#generalized sense and not take you seriously

[sokkastyles]

Do you think some parts of the world would have been unhappy in Aang's decision to spare Ozai? That people would be so bitter - this madman gets to live, while their friends and loved ones died? Why is that? Oh - because the Avatar didn't want to compromise his own morals, to kill someone? Tough, it's a war. People die.

The thing I don't like about the way the show frames it is that the narrative doesn't really give Aang a choice, either.

I think people who frame this as Aang respecting Air Nomad culture are trying to give the show too much credit, because the show doesn't act like Aang gets to choose a moral high ground, they act like he has no choice. Aang seems to believe that the only way he can honor his Air Nomad heritage is by not killing, and...what about all the Air Nomads who didn't have that luxury? What about Gyatso, who was faced with the choice of kill or die, and killed, and died?

I think a lot of people would see Aang's choice as a slap in the face. Every person who had to do things they considered against their personal morals to survive. People like Jet who sincerely wished to stop leading a violent life, but couldn't, because that life was chosen for him the moment his parents were murdered. People like Hakoda who felt deeply ashamed of having to leave his own children to go to war. Are these people just inherently less moral or more bloodthirsty than Aang? No, they simply didn't have the power Aang had at his disposal that allowed him to avoid the kind of violent lives that many people, children included, were forced to lead during the war.

That's also why the "Aang reminds Katara/Zuko that they are kids" thing annoys me. What Aang does is remind them that HE has the luxury of thinking of himself as a kid while they don't. The reason Katara hadn't been penguin sledding in so long isn't because she's a buzzkill who hates fun or she "forgot" that she's a kid, it's because she was forced into a role where she had to take care of her family in her mother's absence, and that doesn't go away with the introduction of another kid she has to parent. As for Zuko, that "well you're just a teenager" line is funny and it's easy to think of Zuko as someone who takes himself too seriously (and part of why it's funny is that teenagers in general do view themselves as so much older than younger children), but Zuko was kicked out of his home at thirteen and expected to be fighting a fully-realized adult Avatar. Even when he was Aang's age, he never had the luxury of thinking of himself that way. You can see this also in the way Zuko interacts with adults early in the series, notably Zhao and his crew. He is desperate to be seen as a hardened adult because he has had to act like one to survive.

These people don't act this way because they've lost their morals or sense of fun or because they don't value peace enough. They act this way because this is what they were forced to do to survive. I think people would rightly be offended by the idea that wanting to see Ozai dead for his crimes makes them just as violent as a genocidal tyrant, and they would be right to feel resentful that Ozai gets to live when he was responsible for so much violence. This is also why Zuko tells Ozai that he's lucky that Aang spared his life. Because in the end, Aang has NO moral obligation to spare Ozai whatsoever, not because of his culture or any reason. Pacifism has never meant that you aren't allowed to use necessary force to stop violence from happening. And anyone who uses the argument that Aang has to spare Ozai because of his culture or that this is his only way to honor his people is LYING.

[pomegranatepip]

alrighty, thank you to everyone who tagged me in this ^-^ sorry it took so long to get around to it sjshejdmj

SO. I'm totally about to take this way to seriously but i love picking these guys apart and now i get to do it with me too :D fun.

xavier and i are both INFPs and I'm also generally sleepy 24/7 👈🏼😎👈🏼 i love reading and gaming, i also like keeping physical mementos of important stuff and time i spend w other ppl xD and i pay attention to little details about ppl i care about and I'll randomly mention it one day and it's like. why do you remember that and I'm like. because ily duh.

i also tend to find/look for meaning in seemingly meaningless things (like day to day stuff that tend to get overlooked) because it adds a little more color to my day which I'll chalk up to being similar to rafayel. ALSO. pisces gang 👈🏼😎👈🏼 i also want to dye my hair purple. IT COUNTS ALRIGHT

i wear glasses and have a dry sense of humor. zayne wears glasses and has a dry sense of humor (match made in heaven fr). we both enjoy quiet time. ppl don't approach me easily because they think i look mean/cold but when they they're like oh. you're nothing like my first impression of you

for sylus, mayhaps its that i like having the reins in a situation and so does he xD and i enjoy classical music too. i enjoy trying new things, and black and red are my go-to colors for everyday wear (these days.) i definitely use gentle teasing/annoying ppl as a way of expressing love for ppl lol

i like when my friends/loved ones feel like they can rely on me (CALEB 🗣🗣🗣) I enjoy cooking (I'm assuming he does too) and i too like to dress up like i walked out of a 2000s boyband poster sometimes. I can be very nostalgic at times as well.

open tag <3 feel free to join in if you want mwah

so let's play another game

Tell something you have in common with your favorite (s) LI(s) then tag someone else

Me and Zayne are both lightweight. Y'all I can't drink alchohol to save my lips 🤚💀 without ending up tipsy just a glass of wine is enough to make my head spin .

Me and Rafayel are both dramatic but only with people we care about , I like to get on my friends and family's nerve (that how I show my love 😔)

@jinwoosbabyboo @yourlocalcatscammer @erensfeed

[adumbratrapedme]

Kita x reader | teen pregnancy. pt 1 the news.

