#bg is nonexistent as always

[santoschristos]

“Reality cannot be found except in One single source, because of the interconnection of all things with one another.” — Gottfried Leibniz

नासतो विद्यते भावो नाभावो विद्यते सतः। उभयोरपि दृष्टोऽन्तस्त्वनयोस्तत्त्वदर्शिभिः।।2.16।।

nāsato vidyate bhāvo nābhāvo vidyate sataḥ ubhayor api dṛṣṭo ’ntas tv anayos tattva-darśibhiḥ

Translation

Those who are seers of the truth have concluded that of the nonexistent [the material body] there is no endurance and of the eternal [the soul] there is no change. This they have concluded by studying the nature of both.

Purport

There is no endurance of the changing body. That the body is changing every moment by the actions and reactions of the different cells is admitted by modern medical science; and thus growth and old age are taking place in the body. But the spirit soul exists permanently, remaining the same despite all changes of the body and the mind. That is the difference between matter and spirit. By nature, the body is ever changing, and the soul is eternal. This conclusion is established by all classes of seers of the truth, both impersonalist and personalist. In the Viṣṇu Purāṇa (2.12.38) it is stated that Viṣṇu and His abodes all have self-illuminated spiritual existence (jyotīṁṣi viṣṇur bhuvanāni viṣṇuḥ). The words existent and nonexistent refer only to spirit and matter. That is the version of all seers of truth.

This is the beginning of the instruction by the Lord to the living entities who are bewildered by the influence of ignorance. Removal of ignorance involves the reestablishment of the eternal relationship between the worshiper and the worshipable and the consequent understanding of the difference between the part-and-parcel living entities and the Supreme Personality of Godhead. One can understand the nature of the Supreme by thorough study of oneself, the difference between oneself and the Supreme being understood as the relationship between the part and the whole. In the Vedānta-sūtras, as well as in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, the Supreme has been accepted as the origin of all emanations. Such emanations are experienced by superior and inferior natural sequences. The living entities belong to the superior nature, as it will be revealed in the Seventh Chapter. Although there is no difference between the energy and the energetic, the energetic is accepted as the Supreme, and the energy or nature is accepted as the subordinate. The living entities, therefore, are always subordinate to the Supreme Lord, as in the case of the master and the servant, or the teacher and the taught. Such clear knowledge is impossible to understand under the spell of ignorance, and to drive away such ignorance the Lord teaches the Bhagavad-gītā for the enlightenment of all living entities for all time.

[omccee]

1 - always wanted see calder hair down

2 - played with computer: random pick isn't good with bg details, random noise in krita makes image gray i have to find noise brush

3 - sketch aumtzi is so kissable (i wanted him to touch calder in shoulder, but idk how to draw hands)

4 - probably the canonest aumtzi i ever drew (except bottom right)

5 - i lost interest to finish it, theres calder and murrit had conversation, ellsee perplexed with grown tension of these two, wanting to smoothly change the topic, ignored she leaves them, murrit disappointed with calder and latter comes to terms he ruins everything he touches again (series of nonexistent sketches haha)

6 - calder was bald for long forgotten time, in general i wanted to just see short aumtzi, calder was accidental

7 - i wanted see calder happy, since he and aumtzi never had happy emotions, and my delulu fujo brain wanted some cute couple image, lost interest to finish

8 - yay domestic aumtzi (i like to think he cooks on hot sand and fire outside his lab hive)

[zorkowa]

hello, I bought the witcher 3 and I lost all remains of my social life..... anyway, here’re my two ultimate favorites from the game: leshens and fiends!!!

[ufonaut]

everyone always gets so fixated on kyle's nonexistent connection to his absent father's heritage that they completely ignore some of the best parts of him that are canon & thoroughly explored in his run. i present to you a collection of vital kyle facts (of the fun variety and otherwise) that are much more relevant to his life than anything else hcs may bring: he grew up dirt poor and lived in a trailer for most of his childhood, he speaks gaelic and is highly in touch with his irish bg, he’s never once celebrated halloween growing up, he’s got an abysmal track record at school and has failed just about every class you can think of, he nearly drowned when he was eleven years old, he can’t handle horror movies.

there. a brief portrait of kyle as a well-rounded character, on the house.

(gl 1990 #113, gl #88, gl #93, gl #118, gl: circle of fire #7, gl #125, gl #129, aquaman 1994 #10)

[futilecombat]

MARZEN UR ART IS SO GOOD!!!!? I love how u shade and like the pops of color and the BG and OUGH. If u like ever wanted to hit me w Saiki thoughts I am ALL ears

WAHHH TYSM This is actually a super new art direction for me so im really happy to hear it looks cool :]

Saiki thoughts under the cut because it got a little long LMAO (+ spoilers for all of kofxiii for anyone else reading)

My saiki thoughts… I get that most kof antagonists exist pretty much purely to fill that role and aren’t meant to be all that complex or nuanced but ive always found the implications of saiki’s character to be SUPER intriguing, especially as he relates to ash.

I think their relationship could’ve been a really interesting point to expand on further considering they’d probably been in contact for at least a notable amount of time as ash was trying to gain saiki’s trust prior to the events of xiii. Some of this can probably be attributed to like, budgetary limitations and character design fundamentals, but i find it fascinating how similar they are in ways that extend beyond their genetic appearances; their similar outfits, hairstyles, mannerisms, and most strikingly the fact that they almost frame-for-frame share some animations and gestures is something worth interpreting to me when they’re presented as forces in opposition. These two characters who become known to particularly despise each other are also a perfect mirror of the other like that has to be doing something to their brains. Thinking about his pre-battle dialogue against ash in particular..

