#his specific comment was about how

[corv-idae]

Just got called entitled bc sometime I put my name on my groceries before I put them in my fridge… ah

[dreadark]

so why is Luka obsessed with Hyuna anyway?

(mostly just trying to get my thoughts on Luka down before blink gone rewires my brain)

every pet human is extremely limited in freedom, but Luka's case is definitely the worst literally even his birth was by Heperu's design... he can't control any aspect of his own life, from his participation of ALNST (twice!) to what he eats on a daily basis

*translations all by whatafruit

humans have no power over segyein, and Luka doesn't even have any power over own his own body so what can he have power over, then?

other humans, of course

most obvious in round 5: Luka would've had an easy win even if he barely tried, but he goes out of his way to provoke Mizi anyway until she finally snaps... and he smiles as he's beaten

because this is his "power." he successfully manipulated Mizi into reacting, proving he has some control over the situation no matter how pointless it is in the grand scheme of things, this is all he can influence, so he makes the absolute most of it and this control is so important to him he doesn't care about his own physical injuries

it's Hyuna talking in this comic, but clearly reflecting Luka's own mentality

while for Hyuna it's likely just her love for singing and performing (whatever happens, they can't take this away from her) for Luka I imagine it's the ability to influence others from the stage (crushing his opponents, but also shaping his fanbase?)

...so back to Luka -> Hyuna

it’s mentioned more than a few times that Hyuna’s a really talented performer, but seeing their respective stat pages really drives it in

(think the “superiority test” Hyuna was put through relates to this also)

Hyuna doesn't seem to have been created in any special way like Luka was… she just has a natural affinity to performing. and that's enough that she’s considered a real rival to Luka—Luka, who was literally made for this, and put through constant hellish training on top (the pain of having your heart stopped...) to mold him into the perfect idol

to Luka… if he can’t dominate Hyuna, he can't even take pride in his own ability (that everything he's forced to go through amounts to something?). and power over other humans is all he has, so he needs to overpower Hyuna (also he likely admires Hyuna’s talents at the same time, which just adds to his twisted feelings)

so since his ability isn't enough... by making someone think of you, only you… that’s another way of having power over someone, isn’t it

“your life is mine” “I told you I only wanted one thing”

whatever exactly happened with Hyunwoo… well that certainly worked. both removing Hyuna's most important person and making Luka someone she can't not think of (oh and he doesn't seem particularly interested in Hyunwoo despite how similar the siblings are in personality? Hyunwoo was even the first to approach Luka, not Hyuna so it's likely because he doesn't have his sister's talents)

but you know how his intimacy(?) value for her is only 70% I figure that's because she escaped, so they could never actually face off onstage... maybe he's disappointed in her "wasting" her ability

what all this amounts to is that she did end up escaping his control, and he never even got to compete against her. so until he can somehow completely overpower her, he'll be obsessed with her

I wonder if this represents his final effort to that... ultimately, he values control over his own well-being, so if he can goad Hyuna into killing him, then doesn't that cement his power over her?

and maybe "saves" him from this hellish life too

kind of a tangent, but I really like how their designs contrast this dynamic Luka looks really angelic and androgynous, so from appearance he seems fragile and like someone to be protected (which even Hyuna seemed to be tricked by when they were younger) and Hyuna obviously looks the stronger one in comparison (very #girlboss (lol...))

but their relationship is one where Luka's trying to control her and Hyuna's trying to escape it... that "beautiful lady" line of ruler of my heart always felt somewhat uncomfortable, and then learning it's actually pitiful (가련한) instead of beautiful is... ...it's a very gendered dynamic, if you get what I mean. despite their surface-level appearances going against what's considered typical

[bumblingbabooshka]

