#hard in the other direction

[adanseying]

which tda book is your favorite?

Lord of Shadows slightly edges out Lady Midnight although they’re really close since I love both so much… but LoS has the overall most impactful arcs and storylines to me the section in the Unseelie Court is probably my favorite part of the series, and the ending packs a big emotional punch to say the least. It might be my favorite tsc book period actually I really love LoS. Also like I just said in the previous ask I tend to be a middle book(s) or middle seasons girlie it’s just who I am. I think this book struck a neat balance between being character driven and plot driven that was extremely effective although to be clear it would probably also be my favorite if it was just character centric filler angst about Emma&Jules because that’s who I am… but I’m still glad it was more than that! LM is also wonderful in a way that few first books in fantasy series are to me usually there’s a slow burn for me to be really invested but not here, and the whole murder cult mystery with body horror (had forgotten about the missing hands that made it even better) + forbidden romance + familial dynamics themes combo and vibe really works for me. Qoaad is my least favorite of the three but I still really like it, and I definitely thought far better of it on reread compared to when I first read it since back then I had been anticipating it so hard and theorizing etc. and had very sky high expectations (especially with Clockwork Princess being a rare perfect finale to me and with how much I loved the first two tda books I hoped for Qoaad to accomplish the same thing..) on reread I could evaluate it more for what it is and I came to the conclusion that about 80% of the actual content of the book I am a fan of, it’s just that the pacing of the book is insane. Genuinely if that book was split into two books and they were paced normally I’d have loved them as much as the first two I think! Genuinely I think cc has gotten too attached to trilogies as the sole structure for her work and it’s a big part of why the receptions for her last two finales have been what they are … (well I’m sure there are multiple factors at play but I’m confident that’s one of them) also maybe even effected tmi part 2 because I remember cofa being pretty filler and the plot there feeling like it could be resolved in a duology? I love almost every individual storyline in that book so if you asked me which ones I would snipe for the third book to be paced correctly I’d be hard pressed to get rid of things but if you split it into two books and grounded them each tonally to feel distinct and just gave us some breathing room I think you could stick the landing! But since I like almost every individual element of the book it’s an enjoyable reread when you already know where the story ends up and the best parts of it really work for me / get a level of emotionality from me no tlh or tmi book does so it still ranks high (like #6ish since I like all the tid books more as well as first two tda) for me, I slander her but she’s my bestie <3.

[screambirdscreaming]

Something that peeves me whenever I see another post going around with some variation on "autistic people take things literally which means we are the only people who communicate Clearly and Directly" is that - for any given statement, there is not one singular, agreed on, universal Literal Interpretation. If there was, none of this would be a problem!

The nature of language is that there's always some degree of interpretability. Words have several different meanings, often overlapping, and there's nuance of context, cultural references, and so on.

Faced with a statement, most people will quickly come up with an interpretation that to them makes the most sense. But if you asked a roomful of people to explain in detail their interpretations, everyone's would probably be a little different, even for a pretty simple statement. Regardless of whether those people are autistic! Everyone conceptualizes the world a little differently, and everyone has a unique personal history of all the language they've encountered, and these things effect our interpretations.

In order for communication to be workable, given this slosh in interpretability, there's another couple of processes that go on. As conversation goes on, people reassess if their initial interpretation matches up with additional context. If it doesn't, they revise it, or ask clarifying questions. And on the flipside of this process, the other person in conversation is tracking if your reactions make sense with *their* understanding of what they're trying to convey to you, and offering context or rephrasing things if it seems you're out of alignment.

These processes are social skillsets that are, like most social skillsets, not ever directly articulated or explained. Many people are bad at one or both. Sometimes you encounter someone who is really, notably good at it - the vaunted "good listener", who puts in the effort to really understand what you're trying to say, or that really excellent teacher who engages with you back and forth until you really get it. But a lot of the time, it's a sort of passive social friction - people just not getting each other.

Sometimes, you encounter someone whose brain works so much like yours that talking to them feels almost effortless - you just get each other. But that's a pretty rare occurrence for anyone. More often, as you get to know someone, you start to understand the shape of the way they interpret things and learn to account for it, so over time it's easier to make sense to each other.

It's honestly not uncommon in society for people to aggregate in groups of people who interpret things similarly, and who are thus easier to talk to, rather than actually building the skills of communicating across interpretation gaps. Particularly egregious are those groups of men who talk about Women as an incomprehensible monolith, but it turns up to a greater or lesser degree on a lot of levels.

I suspect this is the root of a lot of parenting problems - people who have never built this communication skillset, and relied on choosing friends who make sense to them without a lot of effort, and who are then totally unprepared to interact with a child who interprets things in ways they don't expect.

Obviously I can't speak to The Universal Typical Experience, not least because it doesn't exist. But in general I would posit that:

Most people, give or take a few assholes, are not trying to say things that are confusing. Most people think they are communicating clearly, because the first interpretation *they* would come up with on hearing one of their own sentences is the correct interpretation.

