#if you disagree with any of these decisions. No you don't and also you're wrong.
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now that Letter Hour on lakesbian dot tumblr dot com has concluded it’s time 2 present my own alec song choices. gotta show my own ass on song choices if i’m gonna issue decrees abt the validity of other ppls choices
how to be a heartbreaker - marina & the diamonds
i don’t give a shit. i love being on the nose. his entire Deal And Problem is being groomed to be like his dad, heartbreaker. being taught. How To Be A Heartbreaker, Even! i think i’m funny. you can’t tell me that the lyrics to this aren’t objectively accurate to how the heartbroken operated re kidnapping people. also, m&td sounds how alec’s gay little cape costume looks.
alligator blood - nicole dollanganger
I'm a sucker for the love of the flesh All things rancid and delicate But the smell in the summer heat It still gets to me Knee-deep in the poacher's dream He dragged that thing out back and he Hung it upside down, slit its belly open And let it bleed out And he held my head and made me watch He filled my mouth up with its blood and said "Grow up weak or grow up tough"
enough said. bonus points for the mention of the summer heat + the shitty childhood memory alec recalls in his interlude specifically involving not speaking for an entire hot summer (and fall...and winter...) + the emotional abuse being described as the emotional equivalent to staring into the sun for too long. grow up weak or grow up tough!!
cigarettes & chocolate milk - rufus wainwright
this whole thing fits pretty damn well--verses 1 thru 3 with the ‘and then there’s those other things. which for several reasons we won’t mention.’ is such A Sentence you can say about alec--but the real highlight is
Playing with prodigal sons Takes a lot of sentimental Valiums Can't expect the world to be your Raggedy Andy While running on empty, you little old doll with a frown
easily one of the Most Regent Sentences Ever. can’t expect the world to be your doll/playtoy while you’re running on empty, you little old doll with a frown ♥
i cut myself - talkshow boy
this one is a bit more of an abstracted choice. it’s very Alec how it self-reports shitty mental health in a very casual, almost bored way--jumping between describing Problems w/ chaotic background sound and then going back to a very monotone closing word that makes the entire thing sound alarmingly blasé.
there Is an entire animatic for this in my head, and my life would be great if i knew how to animate in mspaint. just go listen to it and rotate alec in your brain, if you don’t catch the vibe you’re doing it wrong.
note that interpreting “i touch myself,” “and everywhere i look i always find myself aside myself,” “i think i’m all together but i tear myself apart,” and “you fuck yourself way too hard,” in the most literal, body-snatching power-having way possible, is crucial for properly understanding the Vision.
(talkshow boy cover of hurt is on the playlist for similar reasons)
#worm#there are Certainly a lot more songs i could list off but unfortunately this post is already long as shit due to#i am so bad at brevity#if you disagree with any of these decisions. No you don't and also you're wrong.
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Why They Fall/Favourite Feature
2012 Turtles x Reader
Leonardo
You respect his decisions without being aggressively defiant to his orders. That isn't to say you're a pushover, however. In fact, you still openly challenge his word when there's something you disagree with. It's just the way you speak out of such gentle consideration when you calmly explain that you see the point of a plan but you think it would work better a different way. You have also never once berated him when he has gotten something wrong and instead talk him out of his funk delicately.
In turn, he loves how sweet your voice is, drawn in by the way your lips move thoughtfully with your words.
Raphael
Fighting. He's attracted to strength but not just physical strength - it's the true grit you showcase in the face of danger, the passion you're unafraid to expel when he and his family are amidst peril. Even just witnessing you stand up for what you believe in is a sight to behold and he relishes in the opportunity to be at your side when it happens. You do the same when he goes full-gear into something as well and that means a lot to him.
He loves your eyes. He gets so elated when you're in the zone and how they flare with this badass flame settling in them.
Donatello
Your thirst for knowledge. You've always been inquisitive and fascinated by "what's" and "why's" and he's always happy to answer any query. It's a breath of fresh air knowing he doesn't have to rush past the techno-babble around you. Even if half of it isn't cohesive, you'll ask the appropriate questions to expand your understanding. He gets this rush from knowing that you learn so much from him.
With this in mind, he loves how your fingers fidget over themselves whilst you put all the pieces of information together in your head. Quite frankly, it's adorable.
