#average reaction imo

[transmutationisms]

ok off the last ask are there any tv shows you Do think are good or does the position of tv is bad kind of hold universally?

imo the reasons tv is on average bad are largely to do with production and not actually just coincidental

-because a tv show generates more profit the longer it runs, networks & showrunners are perversely incentivised to Make Stuff Happen & also to fail to deal with the narrative consequences of that stuff (nobody wants to watch 10 seasons of a show where the personal dysfunctions that the story is premised on are overcome and dealt with and the characters just calm down by season 3)

-advertisers have typically/traditionally gotten a large degree of control over the actual content onscreen (this is a pressure in any creative work made for profit -- but, eg, it's not unusual for tv advertisers and esp product-placers to get final review of actual scripts, to threaten to pull ads if a show discusses xyz or gets 'too political', &c)

-for numerous contingent reasons including some reaction to the above, tv has not typically been seen as a prestigious creative industry (even in the 'golden age', compare the reputation of tv to that of the cinéma or stage theatre), leading to a lot of writers and directors who don't really want to be there, are embarrassed, view their tv work as the pitch to launch their film or novelist career, &c &c

-all of this exerts downward pressure on the compensation rates for pretty much everyone who works on tv, from actors to crew members, which makes the industry less appealing and less prestigious and is used to justify even worse and cheaper labour practices &c &c -- meaning a lot of tv work goes to people who don't want to be there, couldn't qualify for better compensated roles, are mainly cast for being conventionally attractive, &c

i've watched and enjoyed plenty of tv and it's not like it's impossible to execute something well artistically even in these circumstances. for example, i think succession has some really stellar character writing, & that this is directly connected to the fact it had hbo money & a showrunner who always planned for it to have an endpoint & a limited number of seasons—but it's also connected to the fact that the story is framed around characters being constitutionally incapable of major change. for similar reasons, a miniseries or anthology series is imo usually a better format for a drama than the conventional constantly-renewed network series. alternatively you can go the seinfeld route and have your show genuinely be about trivia, with a hard reset every episode (like, compare how long seinfeld could keep beating the same three dead horses versus eg the immediate problems faced by a show like the good place where characters were supposed to be enduring meaningful personal growth incompatible with their roles in the actual narrative).

but imo very few people who work on tv are interested in thinking about what the medium can do well, because again they view themselves more as temporarily embarrassed artistes, and even those who do view television as its own medium with its own constraints and strengths are often kneecapped by the actual circumstances of production (like, a mini-room may well be full of really talented writers who want to do fascinating things with the medium -- i wouldn't know, because they get approximately 30 seconds per episode to throw shit at the wall that some exec can market to a cereal company).

i've liked plenty of shows enough to watch more than 5 minutes of them (succession, lots of medical soaps, the first 2 seasons of misfits, doctor who, thw twilight zone, parts of mad men, the thick of it, mr robot, community, i may destroy you, pushing daisies...) & i think it's fair to say if i liked something i probably thought some aspect of it was good, meaning, well executed in some way. but i would also say pretty much all of those are dogshit in other respects, are overall susceptible to the same problems tv in general is, &c.

[th3wizardoz]

I would like to update everyone on this: she is NOT straight and is definitely flirting with me so I am going to flee the country /pos

I am a hopeless queer bc I keep developing crushes at my place of work. I am currently 0-2 with that shit but my brain keeps saying “oh! Maybe it will work out this time!!!” about a STRAIGHT GIRL

[silvermoon424]

I have a serious question for you. In my country, we grew up watching american shows, movies and cartoons, and in every single one of them the republicans were depicted as evil and greedy. Americans made those shows, so you do know republicans are evil. Why do you keep voting for evil people that is known for being evil?

Imo it comes down to this:

Lack of education:

The state of education- particularly public education- in the US is abysmal, and Republicans constantly demonize college, teachers, and education as a whole. There's a reason why highly educated people tend to be left-leaning, and the GOP knows this; it's why they've been attacking education for decades.

Treating politics as team sports:

Most people do not actually know what the politicians they vote for advocate; they just vote for them because they have an "R" or a "D" next to their name. Imo this is the biggest problem with Republican voters; the idea of voting for a Democrat is so unthinkable to them that a pedophile Nazi (Roy Moore) almost got reelected in Alabama a few years back, just because he was running as the Republican candidate.

Propaganda and socialism being demonized:

What's infuriating about a lot of Republican voters is that they do agree with leftists on a lot of topics, but they've been conditioned to have a kneejerk reaction to terms like "socialism," "capitalism," etc. I've talked to a lot of conservatives and got them to agree with me on concepts like work reform, healthcare reform, environmental protection, taxing billionaires, etc just by avoiding leftist terminology. In my experience, the average conservative very much agrees with left-wing ideas; you just have to present them as "common sense" and "bipartisan."

"Owning the libs"

A lot of conservatives (especially younger ones) are so fucking spiteful towards liberals and leftists that they're willing to tank our entire country just to "trigger" us. They love Trump for pissing people off; they love how he says and does awful, offensive things that "own the libs." The world could end in a nuclear apocalypse and they'd be lying in a cave slowly dying of radiation poisoning thinking "at least we got to trigger the libs, that was so funny."

As a final note, the movies and shows you're referring to were likely made in Hollywood; Hollywood- and the entertainment industry + the arts as a whole- are very liberal. It's not a conspiracy or anything, it's just that artists and creatives tend to be left-leaning. So yes, Americans made media depicting Republicans as evil, but it's very unlikely they're Republican voters themselves.

Republicans have actually attacked Hollywood for decades, claiming they're "biased" and "woke" or whatever. Some conservative media outlets (like the Daily Wire) have tried to start their own media empires, but so far they're total failures because explicitly conservative art is usually dogshit lmao.

[slugg4rd]

Brain rot so bad I’m posting on Tumblr💔

Haymitch x gn reader rambling ig?!?!

Word count: 1.2k

He’s a stubborn alcoholic with depression who copes by being rude or otherwise sarcastic, you test his patience SO MUCH. He knows he hates you, that’s about it, but also he finds a good deal of fun in goading you and bantering with you whenever you’re around. This man is a handful, and he’s mean, and he has literally no patience for bs.

