#but i had to get it off my chest

[o3o-lapd-o3o]

i like to imagine that as soon as the words "someone arrived today, they said they're taking you away" left calypso's mouth, odysseus "sat at the beach every day for 7 years crying for his wife & son" of ithaca immediately jumped up wiped his tears away

then swiftly (without a glance at calypso), walked over to a bush/foliage near the beach and grabbed all the stuff he had been accumulating for 7 years during his prison stay, ready for the day he can leave this place.

[myenterpriseisparked]

I'm generally not a hater. The list of media I actively hate (vs what I simply shrug at and go "its not for me") is fairly small. I don't usually talk about hating media online. I don't find it constructive or a meaningful use of my time.

That said, I will get this off my chest: I hate Star Trek Picard and the way it has made me feel bitter towards TNG. I hate the fact that it gets so much praise when the writing was so objectively shoddy, while Prodigy, which was well written and executed, got canceled because it was a "kids show." I hate how much nostalgia PIC threw to the masses to cover up poor writing. I hate the fact that it worked. I hate that people are petitioning for even more of the same style of show in Star Trek. I don't hate people that loved Picard, it's okay if it *was* your jam, but I am personally very bitter about the show and how it changed the face of Star Trek as a whole.

[derrickwildsun]

The obsession with wanting "consequences" to TOTK's ending are infuriating and shallow. (Massive TOTK Spoilers ahead)

"Why did they have to change Zelda back?"

Because her kingdom NEEDS her. Everyone, not just Link, is fighting together to get her back. NPCs tell you about things she did in between BOTW and TOTK to help them, stressing her importance as a leader. One of the schoolchildren waits outside her house every day in anticipation of her return. Speaking of which, Zelda was able to take her nerdy interests and love of learning and channel that love into bringing improvements to Hyrule via establishing a school and a research team. The kingdom is worse off without her. The title "Tears of the Kingdom" is important because the tears are Zelda's, and she IS the kingdom since she's all that's left of the royal family. It's kind of like the story of the Fisher King: the King is the land, and if the King is sick/ailing, so too is the land.

The main theme of the game is community. Director Hidemaro Fujibayashi had this to say about the game's core theme:

Everyone working together to push back the forces of evil and save their homeland. It's emphasized that Link (and many of the characters, especially the sages) can't do the job alone; he needs help. This even extends to the ending. Link's Recall wouldn't have been sufficient to change Zelda back; Rauru and Sonia amplify his power the same way Sonia and Zelda amplified Rauru's light beam in the Gerudo Invasion memory. Likewise, Rauru and Sonia couldn't bring Zelda back because Link had the necessary ingredient: a motive in the form of his love for Zelda. Just like how Zelda found the necessary motive to unlock her powers and save Link in BOTW, so too does Link accomplish the same in TOTK.

Leaving Zelda as a dragon would have contradicted her character development in BOTW, which amounted to her learning to move past her failure and loss from the Calamity. She also, um, can't figure out "what kind of person she's going to be and what she is going to say" if she's a dragon. The end of her arc amounts to her taking up the role of leadership and restoring her kingdom with the help of Link, the sages, et al. Again, the theme of community, connections, and working together to overcome obstacles.

"Why couldn't she come back with dragon features?"

To quote Mr. Garrison: "That's fucking stupid."

Sonia explains that Recall recalls an object's memory, meaning the only result of the Literal Triforce of Link, Sonia, and Rauru using an amplified Recall on Zeldragon was to return her to the state she was before she ate the stone. This is why her stone is tied around her neck at the end. She couldn't have leftover dragon parts because she was never a dragon to begin with. Also, the greatest loss one could suffer from becoming a dragon is, as emphasized by Mineru, the loss of self, not the body.

"Why does Link get his old arm back?"

The amplified Recall restored it. Also, thematically, it works better for Link to grab hold of Zelda's hand with the hand with which he initially failed to grab her at the start of the game.

"Changing Zelda back nullifies her sacrifice."