Michelangelo
You listen to him where he feels his brothers don't. It doesn't matter what's coming out of his mouth, he has your undivided attention. In fact, you always appear ecstatic spending time with him like such and that's the kind of appraisal this sweet guy needs and deserves. He doesn't even have to seek you out. As soon as you enter the lair, he's the first person you go in search of and that makes his heart go all kinds of thump.
He loves the way your body reacts when you eat something you really enjoy. The little tap your feet make and how your nose scrunches up with your cheeks are levels of cuteness that could put ice cream kitty to shame.
#tmnt#teenage mutant ninja turtles#leonardo#raphael#donatello#michelangelo#tmnt x reader#headcanon#tmnt 2012#x reader
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I find the writing of 806 absolutely wildly awful. First, we have a date that is completely antithetical to what we've been shown a week before; we had an established couple who takes care of each other like it's the most natural thing in the world and evidently spends a lot of time together, we have Tommy 100% integrated in Buck's everyday life both on their own and with the 118 (the hospital scene, the birthday party for Chris) and all of a sudden we get Buck bumbling over a hot girl who doesn't say he's on a date (100% OOC) and who doesn't even know Tommy's gay and not bi. Second idiotic idea, Buck's answering yes to Josh's questions which are evidently things you would only say yes to if you loved someone (you don't put someone's happiness above yours if you're casually dating) and then randomly regurgitating that awkward speech instead of a very simple ' I love you' which he's had no trouble using before with other people. It just DOES NOT MAKE SENSE.
i feel like when y’all send me these messages, you’re expecting the long-winded responses at this point (at least I hope so 😂😂). EIther way, you’re about to get one lolololol.
I won’t disagree with you on the writing entirely. I don’t hate it as much as others do, mostly because I feel like I ~kindof understand what they were going for, but it wasn’t perfect by any measure. It left a lot to be desired, and I think what they were doing could’ve been achieved more effectively in other ways.
I also don’t think you’re wrong about how it feels antithetical, especially when we have Buck suggesting to Eddie in 705 that Tommy is gay, and we’re supposed to believe these two are spending all their spare time together, but are apparently not having real conversations during all that time. To that end, I can’t solve that issue for the writers. However, there are parts of your argument that I have counters to.
For one thing, I don’t think we can knock the fact that even being in a committed relationship doesn’t stop the best of us from stumbling over ourselves when we see someone we’re attracted to. People get so upset about how Buck acts in this scene that they fail to appreciate the major points that I actually enjoy about it: Buck yes, looks, (and is obvious about it), but he apologizes to his boyfriend about it in a way that makes it clear that he’s not outwardly interested in the women. Tommy also tells him that it’s okay (and we know that there’s a deleted line from this scene where he mentions finding one of the waiters good looking). To that end, we get the distinction that while these two don’t have an interest in stepping out on each other, they’re not blind.
People also get upset about the lack of Buck’s distinction that he’s on a date. And while there are a million different reasons to complain about it (or explain it away), I’m gonna go with the obvious answer of, he doesn’t owe some random woman in an italian eatery his personal life situation, especially in a place where he may not feel ready to express exactly how he defines himself. There’s a massive difference between accepting things about yourself and actually dignifying it out loud, and the fandom has been so quick to assume one requires the other. Buck knows he’s bisexual; he even knows his feelings for Tommy are deep. That doesn’t necessarily have to mean he’s put a label on who he is. Just speaking from personal experience on reaching a point where I’m comfortably labeling myself as queer,… I even struggle with that. Because people throw around all of these terms (bi, queer, pan, etc.), and it creates this pressure to say exactly what you are, which I don’t think is fair to real people, let alone a fictional character. Some might say his decision to not dignify it verbally suggests fear to, but I don’t think that’s the issue.
Further, I think the issue of “he doesn’t know Tommy’s gay”… I don’t think that’s the intention with the question. When watching it back, first of all, you have to remember from a writing standpoint, they have to have an entry for how Tommy and Abby were (previously) inclined. Moreover, asking Tommy if he’s ever been with a woman is not the same as asking him if he’s gay. Those are two entirely different questions. I can literally cite from a book to you that I own (Guilded Razors by Sam Lansky) which directly discusses being involved with women even though he knew he was gay. Evan first says that he notices Tommy didn’t look at the women when he did. I imagine that trying to figure out how fluid he is in his own mindset towards both sexes makes it confusing to understand someone who is strictly straight or gay. I can’t conceptualize of it and I’ve known personally that I liked both since I was in middle school. So I don’t think it’s ridiculous for him to ask his boyfriend (who he later will distinguish as someone he’s extremely comfortable with, and would be comfortable asking those kinds of questions to) about his attraction (or lack thereof) to women. I also think it has more to do with the follow-up question (“have you ever been with a woman”). Sometimes we ask questions that we already have the answer to just so we can get to the follow-up. When you intersect that with the “How do we bring Abby in to the conversation” of it all, it makes sense.