Idk how you win him over, the logistics don’t matter rn I’m going nutty thinking about him. Imo I love the whole co-mentor thingy, anything that forces him to be around you bc otherwise he’s off hiding somewhere moping. Like imagine being depressed together, fighting over your different tastes in drinks or coping. He’s hugging a whole bottle of liquor or maybe wine if it’s fancy enough and he’s scrutinizing your fruity cocktail like it’s any of his business.

Especially love the thought of getting drunk with him, at this point he just falls asleep when he’s buzzed but he’s trying to stay awake just to bicker and get as much of a reaction from you as he can. The only time he shuts up is if you roast tf out of him, he’d slump down into a chair or on the couch mumbling something barely coherent and then he’s out like a light.

Or, even better, you’re both sleepy drunks and start nodding off at the bar. You barely remember the walk to bed, all you know is somehow you’re still arguing with Haymitch. He throws himself onto the mattress, your mattress, both to piss you off and because he’s too burnt out to bother walking to his own bed across the hall. You flop down next to him and then all of a sudden you’re waking up hungover and half hugging that fool. The both of you freak out to find you’re in bed with one another, fearing the worst, and eventually having to accept the harsh reality that you spent the whole night cuddling and nothing more.

He doesn’t just refuse to admit he likes you, he’s literally oblivious to even the idea of it. No he definitely doesn’t enjoy your company, and he definitely doesn’t seek you out, and there’s no way he would ever think about you outside of your brief and unfortunate interactions. But then you start joking around talking about some pretty celebrity or a handsome victor from another district and suddenly he’s so defensive.

“Her? She’s two faced.”

“Him? He’s not even average.”

“Them? They’re frugal.”

He can’t even begin to realize he’s getting jealous, he’s too busy trying to shoot down all your compliments to these half baked crushes.

But if you compliment him he thinks you’re joking. You say he looks handsome and he’s all “Haha, very funny, y’know you look good too- with your mouth shut.” He’s gonna go for the jugular, but also he finds it getting harder and harder to insult you. Since when did your annoying smile become something he could tolerate? He must still be drunk..

You’ve wormed your way into his life and his head and suddenly you’re over at his house in the Victor’s Village, cleaning up for him while talking about self care and how he deserves it. You’re infuriating, and yet his lawn is trimmed and his walkway is clear of weeds and even his bookshelves are free of dust- and maybe he should go outside for a bit today and get some fresh air.

You’re tidying everything up and then he’s bringing you some old Knick Knacks, keeping track of your hobbies so he can leave you gifts, forcing you to sit down and relax for a minute between daily stressors. You call him an enabler and the laughter that follows makes your heart all fuzzy in the worst way. Every time you do something for him he thanks you in a way that makes it clear he didn’t think anyone would ever do this for him. And when you thank him for his gifts, his occasional reality checks, and his unwilling hospitality, he can’t help but feel more proud than he should that something he did held even an ounce of substance in your life.

How do you even confess??? Do you??? It’s like one second nothing was there and the next you both just agreed that you were a thing, end of discussion. He’s yours, you’re his. You’ve basically moved in at this point, and you’ve been egging him on and showing him he’s worth the effort, and it’s starting to get through his thick skull that maybe there’s worth in improvement. You don’t fix him, as I said before, he’s stubborn, but he finds his own rationale getting weaker and weaker each time he tries to argue why he should go out for drinks tonight. And then when things break and you’re telling him just what he means to you, he’s finding himself falling into you like a damn safety net.

And once he’s got you he is not letting go.

Protective is one thing, this man is clingy. Like Velcro. But he’s a brat and he’s not going to let you tell him how needy he is, it’s just a coincidence that he’s always by your side. He’ll say he’s “keeping you in line” its “your fault” because you’re in his way, but you both know he’s been following you around on his own fruition. He’s attached to your hip at this point, literally. He has a particular affinity though, and that’s hugging you from behind. He just comes up like he owns the place and wraps his arms around your midsection, shoving his face into the back of your neck with the biggest sigh he can muster. And if you reach up to play with his hair that’s it, he’s going to drag you to whatever couch is closest and have an impromptu nap session.

Also did I mention he’s petty? Because he is. And he’s annoying unlike anything. You go to sit down in a chair? He’s already seated in it, patting for you to come into his lap. You want to try a bite of his food? He’s making you take it from his mouth. You need to shower? He’s asking to come so he can keep you company. And if you let him join you, he’s 100% sitting there watching while going on about how “you missed a spot” just to see how irritated you can get.

Letting him come into the bathroom with you when you shower is like making a deal with the devil. This man is going above and beyond for your attention while you’re trying to focus on the task at hand. He’s definitely offering to help you out, saying he can scrub your back for you and all that, it’s up to you whether you let him join or kick him out.

Either way after you’re done he’s so soft and tender, wrapping you in a towel and drying your face off, saying you look like a drowned rat while also telling you that you’re the prettiest thing he’s ever seen. He ruffles your hair with the towel just to squeeze it around you and grab you by your waist, pulling you until you kiss him. But if you’re still mad at him he’ll keep drying you off and messing with you until he can get you to crack a smile, and then he’s peppering kisses all over your cheeks as you push his face away.

He’s a nuisance, but he’s your nuisance, and you wouldn’t have it any other way.

Ummm anywho that’s all I got 🙏

[best-of-yandere]

No idea if you do requests but this is just to help me get help in writing. How do you think a Yandere Dick Grayson and Jason Todd would react if they had an s/o who can not only get close to a God but has Killed many gods and is feared by gods? I’m trying to write a story on this but can’t seem to figure out a good reaction for it.

NO MINORS 18+ ONLY

tw: yandere

imo... yandere Dick and yandere Jason would have very different reactions. With a darling that's powerful enough to reach the gods and even kill them, they'd both have to tread carefully.

Dick: his thoughts center around control and manipulation; since darling is so powerful even the gods fear them, what chance does a normal human like him have in a fight? Of course, he's a lot smarter than an average human, so he'll use his big brain to trick reader into thinking they need him (not the other way around); he can't physically force them to stay in a relationship with him, but he can use his silver tongue to gaslight them into keeping those rose-colored glasses on and ignore his darker tendencies. I also think he would look into ways he can take reader's power away and their weaknesses. If they did ever try to leave him, he'll know the exact ways to take them down. He'll tell himself this would be a last resort option due to the danger of leaving reader defenseless against the gods (who might want revenge against them), but secretly he'd enjoy leaving you powerless, forced to depend only on him, his darling's sole provider and protector.

