#and this isn't me being edgy or “enlightened”

[28coyotesinspace]

Honest to fuck at this point I think politicians should have to pay ME for every time I have to see their shit eating grins in an ad. I'm getting ads for these assholes and not only are they not in my county, they're not even in my STATE or even REGION.

Political advertising should honest to god be illegal at this point.

You want people to know who you are, to vote for you, to stand behind you?

Then fucking DO SOMETHING THAT MAKES IT WORTH IT.

[doumadono]

I can’t help but wonder if getting raped may fix your fetishization of rape in fan fiction

Well, congratulations on picking the perfect day to unleash your words of wisdom – right smack in the middle of my super colossal meltdown! Let me assure you, your pearls of wisdom are about as impactful as a pebble in a storm. Frankly, I couldn't care less about your feeble attempts at being rude🙃 It seems this day was hell-bent on proving it couldn't get any worse, and yet here we are, with your lovely contribution! Nice try, little coward.

First, congratulations on your attempt at a shockingly tasteless wish of rape to someone you don't know or basically any other human being. It's a real low blow, but hey, it's clear that empathy isn't exactly your strong suit. Do I care? Not in the slightest, just like you don't give a damn, apparently.

Let's address your second point now. Despite your attempt to throw a punch below the belt, your cheerful wish does precisely squat to me. I've faced real-life horrors – raped four times and subjected to prolonged sexual abuse – so your feeble attempt at being edgy doesn't even register 😀

Moving on to your feeble attempt to school me on what constitutes a fetishization of rape. Allow me to enlighten your minuscule, underdeveloped intellect. Sexual fantasies, including those of domination, are commonplace and, shockingly, a normal facet of the human sexual experience. Writing about it can be therapeutic for survivors, providing an outlet to cope with trauma, so it is for me. But, of course, such nuances are lost on your pea-sized brain.

Indulging in the allure of taboos is an art, and I proudly confess to being captivated by it. Let's be crystal clear — I can effortlessly distinguish between fiction and reality, and my appreciation for certain taboos in written works doesn't translate into endorsing real-life abhorrence. I'm well aware of societal norms, and just because I relish in the darker aspects of storytelling doesn't mean I endorse such behavior in real life. It's all part of the "exhilarating cleansing experience for me – the brutalization, the power play, the utter helplessness – it's a dynamic I find rather enthralling (perhaps it's solely due to the trauma I went through.)

Now, let's address the elephant in the room — non-con/rape/the broader dark content spectrum - it's not everyone's cup of tea, and that's perfectly acceptable! For those of us who revel in the fantasy, we embrace it and express it through our writing. Simple equation: don't like it = don't read it. It's that straightforward. If you willingly dive into a properly tagged story, you assume the responsibility for your choice. No need to harass or question authors about their motivations; you ventured into this realm at your own risk. Now, kindly take your judgment elsewhere. Dziękuję i pozdrawiam, mały tchórzliwy chuju 💜

I'm tagging @dabislittlemouse - I noticed you received a similar anonymous message today. It seems like someone is deliberately targeting creators of dark content. Again.

[penguwastaken]

This is the review I wrote for my Danganronpa Togami fan translation that I am currently working on, which I figured I might as well upload to Tumblr.

In June of 2023, after reading Danganronpa Togami for the first time, I wrote a review of it on Twitter. I want you to pretend like that review doesn't exist. Completely disregard it because BOY was I wrong.

When I first read Danganronpa Togami last year, I absolutely despised it. I was miserable almost the whole time. But I'm not the same person I was a year ago, I was naive and stupid, but now I have an IQ comparable to Albert Einstein! So basically what I'm saying now is I'm smart enough to understand it now. I couldn't disagree with my original review any more as I am now a based and enlightened Danganronpa Togami enjoyer. That's right, ME, the person who for a year made fun of this novel trilogy, finally sees the light I would like to issue a formal apology to Danganronpa Togami for being so stupid and blissfully unaware of its peakness.

Jokes aside, the more the novel sat in my head, the more conflicted I began to feel about it. I felt pretty mixed about it when I first read it, but those feelings only grew. Were my criticisms warranted? Did Danganronpa Togami really deserve the treatment I gave it? I picked it back up and gave it a second chance, and I was surprised to discover that it was... really good? I thought you were supposed to be this edgy, nonsensical, stupid book, that's how I remembered it at least, so what happened?