Second, I totally agree that Evan answering those questions points to him being in love with Tommy. When I wrote up my psychology breakdown of the break-up, I referenced two things which tell us they’re in love with one another.
-The entire “we don’t have to go that far” exchange with Josh. I think there’s a lot to be said about the fact that with Evan still figuring himself out, maybe it’s hard for him to dignify being in love with Tommy verbally. I also think that when you’re an adult and you get into serious relationships like this, there’s a period of time where you’re in love with them but you haven’t put a label on it.
-“If I were move in with you, you won’t mean to, you wouldn’t plan for it, but you’d end up breaking my heart. And I don’t think that I could deal with that.” THIS ENTIRE FUCKING LINE MY GOD. (Just rip my heart out LFJr.)
However, I think your argument about the fact that he skips over the “I love you” and straight to “move in with me” negates some serious engagement with the source material. First of all, we have an acknowledgment that Tommy’s clearly responding from a place of trauma. He’s responding from a place of “I love you more and then lose you; better to lose you here and now by my own hand”. From Buck’s side, we’ve seen him struggle with being in love. He was in love with Abby and never got to tell her, and then was strung along for months until he finally ended things in a letter to her. He was left by Ali when she couldn’t deal with his “lifestyle” (job). Love may not have entered the equation there, but he was clearly serious about her. Taylor was messy for him, but he clearly felt deeply for her, and even that blew up in his face. There are competing schools of thought on whether he truly loved her or not, but at the end of the day, that relationship fell apart due to issues with trust. Natalia wasn’t around long enough for him to dignify anything towards her.
And then there’s the mess with his parents. We’ve never had this acknowledged, but I struggle to believe that Evan grew up in a house where “I love you” was actually said out loud very much (if at all). Based on how absent we know Phillip and Margaret were (and are to some degree still), I feel like they probably lived by the attitude of “we may not have always said it, but we always felt it”….which isn’t really good enough as a parent. Your kids need to hear you say it, and they need to know it’s okay to say it back. When you don’t have that foundation, it’s hard to put those feelings into words towards others, even if you do feel it, because they might burn you. Evan has been burned, and even though we don’t know a lot of his backstory, we know Tommy has too. So while you argue that he’s used those three words towards others in the past, I counter with, did it feel this real? Did stand to lose as much? Because I don’t really view the relationship as Tommy being more in it than Evan is. I think we’re kind-of getting that “grew up in the same house but turned out different” trope. We see Tommy as someone who wants to take care of the person he loves because he hasn’t had that before, while Buck fumbles his way through wondering if it’s okay to do those things because no one has really shown him how. There’s also been commentary on the fact that he asked Tommy to move in instead of saying “I love you” because this entire relationship has been grand gestures. I think there’s something dignifying in that choice. He’s telling Tommy he sees a future with him. He talks about things like marriage, but from Tommy’s end it reads as out of left field from someone who’s still figuring out who they are in their sexuality. I think (after watching the scene back), that Evan doesn’t necessarily feel that way about himself, but the same way he railroads Tommy with the starry-eyed future, Tommy kind-of does the same thing back to him with the breakup. It’s very…. “I pushed you five steps in the wrong direction and now you’re pushing me ten steps back” (for lack of a better metaphor). And I know people argue about the fact that this entire relationship has been so key with communication from day one, but those forms of communication have never required the two of them to get down into their traumas with one another. It’s really fucking easy to have day-to-day conversations with people that stay on the surface and just keep powering through. Go back to 710 and notice how we don’t go deep into the daddy issues. They both touch on them, and then Evan changes the subject and Tommy goes with him on it. I don’t think it’s unreasonable at six months in to not have done a deep dive on major trauma. You can skate around it if it’s not something you’re ready to talk about. It’s one of my reasons for why these two will ultimately be back together in 8b, because at some point you have to flesh out the unfinished business of it all (ala Wyatt and Judd when Judd’s leg was broken). Now, I don’t know if that happens the involvement of a serial killer, or a truck/jeep/helicopter accident, or trapped in a burning building… I just know that at some point, it has to come to fruition. TM enjoys these kinds of standoffs too much to not have a plan for these two to end up in one.