Jason: he's the type to allow his darling to be more independent. He's got a lot of enemies, so a darling that can defend themself when he's not around is a good thing in his opinion. Of course, he doesn't want them to be too independent, he wants them to need him as much as he needs darling, but as long as you don't turn your powers against him or try to leave him, the thought to take them away won't even cross his mind. However, he'd also want his darling to stop picking fights with gods. Even though he knows they can hold their own, he's still over-protective and the thought of you fighting at all, let alone against something so powerful, is enough to send him spiraling.

Hopefully this helps with writing your story; if you end up publishing it, I'd love to be tagged!

[panlight]

so why don't you think jazz feels the other cullen's thirst?? he's an empath right? can you make me anon?

With the usual caveat of everyone should read and write the fanfic they like and characters are up to personal interpretation. . . I don't buy the 'Jasper feels everyone's thirst' argument for the following reasons:

Jasper deals with emotions. Thirst is a biological drive, a physical sensation. I don't think there's anything about how Jasper's gift is described to work in canon that suggests he's feeling anyone else's physical pain, thirst or otherwise. Fear, happiness, self-doubt, anger, hate, love, yes yes yes. Emotional pain? Sure. Thirst, hunger, heat, cold? No.

In Midnight Sun, Edward experiences JASPER's thirst, not the other way around: "This was all quite normal, usually easy to ignore. It was harder just now, with the feelings stronger, doubled, as I monitored Jasper’s reaction. Twin thirsts, rather than just mine." And that makes sense to me? Because Edward's gift is literally getting into someone's head, experiencing the world as they are experiencing it in that moment. Jasper's not in your head. He feels what you feel but he doesn't know the why. He's not a mind reader. He knows you're feeling desperate and ashamed and maybe guesses, "someone smells good, huh?" but he doesn't know, IMO.

Here's my biggest hurdle, though: I can't understand how Jasper would have been an effective second in command to Maria if he were feeling all the newborns' thirsts all the time! I get that the Cullens have a self-denial thing going on and may be 'thirstier' than the average mature vampire, but surely being surrounded by dozens of ravenous newborns would be worse? How would he be able to concentrate, to train, to fight, to survive, during all that if he were experiencing newborn-levels of thirst times 10, 20, whatever all the time? Jasper says in Eclipse that HATE was his constant companion, not thirst. He also says in Eclipse that being with the Cullens is a climate he enjoys; if he were being tortured by six other thirsts, I tend to doubt he'd enjoy it. 

I think it's just more INTERESTING if this isn't the problem! It's more interesting if he's just bad at it. Giving him the excuse of "well he can't help it he has to feel all the other thirsts" is boring to me. I LIKE him being bad at it! I like the idea that he's not totally sold on the whole Cullen thing, that he's doing this for Alice, that he has bad habits from Maria, that maybe he's intellectually fine with eating humans and but forced to grapple with it emotionally because he has to feel the emotions of those he's killing . . . THAT's more interesting to me than making excuses for him. Of course, your mileage may vary there! This one is totally subjective!

I will concede that he may feel emotions related to thirst. Shame, guilt, anger, desire, whatever, and that could be distracting and make self-control a bit more difficult. But I don't think it's literally the thirst (as in physical thirst/pain) and I don't think it's the root of the problem given that he was able to function as a leader during his time with Maria and wasn't driven to distraction by the ravenous thirsts of dozens of newborns. 

You may now all return to proving me wrong on my own polls as I die fruitlessly upon my lonely hill. 🪦

[shieldstable]

Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns will temporarily align, and here's why it would make it sense (from a writing perspective)

Look, we've all been burned by bad writing somehow Palpatine returned -and the WWE writers are known for their whims. And maybe, I'm picking up on strays that no one is consciously putting down, but maybe, just maybe! — so here is my batshit off the wall prediction for the upcoming storylines. With some textual analysis as back up.

If my predictions are somewhat correct, I'm booking a one-way ticket to Delphi. If not, please imagine this as a fun thought experiment.

And I know this sounds like the hopeful ramblings of a fan with too much nostalgia for The Shield, but please hear me out (also, I think Seth and Roman are the most fun when they're feuding, so...)

TL;DR at the end.

1. Chekov's Shield Bomb

This is about picking up what the writers/Seth have been putting down — and what they are putting down is Chekov's Shield Bomb. Especially in the built-up to WM41, Seth's has been big on mentioning The Shield and their history. It's only natural, in a feud between Punk, Roman, Seth with Paul Heyman in the mix it makes sense to mention eleven years of history and animosity.

And yes, Seth has made references before. Notably Royal Rumble 2022, WrestleMania XL. The big difference is, is those moments were created as a distraction/mind games against Roman. The current route they're taking is more nostalgia invoking. Seth keeps trying to get Roman to remember how great they were (are/could be) together.

He keeps mentioning Dean/Mox a lot (would love for Mox to come back, but given that he's at AEW I have low hopes). He keeps talking about how Paul Heyman brought Seth, Roman, and Dean together. The entire built-up to WrestleMania was filled with Seth loudly and proudly proclaiming it's about him and Roman — and together they can take out Punk. Seth went as far as begging Roman to please do a Shield Bomb with him, which at that point Roman nearly accepted but ultimately declined. Chekov, meet the loaded gun.

And sure, with so many storylines being set-up all the time, not everything might be used. But if I were writing a story, or even reading a book — I would underline that stuff and call it heavy-handed foreshadowing. From WWE's standpoint, it's also a smart thing to do. Not only does it serve as foreshadowing, it also serves perfectly as a primer for people's actual nostalgia around The Shield and as a way to measure people's reactions online before (hopefully) actually committing.

And well, if you show the gun, you gotta pull the trigger.

2. 2 vs 3

Right now, the biggest problem Seth's faction has, is that Seth and Bron are outnumbered. As I'm writing this (May 14th) Bron and Seth (and okay, Heyman) had to powder twice already because Sami, Punk and Jey clearly have more combined manpower. Obviously, if Seth needs to expand his operation, he needs to rally more troops.

WWE can use this open job-application to promote new talent (and imo they probably should, given how old the average age in the men division is atm). But, if Roman comes back, and he aligns with Sami and Punk, then it becomes 2 vs 4 and they need yet another guy.

