#i think a lot of people refuse to accept this notion at all

[96percentdone]

I do honestly believe that all communication ever would be vastly improved if everyone on earth internalized and understood that the the whole thing is a series of back and forth interpretation of words with a collectively understood haze of potential meanings wildly dependent on context, speaker, and audience, even for even the most basic of sentences.

Like I can say "I like cats" but the degree of intensity to which i like them is just something you're inferring based on prior context (also interpreted) and how my tone is read. I could be sincere, or totally sarcastic, or maybe cat is slang for something else—miscommunication happens because everything is up for grabs, and communication is not an objective science.

It's a fast-paced guessing game played by all.

[baphometsss]

The Inquisitor's need to hear from Rook about how Solas helped them rescue the Dalish Clan is really interesting if they're Dalish, and especially so if you play as romanced Lavellan.

By his own admission in Trespasser, Solas didn't see anyone around him as true people in the beginning of DAI. In fact, he kills Felassan for refusing to help him any longer and suggesting that the modern elves deserved a chance.

It's why the Inquisitor needs to hear it from Rook, that he actually did save their lives. 'He's always thinking about where it ends.' He wants to be remembered as more than what the Dalish currently remember him as. He wants his sacrifices to mean something to the modern elves, for them to recognise the evils of the Evanuris and see that they are not worth worshipping. It stung him badly to see that his legacy was just as the great adversary, because it suggests that the elves who remained after the fall of Elvhenan did not think much of him, even after all he did for them. That one codex from the Vir Dirthara in Trespasser shows that people knew what Fen'harel did and it was viewed almost like an act of terrorism.

The fact that the Inquisitor goes on to call out Solas's prideful nature reflects that. He can't bear to be seen as truly evil because then he's as bad as his enemies, then all he did was for nothing.

He calls the Dalish 'our people' to an elven Rook, and I don't think he's lying, there. He didn't really have any reason to save the Dalish Clan. He could've let them die. He even describes saving them as a privilege, almost like he's atoning for what he did to the elves by protecting their children. Of course, he knows a lot more people will die when the veil comes down, and it doesn't make it any easier , as he says in Trespasser.

It's interesting for the Inquisitor to bring this up though, because it shows that they've been wondering if their time together in the Inquisition had any effect on him at all, if their pursuit of him over the years has changed him in any way. They're looking for tangible signs that he doubts himself, and that he actually wants his mind to be changed.

A romanced Lavellan will say that he forbade them from following him because he didn't want them to see what he would become, but that they don't believe this is the true reason. They know him better than anyone, they got closer to the real him than most. They know he doesn't really want to do it. They know he can't accept the notion that all the terrible things he's done have been for nothing. They know he's acting from a place of grief and trauma. Saving the Dalish Clan was just the proof they had been looking for.

[kabishkat19]

What really happened (Arcane)

I think I know what happened!

I’ve seen a lot of people getting confused over Silco’s relationship with the kids due to all the new flashbacks in Arcane season 2 (spoiler warning) But I think I’ve made sense of it all.

Here me out.

The main confusion stems from the flashback revealing how close Vander and Silco had been with Felicia (Vi’s mother) so much so that Vander even named Violet, but from season 1 Vi doesn’t even know Silco… here’s what I think, I think despite what many assumed Silco actually wasn’t in the kids lives; many of the flashbacks of Vi and Jinx’s younger years only showed their parents or Vander, the only time Silco is shown is when it’s from Vander’s youth.

It kind of makes sense for his character; think about it, all we see of young Silco is that even with his friends having a chill time he’s still working, writing, planning, all this man thinks about is the future independence of Zaun and of course he does he’s the brains of the whole thing; he may have seen the kids is passing but Silco was too busy to trying to secure the future he wasn’t in the present like Vander who we see become the soft loving father to these little girls who weren’t even his.

Which explains the whole Zaun revolt situation; we now know that during the battle Silco tried blowing up a enforcer but had sadly taken out Felicia and Connol (Vi’s bio dad), we know what happens Vander sees them and then sees those two little girls he loves so much cry over their dead parents; and he decides then and there that he won’t do this anymore it wasn’t worth it.

The second confusion is that people think in a rage Vander took out Silco on that bridge before seeing the girls and I don’t think that was case; my theory is way more heart breaking because I imagine after Vander put the girl’s to rest he went to find Silco who no doubt after taking his friends lives accidentally was not handling it well (sound familiar) I can see Vander trying to make Silco accept that they failed and to give up where as Silco refuses to even think of that notion; that giving up would mean all those lives lost were for nothing.

Both in grief they argue and fight; Vander blames Felicia on Silco calling him a murder while Silco calls Vander a coward and swears no matter what that he won’t stop he will never stop.

Then Vander thinks of those girls and the many other children who are now orphan because of what they did and he knows he has to stop him.

Vander drowns Silco.

And the rest is history.

Thank you for listening, thoughts are welcome.

[jesterkoops]

ISTG if I have to spend the next two years watching people be pre-emptively miserable over Hellyna for no reason other than the general audience being dumb and therefore that must somehow mean Dan is just going to throw his whole story out of the window...

I understand plenty of shows have done that in the past but, no offense, it's usually pretty shitty shows with shitty writers. Prestige television almost never does that unless its showrunners are dudebros who have Game of Thrones as their template for what they think great television is. If you are a good writer you don't pander to people who don't understand your work, or change direction willy nilly based on what people expect or don't expect. If anything, you double down on it to really drill it into people's heads. And while I can't say I trust ANY writer 100%, Dan doesn't give me the vibe of someone who's ego-driven and who either wants to outsmart or over-pander to his audience.

Plus, nothing whatsoever seems to hint at them suddenly deciding that because people don't like/understand Helena she's going to be written off at "the villain" and that's it. Every single time any of them talks about Helena the theme is consistently about how trapped she is, how Helly is a manifestation of her repressed nature, and Britt has been avoiding any question about Helena's "redemption" like the plague, which means it's a spoiler. And sidelining her would literally go against the entire premise of the show being about people finding their true selves through their innie-outie dynamic, about outies recognising that the innies are people, and about whether kinship transcends across innies and outies. It's also why any scenarios where Helly refuses reintegration because "Helena bad" is so off putting to me. Because that is Helly literally learning NOTHING and being stuck where she was in S1. She has literally reached the point in the finale to start accepting she IS Helena, and you think that's all going to be for nothing? Or that Cobel's in-your-face line about SHE IS AN EAGAN YOU MEAN NOTHING TO HER is going to prove true?? There's nothing more delicious to a writer than subverting their own characters' expectations and preconceived notion of other characters as a conduit to subvert the audience's.

