#and it feels funny because i don't feel qualified to discuss this

[imaginarypasta]

already having thoughts on this because i have something i'd like to write about (a list), but then i have to decide how involved i want to be with it...

thinking about making.... a blog.... to share all my thoughts and happenings

[friendlyneighborhoodamara]

Can't sleep so I'm gonna talk about Akane Tendo's reputation among fans. It's no secret I'm an Akane fan, and I'm glad that the fandom seems to be kinder to her today than in the past. In light of this, I'd like to address some of the common arguments people make or used to make against her.

For reference, a significant chunk of the humor in Ranma 1/2 involves Ranma, often intentionally, pissing Akane off, to the point that she hits him really, really hard. This is a pretty common comedic trope in shonen anime prior to like...I wanna say the 2010s? (I never watched Naruto since it looked bad but I am pretty sure that's Sakura and Naruto's dynamic.) Anyways, while I joined the fandom recently, I have learned that when the show came over to America in the early 90s, Akane was SUPER controversial for treating Ranma like this, with her critics calling her a violent domestic abuser and misandrist, and her reputation has only really recovered recently.

Now, if the "girl character beats up boy character in fit of rage" trope is something that isn't your taste in comedy, then it's not your taste in comedy. However, it's important to keep in mind qualifiers for Akane's behavior. Akane at the start of the series has been harassed by boys at her school who want to beat her up and force her to date them, leading to her having a justifiably poor perception of men and boys. Her hating boys and seeing the worst in them is very different from a man hating women due to patriarchal expectations, and even then she treats boys who are nice to her like Ryoga well.

Honestly, the only area where her dislike of boys gets kinda like morally problematic in my view is if you interpret Ranma as a trans girl: while I joked in an earlier post that Akane is a TERF, one could argue that, albeit unintentionally, Akane's negative reaction to seeing Ranma naked in her bathtub (even if accidentally) and then calling him/her a pervert plays on transphobic rhetoric against letting trans women use the women's restrooms like we're supposed to. (Humorously, most of the people mad at Akane seem to be, ah...not exactly fond of trans!Ranma headcanons, but I digress.) If other trans girls or our allies don't find the slapstick funny for that reason, fair enough, but I don't feel bothered by it given how most of the time Ranma gets hit it's for being legitimately rude and again the violence is very unrealistic.

Admittedly, if Ranma 1/2 had a more serious tone and grounded level of violence, Akane hitting Ranma would be abusive. But in the series, martial artists can walk off stuff like being crushed by a boulder, so Akane beating Ranma up by kicking him/her 50 feet into the sky because she thought he/she was trying to feel her up is not so much like domestic abuse and more akin to a wife giving her husband a light dope slap. Remember, much of the violence in this series is basically just that of a Tom and Jerry cartoon, albeit with an early Dragon Ball aesthetic. Furthermore, Ranma - as much as I love him/her as a character - is usually the instigator, with the wiki even having a list of the cruel nicknames he/she gives her, so it's not as if her actions are unwarranted:

There is, per some people, a gendered component to this discussion, that if the genders were flipped, this wouldn't be funny since Ranma doesn't hit Akane. Now, firstly, if you're a man and a 35-year-old anime not having a boy beat up a girl enough is your worst experience with "sexism", well...get over it. Secondly, in terms of wider media, men commit violence against women that is framed for laughs all the time (ex.: Miroku in Inuyasha, another Rumiko Takahashi series, is a male character where his running gag involves him groping women, which is a more realistic form of violence than anything Akane dishes out), so the notion that it's only women who hurt men in media for laughs is untrue. Thirdly, the notion that hitting Ranma is viewed as okay because "he's a boy" is dubious since he does canonically turn into a girl and Akane hits Ranma regardless of gende, and despite his claims to the contrary he/she doesn't really hate being a girl as much as he/she claims. As a concession, I will note that especially in the past some writers can be reluctant to show slapstick against women, but this is more due to internalized misogyny and viewing women as weak and needing protection. Personally, even assuming that Akane was a boy and Ranma was wholly a girl, I'd have no problem with the slapstick since it's clearly goofy and unrealistic.

Anyways, I'd like to conclude by saying (1) I am glad that I joined the fandom at a time when Akane is being perceived more and more fairly as a flawed but generally pretty nice and hilarious character who has a good deal of pathos despite the clearly slapstick-y nature of the series, and (2) thanks for reading this long, very sincere post.

[mwolf0epsilon]

Sometimes being in the SW Fandom is about diving into the annals of the internet researching the most obscure tidbit of batshit insane Canon or EU Lore imaginable to man (which is honestly my favorite thing to do because people have done some pretty insanely funny things with this universe and characters). But for the majority of the time, being in the SW Fandom is also watching people repeat a cycle of asinine arguments that make an absolute ass out of them for the worst possible reasons.

So here's a quick reminder of past arguments to be mindful of and always consider, when you see something in the tags that makes you wrinkle your nose at:

Everyone has something they like or dislike about the overall universe and story. Be it the Original Trilogy, the Prequels, the Sequels, the Animated series, the Live-Action series, EU stuff, Novels, etc. No one is above or below anyone else just because they don't love the entirety of the universe and/or the direction the current writers are taking it.

Canon can be a good baseline for your own creative purposes. You don't have to love it (because yes the whole thing can be inconsistent as hell), but don't get to a point in your fanfic/AU world-building where you vehemently deny that canon is an actual thing. This goes hand in hand with your personal depiction of characters vs someone else's depictions. Reading comprehension and the creative process depend on perspective and how you process the information you're given, so it's only normal that no two person's idea of a character is the same. But saying that your headcanons are how the characters should be written by everyone is not gonna do you any favors in the long run, because it's not up to you to decide on that. Don't forget Blorbo's actual roots and what it took to get him where you took him, but don't try to force someone else to accept the journey you orchestrated for them!

No one's OC should be put on a pedestal. It's good that people feel comfortable enough to play Barbies with each other's OCs in roleplay sessions, or even add a cameo in a fic to a character of a friend and/or artist/writer they admire from a distance. Hell, the fact many people are passionate about someone else's little fella/s is great! But the moment someone's OC becomes an object of obsession within a Fandom community, things can go a little wrong... It stops being fun to be in that kind of space that goes from welcoming OC discussions to suddenly shunning new people in favor of someone's Ultimate Blorbo who now has a Cult Following and should be written into every fanfic ever.

No one is evil for lacking knowledge or self-awareness of certain grievances that people rightfully have with the source material. The SW Fandom has always had a long-standing issue with racial stereotyping, whitewashing, cultural appropriation, sexism and many other equally serious topics that have been more eloquently explained in posts made by people much more eloquent and qualified than I am or ever will be. However, one must recognize that not everyone who joins the Fandom is immediately aware of these things. Especially the younger generations that have either not been exposed to these concepts due to one reason or another (upbringing, biased educational curriculum, etc), or because they were simply never in a position where they could delve into these topics with someone knowledgeable on them (some experiences simply aren't universal, especially if you come from a more privileged family). For the most part, SW is just a silly sci-fi universe that is nothing more than a simple means of escapism or dumb fun. Not everyone is going to study it under a microscope or go through it with a fine comb. That said, another important thing to remember is to listen to those who know their stuff and that have had personal grievances with any of the topics above. You can be excused for lack of knowledge, but you cannot be excused for purposefully ignoring the voices of those who provide you said knowledge for free if you go searching.