No, it doesn't. She fully accepted she would never change back. She wasn't thinking about the possibility of Link saving her because as far as she knew that was impossible; she made her decision out of love for her kingdom and Link. In the end, she succeeded in her mission (as did Link). If she made the sacrifice with the assumption Link would save her, then I could see this argument holding water. But Link was never going to give up on her because he LOVES her. Even she's in disbelief at having changed back (and very thankful because now she's home). In the secret ending, she says, "I never thought I would stand in this place again." We feel the weight of her sacrifice in the final memory, and the ending provides an emotional release because we the player repay her for all she did to help us and because she more than proved her heroism. I liken it to the ending of Pinocchio (1940) wherein the Blue Fairy changes Pinocchio into a real boy as a reward for giving his life to save Geppetto's.

"Her not remembering being a dragon is a copout."

Mineru explains very clearly that becoming a dragon means losing one's self. You lose all your memories and indentity; you cease to be the person you were. So, yes, she wouldn't remember being a dragon flying around for centuries. But you know what she would remember because it happened before she lost all sense of self?

Though not outright stated, it's clear from the character animation that Zelda was in immense pain as the transformation began to take effect. Also, you can tell she was absolutely terrified in that moment. She knew what she was doing was necessary to save her kingdom, but she's thinking, "Shit, these are my last few seconds before I lose myself forever. I'll never see my loved ones again: Link, Purah, Robbie, Riju, Sidon, the schoolchildren in Hateno, etc. And I'm doing this all on a MASSIVE gamble and act of faith that Link will find me, reclaim the Master Sword, and destroy the Demon King." That's not the kind of traumatic event you'd easily forget. She'll probably be contemplating "Wow, if Link hadn't been so determined, I wouldn't be here now and that would have been my last moment alive," for some time. And no, you don't need to see her suffering psychological effects in-game; that's best left up to the viewer's imagination; there's only so much story they can cram into the game before it's overstuffed.

"Why did Rauru and Sonia come back to restore Zelda?"

Because they loved her, and Zelda loved them. From the moment Zelda met them, they promised to find a way to return her home to reunite with Link. They have an emotional (and familial) connection to her. By helping Link restore her, they're extending a final act of love to the princess they adore so much. It's a beautiful sendoff to them, because unlike Zelda's biological parents (Zelda's mother died when she was six, and Rhoam was too busy being a king to actually be a father to her), they were able to provide for and help her on her journey. It would have been a mistake to not bring them back to wrap up that plot point.

I think a lot of nerds suffer from Cinema Sins/TV Tropes brain: only able to deal in the most literal without any room for meaning. "Punishing" Zelda for her sacrifice wouldn't have added anything to her arc, as the whole point of her character isn't to be a stoic symbol for her people to mindlessly obey. The game deals in second chances, not just for Zelda obviously but also for Link. Link gets a second chance at the end to catch Zelda to make up for not catching her at the beginning; that's parallel storytelling with actual deliberate meaning behind it. Otherwise, the story amounts to, "He fucked up and there's nothing he can do about it." Remember that much like Zelda, Link had enormous pressure placed on him from a young age. He was expected to carry his duties out lest the entire kingdom be DOOMED FOREVER. But with TOTK's ending, he can realize that he doesn't have to worry about that pressure since no one's forcing it on him anymore. He can shape his own destiny and bounce back from a mistake; he doesn't have to lose Zelda forever.

I've already explained that the power Link, Sonia, and Rauru use is just an amplified Recall, but technical explanations aside, it's mainly the sort of scene that's driven more by emotions than by "logic." A good example of a scene that relies on the emotions of the story to carry it is the climax of Disney's Dumbo (1941). Animation critic/historian Michael Barrier writes:

If you're the sort of person who questions why Dumbo is able to fly without the "magic feather" or how Dorothy Gale goes home just by clicking her heels and repeating the mantra "There's no place like home," you probably shouldn't be watching movies.

Special thanks to @avalypuff, @blueskittlesart, @thecagedsong, @aquaticpal, and @nolongerapileofashprobably for their posts on the subject; all of you made some excellent insights on the ending and how it ties in with the game's themes. I'll go ahead and link to said posts for further reference:

[ilurvjohnoliver]

john oliver doing this pose makes me crazy

the jeans, his legs, his huge cock, the unbuttoned shirt, the smile ughhh he’s just so fine 😋

[localguy2]

Dragons Rising Lloyd rant

Okay okay, I think we can all agree that Lloyd in Dragons Rising is done really well, it's his best characterisation yet and it feels like a natural progression of his character in Seabound (not saying crystalized, just no, I hate crystalized Lloyd and a lot of other characters as well)

