#but this... legitimately puts a bad taste in my mouth

[bisexualalistairtheirin]

Genuinely, shit like this is why blame can't be solely put on EA's doorstep for how the game turned out

I've already seen people defend this as "he misspoke" and this is just not true. I was scared they would do this to Davrin as soon as I saw Assan and the hype about what a cute little critter he was... well, apparently he was given more care and thoughtful consideration than his caretaker.

[monopeptide]

uh oh psl apologism in the chat

[demon-country]

The fact that I have already seen a good number of people complaining about how mean Stolas was supposedly being to Blitz in his song and thinking that he legitimately believes that Bliz is a wretched little worm that he owns is just. Utterly baffling. I'm genuinely unsure how anyone could miss the fact that it was an act. It was all a ruse he threw together on the fly in an effort to protect Blitz, wherein he pretended to be a big, bad, masterclass manipulator who was just using Blitz as his pawn.

For anyone who doubts it, here's the truth straight from the song writer's mouth:

This is literally the same exact ploy he pulled in Truth Seekers. He came in at the last minute and put on a big show to convince the people threatening Blitz and the rest of I.M.P that he was a big, scary demon who was so much more powerful than them (which he is) and practically owned them as his minions used to carry out his evil deeds (which he doesn't).

Though, perhaps I shouldn't be too surprised, since pretty much everyone I've seen talk about that scene fails to realize that that and his "who dares threaten my impish little plaything?" and "what's the matter, demon hunter? Never seen a real demon before?" comments were nothing but an act and he didn't actually believe any of it, too.

In Mastermind, he was trying to make sure that all of the blame would be put on himself, so that, as shown above, they would give Blitz the same treatment the others got when Blitz claimed they had nothing to do with it and were just following his orders.

In Truth Seekers, he was trying to intimidate the humans and make them so scared he wouldn't need to resort to violence to stop them. Why else would he put on that whole horror movie display and announce himself and his relationship with Blitz at all, if his entire goal was anything other than to incapacitate them with fear? If all he wanted was to get I.M.P out, he could have quickly and easily killed them without saying a word. Calling Blitz his plaything and saying that he was a real demon served to a) establish that he was the kind of person who had playthings, because that's the kind of cruel, domineering creature that most humans expect demons to be, and b) further intimidate them by implying that he was exponentially more powerful than the demons who just decimated their whole entire team.

He didn't mean any of it either time (except for when he called Blitz an idiot, maybe); those weren't things he actually believed. Why would he legitimately think of Blitz as his plaything and someone he owns when in both cases it was far enough in the timeline that he was already in love with Blitz and wanted a real, genuine romantic relationship with him and not just the fleeting taste of one he got while restrained by the full moon deal?

Those were classist/racist things to say, of course, and that was the point. That was language he deliberately used because it fit the persona he was using to appear villainous. Where he went wrong the first time and how his actual internalized racism came into play was in how he didn't for even one single second think about how those statements would look to the members of I.M.P, because he'd never once had to think about the fact they must get those kinds of demeaning comments all the time and had no way of knowing that he was faking. Calling them "little creatures" while he was scolding them probably wasn't part of the act though, and he didn't realize that it was classist/racist to say those things at all, regardless of intent, so he never apologized or reassured them that he didn't actually believe Blitz was his plaything or that they weren't real demons.

But with the power of hindsight and a more omniscient view of the characters that we get later on, it's so clear to see that all of these comments were only said as part of his theatrical portrayals of a villain, rather than things he truly believes, because he doesn't talk like that after Ozzie's when he realized just how much he had unintentionally been hurting Blitz. Don't fall for his ruse, guys, especially not when it's as blatantly obvious as it was in Mastermind.

[snapscube]

i finished AA investigations 1 btw :3 tier list update time!

All in all: Investigations 1 was pretty tough to get through unfortunately. Not that it was like BAD or anything but i really lost the drive somethin fierce with this one. The writing just did not feel even remotely as sharp or fun as the best of even AA1, though i don't think there was ever a low point as low of some of the first trilogy's worst. The very definition of "mid" overall, and I don't mean the new kind of "mid" that actually just means bad.

The last case of AAI1 was actually really good though! Really picked up the pace, it was nice and long and very fun to put the actual mystery together. It tied together the underlying plot of the entire game very nicely, one thing i think Investigations actually did really well overall. I liked how tangibly connected pretty much every case felt, even if the individual stories lost my interest often.

I will say though in regards to the final case, holy shit it goes off the rails near the end. I think there is legitimately 5 instances in a row of the murderer going "okay im going home now" only for some character to rush in at the last second and extend the investigation because of some weird asinine piece of evidence that is infinitely less valuable than everything we've already discussed. I think that final 3rd or so of the case is particularly egregious about treating previous evidence as inconsequential at the slightest bit of opposition in a way that started to really exhaust me by the end. I know that's kinda the whole bit with Ace Attorney, but usually there's a bit of balance in the more well rounded cases. This might be the worst I've seen of it so far, so it left somewhat of a sour taste in my mouth. Still enjoyed it a lot up to that point though, so it gets a solid A rank :)

Sorry I didn't post a lot of screencaps or anything when playin this one, I would have been taking them but my Steam Deck (where i play these most often) has been acting kinda buggy w my controller's screenshot button. It'll work once when I boot up the game fresh and then just not register any of my screenshots after. Hopefully that'll be fixed soon :) Time to move onto AAI2.... sometime in the near future! Maybe tonight! Maybe next week! I dunno! WEEEEE!

[thebardisabird]

Alright Sunday sinners, take this and reflect on your downbadness (I refuse to change). Thank you to my peeps who fueled this fire! Needless to say - this is nsfw as FUCK. The matsus when they’re completely pussydrunk, under the cut:

Osomatsu likes to talk to you while he has you. Whether that means he’s balls deep inside of you or if he’s got a mouthful of your heat he’s always mumbling things like “That feel good, baby? I know it does, I hear you whining” “Ohhhh shit this pussy is so wet for me, isn’t it?” or his personal favorite “C’mon baby, tell Oso whose pussy this is”. He groans like his life depends on it, expletives flying out of his mouth like a second language, and he is so focused on the soaked schlat schlat sounds of your snatch that his eyes snap shut because if he doesn’t he might literally bust all to quick, he’s that lost in how good you feel. 