I'm going to try to keep this review as spoiler free as possible, because something I realized is that Danganronpa Togami isn't something that can really be explained. It's something that has to be experienced, beginning to end. The summaries don't really do it justice, which is part of why I started this project in the first place. Though at some points I may dive into some minor spoiler territory, so I'll make sure to mark those parts. So consider this my apology and defense of Danganronpa Togami, because I have to admit that in my blind hatred for it, I probably did end up harming it's perception. So maybe, if just a little, I can rectify it here and maybe convince you to give it another chance like I did.

I will say, Danganronpa Togami is probably one of the darker entries in the series. It features a lot of sensitive content, such as graphic and violent imagery, assault, incest, and abuse. If that's enough to turn you away from it, that's fine and perfectly understandable, especially given Danganronpa's track record with those topics. And I will admit, there are absolutely times where Danganronpa Togami borders on being edgy. But I don't think it's without purpose, and it's handled with more severity than most entries in the series. Once again, if that's enough to make you not want to touch it was a 2000 foot pole, that's perfectly reasonable.

Everyone knows Danganronpa Togami is like, REALLY weird. Octopus suits, lightsabers, fortune telling human-cows, you name it. This all seems a little out of place, even for Danganronpa, but it starts to make more sense as you proceed with the story. These weird things aren't real, they're the result of an unreliable narrator. Contrary to what idiot me from 2023 says, I don't think having an unreliable narrator invalidates a story. Even with it, you can still piece together the events of the story and it creates what is honestly one of the best plot twists in the series that ties everything in the novel trilogy together.

If I have one critique of Danganronpa Togami, it's Byakuya's characterization. It makes sense in the context of the novel for him to be perceived as some kind of god due to circumstances and Blue Ink's POV and stuff, but that's not my issue. My main problem comes from the fact that some of his actions are just bad, plain and simple. He is NOT a good person in this novel. I guess it makes sense, this is before his character arc in Trigger Happy Havoc after all, but it just feels kind of weird and out of character sometimes. You could chalk it up to just "more unreliable narrator nonsense," but I feel that misses the point a little.

Danganronpa Togami takes full advantage of its medium, it's twists are something that you can really only put in a novel. It's difficult to explain without going into spoilers, but unlike something like Danganronpa Zero or Danganronpa Kirigiri, I genuinely couldn't imagine Danganronpa Togami as anything else. It's also filled with a lot of fun and witty banter full of references and charming characters.

Danganronpa Togami has some really interesting themes of identity and how one's past or situation can change their perspective. This is seen all throughout the novel trilogy, whether it be the protagonist whose a victim, an idol forced into a popularity debate, or its version of the despair disease, acting more as a placebo effect here. Its themes are a bit more subtle than other entries, not even I'm sure if I fully get them, but they're certainly interesting.

Unlike Danganronpa Kirigiri, which feels like a completely unrelated story with a few elements from the games and Kyoko (not saying that as a bad thing btw), Danganronpa Togami feels like it takes as many elements as it can from the games and stuffs them in. It takes place during the tragedy, features characters from not only the first two games but also the novels, has references to Ultra Despair Girls, brings back weird plot points like the despair disease from Danganronpa 2, and so much more. In a way, it's kind of like a big Danganronpa crossover (also featuring Kagami Family Saga because Yuya Sato couldn't help himself lol).

At some point, you've probably wondered: "is Danganronpa Togami canon?" Due to elements from in it and the divisive nature of Danganronpa Togami, you can't really find a straight answer about it online, so I figured I'd weigh in on the discussion. If you asked me back when I originally read it if it was canon, I'd probably give you a hard "no." But it's a bit more complex than that. It's a little more complex than just a simple "definitively canon" and "definitively non-canon." Disregarding the unreliable narrator, there are parts of the story that we do reliably know happened.

The closest thing to a reference to Danganronpa Togami in any other piece of media in the series to my knowledge is Byakuya saying "by the dignity of the Togami name" once in episode 7 of Danganronpa 3 Future Arc, however Byakuya swearing on the Togami name has been around before the novels even if it is prominently used in them. However, a more definitive piece of evidence towards its canonicity is in episode 11 of Danganronpa 3 Despair Arc, where you see Sonia leading an attack on Prague with a graph of a satellite in the corner. I think this is a pretty cut and dry confirmation in favor of Danganronpa Togami being canon, albeit told through an unreliable narrator's perspective.