Wildbrain Lloyd's character was "attempting to be responsible while also being sort of irresponsible at very rare times", that's the vibe it gave off at least

But in Dragons Rising, his character is more of "Responsible and relatively healthy young adult" type, because for all his skills and expertise he is still learning new things, particularly about beint a mentor and Master for Arin and Sora

The most obvious example is not being able to properly grade Arin's and Sora's performances on the Course, he's trying to use Wu's methods but it's ultimately not working as well as he had hoped

Most importantly tho about his characterisation though is that... He's just having fun

Like no really- in most times where he's surrounded by the ninja or Arin and Sora, you can see the smile on his face, and the occasional chuckling as well, it's not that big of a detail but it just, such a brilliant detail in my opinion!

Because although it doesn't say it, it shows us that Lloyd has grown A LOT in the years since (and probably before) the Merge.

You know it sort of almost feels alien, seeing him go from his angry, and somewhat snappy self in Crystalized (weather his anger was justified or not in some situations is a topic for another time), to his... Much calmer, relaxed and stress free self in Dragons Rising.

And seeing him acknowledge how he and the other ninja were sometimes a pain in the ass for Wu, and understanding where Sora and Arin are coming from when they snuck out to the Crossroads Carnavel is just such a fantastic way of actually showcasing his character

Because yes while Arin and Sora disobeyed him, he and the others disobeyed Wu as well, a LOT more Arin and Sora currently

And the best part is, it all worked out in the the end, since they ended up busting Dorama's operation

TL;DR

Dragons Rising Lloyd is a perfect example of how you should further progress an old character in new intertsing and natural ways, either directly and obviously through dialogue and tone and method of speech, or through indirect and subtle ways such as small details and expressions

[koolaidashley]

Hmm thinking of it bc of a tweet I saw so I’ll say it rq just in case even thought I’m not sure it’s relevant bc it’s important to me

04 Leo blindness will not be reversed or taken away or healed or anything at any point in the plot. I know some media’s like 2 give a character a disability then “heal” it later as like a victory point or reverse it to have some emotional moment or whatever but ..I don’t like that :/

Being blind is just a part of being Leo. I’m not gonna take it away from him 🤧

[rosaaeles]

tw: mention of sexual harassment

yesterday i found out that a person i considered a friend (ill call them J for convenience) told someone on our uni course (ill call them k) about sexual harassment i faced last year.

i didn’t want J to tell anyone, especially not K seen as K and his friendship group were literally there when i got sexually harassed and bystood the whole event.

i keep trying to make sense of it but i cant. i cant rationalise it.

i told J about this confidentially. it told them about something super traumatic that happened in my life and now they’ve taken it and discussed it with someone who they know bystood the entire event and didn’t step in to help me whilst i was being harassed.

it makes me sick. J came up to me and told me yesterday and said “i know it wasn’t my thing to say, hope it’s okay that i did.” and it’s like???? if you knew it wasn’t your thing to say why did you? i made it explicitly clear that i didn’t want to talk to K or his friendship group. i’ve been ignoring them all year for a reason. i can’t look at them without panicking or feeling sick. i associate them with what happened to me, and i truly feel nauseous whenever i think about how none of them stepped in to help me or comfort me afterwards.

it feels like something has been taken from me. a trauma that should have been my own to decide what to do with now belongs to people i never wanted it to. only K knows for now i think, but the rest of his friendship group will soon and then all of them will know and i hate this so much. i feel so sick thinking about it.

i trusted J with something so personal and they used it as gossip fodder to become closer friends with K. i trusted J with an awful event and they fucking told one of the people that i directly associate with it.

it also feels like J never really cared about how deeply i was affected by being harassed. or like, they didn’t attach much weight to it and therefore thought it would be okay to talk about it. i’ve spent months trying to tell myself that what i experienced was serious and i wasn’t overreacting in the aftermath. it’s so devastating to feel like it’s all very trivial and just gossip.

i feel so distraught. i feel like im crazy. i can’t imagine doing the same to someone else. i dont know why J thought it would be okay.

idk if i’m making much sense rn, everything feels like a mess

[i-only-know-fandoms]

Carlos's mention in the wedding special and how they handled it was disappointing and vague and, in my opinion, leaves the door open to either fate