That all said, I’ve said before, the general audience doesn’t have a psychology degree or years of trauma counseliing under their belt. They’re not going to look at these two and read it the same way I can. TM probably doesn’t even realize the way he’s writing it is very direct into psychological motives 😂
But, just to cover my own skin… I could always be wrong. One of my very favorite people has a completely different theory on how b/t will be handled, and we agree to disagree 😂😂😂. as I’ve said to him “the best part of this entire scenario is that one of us eventually has to be wrong”.
(circling back to your “simple i love you” just one last time as I looked at it again…. it feels siimple to us as an audience. however, verbalizing that shit out loud when you fear rejection and abandonment is an entirely different story. we know they had abandonment on the brain for Buck going into the midseason finale, and this obviously would’ve played right into it. So in what world are you going to expect him to give up “I love you” when he’s about to be broken up with. That would’ve been unnecessarily cruel.)
My last little addition, to circle back to other points I’ve made… there’s a give and take in this relationship that we need (or at least deserve) to see. Personally, I feel like Buck will be the first one to say “I love you”, but my preference would be that Tommy does. It’s the whole issue of stepping beyond the fear for me that makes me feel that way.
By correlation, I feel like Buck has to give up the loft. He asks Tommy to move in, but we’ve had many discussions about the fact that Tommy has a house with a car lift and a muay thai set up. those are not things that would translate well into a loft. Having that trade-off would show a meeting in the middle on things that they both hold close to the vest. Tommy allowing himself to love and be loved would be a major point for him, while Evan giving up the loft would suggest that he’s not just in things for the short-term, because he can also give things up for Tommy. (also, the loft is very bachelor-esque, and these two are not bachelors when they’re with each other so….)
sorry not sorry. you’re welcome for my rambles lol
#mel's musings#bucktommy#tevan#kinley#kinkley#firepilot#firebeast#anon ask#911 discourse#bucktommy discourse#ask me anything#my asks are always open
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goyim who say that "antizionism is not antisemitic", or believes all jews have to be vehemently antizionist, are absolutely antisemitic. I'm talking about the original, true definition of zionism (the jewish right to self determination) and not political/revisionist zionism used by the israeli government. i hate what the israeli government has turned zionism into and even though revisionist zionism is technically a real form of zionism i think it makes a joke out of the other branches bc it throws a lot of core ideals out of the window. zionism is about building a safe place for jews in eretz israel, not trying to conquer as much shit as possible.
if a goy thinks jews have to antizionist then that alienates a huge part of the community. most jews i know are zionists to varying degrees. we believe we have a right to our ancestral homeland, and that we are allowed to connect to the history we have in israel regardless of where we live. I may be wrong about most jews being zionists! I'm sephardic and i interact mostly with other sephardim and some mizrahim. However, most jews are ashkenazim and im not close enough with any of them to know their opinions on zionism or im not aware that they are ashkenazi.
goyim cannot be against a sizable chunk of the jewish population without being antisemitic. it sounds ridiculous to say "i support this group but only if they disagree with that core belief that many of them have!" in order to talk about jewish people from an outside perspective then goys need to learn what defines us.
there's also two main options when a goy believes jews must be antizionist. they either know the true definition of zionism or they have no fucking clue what it actually is (yet still think they do). in the first case, theyre clearly against an important belief of jewish ppl, which as I said before, is antisemitic. in the second one, they are speaking for the jewish community without learning our history, which is also antisemitic. you cannot make decisions for a community you are not part of ESPECIALLY if you dont know shit about them.
it is very, very important that goyim learn about the jews before saying shit about us. expecting us to be against our right to self determination is complete fuckery. believing that we all have to agree on a complex topic is laughable. debate and arguments are a crucial part of our lives, and goyim should not attempt to take that away from us. we can't fuckin agree on what to flavor our rice with sometimes, much less an issue as complex as zionism. even though a lot of jews are zionists we still have our own unique opinions that may differ greatly from other zionists. we also recognize that antizionist jews are valid and they tend to feel the same about us.
zionism is simply our right to self determination and our right to be connected to israel, whether its an emotional connection or we actually live there. i also firmly believe in everyone's right to self determination, including palestine. i don't think that jews are the only ones who deserve that right. all groups that have been displaced or are currently being displaced are allowed to connect to their homeland however they wish. it doesn't matter if the displacement was yesterday or a thousand years ago.
if you're jewish id love to hear your opinion on this. if you're a goy, please sit back and listen. it is not your place to decide how jews should interpret our own history.