+ Additionally saiki is by all means “the original” between him & ash ie. he is the ancestor and ash is the descendant, saiki existed first, but he’s constantly referred to as the fake ash, someone similar to ash, someone who looks like ash etc by most characters because of the circumstances of the universe he’s placed himself in by travelling through time. He’s not meant to exist anymore, and now he’s technically being preceded by ash’s presence. It’s like a constant asterisk on saiki’s personhood. I think that also could’ve been something to look at in closer focus.

There’s also the sheer amount of unanswered questions about his group in general ie. what genre of inhuman are they? why were they antagonized by humans in the first place? did they deserve it? how do they feel about that? did they leave anything personal behind when they changed time? who are most of these other guys? how did they start working with ash in the present? what’s the internal dynamic etc etc. There’s a lot to think about. The premise alone regarding trying to literally rearrange your own history for the upper hand is full of intrigue.

Going back to what i said about how saiki wasn’t meant to have survived in the timeline in which ash exists— I think that’s what really got me about the “all’s right in the world” poem at the end of xiii beyond the obvious .. I suppose that the line really is true. If those from the past had never time travelled, i’d guess they likely would’ve died in the situation that pushed them to that outcome in the first place, and in the canon event that they DID time travel, saiki was erased by ash. In the grand scheme of the universe, it didn’t even matter. Their ancestry never having existed is what returns the world to it’s “correct” state… they’re an anomaly in the order of things. Its like… (gesturing wildly) neither of them, on a cosmic level, belong in the world they find themselves in. In congruence with this, saiki hated this world and tried desperately to claw out of it. Despite this, ash found in himself love for this world and corrected the anomaly to his own nonexistance. Perfect mirrors !

[filthyjanuary]

Hi! Just saw ur dbh post and it was super eye-opening as a white fan, and def compounds things I’ve noticed myself.

I will say as a longtime dbh (sort of) fan, I think one of the reasons ur seeing so little content of characters of color is that honestly a lot of fans of Markus and fans of color have moved on. It was def an issue from the get go, but dbh does suck a lot when it comes to writing its nonwhite characters. There used to be a sizeable Simarkus and Markus/Connor fandom. Obviously I can only theorize, but I wouldn’t be surprised if ppl who came to dbh for the revolution type story got more tired of it quickly than the “I like reed900 Bc angry gay men”

Also this isn’t me trying to take away from ur point (like I’m only still in dbh Bc of Gavin/reed900 but I think you are very correct); u just mentioned u were new to the fandom and I do want to assure you that it wasn’t always this bad

hello! thanks for stopping by and i’m glad it got you thinking. like i said in my tags, as personally frustrating as it can be for me, i’m not here to ship shame people and i hope people are having fun shipping whatever they ship, i just want people to be more aware of what they’re doing and also how fandom environments often make fans of colour feel, so it’s very validating to get a message like this that acknowledges the point and isn’t hostile. like i’m a woc and i still often find myself falling into the habit of prioritizing white characters over characters of colour because growing up in a society that prioritizes white people over poc will do that to you! i hold no ill will for reed900 shippers, it’s just a great example of something that i’ve seen in a lot of fandoms.

i definitely can’t comment on like the entire fandom’s history, because i’m so new here, so you’re right it’s possible people just got bored or tired and left, but just speaking as someone who’s left fandoms out of sheer frustration several times before, i think it’s also possible that there was an initial problem that pushed fans of colour and/or fans of characters of colour away and out of the fandom, which only left a certain group which then extrapolated the problem in like a neverending feedback loop, but you’re right. this game is almost three years old, i can’t truly comment on what the fandom atmosphere has been like for all that time. and i don’t think it’s fair to blame the writing. a lot of the writing is bad overall. and a lot of the writing is straight up nonexistent. like i think there’s plenty of room to fix perhaps questionable writing choices than create a whole new personality for a minor character. or like, again, as someone who is totally down for crackships and just shipping culture in general, why not do both? if we’re gonna give bg characters with no personalities, personalities, why not officer miller or officer person or one of the other bg characters of colour?

or even with what you said, markus/connor for example, i think with how many paths the game can take, there’s just as much like antagonistic/enemies ‘angry gay men’ dynamic to explore as there is with reed900, like it’s the perfect enemies-to-friends-to-lovers dynamic, and if you like having fun in the antagonistic realm you can keep them in the enemies/frenemies sphere, like the game even LETS you do that. like again, i don’t have any answers here and i’m not like out here arguing that people are going out of their way to consciously prioritize white people and erase poc but it’s just something to think about, you know?

anyway thanks again for the message! i’m always down to have discussions like this when everyone’s keeping it respectful.

[mareliini]

of Tangled and Corona and fictional maps

lads i just got up with pure spite bc my morning eyes fell into this post and to yet another “official” map and I want to talk about this. Listen. A couple of friends and I are going semi-feral over maps plastered in tts so it’s time to share that small collection and also yell. Presented below

1. Strategy room map

(ignore the fact the screencap is from rapunzeltopia. It doesn’t matter, only the rock placement is different and also nonexistent in the real map. I couldn’t bother my ass to go find a pic of the real map from s1 bc Fred always stands on the way and it doesn’t matter)

Immediate notes: Corona is positioned on a peninsula. There’s no way to tell the scale of the map but it appears to be rough topography map (argument point: mountains are drawn and not showed like they usually would but I’m a bitch and will ignore than in favour of ranting about that weird worm formation on north). (Seriously what’s up with that weird formation what could it be)

North of the country appears to be quite flat and near the ocean level while south of the country is higher ground (this at least pairs up with the “official” map which i will talk about later).