Many people are not very good at accounting for different ways people could interpret things they're saying. However, it is normal and polite social behavior to be somewhat flexible about this and forgiving of misunderstandings. If people are being shitty to you about not understanding them, they are assholes. And I wouldn't assume that the rest of the communication they have with everyone else they know goes totally smoothly for them.

I suspect there is a bit of an unfortunate feedback loop, where people have bad experiences when someone gets mad at them for not getting something, and learn to hide when they're confused. Which then leads to larger, more complicated misunderstandings, which other different people get upset at them about, because those people think they should have asked for clarification in the first place.

Truly you can't win with everyone. No one can win with everyone. There is no monolith of "neurotypical communication" which resolves all these contradictions - all those people you're lumping in together under "neurotypical" have just as much trouble with each other.

[stars-obsession-pit]

Skulker decides that being The Last Son of Krypton makes Superman worthy prey.

Clark doesn’t understand Ghost Speech though, so he doesn’t know that that’s Skulker’s goal. All he really knows is that a random robot guy has started repeatedly showing up trying to fight him.

And Skulker’s not like, that dangerous or anything. His ability to turn intangible is a huge hassle, yes, but his weapons don’t do much damage to Superman and he (superman) is fast enough to prevent people being caught in the crossfire.

So he’s just… a really persistent but ultimately not that dangerous threat. Like a cockroach.

[barufisher]

other people have already said it but it’s really soooo lame how Flat elgar’nan and ghilan’nain are. especially when you compare them to solas and mythal. elgar’nan was literally mythal’s husband, they had children together, surely he wasn’t just pure evil the entire time? why don’t we get to see any of their regrets in the literal regret prison that was originally intended for them? (because theyre just evil, of course!) why couldn’t what happened with the titans have been an unintended tragedy born from them just desiring bodies, unknowing that it would hurt and anger the titans, with those consequences spiraling into a brutal and bloody war between them… and then we could have actually seen more of what happened during this war, the impact it had on the titans and dwarves, and the desperation to end it that led to the death of the titans and solas’s regret and the eventual twisting of the evanuris into godhood… but nah. they’re just pure evil.

[thelonelynindroid]

I cannot believe I'm posting art on here again bc I am a generally a phantom on this acc but. Scully study hello xfillios

[kindahoping4forever]

Appropriate caption

[aq2003]

has anyone gotten the idea that odysseus' storyline in hades 2 is a depiction/exploration of trauma over his SA and how he's blaming himself for things that were out of his control? because that's the impression i'm getting from what i've seen. he talks about "goddesses" as his "greatest weakness" and that "he's not one to say no to them"...

when mel invites him to the bath, he brings up mortals having different standards for intimacy than gods and how it usually has a more romantic/sexual connotation. she then asks if he's uncomfortable and he has a startled reaction and brings up circe and calypso again (but never actually by name)

(this isn't ship/romance bait btw. odysseus knew mel as a kid and they're stated in-game to have a sibling/uncle-niece relationship)

also he grew apart from penelope after his return, but the game makes a point of showing that his love for penelope and telemachus is what drove him on at all so that element of his character isn't brought into question

[tea-cat-arts]

The thing that gets to me with Old Man E-Soul is just how badly Mighty Glory screwed him over every step of the way.

Like, first you've got their shit show of a marketing strategy: They take this dude who's entire image comes from accessibility and heroism- he's the man who's on the ground working and anyone could be him so long as they're brave and do the right thing- and lock him away from crime fighting and make all his products completely unaffordable for most people. Then they stick him in press tours and advertising exclusively despite him being bad at public speaking and having no interest in doing it in the first place.

So then a new guy comes along and fills all the niches E-Soul used to while also being a young, pretty boy and takes some of that audience, and what do they do? A) Adjust their own marketing strategy in order to actually play to E-Soul’s strengths or B) try and work with the new guy? Nah, they go for C) dox the new guy, try and frame him for crimes that their own fucking boss was responsible for (covering up for him), hit him with a copyright strike (even though it goes against the spirit of "anyone can be E-Soul") against E-Soul’s wishes, and put the new guy in position where if he budges on any of their demands, it will look like he's admitting to the crime and the dude who actually did it will get away. And then when they lose the legal case- cuz of course they would, the new guy actually had recites- they just end up making E-Soul look like a jackass.

And then the final nail in the coffin is how they handled Shang Chao's murder. Child of a former manager of their own company/ current manager of a rival company, and known friend of the new guy gets shot and what do they say/do? Absolutely fucking nothing. No public announcement, no investigation, doesn't even try and de-escalate the conflict with the new guy after he accuses E-Soul of murder. Also, pretty weird of blonde manager to insist that showing up to the death fight was absolutely mandatory for clearing E-Soul’s name 🤨🤨🤨. You'd think a guy as publicly known as E-Soul would have an alibi 🤨🤨🤨

But ya, tldr- Rock can eat shit and die, idk if the manager was directly in leagues with Rock or not but fuck him either way, and I think OG E-Soul would've been better off and happier if he did community service work when he wasn't fighting crime. Free my man- he was a real ass hero, not an idol.