And that about wraps up my review and personal thoughts of Danganronpa Togami. It's definitely one of the more weird, yet fascinating entries in the series. I don't think it's on the level of Danganronpa Kirigiri (I don't think any entry in this series is), but it has its merits and hopefully I could convince you to maybe check it or appreciate it a bit more.

[megashadowdragon]

New Amazon Show “Venerates Satan & Demons,” Crew Debates Religion & Fiction

youtube comments

They made Lilith the first Feminist....and Lucifer was just a creative liberal art student that his conservative family didn't like

Hazbin Hotel is to the Christian faith as Disney's Hercules is to the actual Greek mythology they absolutely have nothing in common.

My main gripe with the show is that when Charlie interacted with Adam, he talked just as degenerately as the people in hell, every other word out of his mouth was the F word. It would make so much more sense if they behaved in an over-the-top moral way to the point that it's even annoying. The way they did it makes no sense.

Blasphemy isn’t supposed to make sense. This is the diabolical intent of the show. “Being primarily a sin of the tongue, it will be seen to be opposed directly to the religious act of praising God. (2) It is said to be against God, though this may be only mediately, as when the contumelious word is spoken of the saints or of sacred things, because of the relationship they sustain to God and His service…” See everyone, no difference between heaven and hell, do as thou wilt. See, it’s funny too. Nevermind that when you watch media your brainwaves enter a sleep like state and you are easily programmed….There is a reason they call it programming.Show less

They got a lot of shit for Alastor's playing card having voodoo symbols, because they didn't get "permission" to use voodoo symbols. I wasn't aware there was an authority on voodoo that had to give permission for it to be used in art works or that it was supposed to be exclusive to any race.

A five minute search could teach you more than Tim does about the subject in this video. This inversion of the Christianity is nothing novel or new, it has been done by Luciferarians who portray Lucifer as the enlightened bearer of light. Variations of this theme are found in the occult and in the fables of the Freemasons. Before that it can be found among the Cathars and Gnostics who portray the God of the Old Testament as evil.

How could lillith be “strong and independent “ and then decide to flee if she didn’t initially have free will

It’s funny that they present Adam as some sort of tyrant, when he was a pretty weak willed man in the actual Bible. He just sort of did his thing, then Eve came over & was like, “that over there told me to eat this thing we were told not to eat, you should have some to.” & he was like, “well…you’re my wife & I want to be with you, so I guess…”

I agree with what Libby had said. The glorification of evil is not something we should let be pushed into society. Yes I get you say that it also kind pokes fun at woke people by them being the ones in hell, but if some kids sees it and doesn't get those points except what the main stuff thats being said. I know people will say "well kids see worse" or "this isn't for kids away". When I was growing up I saw South Park, the Simpsons, Family Guy, AquaTeam Hunger Force, Moral Oral, Robot Chicken, and other crude shows. I used to say alot of things that even some stuff I didn't fully even understand, but I would say it cause I felt like the edgy thing to do.Show less

The initial pilot was pretty funny. Very adult orientated though. Then, during the 'Summer of Love' the producers and cast literally held a YT livestream where they raised funds to pay the legal fees of rioters.

That's very disappointing to hear. I love the show because Episode 4 is basically anti-pron propaganda. I want to support that, but I don't want to support destroying this country.

Let's just say there's a reason Hollywood and the media will openly mock Christians and Christianity but not Islam and Muslims. Now think of the difference between the two in how each group handles said critique and insult of their religion.

@bottlepiecemuses

this show is 500% NOT FOR KIDS when will boomers learn that animation =/= childrens content you'd think the past two decades of shows like southpark, rick and morty, and "happy tree friends" would have proven this much to them

Lilith is... part of biblical apocrapha. Technically non-canon but she pops up frequently as well. Sort of like how hell being divided into nine circles is also, technically, non-canon but frequently shows up in depictions of it.

[littleeyesofpallas]

少しからかっただけで 少し驚かせただけで 目の前以外が見えなくなる

Just a little teasing, just a little surprise, except for what's right in front of you, (it all) disappears from sight

誰も同じだなまるで 子供だ

everyone is (exactly) the same, just like children

人間も死神も滅却師とやらもなにもかも等しい低劣

humans, and shinigami, and quincy, and such, absolutely all of it, the same inferiority/worthlessness

お前たちが 藍染様に滅ぼされることに理由があるとすればそれは

If there is a reason for you all to be destroyed by Aizen-sama, then that (reason) is...