Wall... sure exists, but its placement in relation to sunflower spot and corona main city baffles me.

Sea monster status: hiding behind too fancy north arrow

2. Varian’s map

(screencapped and very fervently edited in ms paint by your’s truly. It’s missing some bits and pieces but also I’m not redoing it)

Immediate notes: starts the long line of “Varian appearing with some funky perspective map please learn to draw them like a sane person would” nightmare maps, yet somehow still the most accurate description of the country.

The peninsula shape is WILDY different from the strategy room map and they each have different river and lake formations. Peninsula here appears a lot smaller and shorter, and while we see some resemblance for scaling in the border, there’s no explanation for it still. Waterfall visible in some other maps is further south here and whole country seems to be more or less mountain/hill area.

Corona might have some map tradition of drawing maps only relevant for certain areas (Old Corona has given lots of detail here down to the field placements compared to other villages or to the capital which leads me to think other places might do the same). By style it tries to emulate old timey maps which is fine, bc they were all more or less mind maps.

Wall: has towers now

Sea monster status: it apparently exists but I cut it out (friend pointed out)

3. Movie map and book map

(Book map pic credit at the link at the very start of this hellshow of a post) I’m putting these two together bc from the bunch, they resemble each others the most (and are also only maps not shown in the series). Movie credit map seems to be almost identical for book map, just zoomed in.

Immediate notes: this is? drawn by Eugene? (I said and rewatched s2e3 which revealed man can’t draw shit but still) We have a scale now but un-fUCKING-FORTUNATELY it tells us shit. We can always assume that 0 ---- Kilometres means ---- is 1km, but there’s really no way telling that and thus I sadly have to ignore it. It’s also a mind map yet again, does corona...... does corona have any real geographers? no?

Capital placement differs from show maps and so does the peninsula shape, again. Unlike previous maps where landmass kept growing north, here it caps off, indicating even longer peninsula Corona is only a part of. South part of the country appears to be high cliffs while north part has fields and villages, which pairs with strategy room topography map, but could also just be weird perspective. Nothing’s so far explaining the worm formation.

Waterfall I pointed out in previous map actually factoid error, it is here in the same mountain area too. The out-of-the-country bridge is further south compared to varian’s map, but Old corona has still weirdly got lots of focus (ya telling me this bitch ass country got only two bigger towns??). Movie&book map has other, mostly movie related details not relevant and thus not visible in show maps, which saddens me a bit bc hey........ maps.... should be equal..... show us the dam in other maps too you cowards...

Wall: doesnt run from sea to sea, has towers

Sea monster status: definitely there

4. Spire map

Lord forgive me from ever trying to screencap this monster. Whoever did this should be both publicly shamed and fired from making any more maps, I have no words. Friend yelled in chat when I showed this. It’s a spawn of satan and not in a wholesome blue exorcist way.

Immediate notes: Burn it. There’s no north arrow, but based on Capital’s position north is either up or up-left corner (depending on which maps we go by). Neither of those position saves this map from the fact that thERE IS NO LANDMASS IN SOUTH OF CORONA THAT COULD FIT ALL OF THIS. IT’S A PENINSULA. THE WHOLE TIP OF PENINSULA IS CORONA. FUCK OFF-

Wall: Schrödinger's wall at this point

Sea monster status: finally defeated, like my sanity

5. Strategy map vol2

for some reason they had time to place down individual trees yet there’s no fields and also the river is all wrong when compared to reality.

Immediate notes: a clear example of really zoomed in map, the whole portion of the country between capital and old corona is skipped and that’s fine. North arrow comparable with previous show maps but not with movie&book map so it feels like they exist in entirely different universe where whole continent is slightly sifted to north-east.

I’d want to believe this maps gives more accurate reading to Old corona than Varian’s map, giving it’s nature, but it also does.... have the river all wrong and it drives me so mad.

Wall: is there

Sea monster status: left

- Bonus map for the geologists *blows kiss*

I am so sorry but they just bullshitted that particular group project there is no way, listen. I appreciate the effort clearly done here in cataloguing rock placements in what appears to be Old corona but a) they are facing south (Capital is always to the west and can be seen in the bg here) and you’re making pure assumptions based on how they are behaving on the very edges of your east border there and b) thAT PARTICULAR PIECE OF PAPER, LISTEN, that particular piece of paper is positioned smack under Old corona and it’s tunnel system yet you nuckleheads somehow think it’s comparable for the island’s tunnel system oN THE OTHER SIDE OF YOUR COUNTRY CAN YOU EVER STOP TO THINK-

--

I do have the map of s2 places but given how shitass of a map it is I chose not to include it here. It makes me so angry. Not quite as angry as the Spire map but it’s up there and I do not want to think about it. Also I don’t think it was even meant to be accurate or show any real continents so looking at it would give u nothing.

[stateofgrace-acoustic]

lover - first song ranking & thoughts

first of all i just need to say i legitimately don’t feel ‘meh’ about a single song on this album. on any other album. i always had one or two songs i was just kind of ‘take it or leave it’ about. but Lover really did that - they’re all amazing and wonderful. but here’s an attempt at an order of how much i love them!

18. it’s nice to have a friend

this really reminds me of you are in love in the way it recounts all the small gestures and steps involved in becoming close to somebody. it’s really cute and at the perfect space on the album, leading to daylight. not a mindblowing song or anything, but the vibe fits onto lover really well. i’m glad that it’s here 

17. you need to calm down

yeah, i cooled down on this one a little bit. it’s fun and the message is important, but me! is the better single tbh. still though, the feeling of empowerment this gives me over my nonexistent online haters is wonderful. and i love the attitude of the song of just looking at the assholes who live their entire lives putting energy into hating people and just being like....why are you like this. it’s pathetic. calm the hell down. so needed in our current debate culture

16. me!

a real grower! taylor and brendon urie have such good chemistry, tbh that’s really the backbone of the song. it’s just a really nice carefree spring/summertime self love song, a perfect soundtrack for when you feel happy and content with yourself. 

