#i mean it's generally from people who are either very casual or who don't watch them at all anymore i feel

[postphagendauniverse]

I totally get wanting to be respectful of dnp's boundaries but I do have to laugh when I see a post or comment saying "ew stop sexualizing/fetishizing dan and phil you perverts don't you know they hate that!!" and then I see the post they're referencing and it's literally someone just directly quoting something dnp themselves have said in their own videos and not even adding anything to it

[graceandtheidiotsquad]

Dumb Character Headcanons: Champion Cynthia

I am having brainrot over the queen of sinnoh ok. I love her and her crazy family so much-! I apologize for how random some of these are-some of them I got inspiration from popular ones from, some from AUs i've seen and some I just made up on the fly-Ok, enough rambling-on with the show!

- TOTAL. MOMMA. BEAR. She just-has very motherly, protective vibes and despite being one of the most generally considered TERRIFYING CHARACTERS IN THE SERIES (and I'm mildly scared of her too!) she'd probably take you out for ice cream after battling her to celebrate a job well done, win or lose.

- Speaking of ice cream, I think this is not only a popular hc i agree with but they made it CANON In the anime that she cannot, for the life of her, decide what flavor she wants and will just stand there for 15 minutes weighing all the pros and cons and unintentionally holding up the line. I mean she'll move when she realizes and apologize PROFUSELY but still- ...But would YOU tell her to hurry up and choose?? No, I don't think so.

- Her hair is usually either down most of the time or tied up in a bun. But only for when she needs it-she doesn't care how messy it gets, she just likes being wild I suppose. Sometimes you'll find her literally wrestling one of her pokemon for fun (usually Garchomp) and her hair will be full of leaves and sticks, and not a care in the world! One of her family taught her how to tie her hair back in a bun, and though she adores them-she was quite the pain to get to stand still long enough to even TRY as a child.

- You wouldn't think it, with how classy she is-...buuuuuut she was almost a leash kid. You think she gets this intimidation factor just from being so classy and dramatic alone? No, she can be fucking FERAL when she wants to be. Sometimes the Sinnoh League will have trouble finding her to get her to report to her champion duties as she's gotten distracted and wandered off to explore some ruins somewhere in the region and never told anyone where she was going. 

- She used to and still can climb trees in seconds if left unattended. This has lead to many a heart-attack for her grandmother, watching her little baby Cynthia nearly DIE falling out of said tree, only to be completely unharmed and even LAUGHING at the experience. 

- Actually is a REALLY big fan of the wrestling/battle royale circuit. She can and will burst out singing some of the intros at the top of her lungs, much to the shock of ANYONE in the room with her. 

- She also happy dances and likes to put on music when she works. She loves piano but even she can't resist a good earworm, humming along to it as she runs around the local library or (reluctantly) winds up cooped up inside doing or cleaning up paperwork. This is implied to be canon in a spinoff game (Pokemon Masters EX if you're curious) and I totally agree that she just-cannot be bothered to clean up her office and it's almost CONSTANTLY a mess because she keeps getting distracted by new things to look at or something she hadn't seen in ages (BECAUSE of the mess) like a book and just winds up reading it all day. It's a vicious cycle!

- The reason she loves piano so much is she actually knows how to play, and is VERY Good at it! A very dear member of her family taught her when she was very young and she plays to help remember him-wherever the hell he's wandered off to now. Music connects us just as much as pokemon do, in her mind-so whenever she plays, he's right beside her again-whether physically or not. 

- She has inherited the family 'way too fucking tall' gene and that does NOT help her intimidating appearance sometimes.

- Sometimes casually speaks fluent Latin/Greek just to confuse the shit outta people. Look, she isn't usually spiteful-but even the most graceful and kind people have their limits. The same person who taught her piano taught her it-probably for that express purpose. Also several swear words. (thankfully if she ever swears, it's in said language so hardly anyone will know-)

- She grew up feeling-quite isolated from others her age because of her intense focus on studying history and battling competitively. Mostly the history thing-the battling thing probably didn't help as most kids were likely TERRIFIED of how intense she got. But-...i think that's why she loved that member of her family so much. Finally, someone who understood her...! He'd even given her the egg that would hatch into her Garchomp. (It was SUPPOSED to be a togepi, that wouldn't cause much hassle aside from the occasional accident with metronome-...but NOOOOOO, he decided to let her cause havoc. Her grandma nearly smacked him.)

- Honestly if you told her you were a demon or some supernatural shit she'd probably be more fascinated and barrage you with questions than scared. Or kick ass if you were hostile-DO. NOT. FUCK. WITH THE CHAMPION OF SINNOH.

- She may or may not be guilty of spoiling hers and other people's Pokémon with treats. She can't help it! She has a WEAKNESS for puppy dog eyes, whether it be her own Pokémon, any she's babysitting (she feels like someone who would do that if asked) Or young trainers she's taken a shine to. 

- Wound up with a heavy ass, GIGANTIC hand-me-down backpack from who-knows how many generations ago and yes, she CAN lug it around with ease. She doesn't much for her league job, but it's her go-to when it comes to adventuring or exploring.  - Speaking of the backpack-she often carries her spiritomb outside of its pokeball inside while in particularly rough areas, usually hiding inside its keystone. You never know if you'll need a pokemon for backup and don't have time to reach for one of your pokeball before things get dicey, after all-and the sight of a very angry ghost and dark type pokemon erupting from an ancient backpack is more than enough to send anyone who would likely cause trouble PACKING-looking almost as if something is being summoned right behind her! (She doesn't know why she looks so terrifying that way, but at least it means no one will cause too much trouble)

- An absolute GIRLBOSS for sure-but also very, very soft when it comes to people she loves. She'll gush and gush about her family members-especially younger ones, or trainers she's mentally adopted (and she does this a lot.) as her own 'pack', so to speak. She'll try to tone it down if it makes them uncomfortable but it's so HARD-she feels so blessed to have people who love her for who she is, as strange and beautiful and intimidating and just a little bit odd as she can be that she just HAS to spread word about how amazing they are! (She's like one of those moms who shows off photos of her kids all the time, just not in an annoying way if that makes sense?? At least she tries not to be-but once she starts rambling about them or ANYTHING it is almost impossible to get her to stop!)

- Often makes hand gestures like pointing when she speaks, especially when she gets excited. She often doesn't realize she's doing it half the time-but she always does it when taking pictures. She just-feels like her hands HAVE to be doing something!

- I will not give away the massive spoiler this ties into but she OWNS the song Blood Right by Madame Macabre. JUST-IF YOU DONT WANT SPOILERS FOR LEGENDS ARCEUS, JUST-BE PREPARED YOU'RE IN FOR A RIDE!

[duckydrawsart]

Yeah, your recent art posting is such a weird coincidence because I literally just finished the DMC anime yesterday and vaguely knew the premise of DMC 4 and DMC 5 because of watching partial playthroughs. I'm almost done writing a story where Dante raises Nero as his son which has been a lot of fun. I then realized I could write a sequel that was just DMC 4 with that twist. But now I need to like, either play the game or find a good play through because I don't know anything about it besides like, stuff I watched probably a literal decade ago. Nero and Kyrie seem so cute though! I'm trying to figure out a way to write their relationship when they aren't childhood friends.

How fun! Love Dante as a dad to Nero :') There's definitely a lot of story gameplays/timelines on YouTube that could catch you up (idk how it holds up now but I remember watching this one yrs ago and enjoying it)

Nero and Kyrie meeting during the events of DMC4 is so interesting! I have many thoughts!

I think if they didn't grow up together, Nero would be the first to take notice of Kyrie while he and Dante investigate the Order of the Swords. She's a public figure in Fortuna/a person of interest due to her brothers position as leader of the Holy Knights, and a songstress for the festivals. She'd be hard to miss! Kyrie would surprise Nero with her sincerity and kindness. At first he wouldn't believe she was genuinely that good-natured and it would lead him to "investigate" her (the fact that she's also very beautiful and smiles warmly at him has no influence in his interest whatsoever. nope. none at all. just business) Her willingness to put others needs above her own would definitely trigger Nero's strong instinct to protect as well. She's too kind, too giving, and the Order uses her faith to manipulate and use her like a tool to reel in more followers (and keep their star general on a leash). It would sicken Nero, and I don't think he could stop the growing desperation to help her out of it.

As for Kyrie towards Nero: Everyone she knows in Fortuna are reserved, rigid and pious. Nero, however, is unapologetically blunt and confrontational, practically demanding the citizens ire with his snarky comments, silver hair (being an outsider, they'd probably consider it blasphemous towards Sparda), dance metal music blaring from his headphones, fingers adorned with rings and bracelets and holes ripped into his modern clothes. It's...incredible to see someone so casually open to who they are, something she doesn't see often in her conservative city. He expects her to be offended like the rest of them, but she envies him for his confidence. That being said, he still flushes red and nervously scratches his nose at her smallest of compliments. It's endearing to see someone so self-assured fumble completely under her attention!