その低劣さが罪なのだ

...that inferiority/worthlessness is a sin/crime

While combing through Uryuu stuff I was revisiting this fight, in its many obnoxious disjointed pieces... and I don't think I actually read this whole stretch of the Arrancar Arc in the Viz translation before. A lot of the banter in this part of the story really flies under the radar; there's just a lot of unremarkable back and forth and no actual developments. But this line jumped out at me in English because it immediately felt wrong.

Teiretsu[低劣] can definitely translate as "vile" but that feels like poor word choice, as it really doesn't communicate anything, and doesn't relate back to the start of the line --the bit about children. It ends up sounding more like edgy chuuni gibberish.

But Szayel is actually saying something here, and it relates back to the scene change over to Nel, and her awkwardly framed bare foot...

It's a little muddled by his pretentious gloating, but he's lamenting that everyone he fights(and categorically everyone who isn't an arrancar) is predictable and weak; although "weak" feels like too simple a way to frame it.

He makes the comparison; They're like children. Not strong. Not smart. Underdeveloped. Shortsighted.

Which as we later find out, once Mayuri shows up, sort of rolls into Szayel's whole "perfection" complex. Which is super curious too, because it seems to imply this distain for what is essentially the "unenlightened," and that's a big part of the buddhist themes in Bleach. But it's interesting seeing it come from a villain like Szayel, that he categorically sees the arrancar as being more enlightened than other forms of spirits, including Shinigami. And apart from a personal superiority complex placing him above everyone else, surely there must be some underlying logic to making it about arrancar(even the ones he doesn't like, and aren't him) held above shinigami and humans and quincy, right?

But it's also a direct tie in to the following scene where it cuts to Nel, who was until recently a literal child: not strong. not smart. under developed...

She fights Nnoitra to a stand still and he wants to know why she didn't go for the kill. He thinks like Szayel, that the inferior deserve to die just for being inferior, and he's confused that if she's stronger than him she should just kill him. But Nel in her primitive state of being; living outside of los noches, wearing rags, bare foot, in child form... is an antithesis to all this. And we get a glimpse of her antithetical worldview when she talks about hollows regaining human intelligence.

Not that these musings on what it means to be a hollow or an arrancar, or to have made the leap from one to the other, or Zommari's suggestion that there's no innate evil to the hollows or arrancar, really go anywhere before Kubo just kinda shuffles along to the really thematically bankrupt congaline of captains-v-espada fights in fake karakura.

[mellometal]

ATTENTION: This is some recent information about the current events with Chris Chan that I've been able to find, plus additional information that I couldn't find anything on that is now public knowledge.

ALL videos about any updates will be linked so you can watch them for yourself, if you wish.

Again, OBLIGATORY trigger warning: This post will be going into very sensitive subject matter, including r@p3, s3xual assault, elder abuse, and inc3st. I will also be mentioning the site Kîwî F@rm$ and the person who runs it (Null). DON'T go onto Kîwî F@rm$. Just stay away from there. It's like 4chan (another site full of REALLY fucked up shit, depending on which forum you go to), but worse.

If anything I mentioned is triggering for you or makes you otherwise uncomfortable in any way, you don't have to read this post. It's not worth putting yourself in a bad state mentally. Take care of yourself, please. Consume media that sparks joy for you.

ALRIGHTY, LET'S GET TO IT. Because there's quite a lot of bullshit that happened since the first post I made about the current events. And some more information that will most likely be the nail in the coffin for Chris. I'm patiently waiting for more updates as they come and I'll share them here as soon as possible.

The person Chris was in a call with was revealed to be a troll under the name "Bella". The screenshots of messages and the audio from the call have all been confirmed to be real.

It's also been revealed that Chris confided in Null about her having a girlfriend, having s3x with her, all that. Here's a list of things to describe this "girlfriend" below, which I will compare to Barbara in bold:

This woman is "in her over fifties". (Barbara is eighty years old. Most people would assume that someone's in their late fifties when this terminology is used. Eighty is well over fifty.)