15. the man

just dropping the complete truth on us with this one. i’ve wanted taylor to make this song for years (and i know she said she’s been wanting to but just never found the right words!) the bridge really elevates this too. and it’s sad how relatable the entire song is in literally every aspect of professional (and personal) life for women. i don’t think it’s quite as strong as it could have been, but still really solid

14. i think he knows

this is like the fun version of dress. that’s all i got to say. just as explicit, but this time around it’s super cheeky and i love it. also goals of self confidence if i’ve ever seen them

13. paper rings

the joyful energy this has!! just makes you smile and want to dance immediately, a wonderful wholesome happy bop

12. false god

listen.....this is special. i absolutely think this is the most experimental song on the album, both in terms of the music (is that a saxophone in the bg?? it’s almost got a jazzy vibe? completely uncomparable to anything she’s ever done and still so distinctly Taylor), but also with the lyrics, where she goes into the love = religion theme which honestly....as a Florence + the Machine and Hozier fan, i don’t even need to go into how much of a vibe that is. I couldn’t have imagined it working so well for Taylor though, but honestly, this song feels perfectly brooding, summertimey, melancholy, - it’s almost like taking the darker underside of Cruel Summer and exploring it in depth! this is very much a song i need to be in a Specific Mood to really appreciate, but it’s damn well made

11. afterglow

i love the maturity of this. not just the apologizing for picking a fight, but explaining how it came to be - at the end, from a place deep seated anxiety. ‘it’s all me, in my head’ (those high notes are beautiful) you can really feel how sorry she is. at the same time, the song sounds like something bigger, like an anthem - almost like that place high above that she’s trying to elevate them to.

10. i forgot that you existed

SO MUCH FUN i keep repeating that but that’s just the mood of this album tbh, playful and mature at the same time. this song is just like, when you’re over someone but you just can’t help yourself and have to throw shade one last time before moving on. i love the bouncy beat!!

9. lover

this song is literally the feeling of ‘home’ in music. so cozy, comfortable, blissful. dreamy. perfect title track. also completely timeless - i think this is one of those songs that we will look back on in years as a classic in her catalogue, a song you will always want to play again

8. the archer

this was my definite favorite of the pre released songs. anxiety, doubts, the way they all just keep coming back and eating at you, it’s described so perfectly and painfully. and the production really makes it sound like you’re in a separate space from reality, just stuck in your head trying to find a way forward, to soothe yourself. the ‘they see right through me / i see right through me’ transition in the bridge is fantastic and keeps giving me chills. so much personal connection to this one

7. soon you’ll get better

feels weird to even rank this but......just wow. the harmonies with the dixie chicks are so beautiful, and the way the lyrics talk about the feeling between denial and desperate hope, the transition from “because you have to” to “because I have to” - I have to cling to this hope, or i won’t make i - it completely broke my heart. and the fact that Taylor can conjure all these complex emotions with just a guitar and a few words is incredible. i’m so so sorry for them and i wish all the best for Andrea with my entire heart. 

6. london boy

i already see people underappreciating this, what is going on??? there are multiple cute bouncy joyful songs on this album but this is my favorite because it’s just got a fantastic flow and melody, and i love all of the references to places and dialect specific words and it’s just so wholesome?? but what really makes this is (once again) the bridge. stick with ME im your QUEEN like a tennessEE stella mccartNEY, just the energy!! the fun!! excuse me while i listen to this every day for the rest of my life

5. miss americana & the heartbreak prince

okay, taylor’s brain in this one. i made a post talking about how this song has three layers - at first there’s the high school setting, then it references the ‘cancelling’ of Taylor’s public persona, but then it can also be seen as a comment on US politics and the whole climate of society right now. and it’s all tied together perfectly because high school is the perfect metaphor for this!! she’s basically saying we’re all behaving like immature school children, bullying each other for the stupidest reasons, mob mentality, stupid contests, fabricated stories made up to tear people down, and the feeling of loneliness but also fear and horror that comes with all that for the people who are the victims of it.....it’s literally all like high school in the worst way. i just love this concept, and the melody and production give me a little bit of a reputation vibe almost? which is perfect for the song, the dark dramatic vibe shows the feeling of fear most of all and that’s just....too real. 

4. death by a thousand cuts

........listen, i surely didn’t think that Taylor would write one of her best breakup songs in the year of our lord 2019, but here we are. it’s once again, the small moments she recounts. taking the long way home. the uncertainty if it will ever be fine again. and the bridge/second verse / whatever that part is but that entire part. ‘paper cuts from my paper thin plans’, excuse me. the fact that she wrote this about a movie where a couple breaks up after years really shows tbh, because it’s especially that kind of....not being able to find a part of yourself that isn’t influenced by the other person, that’s so horrible and makes moving on so painful. i also love the production which makes this sound so uptempo, contrasting the lyrics! idk the entire song just clicks into place for me

3. daylight

this is like a summary of the entire album (and with the reference to the past and especially red, it’s even connecting her entire discography together). it’s like the clean of this album, except this time around it feels more complex - all the subtle references to past mistakes, ghosts, that might not be so easy to wash away. i’ve already mentioned that i love about the album (and this song especially) how it doesn’t gloss over negative experiences but addresses them directly, like looking them in the eye and then saying ‘you don’t have the power to define me’. that’s what this song feels like - it’s not unabashedly celebratory, it’s actually quite melancholic, but also full of real healing, a feeling of peace and reconciliation. and the ‘i once believed love would be black and white / burning red, but it’s golden’.....excuse me.....how dare she

2. cornelia street

god, what a magical song. the kind of episodic buildup that Taylor excels at. the vibrancy of the production matching the vibrancy of the relationship as it develops, revolving around this one place in its multiple stages, and then the repeated, deep seated fear of losing all that. it’s just. ugh. what can i even say. and so so catchy. the “listen..” killed me. just like delicate, the vibe between fear and being drunk on happiness is so so well done.