[horreurscopes]

my guy pretty like a girl & he got fight stories to tell; i see both sides like chanel

[blue-mood-blue]

I can pinpoint the moment that destroyed my life today:

It’s been a handful of weeks since Murderbot came within inches of having a new, organic governor module implanted in its head via infection - do you think, maybe, that’s also been hiding behind the redacted? Not the way everything else is, just as a deep-seated reminder of what it can’t afford to lose?

What a way to be told “I love you” - to be told “I will not lose you, I will not let go, I will do the hard part of holding on even if you don’t want me to”

[dunmeshistash]

Mr Meshi, did Mithrun always have no sense of direction? (I thought it might be a side effect of what the demon did to him)

Great question, it's implied his "unique" sense of direction is a result of how his mindset was affected after being a Dungeon Lord, Kabru theorizes that when he finds the secret passage after getting rid of the hipogriff

I think the implication is rather than not having a sense of direction he's moving in a way that made sense in his own Dungeon without thinking about it.

Idk if that makes sense for anyone else but you know when you've been playing one game for so long that when you play a different game with a different way of doing things you get confused for a bit and keep trying to move/do things how you did in the other game? Just me? ok

[starscream-is-my-wife]

Recruitment tactic no. ??? Be there for them when they try to push you away

I was thinking that this took place when Thundercrackers doubts and fears about Skyfires authenticity boils over, around the later half of the 20 year pining ark, so that Skyfire could have some character development when he’s not with Thundercracker, and Thundercracker starting to accept that he’s falling for Skyfire, and these little meet ups will become a problem that should be stopped as soon as possible. Although I like to think that Thundercracker loves when Skyfire shows that he knows what he’s talking about, that’s what attracted him to Megatron in the first place, so after this the crush got even worse, rip!

Something I’ve noticed about Skyfire is that he’s like, pretty sure of himself. He openly defected to Megatrons face and does not hesitate to take something on even when he is super outmatched, although that does makes him really reckless? Probably why Ratchet is working on him 24/7. He just seems like the type of guy that thinks he can land a plane even with the right instructions, but he’s still really nice! Although if something needs to happen he’s probably not going to wait around, he’s going to do it himself. His final words while fighting Sunstorm was ‘I don’t believe in destiny’ or something like that after all. I also like the idea of him being so direct that Thundercracker has a hard time processing it, getting insulted and then complemented in such a quick switch up how are you supposed to respond to that

About Thundercracker, there was a line in his description saying ‘he is persuaded because he wants to be persuaded’, which is why I had Skyfire ramble on for so long, Thundercracker probably wouldn’t stop him because he wants someone to convince him to leave. But Skyfire can’t understand why he doesn’t just do it. Hasn’t it been long enough? But the time that Thundercracker has spent with them is also why he is fearful to leave. This will probably be in the next part so maybe spoilers?? Thundercracker does like Skyfires attention and thought that he wouldn’t get attached to this bright eyed fool. But then that fool turned into a real friend, someone who was smart and not an asshole, then this affection turned into more fear, fear for himself, and this reckless, genius, idiot. He can’t defect now, it’s just going to put a bigger target on them, he should just… wait. For the next possible opportunity. This is something Skyfire can’t accept, he won’t force Thundercracker to do something, but to just wait around for destiny? That day may never come

[smile-files]

something interesting i realized while on the vessel-making screen in the deltarune introduction is that it's physically impossible to make kris: there is no hair that perfectly matches theirs (none have the cowlick or the right jagged shape on the bottom), and there is no sweater that perfectly matches theirs (none have a single stripe). this is fascinating, as it perhaps suggest that, if we (the player) had a choice, we *wouldn't* make kris. they aren't something we want, or are even capable of wanting, rather something we're stuck with.

and i suppose the fact that they can't be *created* as a vessel is telling, because we didn't create kris -- they weren't made for us, they're not a player avatar. they're a pre-existing person we just happen to gain possession of.

we weren't made for each other; they don't want us, and we don't seem to want them either (if the inability to choose to create someone like them says anything); funny, then, that in a way we're "soulmates"...

(both pictures are from the deltarune wiki!)

[accio-bagel]

Garreth Weasley x Sam Cohen

So, I fell way behind on my plans for the Pride Week event 🥲 I still plan to give these two the proper introduction they deserve when I can organize my ideas! But for now, here's a little moment as witnessed by Poppy (takes one to know one, girl)

[bxsmxx]

i looove the fact oldies station comes right after snap back :((

going from "got a bad feeling that I'm about to break", "bite the hand that helps me, give it finger stitches", and "i have seemed to run out of excuses of why i am this way"

to "when darkness rolls on you, push on through", "in a season of lessons learned in giving up, you learn what you can and can't take", and "you have it down, that old fight for survival"

[beaulesbian]

✨ Happy Birthday Roronoa Zoro ⚔️(11.11)

"Until the day I defeat him and become a master swordsman, I'll never be defeated! Got any problem with that, King of the Pirates?!"