Her favorite person was the late Adam West in the 60s, as it was "for her son back then". (I don't know if Chris is referring to her half-brother Cole Smithey [he does movie reviews, and he's most famous for being one of the only people to give Toy Story 3 a negative review] here, or if she's referring to herself before she came out as trans. I'm adding this here anyway.)

Chris has known this woman "for a long time", offline and in-person. (OBVIOUSLY she's known Barbara her whole life, since she's, AGAIN, HER MOTHER! DUH.)

They've been having s3x "every three nights". (Like how Chris admitted to doing to her defenseless mother. PRETTY FUCKING FISHY, IF YOU ASK ME.)

They began having s3x on June 27th. (The same day that Chris admitted to doing to Barbara.)

This woman was an accountant when she was younger. (Barbara's job was EXACTLY this.)

Chris said she feels grateful to "enlighten" her girlfriend with s3x play that she (the woman) "missed from even her exes". (I didn't mention this in my initial post, but if you chose to watch the videos that were linked, Chris mentioned that Barbara's boyfriends and ex-husbands "have never been able to make her 0rg@$m" like Chris did. SHE EVEN MENTIONED HER LATE FATHER. THAT'S FUCKING DISGUSTING AND DISRESPECTFUL.)

Chris has been "keeping her girlfriend safe" too. (She had been "taking care of Barbara" since Bob, her late father, passed away. This right here is proof alone that she was talking about HER MOM!)

Her girlfriend "didn't want to do it at first", it was "very painful" for Chris's girlfriend in the beginning, and it took a few tries for them "to get going". This included Chris doing it FOR her because she thought her girlfriend would "feel better" due to her lack of mobility and lucidity. (Chris said all of this exact stuff TO "BELLA" during their call.)

Null initially thought that Chris was lying about sleeping with her mother to cover up the fact that she had a girlfriend and having s3x with her. Why? Because apparently people would believe Chris would have s3x with her mother than some other unknown woman. Chris told Null to keep her girlfriend's identity secret because she was afraid her girlfriend would get trolled and she'd end up losing her.

What Null realized was that what Chris told him completely matched the description of Barbara. Note that before he looked into this, he was unaware of the context Chris was giving him about her "girlfriend".

It's extremely possible now that Chris admitted to s3xually assaulting Barbara to Null and "Bella", but she wanted Null to keep it confidential. Chris wanted NULL to keep the fact that she admitted to committing a VERY serious crime A SECRET.

If Chris WAS actually lying, she'd use a lot more CWCisms (her own phrases) or say that she was "using her psychic powers" to have s3x with Barbara's fictional counterpart in another dimension. But no, Chris was VERY straightforward and talked about it casually like if you were to talk about the weather.

Chris, according to Null, slept in a parking lot in her car the other night. At least for a few hours, though I don't remember where the FUCK else she slept (maybe a hotel room eventually), considering she had -$200 in her bank account. I believe some people who are in contact with Chris sent her some money to get food too.

Null revealed that he set up a GoFundMe previously for Chris to attend a Brony convention, which was a test to see how Chris would be able to handle commissions. The GFM was successful, to say the least. Chris fulfilled commissions successfully, DESPITE NOT WORKING ON THE FUCKING COMIC. Y'KNOW, THE THING SHE'S PAID FOR ON PATREON TO DO!

Well, due to recent events, he has since taken down the GFM and is refunding all the money to all the donors. He was debating on sending Chris money (the GFM money, since Chris isn't able to go to the Brony convention), but he decided not to do so. He told Chris to sleep in her car, spend the night under the stars, and reflect on her current situation until the morning, when Null would help her find a temporary roof over her head until August 5th.

Barbara tightly manages Chris's finances. Those are Null's words, not mine. You want to know why Barbara's been having trouble with the house and shit? CHRIS HAS BEEN STEALING MONEY FROM HER FOR YEARS. HER CREDIT IS ALL SORTS OF FUCKED, SHE'S BURIED IN DEBT, AND IT'S CHRIS'S FAULT. THE PERSON WHO'S SUPPOSED TO BE TAKING CARE OF HER.

How did we find out about Chris recently getting more money, specifically $750? Well, Null has had access to Chris's emails for the past few years (Chris knows this), and he found an email that Barbara had sent Chris money.