I know I myself speculated about Helena "killing herself" for Helly by permanently severing herself, but that was early on in my Severance adventure and before I really got a good grasp of the underlying message the show is aiming for. I don't completely rule it out, but I think it's a very unlikely outcome at this point and even if something along those lines were to happen, it will happen after Helena has had plenty of development and "natural reintegration" with Helly so that there will be a lot of Helena in Helly by the time all's said and done. They're not going to suddenly go "well oops! Helena is evil and must die so Helly and/or Markgemma can ride off into the sunset".

[masochist-marmot]

I hate the Naoto gender discourse

TW: transphobia, gender dysphoria, Naoto Shirogane

First of all, I think it's entirely valid to read whatever you want into fictional characters. Art is meant to be interpreted and to evoke something in the audience, and while it's useful to consider the author's intent, it's just as valid to interpret the text on its own.

In Persona 4, the intended reading is this: Naoto is and has always been a girl who wishes to be taken seriously in her male-dominated field. She confuses these feelings for identifying as a boy, and it's up to our party to set her back on the straight path and accept her role as young woman. Rise is incredibly eager to chastise this "young lady" immediately after learning about the reality, and throughout the game we are helping her to be more comfortable with being a girl. This is quite straightforwardly what the text is saying.

How many fans (me included) see the text is this: Naoto displays signs of gender dysphoria and struggles with their gender identity. Even after you have talked them out of a literal gender-affirming surgery (performed by a mad scientist, because why not make it extra scary to boot), they continue to present as a boy. During the rest of the game as well as Naoto's social link, you and your party can continue to push femininity on them. They're forced into a swimsuit contest, where they refuse to show up on the stage, and Yosuke says he knew it would happen. If you want to date Naoto, you have to pick the options where you tell them you like them as a girl, even though you get more social link points if you say their gender doesn't matter. This implies that Naoto is more comfortable with the way they present now, but feels that they have to present more feminine if they want to date you (which sounds like heteronormative bullshit to me). It's probably not difficult to see why this would make some players uncomfortable.

Now to the point of this post: There's a big (or just vocal?) portion of the fanbase that will call you media illiterate or delusional if you bring up your discomfort with how Naoto's gender was handled. And I can't stand it. As I demonstrated above, I know what the text is saying and have a problem with it. Media literacy isn't just about recognising what is being said, but also why it's being said. And Naoto's character arc displays well intentioned ignorance and heteronormative values at best, and malicious TERF-like ideology at worst. I'm inclined to believe it's the former, as the game and the series more widely don't seem to have a malicious intent behind them, although they certainly have other uncomfortable parts (I could make a very similar post about Kanji).

So why do so many people have an issue with the trans Naoto reading? Well, in games like these, players tend to form strong emotional connections to the characters. I'm guessing that for a lot of people it's important that their waifu is, well, a waifu. (I'm personally too pan to understand this and will advocate using "waifu" as a gender neutral word.) I'm sure some of it is annoyance with the notion of the interpretation contradicting with canon, which is apparently law. People feel like you're projecting something onto the text and not getting the intended meaning. Which feels like a weird point, since everyone is projecting some of their own feelings onto any text. And then there's your good old transphobia that manifests as a myriad of rationalisations (including the one about canon being law). I usually try to understand where people are coming from, but some people can't be reasoned with.

I don't have a conclusion, I just had to get this out.

TLDR; Stop bullying people who choose to view a character through a different lens than you do, and please practice your empathy and critical thinking skills.

[theplatypusblue]

I’ve been thinking about the similarities and differences between Skybound and Seabound lately, especially in their endings. The strengths/drawbacks of each, plus what each ending says about Nya and Jay’s characters.

In both seasons, Nya and Jay are forced to make really shitty decisions. In Skybound, Jay has to choose between making a wish to save Nya, or making a wish to stop Nadakhan and save Ninjago. However, rather than choosing either of those options, Jay (albeit accidentally) opts for the Secret Third Thing™ — wishing to go back in time so that none of this ever happened lol.

And while you could read this as an instance of Jays character shining through (he cares so much about Nya, he refuses to accept a future without her), I think it’s fair to say that this ending fell flat for a lot of people. It made the entire rest of the season pointless, it felt like a total cop out, you get the idea. These weakness only get more clear when you look at it in comparison with Seabound’s ending.

In Seabound, Nya has to choose between sacrificing herself to save Ninjago, or, I guess, not doing that and watching Ninjago fall. The key difference here is that there’s no Secret Third Thing™ for Nya to fall back on. This idea is made very explicit throughout the season: sometimes there are no good choices, “that’s the way the cookie crumbles” and all that. She resists this notion at first, but ultimately, she makes that hard decision. She makes the choice to sacrifice herself.

Contrast this with Jay, who basically… doesn’t make a choice at all? He just ~follows his heart~ and then… gets to have his cake and eat it too????

And it’s frustrating because there’s something interesting here, right? We get to see the differences between Jay and Nya when it comes to making those kinds of tough choices, and what that says about them as people. Push comes to shove, Nya will do what it takes to protect the world at large. She matures and grows from where she was at the beginning of the season, and the finale reflects that. On the other hand, Jay is the type for guy who will fight tooth and nail until he gets a happy ending. It’s pretty simple-minded, and it’s not something he really gets challenged on in a meaningful way, but it’s an appealing character trait in its own right.

The contrast between these two traits is pretty cool and interesting in my opinion!! Especially when you take into account that it’s Nya’s life on the line in both instances!!!! But then you gotta contend with the fact that Skybound’s ending is kinda…. mid as fuck? And it’s just like??? We were so close yknow soooooo close like this close, but no it’s all weird and stupid now I guess.

So it’s like TLDR: Jay and Nya are super interesting together, but Skybound is so damn weird that it makes the whole thing difficult.

