#i understand the morality issue with this

[gothamiteeditor]

Steph: I’m not going to do it. But what is stopping me from just, yknow, joining Jason’s henchman ranks?

Dick: Steph please-

Steph: It’s not Money. Money isn’t the issue. Is it morality? How far into the color wheel am I? What shade am I?

Dick: Shade? I don’t understand, but please-

Steph: What shade is ‘morally gray’?

Jason: 939597 is the hex code.

Dick: Jay for the love of, Steph isn’t going to be your henchman.

Jason: why? Cause she’s a woman? You got a problem with henchwomen? Are you being misogynistic towards the art of hench?

Dick: Hey hey it has nothing to do with-

Steph: I think I’m like two codes away from that color.

[mythalism]

my #1 complaint with veilguard is probably the lack of moral complexity and maturity and how much of northern thedas is sanitized and almost all issues (outside of solas and mythal, which they knocked out of the park imo, but the moral complexity of them as characters and of their relationship makes the lack of nuance in every other faction and relationship stand out even worse) are presented as black and white, good vs. evil. i think the absence of the presence of slavery in northern thedas is the most egregious example of this. the crows are found-family heroes with absolutely no mention of the fact that they canonically populate their ranks with abused elven child slaves and kill them if they try to escape. we know minrathous to be the capital of a massive empire that was built and founded on slave labor and blood magic. the slave trade is baked into every single stone of that city, and it should be everywhere in a disenfranchised area like docktown. and yet.... its nowhere? its like they went, "okay well the factions all need to be GOOD and slavery is BAD so lets just pretend it doesnt exist so we dont have to talk about the way these factions have historically participated in it!" a few codex entries? a few mentions of freeing slaves by the shadow dragons and by solas but its never actually depicted? i think its something a lot of people have picked up on in accusations of the game feeling like something made by marvel or disney, and a lot of people are attributing that mostly to the art style and cheugy dialogue, but i honestly think it is the very simplistic and juvenile presentation of what should be complex issues diluted down to the sort of hero vs. villain, good vs. evil no-nuance conflicts that is creating that juvenile feeling, rather than the art style. past games have always had cheesy-ass dialogue and the graphics have never been the highlight of the game, but neither had the same feeling of playing something incredibly glossy but also incredibly shallow, especially in a franchise that is famed for its complex and nuanced (though, often poorly done and racist - looking at you qunari and dalish) depictions of sociopolitical issues through a fantasy lens.

but whats especially interesting is that the artbook (just the first 50 pages that are free) reveals that... this was present in the early stages of the game. the concept art of tevinter is full of disturbing depictions of slavery, as is the concept art of arlathan. now, to be clear, slavery is not a morally complex or ambiguous issue. slavery in fantasy is often depicted in ways that is damaging and problematic, especially when written by people who have no real understanding of it and its lasting effects on a group of people. bioware has been guilty of this in the past.

however, i think it is the best example of the shallowness of veilguard when compared to both the past games and the concept art. other examples, however, include literally the Qun as a whole suddenly being UNAMBIGUOUSLY EVIL combined with, imo, a super racist depiction of the antaam as mindless and animalistic, absolutely no exploration of racism against elves other than like, one mention from davrin in a game that is basically all about elves, blood magic being unambiguously evil rather than exploring how it is being used and for what purposes, the complete absence of the mage-templar mass incarceration and mass-lobotimization conflict, isseya being afforded none of the empathy that solas is given and instead presented as unambiguously evil and deserves to die, the grey wardens being heroes who definitely do not manipulate disenfranchised people into escaping their lives to join an order that will steal their bodies and eventually their minds and futures from them, and much more. going from a world that was so willing to at least ATTEMPT to depict the horrors of empires that utilized slave labor to build, the way dehumanization facilitates and interacts with these issues, violent class disparities and how poverty forces people into crime, the effects of institutionalized racism even after slavery has been legally abolished, with stories like that of varania and fenris, of zevran and taliesin, to.... finally going to the site of the horrors they faced and to find it to be completely sanitized? and yes, they did not always land, and i have a lot of issues with their execution of some of these representations (the option to give fenris back to danarius and having anders approve??????? HELLO?), but at least they TRIED to tell a story about a man recovering from the trauma of something so horrible and learning to trust again. so what happened in the middle? were they afraid of their own ability to handle the topic due to past criticism instead of attempting to learn from it? instead we are just going to pretend like it doesnt exist? we're not going to talk about it? its literally the most insane elephant in the room. of course fenris and zevran couldn't make cameos in this game, because then they'd have to make a statement on a painful, real, and difficult to discuss topic that actually means something, instead of using a warehouse full of elves being guarded by armed police at the docks as a hollywood-style backlot and depict an empire built on the blood sacrifices of the poor and enslaved as just another fun little area to explore. how does neve fight for the people of docktown but slavery literally never comes up in her story????? we know that blood magic exists but we never see who is being disproportionately used for those blood sacrifices?