Thinking about marriage/women's rights on Vulcan Some may think that T'Pring not being allowed to divorce Spock was because he was going through the pon farr but if she were allowed to divorce him at all she probably would have done that a long time ago, confirmed by T'Pol when she's speaking with Koss, who isn't suffering from the pon farr. She says that he can choose another mate (without invoking a fight it seems: note the difference between a 'mate' and a 'challenger') and after he makes it clear that nothing she says will change his mind about marrying her, she finally threatens to declare a kal-if-fee. It's clear that Vulcan women cannot divorce/refuse to marry a man they've been betrothed to under any circumstances if A) He himself doesn't consent to ending their marriage or B) She doesn't have someone else waiting in the wings to be given to in his stead. Though, if the challenger she selects fails to win the fight, she'll have to marry her betrothed anyway unless (again) he decides he doesn't want her after the challenge. That seems like an incredibly unfair system, heavily biased towards men. SNW is an alternate universe in many obvious respects but most egregiously in that T'Pring has a lot of non-canonical agency over her relationship with Spock. It's interesting to me that Vulcan society has women in many positions of power and treats women as equal to men from what I've seen despite these laws. We don't really see Vulcans exhibiting a misogynistic attitude towards women in general but in TOS (perhaps because of its general writing style but it's still interesting to note) both Sarek and Spock take on patriarchal attitudes specifically regarding wives. Amanda says that 'of course' Sarek commands her because "he is a Vulcan and I am his wife." It's worthwhile in my eyes to note that she specifies 'wife' instead of attributing this attitude to women as a whole. Again, with TOS' writing style it wouldn't be out of place for her to say "he is a man and I am a woman." Spock, while in a pon farr induced irritation, states that it's "undignified for a woman to play servant to a man that isn't hers" - again implying that there's something specific about being a Wife in Vulcan society which is different from being a woman in general and demands subservience to a husband. This could perhaps stem from the extreme sense of ownership that Vulcan law has permitted men to have over women. A woman legally cannot point blank refuse marriage. There is no option which guarantees she won't have to marry her betrothed other than death. When T'Pau speaks of T'Pring she refers to her as being 'property' and Stonn, before being interrupted, states he's made 'the ancient claim' - we don't know what this is because he gets cut off but it's obvious they're both using the language of Vulcan law. Men are permitted true freedom to choose. If a woman wants to choose someone else to be with there is no option available to her other than the kal-if-fee which might result in the death of the one she wants to be with. And, if her lover fails, her husband can still just decide he wants to marry her and she'll be forced to. T'Pring gives two scenarios: One where Spock 'frees' her and one where he doesn't - it's still ultimately his decision which is clear when he ends the conversation with "Stonn, she is yours." This again isn't just because of the pon farr as T'Pol also goes through this. Koss can choose another mate and when the option is talked about there's no implication that this would result in any sort of fight (both by the casualness of its mention and by the fact that there's no formal word for it unlike the kal-if-fee.) Also, the fact that Koss does eventually grant T'Pol a divorce and it's all fine means that T'Pol isn't lawfully required to have another man waiting if her HUSBAND doesn't want her. It's ONLY required if SHE doesn't want her husband. Tradition must take precedence over individual desire UNLESS!!! You're a man. Then it's fine. Like, your parents might not be happy but legally you're golden.

[mcyt-gender-showdown]

everybody stop voting and go watch the entirety of oli’s christmas music show and maybe you’ll calm down. ok

[unriding]

a … a gift from the talented @kruinka 🥹 thank you so much!! ദ്ദി ༎ຶ‿༎ຶ)

[sketchypeppers]

extra ordinary

[eclipsedcrystalstar]

Sometimes I wonder how many people have been turned away from bands they would’ve loved by music critics screaming about how bad they are. How many people would’ve loved a song if they didn’t seen it ripped to shreds and called “objectively horrible” by people who just don’t like that type of music. How many people DID love a band but seeing constant hatred of it for no reason other than “their music sucks” made them drift away from it

[dykedvonte]

love seeing your takes on mouthwashing and how sane they are. everything's so black or white. I like how you acknowledge curlys abuse under jimmy (which I honestly didn't quite notice when I first watched a playthrough. should rewatch w this in mind) and how that very much doesn't "forgive" his inaction towards Anya and Her abuse under jimmy. I think what happens to him despite all his issues (bc he clearly wasn't OK 😊✌🏼) is very much karmic. I really did hurt huh

I hate the take that what happened to him is karmic as becoming disabled and being tortured is like not in any way an equal consequence for not taking more action against Jimmy. It is a consequence as is the whole game for everyone but it’s one that is very much established as being undeserved and extreme as everyone else’s but Jimmy’s fate.

Thank you for liking my takes but I also try to point out that this exact sort of framing of the events and what happened to Curly is bad especially if you are gonna factor in his own abuse into the equation of his inaction/ineffective acts. It’s like “saying yeah he deserved the abuse he was already going through to escalate because he didn’t do enough” which is like not a message the game tries to deliver at all. It’s like the game shows that abusers escalate

Karma and punishment are not concepts that I think should be directly tied to Curly’s fate especially since during the game and even in discussion he takes on too many consequences of someone else’s actions. Like this framing is the direct thing I describe taking the discussion away from Jimmy, P.E and the factors that created the environment in the first place.

[judeiscariot]

to be quite honest john mulaney they could never make me hate you

[torchstelechos]

If I think about the fact that Siffrin got hit by almost every member of the party Ill cry, no matter what happens Siffrin is always being hurt by their family and no one can do anything about it because Siffrin won't talk about it

[xarciel]

okay, I've been putting this off for far too long. every time I see someone speculating I start to type and then decide it's too much and back out. but let's do it. let's talk about kaveh and faranak

so, here's the thing right

kaveh was a compelling character from the get go. as soon as we met him in the library in Sumeru, I was down. I was keen. I was ready to know more about this dude

and then we got to know him - we got his backstory! and I went - hmm. and oof. because kid with dead dad raised by a grieving mother is certainly something more down to earth than a lot of the other fantastical backgrounds in genshin

and then we got his character story. and we got that one fucking line.