Context

So I took a peak at the Barnes & Noble bonus chapter of Melissa de la Cruz's Beyond the Isle of the Lost and Mal and Evie and Jay and Ben and even Doug are there but there's no mention of Carlos, and I don't know, that really upsets me. The Core Four aren't going to be in the movies anymore, (Disney, though intent on making more movie, at least hasn't sunken as low to recast Cameron, and Dove, Sofia, and Booboo won't return without him) they still exist in the universe (Mal's portrait, this bonus chapter, etc). And it just seems to me, as long as it's not on screen and they're continuing the franchise, Disney should include Carlos in any future books they might appear in

(Which I also believe they should do to continue Mal, Evie, Carlos, and Jay's story. They're intent on continuing the franchise, they've made that clear, and so tossing aside the characters that created it seems callous. Obviously there can be no more movies with them, thus, books. Also, these theoretical books could be for the YA fans of the original trilogy and thus get into the grittier details of the Isle, not the watered down happy ending that made no sense canonically in D3. As many are pointing out, Rise of Red will be for a new generation of fans)

I, personally, think that if they're set on continuing the franchise they should honor they characters should still be used (again, offscreen in books) to continue their stories and the legacies of the characters and the actors who created them, especially Cameron, as this is really his only legacy character. It also gives another way of keeping his memory alive, if they dedicate the books to him, and raise awareness for his foundation by including an page promoting it in the books.

It also seems callous to me to just toss all the work of those characters to the side, like they don't mean anything now that they can't be used in movies.

But, I am also worried want wanting this (or even asking Disney this, though I doubt they'd pay attention) that I am also just using Cameron? I just, I miss him so much, and this would keep him alive (similar to Chadwick Boseman through T'Challa. Like, they had him die in the movies as to not recast him, but there's still all the Black Panther comics and merchandise that he lives through. Yes, it's not necessarily his iteration of the character, since it did exist before him, but he's still connected with it). But should this stay in the fandom through fanfics and fanart, and not touched by Disney? But they're continuing the universe, so feels like this is just forcing him to disappear? Idk, I did another post about this after the Wedding Special, because I don't know if I'm being insensitive by wanting this. I don't think I am, I don't mean to be, but that doesn't mean I'm not.

So I set up this poll, (and set it before my rambling since who wants to read all this, lol) to get some wider perspective. Should I keep asking Disney to try and get the Core four's stories continued in books (if you're on Instagram, yup this is me) or am I being insensitive towards as them by asking for this

(The utter hopelessness of asking Disney and if I should give up because of it isn't in question, I have nothing better to do with my life than scream into the void. But if it's morally wrong.... I trust the fandom for an honest opinion on this and tumblr is the best place. And now we have polls, so......)

[m-awile]

RAMBLING IDEA TIME YAY

Twitch accidentally gets displaced in another timeline where the Autobot and Deceptcion war is going on. BUT she replaces HERSELF in that timeline who was born during the war and is part of the Deceptcions.

as for the another Twitch (named Firewatch) they find themselves with the Maltos, completely confused as to how they got here. and where is Shockwave or Soundwave or even Starscrea-

aka, canon Twitch and Deceptcion Twitch (Firewatch) swap places on accident and no one knows why or how

[ikram1909]

well culers aren’t really shit at defending players lol when gavi was getting hate they’d chant his name every match and everyone on this app defended him everyday pedri isn’t from la masia so they don’t care about him

Okay see now you're confusing fans who go to games and social media fans (especially the ones on twitter) there's a huge difference between the two. When I say culers suck at defending our players I mean the second type. The ones you say stood up for Gavi would do the same for Pedri. Hell, Pedri is probably even more loved or they're at least on the same level. Moreover, I don't think the situation Gavi was in when they started chanting his name and Pedri's are in any way comparable. Context matters. Gavi literally had an entire institution with their players, their coach, their huge media power doing everything in their power to destroy him mentally. They attacked him, they slandered his character and made him seem like a monster (his image is yet to recover to this day btw), they made up lies about his family and the list goes on. And like that wasn't enough, his contract just had to go and be unregistered by la liga because when it rains it fucking pours and the media launched their campaigns of fear mongering saying he won't play anymore or that he'll be a free agent and clubs were seeking him out etc I'm just a fan and I was stressed out imagine being him. A KID finally living his dream and suddenly everything is falling apart and he's getting booed in stadiums because people ate up the media campaigns. Like I think people don't grasp the gravity of what he had to deal with just because he dealt with it better than anyone in his situation could have. Because surely you wouldn't be begrudging him his name being chanted if you understood what he was going through. At least I hope you wouldn't. As for the social media type, Gavi is literally our most disrespected player on sns. And he's far from being protected, culers literally joined the hate train against him last season and some are still on it now. He was literally blamed for Jules' injury just a couple of weeks ago. I don't know about you but I wouldn't wish the way Gavi is treated on my worst enemy nvm my favourite player so bringing him up as a point of comparison made no sense to me.