i think its especially interesting considering how explicitly supportive of trans people this game is, which is fantastic and i admire bioware deeply for making such a strong and unapologetic statement of their values of acceptance. but that strong statement makes the lack of any other strong statements or exploration of issues even mildly contentious (again, slavery is not even a contentious issue, and i think that's why their fear to depict it at all, much less as unambiguously horrifying, is so insane) leaves the world of northern thedas feeling so shallow and sterile. it is as if bioware doesnt trust me to engage with topics like an adult capable of using critical thinking skills, and did not trust themselves to depict these issues like adults capable of critical thinking skills either. maybe, considering the presence of these things in the artbook, this was on EA for pushing for more mass-market appeal, or maybe it was really the bioware devs backing away from difficult topics due to a lack of confidence to do them justice. idk. but its really disappointing to me

[preposterousjams]

My opinion on the Latino Jason Todd headcanon

While I do understand ppl's criticism of the latino Jason todd headcanon and how its kind of racist to make the kid with parents with drug problems as the latino one, to me its more of a reclamation BECAUSE of DC's racism.

Read any 80s/90s batman issue that covers gang violence and drugs, most if not ALL of the criminals are poc; black people and latinos visibly make up the majority in the poorer neighbourhoods in Gotham. Aside from the caricaturist way they r drawn/speak, its not THAT weird cause its a reflection of irl big cities where immigrants and marginalised ppl are often forced to live in such situations, (like most of my dominican family lives in the bronx... it aint racist to say dominicans tend to flock there), BUT...the weird part is when the second a sympathetic character comes from that area, he's white and has a name thats "too fancy for the streets".

Obviously, Jason was created to look like the old robin, so I can't say that the whole "diamond in the rough" situation was purposely a tad bit racist, but its still a lil weird (especially with bruce's comment).

If Jason were a part of the overwhelming demographic in his area, the good-kid-in-a-bad-area trope has less connotations. DC is currently trying to fix this trope is by making crime alley whiter, which isn't bad but they could've just yk... humanised the non-white residents.

I also feel like the messed up way Jason was treated post-death is what makes him so relatable to latino readers. His tragic story of dying while trying to save his only living relative is turned into a lesson for newer vigilantes. Jason's particular disdain for abusers on a few occasions was twisted (by both writers and characters) into him always being dumb, reckless, cocky, angry and disobedient, always violent, never having been able to get over his upbringing. None of those things were true (he was a normal level of reckless and cocky like every other robin, not more), but its an easier narrative to digest compared to how it was in reality; a kid who worked so hard and loved even harder, died to save a woman who couldn't care less about his existence. He was an emotional AND smart kid who wanted so bad to help others get better but was remembered as too emotional (in a bad way).

THIS is the reality for many latino diasporas in day to day life; Theres no question that Latino culture is passionate and emotive, but people from other cultures assume that it is followed by instead of logical. both can coexist. emotion does not mean u have no logic. Emotions can be irrational but they aren't inherently that way, and I wouldn't say that the moments where Jason lashed out as a teenager were irrational (in og runs, not rewrites post red hood), they were mostly done to protect someone (going crazy on abusers, disobeying batman to save sheila, that time he got into a fight at school to defend his friend).

A lot of euro-centric culture is OBSESSED with the idea that rationality is separate from feelings and emotions, but not crying at a funeral doesn't mean you're better than those who do. Emotions are the basis of human ethics and morals, they define the way we interact as a collective and ignoring them does not mean they are not there. Theres no winner to a contest of who can feel the less. And the way Jason's emotions are treated (pre-rh, hes definitely unhinged afterwards lol) is so in line with how white culture tends to punish those who aren't ashamed to feel.