[emblemxeno]

Tbh I always found it weird how many people like to go "edelgard did nothing wrong!!" when I always percieved it as "her heart's in the right place, but her difficulty with moral nuance, refusal to Just Talk To People and alarming tendency to just stand by and look disgruntled while her "allies"/subordinates do terrible things because she thinks it's necessary to ally with the people she wants to stop in order to take them down makes her look way more like a tyrant than she probably intended"

Yknow, classic well-intentioned extremist stuff that people in-universe still have every right to be mad at because well-intentioned or not she still deliberately hurt them

Oh to continue on about my last thing (the "extremist edelgard" ask) I feel like a lot of the reason people excuse edelgard is because crimson flower kinda removes or downplays a lot of the sketchier parts of her character to go for a more unproblematic "look at this victim of oppression overthrow the system that hurt her!" story while ignoring that we barely even know what edelgard plans to do to replace the old system beyond "meritocracy" and all the stuffy old corrupt nobles that are still alive aren't magically going to give up their old ways just because the emperor's teacher/love interest/ideas guy (which definitely would've had some uncomfortable grooming implications were this set in any other time period) looked at them with their big wet doe eyes and made them tea

What I'm remorseful over is that this was legitimately my perspective and thoughts on her... 6 months after the game first came out and I had played all the routes. And you describe it so perfectly! Because that's what the game has presented, both with its strengths and flaws.

I hoped that others would be at least open to accept that opinion just existing, yet even that is too much for some. Somehow, some way, a maelstrom of factors have led people to deny her of any wrongdoing. And sometimes it gets to just really ugly places.

Like, when the election was over, someone made a "meme" where they (and Edelgard fan) did a political election map of Fodlan, and they made it so Rhea was representing the Republican votes and Edelgard the Democrat votes, trying to do some dark humor comparison calling Rhea a fascist and I just 🙃🙃🙃

Not only are many of these people seemingly incapable of having a good faith discussion, they're self-poisoned by their own parasocial relationship to this game and character that they can't even entertain the notion of not shoving it into what's a really fucked up real life scenario.

[houseofbrat]

People really don't understand the depravity of what is going on. They really don't.

Elon Musk’s "DOGE" team has gained access to the Treasury Payment System and is actively shutting down payments they claim are “illegal.” However, there is no indication they are following proper acquisition or financial procedures. There has been no coordination with awarding agencies, no legal determinations, and no adherence to FAR or appropriations law. The image shows a spreadsheet of the payments in question. If payments are being stopped without agency review, this could create contract disputes, funding violations, and serious legal issues.

Former social worker here- Lutheran Social Services?? In Chicago and the suburbs they run thousands of programs, from Adult Protective Services to homeless shelters to foster care to senior homes.  Along with Catholic Charities, they are the largest providers of social services in the state of Illinois. A lot of these programs, like Adult Protective Services are CONTRACTED THROUGH THE STATE specifically (for better or worse) to cut down on the amount of government employees- not unlike hiring Space X to build ships for NASA. ....do these idiots think it's like ....payments directly to the church for no reason? Holy shit. 

In Chicago they run hundreds of programs, from Adult Protective Services to homeless shelters to foster care to senior homes. 

Ah, well these are the exact groups that this corrupt administration wants to target for elimination.

No kidding. This is going to gut social services as badly or worse than the last time we had a Republican governor and he straight up refused to sign a budget for 4 years.  That's actually when I left the social work profession. This sucks. 

I can't stress this enough: Most Americans have NO IDEA how anything works. They THINK they know how things work. The notion that the government has been paying faith-based, charitable, and private organizations to do things typically associated with government social services since AT LEAST the George W Bush years is completely new information to them, and they don't believe it. That's how you get them confidently 'discovering' something like this and deciding it's just a boondoggle to get tax dollars elsewhere. You literally cannot tell these people actual facts, because they don't want to accept them, BECAUSE THEY DON'T KNOW OR CARE ABOUT HOW ANYTHING WORKS.

Perfect example of someone who does NOT know how government funding works is right here: Dr. Vinay Prasad.

I hope everyone is going to be okay with grandma and grandpa getting kicked out of nursing homes later this year because THE CULT OF ELON is totally okay with Elon and his minions cutting their funding!

Yes! They provide the only PACE Program in St Louis. My elderly mother begins the program tomorrow.

They'll literally be putting elderly people in danger. This is a nursing home care in home program.

There are no physical facilities for them to go to. This is truly frightening.

Check out the list tho.... Wisconsin, Florida, Carolinas, Central Ohio, Nebraska, South Dakota....

Yep. The subset of it all is to hurt the poor, old, immigrants and basically anyone who isn’t a top 10% white male. Sadly, we’re winding the clock back to 1933. Hopefully it doesn’t end the same way.

[raleighrador]

Torturing myself with ways Disney changed Star Wars - Strength, power, purity

Follow up to this https://www.tumblr.com/raleighrador/775298293951561728/torturing-myself-with-ways-disney-changed-star?source=share

Again, if you like Rey you might want to skip this.

Disney's treatment of strength, power, and purity is very different to Lucas. This is most evident in the treatment of the main Jedi/Force sensitive characters across the 3 trilogies.

I think the key theses of Lucas are: the Force can do a lot but it has clear limits; accepting those limits is key to being a "just" user of the Force; learning to use the Force takes a long time & any short cuts are both leading and lagging indicators of evil (ie want to short cut is of the dark side, and the dark side is the only element that provides short cuts).

This is evidenced "in text" in 2 basic ways: we get told this repeatedly through various explicit lines of dialogue across both the OT and the PT; and the world building and context very clearly explicates the notion of training, there is a special Jedi school, you need a master etc.

The entire plot of the PT is that a) Anakin is "too" powerful in a way that is somehow unnatural (or certainly worrying) b) he both progresses too fast AND continuously attempts to progress faster in a vicious feedback loop and c) refuses to accept that he cannot ever be strong enough to defeat death.

The OT set's Luke up to follow a pretty typical fantasy/action plot and he goes through various training and trials before he comes into his own, and his powers. Importantly, he learns the lesson his father did not - sometimes acceptance is the only answer. There is a point where strength no longer matters.

(and acceptance sometimes creates the opportunity for the universe to bend towards natural justice).

The ST just... totally overwrites all of this.

Rey starts hyper competent and scales from there. She faces no meaningful set backs. There are no real negative consequences for any of her choices or actions. She develops mastery of the Force and demonstrates a level of power & totally new abilities that exceed anything we see Anakin or Luke do.