All that being said, I can't say I disagree that culers are biased towards la masía kids I'm guilty of it too and I don't think that's a bad thing at all. These are kids who grew up dreaming of wearing the barça shirt and that have spent their childhood away from home fighting every day to keep their place. Not just anyone makes it out of la masía, it's a very competitive environment perhaps even unhealthy for kids to grow up in but they still do so we love them and enjoy their success because we have an idea about what it took for them to get here and that's okay. They also have Barça in their veins and it's nice to see that your players are as in love with barça as you are or maybe even moreso. So yes there's a bias towards la masía players sure but I honestly think Pedri is the player that's affected by it the least among all our non la masía players (along with Ronald). Culers literally love him so much they managed to convince themselves and everyone else that he is in fact from la masía 🤣🤣 he's a la masía graduate in our books and no one can tell us otherwise. He's very loved, don't let the twitter trolls convince you otherwise.

[yeetus-deletus666000]

Things have been difficult recently since I have been on that computer. I think I saw something interesting it looked like a lot of files. A lot of files with pass words. But I think one of the computers is very odd. It asked me if I wanted to talk. I said no as I didn’t feel comfortable talking to a computer as it would make me look like I’m insane.

I had a strange dream last night also. I was walking through a forest of some kind. I came across a wrecked car and I saw myself. I was just lying there and… I don’t know what to think but I touched my own corpse! I knew it was my own corpse as I saw my blonde hair although I have a tv head. I remember my own face still. I touched the corpse and it was cold. I decided to go to a building and I sat at the step and I looked up and I could see darkness.

I don’t know why I keep having weird dreams! I hope I can get better dreams. But this dream made me question my existence here. Also I went to the abandoned house on a map I found after digging outside of my yard. Yeah long story short I bought a shovel and dug outside of my house and found a map after noticing that someone buried something there. Weirdly enough the place was abandoned or so I thought but I met another human! He either was a homeless guy but he had a surprisingly normal dog, he didn’t have a name but his dog was named Johnny Cash. I admit it I actually have a car and I do listen to Johnny Cash on the radio. I’m surprised that at least the music is normal unlike the neighborhood. The homeless guy actually was the one who buried the map because he didn’t want anyone to see it so he gave it to me. Really nice that he knew the radio girl Charlotte but he was already planning a way out of the town.

I decided not to mess with the tapes yet since I don’t know if they are damaged as one of them had an unknown substance on the box or if they are very useless actually. But I have a multiple vhs tapes of Batman The Animated Series for some reason along with Adam West’s Batman. Maybe the god likes Batman for some reason!

But that’s all I can give right now! I hope I don’t miss an update as things are taking longer than usual.

[hawkeydonkey]

Am I the only one who thinks that the Miss Universe contest is a typical example for the human narcissism?

We’re just one planet of unbelievably many in our universe and surely not the only one with sentient life forms. And here we are crowning a Miss Universe like we’re the most important thing in the Galaxy.