I TOTES UNDERSTAND that some ppl who headcanon Jason as latino are doing it for the complete opposite of reasons, like "oh here some angry emotional guy with druggie parents, haha must be latino". Its weird. I dont like it. And its only brought up so he can swear in spanish in some rlly bad text post where his emotions are getting out. But to me there's so much potential for metanarrative and commentary on how latinos are treated in media that can be exemplified through the way his character is treated. Being latino would add SO MUCH DEPTH to his character and his dynamic with the others.

[sl-walker]

I drive around my Ohio town and see queer flags in windows and on porches and on the bumper stickers of cars. That never, ever happened even ten years ago.

Theodore Parker (minister and abolitionist) originally said:

I do not pretend to understand the moral universe. The arc is a long one. My eye reaches but little ways. I cannot calculate the curve and complete the figure by experience of sight. I can divine it by conscience. And from what I see I am sure it bends toward justice.

Martin Luther King, Jr. was quoting him when he said, during the march from Selma:

How long? Not long because the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice. How long? Not long.

I've thought about those words a lot the past couple of days. I still believe in them, too. This time, the multifactoral issues of low-information voters meeting high prices and inequality and (yes) racism and misogyny. But in 2022, we won. In 2020, we won. In 2018, we won. And even now, in 2024, Missouri now allows abortion. And Florida came very close to beating the overwhelming deck stacked against them.

We have a real responsibility to fight for these things. For each other. For the common good. That arc can't be completed without us working and striving and loving each other, fiercely and unapologetically. But these things can and do happen. Less than a decade ago, I couldn't marry my wife. Now, we've been married for most of that decade. Our candidate was a Black woman. We're not finished fighting, obviously, but there's proof everywhere that we've already been winning, too.

Has anything actually gotten better, for all the work you talk about doing? Or is it just treading water in misery forever?

Anon, ten years ago gay people couldn't get married in large parts of the US. AIDS was an almost certain death sentence when I was in high school. I was looking at job boards the other day and found a part time gas station job that had health insurance as a benefit, which NEVER would have happened 15 years ago. When I was a kid, hitting your child was extremely normalized in the US and my parents were the weird ones for not doing it. There is a vaccine for chicken pox. I didn't meet anyone who had transitioned until my 20s because it was so uncommon to transition in the aughts, and now there are some states that protect your right to have gender affirming care provided by your health insurance. It's not all states, but it's better than the number of states that had it in 2010, which was zero. THERE ARE TENANTS UNIONS NOW. WE HAVE A VACCINE AGAINST CERVICAL CANCER.

And all of that has been the work of a lot of individuals and organizations and research teams and activists.

[monophobix]

INITIAL THOUGHTS ON ARCANE SEASON 2 ACT 1 (EPISODES 1-3)

(i’m not good at putting my thoughts into words so feel free to give your own opinions, i rlly wanna hear them)

SPOILERS AHEAD///

ok so my biggest critique is the pacing. everything is very quick very fast and a lot is going on. i understand that this is immediately after a large event which of course caused a reaction however it was just very intense and a lot to keep up with especially considering the amount of new and confusing things introduced throughout the three episodes with minimal slow down. it was alittle difficult to keep up. the timeline of the show is confusing and i have no idea how long it has been between scenes. viktor was barely in that weird healing chamber for a few scenes before he was emerging as someone new. caitlyn and vi were going from loving to fighting to understanding to fighting again very quickly with little time to develop independently, their kiss and divorce weren’t even 30 minutes apart from each other. also, who the fuck is this kid hanging around with jinx?? why is she following her, why doesn’t she talk, what’s her name, how long has she been with her?? this lack of time to let things develop has caused these episodes to feel rushed.

with this introduction of many new things some have left me with a lot of questions. my biggest issue revolves around the arcane. i literally do not recall it being mentioned or being an important topic in s1 but all of a sudden jayce knows a fuck ton about it as well as heimerdinger? when did he learn this? i assume it’s from viktors notes and research but that still fails to cover the amount of knowledge jayce now possesses.