This is kinda returning to the second and previous topics, but I really need to put emphasis on this: If you're going to cling to certain design choices with an iron first and incorporate them into your personal ideas/headcanons, please always consider how it SOUNDS when you say characters that are written with basis on real POC people/communities are much better/superior if they have phenotypical trait expressions that are not present (or considered rare/atypical) in their real world basis. This is a CONSISTENT problem I have seen crop up specifically within the Clone Wars and Bad Batch sides of the fandom, especially when talking about Rex (who is a blond) and Clone Force 99 (who do not look like standard clones). Always remember: The problem isn't that Rex can't be naturally blond (genetics can be unpredictable and we really don't have an extensive look into the cloning process), the problem is the way some people think he'd be inferior in some way if he were a bottle blond who chose to distinguish himself (almost as if having darker skin, darker hair and darker eyes is somehow worse than having lighter skin, lighter hair or lighter eyes.. How curious isn't it?). Needless to say, I don't think I need to elaborate further on why CF99's "desirable mutations" giving them considerably lighter skin and less ethnic features, while also making their most POC presenting member look and sometimes act like a moronic brute (something which this Fandom pushes further by infantilizing him relentlessly), is a bit of a red flag...

Star Wars has always been political. It is literally in the name and in the meat of the writing. The entire thing is basically a political and social critique presented in a sci-fi/fantasy wrapper, with colorful plasma swords, cool spaceships, and kickass explosion bow on top. You cannot separate the political conversation from the universe's overall lore, and trying to do so makes you look foolish. Disney may have taken creative liberties with some of its shows, but at the end of the day they can't ever eliminate what the Original Trilogies and even the Prequels tried to tell us about. With that said, complaining about how some of the new shows are "too Woke" or PC is the equivalent of saying you read Romeo and Juliet and that the story is relationship goals. You might need to revisit the original material.

For the love of god if you don't like something, don't go after someone who does, it's not worth it. Sometimes the best thing you can do is either filter something you actively dislike/that makes you feel uncomfortable, or simply unfollow/block whoever is repeatedly bringing it onto your doorstep. And you also have no real obligation to explain your decision to block someone, especially if they hound you for questions. Rule of thumb: Don't like something? That's perfectly fine and valid. Take the steps to make yourself comfortable then, but don't go out of your way to be a royal asshole to someone else just because they themselves enjoy it. This encompasses things from anti-jedi demonization, actual ethnic cleansing in canon, siding with personifications of alt-right extremists, proshipping apologism, etc. The block button was added to this hellsite for a reason. Use it.

Sometimes you can't change someone else's opinions on a matter and that is perfectly fine. Just don't start a feud. People come and go, and their opinions vary (we're all individuals with out own perspectives and unique experiences after all), but getting up in arms every time someone either refuses to yield in a long-winded argument, or continuously tries to shove their unsolicited opinions/advice onto you, or even makes incredibly uncomfortable/forward/gross comments that they definitely shouldn't be saying to a complete stranger on the internet, is kind of pointless and will drain you of energy faster than you can say Death Star. You're not the lesser person for walking away from a lost cause. It's ultimately not your job or responsibility to fix/better someone else. Especially if they don't want to change.

[thefangirlfever]

I needed to make a post about this because...well, the title says everything.

First of all I would like to say that I'm feeling a bit anxious sharing my thoughts about this. I don't know if I'm the most qualified to talk about this but it has been bugging me.

I know a lot of people have already discussed the way Miguel, a POC and a latino man out of all people, has been oversexualized to a point that it feels fetishy and a bit concerning sometimes. I think we can all acknowledge this and that already gives us a lot to think about.

But what I think is really interesting is that not only is Miguel an intentional thirst-trap, he is a thirst-trap created mainly by a team of male producers/ writers. From what I read, the people in charge of his character design were men (I want to say that I am by no mean attacking anyone who worked on this movie. They did an amazing job and I am just sharing my thoughts, not saying they are bad people for this choise or anything. Thank you).

And I find this very telling. Because when I first saw this headline, I thought "Oh finally, women have been given the chance to freely thirst over a male character the same way men do." And I think it was a big mistake from me to think this way. (First of all, there are also men and non-binary simping over him). Because, let's be real for one second there, do we really want to thirst over characters the way men do? I have been an anime fan for years and let me tell you, the way a lot of men/ fanboys view female characters is simply gross (I know, I know, not all men). It's also something I noticed in comics and video games. Like, have you seen the outrage when a video game studio wants to propose female characters who do not look like what some p*rn addicts imagines women are?

My point is that Miguel has been created not with the female gaze in mind, but with the male gaze (and it hurts to say this). That's what I got from reading the part of the interview. The emphasis on his butt, the overly masculine, muscular body... Miguel was created not by following what women like in men but by what men imagine that women like in men.

This is also something we can see a lot in various medias over the last years, especially in the romance genre. The way some "desirable" men are depicted do not fit what women seek in a partner but what men imagine women want (ofc every woman has different criteria when it comes to this). I think it's very blatant when you compare medias written by and for women like Shonda Rhimes's shows, Bridgerton, Outlander... and medias written by men. So, in the end, I think that Miguel has been created with that in mind "Let's make a big, tall, dark and broody, muscular matcho man. That's what the female public wants." (ofc it's never as simple as that but you get the idea).

So... does this mean that it's bad to simp/ thirst over this character? Surprisingly I'm going to say no and I even think that it's important that the women in this fandom keep making content around Miguel! Because when we write fanfictions, draw fanarts of him... we are now picturing him with a real female gaze and that's what brings even more complexity and depth to this character.

I have seen so many interpretations of this character since I joined this fandom and a lot of them were really cool/ beautiful, showing just how much people love this character. When you think about it, it's crazy that a character who only got 15 minutes of screen time can have such a strong effect on a fandom, meaning that he is more than just a thirst trap. I genuinely think that the content created by the fans gives this character his humanity back (because, yes, being sexualized to no end deshumanizes a person. Go argue with a wall, thank you very much). I've seen so many tender, soft but also funny depictions of him making him more than just some ass shots on the big screen. And even on the NSFW corner of the fandom, some people out there are really making him more than just this "feral beast" that we have been sold by giving him back his tenderness, his sensuality...

So, yeah, take this headline with care and think what you want of it. Those were just my thoughts. Feel free to disagree, tell me if I got something wrong or just leave your thoughts under this post because I'm genuinely curious of seeing other fan's opinions. I apologize for the mess of this take.

And now I'm going back to sleep.

[kebriones]

I'm curious what you think of the late or Neo Platonists. You mentioned being disappointed by modern interpreters reading way too much into simple statements in Plato's works. In many ways, that was the default mode of operation for most Platonists throughout history. Reading elaborate esoteric meanings into the words of a man who claimed his teachings were freely and openly available to all.

Though, of course, their objective of theurgic ascension is a far cry from the goals of modern self-help gurus on social media. Do you find Theurgists as misguided as our modern grind-set influencers? Does their scholarly dedication and inquisitive nature make them more worthy inheritors of Socrates? Perhaps, even if they are not in agreement with Plato's record, the fact that they reached that point by rhetoric means they carried on the same work.

1. I need to preface this by saying that I am not qualified to answer this properly. My interest in plato is purely literary, and doesn't expand to neoplatonists or anything else.

2. I do have some beef with neoplatonists, as well as with how christianity deeply affected so much of the perception of plato. I see traces of it all the time.

3. I honestly have beef with so much of written philosophy it's not even funny. I can't stand to read most of it because of how upset i get. Plato writes wonderfully and my obsession with Alcibiades and Socrates is what attaches me to him. So I'm the wrong person to ask because most philosophers make me angry. And I even have beef with other types of analysis. I was insufferable when we did the iliad at school. I sent a letter to my teacher at the end of the school year detailing my problems with how we studied and interpreted the text.

4. I know next to nothing about the details of theurgy in neoplatonists. I also don't know anything about grind-set influencers. In my post I was talking about random dudes on twitter who think they're so wise and deep but they're just making up arbitrary stuff most of the time.