Karamatsu is more in his feelings. When he’s curling his tongue within your walls, you feel it in the way he grips your thighs. Even moreso in the way he pushes your knees to your chest and stuffs his face full of your pussy, the incensed need to taste you taking over him and forcing him to hold you still so he can just enjoy you. He can’t get enough, even saying so himself when he parts from your nether lips for a mere second for air before slinking his wet muscle back in for seconds. When he slides home though? He’s extremely vocal: moans, grunts, pants, whines, you name it. He keeps one eye open so he can watch himself disappear inside your wetness, trying desperately not to let his eyes roll into the back of his head in the process. He’s singing the praises of you - the divinity of your body, how lucky of a man he is to reach the precipice of heaven like this, how much his heart sings for you in a way no one else can hear - he very much falls into a lovey dovey serenade when he’s this close to cumming. Catch him on a sentimental day and he may actually cry mid-sex. 

It’s all in the expressions for Choromatsu. His eyes legitimately do roll back, he is so overwhelmed by the feeling of your cunt sucking him the way it does that he’s shaking wherever he’s holding onto you. When he gets like this, you swear you see his pupils take on a heart shaped when you do see them. His mouth open, he’s whining very noisily and his tongue is lolled out, pretty reminiscent of the ahegao if you had to put it to name. If he’s going down on you, his lovesick gaze may accidentally make eye contact with you - those he shuts his eyes quick. While he loves watching you come undone on his tongue, he’s far to shy to ever ask you to look directly at him. Still, that does not stop him from wanting to spend the rest of his day eating you for lunch and dinner. 

Ichimatsu is a gripper. He has to have his claws somewhere on your body, holding you still because there’s no escaping him. Especially when he’s got lips gobbling up your wetness, your thighs are spread as much as possible because he needs and wants it no way else - your pussy is life essence right now and he’s a very greedy man. He’s a growler by far, teeth grit, with an occasional “fuck!” or “shit!” slipping out at all the right times. Every once in a while he likes to bite - leaves marks on your neck, shoulders, or your thighs, a testament to how primal he can get when it comes to down to how bad he wants you. The best part? When he’s close to nutting, he whimpers significantly, and he spews a whole jumbled up string of “IloveyouIloveyouIloveyou” ‘s before he finishes. 

Jyushimatsu - whew, this boy. Another one where his eyes roll back into his head when he’s fucking you. The only difference is when that happens, he’s taking you down with him. He’s a strong man, so if you’re under him, you’re getting pinned that way. If you’re above him? The grip on your hips becomes bruising. Jyushimatsu is very loud, though his moans and groans are incoherent. The only word you’ve ever been able to decipher was “Unghh, ahhh a-amaziiiiing”. If you managed to have him between your legs, that tongue of his is otherworldly, you feel him everywhere on you. His eyes become dark when they’re drunk off your pussy, and he’s the opposite when he loses himself in you - his voice drops in timbre to this rough, almost wolf-like tone. 

Todomatsu tries his hardest not to let himself slip when he’s tongue-fucking you, but he just finds it so so difficult because your pussy is just so pretty and the noises you make are so cute and he just has to have more of you. Having hearts swirling in his eyes isn’t uncommon for him, he falls victim to his lust when he’s inside you pretty fast. Todomatsu will tends to pay you compliments in the forms of teasing, often saying things like “Oh? Right there?” or “I didn’t hear you, maybe you should make that noise a little louder, hm?” - but it’s when he gets breathless and mewl-y that you know that the way you squeeze around him is sending him into a downward spiral. His hands will massage your thighs, hips and stomach, pressing sobs of “Oh god” and begging “Please please please” into your skin as he rails you because despite him dicking you down - it’s what between your legs that holds allllll the power over him. 

[unhingedangstaddict]

Here's a fun little snippet of the latest chapter of All Of You, All Of Me (Intertwined) my bucktommy mpreg fic!

Tommy carried on with the conversation as he put some of the peel-free orange slices on his breakfast burrito.

Evan looked concerned at Tommy's actions. “Craving?”

“Yeah.” Tommy mumbled sheepishly.

“Maddie wanted Crab Rangoon with Nutella the other day. Could be far worse.” Evan decided with a shrug. “Actually,” Evan thought about it a moment longer. “It kinda makes perfect sense? The burritos are great, don’t get me wrong, but the problem with it being a breakfast burrito is it lacks a fresh component and the orange does that and gives some acidity to balance the taste.”

Tommy didn’t want Evan to worry that Tommy felt judged for it, nor did he want Evan to feel like he had to come up with some way to explain or justify Tommy’s craving. He knew it didn’t make sense. “I just put oranges on a breakfast burrito, Evan. It’s weird.”

“I’m being serious,” Evan insisted in a playful tone. “Let me try it with you,” Evan began unwrapping his burrito to make the same additions Tommy had.

“Ev, are you sure? You really don’t have to.” Tommy rolled his burrito back up.

Evan grinned at Tommy and pulled the peel off a couple orange slices, put them on his burrito, then added some hot sauce and re-wrapped the burrito.

Tommy couldn’t help but laugh. “Evan-”

Evan enthusiastically bit into his burrito and chewed for a moment. “This is great.” He said, mouth half full.

Tommy watched Evan for a moment before shaking his head, then taking a bite of his own food. Like with most of his cravings to date, it tasted great even if he wasn’t really sure it actually did or if it was just the satisfaction of the craving making it seem good. This did legitimately seem half decent though. “That’s actually not awful.” He admitted.

“Right?” Evan asked. “It’s different, sure, but it’s not bad.”

“No.” Tommy agreed.

“I’m not going out of my way to try your PB-cheese-and-tomato sandwiches though,” Evan warned. “Or Maddie’s Nutella-Crab Rangoon.”

Tommy chuckled at that.

(Read the full chapter on ao3)

[sandrockianblues]

Lately I’ve been seeing a lot of talks about the sandrock builder customization and how people been wanting more body types, although I’ve seen people being rude about it tbh, just the way talk about the female builder’s body is leaving a bad taste in my mouth. how do you feel about this?

Hi anon, thank you for asking me my opinion on this 💜💜

While it’s been more than a year of people vocalizing their desire in having sliders/ options/ different presets- only recently has the female builder’s body been complained about to the extent where I think a larger issue needs to be addressed.

Body shaming is still body shaming.