For an interesting story, it is probably also a good idea to get someone who can be put into heavy contrast with Bron Breakker. Bron is doing Seth and Paul's bidding without question, almost blindly in awe. Adding a second guard-dog wouldn't do much. Now, adding someone who is actually wise to Seth's ways, who has their own agenda and who Seth views more or less (a little bit on the less) as an equal? That would work.

3. The great Wiseman heist of 2025

Punk, Seth and Roman have had this huge 3 way feud with a climax at WrestleMania. If they continue this as a 3 way feud, after Seth has been crowned the winner, then what was the point? To brawl forever and ever and your wins never matter because next week you're in the same fight? Ideally, you move on from that in new and interesting ways. We've already had the Punk and Roman alliance during war-games, and I wouldn't want to rehash that if I were writing this. Roman's recently aligned with Punk, and look where that got him? A favour owed and a Wiseman that left him. Punk’s betrayal and Wiseman-heist is probably more freshly on his mind than Seth's steel chair, a near 11 years ago.

CM Punk and Roman Reigns on the same side again — that should be out.

4. The Bloodline is in shambles

Okay, I hear you — there's a bunch of logical set-up but why would the Tribal Chief even want to align himself with what is basically his bitch ex-wife arch-nemesis.

Well — what else has Roman got left?

Roman got his Ula Fala back, he is acknowledged as the tribal chief but right now, in the WWE universe, who is there to rule? Jey got out earlier, and has a title over him (rude) Solo and Jacob Fatu already started their own faction which is also falling apart as we speak. Jimmy's on Smackdown and at this point in time will likely side with his brother if given the choice.

But Seth? Remember point 1! Seth has already said many times that it's him and Roman forever. He's said that he hates Punk, but that he loves Roman. Everything Seth does to Roman, comes from a place of (twisted, fucked up, unhealthy) love.

At the very least, Seth's not Punk.

And Seth's got an ego, thinks he's smarter than everybody else. Al Roman needs to do is grovel a little bit and Seth will say "I told you so" and then welcome him with open arms. And hell, Seth's even got Roman's ex-girlfriend Paul Heyman. Which, Paul still acknowledges Roman at the OTC.

5. Steel chair part 2 electric boogaloo

Roman probably wants his power back. Be the top-dog again, get his title back. The quickest way to accent to power is to align with the new regime, throw your unique set of skills into the mix and help cement the new Bloodline Vision as a force to be reckoned with. There will be constant tension between Roman and Seth (and Heyman) as they bid for the leadership position, but ultimately Roman relents.

Well, until...

The thing with being in power is, it makes you vulnerable to coups. In a beautiful reversal of what has happened in the past — Seth lets his guard down around Roman just enough. And Roman will take Seth down with a steel chair — take bake his girlfriend Wiseman and is back on top. Perfect way to give The Roman Reigns somehow an underdog storyline again and bank on that sweet, sweet nostalgia in a moment that is sure to go internet viral.

Death, taxes, Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns hitting each other with a steel chair.

TL;DR: The writers have been setting up a lot of nostalgia for The Shield, they could be cashing in on. Adding Roman to Seth's new cult would add an interesting dynamic and solve some logistical issues. For Roman, it makes sense to rise to power this way and commit a coup later to instal himself as the new-new top dog again — and yes, there will be inevitable steel-chair related betrayal.

[batboopp]

Can you rec me some batgirl comics that are as good as the og Batgirl run by Scott/Puckett?☹️ I've been giving Cass new solo a shot but the writing is pretty disappointing compared to 2000s Cass imo. I feel like she still carries a lot of baggage from shitty misogynistic retcons and bad writing that happened around the 2010s. for example her very complicated relationship with David was one of my favorite parts of her story, and I hate how he's been demoted to one dimensional villain who doesn't even love Cass.

hello!! <3 amazing question but the most heartbreaking thing you’ll realize as a cass fan is that there really isn’t any better batgirl solo stories than Puckett’s Batgirl 2000. however some cass comics before 2010 i DO recommend are:

Batgirl Secret Files and Origins (2002) 💖

DC’s First: Batgirl/Joker (2002). THIS COMIC IS SO SHDJSJ. Barbara’s and Cass’s dynamic and relationship KILLS me, plus the artstyle is the classic ethereal grittiness that Cass so well captures!

Harley Quinn (2000) issue 10-11. not exactly cass centered but there are some cute moments that I think really contribute to her character-wise, such as her family relations and her idea of what batgirl should stand for!

Nightwing Volume 2 (2003) issue 81. Again, not exactly cass centered, but still a good story that builds on her relationship with Dick, which is always and ingesting point of discussion! However i do think if you want context for why Dick had his arm broken/shot you need to read the previous 3 or so issues. also Cass gets to beat the fuck out of Deathstroke again in Batgirl 2000 issue #63-64 :)

Robin Volume 4 (2005) issues 132 and 135 is also a good Cass story (placed right after Stephanie’s death) which i THINK was continued in Batgirl 2000 issue 57 or 58 under the story title Fresh Blood? idk but i think it’s really interesting reading Cass from others people’s perspectives!

Batman: Allies Secrets and Origin (2005) This took place post War Games after Stephanie’s death and i REALLY didn’t want to recommend anything War Games but i do think it’s interesting how Cass and Tim interact and mourn Stephanie.

—————————————————————- I also enjoy her arcs in No Man’s Land, like:

Batman issue #567 (Mark of Cain part 1)

Detective Comics issue #735 (Mark of Cain part 2)

Legends of the Dark Knight issue #120 (where Helena stops being Batgirl and the mantle is given to Cass.)

Batman issue #569 (CASS BATGIRL FIRST SOLO <33)

Azrael: Agent of the Bat issues #56-57 and #60-61!! (They are SUCH a good duo, definitely recommend!)

Batman: Gotham Knights (2000) issue 2 (just, beautiful all around in Batman and Batgirl’s budding relationship and understanding of each other.)

The Batman Chronicles issue #18 (which takes place maybe 5-6 months after Cass’s solo? idk I’ll have to check again. but anyways this issue is SO good oh my god Leslie and Bruce’s relationship PLUS Cass’s thoughts on the whole of Leslie’s non-violent nature were excellent focal points.)