5. Inquisitive nature does make one similar to Socrates, and many many others. But in my opinion, the main thing that one needs to understand about Socrates is the erotic nature of philosophy. You have to be in love with it and long for it, the knowledge and truth that is his brand of wisdom. And that can be a very simple thing, again in my opinion. And a very personal thing too, that's not necessarily one for lengthy analysis. It is what it is, and it's about feeling it. Again, I haven't studied any of this in any capacity, I'm just reading stories.

6. I don't know if rhetoric is the right word to use here. Dialectic is what I'd use. Dialogue. Speaking to each other. That's what Socrates practiced. And I understand how this is superior to writing when it comes to philosophy. Speaking with someone is a living thing. It's invaluable for actually practicing your thoughts. I read philosophical texts and I get so upset i have to stop because the writer isn't there for me to argue with them. I do argue with them in my head, and that has its benefits.

That all said, I don't know if I can say who's a worthy inheritor, that's an extremely lengthy discussion that can go a billion ways. And who carried on the same work? I don't know. Whoever speaks with other people about philosophy and keeps the same energy of seeking the truth of the world and longing for it, I guess. That's also where Plato's philosophy differs fundamentally from others, in his treatment of what the ultimate truth is and what our stance towards it should be.

I feel like I'm digressing heavily, i wrote this while freezing at a bus stop. But these are my thoughts, please do not consult me for such matters, I am just here for my hot dead neighbor and his weird husband.

[copperbadge]

Hi Sam! Given you've shared your thoughts on Semple and Kapoor in the past, this discussion thread about the racism and antisemitism in Semple's behavior around this beef may be worth taking a look at (other posts are linked within the reblogs as well that are worth checking out, I think) https://www.tumblr.com/vaspider/726498218572234752/talkingattumble-personally-i-wouldnt-buy-his

Hope you're having a lovely week and staying relatively cool 😎

Hyperlink for folks here.

I have seen a lot of discussion in that vein -- I haven't read the links in-depth, but one reason I started talking about how much I don't like the Semple-Kapoor meme on the whole is that it did come across as a weird "evil brown guy" narrative. I haven't spoken much about that angle because I didn't feel fully qualified, but it's been a point of discomfort in an overall uncomfortable story. My initial take on it was that the story was too pat, and Kapoor, as someone who has played provocateur in the past, may in fact have been masterminding a piece of performance art. I never really understood the whole "do x to the bean" meme, it didn't seem especially funny to me, but tastes vary.

I started doing something where, every time the meme showed up on my dash or I was tagged in it, I would post a work of art by a woman artist. This is a beef between two men who have the full support of the art establishment behind them, while women artists are still drastically under-represented in the fine arts world. It's remarkably hard to find established or historical women artists beyond the handful of big ones like Georgia O'Keefe and Frida Kahlo.

Anyway, whatever the truth behind the Semple-Kapoor beef is, I do think that there is a narrative, intentional or unintentional, that unfairly characterizes Kapoor as a wholesale villain while putting Semple on a pedestal as a hero of the masses.

And given I'm opening my own mouth about it, here's the tax: In Sickness And In Health by Jewish trans artist Yishay Garbasz. You can read more about her work here.

[ID: An art installation in the corner of a gallery, featuring a mattress with a checkered sheet on it and a bloodstain projected onto the sheet. There are several water bottles at the foot of the bed; medical documents and pills sit near the head of the bed. The mattress is surrounded by curls of razorwire, with more water bottles and other objects caught up in the wire.]

[tatasoom]

PREVIEW IS RAISING PAINFUL FAMILY ISSUES

Maybe the most hard to write analysis, because I totally understand topics like divorced parents, hardworking mother, problematic older brother and all those psychological little things someone probably didn't even notice. Day's family is like trigger bingo for me and that's... interesting.

1. Let's start with the most controversial part.

Day and Mhok will come back home, I guess MUCH later than they planned and also with bad news about Day's eyes condition. Many people keep writing about Day's mother being too harsh, that she's always busy making money and can't understand how much Mhok loves Day.

You can see that in this scene every character has tears in their eyes. They all have their own truth as well.

Day loves Mhok and wants to be more independent and he's right.

Mhok loves Day and want to take care of him and he's right.

Day's mother loves Day and want him to not be hurt and she's right.

That's why this scene is so heartbreaking.

We already know about Mhok and Day's love, but look at Day's mother perspective! She was officially married, gave birth to two boys and still that wasn't enough for that man not to leave her for another woman letting her and her sons craving for food. Now you want this woman to accept that her completely blind younger son has a romantic relationship with a man she barely knows. Not even mentioning Mhok's background and financial status. For her the word "love" will never ever be enough to agree with this whole situation.

So Mhok wants to quite (and that is also right), Day can't bare the thought of loosing him even for a day now that he knows how it feels to love and be loved. P'MHOK PROMISED HE WON'T LET GO OFF OF DAY'S HAND will think Day of course. However things has already changed and Mhok will be standing outside the door:

Mhok was allowed to join this family sometimes on definite terms. Day's mother already told him that there're only three of them and those who breakes this rule is not welcomed anymore.

And for those who thinks Day and Mhok is gonna break up. Nah, not these guys. They'll be together next episode.

2. Begin again

I really appreciate the idea of giving Mhok a chance to change his life completely. When talking about Last Twilight being a series that gives hope we need to mention that no person is qualified for only one job. No matter how old are you, no matter what you studied in the uni, you can find something new you really like to do and make it your job.

Btw, could you think of that Mhok who aggressively fixed a chair becoming a chef?! The best plot twist ever haha

Also need to mention the bag in Day's hand. I have a strong feeling that Day can leave home after arguing with his mother (not blame both of them actually).

3. Love love love

It's not Last Twilight if we don't have some funny and bright scenes after some angst like rainbow after the rain.

They're in love, your honor!

It's pretty interesting that Day is painting something after meeting his father (who's an artist). Did you know that visually impaired people can be painters too?

This scene also gave us a lot of BTS shots, so we can assume that Night and Phojai will be somehow there with Day and Mhok, yay!

I like her Kiss t-shirt, she's a badass!

4. Another scene?

Now I want to tell you something about the scene we didn't see in a preview, but already have some hints for it.

One of the most beautiful picture in the whole series. Do you remember the bag? It's here, right beside Day!

I can't show everything with screenshots (and too lazy to make gifs so really appreciate everyone who makes it), but Mhok looks kinda sad listening to Day in this scene. Maybe Day needs to go back home? Oh maybe they just discussing some serious things? Who knows!

And that's all for this episode 10.

I don't like the idea of having ep 11 curse after having already like four or even more heart wrenching episodes... However we still didn't see that crying Mhok from the trailer. And moreover there's another hint for something terrifying, we just don't know yet if it's future or past. I don't think I'm ready for this sh*t if it's gonna happen later. Once I've noticed it I can't stop thinking of this moment and also can't make myself to discuss it. Let's just trust in P'Aof. And prepare some money for going to Thailand.

Thank you for reading!

For more brainrot check this.

[befuddled-calico-whump]

are Lex and Sarah actually going to have The Talk she mentioned in this (https://www.tumblr.com/befuddled-calico-whump/734559110463389696/feel-totally-free-to-ignore-this-butive-been)? and if yes, how would it go?

previous part

cw: alcoholism (discussed), past trauma/implied noncon (discussed), adult language

•°•°•

Lex was silent as Sarah made breakfast, eyes firmly locked on the table. It was almost noon when she'd finally made it downstairs; staying awake until who-knew-when to wait up for the assassin had really taken a toll on her sleep schedule. Not that she'd be able to fall asleep anyway without the confirmation he was back safe and sound.

Akeela and Hugo had already eaten and were working on scouring some new leads---well, Hugo was scouring leads while Akeela antagonized him---and Rosie, nocturnal as ever, would probably be in bed until mid afternoon. Which meant it was just her an Lex for the morning meal.

