#explain but not excuse

[bethanydelleman]

So I do think the lady who wrote this stupid book has a point about modern media excusing terrible behaviour with tragic backstories, because I read a lot of justifications of Darcy that are centred in Darcy having TRAUMA. Poor boy didn't mean to be rude at the Meryton assembly, he's a poor little orphan who just had sister troubles.

Except that blaming this trend/trope on Austen is insane, because Darcy does not excuse his behaviour in this way AT ALL. He does blame his education somewhat, but if anything his excuse is that his parents loved him so darn much that he became a brat. That's not trauma, that's Trust Fund Baby Syndrome.

In fact, the one person who attempts a trauma explanation of Darcy is... Wickham! He claims that Darcy Sr. loved him more than Darcy Jr., causing Fitzwilliam to be jealous of Wickham. Which would be kind of understandable, if it were true, but Darcy doesn't really seem to care about this and clearly loved his father, so if anything Wickham was a minor annoyance in his life pre-Ramsgate.

The narrator says clearly that Darcy has always been like this, it isn't a trauma reaction, "He was at the same time haughty, reserved, and fastidious; and his manners, though well bred, were not inviting... Bingley was sure of being liked wherever he appeared; Darcy was continually giving offence." And Darcy confirms this, he's been rude "from eight to eight-and-twenty" The only time he brings up the whole Georgiana thing is to tell Elizabeth about it, he never blames that event for his behaviour.

If anything, Jane Austen was a proponent of "explain but not excuse". Lucy Steele is mercenary because she is barely clinging to her status in the gentry, but she's still portrayed as a villain because the way she goes about trying to secure Edward (and later Robert) is fundamentally wrong. Mary Crawford has a back story full of trauma, she's an orphan twice over, her uncle sounds like a misogynist creep, and yet Austen doesn't accept it as an excuse, Mary must become better to be worthy of Edmund. Willoughby is an orphan, he's in debt, he's made bad choices, but he needs to do better and because he doesn't, he's not worthy of Marianne.

My Point: Don't blame Austen for the trauma excuses all bad behaviour trope, because she didn't start it and she frequently subverted it!

[violetwolfraven]

The funniest thing in the world to me is when people write mermaids that are bothered by humans eating fish. Like do you think fish don’t eat each other? The ocean is full of little freaks that will eat whatever or whoever the fuck will fit in their mouths. If the mermaids haven’t been eating fish this whole time what do you think they’ve been eating? If the answer is humans, that doesn’t make it any less funny. They’ll eat the species that looks like the top half of them but won’t eat a species that looks like the bottom half? Peak comedy.

[r1ver-6]

Say what you will about committing to the bit, but no one does it better than Burton Guster. Shawn does it because he has to and it comes naturally to him. But Gus? Gus does it because he gets to. And he can always perfectly follow Shawn’s hints. He doesn’t have to but he does. Every time. For years.

[swordsmans]

ive gotten quite a few questions about this so i sat down and wrote it all out for a discord power point night. here it is. no mystery, only chaos, and if novellas have no fans then i am dead.

[toffeebrew]

I have this hc that when error gets emotional and glitches, sometimes it stretches like those stretch glitches you see in video games.

[whiteiris0016]

IM SORRY WHAT

[autiacorart]

i was asked to give connor this and here we are

[phoenixinthefiles]

If I was DC screenwriter I think people would hate me

Cus I’m pulling out all the stops

Dick Grayson with anger issues who absolutely is not a golden retriever (that man will purposely target your occipital bone with his escrima) but does value his family over anything and loves them fiercely (even when they give him a heart attack)

Jason Todd the sunshine robin who’s really passionate which leads to his “extreme anger” Yes he’s a theatre nerd and he does listen to Jane Austen but that’s not his entire personality.

Cassandra Cain can speak.