—————————————————————-

and finally, some REALLY good Cass stories after 2012 are:

Shadow of the Batgirl (2020) part one and part two. It’s a graphic novel created with pastels and a soft artstyle (so not an average cass story) but it still manages to portray a young cass-and all the angst that comes with that- in an amazing and heartfelt manner! There are some inconsistencies writing-wise (especially because im pretty sure the novel is supposed to be taken as an elseworld), but it’s still a good and cozy read, and the writer obviously loved Cass with her whole soul <3

Batman Urban Legends (2021) issue #7 “Hunter…or Hunted?”. SOO PRETTY AND THE ART/FIGHT SEQUENCES ARE FANTASTIC! and some cute bruce and cass interactions <3

—————————————————————-

i should also say that obviously in reactions to your very correct statement that Cass is a constant victim of fandom typical misogyny, these are not perfect. Cass IS a girl, and is aware that she is or presents as one even if she didn’t feel in touch with her femininity for the first ~20 or so years of her life, which is usually held against her in many ways throughout some of these comic arcs. however, I do think the exploration of Cass’s idea of femininity and girl-hood (or person-hood in general really, when she starts accepting the idea that she still counts as an actual person even when she’s not wearing the cowl.) is a fantastic point of exploration, which was so beautifully done in Batgirl 2000 (another reason why you’re super correct, im pretty sure nothing will compare to Puckett’s Batgirl run!)

I also recommend checking out this Cass Cain Reading list for more misc appearances before and after the 2012 rebirth!! have fun and sorry this took me so long to answer <3

[theheirofthesharingan]

How do you honestly feel about konoha/the shinobi system in general?

Shinobi world is a fantastic fictional world with an ancient history that gives depth to its existence. But it's not perfect, because of all the practices that go on in it. The world is dark and mysterious and has a history that is as old as time.

But it is also a broken system of child soldiers, where children killing children or even adults taking advantage of children isn't seen as a bad thing. And that's why Naruto, the main character, exists, who acknowledges how messed up the system is and how hate and love are tied together and he is too naive to understand a lot of things.

We also see the other, darker side of the Shinobi world and Konoha, both, through Sasuke and Itachi. While Naruto's world is all sunshine and green and he learns through his experiences, Itachi has already seen the worst, has done the worst, and faced their consequences. Sasuke, much like him, although in ignorance, has experienced similar things and the way he responds to injustice against himself is a reflection of how violence is embedded in the system of its people, no matter how kind and gentle they otherwise are.

Many people criticise Sasuke for wanting revenge against Konoha, but "revenge" is also the reaction of Shikamaru and Naruto and they're expected to train and kill who killed their masters.

In their world, people not only are more violent to each other than an average person, but also have a higher pain tolerance. And since the ninja world is a place everyone is trying to survive, it's not a place to find out your heroes.

The good people here will have some kind of corruption in them and the bad people will have some kind of goodness to them. And at one point there are no lines because they're all so miserable and broken that one side can do anything whether it's morally right or not.

I feel majority of the fandom uses the real world as a kind of reference to analyse and assess the Shinobi world, which is unlikely to give you a clear image, because what the author is telling you is that the world he created has no heroes. If you're going to use your own personal moral lense to view the Shinobi world and judge characters based on what you approve or disapprove, you're not going to get a clear picture of it. IMO, this is the reason there are such hypocritical takes on the characters like Sasuke and Itachi and other morally ambiguous characters.

Konoha is the same. Since it's the village we spend most time with and the narrative never acknowledgew its system is wrong, it's easier to fall in love with it. Konoha isn't worse or better than the others, in my opinion. It's just that everyone in it sounds like a hypocrite. Kakashi, for example, tells Zabuza they're better people for not making kids kill each other, but then we're introduced to the Chunin exams. We have the venerated second Hokage who experimented with the dead bodies. Hyuuga clan practices slavery. And so on.

Konoha is more powerful than the other nations because they have the right strategy and the strongest tailed beast. And they manage to hide the genocide of its people, blame the victims, driving one away to death and blaming the other for wanting justice (while advocating the same ideals for others, as I mentioned above).

It's awful to see that Koshimoto leaves the darkness of his world unattended. It could be because he needs Boruto to run, so the issues Naruto promised Sasuke would get resolved are never actually resolved. He's probably uninterested. It should probably frustrate me more, but I think when I finished Naruto, I had expected this more or less. And it's been a long time since Manga ended (even it's been long enough for anime), so frustration isn't going to change anything.

[imaginaryberries]

I have looked no further into this and I do not intend to but I am flabbergasted that I'm searching for books on birth trauma and being recommended one about "choosing (CHOOSING!!!) an orgasmic (????), blissful (!!!!), pain-free (!!!!!!) birth". This is everything I fucking hate about the way some people talk about childbirth. I accept that in many cases it's overmedicalised and interventions happen where they shouldn't have etc but if things don't go the way you wanted them to then you shouldn't be made to feel like that's your fault, which is the implication of claiming you can "choose" how your birth will be. There are choices you can make that make it more likely it will play out the way you want it to, at best.

Most of the time it's not pain free, although I guess mine with Jacob was technically pain free in the moment of his birth because I was unconscious lmao. Some people find it blissful I guess but imo it's largely just your luck if you get to experience it that way. I have heard a few times vaguely now about the concept of an "orgasmic" birth and I am violently uninterested in knowing any more. How that could happen and why you would want it are beyond me.

I probably have a stronger negative reaction to this kind of thing than average because, obviously, it has #triggered me lol BUT the fact that it came up when I was searching specifically for books about birth trauma...? Surely that isn't going to go down well for most of that particular demographic. "Hey are you struggling to heal from your traumatic birth? Have you considered that maybe you could have just fucking chosen for it to be better?"

[gachagon]

Recently, I've been playing a game called Wanderstop that released just this week. It's made by the same dev team behind The Stanley Parable with music composed by C418, the musician behind Minecraft's OST. Wanderstop has been really been a welcome change of pace for me inbetween all of these big budget gacha releases, Kodaka projects like Tribe Nine and Hundred Line Defense Academy, and lengthy RPGs.

I've been wanting a new "cozy" game to play. I tried Fields of Mistria and it's fine but to me it's in the same vein as Stardew Valley. I have this issue specifically with new Cozy games where they're not exactly "cozy" or slow paced at all. They're tycoon games pretending to be "Cozy" imo lol and that's fine by me, but every once in a while we get an actual game that really lets you immerse yourself in the cozy little atmosphere it's trying to create.