Now that she thought about it, this might've been the first time she'd seen him sitting at the table at all.

Was it because of last night? Did he even remember last night? Her promise to talk in the morning? If that's what he was hanging around for, she didn't know how to proceed. It was good, good he wanted to talk, to address the drinking problem no one wanted to acknowledge, but she wasn't qualified for this kind of thing. She didn't want to screw up; give him some kind of fucked-up advice that would only make everything worse for him.

At the same time, it felt like he was finally relaxing around her. He'd let her touch him last night. Hug him. Hell if she hadn't wanted to do that a hundred times in the past.

From you, it's okay.

His heart had beat so fast when she wrapped her arms around him, and even as attuned as she was to listening, Sarah still couldn't tell if it was anxiety at being touched, or... Or something else.

She sighed, turning off the stove and scraping scrambled eggs from frying pan to paper plate. It wasn't allowed to be something else. They didn't have time for something else, not now, and she couldn't waste energy on hopeful nothings when she had a team to keep alive.

Besides, there was a bigger elephant in the room that needed to be addressed.

"So," she began as she set a plate in front of Lex. "You still wanna talk?"

He didn't make a move on the eggs. She didn't even know if he liked scrambled eggs, but they were cheap, and quick, and easy, and he needed to eat something.

"I..." he swallowed, picking up a fork, poking at the food, not taking a bite. "Yeah. Think I do."

"Okay." Shit. Should she sit down? Stay standing? What was the best way to make this feel less awkward, less like an accusation or a lecture? She settled for leaning against the back of a chair, right across from him.

"So." She bit her lip. "Drinking."

Fuck, she was already blowing it. What would happen if she said something wrong enough? Would he run away? Would he ever come back?

"It's funny," Lex said, stirring the eggs, not looking up. "I keep thinking this conversation would be easier if I was drunk."

Sarah nodded. "I guess they usually are. Or, I mean, they seem easier. But all it really does is create distance, y'know? Everything is still just as hard when that distance fades away."

"I know."

He fidgeted with the fork, she fidgeted with her glasses. Neither of them seemed to know what to say next.

"I know it's stupid," Lex said at last. "And dangerous."

"Yeah. It is."

"And... And it's selfish. Risking your team like that."

"That's not..." Sarah sighed, tucking a wayward strand of hair behind her ear. "You're on my team, Lex. Okay? I know it can be a risk to the rest of us if you're careless on your way home, but right now I'm just worried about you."

"Why?"

"I just said---"

"I've been watching my own back for years, Spyglass. I don't need someone to worry about me."

Spyglass. Ouch. Maybe she'd been wrong about him getting more comfortable around her. Maybe last night had been a fluke.

"Okay," Sarah said. "You don't need it. But don't you want it? Don't you want to be able to rest easy, knowing we'll watch out for you?"

"I can still rest easy---"

"Without drinking yourself stupid," she muttered, and instantly regretted it. This was it, this was the fuckup that would send him running. "Lex..."

"No." The fork was clenched in his fist now. "You're right. I can't."

"Why not?" It wasn't an accusation or a demand, just a simple question, soft words.

He was silent, but she didn't push. Last night, he seemed like he needed to get this out. If that need was still in there, if she was the person he wanted to tell, he'd speak in his own time.

His posture seemed casual enough, hunched over the eggs that were probably cold by now, but even without her sight abilities, she could tell his body was rigid.

"The Tower fucks you up," he said at last, and it was almost a whisper. Sarah sharpened her hearing, just enough that she wouldn't miss a word.

"It's... I was always alone. Unless, uh, unless they were hurting me." He swallowed, and she watched his throat bob up and down, her hands tight around the back of the chair.

"It was the same fucking room for months. Always dark. And whenever they did bring me out, they'd usually blindfold me. So every time I close my eyes, I... It's like I might be back there. Like my body's too stupid to tell the difference if my eyes can't prove it wrong. Doesn't matter where I am. Bed. Floor. Some fucking alley. The only nights I don't wake up in a panic are the nights I'm too drunk to."

Okay, she wanted to say, we'll find a solution. We'll play music for you all night or give you a nightlight. But she could tell he wasn't done talking. It was good he was talking, but she was afraid of what he might say next. Which was dumb. Just because she didn't know about it, just because he'd never told her, didn't make what he'd gone through any less real.

"So that's why," Lex continued. "I couldn't even fucking do anything about it. When they hurt me, I mean. I tried once. Got so mad I started a fire, even with the null cuffs on, but the guards, they... Um, they made me regret it." His voice broke, but he didn't stop talking. Sarah didn't know if he could, now that the dam had been opened.

"I'd never know what was going to happen. Uriah was bad, but it was worse just being in the dark, waiting to see if someone would come hurt you that day. They'd beat me more than anything else, but there were worse things. Visitors. Rentals."

Sarah didn't know what rentals meant, but the way he said it implied enough. She was too aware of her breathing, every inhale small and silent to make room for his words.

"Some people got more creative with how they'd cause pain. Most weren't, but it didn't matter. Still hurt. One time, more than one time, a-a bunch of the guards, they just held me down and... and you know. Used me."

She'd already suspected as much, but his words still hit her like a ton of ice. A tremor went through Lex's shoulders as his chest hitched, and the little gasp he let out twisted in her stomach. His hand went to his face, thumb and forefinger rubbing at his eyes. Sarah waited for the hand to come down---for him to be able to see---before she finally moved, circling the table to stand beside him.

She half-extended a hand towards him, movement slow and cautious. "Is it okay if I..?"

"N-not right now," he said, his voice thick, and Sarah nodded. She couldn't say she didn't get it, especially right now. Instead of moving closer, she dropped to her knees next to him, resting her arms and chin on the table.

"Fuck," he choked out. "I'm sorry. Shouldn't just drop this bullshit on you."

"It's okay," she assured him. "I want to listen. If this makes you feel better... Does it?"

"I don't know. Doesn't make me feel worse." He tipped his head back, staring blankly at the ceiling. Sarah pretended not to notice that his cheeks were wet.

"That's why."

She laced her fingers together, staring at her nails. "Is there anything I can do?"

"Doubt it. Drinking is the only thing that works."

She sighed. "Lex, that's not... It's not good for you." Lamest response ever, but what else could she say? How could she possibly find an answer that was good enough for this moment? "There has to be another way."

"What happens if there isn't? Do..." His voice softened, dropping to a whisper again. "Do you want me to leave?"

It took a lot of effort to keep her hands on the table, to stop herself for reaching out to him. "No. No, not at all." Could she ever sleep again if he did? If he disappeared, if she had no idea he was safe? If he was even alive?

"I need you to stay," she said.

"To fight for the team." He nodded.

"No---yes, but that's not why." It would rip her heart out. "I kinda like having you around, you know," she said, trying to lighten her tone.

"Then..." Lex sighed, dropping his head again. "What ideas do you have? To help? I'll... I'll give them a try."

Sarah nodded. "Have you ever tried using your other senses? Smell? Hearing?"

"Listening to you right now, aren't I?" he said, but it almost sounded like a joke. She cracked a smile.

"You know what I mean."

"I haven't."

"We can try lighting a scented candle in your room. Or playing soft music through the night. Do you think that might help?"

"Worth a shot." He lifted his head, finally looking her direction, his violet eyes apologetic. She'd always been fascinated with his eyes. Their vivid shade of purple almost exactly matched the little wildflowers painted all over her childhood bedroom; a color she used to associate with a soft bed. Nostalgia.

"Sarah... Thanks. For putting up with me."

She rested her cheek on her hands, looking up at him with a soft smile. "Aw, come on, it's not nearly as awful as you make it sound. Maybe I like putting up with you."

Lex cracked a small smile. "Yeah?"