What is especially frustrating is that we are so obviously SUPPOSED to read it that way.

Many people have written a lot about how you can actually reconcile all of this because actually the Force isn't about lifting rocks or whatever.

And sure fine.

The issue is that these are movies, movies by their nature rely on visual metaphors to express information about characters, themes, the universe etc. This is in many ways specifically essential to Star Wars.

Jedi use Blue swords and Sith use Red. Fascists wear faceless helmets, Rebels have faces.

The first time we are given any sense of "scale" to the Force is in ESB. Luke is tasked with lifting some rocks and fails. Of course he does! Floating things with your mind is impossible! And yet - holy cow - after some intense training he is actually doing it! He is straining and sweating but he does it!

And then Yoda asks him to lift the x-wing out the swamp. Can he do it? Maybe? Holy cow even Yoda is astonished - Luke seems on the brink of something even Yoda didn't expect!

But no, of course not. Yoda asks the impossible.

Except of course he doesn't. The last Grand Master of the Jedi Order, the being who (as people knew at the time) trained Obi-Wan (and as we later came to know, basically every Jedi for 1,000 years) then lifts the ship.

This is a clear piece of visual story telling. Lifting one rock is hard but doable, lifting a ship is really really hard and you need to be very strong and or experienced to do so.

Anyone who tells you that the lingering shot of Rey lifting hundreds of rocks so effortlessly that she can look around and laugh is not meant to be understood as "Rey > Luke" needs to also commit to the idea that Red lightsabers mean nothing.

Anyone who tells you it doesn't matter that Rey pulled Luke's x-wing out of the sea on Ach-To (vs Luke's inability to pull it out of the swamp on Dagobah) needs to commit to the idea that storm troopers wearing faceless skull masks means nothing.

The absolute pinnacle of this is of course Rey (and then Ben) learning to use the Force to heal life threatening wounds and even bring people back from the dead.

It goes beyond that though - and I think is most egregious in TFA.

We are consistently explicitly given the opportunity to make a direct comparison between Rey and Luke & Anakin, and then are hit over the head with the idea that Rey is better.

Even contrasting her with Kylo is interesting. Kylo has training, lots of it, and yet consistently loses to Rey (an uno reverse card mind reading and 2 different lightsaber tug o' wars the most obvious examples; the notable absence of Kylo ever using Force lightning vs Rey kinda just accidentally yolo-ing it).

What then does any of this mean?

As ever - nothing, just buy the Lego, stop wasting your time writing hundreds of words on Tumblr, please god stop clogging the timeline with this crap, look how cool the posters are).

But I persist.

The obvious (and what Disney seemed to be aiming at) meaning is that Rey IS better than Anakin or Luke or anyone else, Rey is in fact the actual real Chosen One.

Ok fine I guess but I hate it.

It also begs the question of "why"? Like what is the metaphysical logic?

Lucas very heavily centres personal agency in his metaphysics - yes, Anakin has the innate ability to be the chosen one, was foretold in prophecy, but it is always his choices that determine the triumph or defeat of the Light. He chooses wrong until the very end but it is always choice that matters.

Rey never chooses wrong. Maybe it's that simple but it begs the further question of why?

Anakin is given the most traumatic childhood imaginable and it never stops. He is damaged - physically and psychologically - and put into impossible circumstances and then he breaks.

Rey basically breezes through adversity. She never really seems to feel any loss, she is never really tempted by the dark side, and she certainly never gives into it. Even when she does give in to anger (and uses force lighting in TROS) it has no consequences, turns out Chewie is fine. She makes it through the entire sequel trilogy with no real loss - personal, physical, psychological, until the very end when we are meant to read Ben's death as meaningful (but given that the death happens AFTER the good guys have already one, it doesn't work as a narrative exchange).

The point about exchange is consistent - Luke and Anakin face real costs for their choices.

Beru and Owen die when Luke seeks adventure and pursues R2. Luke loses his hand (and innocence) when he chooses to confront Vader on Bespin. He almost loses his soul when he fights Vader on DS2 (and in choosing to forgo violence he suffers physical torture but achieves metaphysical victory).

Anakin loses his mother when he leaves Tatooine but gets to be a Jedi. He loses (part of) his soul when he chooses to kill the Tuskens but gets revenge. He loses his arm when he attacks Dooku. He loses his wife, his children, his limbs, his friends when he chooses the Dark, when he chooses power.

Rey chooses adventure and to go with BB-8 and loses... nothing she gains a saber and unlocks her Force abilities such that she uno reverse cards Kylo. She chooses to fight Kylo and she loses... Maybe Fin but he doesn't die, and she wins the duel. She chooses to confront Kylo and Snoke and she loses... what, exactly? Snoke dies and while she doesn't get Ben Solo back she still doesn't lose anything. She chooses to give in to anger and uses force lighting and accidentally... doesn't kill Chewie so actually it's fine.

The theme that does emerge is essentially one of purity. Rey is pure - pure of heart, pure of intention, not because of any choice or lived experience but because she just is. And that is why she makes all the right choices.

This is explicit in the finale - if Rey kills Palpatine out of impure intentions evil wins. But she kills him and evil loses - so she must have done it with a pure heart.

Anakin then doesn't fail to fulfil his destiny (until much later) because he made bad choices, he made bad choices because he is impure and it was never his destiny anyway.

Turns out Anakin never worked out the right way to murder someone.

Anakin's mistake was not seeking a short cut to power which was always bound to fail. His mistake was not refusing to accept that some things are beyond him, that death comes for us all, and that all we can do is embrace it.

Anakin's mistake was being impure, was reading the wrong books. Turns out, the Force could save Padmé, Anakin was just too weak/stupid/impure from the start to do so.

It not only recasts the entire 9 movies, it is also just really boring.

[redux-iterum]

You got harassed for writing the redux. What? Why? It, it honestly is upsetting and saddening hearing that you got harrased over writing your own version of Warrior Cats.

Well, Tumblr was an incredibly contentious place when the Redux was in swing. I won't claim I was perfect and the best writer ever - very far from that, in fact, which is why I restarted this story - but as far as I know, my popularity did not sit well with a number of people, and I got folks yelling at me over...frankly, I don't remember what. I think I shoved a lot of that time out of my head so I don't have to deal with it in the present day. But it was enough that I was dreading my inbox towards the end of the Redux's run, because I knew someone was going to be calling me some variation of "problematic" or "-ist/phobe", or scolding me for something I didn't do.