HOWEVER THE ARCANE IS VERY COOL AND IM VERY VERY INVESTED. i absolutely love the changes to viktor, his weird apathy and changes are definitely rushed but so interesting to see, his design and behaviour are so very compelling and im very excited to see the development. additionally, this group dynamic between jayce, ekko and heimerdinger is soooooo fun. it offers a break from the intensity with some silliness i think is desperately needed, plus it’s super satisfying to see the trio bounce off each other. that final scene of them in ep3 was visually incredible and i loved seeing the effects upon the hextech weapons during the jinx, sevika vs vi, caitlyn fight. the scene of viktor amongst the shimmer infected was very interesting and it was so cool to truly see the severe effects of shimmer and the inhumanity of viktor is making a clear route towards his glorious evolution which is am keen to watch.

that ambessa reveal at the end was INCREDIBLE. i genuinely didn’t see it coming and it made my jaw DROP. the quiet, smart suspicion from mel is always incredible to see, her political mind and morals conflicting is so very engaging and she’s really developing into herself in these episodes which was a joy to witness. the mystery of her brother is compelling and links well through s1 and s2 to make the storyline fun to follow. i also simply must compliment the designs revolving around the noxians and animal-esque (sorry idk what they’re called) people. the absolute variety and inspiration from real life cultures is beautiful to see. i am incredibly confused about the magic and that one lady (amara?) but i assume that’ll be answered in later episodes.

jinx is not looking good lmao. i love her design being so corpse-like and deathly, it really fits well and really embraces the differences between powder and jinx. but i do wish we saw more of her. i see her actions but i lack understanding for some of them, primarily revolving around the child (isha?) and why the kids even there but the newfound bond between sevika and jinx is refreshing to see. the scene of them in silcos old office brought a smile to my face and the design of that fucking arm is soooo cool i love the clownish purely jinx vibe to it.

caitlyn is probably the stand out character so far (plus maybe viktor). her absolute grief and seeing her facade break down throughout the episodes was heartbreaking, the tentative yet conflicting moments of softness with vi were beautiful yet had that perfect undercurrent of tragedy that arcane masters so well. her rage and break up with vi was easy to see coming yet so incredibly jarring to watch, that harsh and merciless behaviour is so different from s1, the development is well done and a morbid pleasure to see. and that final episode. oh my. the shock to acceptance of darkness was fantastic, ambessa truly is a master at manipulating weakness in even the strongest of people and seeing this duo is going to be so soul crushing that i’m itching for more.

vi felt very rushed to me and alittle dry? idk why tho i can’t really explain it. i understand her choices but it felt like something was missing until that final scene with cait. that was an absolute masterpiece. seeing her realising that the horrors of war is corrupting everyone around her and pleading for it to please not happen is so so SO fucking sad and my heart was breaking. i loved seeing her moral strength and solidity to her values which has always been a key part of her character so i appreciate the consistency. idk why something about her was just… different.

the opening scene was incredible. the absolute horror of it was so clear and i was literally shaking the entire time. 10/10 opening.

overall, i hope things slow down alittle but i greatly enjoyed season 2 and im very excited to see the characters develop and to see even more of this beautiful world.

[shadowmaat]

BoTh SiDeS

I think part of the problem I'm having is that I can't understand the antivoter mindset. Why is Palestine the ONLY issue that matters? Yes, genocide is bad, and yes, Palestinians have a right to live in peace, but so does everyone else.

There are other genocides taking place, too. There are devastating natural disasters around the world. There are outbreaks of disease. People starving. People being oppressed and killed. People here in the US are dying, too. From poverty. From police brutality. From food-borne illnesses brought about by lax regulations. Life here is so expensive that it's near-impossible for "average" people to live in any kind of comfort, and forget health care. Or housing. Education is a shambles and budgets keep getting cut back. The farmlands need help. Everyone needs help.

But the only issue that matters is Palestine. And since both candidates "support" Israel, then it's impossible for a morally pure and just person to vote for either of them. Because genocide. There's no "lesser evil" because both sides are equally bad.

Even if you accept that blatant fallacy, why is that the only thing that matters? Why doesn't it matter who is going to do more to protect Black people? Or queers? Why don't immigrant lives matter? Or education? Cost of living? I could go on and on, but apparently all of that is irrelevant because of Palestine.

And it doesn't matter that a lot of Palestinians didn't want Trump in charge. It doesn't matter that a lot of them don't care either way. All that matters is that the self-righteous left-left-leftists can feel better about their choices. Because genocide. But only Palestinian genocide. Those other ones are bad, too, but they aren't as important as Palestine. Because Palestine. In a conflict that has been going on for decades, this is the sole thing that matters. Let the whole world burn as long as people out there know that a bunch of left-left-leftists didn't vote for genocide supporters.