To pull some quotes I’ve seen:

“…small and childlike”

“…body types are definitely something that looks like an adult.” (In ref to Grace and Heidi bodies)

“…give us more mature body types too”

“I’m a baby.”

“…really awkward”

“Downright comical”

“…would love my builder to look more adult.”

“my builder looks like a toddler being walked to school by her husband haha.”

“I’m not a fan of looking like a child.”

“general proportions” (in ref to what the “issue” is)

“currently is kinda twigy”

And in discussion for future installments or advancements within the game:

“it’d be great if they got rid of that look.”

“I do hope they move away from it in the future.”

*this is about the female player body- I cannot speak on behalf of the male player body completely*

As someone who is personally significantly shorter than the builder myself and has a petite or smaller frame- this was very degrading to read comments of.

While I’m a huge advocate for any sort of character customization implements that can be involved such as height sliders/presets/ weight sliders/ whatever else, and I believe that you should have the right to vocalize your wants-

What I don’t believe is that it should come with mocking and criticizing the current female body of the player.

And I truly hope that this look isn’t just scrapped and gotten rid of.

Those under 5’2” are already misrepresented or just not represented enough as adults in games a large majority of the time. We often get stuck with characters that have larger or more curves than we do. Characters of average or taller height. Modelesque to curvaceous characters.

I’m not saying these physical wants for characters shouldn’t be implemented or that they should be ignored. I’m saying you can ask or wish for them without putting down those who do have smaller builds. Those without an hourglass figure or who legitimately are a foot or two shorter than the person they choose to become romantically involved with.

While this is something that me, family, friends, etc have dealt with our whole lives- those of us who have fallen on the very shorter side of the scale, I’m not going to standby and watch it be incorporated into a game that has quickly become one of my top two favorites in the past year of playing it.

Criticizing- not critiquing, there is a huge difference- the female player body as it stands right now and making harsh jokes about it is seen by those who happen upon these posts or threads and can identify with the body themselves. I know a number of short and petite people who are playing My Time at Sandrock, and if I’m being completely honest, this may be the first time we had a more comfortable experience with a character that can be customized for ourselves.

The builder is in their early 20s and also created by a small Chinese indie game company called Pathea. Think of how many of those who are more prone to those heights or body frames have been criticized alone. This game is possibly more prominent in China right now given that they have an online website we ourselves can’t translate. They’re aware of new merch and such we’ve yet to receive official news on.

Also for reference:

Yes, average height.

It may be fun to joke about how it looks to you, but for some people… this is our reality.

No, not all short people have dwarfism. No, not all petite people are just not eating enough. And yes, some of us may not have the ample assets that most women do have. And it’s something we’ve had to deal with our whole lives.

Implying that a taller height and a curvy figure or an incredible bust size is what makes a “mature” and “more adult” look is beyond insensitive. To imply that it is “what makes a girl a woman” is horrifically humbling to read.

And I do mostly see this body shaming of short or petite stature and height coming from mostly women. One cannot preach for body positivity if they continuously exclude and demoralize a body type. It’s hypocritical, it’s demeaning.

Comparing the female player body to the likes of Grace or Heidi or Jane- beyond saying it’s just the type of build one may want, as in, using them as a comparison to further degrade the current body, is yes, still body shaming and something a lot of us have worked hard to try and not compare ourselves to.

Does this have to do with me writing short female characters? Beyond the fact that I am short myself? Yes. Because it’s gotten to the point where if it’s not body shaming, it is fetishizing or glorifying the idea of being smaller than the average short height. And I want some readers to be able to read of a short character that isn’t “gremlin” or “closer to hell evil” or “feral” sometimes. Because that’s stereotyping. And we’ve been stereotyped our whole lives.

The female builder is in her early to mid 20s, around 5’2”, taller than some characters (that aren’t children), has a notable ass and chest- and yet while that’s how some of us look or it’s a bit more, “she’s not a woman”?

I have dated and befriended men from 5’ to 6’5”- and shockingly, men have been less prone to making me feel as less of a woman than the comments from my own gender have. I have shown and read these comments to my father, male friends, brothers and such only to see them become irritated that women are body shaming this body type. Pointing out the hypocrisy and some of the shallow remarks.

This is akin to a post I saw:

Unrealistic and far fetched right? How do you think we felt- those of us who were 5’2” or below.

Someone who is quite literally the same exact height as Andy irl and in my twenties.

I could go into the whole aspect of having to reanimate or rig the characters and players for cutscenes and interactions. I can dive into the whole deal with the “baby face” expressions (and yes, some people just do have a “baby face”). I can stand on Pathea’s side who has worked tirelessly and with several issues they had to work past. The deadlines and due dates they’ve had to push back while early access fans still cheered them on for support. Or I can point out that this game is rated with an E10+ rating.

But this post isn’t about that.

Preach for what you want or options you’d like to see. But no, let’s not make callous remarks and harsh jokes on the player’s body. Let’s not just suggest they get rid of it entirely.

Women are supposed to support women. How about we stop deciding bust size and height is what makes you a “real woman”?

[familyabolisher]

if you wouldn't mind sharing, what did schitt's creek do disappointingly in its story? thank you!

so, like. i mean, i think the show was flawed from the start -- i think a lot of the jokes rely on this image of the, like, small-town 'hick,' that in turn relies on a pretty hefty set of classist assumptions that i don't think dan levy was, you know, interested in interrogating in any serious way. i don't watch sitcoms for their revolutionary politics lol but there were certain moments in eg. roland and jocelyn's characterisation in particular that left an incredibly bad taste in my mouth. (ftr i think season 1 is pretty poor, 2-4 are genuinely good tv, 5 + 6 are a mess.)

but my specific frustration was -- so, at the end of season 4, we see moira despondent that the crows have eyes 2 was shelved; we also see the culmination of a season's worth of work having gone into the community production of cabaret. from here, the plot beats seemed so obvious to me that i was literally like certain i knew how moira's arc would end: clearly, this was an opportunity for her to realise that pursuing the sort of 'fame' she had before was a losing battle that was making her unhappy (and had always made her unhappy!), and that she could find genuine fulfilment through pursuing the kind of 'local,' small-town community opportunities that cabaret was supposed to represent. i mean obviously i have my various communist gripes with this position, but like, by the standards i hold sitcoms from nepo babies to, it's fair enough! it's a compelling enough response to the setup of the show -- the roses have lost everything and have to learn to live without everything. moira relied on a seemily fictitious narrative of public adoration; an insanely easy way to eke some character growth out of her would surely be to have her realise that small, local projects with her friends bring her a joy that public validation never could.