Synopsis. a teen pregnancy storie between kita and a reader.

wc. idk | genre. angst to fluff |cw/tags. angst to fluff, teen pregnancy mentions, etc.

teen pregnancy series masterlist here!

NOTE: Lately, I’ve been rereading Love is an Illusion by Fargo—a series that meant a lot to my 15-year-old, friendless self and Kita’s parts in my story will be heavily inspired by it. Fargo gave me a vision, and I’m going with it. Of course, it won’t be 100% like Love is an Illusion, but I’m drawing inspiration from it for a few key conflicts. Just wanted to let everyone know!

general headcanons:

╭⋅We know kita was raised by his grandma so he def. was raised with a very traditional mindset, giving him a strong sense of responsibility, ╭⋅The moment Kita finds out about the pregnancy, he’s all in. His sense of responsibility kicks in, and he’s committed to the idea of making things work, no matter what it takes. His decision to marry isn’t rushed or impulsive—he truly believes it’s the only way to handle the situation properly, it’s not a question of if, it’s a question of how. ╭⋅Also sees marriage as a natural step when you’re in a relationship, and even more so when a child is involved. To him, it’s about ensuring that the family unit is stable and that everyone is taken care of. ╭⋅He is the type of person who remains calm in any situation, but this can be overwhelming for someone like you, since he tends to approach problems with logic and practicality which can make him seem distant when you just want emotional reassurance. ╭⋅Despite this, Kita genuinely believes he’s doing what’s best for you, and it takes time for him to understand that maybe u might need more from him than just steady support. ╭⋅Even with his sometimes cold demeanor, Kita has a surprisingly strong paternal instinct. The idea of becoming a father and raising his child with you is something he takes very seriously. While he’s calm, you can tell by his actions that he’s preparing himself for the long haul, making sure everything is in place for their future. ╭⋅I also feel or want to headcanon that kita’s grandmother raised him with the belief that family is everything, so he is fiercely protective of those he cares about, and while he’s not overbearing, he has a way of quietly supporting you through everything.

You sat on the edge of the school rooftop, legs tucked to your chest, eyes glued to the horizon. The wind ruffled your uniform, and the faint sounds of students below felt distant, like they belonged to a different world.

Because right now, your world was crumbling.

The pregnancy test was still in your bag. As if you needed to see it again to believe it.

Positive.

Your breath hitched. How the hell did this happen?! Well, okay, obviously, you knew how, but… you and Kita had always been careful. Sure, sometimes things got heated, and sure, Kita was frustratingly good at making you lose your mind, but still—how did it end up like this?

Your hands clenched around the fabric of your skirt. This is a nightmare.

"(Y/N)."

Your body tensed at the familiar voice. Heavy footsteps. The scrape of the door closing behind him.

Kita.

You didn’t turn around, but you knew he was already beside you, his presence as steady as ever.

"You missed lunch," he said simply.

Your stomach twisted. You bit your lip, keeping your eyes on the sky. "Wasn’t hungry."

A pause. Then—

"You're lying."

Your jaw clenched. Of course, he could tell. Kita never pried. He never pushed. But he also never let things slide, not when it came to you.

A warm hand settled on the top of your head, his fingers brushing through your hair in that absentminded way he always did when he knew you were upset. Usually, it calmed you down. Today, it just made your heart ache.

You swallowed hard. “Kita…”

"Hm?"

Your hands trembled. The words caught in your throat, tangled and suffocating.

How do you even say something like this?

Your chest felt tight. You gritted your teeth, then blurted out, "I’m pregnant."

Silence.

The wind howled between you, rustling the rooftop fence.

Slowly, you turned your head to look at him. Kita’s face was unreadable, his sharp golden eyes locked onto yours, unwavering.

Then, he exhaled. "I see."

…That was it?

Your stomach twisted. "That’s all you have to say?"

Kita hummed thoughtfully. Then, with a tone as steady as ever, he said, "We’ll get married."

Your brain short-circuited. "HUH?"

His expression didn’t waver. "We’ll get married," he repeated, as if he were just stating a fact. "I’ll talk to my grandma first. Then we’ll tell to your parents."

Your jaw dropped. "Are you insane?!"

Kita blinked, confused. "No."

You gawked at him. "Kita, we’re still in high school! You’re just—just deciding this on your own?!"

His brows furrowed slightly. "What’s there to decide?"

You wanted to scream. How could he be so calm about this?! Your entire world was falling apart, and he was acting like you’d just told him you forgot your umbrella.

"You don’t—!" You inhaled sharply, trying to steady yourself. "You don’t have to do this out of obligation."

Kita frowned. "It ain’t obligation. It’s responsibility."

"You don’t even seem shocked!"

He gave you a long, considering look. Then, with infuriating calm, he said, "Well… I had a feeling."

You nearly choked. "A feeling?!"

Kita nodded. "You've been getting dizzy. Your appetite’s been weird. And you stopped wanting coffee."

Your eye twitched. "That doesn’t mean I’m pregnant!"