"She sacrificed a lot raising me as a single mother"

and I had to put the controller down and go for a walk

because here's the thing about characters with a dead parent and especially dead dad backstories. a dead parent is a plot device. it's a reason for adventure, or mystery, or intrigue. or being ridiculously unsupervised. it's 'you've inherited your father's birthright' grandiose moments. it's not REAL

and the more we've gotten to know about kaveh, the more I've become convinced that someone in the writing team lost a parent young - probably a father. because kaveh and his relationship with faranak seem too real to be a fluke

I've seen kaveh and faranak's relationship described in a number of ways - abandonment, estrangement, guilt-filled avoidance - but imo none of those really match what we are seeing. because here are the facts: - faranak lost her husband young, in a tragic accident - faranak still had a young child to take care of, who needed her - faranak never had time to process the grief of her husband's passing (we know this from kaveh's backstory where he describes the way that she changed after his father's death. the way that she would cry for years after when reminded of him) - faranak never abandoned her self-imposed duties as a mother ("No matter what happens, I'll do my best to raise my son on my own.")

faranak, despite facing an overwhelming emotional situation found herself thrust in single motherhood, and she committed to it. she gave kaveh the best parts of herself that she could. she was burnt out and emotionally fraught, but it was everything she had, and she brought that dedication to kaveh every day. the best mother that she could be

and kaveh grew up with that love. with faranak's steady, dedicated presence. a good mother. but what else did he pick up inadvertently? - if you care about something, you dedicate yourself to it. you keep pushing, no matter how much it costs you - there's no such thing as quitting - emotions are something that you can squash down, something you can put them to the side and maybe dedicate some small time to feel when everything else in the world is done - caring is something you do for others, it's not something other people do for you

and then young kaveh meets young al haitham and they start their doomed thesis, and we know how that story ends

but before that, we know that faranak moved to fontaine. and we know that she did this with kaveh's blessing.

faranak, dedicated emotionally burnt out mother with no chance to recover, finally had a chance to go somewhere new, do something different; finally see something for herself outside of the duties she'd carried all of these years. and she brought that joy back to kaveh. to her son, who could see the change in her after all this time.

and faranak said - I enjoyed fontaine - I was even offered a job while I was there - maybe I'll go one day - when you're all grown up, and you don't need me any more

and kaveh felt - guilt, at his father's death, all those years ago, like maybe this was all his fault really anyway - self-loathing, at having held his mother back, every year since, that she dedicated to raising him, at the expense of her own life -determination, to be the best son he could be, by giving faranak whatever she needed from him, regardless of how it impacted him - love, for his mother

and kaveh said - I'm old enough already mother, you should go now

and so faranak went to fontaine, and finally had a chance to process what had happened to her. she finally allowed herself to pursue her own happiness, to move on and continue living her life. after years of putting kaveh first, she no longer needed to carry the weight of their relationship. as an adult, kaveh can tell her what support he needs from her now - her tired heart can rest, knowing that her son knows she loves him, and that if he needs her he only needs to write

and kaveh has continued to love his mother in the best way he knows how. by not needing her. by letting her go, and letting her live her own life. by showing her whenever they meet, whenever they write, that he's doing fine - better than fine even, great! he's a successful architect with everything he needs in life.

he was worth her sacrifice, for all those years, and now she doesn't need to worry about him any more.

so kaveh and faranak - don't talk often - barely see each other - and when they do communicate the focus is squarely on positive topics, about how their lives are now

and could kaveh ask her about his father? about her work? about her journal? theoretically, yes. realistically - with the amount of grief that blanketed their home while he was growing up, to the point that he knows more of his parents' lives through external sources - no. there is simply too much. to try and open that pandora's box is too much to bear.

so kaveh and faranak don't talk about it. they don't talk much at all, really, but that doesn't mean that she's abandoned him, or that she doesn't love him

imperfect love is love all the same

[faunandfloraas]

"Seungmin would be SO hot if he got muscle like, can you imagine?" You would be hotter if you shut your mouth but we can't always get what we want so <3

[bumblingbabooshka]

Tuvok...................................................................

[get-back-homeward]

Life With The Lennons, Exclusive by Ray Coleman, April 1965 [x]

[mirrortouchedsea]

Okay but like... the way in Night Club when Hinata starts opening up to Rinne and Rinne sees who he used to be so so clearly in Hinata. Feeling like the world believes your entire existence is wrong, nothing is going right, you just want to give up but you can't. Hinata comments that it's easy to open up to Rinne and I think part of that is just that Rinne intimately understands what Hinata is going through, trying to find himself in a world that he feels like an alien in. And while Rinne obviously doesn't like to be so upfront about his feelings, you can tell he's watching out for Hinata and encouraging him to act up and act out, to be loud because someone is proud of him and is glad that he's there (and now Rinne is in Hinata's corner and he's less alone than he was before).

[daydreamerdrew]

Captain America (1968) #110