They just keep parroting the same line. And the more I hear it, the less I believe it. Because it obviously isn't just about Palestine. Or genocide in general. And I think they got the outcome they desperately wanted. Without having to sully their purity by voting.

Except, y'know, none of them are morally pure. Or good. Or just. And the rest of us know it.

[ghostingghosty]

I fear that the anger and disappointment of the left and in US-liberal spaces might create divisions and promote infighting; something which will counteract any momentum that have been growing in progressive spaces the last couple of years (the counter momentum to the rise of facism from the right).

The resentment towards the outcome and those who did not vote for Harris, either in demonstration or out of indifference, should not be carried over to Palestinians or their cause. I understand it's a time for self-reflection and reconsideration of political priorities, but comments like 'I am going to Starbucks RN' or 'good thing I never stopped eating McD lol' are so disheartening to hear. Your support for Palestinians should not be conditional – your morals should not falter because some people chose not to vote. Genocide is genocide; it did not change just because Trump won, and your support shouldn't either. If every single Palestinian signed a letter saying that they despised me, I would still fight for their right to live, cause human rights aren't debatable or conditional.

That said, I have also seen a lot of leftists who did not vote for Harris call the people who are sharing their frustrations with the election Zionists and genocide supporters, which is equally as disgusting. You are not morally better for not voting; you just made a different decision. Voting for Kamala does not make you a Zionist or a supporter of genocide, just like abstaining from voting because of morals didn't cause Trump to win. I also feel like these labels have been especially targeted against black people when sharing their frustrations with non-voters; a group that has historically been, and are, anti-war.

Emotions are high. Don't let the current political state discourage your kindness.

I believe that most of these reactions are coming from a place of hopelessness where we are seeking a scapegoat for the election results (and what that means for the state of the nation) and sharing ones frustration with a genocide that seems impossible to make politicians care about. Infighting is not the call, and it is important to let the Democratic Party know that turning to the right was the WRONG decision, otherwise they will do it again in four years. The Party was the main reason for their loss, as their campaign was tilted to center-right leaning republican middle and upper middle class women, instead of focusing on popular policies, such as free healthcare, and their own leftist base. It was a single-issue campaign on abortion, with an adoption of the right's racist immigration propaganda AND EVEN BEING FRIENDLY TOWARDS THEM to the point of promising republicans a seat in her government??? The campaign was a failure, and it is important to make them recognise their own incompetence and show them that boot-licking the right is bad politics.

PLEASE do not stop fighting for righteousness, even when everything seems hopeless – vote in the smaller elections and be informed on legislators and legislations in your states! Hold your representatives accountable!

[hetrosjistin]

I'd point out that part of the issue, in my experience, has been that the left is so used to being sea lioned that we've gotten to the point where a large body of our side of things is no longer able, or perhaps more accurately, willing, to distinguish between someone genuinely ignorant and asking questions without even the basic understanding of what's going on and coming across as rude and confrontational because they do not have the necessary syntax to engage in any way except the language and syntax they have been exposed to by upbringing, and jackasses who are sea-lioning specifically to sap your emotional energy and troll you.

I'm not saying we all gotta be educational.

But I do think we need to start taking turns giving first and second responses to folks asking apparently dumbass questions in an earnest and accepting manner on the off chance that even if THAT guy doesn't get it, someone else reading the comments and lurking in thread -will-.

And the rest of the time not engaging at all, just move on, don't attack them unless they say something -patently- bigotted.

The legitimate problem with a lot of dog whistles is that they've deliberately chosen ones that SOUND normal.

They aren't just using them to signal to their own side, they have been and will continue to use them to set us off and make us look like rabid lunatics to the folks who are genuinely ignorant of what's going on.

edit: I'm also not saying we need to go out of our way and explain -basic points of morality- like say, consent. Anybody who is going around parotting 'her body my choice' is almost certainly too far gone to be worth engaging with. I'm talking about folks who legitimately don't get how privledge works, or the obstacles lgbtq+ or bipoc folks face. Or who defend capitalist structures not understanding how they are oppressive.

the idea that reactionary spaces are attractive to men because they treat them kindly unlike The Left is so odd because whenever I come across that content it's essentially the same dynamic as pro ana "meanspo". if you don't know what that is, it's "motivation" based on degrading the viewer to the point where they can't "make excuses" and not become anorexic, or in this case a true Alpha Male. I feel like thisis objectively worse for someone's mental health than The Left

[sixisnotaprettynumber]

This might be a controversial opinion but I think the possession scenes in s2 were not only necessary for Ben’s character but also the characterizations of the Hargreeves’ siblings in general, if only because it re-establishes two of the main issues that they struggle with due to the abuse they suffered as children - being unable to comprehend autonomy and struggling with gaining (and lacking) control.