I do recall that people were especially upset over one particular aspect of the worldbuilding, that being that any cat who was biologically male was not allowed in the nursery for the safety of the kits, and that included trans mollies. I explained why this was over and over, but Tumblr at the time did not accept any worldbuilding that wasn't 10000% inclusive and accepting of everyone at all times, and the eventual conclusion was that the Redux was homo-and-transphobic, somehow. Nevermind that I had stated god knows how many times that the Clans didn't care about orientation or gender identity except in one super specific area where actual cat behavior and biology played a massive role. Someone tossed out the notion that I was homo/transphobic, and that's what I became.

I'll state for the record again that I absolutely had issues with my writing, but at some point I also had folks acting like I myself was a monster who couldn't handle criticism. I have no idea where that came from - I've always made a point of staying polite and calm with everyone in every level of hostility on their end, and I stayed out of the Redux's tag to avoid seeing anything that could potentially upset me and stir me to make a comment. I still remember someone telling me to "look at what everyone has been telling you", and I had no idea what they were talking about (because, again, I stayed out of the tag), and they refused to explain themselves to me. Criticism I always welcomed; even if I didn't agree with it, I made sure to always thank the person for their input. Maybe I told someone I didn't agree or I just didn't respond to them, I don't know. Something started that notion of "Dullard can't handle criticism" up.

It was a lot of shit like that, basically. I ended the Redux because I had no more joy in the creation of it thanks to the neverending harshness I was receiving, and even when it stopped and I explained what I'd had in mind, people were STILL giving me a hard time about some of the writing decisions. I was dreading the living hell out of Iterum's reception as a result. Luckily for me, people have almost entirely been giving nothing but praise to this version. It helps that I have someone with me who can tell me when a piece of writing is bad or how I should address this idea or that notion. Editors are invaluable, folks!

[meowzilla93]

So I’ve seen so much ragging on Baxter calling himself a rebel or a bad boy, and it hurts me! ( I know most of it is in jest, its okay!) But I wanted to explain how he really IS what he claims to be, even though may just seem like a privileged individual

(I really had to reduce this from an essay to fit tumblrs character limit, I am talking like a 2k word essay, so its condensed but covers my points lol also please keep in mind I have taken canon information and given my interpretation of the information to this)

Lets look at the definition of a Bad Bay archetype – a cultural archetype often defined as a male who behaves badly, especially within societal norms. Qualities associated with this archetype is confidence, independence and/or assertiveness (though there are the negative connotations such as manipulation, dishonesty or a lack of consideration for others, but we are not focusing on those as these do not reflect Baxter)

And what is a rebel? At its core, it is a person who resist any authority, control, or tradition. Rebels like to change up the status quo, refusing to conform to societal pressures and controlling figures.

So lets look at Baxter Alexander Ward’s life:

Brought up in wealth

Was sheltered and raised with certain values

Parents were controlling and dictated a lot of his life

Was never treated like a child, but as an adult his whole life

More than likely taught to think himself above everyone (which he confirms)

Raised with very bigoted, misogynistic, homophobic and just cruel morals and notions  

If we look at those specific points, where does the Bad Boy archetype fit first?

By the time he reaches 19 years of age, he wants to be able to make connections outside of the circle of money he was raised in

Though he keeps up appearances for his parents, he tends to thumb his parents way of life, not wanting to become the same type of people they are

Rather than endorse their way of thinking, he becomes more open and accepting

(this boy might have mighty expectations for himself, but for others, he will never expect more than they can provide)

He is the very thing his parents do no approve off; Pansexual, accepting of others, opposite to what they want

By the time he is 19 years old, he is already snubbing his parents and their values, wanting to move outside of their circle of life and live his own life. There is the understanding that he was already sleeping around in high school, and considering his partners would be of all genders, the rumors circulating him would affect the image of the family, which his parents would not approve off. His visual looks, moving heavily into the black/ white monochrome and more alternative fit outside the expectations of what his family would expect of him. He dresses as he pleases, not as someone else would want him to.

These may seem like little actions, little acts of rebelling against his family, but these are MASSIVE in the context of his life. To flip the entire narrative that he learnt from his parents, and continues to do so in every way that he is able to. Sure, he gets a fake ID to just get a car to sight see in and get booze for himself to drink when out for dinner or even at home. But these acts are against what his parents expect or event want of him, what their social circle would expect of him, and as such, he fits the Bad Boy narrative within THAT social circle. And that is what matters in this context.

So, of course, this feeds into the rebel label. Going against everything he was taught, becoming the opposite person his parents expected of him. Resisting the control that his parents try and enforce on him and finding ways to escape the grip of expectation. I repeat myself a lot here but its that constant push back on what his parents expected of him, the morals, the views, the way he should handle himself and what they wanted of him. Baxter's rebellion is deep,y rooted in a sincere desire for authenticity, change and self-discovery, making him a truly compelling character.

Baxter at 19 years old was the Bad Boy Rebel of his families social circle. From the outside he just seems like a typical rich kid that was a bit strange, but from the inside, that’s where the rebelling sat.

Baxter at 24 is the man that continued in that path of rebellion. He further cut himself away from what his parents wanted, stood on his own two feet and tried to become the type of person he could be proud of. He separated himself from their morals, their visions, their actions. His mother who held charities to make connections and get a tax kick back? He does it to actually help people and does it almost pro-bono, no expectation to gain anything further from it. His father who holds a franchise and makes money from others manual labor? He takes the labor from others and takes it on himself to ensure that the day that they have (be it wedding or birthday or another event entirely) goes swimmingly and they have less stress than where they started.

Baxter continues to be a Rebel and Bad Boy as he grows and matures, as he continues to shun the way he grew up and becomes a better person for it.

There are probably other key points I have missed, but these are the ones that stood out to me, cementing the idea that Baxter Alexander Ward is a through and through

Rebellious Bad Boy

Thank you for coming to my (slightly unhinged) TED (tumblr) Talk.

[ace-does-stuff]

let it really sink in

summary: he just wants to help now because he could nothing then

tags: self-esteem issues, canon compliant, ambiguous relationship

authors note: so yeagh thinking about them, A Lot, they mean so much to me

"Just open up and say 'ah,' it'll be over before you know it," Soul said.