Kita just shrugged. "Still figured I’d prepare myself for the possibility."

Oh. Oh, my God.

This was so Kita. Of course he’d already processed this before you even knew. Of course he’d seen all the signs, analyzed them, and just waited for you to come to him.

Your entire body trembled, overwhelmed with frustration, panic, and the unbearable weight of reality crashing down on you. Your breath hitched. "I-I can’t do this," you whispered.

Kita finally moved closer, his hand cupping the back of your head, pulling you forward until your forehead rested against his chest. His heart was steady, strong, unshaken.

"You're not alone," he murmured. "I got you."

Your fingers curled into his uniform. "But…" Your voice was barely a whisper. "Do you even love me?"

Kita exhaled through his nose, his fingers threading through your hair.

"Love ain't just words, (Y/N)," he said. "It's action. And I'll spend the rest of my life proving it to you."

Your chest tightened.

This was really happening.

And Kita Shinsuke was not letting go.

General Taglist:

@chilichopsticks @dreadnoughtus101 @starykari @staygoldsquatchling02 @alpha-mommy69 @curlyhairkk @b1xi @reuka1 @feyrfly @elmaa127

if you want to be part of the taglist you can always DM me or coment! also if u only want to be tagged on specific characters.

-if i forgor someone pls tell me and dont be shy, i get really lost with the taglist thingy ahhh

[alwayzadorbs]

Lucifers Fantasies, 2

Second publishing of things that Lucifer would do in bed, or what he fantasizes about, including kinks and his opinion on certain acts.

rating: 18, SMUT (surprise at the end!)

Masturbation, isnt something he'd do very often. He hardly had time for carnal desires before you found him. He just doesn't seem like the type of demon to please himself a lot, being swamped with work he simply didn't have time to think about it. He found himself pent up with sexual aggression, which does not bode well for your ability to walk. Sometimes hed find his mind and his hands drifting off to other places, imagining you in your school uniform, taking it off slowly to reveal your body. And when he cums, he shoots ropes.

Lucifer found himself with a corruption kink, taking imense pleasure in taking somebodies virginity, or exposing them to some really sexual things. he likes to think about if he was your first time, he wondered if you even thought about things like sex or were you imagining getting fucked? the thoughts that gave him the biggest erection was you breaking under him, from pleasure. becoming a mess just from him, he loves that.

Marking you is his favorite thing to do, sucking on your neck to leave hickey after hickey, not just that though. Leaving bite marks on the inside of your thighs, scratches from his tightening grip when he cums in you. Demons have a heightened sense of smell, hearing and general ability, so its not surprising to hear that he loves to mark you with his scent, being nothing more than just his smell rubbing off on you during close quarters, the closer you've been the stronger the scent.

Something about breeding you makes Lucifers dick stand straight up, maybe its the image of you laying underneath him, panting, begging for more of his juices, or maybe its because he feels immense pride when his scent stinks to you like that. He cant help but smirk when his brothers glare at him, smelling him on you. Even if he cant actually get you pregnant, he still loves to cum inside you.

body worship is on Lucifers list of top kinks, He loves it when you get down on your knees to praise his cock, showering it with kisses and telling it how much you like it, but his interest doesn't stop there. He likes to worship your body as well, you're just as important to him and he believes you deserve the love and care. He'll spend hours worshipping your body, explaining why he loves each and every piece of you.

To his surprise, when you got injured and started crying a bit, it gave him a bit of a boner. The volnurability you exposed him too, the way your cheeks flushed with pink, your shaky voice. you didn't get seriously hurt, you only shed a few tears as the injury burned, you felt ok after a minute, but lucifer, Lucifer was not going to be ok. He imagined the face you just made being caused by him, not by pain, but from the sheer overstimulation and pleasure he wanted to inflict upon you. He would never seriously hurt you or anything, he just enjoys the idea of you shedding a tear from the sting of his spankings.

semi-clothed sex is one of the things Lucifer enjoys. It stirs something in him to see you half-clothed, bottomless in an oversized shirt, or only wearing a skirt and an open blouse. the appeal of only some of your intimate parts peeking out arouses him beyond control, He loves to see you in just underwear or just a single garment.

He would surprisingly enjoy semi-public sex, bending you over the student council board desk, groping you or fondling your private areas in class or pulling you aside for a heated make-out session in the janitor's closet.

he doesn't like it when you use toys, but can't deny the fact he gets excited when he thinks of you using one. One late night, when he was walking to the kitchen for a late-night snack, he stopped right outside your room. He always found himself stopping in front of your door at night, but this was different, he thought he heard a noise, a verberation through the wall that caught his attention. he stood there for a few moments, about to walk away he was stopped by the noise again, until he realized what was going on, behind that flimsy wooden door. You were touching yourself, and those were your moans. The moment he realized it, his dick sprung to life, immediately creating a tent inside his pants. He leaned forwards, hesitating before deciding, he peered through the slit between the door and the frame. Gaining a clear view to your bed he peeped on you, watching you touch yourself. it was so deviant, but he looked anyway, not being able to take his eyes off of you as you used a toy on yourself.

shower sex is something he enjoys thoroughly and frequently, dragging you into the bath or shower with him, washing your body for you and turning it into something else. Your phone buzzed, your ringtone chiming through your room.