From the beginning of s1 it’s shown that despite the majority of the siblings’ strained relationship with Reginald, they all still play the parts he assigned to them well into adulthood - Luther is the ever-loyal golden child, Diego is competitive and rebellious but is still playing hero through his vigilante work, Allison has completely leaned into the fame that her powers and the Academy got her, Klaus is the failure that never managed to reach his true potential and Viktor is still ordinary. And when Reginald (while unbeknownst to the siblings) creates a plan for them all to return home and band together, they ultimately end up following through.

We don’t get to really see this with Ben though. Sure, he gets onto Klaus about his addiction - but that’s not a control thing, that’s just because he loves his siblings’ and wants his brother to be safe and healthy, right?

And to an extent the answer is yes. Obviously he loves Klaus. Obviously he wants the best for him. But I think that it’s telling that Ben’s method of trying to get Klaus sober relies on prioritizing other people - specifically himself. In fact, his main argument for Klaus getting sober is because his addiction makes Ben feel like he has no input or control.

And while it comes across as being self-centered, it (in my opinion) shows that the siblings’ genuinely view having some sort of control/input to be important - and they equally expect the others’ to understand why they are upset when they don’t have it.

This leads directly into the possession issue in s2. Ben - who’s been dead for seventeen years, whose Dad methodically stripped away his and his siblings autonomy as children, whose sister literally has the power to make people do whatever they want, whose body acts as a host/portal for a horrifically violent eldritch being - sees an opportunity for control. And he takes it! Because obviously. Who wouldn’t?

While we the audience know that behavior is wrong and invasive - the Hargreeves’ don’t. Their idea of privacy and free will - and honestly just ethics in general - is super screwed up. Even Diego - whose strong moral compass is one of the biggest aspects of his character - doesn’t view Ben possessing Klaus as wrong. To him, it’s a joke at best and irritating to Klaus at worse. It’s a part of a bigger pattern seen with the siblings throughout the show.

Losing autonomy is just normal to them. It doesn’t even cross their minds that they’re being cruel to one another - this is especially true when it comes to Ben and Klaus’s relationship! They aren’t trying to hurt each other in s2 (for the most part), they’re trying to annoy one another - they just grew up in an environment where they never learned where the line was.

Now, I’m just going to end this here because otherwise I’d just keep rambling on about how this relates to the lack of boundaries between the siblings (specifically Klaus and Ben) in general or how it reflects Ben’s view of the horror or a million other different things. Thanks for reading if you’ve made it this far - but I don’t blame anyone who didn’t.

[twobellsilence]

Okay, so I finally have time to write down my feelings about Mouthwashing. Especifically, Captain Curly. This gets a little personal at the end - hid it below a cut for those who don't want to see it.

The beauty of Curly's character is that he's probably the most morally gray out of the whole crew despite his intentions being objectively good; his actions come from a genuine desire to do good by all of his crew members, but this does NOT mean said actions are correct. This distinction between intentions and actions is crucial when trying to understand his character. For instance, he believed Anya and genuinely cared about her, but he also cared about Jimmy as his friend, and so he chose to "be good" to both of them, even though being good to Jimmy inherently meant making Anya unsafe - good intentions (be a good captain and friend to both), bad action (not treating what happened with enough severity and being soft with Jimmy because of his biases). Many people seem to either think Curly was simply oblivious to everything, and others even go as far as to say he was actively malicious with his enabling. But I don't think either of these are quite right, and it's because, in my eyes, this man is the living incarnation of "The path to hell is paved with good intentions".