"Yeah." She pushed to her feet, careful to move slow and smooth, even though her legs were half asleep from crouching. "And if you ever want to talk... About anything, really. Spaceships, fine dining, dinosaurs, how much Uriah sucks... I'll be here. I want to listen."

Lex nodded, taking a forkful of cold eggs. "I could probably make time for spaceships."

Sarah gave him a smile, then moved back to the kitchen counter, busying her hands with washing the frying pan. His time spent in the Tower was nothing short of horrifying, but if he wanted to talk about it, if he needed to talk about it, she wouldn't stop him. She just hoped she could find the right words when the time came.

And she hoped her idea worked, that he wouldn't need the alcohol, that he could sleep and not wake up in terror. Not for the team's sake, or her own, but because she'd spoken the truth the night before.

She really did care about him.

•°•°•

@whumpacabra @enteredin2eternity @kixngiggles @whumpsday @kiichu @whump-for-all-and-all-for-whump @shywhumpauthor @distinctlywhumpthing , @bloodinkandashes , @fleur-alise , @whumpy-daydreams , @whumpwillow , @honeycollectswhump

[coralcatsea]

Random thoughts regarding different fandoms:

(I've seen/read these, I just don't engage with the fandoms that much. These are just thoughts based on what I have seen of the fandoms.).

Death Note: Endless memes. Constant poking fun at all the overthinking going on. Putting these dramatic characters in goofy scenes about cake and friendship. The jokes never get old for me. I don't see much discourse, maybe an occasional conversation about whether or not Kira was right. 😆

ATLA: Zuko getting teased. Kataang and Zutara battling it out while Zukka laughs and slowly rises higher, taking more and more people as it goes. I'm not that interested in the ships, but Sokka ships are the best. NATLA wins the "not as bad as you could've been award" and "the effects were decent". Lots of fun analysation.

Percy Jackson: I feel Nico is a fan favourite. The main discourse I've seen for the fandom as a whole is whether or not Annabeth treats Percy well and whether or not Piper is annoying. A lot of people compare Percy Jackson and Harry Potter (the characters), and those who have read both seem to agree Percy is better. Like ATLA, there's a new live-action series that is a mixed bag, but much better than the old, horrible live-action movie (and sequel) in the past.

Zelda: DOWN WITH KOROKS vs STOP KOROK ABUSE. Everyone loves Sidon senpai. Glory to Master KOHGA. Most of the stuff I see right now is BotW/TotK related, but there's still some good stuff for other games, as well as the AUs people do with different Links meeting. Midna is the best sidekick.

Hazbin Hotel: I'm wary since there's LOOOOTS of discourse in this one. The fans can be pretty funny, though. I love the song edits and that there's a whole ship tag for Vox's unrequited obsession with Alastor. I also like watching people analyse the characters and writing.

Helluva Boss: Well...I once again like watching people discuss the writing. But I am hesitant to engage with any fans because I have a weird relationship with this show and don't think I really qualify as a fan. 😅 I watch it because it's so bizarre to me I can't look away. One time I gave characters different colour schemes for fun, and I got a bunch of annoyed asks from someone taking it too seriously. 😆

She-Ra: Catra Applesauce Meowmeow is a poor little meowmeow. Cat. I like the cat memes. I also love the comparisons between Scorpia and Kronk. Entrapdak is probably one of the better ships, yet has haters for some reason. The accusations have the same vibes as Beauty and the Beast accusations.

Owl House: Tons of Lumity. Personally, I'm more invested in Eda and her relationships with the other characters. Belos and Hunter get compared to Ozai and Zuko. Hunter is very popular. Everyone side eyes Disney for what they did. HOOTY SUPREMACY HOOT HOOT.

Miraculous: The Adrien vs Marinette discourse makes my brain hurt, but I'm glad we all pretty much agree Astruc does everyone dirty. Canon? What's canon? Usually I like and try to follow canon. Not here. Who tries to follow canon in Miraculous? The fans write the show better than he does. Love all the fan comics I see for this show. Chloe could've been more interesting. We all make fun of Smooth-Brain Gabe. We came for the Love Square and then started to hate it. Then Emonette and Emodrien came and reignited our interest.

[innerchorus]

Arslan Senki Chapter 126 (Part 1)

SPOILERS for this chapter, obviously. The cliffhanger ending on this one is quite something and obviously a big departure from the novels.

We're straight into the Andragoras vs. Hilmes duel at the start of the chapter, and at this point I was sure that this would be the most stressful part? And it was pretty stressful, especially seeing Hilmes appear on the defensive and then watching as Andragoras kneed him in the chest/stomach... but then Hilmes managing to kick Andragoras's elbow from his position on the floor lifted my spirits somewhat!

Good move, Denka!

They're... really trying to kill each other here though, and that fills me with fear.

However, as they part with a hand to their respective injuries (nothing major for either, but Andragoras's arm must be throbbing/numb and Hilmes is winded and bruised) who should appear but the (Un)Holy Master?

He's becoming a bit of a guilty pleasure for me, especially in this scene, I think this time I'm not ashamed to admit that I quite enjoyed him. And at least his appearance had the added bonus of interrupting the duel.

The way he is just like... lounging nonchalantly against the throne.

The 'vwap' sound effect makes it seem very much like he just materialised there. We also get to see him teleport to (partially) evade Andragoras's attack later in this chapter.

Anyway, even Andragoras is shocked, because he recognises him, and yet... this sorcerer should much older than he appears!

Why do I like this panel.

The clawed hand sliding on the arm of the throne 👌

Interesting that he describes himself this way (same as in the novels if I remember correctly). I do think he originally started off as a regular human, but the effects of using this kind of sorcery warp the body over time into something unnatural in more ways than just an extended lifespan. I see some of the changes as deliberate and some as just a consequence of their magic use, though that's only a headcanon.

SNAKE PUPILS 🐍

Anyway after the stress of watching Hilmes and Andragoras try to take each other out it's quite fun to see the Master enjoying himself in the knowledge that the other people in the room know far less then him.

Oh, Hilmes... They were never on your side...

'Sides don't matter', hmm? Is that because we've entered the endgame? Because Zahhak is already free from Mount Demavant? Because this close to triumph, Team Zahhak don't need to pretend to be supporting anyone or anything in particular? Because they were always, always working towards their own aims? Either way, it definitely highlights exactly how poor Hilmes's grasp of the truth is here.

And at this point we divert back to Arslan!

He tells his followers the truth her learned about his origins, and states his aim to head to Mount Demavant and retrieve Rukhnabad. Last chapter, I thought Arakawa might be avoiding this and was planning to have him acquire Rukhnabad incidentally, by bumping into Don Ricardo which is funny because... it kind of does happen like that rather than outright aiming for it, and so when I realised where this chapter was going I was hesitant, but actually I liked it more than I expected to.

The dialogue in this scene is all so good! And it makes this decision more understandable. I would share it but I'd just be posting whole pages at this point, but one thing I will mention is that I was glad to see some discussion of what happened when Hilmes went after the sword and mentions of how Zandeh's actions stopped the earthquake. It feels like Arslan is making a more informed choice with an awareness of the consequences, and an acceptance of the concept that he might be found unworthy, which Hilmes totally lacked.

(For reference, in the novels this declaration of Arslan's intent to retrive Rukhnabad is a brief scene with like three lines of dialogue. Arslan basically says he'll go to Mount Demavant to retrieve the sword, prove he is qualified to rule, and then become Shah, and Gieve immediately agrees to be his guide. Arakawa did a much better job. I know Tanaka is the original creator but honestly... elements of that part felt out of character to me, and I think Arakawa manages to acknowledge precisely what was bothering me, so I'm now more on board with Arslan's decision.)

Now back to the throne room, where I will try to prevent myself from sharing yet more screencaps of the bastard himself.