"hello? Lucifer, whats up?" you rubbed your eyes, feeling a bit tired

"Come to my room, You said you wanted to join me the next time I bathed, didn't you?" he chuckled on the other end "hurry, or I'll change my mind." he said before he hung up the phone

blushing, you headed over to his room right away, not wanting to miss the opportunity to bathe with Lucifer. In the shower, He'd offer to wash you, and when you say yes, he uses his body wash instead of yours. He feels incredibly prideful when you get out of the shower smelling just like him, he'll invite you for a shower the next time you need one too.

Lucifer LOVES edging, he likes to see you break down from orgasm denial, begging him for release, pleading with him to let you cum. In this state, he knows that you'll do just about anything for him, which is part of the reason he loves it so much. He also likes to use it as punishment, taking pleasure in your whines and begs, telling you to apologize to him in the best ay you can.

SUPRIZE! Heres a gift, for you! I wonder whats he's doing under that desk :o Source: Deleted twitter user, I tried to find an uncensored version but I couldn't)

[inazuma-fulgur]

I will also defend trans men here, I see vitriol about both just by different people.

Men, and women keeping proximity to men in media/political circles, target trans women for being predators and for mutilating themselves

Same for trans men actually, just by women and men keeping a proximity to those women. This one is a little weird though, because trans men post transition are predators and trans men pre transition are always victims who are tricked into mutilating themselves.

This isn't just on tv, this is stuff my neighbors and coworkers tell me. Austensibly, in my experience, cis women are negative towards trans men and largely neutral or positive towards trans women, whereass cis men are negative towards both

Non binary people don't even exist because they don't touch on the framework people use to understand themselves, so they can just be denied and don't require any arguments beyond "lmao silly"

[pondererswandererswonders]

This started off as a neat little fun idea and nothing more, but my autism decided to finally take matters into its own hands.

A RoTTMNT playlist heavily inspired by the fanfic, "Mutant Ninja Midlife Crisis" by a_platypus; among different works like Trial & Error and Odd Man Out. Songs have been placed in specific order to MNMC, but can be enjoyed on shuffle as a general Rise playlist. TCEST DNI.

@mutantninjamidlifecrisis

I looked at other playlists to see common themes and songs that are enjoyed by the average Rise fan, while also looking all over creation for songs that I thought would best fit MNMC specifically. I ended up finding a couple of awesome GVF songs along the way, that I'm genuinely surprised no one has used for anything remotely related to Rise?

Not a lot of future-Leo-goes-back-to-the-past type of playlists, but I really suck at finding things, so it's not like there isn't a lot out there. But anyway, I was a bit afraid that this playlist would be ooc for the fanfic because of my song choices? So, it kind of took me a while to make the actual playlist on Spotify, let alone make this post. But I know I'm simply overthinking it. It's the perfectionism talking.

Most of the songs have lyrics that align with major key points of the Rise movie and the fanfic, but other songs I also put there solely for the ✨vibes✨ and instrumentals really. I am still adding songs here n' there every so often, but I do plan on eventually cutting myself off from the playlist.

I was going for a "soundtrack" or "songs that sound like they belong in movies" type of feel for the whole thing, which I think I did okay on, but it kind of slowly turned more into a playlist where you can make cool animations or AMVs to; especially since this is not a listen-while-you-read type of playlist, because there's too much going on with the music in general.

Overall, just something I made out of appreciation that I think turned out okay.

[the-transgenda-agenda]

I generally try to keep this page positive, but I've been thinking about that ask I got the other day. I'll admit that I'm probably "privileged" due to my ability to pass well.

There were times before I even started testosterone that I was assumed to be a boy (until I spoke and said something goddamn my voice used to be obnoxiously high).

I still have faced pretty extreme transphobia and harassment and shit though. Being able to pass does not make someone safe from bigots and transphobes.

I've seen a handful of transfems in corners of the internet who try and say that transmascs have an easier time passing and evading hate. While that might be true for a handful of people, that's not true for everyone.

There exists transfems who have an easier time passing than certain transmascs and vise versa. I have met numerous transmasculine people who struggled to pass and spend every conversation having to correct people on pronouns over and over.

I'm lucky to be tall, but there are many transmascs who are not. Who are short. Who can't get the surgeries or hormones that they want. Or maybe they don't want them but still just want to be seen as who they are.

I don't know how else to word this, but struggles are individual. All we can really do as a community is stand together. Listen to what people have to say. Support our brothers and sisters when they struggle or fail. Lift each other up.

There will always be someone who "has it worse". Throwing around death statistics means nothing. I know transmascs who are forced to be seen as women in their lives. There are transfems to have the same problem.

Our struggles overlap. Sometimes they diverge because of the nature of how gender is seen in society. Pointing fingers at each other out of jealousy or trauma is not helpful.

I've seen vents of things I might not have batted an eye at but you know what, I have sympathy for it.