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Name: Dubior
Debut: Kirby's Return to Dream Land
Kirby's Return to Dream Land is very realistic, because it accurately depicts the phenomenon that, when you go to space, you will encounter funny robots flying about! What is their purpose? We don't know! There is, however, a sort of controversy or misunderstanding revolving Dubior.
You see, Dubior grants the Spark ability. Because it is a robot that runs on electricity, and uses all sorts of electric attacks! However, many people do not like this, and think it should instead give the UFO ability.
Perhaps I am in the minority here, but I disagree! Dubior may be a flying machine in space, but at least to me, it does not seem all that much like a UFO! It is just a funny robot. The UFOs in this series have all had a very distinct design trend, which Dubior does not follow. Besides...
What is a UFO? An Unidentified Flying Object. Dubior is not unidentified. It's Dubior! It says it right there on its health bar! Objectively, Dubior is not a UFO. It is just a FO. And nobody says FO.
What Dubior HAS always reminded me of is those little handheld vibrating massagers! You know, the ones with a central round part and three or four orbs that vibrate and you rub it on your back? It is a fun thing to be reminded of!
Anyway, Dubior is a mid-boss, and a very special one! As Kirby and friends journey across Popstar, they will encounter various mid-bosses as usual, culminating in a classic Mid-Boss Tower Level in which they are fought one after another, each fight taking place higher in the tower.
This tower is so high that it pierces the atmosphere, and Dubior is fought last, on nearly the top floor! It is no coincidence that the most alien of foes is only on the closest point of this planet to outer space. This foreshadows that it will reappear, and more often, on the distant planet Halcandra! This seems to be where it was created, but for what reason? We don't know!
What we do know is that in Planet Robobot, the Haltmann Works Company uses Dubiors as part of their invasion! I assume they reprogrammed or recreated ones they found on Halcandra, since we know they have been there. It is the only of their returning mid-boss arsenal to not be mechanized, which is amusing. How are you going to mechanize a robot? You're not!
Geez. I can't believe I've said so much about Dubior and I have not even gotten to its wonderful antenna thing! It's clear by now I find Dubior delightful, but to me, the antenna is its best feature. When it first appears and sees Kirby, the three weird floating rectangles seem to freak out, growing and flashing red and white, as if it would be saying INTRUDER ALERT INTRUDER ALERT.
Dubior is also a parent! Happy birthday to Dubior Jr.! I love love looove when things are named like that. This is a machine! You would think it would be named something like Dubior Lite or Dubior Micro, but no! This was Born, and Named, after its proud robot parent. As were its many siblings, because many Dubior Jr.s can be spawned! Mollusc Fans may notice that Dubior Jr. looks quite like a nautilus, with a body like a curved shell, and a brim above its eyes like the leathery "hood" of a nautilus! It is a strange decision, since Dubior's design does not appear to draw from any real creature, but of course I am very happy about it. I'm Mollusc Fans!
Finally, we have Dubior EX, who I do not have much to say about, but am including because it would be wrong not to. This one is pink, and with only one eye, positioned to appear slightly menacing as opposed to regular Dubior's wide-eyed innocence! I prefer regular Dubior, but EX is very cool on its own merits, too.
If after all this you still consider Dubior to be UFO-like, I'm not upset with you.
#dubior#dubior jr#dubior ex#kirby#kirby's return to dream land#kirby enemies#not mario#funky friday#mod chikako
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Listen, please understand that people like me are doing our best to see things from your perspective. You are a cis white male living in a deep-red flyover state. I get that you don't exactly have a lot of motivation to support BIPOC or 2SLGBTQ+ people. But you also need to see that we aren't asking you to support us, but at least you could stop helping people who want us dead?