but, like. by the end of the show, moira gets back on the showbusiness ladder, to the point where her old show is rebooted. johnny gets a foot back in the business world. alexis is a businesswoman. david is a businessman! david chooses to stay in schitt's creek whilst the others leave for NY and cali, which is a compelling enough narrative choice on its own, but like -- come on, he opens a v bougie business and Gets Married and whatever the fuck else, it's boring, it's the same old narrative of assimilation into the bourgeois classes. it makes for a nice contrast against the end of season one but i don't believe he's a fundamentally changed person; he's just found a way to make his old tendencies make sense in a new setting.

there's a sense that the lives of the roses essentially reset; that they've been given the opportunity to return to their old lives, taking the 'lessons' they were able to learn from their time in schitt's creek with them. if anything's been "learnt" then it's these v individualist perspectives on, like, bootstraps and hard work; david and alexis have graduated from being nepo children into people with a legitimate intellectual claim to the bourgeois class. johnny has proven himself as a businessman. moira has uhhhh put on a production of cabaret, which justifies her going back to the old life that clearly made her miserable. like -- there's no sense that their old lives were bad, just a sense that they hadn't quite earnt the right to them yet. and in that, everyone in schitt's creek ends up ultimately reduced to a vehicle by which they can earn the right to their bourgeois status. it's a v nasty ethos, and as much as i find individual points of the show pretty funny (like, funnier than your average sitcom), i just -- like, it's so cruel at its centre?

[atopvisenyashill]

I read through your Jonsa meta linked in your bio and I don’t think I’ll ever be able to really love Jonsa but the part where you say J*nerys evidence is weak sauce like I do like the ship but I only want it if it doesn’t go like the show and it also isn’t just some boring king and queen of the seven kingdoms crap but do think what people call foreshadowing for the ship is no stronger than Jonsa foreshadowing but I get dog piled by other J*nerys shippers for admitting this. I do think some common evidence for Jonsa is questionable. Like that GRRM was originally going to have Janos be hung until someone ELSE pointed out that Jon would probably do it the northern way and behead him, or that lady Ashford didn’t end up with the Targaryen suitor. But even still I don’t think that the evidence for J*nerys is strong. Like sorry I don’t think Dany being called bride of fire implies she’ll marry Jon I think she already is the bride of fire. I used to hate Jonsa but I realized that I feel very neutral to it. What I hate is the thought of a love triangle with Jon, Dany, and Sansa. The idea of Dany going mad because she loves Jon but Jon loves Sansa is just so tired and boring and sexist. I understand that a lot of the spite towards J*nerys fans is earned because they can be just as spiteful but my first introductions to Jonsa were in the context of this love triangle and the attitude was so spiteful that it put a bad taste in my mouth for years. But even when I did hate it I felt like other J*nerys fans were being hypocritical when they made of Jonsas for their theories. And I got shat on and accused of being a Jonsa myself for saying so. Like it’s eyebrow raising that George revised his Stark family tree to include a marriage between a Jonnel and a Sansa. Regardless of what George originally wrote, Jon beheading Janos is compelling. I do see the vision even it’s not for me. Jon and Dany don’t know each other exist. I think the only thing that really gives J*nerys leverage is that they loved each other in the show and I’ve always had a hard time believing that George actually gave D&D like two plot points and turned them loose to do literally whatever they could come up with. If the show didn’t exist, you’d be hard pressed to convince me there was a viable chance J*nerys would happen and I really just hate the animosity between Jonsa and J*nerys shippers

I’m gonna take this point by point bc it’s kind of a lot and I want to address it all!!

do think what people call foreshadowing for the ship is no stronger than Jonsa foreshadowing but I get dog piled by other J*nerys shippers for admitting this.

LISTEN i’m glad you agree lmaoooo because my number one bitter hater issue re: the ship war IS that imo the “evidence” for both is kinda opaque, but only one is treated as being legitimate fan analysis. like, people will call sansa’s ghost wolf a reach but dany hearing the lonely wolf is full proof even tho this is the exact same thing. or the entire hullabaloo around how when you use the ashford tourney theory to be about Not Jonsa it's valid analysis but when it is about Jonsa then that's just pushing your ship. it’s the silliness of the argument that drives me crazy, that one take is considered “just starting a ship war” and one is the “proper” reading of the text. we don't know who is properly reading the text because we don't have the entire text yet!!!

I do think some common evidence for Jonsa is questionable. Like that GRRM was originally going to have Janos be hung until someone ELSE pointed out that Jon would probably do it the northern way and behead him, or that lady Ashford didn’t end up with the Targaryen suitor.

WAIT OKAY i'm not trying to convert you here lmao, merely explaining my reasoning for those because I know I talk about the Jason/Ashford thing a lot specifically so - the janos slynt thing for me is less the specificity that jon cuts his head off and more that sansa wishes for someone to kill janos for his hand in ned’s death and jon, without any knowledge of what janos did or how it affected sansa, sees straight to the sort of person janos is and executes him. more so about the idea that sansa is praying for a hero only for the hero to be the bastard brother she had dismissed, the only brother left to her now (or so she thinks). it's about the little ~invisible thread~ tying them together even when they're unaware of it.

as for the ashford tourney theory, i actually do agree that people put a little too much stock in the last targaryen suitor aspect of it BUT. EYE personally have been on that "it's hinting towards brienne" train literally since I heard it, and you can see that in the posts I've made about it, that I think it's about dunk/brienne interrupting the tourney to save sansa - it's just that part of saving sansa includes bringing her to her dark haired targaryen brother-cousin. especially bc imo valarr does feature heavily enough in the original dunk adventure, with his short scene after Baelor is killed, and how both valarr and jon have a lot of issues surrounding not measuring up to The Perfect Heir (baelor/robb), and being known for being kinda prickly, and the whole Doomed By The Narrative aspect of their characters, and this isn't something that valarr parallels with the other targaryen boy, aegon/young griff. BUT also I just think the whole convo surrounding this theory is annoying tbh alsdjf I think there are three concrete avenues it could go down (jon, aegon, or brienne, or some combo of the three even) and I find it. frustrating that this theory started out as a {redacted} theory that is clearly meant to push A Specific Ship And Reading Of The Text but if you apply the theory to literally anyone else, you get accused of doing just that. like are we not all just pushing A Specific Reading (aka OUR OWN READING) Of The Text here??