Wanderstop is a cute 3D storytelling game where you play as a woman named Alta who is a hardened warrior who has never lost a fight, until she lost two battles in a row. Determined to get back on her feet, she searches for an old warrior named Master Winters, but instead comes across a tea shop run by an eccentric little guy named Boro.

The game primarily focuses on Alta making tea for both the customers that come to the shop, and herself as she tries to get into the right headspace and figure out "what's wrong with her".

My favorite thing about this game aside from the way there's no real rush to do anything, is the characters themselves. Particularly Alta is a really great main character, and while she is a deeply troubled person, I find a lot of her struggles relatable to my own average life.

I enjoyed hearing a lot of Alta's personal thoughts and slowly unraveling her backstory as I made different kinds of tea. Even though Wanderstop presents itself as a game where "there's nothing to really do", there was always something to do in regards to Alta and wanting to know more about her as a character.

And her voice actress does a really great job at portraying her character! A lot of the scenes are filled with so much emotion that I really felt for her most of the time. Honestly, I think Alta's the best part about Wanderstop because she's not at all a flat unemotional Main character for you to project yourself onto. Even though her whole "occupation" as a warrior is pretty generic and isn't easily defined through the game, there's enough of her personality to separate herself from the player and cement Alta as a character to be read about, rather than to be an avatar merely for the player to experience the tea shop.

My other favorite thing about this game is just how free it is, and how there's no rules, restrictions, or punishments for doing whatever you actually want to do. As I said before, a LOT of cozy games are just tycoon business games in disguise. Wanderstop isn't like that all, there's no big huge goal for you to work towards, you can serve customers completely at your own pace, make tea at your own pace, and garden whatever you'd like at the moment. You get to decide your schedule for that play session, and I enjoy that aspect very much.

And making the tea is also really fun. You can pretty much chuck whatever you want into the giant tea machine and then serve it or drink it to learn what new reactions the characters will have. If you're not the kind of person who likes a slow pace to their games, then I don't think Wanderstop will really be for you.

In my opinion, Wanderstop is similar in vein to Spiritfarer. They're both great games, but with heavy narrative and a VERY slow game progression with "not a lot to do" and a lot of freedom to do what you want for that game session.

So yeah, check out Wanderstop I've really been liking it so far and it's been great! I actually want to do a second play through once I'm finally finished just so i can see what i missed or if I can solve some customers problems haha.

[post-punk-revival]

What's this anti-psychaitry stuff ? I think I definitely might be misinterpreting what you mean here

Antipsychiatry is a specific political movement based on a framework of ideas, the way you might describe feminism. The most common way I've seen people misunderstand what it is is by reading it as a belief, as in "I don't believe psychology is real" and from there drawing the conclusion it's anti-science and based in conspiratorial ignorance. If that's where you're coming from, that's the misconception I'd like to assuage:

The first and most important thing to do when trying to approach antipsychiatry from antipsychs' standpoint is reframe what you think of as "psychiatry" to begin with. Because the average person associates "psychiatry/psychology" with one of two things—an objective science, or a field of healthcare—it sounds like a batshit fringe thing to declare you're opposed to it as a concept. That is not what psychiatry is when we talk about it, and for those of us who've had personal experience with it, it's not what we've experienced. What we're talking about is a system that's currently in place that has power it can and does utilize over marginalized people. The easiest starting point to this is obviously the concept of involuntary institutionalization, but there's more to a system than just one coercive ability and there is a network of ways people have been victimized by the psychiatric system.

A lot of people have an instinctive negative reaction to hearing about this for the first time because the assumption is that we're ideologically opposed to personal recovery or treatment access, or going around decrying the evils of addictive antidepressants like your aunt Sharon. Maybe some of us are, but that isn't universally what this is about, and imo it shouldn't be such an individualized thing. The way I approach it, this is first and foremost about the autonomy of mentally ill and cognitively disabled people to make their own decisions, which may involve meds or no meds, and certainly involves a lot of areas of life that aren't med-related but psychiatry as a system currently has a hand in.

Something important to remember: human beings wrote the DSM. It wasn't a gospel handed down from God; it's a flawed document with a lot of entries that are understudied, unstudied, or fully fabricated, and treating it like an objective source of fact is unstable ground. The first time I actually looked into antipsychiatry specifically, by name, was learning about "oppositional defiance disorder," the idea that there is a feature of the brain that makes kids "pathologically" averse to deferring to authority (and it mostly gets diagnosed in Black kids, while their white peers get diagnosed with ADHD instead? that's weird! anyway).

But most of us who are talking about this have personal experience with the psychiatric system that led us to firsthand, if emotionally biased, opinions. I have a diagnosis of "gender identity disorder" on my chart after being out as trans to a therapist that, according to the DSM V, decides my "incongruent gender identity" as a flaw of my brain; homosexuality used to be a disorder in the DSM, and asexuality still is. I have a diagnosis of anxiety that has caused urgent care doctors to dismiss me when I had acute breathing issues, and delayed an asthma diagnosis by decades. I'm obviously not anti-treatment, but I can't receive it myself because any diagnosis I'd receive from a therapist for my psychosis would limit my rights, especially as a trans person who wants to emigrate. As a very young kid I was prescribed risperidone to stop my autistic meltdowns so that my parents and teachers wouldn't have to accommodate my sensory needs. And nothing has pushed me further into antipsych conviction than the people who dismissed these complaints as simply how it works, like an unimaginative failure to view manmade constructs as separable from the laws of physics. If the DSM says trans identity is an illness, don't ask why, ask how can we change that?

Something else important to remember: nothing exists in a vacuum. Nothing can exist outside of the larger system of capitalism. Psychiatry needs to be understood as a tool that can be and is weaponized; I'm not in the camp that doesn't see the brain itself as an organ which can be influenced by both internal and external factors like any other, but ask yourself why it's easier to diagnose individual people with depression and prescribe Prozac or breathing exercises than acknowledge when their actual life circumstances might be what's making them feel trapped and desperate.

Antipsychiatry isn't about denying that mental conditions exist at all, or denying those who experience them appropriate treatment to improve their situation. It's an opposition to an oppressive power that can be held over people. That's why a lot of anarchists are antipsych and vice versa. It's not just about ableism and it's not just about institutionalization and it's not just about medication and it's not just about psuedoscience skepticism. It's a comprehensive framework and it's for everyone.