There's also the obvious fact that Nero carries Kyrie's same nature to help people. He's in Fortuna to investigate the Order, but that won't stop him from helping an elderly couple carry groceries and whatnot, even if they're not entirely kind towards outsiders. She'd admire him greatly for that. And they would def bond over art and music!

Also I think part of Nero would remind Kyrie of Credo before their parents were killed, before everything changed and they both threw themselves deeper into the Order as a means of distraction/finding purpose in the tragedy. Back when he was allowed to be nothing more than her big brother, who she could talk to freely and confide in. Nero's friendship would fill a loneliness she didn't realize she carried, and put into perspective just how much the Order was taking from Credo and her. It would be a relief to have someone who she can finally voice her suspicions and concerns to without judgment.

Anyways, I'll stop myself here because it just keeps getting longer lol No idea if this was helpful to you, esp since you're unfamiliar with the story. But it was fun for me to think about so thanks for that! Good luck with the rest of your fic! 😊

[icycoldninja]

Heyy

How would Dante, Vergil and V react if their s/o got diagnosed with aspd?

I can actually relate to this, believe it or not. Enjoy. 💜

Sparda Boys + V x Reader with ASPD (antisocial personality disorder) headcannons

¤ Dante ¤

-He noticed you were very avoiding of people and initially assumed you to be introverted and shy--until he brought you along on a job where you saw some suffering people and smiled. It was then when he began to wonder if this was more than just introversion.

-After your diagnosis came in, Dante wasn't all to surprised to learn you had antisocial personality disorder, seeing as he kinda suspected all along, but started to fear how your relationship would change because of this. If you didn't like people, did that mean you wouldn't like him?

-He was a little bothered by it, but quickly got over it and decided that if you won't take the initiative to socialize, then he will.

-He tries to engage in conversation with you as much as possible, yet is mindful of your boundaries. If you start to visibly get uncomfortable or anxious, he'll pipe down, press a kiss to your cheek, tell you it's OK and leave the room.

-If you want him to stay, he will. He'll sit next to you or across from you and flip through his magazine, just basking in your presence.

-However, if you are interested in going out there and attempting to get over your aspd (good for you!) Then Dante will put his extroverted ass to work and bring you to parties/gatherings/whatever so you can mingle. As stated before, he respects your boundaries, and will make sure everyone else respects them too.

-If you have manipulative tendencies, Dante can and will resist them. Such behavior is unhealthy and he will not allow it to continue.

□ Vergil □

-Vergil didn't think much about your antisocial tendancies; if anything, he found it to be something the two of you had in common.

-Once he learned of your official diagnosis, he nearly fainted. No, it wasn't because he was afraid your relationship would take a turn for the worse, it was because he was ecstatic to finally have someone he could relate to.

-He doesn't care that you can be a little insensitive sometimes, because he is too. You guys don't fight often, and if you do, things either blow over within a few days, or someone forces you two to talk things out.

-You two are best friends now--no, more than that--soulmates. You hang out together all the time, never really speaking a word to each other, just chilling. Literally chilling.

-Sometimes you sit in matching plastic chairs outside, sipping drinks and silently, casually, judging everyone who walks by.

-Loves to read with you, too. It may seem uncomfortable to passerbys, as you're just quietly sitting together, your noses buried in books, but you two are actually more comfortable than you've ever been in your lives.

-Vergil will never push you to socialize with others, nor will he try to take that initiative himself. He's all you need and you're all he needs.

○ Nero ○

-Nero noticed you despised socializing and generally being around people, so he decided to talk to you about it. After a long, long chat, he arranged for you to visit a specialist, who diagnosed you with antisocial personality disorder.

-He was a little worried on the inside, as he genuinely cares about you, but decided to not say anything and just support you in any way he could.

-He encourages you to go out and do things, but also doesn't mind spending a quiet night in, just cuddling and watching movies.

-He will protect you from Dante and Nico annoying extroverts and help you get out of uncomfortable conversations if such a situation arises.

-He understands you can be a little insensitive and does his best to not take it personally.

-He loves you, all of you, even if you are a little cold sometimes.

• V •

-After receiving news of your diagnosis, V decides to embark on an educational journey. He reads tome after tome after tome and scours Wikipedia for information on your condition.

-He understands that manipulative, sadistic tendencies are common in patients with ASPD, and that that kind of behavior can lead to unhealthy relationships. Therefore, he decides he will support you however you need him to, from correcting your behavior to helping you initiate conversations.

-Griffon is a huge help here; his loud mouth cracks a lot of funny jokes you can't help but reply to.

-Shadow is also great for emotional support, should you need it; the big ol fluffy cat is perfect for cuddles.

-He won't pressure you into interacting with other people because secretly, he loves being the only person (not counting his familiars) you ever really talk to.

-Most days, V will read to you and may even write poems for you, which he will then read aloud. Then he'll just wander around the house doing stuff, preferably with you.

[foreignswaggersession]

Thank you for your IWTV posts and clearing up misconceptions. Tbh I wouldn't be so annoyed if people weren't constantly determined to do as many bad faith readings as possible when it came to Louis and Armand's relationship. Like of course it was a very flawed and very complicated relationship, we know this! But it's so obvious when a fan is making a post about how it was "completely loveless and devoid of sexual intimacy" solely so their own otp could look better. So many examples that others have already pointed out, including that one take about Louis disliking the first TVD performance, so this means that he hates theater in general and prefers Lestat over Armand (excuse me, what?)

Also more than one person trying to say how loumand had more PDA and not just for Daniel in the Dubai interview. But that this meant "every affectionate gesture between them to ever happen including Paris was just for performance" and was not truly genuine compared to what was with Lestat? Um no shit, Louis and Lestat had more of their love scenes behind closed doors. But also consider the context with how things were in NOLA and Louis having to pose as another person (brother, business partner, etc) because of rumors surrounding him and his lover. How due to racial discrimination he couldn't even get into an opera house without playing Lestat's servant. Then skip forward to the 1940s when he believed he can actually be comfortable doing this openly "Paris was a formative sexual liberation", with him having those casual relationships with other men while cruising. To kissing and being affectionate with Armand in public and not give a damn who is watching or if he's being heckled for it. This isn't even trying to reduce Louis' previous relationships either or say they're less important, more that Louis' comfort with how he expressed his own sexuality and romantic gestures developed over time.

As for Dreamstat... guys he's an extension of Louis' inner thoughts (a complex mixture of emotions before Louis was ready to enter a new relationship), but he wasn't present during loumand sex scenes either... and Louis certainly wasn't having sex with Armand just for Dreamstat to watch??

Despite already knowing what's "endgame" some people still can't allow even a single moment of love, attraction and vulnerability between loumand to just exist without twisting it into something else, or making it actually about Lestat or Daniel while propping up their preferred pairing. good lord, I'm tired of this.

🥰thanks anon! i'm not as familiar with tv fandom so maybe i'm not understanding why people are so resistant to acknowledging louis's attraction to armand (even pre-claudia's murder) when they were together in canon. like in both the show and the book (and not in a future book, devil's minion stans). since when are people not allowed to enjoy different relationships at different times? i think it's silly to ignore or misrepresent whole sections of the plot just to feel like your favorite ship is the more romantic(?) or healthier (😂) ship, i guess? but yeah, recognizing any romance or attraction between louis and armand (especially from louis towards armand) makes some people angry, as though it undermines armand's abuse or any future relationship either party will have.

not much to add to what you said - the majority of fans only care about louis to the extent he cares about lestat, so they focus on dreamstat/lestat scenes in s2 and ignore the many scenes without him. then there are fans that can't let go of their s1 headcanons that conflict with new information from s2 (louis tops sometimes. it's just a fact now. please stop being weird about it.) i also hate the refusal to engage with louis's repeated statements about his changing relationship to his sexuality over time. his sexual preferences are not stuck in 1910, and i don't agree with pathologizing louis topping or having sex with men besides lestat (if you're not into it, just say that, but don't act like there's no evidence for louis enjoying a different sex life in the show).

i'm not a solo shipper and i love thinking about louis so it's not hard for me to imagine louis in multiple relationships (and in various positions 🥵), and lucky for me i get to see that on screen! cause that's what the show is about actually! louis! the titular vampire.

[kaija-rayne-author]

Wow. So much dislike about elves generally preferring to be barefoot in the Dragon Age world.

Y'all.

Why elves not wearing shoes in Dragon Age is completely logical.