But even still I don’t think that the evidence for J*nerys is strong. Like sorry I don’t think Dany being called bride of fire implies she’ll marry Jon I think she already is the bride of fire. I used to hate Jonsa but I realized that I feel very neutral to it. What I hate is the thought of a love triangle with Jon, Dany, and Sansa. The idea of Dany going mad because she loves Jon but Jon loves Sansa is just so tired and boring and sexist.

NO YEAH. it's the same with the "blue rose" thing like.....the blue rose/bael the bard story isn't a happy one? "sweet smelling" is often used in this series as a mask for a deadly, poisonous center. I think "bride of fire" is a callback to catelyn's "wedded to his war" more than anything, that like you say, dany is already the bride of fire, she chose the fire when she burned mmd and walked into the pyre, and i kind of bristle at the idea that her being the bride of fire is tied to whatever man she's fucking. the point is that she is foregoing being the bride of a man for being the bride of fire to me!! and also VALID i don't like the love triangle angle, i don't like love triangles because i think they're usually so lopsided where you're clearly supposed to pick a specific leg of the triangle, and i just HATE the idea that either dany or sansa or jon's stories are heading to a love triangle because it's not particularly compelling to me that they're fighting over the same stupid boy (i can call him stupid, he's my son). especially as you say, the idea that dany might turn on jon because she wants his love and he won't give it - bleh. annoying, tired, been done a million times. this is why i'm also not overly fond of the idea of him being the one to kill her (but i like the idea of him taking the fall for it regardless).

I understand that a lot of the spite towards J*nerys fans is earned because they can be just as spiteful but my first introductions to Jonsa were in the context of this love triangle and the attitude was so spiteful that it put a bad taste in my mouth for years. But even when I did hate it I felt like other J*nerys fans were being hypocritical when they made of Jonsas for their theories. And I got shat on and accused of being a Jonsa myself for saying so. Like it’s eyebrow raising that George revised his Stark family tree to include a marriage between a Jonnel and a Sansa. Regardless of what George originally wrote, Jon beheading Janos is compelling. I do see the vision even it’s not for me. Jon and Dany don’t know each other exist.

i bolded that one line because YES EXACTLY it is very eyebrow raising that he revised the family tree to include that. like WHY. WHAT? imo, if there was a like a Jonos Targaryen who married a Daenerys Targaryen in the targ family tree, EVERYONE would be insisting that's Jonerys proof so I think it's funny when people brush over it. Or like, the fact that it's Jon and Sansa that dream of having children. The fact that it's only Jon and Sansa who are referred to as the blood of Winterfell. There's something here that's being hinted at, and it's compelling! I think I definitely do get being initially turned off because of the ship war - part of my initial, idk, aggressiveness towards dany on the reread was the DEADLY combo of YEARS of watching The ASOIAF{redacted but if you know u know] People dogpile jonsas and sansa stans constantly for literally just writing meta, making theories, like every other goddamn person + growing to just completely hate show!dany and emilia's acting specifically. then as i was rereading i was like oh actually book dany is not only vastly more interesting as a character than show dany's writing or acting could ever be, i also just don't have to let all the targ nation stans completely ruin a character i actually really like.

like this theory specifically by stumpy (which is another post that got dogpiled massively for no goddamn good reason by the asoiaf{redacted} people) about aegon being the sun's son and jon being the mummer's dragon set my brain on fire and made me realize so much of what i hated about dany's character was actually just the wank surrounding her. i'd completely resigned myself to the idea that jonerys was gonna happen for so long and i was so depressed ver it because i thought it was a stupid, shitty ending and i was just going to hate a large part of the ending forever and then i read that and i was like "oh actually maybe there's another option??" like who gives a shit, we're never getting the next books anyway alksjdfl. also FOR THE RECORD i also HATE the idea of a love triangle between those three, and i think i kinda break from a lot of jonsas (tho not all) in that i also don't like the idea of jon killing dany (again, i want it to be arya and for jon to take the fall. if jon is killing anyone, i like the idea of it being drogon much more than dany). like, i don't want any hetero targ fucking here. i think there could be something here in that both dany and jon feel they have to be attracted to each other but in reality are just Not Interested (for a variety of reasons) but i don't actually want them to do the deed at all and I've been firm on that since I was like, 16 lajsflkfd.

I think the only thing that really gives Jnerys leverage is that they loved each other in the show and I’ve always had a hard time believing that George actually gave D&D like two plot points and turned them loose to do literally whatever they could come up with. If the show didn’t exist, you’d be hard pressed to convince me there was a viable chance Jnerys would happen and I really just hate the animosity between Jonsa and J*nerys shippers

WAIT WAIT WAIT THIS IS WHERE SNOWSPEAR COMES IN. I can write more on that, I know i've mentioned it before, but I think that show!Dany got a lot, perhaps even most of Aegon's storyline in the books and that includes a relationship with Jon. I'm not saying they'll straight up fuck on page (george is alas too heterosexual for that) but I do think the vast majority of their story arc in season 7 where Jon is going back and forth with Dany and growing close to her while being wary of her is actually a relationship he'll have with Aegon. I think that makes much more sense thematically and also it doesn't piss me off lmao.

I think in general, they took his plot points and just kinda peppered it throughout the character's actions with no regard for whether it makes sense for that character. Or are just being straight up misleading about what it is they got from him - like their insistence that "hold the door" is from him, for example, I think in actuality here George told them that Hodor will be killed while Bran is warging him and purposefully leaving him behind, and they came up with that dumb ass hold the door -> hodor thing on their own. same for arya killing the night king - EYE think arya tries something against dany, but they gave it jon because they thought it would be more romantic (and they already combined dany and aegon) and went "well arya killing the night king would be sick as fuck, that's basically the same right?" like, i think there's something of what george wrote in there, i just think it's both confusingly folded in and also spread around a lot.

i think i even explained that to my sibling once (who doesn't read the series but does like some of the characters) that I think because they combined so many characters, that they wanted this friction between tyrion and jon, between sansa and dany, but had cut so many story lines and disregarded so many characters, that they just changed up the romance a bit (which we KNOW they do because look what they did to Jeyne W. and the entire Dornish plot).

anyways, yeah the tldr is that ship wars are stupid as shit and it's really hard to not become a hater when a large part of the fandom is constantly discounting your opinion because you ship a thing they don't like, and then claiming YOU are the one egging on the ship war when you are just existing in your goddamn corner. like i don't even use the vs tag half the time specifically because of that shit ya know. i'm not arguing whether my opinion is "right" or not with someone who thinks they're superior and smarter than me just because they think THEIR incest ship is valid but MY incest ship is gross and self projection.