[itsclydebitches]

The amount of times RWBY wants us to feel scared for the safety of characters while conveniently forgetting Aura exists is staggering. Neo attacks Ruby with the intent to kill but her Aura is still active. James almost shoots Marrow with the intent to kill but his Aura is still active. Watts hacks an Atlesian Knight to run towards Qrow, Robyn and the Ace Ops with the intent to explode but their Auras are still all active. Sure the attacks would hurt like hell but they're not gonna kill, why should I fear for their safety?

If we're being generous (I'm having a good night lol) I suppose we could read moments like James vs. Marrow as shocking not because it would be a one-shot death sentence, but because he's threatening - in general - to take Marrow down. Sort of the equivalent of an IRL person raising their fists. Is that an immediate threat to the person's life? No. Are you making it clear that you're willing to fight over this while also ambiguously leaving it open how far you're willing to take things? Yeah.

You're right though, too often RWBY relies on average action threats (a pistol, an explosion, etc.) to raise the stakes without taking into account that none of that should be very scary to our protagonists. Not until their aura breaks (and we have no sense of when that will happen, despite them all supposedly carrying Scrolls to tell them. Which I get because if RWBY introduced clear thresholds of when aura breaks they'd have to actually abide by that rule). I feel the same way about characters about to fall: Ruby hanging off the airship with Neo, Ruby hanging off the cliff while fighting Cordovin, Ruby and Oscar both going down in an airship. The very first technique we're shown is a landing strategy, so how is falling from a massive height - even while taking into account other factors like, say, snagging the farm boy who never went to Huntsmen school and might need to use you as a personal parachute - meant to be taken as a serious threat?

In this regard the void of Volume 8 is actually a GREAT idea. Suddenly your landing strategy doesn't mean a thing if you have nowhere to land. Suddenly a single hit can be a threat. Not because the hit itself would seriously hurt you, but because it might knock you off the edge. I actually love the concept of Yang falling at the start of that fight, RWBY just did such a horrific job of executing it that there's nothing left for me to enjoy. Why does Yang panic like that when, as established, a single hit from Neo is not going to kill Ruby, or even seriously hurt her? Why is she jumping in front of her sister at all when the entire POINT (supposedly) of her Volume 3+ arc was to learn fight smarter, rather than relying on emotional impulsivity? (I will seriously never be over how that moment is an exact repeat of Yang trying to save Blake and yet the show doesn't seem to realize that.) Why does only Blake have a reaction to Yang "dying"? Why didn't the whole team of talented fighters with various ranged weaponry/magic/speed make a serious attempt to catch her?

All of this isn't even taking into account how Yang, as someone who powers up via taking hits, should consistently be standing her ground like she did against the mech, knowing her aura will not only save her, but give her an advantage. She's the tank. If Yang had gotten in front of Ruby with a confident, calm expression that conveyed her understanding that Neo can't one-shot her aura like Adam once did, taking the hit both to spare Ruby's aura and power her semblance as a strategic decision (give her a smirk and a taunting line like, "Thanks for the boost" before knocking Neo back), then later falls some other way after her team tries and fails to save her... that would have been so much better imo.

Yang's lack of engagement with her semblance has been especially frustrating for me after her line about how Adam "cheats." If Yang thinks it sucks that she has to take a beating to gain an edge... show her actually taking a beating to gain an edge. You know, like the show once did. It would be so badass to watch Yang getting in the way of all the attacks against her team, toeing the line between safety and breaking her own aura, before finally EXPLODING with a massive attack she's been saving up for, making that sacrifice worth it.

(Also potentially devastating if she's taking those hits with turning the tide in mind... but then she falls before she can see her plan through.)

[waitingforsecretsouls]

Zahard downplay is crazy. I'll grant Phantaminum (though regardless of how easily he could have defeated Zahard, fact of the matter is also that for some reason he didn't *shrug*). But Enryu (in its extent) and Urek?

Enryu fought an Admin (whom I, and that's just my personal opinion, believe to not be categorically more powerful than fully realized Irregulars outside of their supposed administrator monopoly over shinsu and its distribution, at least no to the point of categorically out fire - powering said Irregulars) and some fodder but people make the gulf between him an Zahard akin to heaven and earth (nevermind that Enryu is not an administrator, so the whole "but he killed one, and SIU said Zahard could never do it!" is somewhat of a false equivalent to draw for a hypothetical Enryu and Zahard battle. Anyone remember the whole "King of the Tower" Zahard deal, granted said position by virtue of the administrators? Of course he couldn't kill an administrator, he's the Irregular with the most known administrator contracts ("shackles") out of them all).

Mind you, I'm not even saying Zahard would win against Enryu or anything, but he IS 1) a fellow Irregular capable of Shinwonryu 2) a physical anomaly and durability machine, so I don't think it's weird to grant him better reaction times and endurance to say, a first volley of "Red Rain", than background rank and file Rankers. He also categorically doesn't underestimate people, even his far younger and inexperienced data only gradually tested Bam because he absolutely trashed him in their first encounter and wanted to have some fun, so it's unlikely Outside Zahard wouldn't realize the threat Enryu poses (SIU did say he had excellent survival instincts as befitting an adventurer) or not start all out. I'd even argue that to Outside Zahard a nearly hopeless fight to the death would be the equivalent of the fun his data self had with Bam, whether he himself has realized that or not (as reckognized by his data <3).

Urek punched through some scenery, fought an upjumped administrator parasite, needing Bam's help for the finish and had an exchange of hits with Luslec who chose to bounce. The fact of this extended battle screentime alone makes it narratively unlikely that Zahard is only going to be slightly more dangerous, because I see no way that wouldn't feel highly underwhelming to the audience. But even with those "feats" trying to argue that he's more powerful and how widespread that opinion seems already is kinda crazy. There's a reason 90% of Urek>Zahard is based on the old blogpost info about Arie Hon saying that Urek was "far better" than him when they fought at his floor (which. Big whoop, so was Zahard, 10:1 in that regard for him, since we're using blogpost info and such).