That's a violation of the EPO (Emergency Protective Order) that was put into affect for Barbara. Chris was NOT supposed to contact Barbara in ANY way, shape or form.

Null asked Chris about this and told her that this was a violation of the EPO. He asked her if her mom sent her money. Chris denied it at first, and then went into the whole goddess bullshit she goes into. She then admitted to accessing Barbara's banking account online and wiring the $750 to HER account. Chris also said that she'd pay her back the $750 after receiving the $1000 that Null was supposed to send to Chris. Null was obviously upset with what Chris had done. Who wouldn't be?

Guess what Null did in reaction to what Chris told him? HE BLOCKED CHRIS AND REPORTED HER TO THE POLICE. I'm honestly surprised he stuck with her this long. He genuinely wanted to see Chris become a better person.

It's only a matter of time for Chris's arrest. With all this information that's out there now, more information probably coming very soon, plus people close to Chris confirming all of this....I feel it's safe for me to say that Chris did s3xually assault her mother.

I don't feel bad for Chris anymore. I have no sympathy for Chris. Any ounce of respect for this person has been long since gone. I don't feel comfortable even referring to Chris as a person. She's a monster.

I talked about Chris a few times a few years ago on Instagram, and I got yelled at for tearing this motherfucker apart. Because apparently I was an "ableist bully" for having my grievances with Chris, despite the fact that I'm autistic too and I've never "bullied" Chris for being autistic. Not even once. My grievances had more to do with Chris using her mother and their animals to exploit them for her own monetary gain INSTEAD OF TRYING TO FIND A JOB. I've even tried to suggest that she go work through a temporary work industry and get paid daily. (At that time, I didn't know that trying to interact with Chris wasn't a very good idea. I've since learned, obviously.)

Here's a link to Gibi's video:

Dillon Thomas's video:

The stream with Null:

Geno Samuel's stream:

Here's Rogue's video and live stream he did about the situation. Rogue is one of my FAVORITE YouTubers, as edgy as his content is.:

Thank you for your time.

[onewomancitadel]

You've mentioned Rosegarden a few times, and I'm wondering something.

Now, you said in an earlier ask how Oscar and Ruby are both sort of children, and it would work once they were older. I think. This is just off of memory. But anyway,

Should the fact that Oz lives in Os's head - and will eventually take over - not ruin the ship? Especially since these two characters are younger? It's the deal-breaker for me, the fact that Oz is part of Oscar, but I'd like to get another perspective.

No it's a fair question, and not really one I talk about specifically, because Knightfall is my focus. I'm willing to take on board opinions from RG fans in particular (I know a mutual of mine whose RG opinions are similar to my own), since I'm sort of talking out of my comfort zone. With that being said, they fit into my reading of Salem/Ozma as a relationship being resolved in the present-day story, which is one of the reasons I think RG is being set up. I'm talking about canon, not my own wishes, though I do think RG mirrors some of what interests me about Knightfall, especially given that Knightfall is, essentially, Edgy Rosegarden. (Tongue in cheek, lol).

I'll add the caveat for people who get weird about RG because 'age gap':

if you've ever shipped literally any Ruby ship, why are you like this. I think story-wise they're the same age but like, Ruby is two years younger than Weiss. Nobody batted an eyelid at that ship. Oscar being younger than Ruby - when there's nothing textually really romantic between the characters yet, it's all mostly subtext and worry - is not a concern. If you want Ruby with somebody else or no one at all, you don't need to hide your argument under the guise of being concerned about not-real characters. On the Oz inside Oscar's head element: this is a mythical fairy tale about a young boy (in Oscar's story) becoming an adult. It's not real-life, and as you'll see at the end of this post, I don't think that Oz is sticking around, especially because his reincarnation has to end, and he has to achieve enlightenment.

But yes, I've mentioned that Ruby and Oscar (and Penny) are symbolically children for a lot longer than everybody else. Pyrrha was the death of childhood, but it's not until V6 when Ruby uses her silver eyes (with the matriarchal guidance from Maria and Jinn) and fully reconciles with all of that she really begins to grow up. It happens to Oscar around the same time (split off from Oz) and Penny obviously in V7. Arguably Penny and Oscar both have their 'growing' moments in the same sequence.

Textually, this is Oz returning, and textually, this is Penny becoming a Maiden. Subtextually, this is Oscar 'growing up', and this is Penny going from a girl to a woman, as I've written about before.