Okay, so it’s not a huge secret that I grew up poor. We're talking hardscrabble poor. The kind of poor most people don't think even exists in the western world anymore (I guarantee it does).

To someone with very little ability to buy things, shoes just aren't the priority everyone seems to think they are. City elves are poor in most depictions.

The Dalish would likely feel they'd rather use the materials for something else. They may not be as poor as city elves, but they likely wouldn't be wasteful either. Depending on where they wintered, they might not even use them then. I go out barefoot in light snow and frost, you do actually get used to it.

Fenris is a former enslaved person with lyrium tattoos on his feet. The tattoos cause him pain when touched. Of course he doesn't wear shoes.

I never had casual wear shoes in the spring/summer/fall. They just did not exist in my understanding of the world. There was no need to buy and ruin a pair of shoes when feet toughen up just fine.

I grew up in the Adirondack Mountains, by the way. There are a lot of bloody rocks there. You can't dig very far down before you hit bedrock up there.

We had horses and dogs too, (yes, I'm aware of the crappy juxtaposition of parents who pay for horses but not shoes) so it's not like we're talking a pristine woodland. (Not that anyone who has spent much time in actual wilderness would say it's 'pristine' in the sense of 'clean', anyway.

I'd get a pair of sneakers/runners before school started (usually second hand) and a pair of boots in the winter. I remember having to wear bread bags around my feet inside my boots to keep them dry and whole. Less likely to get frostbite that way.

I distinctly remember my first brand new pair of shoes. I remember my second and third pairs too.

Even now, when I have far too many shoes, more than I could ever need, (I've got a thing for boots, my kids tell me my collection is 'extra'. They're right 🤣) I still prefer to go barefoot. From around April to November, I just don't wear shoes unless I have to. Like, to go into a store or public area; I'll reluctantly wear proper footwear to hike in (and even then they usually wind up over my shoulder instead of where they belong) shoes just aren't the absolute necessity so many folks act like.

I'm aware of what Gaider said about it, that he blamed (unfairly) the art team. It's the director's job to approve things like that, so, uh, bad form.

Still.

It is very possible to have a strong preference for no shoes. You don't really miss what you never had. And to me, it feels like y'all wearing shoes all the time is weird and likely unhealthy. In fact, it kinda is.

"Walking barefoot helps to improve circulation which increases the nourishment of nerves, muscles, and bone of the foot and helps minimize swelling of the lower extremities. Walking barefoot may also help improve the strength and flexibility of the muscles and ligaments of the foot which improves the function of the foot, reducing injuries of the foot, and improving posture and balance of the body."

At most, for just every day, I'll wear a pair of flops if I think the terrain is dangerous enough to warrant it. That's very rarely. I do have a habit of watching where I step, though.

In spring, I go out on the tarmacadam to intentionally toughen my feet up. And no, my feet aren't calloused monstrosities.

It's just kinda mind-blowing to me how essential so many people seem to feel shoes are. They just aren't.

To me, it makes perfect sense that the elves, a historically repressed and abused people (sort of like a lot of my ancestors) don't feel they're necessary.

In a medivalish world like Dragon Age, where blights or false gods or wars keep tearing civilization to pieces, shoes would be ridiculously expensive. I mean, soldiers didn't take boots because they thought they were cool. They did it for resale value.

And cobblering is incredibly skilled labour. I was lucky enough to find someone who still knew how to keep my favourite boots alive longer. That guy could make those boots look almost brand new.

But in that world, poor elves would absolutely not be likely to wear shoes.

Shoes feel incredibly confining to someone who didn't grow up wearing them. I utterly loathe the way shoes feel.

I've also been a dancer and martial artist for a large portion of my life. Two groups of people you'll frequently find barefoot.

The way you walk in shoes is completely different from how you walk barefoot.

It's also an incredibly privileged viewpoint to utterly insist shoes are necessary and that elves in a video game should absolutely have to have them.

The only thing I'm annoyed about is that the armours often include boots, which my elves just wouldn't wear. I should have a barefoot option.

It may not be strictly canon, for the whys behind barefoot elves, but it makes complete sense.

The only elf I'll say it doesn't make sense for is Solas. Why he doesn't wear shoes could just be a big commitment to his cover of elven apostate hobo.

Or perhaps his culture didn't think shoes necessary any more than I do. That would also explain why elves could have a preference for no shoes, it could be a holdover tradition because they all descend from the Elvhen.

It's true that you develop a sense for the earth, or trees, or whatever you're walking on if you don't wear shoes. I spent a lot of time with a book in trees, because few people would climb as high as me so I was safe there. It could easily be that elves wouldn't want to lose that sense, too.

You can learn a lot about an area by what the surface feels like under your feet. If you're a hunter, it's sometimes easier to track if you know your quarry prefers a certain type of terrain. You don't need to look down if you can feel the ground.

In fact, despite what people may think, my feet are incredibly sensitive. Tough, yes, but still very 'feely'.

Point made, I'll stop blathering now 😅.

If you like my content, please consider a tip or becoming a patron. My work of words is my only income and we're living well under the poverty line right now.

KoFi: http://ko-fi.com/A630KKM

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/KaijaRayne

Paypal: https://www.paypal.me/KaelanRhy

Amazon Wishlist (general): http://www.amazon.ca/registry/wishlist/3H8AY0GKOU0SE/

Kids' wishlist: https://www.amazon.ca/hz/wishlist/ls/C3LS40BFVFPO/

[honeycreammilkshake]

Been reading some japanese opinions about the chapter and I'm glad some of them were able to start waking up about how bad fan pressure is. One comment that really caught my attention and reminded me of your Sukuna Gojo analysis is one saying

"this Gojo Yuji talk feels forced they don't really had that much of a deep relationship"

I mean....they are right. Gojo is a victim of leak/fandom culture. A person casually reading this or watching the anime won't even remember the 2 scenes of gojo and yuji. Yuji had more interactions with Todo, Nanami and Higuruma yet those fans don't care

I laugh at gojofans how they are constantly bringing random villains from other mangas like...why should I care about those? If Sukuna is that bland why are you constantly comparing him with random villains? Why are you so afraid to compare Gojo with other better mangas and characters? I think the character they want for Gojo is simple just Sukuna, and this is just pure jealousy

Though after the other pages were released I'm glad more and more people are starting to appreciate Sukuna

hi, anon!

i get your point exactly (also tysm for reading my gojo & sukuna analysis).

i feel like both gojo and yuuji were severely mistreated/ misunderstood by the leak readers and gojo-only fans. yuuji because people constantly put him down for not being a "smart" or "complex" enough main character (like what version are they even reading? yuuji might not be the sharpest but he's not a total idiot either, and he's far more adept and emotionally intelligent than most of the sorcerers we've seen) and gojo because the narrative "abuses" him. what they fail to see, however, is that the narrative abuses almost every character. the whole jjk world is founded on the concept of people's suffering and negativity being manifested into physical monsters, and the sorcerers that fight them every day are also not-so-stable and are treated as mere tools.

gojo is a wildcard whose birth shifted the very flow of the jujutsu world, but his story is one that reminds us that even if you work on the side of "good" you can still have bad qualities or experience the corruption that comes with having so much power, either literal power or hierarchical power. in this case, gojo had more literal power than hierarchical, but even though he did suffer under the corruption of the jujutsu higher ups (same as nanami and the rest) he himself shouldn't be trusted to have that hierarchical power because he's also morally ambiguous, selfish, overly confident, and immature.

him being the one in a powerful position is not a good idea. which is why his conversation with yuuji at the end, even though it felt a bit forced, was necessary to show us that the new generation needs to move on from the past ways of thinking that only pure strength can solve everything. he trusts people like yuuji, who are for more emotionally intelligent and compassionate than him, to make that change for a better world. him saying he believes he will be ultimately forgotten proves to us that being "the strongest" isn't something to aspire to, as it does nothing but corrupt and isolate people, like it did to both gojo and sukuna.

and yuuji was the key to igniting that change. it was his approach, with more emotional strength than just physical, that actually made a difference. and he's also the reason why the king of curses himself decided to go on a different path. sukuna lost to love. he couldn't handle that change immediately, of being destroyed by someone who had empathy for him, but i believe he was touched by yuuji's words and decided to go north this next time. and it shows a deepness and growth in his character that i was afraid we wouldn't get to see. but i'm glad we did.

sorry for my late reply btw, anon! hope you've been good! glad to hear your thoughts on this.