The trans community is supposed to be a community, regardless of gender. We should be united. We should be spending out time and energy helping one another. Giving each other tips and advice. Supporting each other. Hyping each other up. Sharing resources.

Not hate. Not divide. Not complaining about who has it worse. Its pointless, and its stupid.

I understand the urge of having something bad happen to you, and wanting to scream into the void or at someone else you think has it better, but its not productive.

[randomnameless]

Genuine question, not trying to start a fight, why do you get so upset about gods and churches being presented in a negative light in fictional works?

No pbs!

I guess it's a mix of being too common, too forced and having, in general, the cast use common tropish arguments to fight /defeat them.

I rant a lot about this game, but take TS where we have three sort of factions opposing each other, and each are supposed to suck. Who is the faction who never receives any "positive traits" or "pet the dog" moment?

The game force fed us a scene where an Aesfroti soldier - when Aesfrost is depicted as a highly militarised nation with a cult of personality towards their current ruler, that invaded the protag's home and slaughtered several civilians and NPCs in the process - say goodbye to his wife and kids before going to "war" to defend his land against, well, the protags who are invading it to kill their warmongering leader.

As force-fed as this scene was, it, I believe at least, tried to tell us that even the Aesfrosti who pillaged villages and killed their inhabitants are humans, and care about their loved ones, sure it's corny, but it's all about not deshumanising any party.

When we attack Hyzante? Niet, zilch, nothing. No similar scene where random soldiers, or NPCs, worry about what is going on and if they're going to die when their wall has been breached. They just, don't exist in this context.

I think the cherry on the cake is the Golden Route scene, where, apparently, nationalists Aesfrosti decide to turn back against their ultra charismatic leader because, uh, he "lied" when he declared the war and used a false pretense, so the soldiers and people who were butchering babies and invading a city where people were preparing a marriage apparently now have morals and rebel.

There's no similar scene for Hyzante when the cast reveals that the teachings of their Goddess were made up and salt wasn't exclusively given to them by divine intervention, because rock salt exists everywhere. Sure it would be a bit weird and forced that people thinking they're chosen ones and looking down on everyone else suddenly, hm, don't break down when their entire system of belief is shattered, but hey, if the Aesfrostian Gregor can have morals after washing his hands of all this Glenbrookian blood, why shouldn't religious npc #55 not make the same heel face turn?

And then, we have the slavery/human experimentation plot - in general, when TS tries to give nuance, they more or less explain/justify why something that "sucks" is done, it's basically Silvio's character.

Aesfrost' Gustadolph manages to push his "freedom" mentality because his land is a harsh place where people are desperate to survive, salt smuggling is reprehensible, but it's the only way to give some to the ones who cannot afford it. Of course is everyone is free, no one is because, as Gustadolph puts it, they're basically free to die for his ambitions.

Hyzante? Follows a racist creed where Rozellians have to pay for some great sin, and are slaved away in a lake to recover salt until they die. It's, later, justified by Hyzante wanting to keep its salt monopoly else they don't have anything, and wanting to curb down the Rozelle people because they know about the exitence of rock salt (and I guess getting free workers to harvest salt from the lake + having state enemies make his own population docile/not willing to rebel ?).

And then, we have the human experimentations, that are just done for, uhh, Idore's lol. When Hyzante is known for its "advanced medicine" and we could have had the usual dilemna of, idk, having those humans experimentations used to develop this medicine that is reknown in the world (idk, sacrificing a Rozellian to save someone else's life?) - it's not the angle the devs picked. Rozellians are sacrificed to power up an idol, Idore wants to control the world through his idol and soft power (compared to Gustadolph's hard power) and manipulates his people (just like Gustadolph) to do so.

The two are very similar, but who is the final boss? Complete with a transformation in an eldritch monster? The war-mongering imperialist or the jaded old man who is leading de facto a religion?

Hopefully there's the entire "human experimentations for no other purpose than the lols" to settle them apart.

---

I recently watched Dune, and even if I have some issues with the adaptation, the Bene Gesserit isn't portrayed as "comically" evil-er than the Harkonen Empire, I reckon the comparison isn't adequate, because Dune is multi book series when I'm mostly talking about video games.

Symphonia's church of Martel is a font for the Big Bad (tm) to put in motion his nefarious plans, and yet, through the game, we see how random clergymen use their, uh, religious buildings to help people around. Ultimately Martel herself is reincarnated through plot device and tells the big bad to stop being an ass and the story is less about "church and gods evil" but "big bad distorts Martel/church's teachings and role for his plans because he has a tragic backstory"

(but then Symphonia ends with the biggest whitewashing from every Tales I've played for its big bad so I'll stop talking about it because otherwise I'm going to be salty).

Abyss' church is more or less the same thing - the Church is supposed to help people deal with the fact their verse has "predestination stones" where the future is already written, and in the course of the game, we see how it has several factions and one opposes the group (who has the pope as a NPC!) - but it's not a story about "gods bad church BaD".

I remember playing Suikoden Tierkreis a long time ago, and while the game seemed to go through familiar "church bad gods bad" route and we end with defeating a god-like entity... I pretty much loved the twist that, in a game that relied on alternate dimensions/universe, the god-like entity was actually the protag if he made different choices!