1. cruel summer

oh yes. and here we have an absolute perfection of a pop song. incredible catchiness. smart, clever lyrics but also that underlying vibe of sadness and anxiety. seriously, the complexity this has?? and then that soaring bridge, the chaotic but beautiful but painful reality of all of it coming together. ‘i love you, ain’t that the worst thing you ever heard?’ idk this song just transcends everything for me friends. it’s like the vibe of out of the woods or maybe even style but the lyrics are even more sharp, they cut a little deeper, literally ‘summer’s a knife’. this is a song she only could’ve written influenced by reputation: there’s happiness but there’s that edge in it too. idk if anything i’m saying makes sense. i love this song so so so much. 

[ssfoc]

Do you think the lack of support from Simon Cowell and Syco not really supporting Louis' solo music so far, and his debut album not having a release date yet, is because Louis has always said no to being a judge on xfactor? And after seeing that they won't let him off for 2 years now, Louis has accepted in exchange for something in his career and life?

I’m really not sure how to interpret the facts as we see them, what the cause and effect are, tbh.

At the beginning of 2016, RBB was shut down, and Louis was forced to play along. Cue 1 billion pap walks. Whether Danielle was Louis’ idea (so as to distance himself from BG) or from TPTB isn’t clear. Jay’s illness further complicated things. It was the first year he was “rumored” to be an XF judge, and eventually he did a short stint on AGT. That might have been a compromise.

What’s most puzzling to me is what happened during the last seven months.

Everything stopped. No pap walks. No stunts. No music. Hardly any presence on SM. Management was dropped on May 1.

Now everything picks up as if there was no interruption and no change in his situation at all. Same shitty headlines. Same beard. Same charades of “not Larry.”

What was the silence for, then? Was it for illness or other personal reasons? Was it so Harry could finish his tour without fandom rebellion? It’s coincidental, the tour ending just before XF starts.

Was it a negotiation of sorts? I don’t know. Frankly, I’m skeptical. Louis doesn’t seem to have gotten much out of doing everything he’s done so far. He spent a night in jail. He got terrible, or nonexistent, promo for the singles he did. He’s viewed as “the one that didn’t make it.” He wrote most of the songs for 1D, but can’t even write 12 songs for himself.

Some might view Simon’s getting Louis to do XF as a way to promote the show, and that might certainly be a collateral benefit. But it is also a way to humiliate him, to put him in his place. It’s a way of telling him he’s not better than this. He will always be subservient to Simon and Sony. They won.

[emuellersblog]

the places that grow you

It has never occurred to me to think of places as anything more than a setting for the events in my life. Because of the way I grew up, I never had time to grow an attachment to a place. We were always moving from one location to the next with no time to enjoy what was in front of us. Because of this, I did not learn to give places meaning until rather recently. However, there is one corner of the world that I truly feel belongs to me; one place that I can recognize as my own, as something that cannot be taken away from me as any other place in my life. It does not have lush scenery or a tranquil effect, but it has brought me more peace in six months than any river or state park ever has. The best part about this place is that I do not have to travel far to get there; in fact, I do not have to travel at all. It is right in front of me and surrounding me all at once. The home I have created here in Bowling Green, Ohio is inviting, familiar, and the most special place I have ever been to. No matter where I am in the world, I know that I have this piece of the map to come back to and to have as my own.

My college career does not look like many others; though many of us have been victims of the thief of joy that is the global pandemic, my time in higher education had been unlike the typical experience prior to such events. During my freshman year, I did not make any friends. I was committed to staying on the dry route for my college career. No drinking, no smoking, no partying. I wanted to make friends organically without forcing myself to take part in activities that would cause me to be disappointed in myself later on. While I acknowledge that it is not impossible to meet people without partying, I was finding it particularly difficult at this time. Therefore, most of my days were spent studying and my nights concluded with a Netflix documentary. Nothing exciting, no real “college experience” taking place. I would picture the perfect freshman year, with friends coming in and out of my room at all times. Images of inside jokes and barging into friends’ rooms would fill my head at night. While this was not my experience, I could imagine how it would have been nice.

There unfortunately is never much to report when reflecting on my second year of college. I stayed home because of the pandemic, so my days of lonely dorm dinners were cut short. I sometimes wish I had chosen to stay on campus for this year, regardless of the lack of interaction I would have had anyway. Just knowing that there was a whole world that I was missing out on, I felt isolated from what I loved. I figured that when I came back for my third year, I would be so far removed from the culture created in BG that I would never be able to find a place where I fit in. I wasn’t here for the communal struggle that was college in the pandemic, I didn’t have any crazy stories to tell at parties for people to enjoy, I didn’t even have any friends on campus. When I signed the lease to live in a house with five girls that I did not know, I thought I was making a huge mistake. I expected to be excluded from their excursions, to be seen as a placeholder in the house so they didn’t have to pay more in rent. I was so used to missing out at this point that my expectations were almost nonexistent. Eventually, the summer rolled around, and I had to start preparing for the school year. With fear in my heart, I packed my whole life up into my little Mercury and headed off to Bowling Green for the first time in over a year.