[seriousbrat]

What do you make of Lily’s relationship with Slughorn? Slughorn in the series seems to be seen as a bit of a cringe guy, blatantly collecting celebrities and celebrities in the making. With Lily’s disdain for James and Sirius arrogance and entitledness, wouldn’t it be in line with her personality to not think much of someone like Slughorn either? Although understanding he means well, his attitude towards muggleborn talent reads a bit like a micro aggression - would that not bother fiery and independent-thinking Lily? I’d love to read more meta or fics about these two characters, it’s so funny to me that Harry was always almost hyperfocused on uncovering his dad’s memories and identity, and then in HBP, out of nowhere Slughorn comes alone like “Lily Evans gave me will to live” and Harry doesn’t dig deeper??? I’m also curious wether Slughorn ever also acknowledged Snape’s talent for potions or had any curiosity about him, since he was so close to charming Lily. I need to know!!

Honestly, I LOVE Lily's relationship with Slughorn. Mostly because I find Slughorn a very entertaining character to write. I just find his mannerisms amusing so I kind of have a soft spot for him lol, even though I don't think he's a great person or anything. He's not terrible either, he's just supposed to be average. Moderate.

I definitely think you make a good point about Lily's lack of patience for the Marauders, but at the same time I think Slughorn, whatever else he was, was never purposefully cruel and I don't see him as arrogant. Pompous and ambitious, maybe, but also not overly ambitious-- Dumbledore states that he never aspired to personal power but preferred to watch from the sidelines. I think Slughorn represents the casual or 'benevolent' prejudice of the wizarding world, probably the most common attitude among purebloods. He espouses unexamined beliefs about Muggleborns that are obviously bigoted, but at the same time his actions don't fully line up with those beliefs, as several of his favourite students have been Muggleborns, and he deliberately rejects students aligned with the Death Eaters. He's just a moderate, who doesn't examine the world around him because the status quo benefits him.

I do think Lily would have been fond of Slughorn despite all that, because he's generally kind. We only see Slughorn with older students but I imagine he was really sweet to the first years, one of the 'softer' professors among the staff. He was very kind to Hagrid (even though this was partly for personal gain) and also to Ron after the love potion debacle. So I think Lily would have seen him as a kindly, well-intentioned uncle who nevertheless had failings. For the time period, however, Slughorn's attitude would probably have been standard and honestly his inclusion and support of Muggle-born students during the war, even if it was flawed... is still something. I've no doubt that Lily wouldn't have been afraid to argue with Slughorn when she disagreed with him, but he would probably take it in stride, engage with her opinion with good humour and respect even if he didn't share it. He enjoyed and encouraged her "cheeky answers". And that's honestly a much more pleasant experience than someone outright dismissing your beliefs. I can see why they got on, personally.

About Snape: I've no doubt that Slughorn spotted his talent pretty much immediately. And while Lily and Sev were friends, this was perfect- the glow of Lily's personality basically covered Sev as well, made him more likeable by association lol. However, I think while Slughorn was very fond of Lily for who she was, he didn't actually like teen Sev very much. Snape's not exactly a people person, and he was even more disagreeable as a teenager from what we know-- Slughorn likely saw that as an obstacle to success. My belief is that when Slughorn (who I see as a bit of a gossip haha) became aware of the rift between them he automatically sided with Lily and Sev stopped receiving invites to the Slug Club. Slughorn likes talent but he also likes charisma, something Sev lacked (at least in a way that was obvious), and if Slughorn as Head of Slytherin was at all aware of Sev's proclivity for the Dark Arts that would have been a further strike against him.

Anyway! As I said, I really enjoy writing Slughorn lol. I've even considered doing a Wodehousian-inspired Slughorn prequel even though there's no audience for it probably lmao..

[lych33dragoncookie]

oh boy asking ANYTHING about LilyEnchant oh boy oh boy *ahem*

Do they ever get a pet. What animal would it be? Who names it? Do they both want to call it a different name and try to get it to come to one of them but it's lazy and flops over in the middle instead.

Spooning? Big spoon/little spoon?

Actually, physical affection in general? Who initiates it more often?

Do either of them have a favorite constellation/star. Yes this is Very Important information to have.

What's DE's opinion on Hollyberry Cookie specifically. Do all three of them go out drinking ever?

What is their favorite movie to watch together, and what's their favorite movie snack?

Do they ever go out in the rain and dance together

How does Lily approach re-introducing Enchantress to the ancients. Do DE and GC ever get on speaking terms

I can't think of anything else to ask. Whatever, go my questions

Good god, I was thinking like... One question at a time! ... Ah, but who am I to deny the audience what they want, right?

Aaaalright, about that first one! I've actually been thinking about this a lot recently due to recent irl events; I think it would be really deeply healing for Dark Enchantress to get a cat. I mean, it gets her; it can love and be affectionate but on its own terms, it's not loud or particularly active, it just chills there with her. I think she's very cat-like in how she goes about people, anyway; she can be loving she can be affectionate but it's when SHE feels like it and she's going to hiss at you (not literally) if you do something she doesn't like and she will have times of day where she wants to be alone and will just casually go somewhere else if you try to occupy the same space as her. So, I think she's inherently cat-compatible. Thinking she'd get a little Cake Kitten walking up to her at some point, sort of confused as to how one of these could exist considering cake animals were meant to be a part of her army so this little thing has no real reasonable explanation for its existence. Don't ask me either how it'd come into existence I just need her to get a cat.

... Also it's her cat. It likes her more than basically anyone else; though WL is close because even the cat knows them to be, fundamentally, more or less the same, probably just on instinct.

Secondly question; swings either way. Depends on the day, really. Usually though, they like to cuddle face to face.

Third question! They're both... kind of bad at starting physical affection. However, if WL starts it, there's always a chance of DE really not feeling like it at that moment in particular and pulling away; BUT if DE starts it, they're staying like that for at least an hour. It's... kind of a big deal of vulnerability to Dark Enchantress to actually let herself be actively loving, so when she does, she commits to it, hard. Frankly, Pure Vanilla starts affection with both of them more than they ever do with each other on their own.

Fourth question! ... Iunno? Not exactly my area of expertise.

Fifth question! Look. There's definitely still an attachment there from the fact Dark Enchantress still holds the same fondness for people White Lily did at the time of their split; but by god, DE and HB are not all that compatible. It would take Hollyberry a while to get used to the fact she cannot take her usual approach with Dark Enchantress, who is a very "anything fun or nice i do is on MY terms when I feel like it at MY pace" kind of person, so the usual somewhat-overbearing form of love Hollyberry provides doesn't quiiiite work. I think she'll learn with time, though.

Sixth question! ... Do the ancients even do movies? I mean, they're old as hell, I think they predate cinema as we know it by a good bit, and it's my personal HC that they are... not all that good with technology. Dark Enchantress probably hates noisy public spaces, too, and probably just generally going out anywhere where there's a lot of people present. If she's going out with WL and/or PV, it will be somewhere quiet and peaceful where there's no one else, otherwise she's not going.

Seventh question; ... That's... oddly specific? No. Dear lord, no. Like you'd ever catch Dark Enchantress doing something like that. She'd hate getting wet and cold in the rain, anyways.

Eighth! This one is fun. So as indicated in the fic and this post; all of the Ancients already know WL spared DE, they were there for it. They trust her with the whole affair (Except for Golden Cheese), and honestly they'd mostly welcome DE with open arms once some time has passed; it's just a matter of if Dark Enchantress would allow it, since it'll take her a while to admit she's not exactly evil anymore. I do think ultimately WL and GC will be on speaking terms again after this; purely because in my personal HC, Burning Spice does eventually end up living under GC's rule, and as indicated in the above post, he would point out (with no real investment in the situation, honestly) that it's kind of hypocritical for GC to be mad about the whole affair when she gave the same treatment to him. And that's how she'd get a better understanding of the why of the whole situation, and how she'd work her way towards forgiving WL and understanding her decision better. I think that ultimately, no matter what, they love each other and trust each other too much to not end up on good terms sooner or later, really.

... Phew! What a doozy. Hooopefully that satisfied your curiosity, heeheehee~!

[a-lonely-dunedain]

I got tagged by @the-journey-was-the-point for this headcanon game! basically you just plug an OC's name into this headcanon generator and see whether or not what it spits out fits your OC(s)

first up is Tossdir I guess

"Tossdir watches my little pony"

afuyfdgahsjdghjkahsd ok how did they know the last thing I drew was an mlp/lotr thing... anyway yeah sure why not. I think he would casually enjoy it. I feel like Ethedis would be a bigger mlp fan tho, so he probably watches it because of her (a bonding activity <3). his favorite pony is Rainbow Dash btw

"Tossdir can drive"

yes and no. in a modern setting I always envisioned him with a motorcycle, so he can drive that just fine, but DO NOT let this man behind the wheel of a car

"Tossdir got hit by a bus once"

Maybe.

next up Ethedis

"Ethedis's least favourite subject in school was Gym."

yes, accurate. her favorite subject was Everything But Gym. she's a nerd. a scholar with noodley scholar arms. while you studied the blade she... just studied I guess. there's a reason LMs don't get sword proficiency til like level 40 lmao

"Ethedis is a cry baby."