In those games, if you fight a religious body and someone pretending to be a God or what not - it's not because people fight against an eldritch creature who wants world domination and to erase puny insects, or is the reason why everything goes wrong, but because, at the end, the conflict/fight is ultimately caused by someone, generally a human or at least a non "god like" entity, wanting to destroy the world.

I don't remember if FE was my first JRPG series or not, but I always liked the idea that if the world is doomed in those games and the heroes must prevent said doom, it's not because a god-like being wants to destroy the world, but because people, humans/randoms are the most shitty ones out there.

---

As for the "tropes" often used to deride fictional churchs and religious people, well, I will again point to TS - which did a splendid job in the Benedict Route where you smash Hyzante after allying with Aesfrost.

There's one battle where out protags diss Hyzantese because they worship a goddess and have no free will, listening to Her teachings and Her says (the traditional "religious people have no free will and listen to their churches who tell them how to think!") - which is immediately countered by one of those Hyzantese characters asking Serenor if he's not the same, but instead of blindly listening to a Goddess, blindly follows Benedict. And it ends with the final chapter title referencing automatons/puppets : who is that title talking about ? The fake "idol" Idore created, or the fake "king" Benedict created?

Anyways, the usual "religions people have no free will because their church/religion tells them how to think" trope reeks of r/atheism and the double standard - bar in this route of TS, but I guess, in TS itself in the Roland route! - is never called out, blindly following a charismatic leader is okay, as long as charismatic leader isn't religious?

Regardless of my IRL thoughts about religion, usually those tropes are presented as a "gotcha!" when they are... not at all, but the games/books leave it at that and we're supposed to roll with it.

I'd say it's lazy writing or, as we saw in Naruto, a quick way to end a story without having to dwelve in characters and their motivations : "you're a god/alien/other being and you're bad, so let us do what we want!" - end of the story.

Hopefully some fillers and to an extent, Boruto gave her more meat bar being the 11 hour villain we had to defeat quick and who manipulated the previous sad'n'lonely antagonists - but it still felt rich from Naruto, known for his famous "talk no jutsu" and trying to understand people he's fighting against, to drop the ball with Kaguya, calling her pure malice and ending with some "let us live the way we want" to wrap up the plot so he can wrestle with his boyfriend later on.

In the end, we often end up with "religion bad bcs the big bad manipulates people through it", as if those mangas/animes/vg never have other examples of charismatic people not using religion to manipulate their randoms/people or "gods bad they should let humans do what they want" when we've read/seen/played through various, uh, really fucked-up shit humans did - but on their own! and ultimately, but it's more in fandom spaces, with have Projection 101.

TLDR : church/religion/gods are too often used in those works as the ultimate scapegoat to either wrap up a story in a rushed ending or to pretend to have "nuance" but still have a common enemy where all the "nuanced" characters can grow/be whitewashed and side together against that "common enemy".

Just like in all things I guess, I prefer when something isn't painted as purely negative and all of the positive traits are erased because there is a need for a perfect scapegoat - sure, bring out too much "nuance" and writing/designing a game/manga/anime becomes harder because there's no "clear cut" antagonist, and yet, the one who always gets fucked in this scenario is the religious/church side.

Want a generic stock villain who will destroy the world so the heroes have to fight against them? Just create a "religion" in your setting, and have the big bad either hell bent on resurrecting Chtullu to destroy the world because Chtullu BaD, or have them be the most corrupt piece of shit who manipulate everything in the shadows, so the rest of the world, even the ones who slaughter others bcs they feel like they must start a war, can be whitewashed at the end.

I mean, there's a saying about diverting attention from a fire by starting a bigger one near, or a trope of "aliens made them do it" : who cares if Madara started a continental war and targeted a village full of random civilians he swore to protect because he lost the elections? Did y'know he was manipulated by a woman, I mean, an eldritch thing created by a woman, regarded as a God, who ultimately wanted to get out of her fridge to kill everyone?

Roland must get over his hatred for Aesfrost for barging in his kindgom and killing hundred of his people while they were preparing for a wedding, because hey, Idore is evil and plans on ruling the world through his sham religion!

I'll forever be salty at TS for not giving Kamsell the occasion to rise against Idore, or not even have minor NPCs get the same treatment as Sycras suddenly going all "u lied to me gustadolph so i won't listen to u anymore + sad goodbyes to my wife'n'kids".

Extremism of all kinds can lead to wars/tragedy/fucked up shit - Sure I don't want to get my History lessons in video game medium when I play lol, but what I really don't like is how it feels like depicting "they're extremists because they're religious" feels like the default/easy answer : want a bunch of brainwashed people the heroes must fight against and can't talk no justu their way out of this fight/will fight without looking too BaD? Depict those people as "misguided" members of a corrupt church/believers of a religion, no one will givea fig. If they are instead supporters of a charismatic leader who throws them through the meatgrinder to further their goals? Well, there's no automatic loyalty so either you have to show/depict it on screen, else it can be challenged at key points to demonstrate how those people - who follow the charismatic leader - aren't completely "mindlessly listening to their leader" or how their leader "isn't that bad after all".