Everything changed when I moved into my house in Bowling Green. All of my fears were laid to rest as I became acquainted with my roommates. I assumed that the girls would already have their cliques and not be privy to the idea of opening their circle up to a stranger. However, being with them has taught me to embrace change. They have shown me that not everything has to be exclusive and that just because I missed out in the past, that doesn’t mean that I have to miss out in the future. From the moment I moved in, everyone in the house was kind and inviting. Within two months, I had five new people that I could trust with my life. I now understood what it was like to have friends that barge into your room dragging you to get coffee or to have someone that calls you to wake you up in the morning because they know that you struggle with getting out of bed sometimes. It isn’t just friendship that floods this house, but love and compassion for one another. It’s laughing until 4:00 in the morning looking at TikTok. It’s borrowing mascara and shirts before going out. It’s consulting with the council about any decision we make. It’s knowing that I don’t have to feel alone at night, even if I’m physically by myself. It’s igloos in a snowstorm and all-nighters during exam week. It’s love. Unconditional, platonic, and consistent love for one another. Something that had been missing from my life for so long.

I know that there are endless places that provoke feelings of serenity, peace, or hope that look plenty different from Bowling Green. But with what I have gained from being here, it beats mountains and oceans. Because for the first time in my life, I am able to stay somewhere. I have a place that isn’t going anywhere. If there is anything that I have learned from my experience from moving back to school that I would share with anyone, it’s to stop searching high and low for a place that makes you feel like you belong. More than likely, that place has been right in front of you the whole time, anticipating your eventual acknowledgement. The simplest of moments with the right people can be easy to overlook when thinking about the larger theme of an important place. We immediately want to think about a vacation spot or a childhood home, and those are valid answers. However, I urge you to look around at your current situation: how many beautiful moments have you been underappreciating because you have been looking in the wrong places? What are you missing in the moment when you are reflecting on the past? My favorite place does not have extravagant scenery, just a wall full of condoms and some (completely legally obtained) yard signs. But the love is what makes me feel at home. Not the setting, not the circumstance, but the people. Take a moment to reflect on important places with this in mind: sometimes the most beautiful places are right in front of us.

[bravetemptation]

Let me break it down for ya

Ok this is a very touchy subject for a lot of people, so I'm gonna try to do this without stepping on any toes too much. Liam's dad announcement. People have so many opinions it's hard to keep up, but the three main ones I'm seeing are this: 1. If he's happy, let him be happy, it's his kid 2. It's not real because Ziam is real 3. It's just like Louis and Freddie and that whole mess. Ok let's start with number 3. I'm going to make a list of the things that happened starting at the announcement of the pregnancy until the day of birth for both, just to get it out there so there is no confusion or skipping out on info. Louis and BG 1.0 -announcement was made at a weird time, never mentioned Briana before this other than a random article in like...March, before they'd even "met" -Louis made no efforts to claim paternity -August 3/4-GMA interview where subject was first broached in public. Louis made the 😑face, said thanks, still no confirmation. -awkward pics of Briana at O2 all four nights showing wavering size in bump, no consistency. -pictures of Briana and fam at Christmas, awkward football bump pic. *note: Briana had no weight gain anywhere and began getting plastic surgery in October or November, which is something forbidden to women who are pregnant* -(at this point, Louis has not mentioned it again, has blacklisted the topic in interviews, and has never once uttered the words "I am a father" or "Briana") -Louis was never spotted with her and almost never spent time in the same country or city as Briana during the entire pregnancy -January (which, after the VERY FIRST mention of said pregnancy, which was in March of the previous year, making the pregnancy time around 10/11 months) Briana "gives birth" -the birth date is ambiguous, cybergranny says it's the 20th, Briana says 21st, Louis tweets "baby born yesterday" on the 23rd, which means 22nd. -names are flying (about ten names in total, ranging from Sydney Rain to John to Conchobar, pronounced Connor (What the actual f) -picture on IG to confirm confirm birth and "paternity", it is discovered that the picture is photoshopped by the observation of missing tattoos, a weird ear shape, and an odd leg shape) -none of the other boys commented on this announcement (only interaction was Niall five months later with Freddie Son™) ***along with all this, the concept of the warning selfie was started by Louis himself, each selfie representing the same tired, unhappy face that preceded any news of this baby or his "parents", we have Billboard actually POSTING the theory that Louis is not the father, and a lot of questions among the general public*** We will stop there because it only gets crazier. But there's Louis. Now let's go to Liam. (This will be a bit different because, since I didn't follow the whole thing, im going off of what I was told and what I saw/experienced) Liam and BG 2.0 (?) -at the time the pregnancy was talked about, Cheryl had already been discussing artificial insemination to get pregnant (this was before Liam was in the picture) -when the rumors began, they had been dating for roughly three months -rumors continued to be rumors, no true bump pictures appearing until (I believe) September or October, where it was clear by the weight gain in the face and stomach that she was indeed pregnant (though no confirmation was made -Liam spent nearly no time in the same country as Cheryl, leaving for months at a time to work on various projects -rumors of the birth having already happened began in (I believe) January, but quickly squashed when Cheryl did her L'Oréal commercial, still very much pregnant -both Liam and Cheryl went mia at the beginning of March -Baby announcement made on March 25th, date of birth was March 22nd, announcement via IG by both Liam and Cheryl -announcement was very clear from both of them; this was THEIR child, THEIR baby -picture was a picture of a Polaroid, so in this case, there was no way to tell if it was photoshopped. -baby unnamed as of the post, only one name thrown around (Bruce) -the entire idea of the pregnancy wasn't thrown around for jokes in the media, but was kept as just rumors -so far, none of the boys have commented So. Looking at these two situations just with this information here, which I have tried to make as accurate as I can, the situations are VASTLY different, not only in the way they were presented to the public, but how they were handled by the two boys themselves. In my opinion, even with the small group of similarities, they cannot be compared so directly as some are trying to do. Now, going to number 2 (the existence/nonexistence of Ziam) this is something I try to avoid. You can look at both situations, ships aside, and see whether one is fake or not. Now to number 1. As far as we can see, if we look at what we were presented with (and this is just one way to look at it), Louis' situation was most definitely 100% fake and an absolute mess. Louis was never happy about it, even after the kid was born and he "claimed paternity". Liam's was handled with much more dignity and respect in the media, and therefore, came out looking a lot more believable to us as fans/GP. Liam has always seemed happy about it, and here I'm going off of his pictures at events with Cheryl while pregnant, and his post about being a father. It is easy, however, to fake happiness, which we have seen many times before from all of the boys, not just Louis and Liam. Every way of thinking about this is valid. I don't think we can take anything said about these boys without a grain of salt (thanks management for screwing them over again and again). As I said, since the situations cannot directly be compared (via the list I made, which contains facts only, not opinions or theories),there shouldn't be people who believe that the baby isn't Liam's (or that believe in Ziam and therefore don't think it's Liam's) telling Larries (or people who believe that Louis' situation is faked) that they're being hypocritical. It's happening anyway, but it shouldn't be. Different situations, different opinions. However, it isn't just facts that matter in these situations. It's how you view these boys. It's us going off of what we've seen these boys do, how they've acted towards fans and the public in the face of everything they've gone through. But, of course, an opinion cannot go off of just this. Everything has to be taken into account. Believe what you want to believe. My belief is that that baby is more than likely Cheryl's ex-husbands or just simply artificial insemination, as discussed. I do not think Liam had a kid with her. You don't have to agree with me, but opinions are allowed to be had and respect is something I'd like to have. Thank you for your time, and I'm sorry if I missed anything extremely important in those lists