YOU DID NOT HAVE TO COME FOR HER LIKE THAT. she only cries for good reason! the epic line just.... gives a lot of good reasons to cry :(

"Ethedis nearly drowned in a river as a child."

she was just trying to talk to the fish ok??? leave her alone

Margim is up next!

"Margim steals other peoples clothes."

hmmm probably not. I think she's the kind of person who has like 2 outfits that she wears until they can't be worn anymore, she's just piratical like that (meaning she hasn't yet learned she's allowed to have/want more than the bare basics needed to survive)

"Margim bites their nails."

I mean she probably has some sort of nervous habits, but nothing quite as obvious as nail-biting. it's the sort of thing you wouldn't easily notice. like just getting even quieter than usual or suddenly being unable to maintain eye-contact. maybe she fidgets with her hand but only when it's in her pocket so you can't see.

"Margim is afraid to close their eyes in the shower."

yeah she probably would be a bit jumpy in a shower. not only is it loud but she's also unarmed! she might get soap in her eyes this way but it's better than being ambushed!

and let's do a few for Celeair

"Celeair tackles and wrestles people to show affection."

lmao I'd like to see him try. but no fr I don't think he would even if he could, he definitely likes physical affection, but in a more gentle way, like cuddles and hand-holding and tender forehead kisses

"Celeair is in your house"

well, I am currently rotating him in my mind, so does that count as being in my house? he's not in your house tho, person reading this.

"Celeair is smart but also very stupid."

truer words have never been spoken.

annnd let's do some of my less developed OCs for funsies!

"Elwar crashed a riding lawn mower into their fence."

yeah she probably would. she would try to hide it and pretend she didn't tho

"Ciriondil cries while watching disney movies."

Ciriondil doesn't strike me as a disney adult lmao, but more broadly speaking about animated family movies in general? depends on the movie but yeah I think he would, and he wouldn't be ashamed about it either!

"Lothrandon speaks only in meme refrences."

even in a modern setting I am 100% confident this man does not know enough memes to use them in casual conversation. but I do think he would be part of online communities for outdoor hobbyists (like fishing and wilderness camping fourms) and would understand/share boomer memes from those niece communities

"Nimelloth has a pet lizard"

I have just decided that this is true and his name is Lothrandon II. Lothrandon is not aware that his wife named a lizard after him.

and oh gosh right I have to tag people now. uh I do not know who has been tagged already but here! @rohirric-hunter @aurore-parle-de-ses-idees @find-the-path @sweetearthandnorthernsky

[felixravinstills]

How I Personally Read/Characterize Festus Creed

Because not everything can be about Felix Ravinstill. (Also yes, I'm using my own gif for visual interest.)

@persephoneprice, since you asked so nicely, I finally finished this post. This will probably feel familiar to you/anyone else who's read my oc fics.

Most people I've seen portray Festus as either a golden retriever type character (with a side of himbo at times?) or someone on the meaner side of Capitol students, and I suppose that I land somewhere in the middle.

Personally, I see him less as a traditional himbo (he's in the top 24 students at the Academy that's got to count for something in terms of booksmarts) and more of just someone who lacks polish in his interactions and social graces. We see him suggest very blunt force/violent approaches as solutions to get people to watch the Games in the book (Ch.6), and he seems to have less control over his emotions (crying about Arachne, obviously Clemensia admits to crying about the death of their friend too, but she and Coriolanus seem to quickly leave Festus at his apartment when he starts maybe implying it's not normally socially acceptable to be so emotional in public?) (Ch. 7).

In my mind, I think this lack of social grace makes some of the other Capitolites occasionally look down on him. Everyone has their slips once in awhile, but Festus has them more frequently.

Also I think the briefly mentioned dare that Festus put Coriolanus up to about making out with (hooking up with?) a girl in an alleyway (Ch. 13) speaks to Festus having a tendency to get himself and other people into some sort of mischief/potentially goofing off. I can't remember any other specific examples, but just his general vibe tells me he likes to goof off.)

Festus definitely has a cruel streak, just based on the casual way that he talks about his animal cruelty side hobby (dogfighting), and the aforementioned very blunt force solutions of getting people to watch the Games (Ch. 6). I don't think he's cruel in a malicious way (which is in a way perhaps more frightening but also more interesting to me). He's just not reflecting on his actions and realizing that he's cruel or mean. He takes things at a surface-level most of the time and won't delve into any moral quandaries without severe prompting.

Connecting to his movie portrayal, I don't actually think that there is much of a gap to bridge between my read of his book personality and his movie personality (This might be an unpopular opinion, idk.). Like ignoring the fact that a lot of the mentor's more sympathetic moments were cut from the movie, the film is consistent with the crueler aspects of Festus' personality that the book kind of hints at to me.

It might be hard for most people to imagine Coriolanus inviting Movie! Festus to Sejanus' memorial dinner at the end of tbosas if Festus interacts with Sejanus like this, but if you follow my headcanon that Festus is constantly putting his foot in his mouth in conversations and taking the occasional verbal spar a bit too far, then, while he still obviously looks down on Sejanus, there is a possibility that he doesn't actually treat Sejanus that differently from how he treats other people (see him teasing Felix). Thus, to Coriolanus, he would actually seem like a viable person to bring to that dinner.

While I'm disappointed that Festus organizing people to carry Coriolanus around on a chair after Lucy Gray wins was cut from the movie (Ch. 20), I do think Movie! Festus' more hostile reaction to Coriolanus' tribute winning isn't that out of character from Book! Festus if we consider that Coral was the runner up, and as the Games end with the release of the snakes in the movie, Festus probably felt that Coral really was about to win before that happened.

I also personally headcanon that Festus was at least a little upset that Coral died, because he had gotten used to the idea of her winning. Obviously, that isn't exactly on par with thinking of her as a equal and fellow human being, but there's a seed here for him to start thinking critically and sympathetically and realize that the tributes are people like him. Unfortunately, like with most of the mentors, I think it would take a lot to force him to reflect in that way, and in most universes probably isn't in the cards for him.

Overall, however, I do think that he is a great friend to those close to him just based on how he acts with Coriolanus throughout the the book, and he does seem to want to do what he considers the right thing, like when Reaper's starving and he tries to convince Clemensia to feed him (Ch. 18, although he does retract this statement in the next chapter). Unfortunately, the right thing for someone raised in the Capitol is very skewed.

Bonus: the reason I think that Felix and Festus might be drawn romantically but also in the platonic sense is actually Festus' constant putting his foot in his mouth/lack of social graces. It would appeal to Felix, because he can always count of Festus to be at least somewhat genuine in a world where so many people might be trying to use Felix's connection to the president for personal gain. On Festus' end, I imagine that having someone so accepting of his social foibles would be very comforting. So, yeah, I think they would get along even if I didn't ship them!

Anyway, I hope this makes sense! Surprisingly, I do have thoughts about characters other than Felix!

[illarian-rambling]

Thanks for the tags @urnumber1star @drchenquill @paeliae-occasionally @leahnardo-da-veggie!

OC Interaction

Number's OC: Micheal from Bolt Runners. He’s sixteen years old but sometimes acts too old for his age. He’s a superhero by night so he tries to be as responsible as he can but is also chronically sleep deprived. He is very wary of anyone he doesn't know and will sometimes spend days trying to figure out their intentions. If he thinks that they are a threat he will do one of two things. Either try to talk to them if he thinks they can be swayed, or attack and try to take them down. If he thinks they;re intentions are good, then he’ll try to be friends with them. He’s overall a really good guy but is often very gullible at times. He will also talk your ear off if you let him. He just wants to help people. 

Dr. Chen's OC: Elias is an eighteen year old boy, sold by his parents as part of a deal to work for a man he never even met. He tends to fall in a pit of selfloathing thoughts, spiriling until he is too deep too see positivty in anything. Since he didn't have a good childhood, he feels protective of anyone that he thinks is being mistreated, often resulting in him snapping at people, without knowing the context of the situation.

Paelie's OC: Apollo is about 24. He is very protective of people he cares about, this includes all magic kids because they are routinely exploited by the mages in power. He is generally a really chill person and is very observant of how people receive him. Because of this he is incredibly patient and will convince you to tell him your problems so he can help you solve them. That said, he is an incredibly capable caster and will non-lethally fight you if you threaten others.