[uncanny-tranny]

You know, I don't think cis people are uniquely more normal about sex and gender compared to trans people when I saw a bunch of cis people legitimately angry that a man gives directions based on landmarks because "man is when gives street names (smart), woman is when gives stupid landmarks" like the call is coming from inside the house. Also unchecked misogyny is going to fucking destroy everybody's capacity to engage with other humans like they are people.

[ceramicbeetle]

kind of astounding how innocuous conversations with my younger siblings can make me feel like dogshit... what are the good things about being the oldest kid supposed to be again??

[alexoreality]

You might not have to hear this but some one piece ships literally don't make sense that it gives me the ick 🥲 (some ships i just respect and leave alone, i'll color them in blue.) (And the ones that give me severe trust issues is purple)

AceSan - ...okay... The smirk...? What else...? Trauma bonding?? What...? I mean, its cute, i can leave the ship alone and its fans. I think this ship stemmed from the way Ace was drawn looking at Sanji *my boy was greasy* Y'all are horny though.- (sorry. But they'll get along so well with supporting and stuff- TRAUMA. MY GUY. I KNOW IT WHEN I SEE IT 😭

HanLu - thats a grown ass woman.

LawLu - and thats a grown ass man. (But Luffy's 19- AGE GAP???)

ZoSan - i'm sorry HUH. The two men that insult each other 24/7 were being shipped??? HUH. (But they respect each other- I KNOW THAT??? BUT GODDAMN THE FICS DON'T GET THEIR CHARACTER RIGHT 😭 ZoSan is a well-liked ship, but don't consider them canon and that they'll kiss after Zoro defeats Mihawk)

ZoBin - THAT IS HIS MOTHER FIGURE.

SaboSan - ...They never met 😶... and what if they do? Trauma bonding again?... Y'all I'm sorry but huh- how. Legitimately I'M SPEAKING RATIONALLY, HOW THE FUCK WOULD TWO PEOPLE FALL IN LOVE??? THAT WAY???

UGH ITS JUST A 2D CHARACTER!!

Well DAMN YOU WEREN'T TREATING THEM LIKE THAT WHEN I WAS DISSING THEM??

[gu6chan]

maybe its sample bias but i think it's kinda funny how most people I've seen who've played drakengard because of nier are making ending e THE endgoal and more often than not the main if not only reason they're playing the game at all and when they finally get it they're like "this is it the single most impactful, greatest moment of all gaming. im wiping tears from my eyes this is it" and then you see the drakengard fans who've played drakengard because they like drakengard and you ask them about ending e and they're like "eh. it was okay, i guess"

[torgawl]

a bit obsessed with the idea of kusakabe dying as a form of sacrifice to specifically protect/save somebody else. it's consistent enough with the theme of the past generation achieving no meaningful feats against significant threats but it's also ironic enough that someone without a technique and who claims their philosophy is primarily self-sacrificial - although he tends to stay from his own ideals in critical moments, proving he's not only brave when necessary but he does have a sense of responsabilty and guilt - ultimately redeems themselves through death resulting in the achievement of something his colleagues have failed to do. not that i'm wishing for him to die, i hope he doesn't. but it would also make a clear-cut distinction between him and a character like mei mei, who narratively serves a very similar purpose (besides her being a foil to nanami). to have someone be awarded by their selfishness just for it to not be worth much within a world and system that runs and sustains itself due to the sorcerer's labour power, whose only means of subsistence is to sell themselves away. a class of people who is doomed no matter what path they choose to take, as long as they do not break free from their duties and as long as the system doesn't collapse. a death that could serve as a symbol of punishment towards solidarity and altruism but a win for revolution.

[fideidefenswhore]

What are your thoughts on Jane Boleyn, and the role she supposedly played in the fall of 3 Queens (Anne Boleyn, Anna of Cleves, Katheryn Howard)? Do you think she has been too maligned by historians for centuries, especially when it comes to the relationship with the Boleyns (it seems she got along with Anne)?

Now that I've read both works and compared them side by side, I suppose I would say my stance on Jane Boleyn falls somewhere in between that of Julia Fox and James Taffe ('Somewhere in between' is not, btw, Alison Weir); although closer to the former than the latter. Offering critique of both biographies, I would say that of JF is too apologetic (smoothing out wrinkles that exist in her arguments rather than acknowledging them) and JT is too severe.

Especially when it comes to the relationship with the Boleyns? Yes and no. Obviously she was married to George, she sent him a message of comfort while he was in the Tower, and wore only black the rest of her life, which was quite the potent statement. However, I would allow for the possibility that she potentially, inadvertently implicated him or AB (ie, testimony of hers was twisted to suit the crown's case). This is where I think there are flaws in the arguments of some of her defenders-- they cannot allow for even that possibility and so make claims that disallow it; some of which are untrue. 'Jane was only blamed as a means of absolving Henry in the whitewash of Elizabethan propagandists' is not true. Johannes Sleidan in 1545 claimed that Anne and George died by her 'false accusation'. Sleidan was a Reformer, so he would have been more sympathetic towards the plights of these two than the average person, and would have spoken to others that were as well, but the motivation to vindicate Elizabeth did not yet exist; she was at this point the very unlikely third in line to the throne.