No more snake pics in this post challenge: failed. Will you believe me if I say I wanted to post this image because of Hilmes?

Anyway, the big secret is out and Andragoras is NOT happy. The first half of the chapter ends with him taking a huge swipe at the Master with his sword that not only appears to cut him in half but also slashes straight through the ACTUAL THRONE behind him.

Andragoras, exactly how strong are you? What is your blade made of that it can cut right through the throne like that?

And at this point I'm realising how long this post is, so like the Kmanga chapter releases I'm going to split it into two parts. Stay tuned for Part 2 coming soon, in the meantime I'll leave you with Hilmes's utter shock at what is actually quite an epic moment from Andragoras (and just about the only one where we can cheer for him unreservedly).

[thg-rcg-simps]

Dazzling Analyzing & Reporting Ninjutsu

(Pretend this post is not overly late to the Rappa story, I simply coudn't finish it earlier, it also will be somehow lenghy I'm a tiny bit sorry, I just have a lot to talk about)

This pink haired Ninja is simply too cool to not make a seperate post about ^^

[Obvious SPOILERS for the Rappa event/story + TW for discussing Rappa's origin]

We are back in Penacony! (Or should I call it Pinecany?) What a shocker I know, it's not like we've been there for a large chunk of the game while waiting for a new world. But that's beside the point.

While we enter we again expiriance a strange "dream", but this time it's filled with monkeys, ahm I mean Slumbernana monkeys and a pink haired sengoku period vielding weapons neon Ninja girl. We later find out her name is Rappa. We also find out she is a Galaxy Ranger and also working somehow together on this mission with Boothill. However, she's asking us for help before jumping off a roof onto a monkey shaped dream bubble. Which later we find out it's fairly common behaivior for her.

We wake up and have another 'Oh wait that was a Penacony trip again', realization while heading out. Who would be in our crew this time, you might ask? Well of course not Mommy Himeko, she's simply too busy staying on the Express and brewing coffee. Welt stays there too, because 'Ew people' (I can't really blame him there). Or as the game tells, they are off to some convinient conference (sure). So only the "children" check into the hotel, where we learn that Boothill also makes a reaperence and stays there.

At first I wasn't truly sure how to feel about this, because in the main story Boothill was just not hitting it for me. Which was also a big reason why we didn't summon for him back then. I don't know, he certainly has enough trauma for that, but something just rubbed me the wrong way. And I'm super happy to report that they fixed that a lot in this patch. Or maybe fix is the wrong term, they finally make him corherent with his personality and not flip flopping between him being a himbo only there for comedic release and being a serious (traumatised) cowbpoy. This time he has way more personality and weight to his person, and it works amazingly, because he's still funny too.

Oh, we also have to kinda go to school there? For some reason, because none of the three in question qualify as students. One was frozen in an ice block for who knows how long, the other is a glorified stellaron racoon and the third is a semi wanted war criminal with memory problems. I would ask who gave us the pass, but I think being the Penacony shareholders was the main reason nobody questions any of us. And I mean this in the entirety of staying there. Upon visiting said school we learn everybody is just relentlesly obessesed with Slumbernana monkeys and they take over the campus as well as teachers (conveniantley also away for said conference), staff, advisors and life of anybody there. Well beside Mr. Reca, but he's special.

I'm not really focusing on the school that much, because eventually it's not really important or memorable beside some fun interactions. So to break it down easier, the Slumbernanas are a memetic virus taking over the Sweet dream, infecting more and more people in the hopes of turning humans (or what is called human in the HSR sense) to regress back in time (becoming primates) so they would eventually evolve into greater beings. Oh and the mission has a weird obsession with Montana, a representative of the Slumbernana school fanclub and March's friend. Like a weirdly close bond friend. (She's seriously having way too much expose for a NPC)

There is also an official Slumbernana fanclub that much more represents a cult then a club, wanting specifically to use the Dreamflux Realm for their "project" (which most of fans are unaware off, I have to admit). Which is where Boothill's story act plays, along with Robin, trying to understand and hold back the mess those fanatics want to cause. And to help Dreamflux realm the best they can.

The real villian however are the BananAdvisor and Dr. Primative orchastrating everything while not being physically present. It's also worth mentioning that Mr. Reca plays a role in all of it, he's not evil, more a fanatic crazy director, and memokeeper.

(We always joke about that when the Penacony arc was released AO3 was funnily flooded with Dan Heng X Boothill fanfics and later some rare finds with Boothill X Robin and how they barely make (canonly) sense. (Which yes, everybody is allowed to ship anybody of age freely, don't need to make canonly sense, just legal. This in particular is simply a personal opinion because I really don't see the vibe of the first ship). But in the 2.6 patch they really make Boothill X Robin work a lot for us. I really can see the chemistry so it's cute, I like it)

The Dazzling Ninja at first is just goofy and a bit weird, from her own terminus, to her optimism, to her overall behaivor and antics, but we soon find out it's not all neon sings and fun graffiti. While most of the Mission is fairly humouros and lighthearded, because funky looking monkeys, it turns dark quite fast and not just once. In such instances Rappa often appears much sadder and can even speak "normal". She is acually concerned about the Slumbernana infection and urges us to help. It's her life mission to stop Evil Ninja Osaru. It's much much more personal, if she wishes so or not...

She's constanly talking about Master Kucha, the person teching her all about Ninjutsu and Evil Ninja Osaru, as well as Ninja Heros. This being a core to her entire exsistance.

[TW: Rappas Origin (violance, human experiments, blood)]

As we learn from Mr. Reca, her past is not muddled, but shattering. She's immune to the Slumbernana virus because she is allready infected with one, with a Ninjutsu one. And this is because she is no more than an expiriment herself. A failed one in the eyes of the Dr.. Which is funny because she is clearly the best functioning and most intellegent one, which is the purpose of her creation. Her past is not neon, it's being locked up in chambers and expiriancing pain to no mean. It's being a sentient prisoner, a guinea pig. Nothing she could've done would prevent her from expiriance just abuse tarned as something good. Something acceptable.

One of the researchers being in charge of watching her was said Master Kucha, the one man that brought her up, gave a purpose, let her read his only and very cherrished manga series, raised her, watching her grow up, and always being kind to her. Of course that doesn't mean he was any better than other researchers using her as a experiment, but he was by far the best and most humane one, later even realising that what they are doing is just so fucked up, going that far to betray everybody and killing the headmistres and himself in the end, only for Rappa to be able to escape.

I find it intressting that the Galaxy Rangers were behind Dr. Primative much earlier and chasing him. Which was the reason they didn't have any equipment with them in that new place and why Kucha felt so bad so he let Rappa read the mangas in the first place. Of course we are never find out if the lap before that place was any more 'child friendly' to give the best fundation for intelect building, but it would make sense. At least in a child psychology way.

And due to her being only a "lowly" experiment, she's also not having a proper name, being known as A-K-A3 which later when asked to form a name, showed in the end result, Dazzling Ninja AKA Rappa.

For her "final trial" to become a Ninja (Hero) she has to escape the facillity and, well, also murder anybody standing in the way because they are all just helpers of Evil Ninja Osaru. (Maybe has to is the wrong term again, she just does it out of what is right and her will to live) Later she is found by an unknown Galaxy Ranger who at first is cautios but later realised Rappa is not on Dr. Primatives side eventually taking her with her.

I really love how at first Evil Ninja Osaru was just a random made up person to make her endure training and experiments, to give her a purpose, but later eventually turning into a real person without her even knowing. He is and always was the bad guy. This is why she is so accepting of Galaxy Rangers, because she's training to be one of them. Kucha wanted to do the right thing in the end and this is warming.

She also finds a purpose beside only defeting Evil Ninja Osaru, wanting to prevent any evil (ninjas) there is in the galaxy. Which is also a nice touch to her personality.