Leah's OC: Katherine looks like a fifteen year old girl, acts like a cryptid and is probably closer to the latter than the former. She's quiet, secretive, and rather creepy, at least to the casual observer. To someone who knows her (that is, her best friend/apprentice Dane and her elder brother L), she is a pathological snarker, has the worst authority issues known to any immortal entity, and likes chocolate gelato more than life. She'd gleefully pick a fight with anything from vampire teachers to the goddess of dreams for no bigger reason than because she could. That said, she does have a good heart.

Well, I think I have only one main oc I haven't done for this game yet!

My OC: Avymere Kalaphon Spearsong III is a 153 year old elf and Duchon (gender neutral equivalent of Duke/Duchess) of the city of Salis. They act as a spy and political agent for their father, Archduke Eluan Spearsong, who rules Salis. They also keep watch for assassins, on top of playing the perfect, if ditzy, heir in front of the court. They tend to keep up a happy-go-lucky facade in order to disguise their true cunning and because of this, are very reluctant to let their true personality show, to the point that they've sort of lost who they are. The one thing they embrace with their full, honest heart is martial arts. Though it's seen as a lowly habit that the court indulges on account of the Duchon's 'airheadedness,' they really do love to practice Talmel Valkys and are quite the fighter. It's where they feel they can drop any acts they have up. Apart from that, they have a hard time socializing outside of situations they're not used to and get easily flustered when they don't hold all the cards, as they don't actually have much experience outside of the highest echelon of Salis society. Though well meaning, they also tend to come off as aloof and unaware of the problems of the common man, even though they truly believe that they are a servant of the people they rule.

Now let's see how they'd interact!

Avymere and Micheal: I think these two have very similar stances on their responsibility to protect people. Michael would probably be very wary of Avymere at first, and Avymere would be very wary of Michael. If he is gullible, he may fall for the dumb, but well-intentioned act Avymere puts on. However, in any high stress scenario, I think he'd be able to tell that Avymere is smarter than they let on. Overall, I think these two would get along decently, especially if they ended up doing superhero stuff together. They can be work friends. I do think it'd be funny to watch a sleep deprived teenager and a grim scion of an ancient elven royal line beat up goons side by side. He could teach them what a TikTok is.

Avymere and Elias: I'll be honest, Avymere is not the best at comforting people. I think they'd be concerned for Elias and would want to help him, but just wouldn't know how. From Elias's perspective, I doubt he'd trust Avymere. They're a powerful adult with weird vibes, who sometimes slips and calls people peasants. I doubt he'd hang around long enough to get to know them.

Avymere and Apollo: So, I didn't mention it because their bio is already long, but Avymere's family is famed for its powerful sorcerers. Except, Avymere never inherited that power, and neither did they have the right sort of mind to learn book magic. That said, they're a little uptight around magic users, like they have to prove their worth even if they don't understand spells or runes. I think Apollo would clock this, and would probably also clock the rest of Avymere's general strangeness. It'd take a while, but I think he could get a story out of them eventually. Avymere would respect anyone who protects kids and would likely offer their assistance in Apollo's work, but damn if they'd be resistant to any of his attempts to therapize them.

Avymere and Katherine: As a spy, all secrets seem dangerous to Avymere. They'd be able to tell something is off about Katherine pretty quickly and would try to investigate. That said, I think Katherine would just try to fuck with them. Laying false evidence, coming up with weird rumors, and all that. If they ever did meet face to face, any conversation would be pure vitriol, since Katherine is a rebellious snarker and Avymere is authority incarnate. However, once they satisfy themself that Katherine isn't a danger to people, I think it'd go the way of the kid vigilante/cop who pretends to dislike them, but protects them when shit goes down trope. Any conversation between them would likely involve lots of tormenting on Katherine's part and lots of snooty comments from Avymere, but ultimately, Avymere's duty is to protect people, so they'd do their best to keep this snarky kid safe.

Wow, that was a lot! Let me know what you all think :)

I'll tag @tildeathiwillwrite @somethingclevermahogony @watermeezer @cssnder @willtheweaver and anyone else who wants to join!

[uboat53]

Well, I've been writing this up piecemeal but this seems like a good time to pause and do a LONG RANT (TM) about what's been dominating political news lately.

INTRODUCTION

For those who aren't aware, the president had a bad debate. At the first debate he sounded confused and disconnected as opposed to his opponent who confidently spouted a torrent of lies without hesitation. Since that event, multiple people have come out with stories about him appearing confused, aloof, or otherwise stiff at other events. All of this has fed into the existing narrative, which has been pushed by conservatives and conservative media for years, that the president has suffered age-related mental decline and is no longer capable.

All of this has led to a predictable media frenzy and several large outlets, Democratic elected officials, and major donors have called on the president to withdraw from the race in favor of some other candidate. Given all of this, I thought I'd look at a few things. First, how I view the allegations of mental decline so far, what this means for the presidential race, and what I think of the general coverage of all of it so far.

AGE-RELATED DECLINE

Ever since Obama, we've had a bunch of old people as our major party nominees for president. Clinton was 69 on election day 2016, Trump was 70 then and is 78 now, and Biden is 81. At that sort of advanced age it's not unusual to have experienced some sort of age-related decline and it's very common for it to occur sometime in the next 4 to 8 years.

Those of us who have had older relatives go through it knows what it looks like. They confuse names, dates, and places, they have trouble putting thoughts in order, and, depending on their personality, they either retreat from conversation to avoid showing that they don't know things or they confidently spout wrong information. It's very interesting because, to a casual observer, they can still seem together, but if you scratch the surface a bit you find holes in everything very quickly.

So what can we say about Biden thus far? Well, he certainly seemed off balance and confused in the debate and there are anecdotal stories coming out about people who claim to have seen similar things at other events over the last several months. Biden's answer for his confusion at the debate is that he was jet lagged from a recent international trip and at least one of those other events that people have been telling stories about seems to have come after a major international trip as well, so it's possible that he just handles jet lag very badly. Of course, he's been doing a lot of international travel, repairing the damage that the Trump years did to our alliances, so that could just be a good way to hide it.

That said, I know people who consistently get really bad jet lag. Heck, I've been the guy with really bad jet lag before. Biden is also known for his speech issues, the "Uncle Joe" reputation where he says crazy things exists for a reason. They even made a short film about it in the Obama years (if you haven't watched "The President's Speech", go find it on YouTube and thank me later). Age-related decline is exactly that, decline over time, and I can't say that the current Joe Biden that I've seen not just in the debate and his recent press conference, but also in recent interviews and the numerous campaign appearances over the last several weeks seems all that different from the guy we saw in 2020, 2008, or any of the other times we've seen him in his long career in politics.

I'm certainly willing to hear more from people who interact with him more than I do, but no one seems to have anything other than pretty vague anecdotes at this point and, other than the debate, I haven't actually seen the issues. As far as I can tell, he's still weird, but in the same way he's always been rather than for some age-related reason.

THE PRESIDENTIAL RACE

To me, the age question is only relevant as it relates to the presidential race. Full disclosure: I'll vote for a corpse over Donald Trump because at least the corpse won't spend 4 years trying to take away the civil liberties of Americans while also making it easier for corporations and rich people to gouge and kill them and running up the national debt to funnel money to his cronies. In other words, I would very much like a Democrat to win and I'd support switching candidates to another one with a better chance even if Biden had no age-related issues at all.

So what DOES the data we have so far tell us? Well, we're far enough out from the debate and the wall-to-wall coverage of Biden's age that it's been factored into the polling and… it's not much. Trump got a bit of a bump and Biden got a bit of a dip after the debate, but they each moved only about 1 percent in the polls and it's already plateauing. For reference, Clinton rose 4 points after the first 2016 debate and Trump fell 3 points after the second. In other words, Biden's bad debate performance didn't move the needle much.

The polling data also doesn't seem to show anyone else doing better than Biden either. Biden is currently losing 47.5/44.5 to Trump, but Harris is down 48/46, Newsom is down 46.5/43, and Whitmer is down 46/42. And that's before any of the alternatives have been on the receiving end of focused Republican attacks. Moreover, if we look at FiveThirtyEight's election model, which has a fairly good track record, Biden's odds of winning have actually improved slightly over the last few weeks. (I should note that the race is still a dead heat, that slight improvement has still kept the race well within the margin of error but moved it from a tiny Trump lead to a tiny Biden lead.)

In other words, it's not clear to me that switching candidates would make it more likely that the Democrat defeats Trump. Don't get me wrong, I'm not at all happy with a dead heat, I'd much prefer Trump be down by a landslide, but that doesn't seem to be about Biden specifically given that every plausible Democrat is behind Trump by a similar margin. Given that Biden has the advantage of incumbency, already has a national campaign built up, and has already suffered the full force of the conservative attack machine, I don't see a good case for switching to someone who wouldn't have that unless they have some other big advantage.