I do appreciate that you said 'got along' with Anne, not 'besties', because...it's possible they were very close, certainly, but we must also allow for the possibility of animosity. The linchpin for the argument of closeness is the report from Chapuys that they 'conspired together' to banish Henry's mistress from court. Was this the precise truth? Considering the source I'm doubtful. Probably there was a lady Henry was serving at this time (although that we never have a name makes the story somewhat suppositious), but did they need to have 'conspired together' against her for Jane to be banished from court (which is what happened instead)? Jane might have merely made Anne aware of her, and Henry finding out that she'd been the source would have been enough for banishment. Or, as was presented plausibly in Adrienne Dillard's fictional rendition, Jane might have dropped hints to Cromwell that this mistress was a supporter of the two exiled and contumacious royal women that were Anne's adversaries, Cromwell might have passed this along to Henry, and Henry might have banished Jane for shattering the illusion that this woman had no independent ambitions or ulterior motives and merely let him hit for the sheer pleasure of his company.

If this was evidence of closeness, and it might be, then we also have to remember that the end result was Jane's banishment from court, and that there is, as JT fairly pointed out, no evidence that any of the Boleyns spoke in her defense, favor, or for her return. It would take an extremely magnanimous person to accept all that with equanimity and not feel any resentment whatsoever. So, if there was intimacy, there might have also been rift.

That leaves the question: enough 'rift' for her to seek vengeance? I doubt that much for all the reasons Fox outlines in her biography, but at the same time I wish there was not this relentless push to only defend women that we assert 'deserve' defense, on the premise they were entirely selfless, accepted every insult with grace, never kept any grudges, never had personal ambitions (the actions she took during the queenships of those you mentioned would suggest otherwise), mixed emotions, or conflicting loyalties; that we could acknowledge that acknowledging the agency of historic women also means acknowledging they were capable of making mistakes.

[cave-monkey]

Monkey King 2009 Episode 3

Them having Stone Monkey (apparently purely on instinct) constantly scratching while being introduced to the troop was pretty cool, since that's a legitimate deescalation behavior in monkeys. Something about how revealing stress acts as a bonding behavior and makes it less likely they'll be attacked. Humans do it too, kind of, when they rub at their hands or shoulders or neck (etc. etc.) when nervous or overwhelmed. ("Empathize with me! I am very stressed!").

Also something-something instinctive behaviors aside Stone Monkey being excited/overwhelmed/maybe a little overstimulated and choosing "ESCALATION!!!" as his response to all of that. He thinks the troop being scared of him is hilarious. He's scratching the fur off his arms but he's also going to get right up in your face anyway. Cautiously join him in admiring his cool new rock? He is going to play-lunge and also scream. Absolutely amazing. The troop has no idea what to do with these mixed signals. This kid is a menace and I love him.

Six Ears even gets in on the scratching behavior occasionally in the background, which might be because Stone Monkey actively terrorizing literally everyone trying to be playful (because he has the social skills of a literal, actual rock) is stressing Six Ears right out or it could be an attempt to deescalate on Stone Monkey's behalf. Monkey version of following in his new friend's wake throwing apologetic grimace-smiles at everyone. Possibly it's both. Point is: They included these behaviors and it's very fun.

You can also tell it worked because in just the journey to the cave you watch the four generals' views on Stone Monkey go from "uncanny valley horror entity lurking in the forest probably to kill us all" to "what a rude little kid >:| Emphasis on RUDE."

And, okay, I admit, I have softened my stance on the four generals. Somewhat. They seem to actually be taking their jobs seriously now. Maybe Episode 1 was a wake-up call and they won't utterly fail to notice an incursion until it's in the heart of their territory again. I don't want to go too crazy, but maybe they'll even be able to even muster a coherent response! Good for them.

Should probably still not be managing children, though.

Speaking of, Six Ears's increasing despair watching the train wreck in motion that was the four generals fumbling hard in giving Stone Monkey his very first etiquette lesson after he finally settled down and seemed willing to hear them out is also very relatable and hilarious. He knows they failed the test. Stone Monkey is definitely never going to listen to them again. They blew it. RIP Flower Fruit Mountain.

Stone Monkey does check in with Six Ears when he decides the generals are useless about explaining though, and that's pretty cute. He trusts his friend :) He also definitely internalizes that thing about having to ask to leave the presence of the king, so at least they managed to teach him some manners. ONE manners. A single manner. (Spoiler: They immediately regret this.)

But hey! This time Six Ears is left entirely to his own devices and still manages to get caught smack in the middle of enemy action. Not the Generals' fault for once! Six Ears just attracts this kind of thing, I guess.

3/3 Six Ears is Damsel-ed, but only 2/3 it's the adults' fault. The tally develops.

[ivystitches]

the amount of disrespect shiv takes from her brothers on a daily basis, i would’ve committed at least one murder by now