[lilbagdermole]

Toph's Characterization, ATLA Comics - A Dissertation

Chapter One - The Rift (Part One)

I'm going to start with the third entry of the 'Avatar: The Last Airbender' Comic Series because Toph's characterization isn't too off-putting in 'The Promise' (though it still had many infuriating panels that I'll get to in the future) and she isn't present in 'The Search'. So, we'll start off with 'The Rift' - the first and only Toph-centric comic, despite being a fan favorite character and one of the main characters of the show.

And, the very first panel with our favorite Earthbender is a slap to the face to Toph's character arc as well as her personality:

Toph Beifong is questioning whether or not Earth Kingdom citizens can united alongside Fire Nation citizens.

This is coming from the first member of the Gaang that warmed up to Zuko when he presents himself in the Western Air Temple (and willingly went to speak to him, despite everyone's disapproval).

This is coming from the same person who willingly sat down for a cup of tea with Uncle Iroh. And even after discovering he was a member of the Fire Nation Royal Family, she still thought and spoke highly of his character (Aang does state that Toph mentions that Iroh gives great tea and advice).

This is coming from the same person who travelled across the Fire Nation, observed how their is good in evil; fought beside the Fire Nation Prince to stop the war and even reassured him that HE WAS GOOD when he doubted himself during the Ember Island Play!

Obviously, Toph may have her doubts and concerns given they're discussing the government of a Fire Nation Colony - territory that once pertained to the Earth Kingdom. And yes, hostility and dissatisfaction may be a legitimate concern. However, it's the way she phrases her sentence that irks me. It almost seems as though Toph is doubting the possibility of genuine unanimity forging between the two different Nations. And it's really off-putting because Toph had never ONCE, during her screen time on ATLA, questioned the possibility of blossoming friendships with people of the Fire Nation.

It's also a lesson Aang teaches her in 'The Avatar and The Firelord':

Toph: It's like these people are born bad

Aang: No, that's wrong. I don't think that was the point of what Roku showed me at all (...) Roku was just as much Fire Nation as Sozin was, right? If anything, their story proves anyone's capable of great good and great evil.

And now, we commence my substantial hatred for the portrayal of Toph's manners:

Yes, in the original series Toph does have a few scenes (that I can recall, three) where she does something that is generally un-ladylike and bad-mannered. But, I cannot understand what it is with Bryke and their obsession of depicting Toph being rude and gross in almost every other scene.

In 'The Promise' we had a few other scenes and 'The Rift', not fifteen pages in, and we get these two scenes almost back-to-back. And, it no longer correlates to Toph's want to disconnect from her pompous upbringing. This is how Bryke choose to write their "tomboy" coded characters, and it's disrespectful.

We don't see any other female character do these types of actions. Not Katara, not Suki, not Ty Lee, not Mai, not Azula. Toph is exclusively the only character that acts this way. And it really leaves a bad taste in my mouth once you come to terms that Byrke associate "tomboy female characters" with unhygienic, gross and rude behavior. You can write Toph desiring to abandon her rigorous upbringing and be less traditionally feminine without portraying her this way. It's just perpetuating a very nasty stereotype that's already been constructed with this type of media.

And don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with depicting female characters doing things that are considered unladylike (example: burping, picking their teeth, etc.). But, how come no other female character acts this way? We never see none of the other traditionally feminine characters, such as Katara or Mai, act this way. Like I said, it's feeding into a very weird and harmful stereotype.

Oh boy.

So, we enter the central conflict between Aang and Toph.

To contextualize this, whilst Aang is explaining the Air Nomad Traditions to the air acolytes, he ends up saying "That's just how it's done." and it triggers Toph's past childhood trauma growing up secluded and misunderstood by emotionally neglectful parents. I actually really enjoy that we're exploring Toph's past and her own traumatic experiences; it makes her a more compelling, relatable and human character and gives her personality a lot more depth.

However, it's what comes next that infuriates me to my core (and the reason why I wanted to write this monstrosity of an analysis). Toph becomes arrogant, rude, insensitive and disrespectful to Aang and to his culture.

It's just odd we never explore this trauma beyond this. The trauma that Toph has, while interesting and a great set-up for some internal character work, it's utilized solely to progress the conflict (and once it's resolved, Toph's inner struggles are abandoned). And it's odd that this traumatic event in her childhood is the setup for her sudden and spontaneous love for the future and her avoidance of her past.

It's even odder when you remember that in the original series, Toph never wanted to flee her past. She loved her parents and felt remorse for leaving them. She just wanted them to understand that she was a capable fighter and see her beyond her blindness.

For you to understand my disappointment in this particular characterization, we first have to analyze Toph during ATLA. Throughout the two seasons where she is present, Toph had never once disrespected Aang's culture or his spirituality. On the contrary, she seemed amazed with the Western Air Temple the moment she sensed it's architecture beneath the cliffs: "Wow ... it's amazing!"

Aang reassured her that friendships carry on throughout lifetimes (and it comforts her);

When he's meditating, she's the only one remaining quiet:

Season 3, Episode 6: The Avatar and The Fire Lord

Katara: Do they have bathrooms in the Spirit World?

Sokka: As a matter of fact, they do not.

She's always showed nothing but respect for Aang, his culture and his duties as the Avatar and last airbender, yet, now, for some reason she is characterized in such an unflattering and antagonistic light. And it's crazy to me that Toph is suddenly someone who resents the past and is all about the future... since when has this been one of her defining character traits?

It just... keeps going... And it's so sad to see. This just makes Toph so unlikeable and this just isn't the same Toph we got to see in the animated series. And it what world would Toph Beifong choose a random dude she just met over her friends, especially her FIRST FRIEND (Aang)?