Captain Curly is a people pleaser. He wants to keep the peace, play devil's advocate, everything to keep all members of the crew feeling well with themselves and each other, and he believes his team is as genuine and honest as him. This trust, this inclination to think that things can be solved with compassion, is what earned him his good reputation and the respect of his crew, which persisted even after they believed he'd deliberately tried to kill them. But it is this same desire to do things from a place of true care and act as a mediator that caused him to break protocol with the higher ups' message, fail Anya, and ultimately doom everyone. I don't think he was oblivious to Jimmy's flaws, but rather, like he implied in the pixel scene, he saw only "the bigger picture" and gave Jim the benefit of the doubt because he saw his perceived qualities over his issues despite knowing they were there. Of course, this perception was undeniably distorted because of his and Jimmy's close relationship, which meant he extended an inappropriate amount of trust to Jimmy despite his actions and past because he genuinely, wholeheartedly thought Jim was just misunderstood and what he did was a mistake. Jimmy played Curly like a fiddle by taking advantage of his belief that Jim was as honest as he and the rest of the crew were.

Of course, there is a lot to be said about the fact that Curly put his perception of Jim over Anya - Curly is undeniably an enabler, if a naïve one, and is at fault for the bad decisions he took about the matter regardless of his mental state at the time. He is NOT all innocent, not by a long shot. But at his core, all he wanted was to help everyone and work things out. Because he's *Captain* Curly, and he ALWAYS made it work, and in his sleep-deprived, slightly unwell head, Jimmy's interests and Anya's need for protection clashing didn't mean that Jimmy was an actively dangerous person that needed to be stopped, but rather that he was just not trying hard enough to make things better. This was exacerbated when Jimmy pointed out everything would fall on him as the captain, and he froze, because he knew Jim was right. It would fall on him, and it'd be just, because he failed to stop it. He completely failed Anya, not only as a friend, but more importantly, as a captain, and suddenly his fears of not doing enough came true.

And this is where it gets really personal for me, because I see a lot of myself in Curly. I, too, have trouble examining people's flaws. I let my biases cloud my judgement of others from time to time and allow them to manipulate me because I hoped they'd have good intentions like I did for them. I am also a mediator, a peacekeeper, a people pleaser. And I have also been an enabler. Not of things as horrible, of course - not even close - but an enabler nonetheless. And like Curly, I too have had to watch helplessly as my tendency to give everyone the benefit of the doubt damaged me, and at times even the people around me, because I kept on hoping things would work out if I kept everything "going smoothly" but they never did. The way this game makes Curly go from unable to see the dead pixel to being forced to stare at it, unblinkingly, as it eventually blows the whole screen - something HE could have prevented if he had listened to the one person who was all too aware of it being there - makes me very uncomfortable, because I've been there, and it makes me feel bare in a way no other game has done before. The situations I've been in are the size of a grain of sand when compared to the tragedy that happened in the Tulpar, obviously, but seeing such a parallel in Curly has left me shaken and invited deep introspection regardless. You can't fix everything. You can't always play both sides. Not everyone has the will to change and be better. And you must take action before said action is taken for you. All things this god forsaken game has made me think very long and hard about by showing me a man whose fatal flaws, almost the same as mine, made him lose everything and more.

[buddies4life]

People who are upset that Oliver said he wants Buck to fuck… your feelings are valid and I understand how it could be seen as playing into negative bi stereotypes. However, and I’m only saying this because I am also bi, bi people are allowed to enjoy sex. It happens a lot actually. Oliver knows Buck better than anyone. He knows he has a relationship with sex that is not always healthy, but he also knows that Buck enjoys sex and would most likely want to try some things out after embracing his sexuality.

I know this might be hard for some of you to understand, but adults have casual sex all the time, and it doesn’t ruin them and it doesn’t make them weak. I don’t, but to each their own. Don’t act like you know this character better than the man who literally becomes him almost daily. Also Tim is his friend. So he was more ‘vulgar’ in the way he texted it because that’s his friend. I say way worse shit to my friends than “let bisexuals fuck.”

I have a feeling most of you do too.

All this to say: LEAVE OLIVER ALONE! He already explained himself which he didn’t have to do AND he apologized for hurting anyone which he also didn’t have to do.

Just because some of you are sad that the story has not gone the way you hoped, does not mean it is acceptable to question a human beings morals who has done nothing but try to be respectful to us as a community. Let it go. He learned that he hurt people and apologized immediately. He’s not trying to destroy us. He’s trying to portray the character that he has played for 8 years, realistically in a way that makes sense. Let the man live and for God sakes leave him alone! I can’t imagine what it would be like if I left work and everyone started shitting on me for the shit I said during the day. I’d quit.