[reginaking]

I think my issue with din/ollie isn't that in real life romantic relationships define chars but that is the case in this show. There is little to no evidence in the show and from the writers that they know how to handle women who aren't with O. They are moved to the bg, there are very little scenes of female friendship in the show. I really like Dinah but I don't want her to sideliine one of my favorite characters. I wish I had more faith in the writers.

And this is my problem with this train of thought. Arrow literally sidelines everyone that isn’t Oliver. Diggle, who is just as important to Oliver and the show as Felicity, is sidelined on regular basis. Women and POCs are often shuffled to the background or almost nonexistent, and yet the fandom’s response isn’t “we want more time for the women and pocs,” it’s “we want more felicity olicity.” It’s Felicity first, other character be damned. 

As a fake Felicity/Olicity fan, I will always say this ship and Felicity are important to my Arrow experience. But I’m not gonna prioritize it over other things that are important to me, such as equal/fair representation or narrative or plot or quality of production. I’m not here for a “Felicity/Olicity First” agenda because Felicity/Olicity is not the only things that make this show the show I love. If you want more Felicity/Olicity in the foreground because it’s the only thing you enjoy, that’s great, but two things should be taken into your consideration:  why no one/nothing else matters to you, especially John (who is not appreciated beyond what he does for Olicity) and why is the default fandom setting X Female character vs. Felicity Smoak, because the writers haven’t even gone there, and yet here we are…being transparent as ever.

[tatsumari-twins]

B project fucking sucked

It was a solid 5/10 show but bit itself in the ass with shallow characterization and poor foreshadowing. And the ending dragged it down about a million times more

I mean christ what were they thinking with that?! Did they just want a twist? Did they just want to stir up drama and make a finale that everyone would talk about? And the end is supposed to be a good thing for them all, I guess, and I guess Heroine-chan being there for them was a nice thing, but for the life of me I can’t see that as anything but a pretty bad ending. There was no one there. Their big moment and nation-wide debut was put on hold and now half the country thinks that their current company has exploited them, which won’t settle well internationally either. Sure they were making a point to their A and R, but did they know she was even going to be at the Dome? Why did they even put on that performance? Did they do the whole concert? Did anyone else see? What’s even going to happen to the record company and B-pro from now on?

And what the hell happened with Yashamaru? His “twist” at the end of the anime should have been axed period. If he had a grudge against the girl there should have been more planning from the writing indicating that, but like the rest of the characters in the show his beef is told, not seen. He was mysterious sure, but his arc could have been handled better. If he never cared about B-Pro the writing could have reflected that better. And his last couple episodes never implied that he was a vengeful dickweed; rather from the looks of his being late, not answering calls, and sudden cancellation, it looked like he was kidnapped or something, which while dramatic would have been infinitely more manageable than what we got. Though there was maybe two scenes that showed that there was more going on, they were all maybe like 5 seconds long and showed nothing but “okay let’s make a plan” “cool”

fucking hilarious though, got me rolling in my seat

And they built up the heroine as more important than she actually was in the end. I guess I can see where they’re coming from in that she’s decent support for them, but her good qualities only really came up in the first episode and the last three. And they all dumped their beloved manager (why build him up as this if you’re going to dump him in the end) for the one girl they met maybe a couple of months ago. That just screams wish-fulfillment and bad writing, especially since her backstory is basically written like a female self-insert’s