AND NOW SHE IS LYING TO PROTECT THIS RANDO BECAUSE HE ADMIRES HER?

In what world would Toph do this? And don't tell me this is because Toph is enamored with Satoru. Toph, canonically had a crush on Sokka, yet she never did anything stupid nor disrespectful for Sokka; she never compromised her morals or beliefs to protect Sokka.

And I cannot fathom Toph being this unbothered by the pollution. True, she was never a big environmentalist in the main series; however, I would like to believe that Toph would advocate for the protection of her element, especially given she is so in tune with nature: Badgermoles taught her how to bend, she sees through earth, her element is centered around nature... I just can't rationalize Toph being this indifferent to the lack of care for the environment.

Sigh... Here's a little montage of Aang's ability to maintain inner peace:

Season Two, Episode Eight 'The Chase': Aang lashing out on Toph despite Toph being the only one to justify how Azula, Ty Lee and Mai kept finding them.

Season Two, Episode Eleven 'The Desert': Yelling at Toph and blaming her for Appa's kidnapping, despite Toph being unable to see nor protect Appa, because she was protecting her friends.

Season Three, Episode One 'The Awakening': Aang being so frustrated that the world thinks he's dead that he flies away at sea, during a storm.

Season Three, Episode Seventeen 'The Ember Island Players': Literally get's so infuriated with an unreal depiction of his relationship with Katara that he forcibly kisses her, because immaturely possessive and quote: 'Overreacting? If I hadn't blocked my chakra, I'd probably be in the Avatar State right now!?

'The Promise' - Part One: After Katara is held by Zuko and he enters the Avatar State.

Yes, Aang sure is in tune with his inner peace.

It's also hilarious that they really think Toph is the one provoking the earthquakes when she's the best earthbender alive and is more in tune with her bending then any other bender there. I mean, I get it we have to shove the "everyone loves and defends Aang" but not even Sokka came to Toph's defense? Katara?

Another thing that really rubs me the wrong way is that Toph was literally pushed into Aang's life because she "waits and listens" - yet, here, Toph is anything but patient. She's explosive and reactive. During ATLA, whenever she fights, she always has a moment afterwards where she listens to the other person. The best examples are with Katara in 'The Runaway'. She's actually considerably patient if you actually analyze her character throughout the series and isn't as hotheaded as she's portrayed here.

Not everything in this first part is horrendous. I do enjoy that we get confirmation (that unlike a certain canon couple) Aang and Toph are able to have their squabbles and then talk things out to understand one another's perspective.

We also get to see them work together despite being at odds. And, just like in the animated series, they work in really great harmony and comprehend the other without saying many words. I really enjoy that we get to see them put their differences and disagreements aside and work like a unite when it's called for. That is something that I really enjoy about Taang and their dynamic.

We also get a lot of cute panels with Toph and Aang - and man they are a really good looking couple. In a later analysis, I'll get more into depth on their relationship in this comic (and her relationship with her friends), but for this initial part it wasn't too badly butchered.

And's that's it for the first part of this analysis.

[remyfire]

.

Legitimately wonder at the amount of people who dislike BJ or hate shipping him with pretty much anybody and yet choose to follow me. Me, the person with an icon of Beej on pretty much anyplace you can find me. The fella who has a personal goal to make BJ kiss as many people as possible. Has the other stuff I've written just managed to make them briefly transcend that simmering disdain anytime I post or reblog something with him? Like what is the goal here?

[EDIT] btw this isn't to say that I'm going to demand they change their minds or reconsider him or anything—people do that when they feel open to it and you can't force it on anybody and quite frankly I would hate it if I inadvertently did make someone feel pressured to do so—but I am just surprised every time I realize it. Like what is it about me or my blog that doesn't put a bad taste in the mouths of people who dislike Beej?

[doberbutts]

Thank you for talking about the “able to get to the door but unable to stay inside” thing re:stimulation. My issues are less severe than yours were (creates chronic fatigue instead of severe meltdowns) but it’s kinda the first time I’ve heard anyone discuss them as a legitimate disabling barrier. I still have this “if I just try hard enough” mentality that I’m trying to overcome, and it helps to have someone else go “no, this is a real problem.”

Honestly the brain injury really opened my eyes because I do have ADD and had childhood epilepsy (been seizure-free since I was 8 tho) so we were somewhat conscious about sensory stuff but a lot of it was like. Okay every once in a while you will touch something that is Bad Texture and you will scrub your skin raw about it for the next couple of hours. Annoying repeating sounds fade into the background for you but God Forbid anyone talks while you're concentrating because now they've ruined everything. You'd rather starve than put Tastes Bad into your mouth and have gone to bed with hunger pains many times as a result. etc etc etc for me it wasn't so disabling but largely that was due to my mom knowing how to manage my symptoms and teaching me from a very young age how to cope.

And then with the seizures my major warning sign was a colossal headache that refused to go away which was a sign to go lay down somewhere quiet and dark for a few hours until it passed or else a lightning storm would happen in my skull :D

But the brain injury... that really upset everything. Which is commonly reported, when I was finally able to speak I told my neurologist that I felt like a completely different person and not in a good way and he said that most TBI survivors have said this.

Honestly the best way I can describe it is that. Hmm. Imagine... your TV is too loud. When I say too loud I mean like. It hurts to be in the same room as the TV, it's bordering on the edge of so loud that it makes you physically take a step back. When the TBI first happened, that was any and every stimulus to my senses. My clothes touching my skin was Too Loud. Tasting my food was Too Loud. The ambient light coming from my window was Too Loud. And so on and so forth. Because there was an actual damaged piece of my brain, it was really struggling to parse any more information than "oh, no, ow, make that stop".

I wore blacked out glasses inside because I couldn't stand to keep my eyes open otherwise. I would ask my roommates to whisper several rooms down if they were going to talk to each other or on the phone because even just hearing their footsteps was like someone was taking a hammer to my forehead. I was usually naked because the feel of my shirt against my back would set me off. There's a lot I can't remember from that time but I remember being so frustrated as I hid under my covers from the light and the ambient noise of living with a bunch of people and their pets that "trying harder" and "pushing through" honestly just made everything worse.

It's a lot better now. It'll be 5 years in July. But every once in a while something will still set me off and I will be back in that place, frustrated with myself as I feel my brain hurtling towards a Very Loud Meltdown that I cannot get to stop.

