn’t Orchid standing over him to shelter him, it was always Cobalt, looming. But he knows it’ll be worse, if he stays on the ground. So he gets up.
And then the hug closes in, and Cobalt is gone, and it’s Mango.
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The episode isn’t trying to compare Mango to Cobalt, like some questionable construction and execution choices for the scene led audiences the web over to believe. Instead, it’s contrasting them. Mango isn’t “the better Cobalt,” he isn’t “who Cobalt should’ve been.” He isn’t “the Cobalt Purple needs,” because episode 29 established that what Purple NEEDS is to get out from under the shadow of Cobalt’s expectations. Mango isn’t Cobalt. Mango is Mango. And Mango accepts Purple, not because of anything Purple did, and not even because he saw Apricot in Purple; the only time Mango saw Purple as Apricot was in the wall drawing, never when they were looking directly at each other, never the same way that Purple mistook Mango for Cobalt. Mango accepts Purple, because he’s Purple. Just like Green said his friends would.
Which is much less of a rancid vibe than what we’d all thought we were seeing, when all of us most of us first saw the episode.
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I'd like to thank my server-mates for letting me figure this out, and for asking me to make sure it's shared.
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briebysabs · 1 year ago
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Seeing some people interpret the ending as “everything was pointless what’s it all for” greatly ignored the message behind Armin and Zeke’s conversation.
And it’s a very important one. There is meaning to life even if the cycle never ends. Enjoy the moment, appreciate the world. Find the love. As Erwin said, we all die. But does that make our lives and lives of our comrades meaningless? No.
This world is cruel but very beautiful.
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katsukis-bakugo · 1 year ago
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seeing people praise the ending for attack on titan - or worse, er*mika and how "tragic" it supposedly was - is depressing
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