I'm willing to allow Oscar actually 'grows up' sooner than this, but it feels most prominent visually here.

Basically I think of the two appropriate pairings for Ruby, it was either Penny or Oscar. The latter works for other reasons, including that he's one of the Four Protagonist archetypes (with Ruby, Cinder and Jaune).

Anyway, one thing I want to bring up is that the person who conflates Oscar and Oz (and ignores Oscar) ends up being a major villain, that is, Ironwood. Not even Salem does this: when she's kidnapped Oscar, she... speaks to him oddly kindly, and understands Oz is 'keeping' things from him (the Beacon Relic). Obviously Salem knows Ozma 'better than anybody else', in a way, and she doesn't even personally blame Oscar for Oz?

And all of the heroes are interested in preserving Oscar for who he is. Qrow and Jaune are very naughty in V6 and hurt Oscar, and I'm not going to dismiss that; it's actually not a good thing, and then things turn around.

I think the Oscar and Oz endgame is hard to predict, because there are a few ways to mythically resolve it. It's made more complicated by the fact that the inherent issue of the story is that Ozma is alive when he isn't supposed to be, and so is Salem. (And... the original wound of the story is the technical absurdity of his death).

The Little Prince's ending is ambiguous (one of Oscar's chief influences), and he's alive and also dead at the same time, so I don't know if that will influence his ending in canon.

But if they go to even redeeming Salem in some way, and reconciling her with Ozma, I can't see Ozma going on without her either way. They die together, or they live together. The story is not going to end with them apart. Ozma can't be without Salem, and Ozma would keep Oscar from Ruby. Do you see where I'm going?

The new relationships in the show mythically resolve Salem/Ozma on their own, yes, but it's by their example that Salem and Ozma would learn. That Ruby and Oscar are both Salem- and Ozma-coded (but with shared elements) means they're really at the forefront of resolving it. Jaune and Cinder are the most literal Oz and Salem, lol.

So, what I'm saying is:

1. Bad mean, cynical, genre-inappropriate villain conflates Oscar and Oz = that means he's wrong

2. Ozma and Salem have to be back together in some way

3. Ozma would keep Ruby and Oscar from each other, and Oscar becoming a man on his own

so... Ozma doesn't get in the way of the ship at all, that is, in resolution he'll separate, and I don't think it's thematically proper to keep Salem and Ozma apart from one another in the ending, in whichever way that turns out. That could mean Oscar dies, but honestly, Ozma is already dealt with; I think it would be especially cruel to revisit that idea. It could also mean they sacrifice themselves so Oscar can live, who knows. It's anybody's game. The curse has to be broken somehow, though.

[meandmyechoes]

ACIKVWZ for the ask meme!

A - Ships that you currently like a lot.

I'll have to say Ahsoka and Rex. For years I've been shoving them under the carpet for fear of entrapping myself in a romantic lens. But with all the life experience both on and offline, I'm much more comfortable to continue celebrating the trust and teamwork between them as the ideal sibling relationship.

C - A ship you have never liked and probably never will.

Nothing came quickly because never quite care about ships anyway. Hmmm… I'll give you the standard scandalous answer:

I have an anti-rex*oka manifesto deep in my drafts that will never grace the public eye. (*deletes the 500-word disclaimer*)

I - Has Tumblr caused you to stop liking any fandoms, if so, which and why?

No. My tumblr experience has always been an entertaining, educational one.

I'm accustomed to being a one-girl fandom anyway. Since young, pretty much all stories I like are lesser-known irl. I'm the strict-canon analyst type so I wasn’t extensive in reaching out. Therefore luckily, all the people I do meet, are rays of sunshine.

K - What character has your favorite development arc/the best development arc?

Artemis Fowl. He is a *spoiler* villain redemption arc and I find myself fall for this trope that I'd otherwise opt out in a villain-centric story. The Arctic Incident did such a good job revealing his vulnerability at the same time retaining that cold calculation of genius. As soon as he sees the potential to be good again, I'm rooting for his second chance. It was a true satisfaction seeing that to fruition. His friendship with Holly is so good, it's just ah.

Y'all might bet I'll say Ahsoka for this but frankly hers isn't one predictable and I don't feel, to be rooting for her character arc to go a certain way. Because I see her past a character, I see her as a person, and no matter which path she chooses, I will (blindly) support her. (also her story hasn't ended yet) So I don't feel that way to a question worded as above.