I think the part that confuses me the most is that this shouldn't even be a hard choice. If you want to broadcast what a hardcore rad-trad right-wing ultra conservative you are… Then OKAY I guess?? You do you. But how exactly does reblogging R-slur filled posts from Bronys like r4cs0 and takashi0 help you do that? I would think that reblogging from people who jerk off to clop porn would be the opposite of what a conservative would do!
So all we are asking is that you unfollow and block a group of people who sexually objectify characters from a children's cartoon show. And then you can go back to bragging about how hard you are going to vote for Trump in November. This seems like a win-win to me.
Apologies, but you either sent this to the wrong person or are incredibly incorrect in your assessment of me on pretty much every claim.
I don't see how you could say that you are doing your best to see things from my perspective without ever asking me about my perspective.
My state is not a "deep-red flyover state".
My fiancé is a BIPOC, so I would say that is a pretty strong motivation.
I haven't helped anyone that is actively killing others, but if you disagree, then feel free to let me know who these people are and I will be more than happy to reconsider my support of them.
I'm not a "hardcore rad-trad right-wing ultra conservative", which further evidences that you have no clue on my perspective.
Which R-slur filled posts are you referring to?
Which posts did I reblog from r4cs0 and takashi0? I rarely reblog others' posts, so it shouldn't be that hard for you to find.
Perhaps you're new to Tumblr or the internet, but very rarely are posts reblogged for the author and instead they are reblogged for the content of the posts.
That is not all that you are asking because you haven't asked it at all. Not once have I received an ask to block a group of people for any reason. If you are making that ask, then at least provide a common courtesy of giving me the names of the accused instead of attempting to create a blind witch hunt.
When did I ever start bragging about voting for Trump in November? I think the last time I even talked about my voting decision was almost a decade ago.
Appreciate the feedback and you being opinionated, but with an opinion so fueled with fallacies it is quite challenging to substantiate it in having any value.
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(A question for both you and muffin)
What speed do you guys write?
I feel like you guys must write at such an incredible rate based on the work you produce in such a short amount of time. Any tips if you have any to increase output would be appreciated!
You were lost in the drafts! I'm so sorry.
To answer your question: it depends a bit on the fic, but typically we write as fast as we're typing, then get distracted, then write, then distracted. Sometimes we take turns being distracted.
It used to be we'd outline the entire chapter in great detail, but as we've gotten this down to a routine it's bullet points.
It's very relaxing and meditative.
As for how we're able to write that fast, I think it's threefold:
We're both picturing how a given scene should unfold, and then writing down what happens. I don't come up with a character's dialogue, I'm just writing what he said and describing how he says it or what he's thinking. Slowness or hesitation mostly occurs when we don't know what happens next or disagree.
No second guessing ourselves over one word or sentence for more than two minutes, no obsessing over getting that perfect sentence down. It was hard at first to get used to, but watching @theoriginalcarnivorousmuffin get ahead and write the good bits while I was contemplating how to phrase the last sentence of a random paragraph taught me to just make a decision.
Validation - whenever I'm unsure about something, or catch Muffin writing some thing I don't love or she catches me, we can discuss right away. While it does happen that we write something, then afterwards one or both say "Hang on. That was really bad!" for the most part writing jointly means there's two people have looked at the text and found it satisfying.
My best advice is to just write, get used to just writing without worrying too much about it, and get yourself an honest person whose opinion you trust (there is a LOT of atrocious advice out there!).
(I also have an anecdote for this: there is an author I follow on a social media, who has written a fairly popular story. They also, like most of us, have reoccurring weaknesses as a writer. They mentioned having gone to a writing group or class (I don't remember which), and receiving feedback on these specific weaknesses. Rather than accept this feedback (which they had sought out by joining the group to begin with!) they came to their followers for validation, making fun of the advice and talking about how stupid the advice-giver was.
The lesson to be learned: constructive criticism can really suck because even though you sought it out, and the criticism you get is constructive and useful, you didn't want to hear it. Therefore, decide before you go if you actually want to risk being told something you didn't want to hear, and choose the criticism-giver carefully because they could be wrong.
The reason I bring this up in a post about writing speed is that you write very slowly when you're unsure of yourself, and insecurity forms a terrifying wall between yourself and that "publish" button. At least, my speed has improved vastly since @theoriginalcarnivorousmuffin became my beta and later cowriter.)