THE COVERAGE

To me there's a few angles I see in the way this story has been covered. First I'll take a look at the actual calls to withdraw, then I'll look at how it's been covered in the broader political media, and finally I'll take a look at the comparison to 2016 which… yeah, that's a thing now.

THE CALLS TO WITHDRAW

I'll admit, the calls for Biden to withdraw have been… vague, at least to my reading of them. They often reference the debate and the coverage since and some include a personal anecdote, but none of them seem to be heavy on specifics. I haven't seen, for example, a strong case made that Biden withdrawing would make it more likely that Trump is defeated, for example (see above).

More to the point, I feel like a lot of the calls to withdraw are about getting attention as much as they are about anything else. Don't get me wrong, George Clooney can probably whip up a media storm anytime he wants, but can any of you who don't live in Austin claim you'd heard of Rep. Lloyd Doggett before? How about Rep. Earl Blumenauer or Sen. Peter Welch? If you don't live in Oregon or Vermont, respectively, they're probably not names you've heard before. But, by calling for Biden to withdraw, they've ensured a good deal of national attention for themselves.

It's also the case that many (though certainly not all) of the representatives calling for Biden to withdraw represent swing districts. Even if Biden wins, any slight weakening of support could imperil their own re-election chances. I further note that several of the calls for withdrawal are clearly timed for political effect; Rep. Jim Hines released his statement immediately after Biden's press conference finished; far too quickly for the press conference itself to have factored seriously into his decision but timed perfectly to get the headline of "another Democrat calls on Biden to withdraw even after the press conference".

Now, I'm not accusing every Democrat who has called for Biden to withdraw of doing so for self-interested reasons, I'm sure a good many of them are sincere, but this is politics and our system is designed around self-interest; I'd be a fool if I didn't at least look for it.

It's also the case that those calling for withdrawal at this point represent a small minority of the party, 19 of the 213 Representatives and 50 Senators. So far it seems as if the majority of Democrats are, if not enthusiastic about Biden, content to have him stay as the nominee.

THE BROADER MEDIA

Now I've written some posts in detail about the failures I've seen in the political media and I'll let you read those if you're interested in that. What I do want to say in this spot here is that it very much seems as if the political media isn't holding to a neutral standard in this race, but is actively campaigning for specific results. Compare the wall-to-wall coverage you've seen over the last weeks to the polling numbers and data and it seems as if this story carries far more relevance to the political class than it does to the broader population of voters.

It also hasn't escaped me that major media outlets, The New York Times, for example, didn't wait for other people's reactions, but came out in favor of Biden's withdrawal from the race long before any fundraisers, elected representatives, or even polls had come out. If the editorial board of an outlet is the first to call for a political outcome, then it raises reasonable questions whether the outlet itself is actually reporting neutrally on that topic.

All of that brings me to…

THE LESSONS OF 2016

Just about everyone agrees that the media coverage of the 2016 election was one of the worst examples of journalistic behavior in recent memory; even most of the journalists themselves admit that. Journalists chased stories about Hillary Clinton that went nowhere for weeks, printing story after story about her e-mail server, her health, and numerous other topics that were gleefully ginned up by right-wing media and completely ignoring similarly damaging stories about Trump.

In addition, the media was caught off guard by how wildly and constantly Trump was willing to tell and repeat complete lies with forceful confidence and did not react with any form of reasonable fact-checking, but allowed the lies to be repeated over and over again to their audience until it was hard to tell truth from fiction.

Over the four years of the Trump presidency, the media got better. It started looking more skeptically at stories that originated in the fever swamps of right-wing media and only reported the ones that actually met journalistic standards of evidence, they started fact-checking more aggressively and regularly, and they started paying attention to all candidates, not just the one that people assumed would win. That got us through the 2020 election.

Since then, though, a lot of the insightful, capable journalists who led the way in setting that new standard have departed major outlets which have added more MAGA friendly voices to the more sensationalist journalists who remain. Many major outlets have also shifted in ownership toward wealthy individuals who prefer the FOX News brand of journalism.

In other words, the lessons of 2016 have largely been forgotten in much of the media today. Live fact checking has pretty much disappeared, journalists seem to dog-pile on popular stories instead of chasing real investigations, and ideas from right-wing media are leaking into the mainstream regardless of the quality of their reporting.

If you don't believe me that things are repeating, here is a sampling of stories from major news outlets that came after Clinton had a bout of pneumonia that led to her falling ill at a 9/11 commemoration ceremony. Tell me they don't feel at least a little bit familiar:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2016/09/11/hillary-clintons-health-just-became-a-real-issue-in-the-presidential-campaign/

She's fine by the way, her health and mental acuity have easily lasted the 8 years that she could have been in office.

WANT TO CONVINCE ME THAT BIDEN SHOULD WITHDRAW?

Simple, show me that someone else has a better chance of winning. Does someone consistently poll significantly better than him? Can you show some evidence that he has actually declined due to his age in a way that would affect his ability to win the election? Is there some other reason why another candidate could do better than Biden against Trump? I'm all ears!

The problem in my view is that those calling for Biden to withdraw have largely failed to articulate all of these things and, as much as I hate the fact that Trump has a good chance of winning this election, I don't see an option that leads to a better outcome at this point. If I can be convinced that there is a better option, then that's something I can go with.

CONCLUSION

I'm not convinced, based on the evidence so far, that Biden has any significant age-related decline as opposed to having the same issues he's always had, I'm very unconvinced, again, based on the evidence so far, that there is any better option to defeat Trump in the upcoming election, and it certainly feels as if many of the calls for Biden to withdraw have a strong self-serving element to them and result from the political media repeating a lot of the admitted mistakes of 2016.

I could certainly be convinced that Biden should withdraw for the good of the country, but I think I've put forward reasonable evidence for remaining unconvinced. Am I missing something? Let me know what you think.

[tyrannuspitch]

some more miscellaneous thoughts on contrasts between sherlock and mycroft:

class. they definitely grew up with money, but mycroft REALLY leans into it while sherlock is... kind of ambivalent?

mycroft calls their mother "mummy" and sherlock corrects him to "mother". these are both posh mannerisms, but of different kinds. mycroft goes for a display of affection that's so casual it almost feels cold/ironic, while sherlock goes for stiff, factual formality.

mycroft dresses like a caricature of a politician: three-piece suits, pocket watches, umbrellas held like fashion canes; while sherlock likes to wear formal clothes in informal ways - ie shirts with the collar open and no tie. they both look like they have money, but mycroft is displaying loyalty to conservative values while sherlock is doing the opposite.

their responses to being in buckingham palace. mycroft demands respect for the institution. sherlock makes a loud, petty show of disdain by refusing to get dressed, then deliberately aligns himself with john and against the palace by stealing an ashtray. (he was probably quite pleased that john said "what are we doing here?", positioning the two of them as the same, in contrast to mycroft, the aristocracy, etc etc.)

however. sherlock can still be kind of a snob. even if we decided to blame his worst remarks on the writers, his general attitude of superiority kind of automatically absorbs his background. he's not just intelligent, he's privileged enough to have been allowed to cultivate and use it. i truly don't believe that man has ever had a normal job.

however. sherlock is an outsider everywhere, regardless of class, which means snobbery can sometimes be used against him. sebastian, his old classmate in the blind banker, tries several wealth-related power plays on sherlock. sherlock does his best to scorn them, but the message of "you don't belong" isn't really one you can just brush off.

essentially: sherlock thinks he's a countercultural bohemian who just magically never has to worry about money, while mycroft thinks he's on downton abbey.

gender. this is closely related to the class stuff.

mycroft is doing a form of posh-specific and somewhat dated masculinity that reads as effeminate to 99% of the population, but it's kind of a power move because embracing it means only caring about the opinion of the 1%.

sherlock is doing a more universally palatable, "cooler" masculinity, and even makes a few jabs at mycroft on this topic... but because people find sherlock strange in so many other ways, this doesn't stop him being read as sexually ambiguous / potentially queer a lot of the time.

politics. this is also a variation on the same theme.

i don't think we ever learn what party mycroft is a member of, but if he really means that he's in government and not just a civil servant, then he's either a tory or a lib dem. so somewhere on a spectrum from centrist to right-wing, and even if he is a centrist, he's one who's willing to work with the right. honestly, i definitely feel like he's meant to be a tory, but i can't actually prove it.

sherlock's politics are also not very clear. he does make some remarks that imply disapproval of the political establishment as a whole: "that's the stupidest thing i've ever done" / "and you invaded afghanistan"; "try not to start a war before i get home"; "how quaint - queen and country"; but given how snobbish he can be at times and how uninterested he claims to be in the news, i think i'm putting him down as an apolitical cynic rather than like. actually left-wing.

so in all three of these cases, we get: "conservative" (ranging from "probably somewhat" to "excessively") versus "ambiguous, with countercultural leanings (of varying intensity and deliberateness)". hmmmm...