Besides the padding in the last couple of episodes, the characterization for the grand majority of it was one note and pretty bad. Yeah great there’s more stuff in the franchise that explains them all a bit more, and the continuity for characterization was par maybe, but it felt like two groups had all the spotlight with the third as an afterthought (which is pretty much reflected in the opening). But even so, the two groups with characterization didn’t have all that much to begin with, and some of their plotlines weren’t picked up again and never expanded upon. They had interesting ideas going for them all but they’re just never done well enough to enjoy

But let’s ignore all that and look at the show for what it really was about-- hot idols doing hot idol things. Even when things went bad for them a lot of the time it always went in their favor. Whenever there were criticisms to be had or negative buzz it never mattered anyway, and no one really grows from their experiences. The music was decent, but falls pretty flat in the grand scheme of things and their two major songs sound pretty similar. Their rise to fame was poorly documented, as we only truly get to see all the buzz and fervor B-Pro made after all was said and done, not during the episodes. It felt like their impact was nonexistent until episode 10 at least

besides that the BG music was pleasant and the art was okay, but they all pretty much looked the same to me. And I did like some of the episodes, all things considered, but it was just so bad that I can’t quite forgive it

Are other male idol shows as poorly handled as this one was?

there’s a lot more problems with this show but i can’t really put it all into words

Also that delinquent movie? Fucking hell it looked bad. There was nothing of the essence of the delinquent life in there and felt like a shitty battle manga with a poor dressing of delinquents, not to mention they didn’t even try making them look like delinquents. Maybe not the black-haired one, he already looked like one anyway

Heroine-chan’s voice seems like it’s been used for about a dozen more self-insert protagonists too

I wish yashamaru got a sexy ending card 

[ssfoc]

I saw the big drop of Miss You on the U.K. Charts today & am so mad. Before I thought MY should've been released earlier & the xfactor performance delayed the release. But then I thought maybe the xfactor actually rushed the release & it was meant for release in Jan. Just like what happened for Just Hold On. Maybe the big MY promo will come in Jan 2018. His team can't be That useless/lazy or dumb as to just arrange only what we have seen to promote MY. Hoping I'm right & MY kills isn't in 2018!!

I think MY was released to promote XF, and that’s all… to raise the ratings for the finale, and to promote the XF contestants.

Louis probably went into it knowing that’s how it would go down. The nonexistent promo for MY since XF shows that Louis was promoting XF, and not the other way around.

Despite the fact that Louis’ team is as terrible as ever, several things have recently happened that show some movement or inconsistency behind the scenes.

1. The appearance of LTHQofficial twitter and IG, ostensibly to separate “personal” @Louis from Louis’ promo team. This left an obvious loophole, LTHQofficial.com, which Amy & C have built in a short time into a powerhouse fan-driven website (well done!), with helpful directives from anonymous. The anon is intimately familiar with Louis, as familiar as any update account, with no agenda except Louis’ music. SBB is the king of loopholes. Suffice it to say, it’s interesting.

2. Critical appreciation is mostly positive for MY. Despite the song’s not bursting out from the gates, it has some appreciation from the general public, positive reaction videos, positive reviews for the RV performance (which has yet to air). Louis is ranked highly as an emerging artist (mostly because he hasn’t yet had a top 25 hit on Billboard Hot 100 or Billboard 200). His Spotify numbers are incredible. An artist with these kinds of numbers has a cushion… a built-in fan base. If the aim is to destroy him as a viable artist (and make him the only 1D guy who is a solo “failure”), he’s defying it. If let go from Sony, Louis can find another label, and he can even self-release. There will be a market for him. I posted about the inclusion of Miss You in Fluxblog’s 2017 survey mix. Louis is objectively a good songwriter, and his unusual voice has a lot of casual fans. His talent isn’t going away. That’s why Syco has held onto him.

3. In fact, if he self-releases, Louis would do better than how he’s doing now. He will actually be unrestricted in promo. No more Eleanour. No more BG. More live performances, television interviews, interviews/ profiles in major industry rags, daytime TV (this all takes money, which he has). Money to push his music onto radio play. Louis has the money to spend on these things, he just can’t.

4. Louis and Harry continue to coordinate their schedules. Look for them to show up in the UK for Christmas… in different cities, and with fans or girlfriends. I laugh when I think of the fan photos of Harry in Tokyo and the papped Freddie photos. Always so obvious.

5. @Louis’ feud with Ash London (the middle finger emoji), & his liking Liam Gallagher’s IG continue the boorish-chav narrative. On the other hand, the tweet today, pushing back, shows a Louis who is appreciative of fans and full of love. These extremes of Louis’ behavior show a tug of war with the rope barely concealed.

Louis Tomlinson@Louis_Tomlinson·Dec 14You know what, honestly it’s been a really tough year at times but I always feel like you lot have my back! Let’s draw a line under it and let it be. Love to you all x

6. The CDAN blind is an odd storyline, but it almost as good as names names. It’s a power move, but by whom, and why? Is Simon being pressured?

7. The recent financial filing showing Triple Strings to be a shell company, and all of Louis’ music actually going through his own company, 78 Productions. It appears that all of his music and music videos are under 78P. TS and the girl band When Alice Called served a “Simon-Louis bonding-mentorship” narrative, which in retrospect was purely imaginary. This narrative was publicly supported by Louis in July and August 2017 (when he spoke of his girl band), in the same interviews where he denied Larry, the bears, and his tattoos having meaning… which now only goes to show the falsity (and coercion) of all these pressing denials.

So to summarize, I think we shouldn’t judge Louis’ success by how MY is charting, because it was never set up to chart well. It’s a good song that can grow, if given the proper support (and if Louis becomes free to do so). There’s just no way to predict whether change will come in a month or six months. Someone wants Louis the artist to flame out, but he is holding on.