It does however put into perspective just how long this child was in the hands of those people. While we don't know exactly, we can assume she was 10+ to around 15+ when she escaped.

(Art doesn't belong to me)

[TW over]

So what are our final thoughts on Rappa? It's a truly good writting and being myself I can't help but feel "happy" to have more disabled chracters for representation. Because not only is she deeply traumatised, she is also disabled, the virus preventing her from being "normal"/"healthy". of course this has some benefits but that doesn't mean she isn't. It's also very fun to see how positive and ultimativley badass she can be despide her trauma. Because dealing with trauma can look diffrent for everyone, as much as healing can.

I didn't dwelve to much into Boothill but just let me say, Boothill being regressed (really regressed not just somehow pretending to be able to win) is such a cute idea and we both enjoyed how he told the BananAdvisor that the reason he didn't pick up a gun earlier was not because he wouldn't and was "innocent", but because he simply didn't need to.

(Art doesn't beong to me)

(Also please let Boothill meet sweet Clara, I beg you HoYo)

-TakumiHairGuy & RikkaCatGirl

[unhonestlymirror]

This is random, sudden, stupid, non-hetalia related question, but how do you feel about with the way communism gets treated/discused on the internet, especially by people who didn't live under communism regime?

I used to not think much about that Buggs Bunny communism meme

But now when I look back at it, a tiny part of me feels like these whole "OUR [object] memes take the easy way of talking about communism. (That's not to say making jokes is not allowed), but it kinda comes across and potraying communism in a good light - like it's better than capitalism, for example.

Everyone gets treated equally, right? It's not like people died. It's not like there was limited ammount of food for people that people would have to use whatever theh could find at home to eat. It's not like staning out was frowned upon because you were expected to be blend in with others. It's not like owning too much in ussrs eyes would get you be seen as a treat.

And I'm aware I'm not qualified to discuss this. I didn't live through those times and not very knowlegable outside what I recall. I don't want to say the wrong thing, but even so.

So how do you feel about this?

I think the biggest communism fans actually deserve to taste their beloved communism: just some random people coming in your house and stealing everything yours and make it "ours", a government which kills any manifestation of individuality, thousands of concentration camps of free labour. I think they deserve to experience that. For some reason, I don't see many English speaking communism fans wanting to be deported to Belarus or China or North Korea or russia, their beloved communist countries.(although they don't call themselves communist countries, they actually pretty much are).

Ngl, I used to find this meme a bit funny until I realised people are dead serious about it. This trend became popular because of Pewdiepie, the most "popular" and one of the most paid YT bloggers. I would not be surprised if his sponsors were russian or Chinese.

In general, I don't really care about communism fans because 99% of them are just stupid and uneducated, and I don't wanna waste my time on them.

[thekats]

2AM thoughts

CW: suggestive content, mentions/discussion of SA/rape

I just saw (again) a post with that Lae'zel-Halsin banter that's like 'has he killed more or fucked more in his 350 year alive?' and he goes 'chimera has 3 heads but does it count as one creature?' Then Lae'zel says 'must have been a challenging kill' and he replies 'yes... kill' (sorry, my palm brushed the back button and the post was lost from view or I'd have done this as a reblog, but again it's 2am, I'd scrolled for a while until it popped up and I'll have forgotten by the time I get up again).

Now, I see three potential readings for this and I'm not saying any of them are more or less valid, just wanted to package them into wordsies:

A) Halsin is doing a funny. From banter with Shadowheart (for example) we see that he does have a funny bone. I'm thinking in particular the animal noises she offers to make to make him feel more at home in the shadow-cursed lands and him going 'you bleat well enough as is'. Yup, can absolutely be read as 100% serious, but doesn't really match his character. Think also the 'you're so big and strong and muscular and huge hunky-hunk-man for an elf' dialogue option in camp. His reply 'really?' is, for a split second, convincingly genuine, but he instantly reveals that 'ha-ha! Tricked you, of course I know I'm a big beefy himbo guy for an elf, we have fun.' Not to play the autism card, but this humour is very popular among autistics, I don't make the rules. Allistics frequently don't get it, especially because we use it with such earnestness that it can be tough to see the intention of a joke.

The chimera banter does fit that pattern.

B) He did fuck that chimera, he is a monsterfucker. Obviously, this is the favourite option for both Halsin-stans and Halsin-...crams... it's 2.19am, fuck off.

Him horny, him 'old', him horny and old, he fuck monsters. We don't know when he did it, how he did it, why he did it. Maybe he really was just horny and he put all of y'all's hear-me-outs to shame (I'm not a monsterfucker, personally, I can't even bring myself to fuck Halsin in bear form, so I don't have any hear-me-outs). Maybe there was something external at play. Maybe it's Maybelline(TM R C and such). Honestly, good for him. All we know for sure is that he checked in with that chimera to make sure it was all consensual beginning to end. Absolute king. I'd believe that a chimera would get the hots for him. He can get it.

3) He did have sexual intercourse with a chimera, but it wasn't consensual on his part. "But Kats," I hear you scream (I don't, humour me), "why would he be so chill about it then?!" The drow. He says himself in his Sharess' Caress afterglow dialogue that the way he speaks of the events now isn't necessarily representative of the severity of the events. Ffs he reports being raped, a sex slave for three years, and still 'some of it was done willingly'. My bro, my boo, son. N.O.! Just because it was "in their nature" as lolth-drow or some shit does not make it excusable! Just because you got a hard-on, a natural bodily reaction that has nothing to do with willingness or consent, does not mean you have to downplay what happened, even if that makes it easier in your own mind. Therapy. You, me and someone qualified. And Astarion. And Gale. And Derryth Bonecloak, honestly... NOW!

I would not be any more surprised than with the other two options if this were the tale behind that... story. Martel, I am running out of vocabulary here, but you know what I mean.

Anyway, again, I don't consider any of these more or less true/likely than each other. Perhaps there's even other options? Perhaps there's official info on it that I haven't come across yet bc I've had the game for 3 weeks and there is just so much content all of the time. Yeah, just wanted to lay down my 2 cents. Okay, nighty night!

[maddiviner]

i think it's okay to leave out the UPG disclaimer when someone is acting like their UPG is universally correct. especially when it's as wildly blatantly ahistorical and made-up as the hecate person's (don't remember her username because i IMMEDIATELY blocked her). also when you use your UPG to demand other people practice a certain way

I thought about it a bit after I posted that.

IMHO? None of what she posted counts as unverified personal gnosis. Reason being that UPG is by definition the kinda thing that you can't disprove, exactly. If you're making false claims about objective, known history, that doesn't count. That's just called lying, either to yourself, or other people, sorry.

UPG is also personal. It's one thing if other people find your UPG compelling and join in on their own. It's also, IMHO, appropriate to share it if you're comfortable. If you're trying to force it on other people as the absolute truth, it really stops just being your UPG, and it's a jerk move. This is, obviously, especially true if the claims are ahistorical nonsense (which, again, doesn't count as UPG).

How I view this might piss people off, but I'm going to break down my views. I'm open to discussion of course, but this is just how I use the phrase ("unverified personal gnosis," I mean).

Some different UPG-ish things I've heard over time...

A certain Goddess considers me Her daughter in a spiritual/metaphysical sense. She expects certain things of me.

Humans all contain a lil piece of the Divine. I will work on connecting with that by prayer/meditating/whatever.

Reincarnation is real (or not real).

After death, I will join my loved ones in the Summerlands/etc to rest or something similar.

Everything above is, IMHO, UPG. I say that because it's unfalsifiable and personal. It's not ahistorical, nor does it conflict with physical reality. And, in the situations where I saw the above comments, it wasn't presented as absolute fact.