"I'm not letting my Weapon spoon feed like I'm a baby," Maka said, a bit of a snap to her voice.

Pathetic.

She got hurt to the point that her Weapon is offering to spoon feed her- in front of a crowd of people no less. It's just so demeaning.

Soul rolled his eyes, "C'mon, you need to eat to heal."

Maka flopped back against the pillows in spite of the partial paralytics, "I refuse to let you belittle me like this."

Soul blanked, "Belittle? I'm just trying to help you out."

"How would you feel if I tried to spoon food into your mouth?" Maka asked.

The bickering didn't really subside until Black Star and Tsubaki had left, Kid and the twins followed suit. What could they add to the discussion anyways. The spite between a Weapon and a Meister are personal things for them to work out.

Soul is still trying to convince Maka to just stop fighting and accept the help.

She still isn't having it.

"Why won't you let me help you!?" The small cup of fruit is tossed to the floor when Soul hits the breaking point.

Maka didn't expect that response.

"I'm just trying to make sure you're healing properly and not starving and-" He cuts himself short.

"Soul-"

"No, it's whatever. It's cool. I'll go."

"Soul Eater Evans."

Soul froze up, "Yes, Maka?"

"You can feed me, if it'll get you out of this funk," Maka offered.

"Well I just tossed the fruit cup to the god damn floor." Soul thrust a hand in gesture to the splattered fruit chunks.

"Sit with me."

Soul heels to her offer without even realizing it. His arms are crossed and he's sitting at the edge of the bed.

"You've never tried to feed me when I got hurt before," Maka started with, "What happened?"

Soul doesn't speak.

"Soul."

"I couldn't help you. I didn't protect you. I'm supposed to be ready to die for you. I should've taken the fucking hit."

"It's fine, we didn't know it'd paralyze me," Maka said.

"It's not fine!" He's baring his teeth like a dog, "Just let me help you."

Maka paused, "Mishaps happen on the battlefield all the time."

"A mishap shouldn't leave you paralyzed from the neck down," Soul snapped.

He dropped onto his side, curled against Maka just a bit. Hell, if she got hit again he could've lost her. That'd get him revoked from being a Weapon, a failure who couldn't even keep his Meister from dying. His best friend, from dying.

He listens intently for her to speak, the steady thrum of her heartbeat ringing in his ears. He could've lost that, could've watched it end in an instant. Could've felt his Soul be severed from hers within seconds of an impact, felt as presence became absence.

It's a horrifying notion.

Ninety nine human Souls and a cat Soul, and then he'd have to start it all over again with someone new. Someone who wouldn't be able to wield him with the same prowess, who wouldn't be able to resonate with him the same. Someone different, someone that isn't his fucking Meister.

That's not gonna happen.

That'll never fucking happen.

He won't let it, he can't let it-

"Soul, can you stop gripping my hip?" Maka asked.

Oh.

He didn't, he didn't even notice it.

He retracts himself from her entirely, "Sorry."

"It's fine, just felt weird because you were gripping it too tight." Maka answered with. She would reach out to give him a reassuring pat on the shoulder, but all that her reflex is greeted with is a sharp sensation shooting through arm.

"I can leave you alone if you want me too," Soul offered.

"Why would I want you to leave?" Maka asked.

"I'm being a nuisance, first I try to spoon feed you, then I hold you to tight, and I'm just being a clingy bastard."

"Why are men like this?" It's an utterance that doesn't go unnoticed but Soul doesn't say anything in response.

He lays himself across Maka's shins instead, it's nice to just be close. That's his Meister, sure she can't hold him right now. But just being beside her, next to her, able to try and protect her even if it's just with his human body, is nice.

It's his fucking job.

A Meister's life will always come before a Weapon's life.

"I am kind of hungry," Maka said.

Soul perked up.

"Could you get me some food?"

Like a dog, Soul does exactly as asked.

-/-/-/-

He spends the rest of the day doing as asked, even if demeaning it is nice. To be of use. To not be a failure. An unneeded assurance that he's actually good at being a Weapon, at being something intended to be used.

He's submissive, yes.

But submissive in the way a dog is submissive to the sheep it kills wolves for.

A submission that was earned and offered all at once.

Still, in spite of that he finds himself resting at Maka's feet like an obedient dog. He let's himself be a space heater, even if the heat he gives off is beyond minimal.

"Soul," Maka starts with.

Soul shoots up.

"Stop acting like a mutt," Maka said.

"I'm not acting like a mutt! I'm just being a good partner," Soul said firmly, although he was vaguely aware of the fact he was acting very much like a mutt. Not that he didn't like it. He did enjoy being useful.

"Sure you aren't," Maka teased, "Can you get me some water?"

Soul slung himself off the bed and faltered at the desk beside her bed, "You trust me enough to not spill water all over you if you drink from a cup?"

"Isn't that your cup?"

"Yeah, but tap tastes better than bottled- nobodies gonna see and nobodies gonna care."

"Yeah I want cup."

"Cool."

Soul brought the rim of the cup to her lips and slowly tilted. Bottled water is so much easier to not spill. But it's whatever, it's what Maka asked of him. So he'll oblige to her request.

He retracts when she bites on the edge.

"That looked like it hurt."

"It did, thank god this paralytic will wear off sooner than later."

Soul nodded, "Agreed. Anything else I can do for ya?"

"No."

"Cool, I'm gonna try and conk out then."

Soul places the glass on the desk before splaying himself flat across Maka on his stomach. His hands lay, fingers twined, at the base of her ribs, head tilted to the side where it rests.

"You're gonna sleep on top of me?" Maka asked.

"Yep, got any issues with it?" Soul asked back, grinning up at her the whole while.

"It's fine," Maka said. A wash of pins and needles shot through her arms as she tried to raise them. Stupid paralytic.

He lets himself rest up against her again, "Thanks."

[perfectlyvalid49]

Hey! Thanks for the feedback and think there’s a lot of validity in what you’re saying. I think my frustration is that even within the “3%” minority, that applies to most things given how diverse human experience is. Trans/Intersex people, various disabilities/genetic “defects” (re: Type 1 Diabetes, anemia, etc) are probably around the same percentage and still LARGELY matter. Same applies to other Native people’s who have also experienced genocide.