Apart from that it’s just weird to judge somebody solely based on looks and how much they starved themselves to look a certain way

BARBIE (2023) dir. Greta Gerwig 

[fullofmoss]

What if we kissed at Melee-Magthere and we were both boys

[puppppppppy]

renaissance dogys

characters belong to @canisalbus

[weepynymph]

are people seriously not understanding that the whole point of colin's arc this season is him trying to be something he's not??

like sure the brothel scenes are a little weird and jarring but like they're meant to be??? because he's not actually that into it, he's just trying to do what all the other men his age are doing so he can fit in??

the writers aren't trying to 'turn him into anthony or simon' or make him a rake because that's what we're used to - HE'S trying to turn HIMSELF into anthony or simon or basically any of the other guys who this comes naturally to; who enjoy sleeping with lots of different people somewhat emotionlessly and don't get lonely because of it (and no judgement to that it's just not him)

he literally kisses Pen ONCE and absolutely loses his mind over it because its obviously never felt like that for him before. that moment is his 'oh so that's what that's supposed to feel like' moment and that's how he knows he's in love with her its literally so good???

i understand people feel like its rushed but honestly to me it feels perfectly in character for him to discover the solution to his loneliness he's been searching for all this time and immediately dive into it headfirst. that moment right at the end of ep4 where he asks her to marry him is the most authentic colin i think we've seen all season. he's sweet and funny and playful and passionate and impulsive - he's finally stopped trying to be someone he's not and now that he knows who he is and what he wants he's all in.

[llavalada]

Exactly.

This nowadays it’s just “normal kid behaviour”, but every single time that I get a video of “did anyone else do this when they were a kid?” (putting a hair clip in the lips; imagine someone running outside jumping over cars and buildings during car rides; “potion making”... and most of the things I did as a kid) I get excited and emotional. Then I read the comments and I see so many people agreeing about doing that... I... I just want to time travel and show it to my 5... 4... definitely probably even younger self (I don't quite remember when all the mocking started, when I was singled out as a target to it all) tell her she is normal (probably some of my classmates also did it, but since I did it first never told nobody and made fun of me with the others), that it’s okay, she’s not alone and shouldn’t be afraid of showing the world who she is.

Maybe even manage to stop her from snuffing the fire in her soul; from changing completely who she is to fit with the others; to help her, convince her to keep shinning.

Because I’m trying to bring it back but I know I'm horribly failing.

I know I can’t bring back that fire because I don’t remember its warmth.

I know I’m still not my old self because my mother keeps telling me that “You used to laugh a lot more when you were younger, what happened?”, “You were never shy when talking to others, why do you keep hiding when I introduce you?”, “You used to be more extroverted”, “You used to love to wear your hair on a pony tail/bun and it looks pretty on you, why are you so against it?”(better not bring attention to myself by laughing because they will stop and they might stop talking about/showing appreciation to it if they see I like it; people can’t be trusted unless they show otherwise; if I’m quiet I won’t bother no one; my classmates don’t like them, better not wear them) , and over years of telling her that's how I am now, it only slips up every now and then, usually when we are looking through a photo album, but I know she misses that little me, if her comments are something to go by, about how we should have moved somewhere else, about “this stupid blasted town”, about some prank or game or anything my younger self used to do.

I know I’m stopping myself from shinning because it was the best way to blend in so it couldn't be used against me, so they wouldn’t laugh at me and mock me; and old and lifelong habits die hard.

So if after my mother went to complain multiple times to the teachers about what was going on without any result; after a couple talks that policemen came to give about bulling with me looking at them hoping they would see in my eyes my fear, my cry for help, my trying to tell them without words “that’s happening right here, I might be the next local kid you speak about in one of this talks” because I was afraid of what would happen if I said it out loud or went to speak with them afterwards (there was never the chance to do so, there usually wasn’t a break afterwards); after trying and failing to completely fit in and befriend my classmates (I stopped calling them “friends” when i was around 6); if after everything failed I decided to embrace the “weird tag” (albeit shyly at first, more strongly after I finally moved schools when I was 11 and made some friends who wore it proudly) and it has become a part of me I embraced and that I refuse to let go.

Because at the end it brought good memories.

So, mx “supreme authority” over what is weird or not, maybe some are clout chasing, but saying that because most everyone did this: (“I pretended to be [animal] with my friends” “I ran on all fours” “I ate [non-edible substance]” “I collected [substance readily available outdoors]” “I thought I had [superpower]” “I had tea parties with [entity incapable of drinking tea]” “I pretended to be [creature that I am not]” “I made ‘potions’ out of [substance that can be readily found outdoors]”) it doesn’t mean they can’t be/consider themselves weird.

Compare weirdness if it pleases you, but who gave you the authority to determine who and what is or isn’t weird.

you cannot all have been weird little girls btw. I know some of you were mostly normal and are just clout chasing