Once again, I think a lot of this would not be an issue if people actually watched the show from the beginning. Buck likes sex and it makes sense that he would want to have sex. Sex is not the devil you think it is.

[haleighza]

i, like, understand this sentiment, we’re all upset rn, but blaming 15 million people who: 1) may have died from covid, 2) may have experienced voter suppression 3) may have chosen not to vote because they live in a deeply red/blue state and decided it wasn’t worth compromising their morality for a vote that wouldn’t count for anything anyways, etc is just not the take you think it is.

notice how all of those reasons would make the majority of that 15 million some kind of minority? 15 million minorities fronting the blame for something 70+ million white supremacists did?

i’m tired of hearing this take every election. people voted third party and abstained from voting in 2020 too, and biden won. how long do you think the dnc can walk up to suffering communities every four years and say “we still don’t give a fuck about you, but if you don’t vote for me and give me power, the other guy will kill you faster than i will let you die with my negligence” before we blame the dnc and the people voting for the other guy? or are we just always going to blame the smallest percentage of voters for what the majority did?

i voted for kamala because i live in a swing state and i thought it was the best option to be made in my circumstance, but that doesn’t discredit the fact that she was extremly harsh on immigration, bragged about owning a gun, refused to codify trans healthcare and stated she would continue to fund israel. all of those issues are things that get minorities killed every single day. how is that the best offered to us, and i’m reading thinkpiece after thinkpiece about “fuck you people who decided they didn’t like the system actively killing them one way or another”?

like damn.

Just so people know, in 2020 Trump got 74 million votes. He currently has 72 million. Biden got 81 million in 2020, Kamala has 67 million. There were not more people who voted for Trump, he didn’t have a crazy turn out this year. 15 million people who voted in 2020 didn’t vote this year. 15 million people abstained from voting. This, everything that happens next, is their fault.

[bloodypeachblog]

See? Told ya.

@omniuravity @fatgumsurpremacy-remastered @neonvehk @moths-and-mantids

Audio taken from:

and

[moeblob]

A lil guy !

[pepperpixel]

SAID HE LIKES CRAZY GIRLS,

BUT HE HATES WHEN I ACT CRAZY,

IT TAKES TWO TO TOXIC!

FINALLY!!! Finished these pics of jinx I’ve been working on!!!!! HOLY SHIT, these took so long…. But finally… they’re done… pls enjoy this art of my beautiful princess w a disorder. Featuring alternate colors for the big pic and also a closeup! Cuz I rlly like how both the lines and coloring on her face turned out… like the pink gradients w her eye… her deer in headlights expression,, like uve just startled a raccoon digging thru ur trashcan and r two seconds away from getting mauled.. m proud of it!

[anyroads]

One of my oldest and best friends, an educated man who's spent his entire career working for humanitarian NGOs, considered not voting this election because he hated both candidates so much. This man understands politics thoroughly and still resented having to vote for Harris to keep Trump out of office so much he almost didn't do it. I'm not a big fan of hers, just like I'm not a fan of any politician - they're public servants, not celebrities, and politicians tend to be manipulative and ambitious in ways that I can only hope will mostly serve the public good. But my friend hates Harris. Indefinably. Unjustifiably. In a way I've never seen him hate a politician. This was the first election where he didn't vote for any down ballot candidates or issues.

My immediate thought was, what brainrot got to him? What propaganda convinced him that it was moral not to vote as they preyed on his activism burnout? Because this is what happens when you don't take care of yourself. The work is not sustainable if you aren't keeping track of your needs and taking time to meet them. And when you burn out, that's when bad actors can take advantage of how desperately you want someone to tell you it's ok to sit down and stop the work, that it's somehow just as moral for you to stop fighting as it has been for you to do it for all this time. We've spent this whole election talking about interference but I think it'll be months before we learn how they did it this time.

Idk guys, maybe people are blaming leftists who refused to vote because of genocide because I literally saw them holding political rallies last weekend in a swing state telling people not to vote

Like it wasn't just tumblr leftists saying not to vote for Kamala, or at all, because of Palestine. Those were real people I walked past last Saturday in Pennsylvania, a key swing state. They had megaphones in front of Philadelphia city hall and a sizeable crowd. I feel like we can, in fact, say they are partly culpable here.