I largely push back on the notion that “no Jews exist in the surrounding countries of Israel” given that:

A) Kurds exist and are a part of the Semitic diaspora

B) that’s like saying that no queer people exist in North Korea because they’ve systematically attempted to kill everyone who “looks gay”. People (ESPECIALLY the Jewish spirit) exist everywhere because

C) I have a Jewish friend who is adopted from China which is a WILD set of identities to fathom existing simultaneously but I promise you there’s a lot of power in solidarity

My biggest Christicism (this was a typo but I’m keeping it because I think it’s funny lololol) of the Abrahamic faiths is the rigidity of structure and lack of intercommunication between faiths because it all seems extremely isolating which, fine, but there is something weirdly healing about more henotheistic beliefs which feel just as empowering. I think that’s why Kabbalah is so appealing

Please correct me if I’m wrong, but from scrolling through your blog, it seems that you are not Jewish. If you are not part of the community, then you can only be coming at this from an outsider’s perspective.

To discuss the 3% thing (no idea why you felt the need to put it in quotes) – In the US, the Native American population is about 3% of the total. You hear a lot more about Native American struggles in the US (still not enough) than you would in England. Similarly, that 3% of non-Western Jewish voices are heard more inside of the Jewish community than outside of it. If you want them heard outside of the Jewish community, you might start by advocating for goyim to listen to Jews at all.

Your pushback is full of shit given that I didn’t say that “no Jews exist in the surrounding countries of Israel” (don’t put it in quotes if you’re not quoting buddy, I refuse to be your strawman) I said “there are many countries in the world with 0 Jews (several of them share borders with Israel)” and also:

A) Most Kurds are not Jewish. They don’t identify as Jewish, and Jews don’t identify them (as a group, not individuals) as Jewish. Most Kurds are Muslim. There is no such thing as a Semitic people, only Semitic languages, and if you’re counting all speakers of Semitic languages as Jewish, then all speakers of Arabic would be Jewish, an assertion that I feel they would object to. You trying to make people Jewish because they’re “Semitic” is at best a sign that you don’t know what you’re talking about and at worst a sign that I’m about to hear some antisemitic nonsense.

B) You can’t be Jewish just because you have “the Jewish spirit.” Judaism is a semi-closed religion, so to be Jewish you either have to be born to Jews, or you have to convert, a process that can require months to years of study, and cannot be finalized without the presence of other Jews. You could argue that there are people who would convert if given the opportunity everywhere, but they are not Jews until the conversion process is complete. And we have census data from these countries saying that there are no Jews. There are no Jews in Jordan, Syria, Libya, Sudan, Afghanistan, Oman or Saudi Arabia. There are fewer than 50 in Lebanon, Iraq, Algeria, Egypt, or Yemen.

C) Chinese Jewish is actually not that weird of a combination. There were Jews in China hundreds of years ago that got there on the silk road, and there were Jews in China in the 1940s because of basically one heroic bureaucrat that was approving visas to move there for Jews escaping Europe at a time when no other country was accepting them. There are more Jews today in China than there are in all of the countries I listed in the last paragraph combined. I’m not sure what that has to do with the lack of Jews outside of Israel in the middle east though.

As I mentioned above, Judaism is a semi-closed religion, and Kabbalah is restricted practice even within Judaism. If you are not Jewish, then you need to stay away from Kabbalah. Interacting with it is cultural appropriation of the highest order and as disgusting as putting on black face, or putting some feathers in your hair and dancing around and claiming that you’re doing a Native American ritual.

[sir-adamus]

https://www.tumblr.com/sir-adamus/752028412918530048/so-much-of-the-hatred-rwby-gets-seems-to-be-rooted

I frankly think it's more because it's an initially amateur production that became far more successful than people ever expected it to be, or believed it ever deserved to be, and that grinds the gears of some people who fancy themselves as gatekeepers of what is and isn't "good" in the indie or mainstream area of media.

It's also frankly this thing that makes me scoff at times at the notion of Indie media becoming more valued and "accepted", because I think there is a giant caveat to all of it, fineprint in the contract so to speak. I noted this in a different anon comment I made in response to a different tumblr blog, but I'll repost it here:

People have just become downright cutthroat about indie media, and it feels like it stems from how the online space and fandoms tend to act A LOT like the corporations they despise, but from a mob mentality sort of way and without the systemic power of out of touch executives to back it up. They outwardly praise unique stories and ideas, but in reality are just as pro-conformity and pro-mass appeal and sanitization as the corporations they hate, and if you step out of line in some arcane or unclearly defined fashion that only exists in their minds, you can literally go from hero to hated in pretty much the flip of a switch. Mixed together with the increasingly puritanical way people treat media, like it's some kind of extension of their own morality and thus they have some inherent need or right to tear down anyone or anything they see as "problematic"...and yeah. It's honestly jarring as hell and really just reinforces how fickle and hypocritical the online space can be despite proclaiming to hate it when the corporations do it to them.

And that's what is really the rub about RWBY at times; it's something that looks like it's intended to "fit" into the shallow expectations of an anime made by amateurs, but ends up being a lot more complicated and requiring more nuance to actually get, and people just refuse to meet it on its own terms because they view themselves as the arbiters. The judge, jury and executioner.

Ironic really, given how much they've done everything in their power to constantly insist up and down about how much better and less behind the times they are compared to the "normies" and "establishment", and yet this attitude betrays how they're basically still the same at their core.

oh yeah

[funhouse-mirror-barbie]

There’s this thing I keep seeing in the world of media critiques, reviews, and “hot takes™” where people will state their personal interpretation of a piece of media, but then act like it’s an objective fact, and say shit like “if you didn’t get this you’re braindead” or claim anyone who disagrees or interpreted things differently is “media illiterate”.

It’s a very weird practice I’ve seen a lot of people espouse where they just completely shut down any sort of differing opinion or interpretation. This is usually paired with very adamant refusal to accept that any perspective other than their own could possibly be legitimate or validated, and it’s incredibly frustrating to see.

Like.

Ya’ll understand that that sort of rigidity in thinking about media critically limits you, right? That an inability to entertain even the slightest notion that someone may have a differing view on the same piece of art, and that that interpretation could also be valid, is reflective of you struggling to engage with art on a deeper level?