*ducks away from window* Tim Drake is not a short king who is extremely sleep deprived and needs coffee to function. His smarts rival Bruce’s and he hates coffee, likes Mountain Dew a normal amount, and is sleep deprived but he takes power naps cus he plays into the corporate king role. He’s taller than Dick (cus that’s funny) and he’s missing a spleen but he blew up all the Lazarus pits so he does not care. Also he has commitment issues (mans cannot keep a girl or boy)

Duke Thomas is not the “normal one” he’s just as crazy as the rest of em and if you think he’s not it’s because you’ve fallen into his trap. The boy started a revolution and is the only meta Batman has pardoned (😝 Clark)

Damian is a precocious, traumatized, kinda mean, child. But he’s still a child, he can’t see over the counter at the doctor’s office, he wants his mom and dad together, and he loves being loved. Yeah he’s a bit of a brat but his grandfather is royalty and his father is Gotham’s dark prince; he’s allowed to be a bit pretentious. He’s a good kid and he had some bad influences but He is good.

Bruce Wayne doesn’t collect child soldiers, he is not physically abusive (physically, cus he’s had some moments) He won’t kill joker because the thin line that keeps that little boy in the alley sane is his fragile moral code. His kids were his kids first (with the exception of Tim😭) he would stop if he could, but because he can’t; he trains them.

Talia Al Ghul is not a rapist and she does love her son (the way she knows how).

Alfred Pennyworth is immortal🥰

(I’m aware I left some members off but these are just my main takes)

[manda-kat]

Friendly reminder that if you used to go to Church or a Christian school as a kid, but did not continue to study or grow your faith as you got older, than - no, you actually don't understand Christianity on the same level as a practicing adult believer.

I'm tired of hearing people dismiss the Christian faith and say 'well, I went to church as a kid, so I know what you believe'. That's the same as saying, 'my parents took my to the aquarium every week as a kid, so I know as much as your average marine biologist'.

If you're going to brag about how much knowledge you have about Christianity anyway, you should at least try not to say it on posts where you get things blatantly wrong about the Bible, the Church or- idk- the core message of the Gospel.

[marsstarsnstuff]

/gen

Do people understand the reason Q cannot apologize about the situation right now? Or are people a bit confused?

It's basically something in the US court system, that when someone is involved in a case and apologizes for the issues and takes the blame (rightful or not) the others in the same case can use it to put all the blame on one person and the others would get off scott free.

That is something that does actually happen, and I have had experience with. I can explain a little if people want but the circumstances are different as mine is around family and inheritance mostly.

So, yes, while the admins, 100% deserve explanations and apologies, due to leaks of private messages (that they are in their own right to show) I personally do not think an apology will be given until any of the higher up issues have been resolved.

*Edit*

Thanks @qsmpbutwithsignlanguage :

"An apology is considered a complete admission of guilt in the court of law in the United States of America, for more specific terminology. "

I forgot the specifics when writing this

[bananafire11]

Please put the knife away sir

+ sketches i wont be finishing

[4pp13-ju1c3]

this ONEs a real doozy!! (i am ill and will not recover. this series has left me irreparably damaged)

[thresholdbb]

I'm a Kai Winn apologist but not because I think she's a good person. She's a compelling tragic character

[onesidedradiostatic]

"alastor isn't canonically aroace" errrrm actually he told me he was himself sorry

also yes I edited this myself so some details below if anyone's curious (did this to challenge myself a bit but it didn't take too much effort)

edited in premiere pro, this is how the frankensteined audio and visual look together, even reordered, slowed down and stitched the different mouth movements together to fit the words

specific dialogue taken are:

Alastor: I'm afraid you've lost your signal.

Alastor: Of course! Can't let my new project fall into disrepair already. What would the papers say?!

Alastor: When I'm done, your status quo will know its race is run!

all from episode 2, basically what was compiled was "I'm air al ace" but air al sounded enough like aro to me so I just rolled with it LMAOOO

[chessb0r3d]

i cracked the code.

[groverapologist]

okay but how silly is it that drew's feelings towards silena were regarded as bad. keep in mind that HoO doesn't take place too long after PJO, drew was part of a war at age 15-16. her siblings, friends, and loved ones are all at risk of death. there are rumours of a spy and of course that's putting everyone at edge. in the final battle of the war, while her friends and siblings are quite literally dying, her sister reveals she was the spy and dies to help protect everyone. she then is given the responsibility of taking care of her siblings, which, again, some died. i love silena but i also know it only makes sense that drew would have complicated feelings towards silena, and of course those feelings would be displayed as a polar belief.