Some things that definitely don't qualify as UPG for the reasons I've mentioned...

Rather than originally being a Greek Goddess, Hekate was actually Scottish-Irish human woman who was murdered by men. (This was the original claim by the OP, actually.)

Jesus revealed to me in a dream that the earth is actually flat. The truth is being concealed by elite reptilians.

The Christian holiday of Easter connects to the Sumerian Goddess, Ishtar. Ancient pagans worshiped Her in springtime with eggs and bunnies.

I was burned at the stake in Europe as a witch in the 1700s along with the rest of my Wiccan coven. I reincarnated as a witch again.

None of the above is UPG. It's misinformation instead. You can look at historical/scientific sources and prove it's inaccurate.

I found the concept of UPG hard to grasp initially. I think some others do, too. Many of us are coming from or steeped in more organized religions.

I don't think a lot of them, at least in the pervasive American sorta Christianity, have anything like UPG? I mean, I didn't see much of it. So, it's kinda been a new concept for some, and a lot of us have to feel our way around it a bit.

Another thing I wanna add? UPG isn't always healthy or good even if it does quality as UPG. Some ways of thinking about the world just work better, I guess, and that applies across the board. A lot of UPG tends to be very fluid and adaptable, I've noticed, which I think is good.

The Hecate person is kinda funny because she just posted this huge spiel about how she knows she's doing it right now that she has "haters" and called us all ignorant "heathens" (her words) for not accepting her divine truth straight from God's Hekate's mouth.

The idea of someone who claims to be pagan using "heathen" as an insult is just... weird. I know there's probably some kinda discourse around the word but... still.

Someone I talk with on Facebook commented that it's weirdly Protestant?! Similar to how Jesus gets portrayed. You've got a divine being that was, uhhh, actually from a completely different culture being portrayed as Scottish/Irish, Greek roots being erased. Said divine being was somehow also incarnated as a human, and martyred? And then we have a prophet, too! Sounds super similar to me, too, now that I start to think about it in those terms, but I didn't notice before.

[the-priestess-of-dawn]

You have given me permission, so I must know: do you think the Grimas in Askr have a hierarchy? Where do they each stand in relation to each other and how did they decide this? I must know your Gwima thoughts.

Well, it does seem like all Robins and Grimas acknowledge each other as their other selves, so I'm not sure any of the Grimas would necessarily think of any others as lesser, per se, just that... SOME of their other selves are INFURIATINGLY stupid. This is how Grima responds to their past self being confused about Grima being them from the future

And we also have the "Would this qualify as self-loathing? Because I have an intense desire to kill you..."

But of course, those Robins are fighting against their destiny, so NATURALLY it's pissing Grima off really bad. The other Grimas, who've accepted their fate, probably aren't doing anything upsetting enough to make the others wish they could disown them as a self or anything asdfghjkl. So I imagine they're probably on pretty equal terms.

But I do think the relationships between them might be... a little fraught nevertheless.

Now, Brave Robin's Forging Bonds as well as some of the "A Day in the Life" comics do suggest that the Fell Reincarnation and Fell Vessel Grimas hang out together. This makes sense; they discuss similar things and even share their voice lines. They're practically the same. (Although they aren't necessarily always on the same page with their villain act. One thing I find pretty funny is that m!Grima has a line that goes "You may find me... arbitrary at times." while f!Grima has a line going "You think me so fickle I'd change my mind?" Like... sorry but with you two giving conflicting statements like that, I DEFINITELY don't think you're as committed to being evil as you want to be.)

The Halloween Grimas seem like they're too busy pretending that they don't have a sweet tooth and that they aren't enjoying themselves at the festival to really plot with the others... If any of them are going to make the others cringe, surely it's these ones. Their costumes wouldn't even be embarrassing if they weren't complaining so loudly about it! And same with the candy,,, so NOT a big deal, except they're making it one. I think if they ran into each other at the festival, they'd silently agree never to talk about what they're doing. They could get more accomplished if they teamed up, but they're just too ashamed of themselves.

Rearmed Grima is interesting because she's the only one who doesn't have amnesia, so theoretically the others have a good reason to seek her out, though I wonder if she would really want to tell them all that happened... She also knows Fallen M!Morgan already, as she sent him to Askr ahead of her on purpose, so she isn't ALONE alone the way the other Grimas are (even if she still feels her heart is empty). At the same time, I think being Future Past Grima means she's probably the most hopeless, having killed all her old friends twice over now. She's most likely already proved to herself that she's right that fate cannot change. The others' don't know for sure what their worlds are like, so I think deep down there's still a glimmer of hope that there's more to their existence than despair... None of them would acknowledge that possibility, of course, but Rearmed Grima would hate them for it anyway. In any case, I feel like she'd prefer her Morgan's company to any of her other selves'.

Anyway, uh.... Not sure if this is anything remotely like what you wanted, but... These are my Gwima thoughts at the moment :::)

[thattimdrakeguy]

The Flash isn't all all-around horrible movie. There's a lot of good things in it. The problem with the movie is a bunch of stuff that eventually all comes together by the end and just wrecks the fucking thing like a ball that wrecks--Some sort of...wrecking ball if you will.

So seeing people online try to talk like Harvard graduates having a discussion about the prospects of the movie Flash by scrambling to the scattered pieces that were wrecked and trying to tape together something that made it seem good, is really funny to me.

There's some parts of that movie I thought were legitimately great. Some parts made me laugh my off.

I hated most of the "Hi, I'm Barry, an awkward, loser, virgin" humor. Since for a good chunk of the film the main Barry doesn't act like that. It's like it's hold back from Justice League movie Barry that people seem to have agreed to hate.

The movies main fault besides Ezra Miller being in the news so much for not so good things, is simply that it can't help itself.

The logic for multiverse travel makes no sense. The movie basically says "it's fate" at a certain point, and that's after the scientific explanation that makes no sense.

Why does Bruce Wayne look like the dude just for later on to look more like Bruce Wayne ever has before in the previous Michael Keaton appearances. (The costume department did a stellar job.)

The Lasso of Truth doesn't work like that.

People keep reacting to things the way people would not react to things.

The Chrono-Bowel, looks cool, but functionally it doesn't make any sense when the idea of Flash's time traveling is just running really fast. Trying to visualize that with a place were he can stand totally still sort of takes away the SPEED part of the speed-force that's necessary to be related to speed. Perhaps in another movie it would've been great beyond the shitty CGI that made things look like statues.

Most of the things that make it a multiverse movie would probably be better without it story wise, for the sake of simplifying things, even though I think Michael Keaton was at his best as Batman in this one. ignoring the really weird "You wanna get nuts" line, that doesn't work, because that's not exactly a thing he says. It's a thing he said once in a specific context.

The movie's version of time travel as it's previously shown to work no longer works, and they break it several times. Making it have no logic, which makes following things confusing, because things aren't happening the way they explain previously.

Supergirl hardly does jack shit, and says hardly jack shit. Her presence in the movie is so small, I sometimes forget she's in the movie. Her parts aren't bad. She just gets hardly anything to do, and feels like a tossed in character to go "Oooo, multiverse".

And it's mostly these things fans of the film keep showing going 'LOOK, IT'S GOOD, IT'S GOOD' even the visuals, which can at times get good. I think at first the visuals stink rotten ass, but do genuinely get better at a certain point just to get sort of hard to follow during the final act again.

So even if you really liked the movie. Why are you trying to excuse shit, that's shit no matter how you spin it?

'Oh, this scene with the baby is showing his intelligence and is very creative.'

It also looks fake as fuck and uncanny valley babies freak people the fuck out.

Despite how I don't think I can qualify the movie as a good movie critically speaking, I still think there's a lot of good stuff in the movie. It's just--no one really talks about it, at least much. It's strange.

It feels like no one saw the movie that says they liked it.