#failures for gods

[onlyhurtforaminute]

IMMOLATION-NO JESUS, NO BEAST

[crowns-of-violets-and-roses]

There's an old probably apocryphal tale about Lyndon Johnson that was popularized by Hunter S. Thompson which goes like this:

This is one of the oldest and most effective tricks in politics.  Every hack in the business has used it in times of trouble, and it has even been elevated to the level of political mythology in a story about one of Lyndon Johnson’s early campaigns in Texas.  The race was close and Johnson was getting worried.  Finally he told his campaign manager to start a massive rumor campaign about his opponent’s life-long habit of enjoying carnal knowledge of his own barnyard sows. “Christ, we can’t get a way with calling him a pig-fucker,” the campaign manager protested.  “Nobody’s going to believe a thing like that.” “I know,” Johnson replied.  “But let’s make the sonofabitch deny it.”

Tumblr keeps making me think of this anecdote. There's a group of users on here who constantly demand if anyone mentions BDSM positively or even neutrally they caveat it by saying they aren't talking about abuse or if a man likes to call his boyfriend daddy they demand he disclaim that he doesn't support incest or if a trans girl likes to wear cat ears she needs to deny that she isn't into bestiality.

The point of this isn't that they actually believe it themselves or even a lot of the time it isn't about convincing other people that it's true but just to tar people by creating the association between two unrelated things by demanding that people constantly deny it.

[tubbytarchia]

The bloodied moon cried for you, but you only heard the stars The weeping moon then bled for you, but you only saw her scars

[heliojart]

HAPPY TRANS DAY OF VISIBILITY!!!! 🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍⚧️ and easter i guess lol

[qdkdraws]

Wish 2023: I uniquely combine 2D and 3D techniques! Klaus 2019: ahem

[zillychu]

Trigun fucking destroys me, okay.

It's about persisting through the most horrific obstacles imaginable, and never losing hope for yourself and others. It's about the fruit your efforts bear, but it doesn't ignore the ugliness of the suffering you endure. It doesn't sweep it under the rug to give you a happy ending.

As a jaded millennial, I get a bit tired of stories where everything turns out fine because the heroes tried hard. Most stories gloss over the repercussions of failure. They tell us it's all simply a means to an end, and that end is what matters. Overcoming your obstacle matters. Winning matters.

Trigun doesn't do this.

Vash gets hurt (gross understatement). He's ostracized, bullied, threatened, haunted, forced to see the darkest underbelly of humanity. He's subjected to the worst parts of life that are grotesquely ruthless, unforgiving, hopeless. He's forced to reconcile a lot of his goals (like never killing anyone), but not the core of his beliefs.

Not once does he falter in his trust that people are capable of good, that we all deserve that chance to be. He never has a revelation that shakes his faith in humanity, despite constantly being given every reason to. He's the irritatingly optimistic anime protagonist who looks at impossible odds and says "everything will be alright", the way no one can in real life because it never works out that way for us.

And it doesn't for him, either.

Vash does his best, believes in himself, and fails. over and over and over again. He loses everything--loved ones, memories, autonomy. He loses constantly. He's your unrealistically positive hero, being dealt realistically unfavorable hands.

And still, he persists. He never truly wins. Because we never truly win. Life has no happy ending like a story does.

He never truly wins, and yet, he can still find happiness. He meets friends, enjoys good food, watches people love fiercely in both blessing and hardship. He hits unbelievable lows that don't keep him from finding highs. Because he never stops trying to be the best of what he sees in humanity. Because every little bit counts. He never stops believing in humans--believing in you.

Trigun grabs you by the face and stares directly at you. It says "I see you, I see your pain, how much you struggle. I see how sometimes no matter how hard you try, things don't work out. Life isn't a fairy tale. I see how your kindness can come back to hurt you, hurt others. I see you, and I'm proud of you. Life is worth living with love in your heart not because we win, but because we try. We all try. Never stop trying to be kind."

Trigun shows you the cruel reality of life, and leaves you feeling good about it.

I don't know a single piece of media that's able to do that.

[blizardstar]

Me when Ashton Greymoore is denied honorable and meaningful self-sacrifice, and now must face the reality that they MUST keep living after it’s All Over

[sadly-never-after]

I remember how during True Hearts Day there was this joke about princes falling for Apple but not a single one being interested in Duchess (little goat dude I’m rooting for you) and I get it that was made only to have Duchess being the butt of the joke, but it also lead me to some thoughts.

Seeing as most of the non-protagonist princess and princesses don’t know their destiny till they sign the book, I can imagine that getting assigned the role of Prince Siegfried would be seen as an embarrassment.

Of course no one wants to date Duchess! No one wants to be the prince who is known for failing the task and not being able to save the princess! Becoming Duchess Prince is a symbol of inadequacy. It is something others use to make fun of you. There’s infamy in that role.

Dexter probably felt selfish and guilty about it but he would have felt so embarrassed if the Book had shown him that destiny. It would have amplified all his insecurities about being a disappointment to the Charming family. The prince who failed. The prince who did not save anyone. The prince who allowed the evil sorcerer to win. The prince who doomed his princess.

[girlboss-marv]

Oh no. Y’all, RUN!

[ohmyblues]

I have finally decided to draw Shadowheart!

It took me 7 months help

[pyr0frnzy]

Usopp grows a heart shaped tomato 🍅❤️ also this is based on a tweet i saw hehe

[lorebird]

In which Ford struggles so badly to relate to other people that he wonders if he’s really human at all. The more isolated he becomes, the harder it is to reconcile with his own humanity.

[spiiiiiral]

any mr stitch fans in chat

[jon-sedai]

ASOIAF discourse would be a lot more fun if we all realized that every single person who has been put in a position of leadership/rulership fails in one way or another. Jon and Dany failing is not an indictment on their abilities to lead or rule. They’re kids, they still have shit to figure out. Given “what was Aragorn’s tax policy”, I doubt GRRM will write a story that will feature the appearance of a most perfect ruler ever who will be a total success instead Jon and Dany who were tOtAl FlOpS. Especially if this person has no previous experience that has been detailed within the text itself. That’s not only antithetical to the series, but also not how you write a narrative.

[verumc0dex]

A Day With Bayker

after the events of the spire, Hector was told to some work and helping around in Milldread...

[cosmicwhoreo]

So I made them Salty Shark Crew ocs!

And I love them so so much! Aaaaaaand I also kept these two freaks-

because they were too fun a duo to give up to somebody else