[hiiragi7]

Since it's still somehow being argued that "nobody can explain the harm a word does", let's go through cultural appropriation 101.

Cultural appropriation is the act of taking things that aren't yours from another culture, without respect or permission from the original culture. This is not limited to just negative imitation of a culture, but also things such as taking from a culture due to fixating on the "cool foreign" aspects, which feeds into racism and stereotyping.

This is what Alexandra David-Néel did in creating the word "Tulpa". Many things she did are horrifically appropriative and orientalist, but I will stick to just talking about the word Tulpa in this post.

First, what harm does cultural appropriation in general do? Let's talk about it.

Cultural appropriation is a part of a much larger racism issue - And while specific acts of appropriation may seem small to the ones that are not being appropriated from, it is often very painful to the people of the cultures that things are being taken from, and it is everywhere. It is a far bigger picture than most people ever really grasp. It is not just about the colorful dreamcatcher you see sold at the gas station, or someone cosplaying as another culture for Halloween; No, it is an entire movement, and in many places, it is embedded so deep that it seems impossible to ever be rid of it.

I was raised with a wide variety of different cultures. Each act of appropriation I see from those outside these cultures feels like a mockery.

It hurts to see things we call sacred be white washed and then sold for profit to other whites. It hurts to constantly feel on guard when you see items from your culture out in public spaces, because you do not know whether they are genuine or whether they are something a white person made because they thought it was "cool" without understanding or respecting it. It hurts to hear others use words that they do not know the meaning of. It hurts to watch movies with people not of your culture wearing a poorly made version of your culture's clothes. It hurts to be told you're the oversensitive one for "making everything about race".

Cultural appropriation is not solely about the act itself; it is a symptom of a far larger issue, one which every small appropriation seems to scream "Look how much I don't care about you or your culture. Look at how much I have taken from you."

When you walk into a store and see a mockery of your culture being mass-produced and sold to people who have no right to it, when you hear songs casually mention words they should never use, when you see social media trends taking entire concepts from your culture and completely changing it until it's unrecognizable - This shit hurts, and it's everywhere.

Now, let's talk briefly about Tulpa.

Tulpa is not as widespread a term as some more well-known cultural appropriation examples are. However, to pretend as though the harm done is somehow excusable due to that is really to say you do not know much about racism. Each "small" act of racism, things which you may not even think twice about, can be a painful reminder of oppression. "Tulpa" is no exception.

Tulpa, as a term, is harmful because it is appropriation. To call it non-harmful is to either say that cultural appropriation is not harmful or that Alexandra David-Néel did not appropriate it, both points which would require a lot of stretching of the truth and racism in order to make.

As a western term, Tulpa is itself a reminder of how Asian cultures and religions are stolen from, and how little people care so long as it benefits them personally. It is a representation of orientalism and lack of racial awareness in plural spaces.

I'd also like to talk about how the pro-Tulpa terminology side reinforces racism in other ways in its attempts to defend the word Tulpa.

A lot of pro-Tulpa terminology folk seem to misunderstand that the argument is not "Tulpa is the main source of racism in the plural community, and changing the word will make the racism go away."

No. The usage of the word "Tulpa" is a symptom, not the cause. It is a symbol of appropriation, of lack of care and respect, of racial issues that were already there and which will remain there until an active effort is made to change it.

The outrage from the anti-Tulpa terminology side comes not solely from the use of the word itself, but also from the lack of willingness to change or to even entertain a conversation which ends in anything other than "The western use of Tulpa isn't racist, and I should be allowed to keep using it."

The argument of the anti- side is not "Changing the word will solve racism". Rather, it is that changing the word is a symbol representing promised change in the community, of an active and intentional move towards racial awareness and safety. That is what we mean by "this is a bigger issue than syscourse". When you refuse to change, it is a spit in the face of all the ones who have been stolen from and who you ignore or argue with when they speak out.

It is declaring, "You are wrong about your own culture, and the harm done to you is not real."

This is what this debate is truly about. It is not petty drama, it is not about "winning", it is not even really about syscourse. What it is about is being spoken over, having the damage of racism downplayed, being insulted and having your intentions called into question, it is about white people deciding whether you're the "right kind" of minority or not to speak on these topics while they get to say whatever they want. It is all these much larger issues that this discourse has brought into the spotlight, it is not just about the word "Tulpa".

While the term Tulpa is very much appropriative and should change, it is also an incredibly large issue that the word is being made out to be the sole problem in this discourse. It isn't, and never was, the only problem.

Long post, but I had a lot of words.

[msfbgraves]

The CK writers can’t NOT know how the Sauna scene looked! I don’t know what gay culture was like in the 80s for non-Americans, but I do know, as an American, that gay men frequented saunas and gay bathhouses to engage in casual sex with other men. It was considered a “safe” spot away from judgement, and part of the gay cruising culture. And the fact that Terry engages with Daniel in a sauna, apparently without clothes (?) speaks volumes. What with Daniel looking so frightened, all done up to the throat with his white virginal robe…meanwhile Terry towers over him and doms him without laying a finger on him. The scene is LOADED. Especially given how campy and off his rocker Terry was in KK3…and the general weirdness of that movie, and how much gay, grooming, and obsessive subtext there is…the sauna was such an odd and perhaps deliberate choice for Terry and Daniel to have an interaction. I’d sell my soul to get the answer from the CK writers on this!

Nonnie, I really can't help you. All I know is that both Cobra Kai and and of course The Karate Kid III are very mainstream pieces of media and they're writing for the mainstream. Now, I've also seen mainstream writing teams deliberately trying to write queer themes and kink and it often comes out really off putting. If you watch Hugh Grant in "Maurice", with the faintest veil of plausible deniability, you get a beautiful queer romance, but watch "A very English Scandal" and it's completely awkward and unpleasant. As for kink, Paul Giamatti and Maggie Siff in "Billions" are just uncomfortable, they're so not into this dynamic, like the writers, presumably. But in stuff that would never be marketed as "queer" or "kinky" people often end up having to fan themselves, and I think that's because the writers either are completely oblivious or they have to pretend they are but I'm guessing the former, giving the actors more freedom. I really wouldn't put it past them to think of that sauna scene as "just" a callback in CK. Did they mean to cast a female lookalike of Terry as Daniel's wife? They didn't even know they'd get Thomas on the show and they don't know how to write character - there's hardly any overlap between their young versions of Terry and Kreese and what Marty and Thomas are playing, and I don't blame the actors for that! And yet! Daniel's ill fitting suits! The way he still gets sexually harrassed by his "rivals", be it Tom Cole or Johnny Lawrence painting a dick on his face - somewhere the penny dropped for Daniel that all these boys not so much wanted to kill him but they wanted to fuck him and men still want to fuck him and I think it was Terry that opened his eyes. Triple painful that with Terry he was into it and that ended badly. But he's learnt to see it and he doesn't like it, if he does flirt people into buying his cars. Was that the writers or Ralph? Hm, I think the writers didn't want him to look sexy and Ralph has a no nudity clause that some nuns may find a tad restrictive (no way he was unfamiliar with creeping men in Hollywood, the way he stayed away from anything romantic in his films) and yet here we are. It reads as a middle aged man who has been either beat up or prepositioned one too many times. And Terry was the first to use sex against him. And Terry knows he was the first. And he knows that'll fuck with Daniel's head six ways to Sunday because he knows they have chemistry. And it's a brilliant role reversal because Daniel has also used flirting to get what he wanted from people. He would have called it friendliness and it was, but he loves asking for it when he knows people can't do anything to him even in high school, he knows it confuses men and makes girls like him. He does it to Johnny in the first film and Chozen in the second but when he does it with Terry he doesn't get the usual flustered confusion but now Terry is doing it to him and he's never been at the receiving end of that...

...but it's very plausible that in his sales jobs he totally was and it was Amanda who taught him to weaponise it and there's something very hot and very familiar about her anyway...

The only way I can get this to make sense in my head is:

Ralph and Thomas have always known exactly what they're doing. I really applaud how Ralph has played the shadow of Terry before we knew Terry would even be in Cobra Kai. And Thomas' re-entry in the series is seamless. No continuity breaks like with Ralph and Billy. Man is a writer who knows his craft and he made them listen to him or he wasn't coming on the show.

The writers do not consciously know - if they knew they'd try to undo it in the text - but they do pick up on it and it bleeds into their writing.