And again in reverse, I'm not saying Urek is not incredibly powerful in his own right or deserving of his high ranking, simply that he has yet to tangibly demonstrate something that would put, say, his physical strength (something I've surprisingly often seen as the edge people would give him over Zahard, when imo, giving him an advantage in speed seems far more likely, given his signature technique of "firing shinsu at the speed of light" and everything about Zahard's highlighted monstrous strength) above Zahard, who has the entire Princess of Zahard stuff on his side as a "feat" in that regard alone (creating Princesses out of not only Great Family members but even random Towerborn physically superior to all Ten Great Families average and the (physical) equal of Rankers even all the way back on the Floor of Tests with just a little of his power).

I'll also say that the whole concept of "yeah, number 1 and 2 are definitely stronger than number three (this checks out), but ACTUALLY number four was also stronger than number three all along!" (Uhh, what? In that case, don't give Urek a definitive ranking built into the earlierst lore, that so far checks out (Phantaminum>Enryu>Zahard), and make him a Traumerei or something) would just feel...Random. Especially since number three is the primary antagonist of the whole series.

Tldr; I see the gap between Zahard and Urek as likely to be wider than the one between Zahard and Enryu.

[sandraharissa]

So a normal average person engaging with arcane and seeing the conflict pertaining Jinx as ‘monstrous’ vs ‘healthy’ sees the situation in like, the normal way these things really work but I don’t think this outlook should be projected onto the characters.

This meta is motivated by me remembering how ppl would often frame the conflict between Vi and Silco as ‘Vi wants Jinx to be healthy and Silco wants her to be monstrous’ and honestly idk why I didn’t write this earlier, I guess I didn’t care cos there were a lot of bad takes flying around back then but I wanna talk about it now.

My thesis is that both Silco and Vi want Jinx to change in some ways and the simple way of saying it is ‘come out Powder’/’Powder must die’ but I’d argue another way of describing the conflict is seeing Jinx’s mental issues and not seeing them, but in opposite ways ig.

It’s a bizarre take to say Silco doesn’t see or understand Jinx’s issues or that he doesn’t want to solve them. The shared trauma is literally the basis for their bond and overcoming trauma is literally at the core of Silco’s ideology. Silco is the character who’s shown to be the most aware of Jinx’s issues and who helps her the most. He in his lair surrounded himself in water and Jinx in her lair surrounds herself with memorabilia of her family, both things that would trigger them but this environment shows that they exposure therapy-ed their way through it. Jinx gets a PTSD flashback from tinkering with the arcane and she goes to Silco for comfort and he takes her to where he suffered his trauma and literally gives her a pep talk about becoming a stronger person and it works! and Jinx goes back to tinkering with the arcane unafraid, and of course the finale where he seems aware that Jinx is in distress while Vi isn’t. Then there’s other things like how she helps him take shimmer or her space in the rafters, both things that would convey that she is needed and trusted, so things that would appease her insecurities and abandonment issues. These are small things but they convey that Silco is aware of Jinx’s issues and models their relationship and environment in order to adjust it to her needs. So basically Silco wants Jinx to be monstrous AND healthier cos he perceives these as the same thing. Based on his dialogue being a monster = being stronger = being a new person = not being the old, weak and afraid person = overcoming your traumatic past.

Conversely Vi has a lot of throwaway lines like ‘and I thought Powder could get obsessed’ and also just from her behavior in act 1, even tho we can already tell smth is wrong with Powder Vi seems oblivious to it, or she underestimates how bad it is. She gives her advice but it seems like general advice one would give to any younger sibling. Powder has a violent panic attack (? or maybe meltdown?) and it seems Vi didn’t anticipate it, she never sees it happen and then after the fact she never learns it even happened. When they’re little we the audience take notice of how Powder has no reaction to their parents’ corpses but Vi doesn’t. We the audience see her excitedly waiting for her bomb to pepper a teenager with nails but Vi doesn’t. And so Vi has these memories of Powder as being just a normal little girl and that there was nothing wrong about her, and seeing Jinx of course she initially assumes Jinx faked loyalty in order to survive only to switch to believing Silco got her brainwashed and mind-controlled so bad that she has to physically remove Jinx from his presence/influence to get through to her, the REAL her. She essentially wrongly assumes Powder used to be ‘normal’ and works off of that false assumption, and imo that’s a huge part of the sisters’ misunderstanding. She sees Jinx enjoy violence but I highly doubt Vi sees this and like the audience thinks of possible diagnosis, I think what she thinks/notices is that her sister acts immorally, so it’s less about her health and more about morals, ‘this is bad cos my sister’s kinda a bad person now, Silco corrupted her’. The tricky thing here are the hallucinations, several times Jinx speaks to no one and Vi has no reaction whatsoever to this and so it’s hard to judge why that is but my thinking is that she’s just too stressed out and overwhelmed in these situations to address this. Cos it’s not like Vi ever has a line like ‘I need to take Powder away from Silco cos he treats her so badly she has hallucinations now’ so like I said, no reaction to the hallucinations in the moment and then later she never has any thoughts about them like she didn’t even notice. And then we’ve got the finale where she triggers Jinx and doesn’t even know it.

But obvs it’s not a one person is completely wrong and another is completely right situation. 

Silco’s understanding of Powder’s mental health issues and his own experience make him think that Jinx’s ‘monstrous’ aspects are good actually, the exact same way he thinks about himself, he in his mind likely equates them, the cruelty, the lack of empathy, the power-seeking to a sense of independence, protection from further trauma, protection from panic attacks etc. so he completely lacks understanding of Jinx’s issues (that maybe aren’t directly a matter of mental illnesses depending on whether you interpret Jinx to have APD but influence her mental state negatively anyway).

Meanwhile Vi has no understanding of all of the mental health issues Powder suffered from however that also makes it extremely clear to her when she comes back that there’s smth wrong with her sister. So even tho she never talks about ‘Powder getting better’, so again from Vi’s pov it’s not about mental health, she has great understanding that Jinx’s current issues are issues that need solving.

So de facto the whole ‘retrieving Powder’ vs ‘letting Powder die’ boils down to removing the part of Jinx/Powder that’s bad for her and based on the characters’ different perspectives on Jinx they want her to either move on from the trauma that was being Powder or erase the corruption of the Jinx persona.

Obvs both are wrong <3, Vi idealizes the image of Powder, her sister, and Silco idealizes the image of Jinx, his daughter, and right now they’re in competition over her and they’re not about to lose lol.