It’s extremely ironic given that there’s been a lot of discourse on this site regarding how media literacy and interpretation is taught by USAmerican teachers, with the main complaint being that teachers are too strict in the way they teach symbolism and allegory. I’ve seen so many posts where people talk about how the lack of free discussion and open interpretation in their literature classes was extremely frustrating because teachers were prioritizing students knowing the “correct” answers for tests instead of actually teaching them how to engage with works meaningfully.

Seeing people rightfully call out how that method of teaching wasn’t conductive, and then seeing just how prevalent the attitude of “no I’m right, my interpretation is the correct interpretation and I’m media literate and you’re not because you don’t see things my way” has become is just absolutely baffling.

I don’t know, man. Some people get SO nasty on here and other online forums about critiques and it just seems really really unnecessary to me. If you are interested in discussions on writing and art and media, I think it’s essential to be able to hold a discussion about your opinions and why you have them without bashing someone else for seeing things differently.

The human connection to the arts is so wildly nuanced and complex that I don’t really understand the seeming total lack of curiosity some people have about other’s experiences or ideas.

I’m not saying people have to fully accept all interpretations, or even that every interpretation is necessarily a good one. I know I’ve read takes that I believe are not that well-thought out, or that I strongly disagree with. But I don’t think that means I should just completely shut out any and every opinion that broadly differs from mine.

I think the refusal to really consider different ideas, even ones we don’t like, will only limit us in our ability to think critically about the art and media we consume. And that in turn could make it harder to connect with one another.

I don’t know, I’m mostly rambling, but it’s just something that’s pretty discouraging to see.

[operas-phantom]

I have so many questions my dear Erik…

See the image down below? Yeah… WHY DIDN'T U JUST KISS CHRISTINE?! u were so close in doing so…

2. Do u make ur own clothes, or do u borrow them without permission?

3. How did u get Christine to put on her wedding dress when u took her down once more to ur lair after ur proposal? Did u tell her to and she obeyed, did u threaten and then she did it, or something else?

4. How did u practice the choreography for Don Juan Triumphant before the performance? Did u do it alone?

5. How awkward was it writing the very… suggestive lyrics for ur opera?

6. Remember when u said to Christine and the opera company, “ as for our star Christine Daae, no doubt she’ll do her best; It’s true her voice is good she knows, though should she wish to excel she has much still to learn, if pride will let her return to me her teacher.” Did u give her more lessons? and if so, where did u take them? At her dressing room like before, face to face, and how awkward were they? I mean, she knows that u LOVE her, so it’s not really like a teacher teaching her lol

7. Are u still looking for love or have u quit on it?

8. If u got married to Christine, how many children would u have wanted (if u wanted any) and what kind of parent would u want to be?

gosh! These are a lot of questions, might as well make it to 10 questions. So 2 more, don’t worry!

9. Of u could look like any celebrity, who would u wanna look like?

10. How was Don Juan triumphant going to end? (And btw, if u ever want to perform it again at the opera house, I’ll tell the managers for u. I can play Aminta if u want 😏)

well thx for ur time Erik!

I really, very much wanted to. However, she seemed very awestruck by me, and I was mildly worried; I wanted her to come to know me as a person first, so I wouldn’t regret it later. It would have been my first kiss, and I wanted it to, later on, be at the end of Don Juan Triumphant, where hopefully she’d have returned to me and both in-character and otherwise, and accepted me then.

I used to make them myself, or Madame Giry would bring them to me. Nowadays I mostly sneak out to find things for the costume vault, and I take the ones I think I’d wear. When a costume outfit piece is no longer needed, I take it for myself. That’s how I find many of my masks, especially the fancier ones.

I just told her to. I tried to stay calm, to explain I wouldn’t hurt her, but that my plans had gone awry and I just wanted her to promise and have to spend time with me, even if she was forced to. She complied, though I think she did so out of fear. Looking back, I probably didn’t sound that calm. And I fear that she still worries of my anger. Though it’s fun when the managers fear me, when I try to make someone care about me the notion that they’re scared of me wears thin— normal people certainly do not fear each other so!

Oh, I do it alone. I wrote it all myself for the most part— the choreographers took some liberties, but with me watching everyone else practice I was able to get it down and calmly do so in my lair.

For Don Juan? Not exactly. For other ones, it was somewhat awkward, but I am very aware that provocative plays or things with that sort of humor draw crowds, so I write about it. It is also due to me wishing to understand the exact reason why people have the desires they do— how when people love each other they trust each other enough to do that, and the fact that I just want someone to love me, which is enough without everything else. I suppose in Don Juan it was like the other times, not very awkward, but it was due in part to the whole Christine ordeal, wherein I wished she wanted enough to kiss me, and wondered what would happen if she did love me and we went further. A few times I did have to stop, though, for my heart wouldn’t stop beating and if I knew any better I’d say I was about to die. Oh, how I loved her so!

We did not do any more lessons after that. She had refused my calls to her from the lair for weeks before that, and what I said there was me wanting her to come back to doing lessons at least. She did not do any more with me after that, and I was deeply hurt.

I shall keep you posted on that one..

Well. If I had had children, I’d hope for one that they didn’t look like me. But I suppose one or two would be enough. I would try to teach my children music, how to make costumes, how to respect theatre, but I would be very supportive and glad to have a partner and children at all, of course.

Any celebrity that looks conventionally acceptable. I don’t even need a handsome or beautiful one, or a celebrity at all— I would just like to have the face of someone who looks normal and is loved and cared for, not rotting away with few friends and a loathsome visage that dictates every aspect of his life.

The original full plot would be that, after being seduced by Don Juan, Aminta spoke with him, conversing by the lake with him in another musical number. Don Juan, who has had many lovers and admirers and friends, finds himself genuinely enamored with her, and she falls for him, but realizes the next day with shock that the man is Don Juan, and not the anonymous servant she believed he was. Meanwhile, an old enemy of Don Juan returns to cause strife, and ruins a few of his parties and tries to turn Aminta to his side. Of course, in the end, Don Juan beats the womanizer rumors and proposes to Aminta, who realizes that despite his flaws, she does love him, and agrees. Thus, Don Juan triumphs again— he gets married, remains loved by all, and defeats his enemy. It definitely isn’t how I wish my life could be and that is a vicious rumor I would like to put to rest.

I must say, thank you for the questions! It shocks me someone really wants to know all these, but I remain as ever your obedient servant, and it was nice to introspect a little. I hope my answers were satisfying to you.