V - Which character do you relate to most?

Anakin Skywalker. The gifted kid burnout always hit me hard across fandoms, but only until this year, when I hit 23 and realize we’re the exact same age, it hit all me all at once this new wave of admiration for him. I relate to him in his struggle to express emotions and candidness in his interpersonal relationships, that earned cockiness, the self-doubt and egotism, and most importantly our inability to let go of Ahsoka. He is a contradiction and so am I.

I’ll need to give an honourable mention to Hino Eiji. Having a tragedy that defined you, questioning and revolutionizing the whole basis of your lifestyle and beliefs, but still striving to do the most within your capability is kind of how I slowly try to pull myself back after a rough coming-of-age. He is not the favourite character that I’m attracted to because they represent Perfection™ and a glass ceiling, but because they shared all my flaws and showed me it’s possible to choose a brighter future.

W - A trope which you are virtually certain to hate in any fandom.

This is the last answer I penned down, because I just forget whatever I don’t like in canon anyway. 

I’m not sure if it’s a narrative trope or just a bad trend, but it’s never a good idea to tear down childhood heroes just to be ‘edgy’. Well this is obviously about the sequels, but personally I take more offense at the mess of Ryuki Rider Time.

Z - Just ramble about something fan-related.

It amazes me that my post-fandom self is going to surpass in percentage of lifetime my pre-fandom self one day. And I couldn't be more grateful for all the joy, and enlightenment of such devotion reveals.

"Being a fan doesn't mean you were there from the beginning, it means you are willing to be there until the end."

Send me Fandom Asks :3

[jessielefey]

Youtube "funny men" who think they're Matt and Trey, and aren't even Seth MacFarlane.

I forgot the video thirty seconds after I watched it, two years ago, so I can't show you the specific one that set me off, but I found a variation of the specific joke that did it every quarter or so (at least until covid made those kinds of jokes political enough I can avoid the people who would make them by username alone), just often enough to really annoy me (and just long enough after I posted this to vindicate me when posts like this start to make me doubt my memories, like, fuck, did I make it up? ... nope, there it is again) in that way that deserves a 2am tumblr rant and absolutely no more important followup because it wasn't that important just a pet peeve.

The joke is some approximation of "haha look at those stupid superstitious primitive morons in their edgy outfits, what were they even wearing that mask for, did they think they could scare the plague away? they thought air freshener would save them? lol" (You can see how that joke has aged especially poorly under the circumstances, unless you're the type to say the same thing about wearing masks now.)

Usually being held up in comparison to "real" doctors, like those guys weren't hiding in the homes of the nobility like cowards and leeching people to balance their humours (not entirely fair either, but point made for comparison and contrast; why are the plague doctors scorned for a lack of education or its conmen, when the "real" doctors at the time didn't even know what organs we had and were literally just guessing and mostly only serviced people of means which is honestly just another kind of con).

Both sides have their history of conmen and snakeoil, up to and including now (fuck the essential oil antivax crowd, but fuck bmi and anti-fat dietary consensus and the ravage that antibiotic overuse caused and the prescription opioid epidemic and "babies and black people can't feel pain" and lobotomies and migraines aren't real it's just women being hysterical and...) and both sides have discovered miracles. And if Star Trek 4 taught me anything it's that in four hundred years we're going to seem just as stupid, so give the bird boys the respect they're due because it's what we're gonna receive. Only the respect they're due, there were totally people making it worse and people scamming and people just using it as an excuse to loot the dead. No doubt. Same as now. People are always people. But people are always people, and ignorant isn't the same thing as stupid, and if there's one thing that really gets on my nerve, it's this paternalistic impulse to look back at the past, and to other cultures in the present even, and go "look how stupid they are, next to me a wise rational educated modern thinker whose Science(TM) is always correct." (Not to be mistaken for real science, which is always assuming its wrong until reasonably proven undebunkable, and is actively eternally trying to be less wrong instead of proving itself right which any asshole can do. //gestures at everything//)

It's the weird enlightenment arrogance that nobody understood anything until the western world invented science in the 18th century.(heavy sarcasm)

Apparently I badly want to go on my “stop making fun of plague doctors, they were ahead of their time and doing the best they could with the primitive equipment they had available” rant.