I just don't appreciate being told that it's somehow lesser because my legs work. Especially considering TBIs are so common, and they happen so fast. All it takes is one good knock on the head and then you'll be just like me.

[sillylilyposting]

Um Hey!

I just want to share some personal thoughts and opinions on lily but like. i dont feel like i can post it on my main-

but anyways-

i think the focus on lily’s awful kinks is little too much

yes they’re taboo and the way she presents them are bad and horrible

but kink isn’t inherently bad- even taboo ones-

a lot of things i see on tumblr seem to be saying lily is bad because she has them, and not focused on the fact that she denies it, she’s hypocritical regarding kinks reflection on the person, and her kinks are not victimless.

lily legitimately. makes me feel bad about my kinks?

but focusing on the fact that she has them versus the actual issues its just leaves a weird taste in my mouth

anyways- this is kinda just a ramble but wanted to say something and didn’t know where to put it

Hey I appreciate your honesty

Beneath this is not for children

Here's the thing if your kinks are "Hey man i like a bit of a lot of BDSM in the bedroom" that's cool that's between you and your partner(s) most sexual kinks are harmless in your own private spaces, tbh I don't have any advice there besides don't air that out in public

I don't have beef with furries or scalies or or people into wax play or gags etc kinks don't cause a problem until you involve people who do not or cannot consent to being involved

*just keeps naming kinky bedroom activities*

[literallyanyname]

TW: Discussions of SA and SH

So I was thinking about those two scenes in Banana Fish (the anime) where SA/SH is presented to the audience as funny. The first with the nurses in the hospital, and the second with the random doctor at the National Institute of Mental Health. Any scenes where SH or SA is depicted as humorous leaves a bad taste in my mouth. (Big Bang Theory is probably the most prominent example of this I can think of). But these scenes came off as particularly off-key, because it's literally Banana Fish. Like, did the writers legitimately forget their own narrative's theme? A good chunk of the show is dedicated to presenting and then repeatedly reinforcing the concept that SA is bad, which it is. So why would the writers of BF, who showed careful, deliberate attention to every other part of the show, put these two scenes in?

Both scenes involve women and/or femininity in some way.

The scene that takes place between the nurses and Ash involves four female characters. These characters have already decided that they will take turns "assisting" Ash, and inform him of this in a way that is distinctly uncomfortable for both Ash and the audience. The important thing to remember in this situation as that the ones doing the harassing are meant to be interpreted as female. With the exclusion of the other scene I mentioned, every other time a character commits SH or SA, they are always male and it is always painted in a light that is meant to be unsettling and disturbing. But here, when the ones doing the harassing are female, it's supposed to be funny. Because women are not seen as capable of sexual predation, it's generally considered okay, entertaining even, to depict scenes like the one above. After all, they're women, what harm can they do?

Immediately after, Ash is shown to be highly uncomfortable. His boundaries have been threatened by people who are not supposed to take advantage of his situation. The nurses' actions obviously cause harm.

Next, the scene with the random doctor. He enters the elevator with Ash (who is pretending to be a female nurse), Max, and Ibe (though he doesn't know Ibe is there). Although he is in the elevator with what he thinks to be two other people, he only pays attention to Ash, specifically. He proceeds to call him "sexy" and gets very much in Ash's personal space. After a brief attempt to keep up the façade, Ash punches him, and calls his actions what they are: SH.

The key detail here is that Ash is presenting himself as a woman. He is wearing a skirt, unnecessarily large fake breasts, and is speaking in a higher, softer voice than normal. Ash (and the writers) are doing their level best to make him come off as feminine at first glance. This scene would not be acceptable otherwise.

It's up for debate what the audience is supposed to take from this scene. Are we supposed to laugh at a female victim of SH, or are we (an audience that the writers probably assumed would be mostly women) supposed to get catharsis from someone who looks female punching a sexual harasser with the "physical strength of a man"? Possibly both? There's no real way to know.

I honestly can't tell if the writers did this intentionally or not. It could be a way of talking about SA perpetrated by and/or against women and how this particular category of SA is viewed differently in society. The scenes do have a very, very different tone from all instances of SA/SH within the show that exclusively involve characters who are intentionally presenting themselves as men. However, it could also be a reflection of the writers' own personal biases and stereotypes. With the attention to detail present in Banana Fish, I think it's likely the former.

[menlove]

9 17 25

what do you think of paul's lyrics? answered BUT my other take is that there's so much to be found in those lyrics man was really writing some insane gay shit in his songs that no one wants to talk about lmao. at least in any sort of legitimate setting. like. still constantly hung up on him calling john "pretty baby" TWICE.... girl.

what's your take on george's religiosity? answered!

what's your take on the barcelona trip? what can i say john & brian probably fucked. how much or how little i can't say. i WILL say the idea some people put out there that it was non-consensual on john's part always leaves a really, really bad taste in my mouth. bc i genuinely think that rumor came about out of pure homophobia bc people would have rather thought that brian would drug him & take advantage of him than that john be bi, and it's just sort of upsetting to see it parroted in circles today like it's truth when afaik there's like One source that claims that and it's one of those "he said that she said that so and so's mom overheard that-" kind of sources so :/ like can i be 100% certain that didn't happen? obviously not. but i hate when people present it as fact.

controversial beatles asks

[something-about-sunflowers]

Alright. So quick thing cause I think I'm gonna keep my longwinded full breakdown for after the season ends:

I have two thoughts.

I legitimately forgot how much I love canon EdStede. The fandom (the Izzy-antis specifically) put such a bad taste in my mouth towards them I legitimately was to the point where I didn't want to see any of it, but returning to canon - with NEW canon - is so fucking refreshing and sweet and I do really love them.

I am WAITING for the EdIzzy blow-up. They are KILLING me with the suspense of it. Ed's made some measure of amends with everyone except Izzy and Izzy is CLEARLY taking a page out of Frenchie's book and locking that shit up TIGHT. I worry it won't be until the last episode though. I expect they'll handle it well but GOD will it kill me the entire time until we get some REAL closure on it. (And the dreamer in me hopes for reconciliation and maybe a hint at something more leading into season 3 if I'm entirely honest but I'll accept fanfic territory if we do still get a good 'friends' ending.)

(One more thing: I'm expecting a Deus Ex Buttons/Chekov's Seagull situation with whatever Big Bad Battle going on in the finale.)