You also want to be careful with planning the story. Planning isn't writing and it often isn't really planning either, it all too often slides right into coming up with headcanons and aesthetics for a complex daydream. If that's what you want to do, go forth, and god knows there's an audience for moodboards and headcanon posts, but if you're serious about wanting to get the story down in writing then you've got to ask yourself whether your plans for the story are in fact plans or not.
I will also advice, insofar it is possible, to not pour too much of yourself into your writing. If it's your darling who owns your whole heart, you're fiercely proud of it, then having somebody say "Hey, this could be a lot better" is all the more discouraging. Abandoning it if it loses traction or you're not sure where to go with it is also devastating. You should love what you do, by all means, but don't tie your self-worth as a writer in the individual things you produce. Even the greats have flops alongside their masterpieces, or just less good works. Focus on having fun and enjoying what you do, drop a project without guilt if you lose passion for it, put it on pause if you want to pursue a different project, and be clear on what feedback you want from beta readers. Fanfiction writing is a hobby, and unlike most hobbies it's completely free. Treat it as such.
Best of luck!
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~ Negative DATV Rant Incoming (with swearing and spoilers) ~
The dichotomy of wanting to love Veilguard because of the crumbs it gives us but also wanting to bully a corporation (bioware and/or ea) into pulling a cyberpunk and releasing a 2.0 update fixing all the JARRINGLY massive issues (slave erasure, solas' cult or lack thereof, the act 1 dialogue, the DALISH, etc) is a very real and unpleasant feeling.
Especially cos the art book shows us that SOMEONE had the right idea.
And I love the lighthouse but it makes no fucking sense, should've put them on the boat. Better base, and it would make more sense to have all their fucking mates turning up all the time. "oh but their moving around to all the places in minutes wouldn't make any sense" IN DAI YOU TAKE A 2 WEEK RIDE TO CRESSWOOD TO HAVE YOUR BUTT GRABBED AND BE BROKEN UP WITH AND THEN YOU GO BACK ALL WITHIN 5 MINUTES WE CAN WITHHOLD OUR DISBELIEF
And Lucanis' romance? Like don't get me wrong I really like it, I have non of the problems others have been having but that gondola scene is everything and we were robbed.
And TF you mean I can't talk to my companions unless specifically prompted? Finished Lucanis' romance in my first playthrough as fast as I could and then couldn't speak to him for 5-10 business days.
And also no fail states? What? I want to see the consequences of my actions for ONCE bioware why would you take this from me.
And no character deaths? (And no health bars in combat but thats a whole other issue) No potential to kill your characters through choices in their personal quests? No real and meaningful consequences for circumstances in which many people could die? There are in fact consequences (not within personal quests which I would've liked but I concede) for your actions I withdraw this statement.
I would've loved companion quest fail saves.
What would Hezenkoss do if Emmrich failed? Show me a sketch of a romanced!Emmrich and Rook entombed together just as Hezenkoss promises in the fight. Show me a sketch of a mindless berserker Taash captured by the Antaam? Show me a full abomination Lucanis or Lucanis fully controlled by Zara? Show me Neve being pupetted by Aelia? I want to see the consequences of failing.
Also on the companions, the ONLY romance break off I've experienced so far is Lucanis if you don't pick Treviso like?? First off it's a kinda dumb reason, I sent at the very least 3 perfectly capable people with you why is it specifically my fault but also I get it can be difficult to resolve those feelings so I'm not totally against it but no one else? No consequences for picking certain dialogues in the Emmrich quest? I want to have picked a dialogue 5 hours ago and then find out that because i picked it emmrich goes lich mode no matter what, I want to have to go "oh ffs and reload 5 hours just to stop pookie giving up on his skeleton son, I want to have the option to break up with Emmrich post lich bit. I want to have prior diologues impact future choices? Like in that other game oh what was it called DRAGON AGE INQUISITION?! No break up from Harding if you're an elf? Or encouragement to go anger mode? I retract this too, companion quest lines do have early dialogues that have far reaching dialogue consequences but other than Neve and Lucanis you can't really lock yourself out of an ending choice even if you made specific decisions early on, I also somewhat dislike the purple circle popping up telling me "because you said x character is now y" but I appreciate it is useful for some players so maybe just an option to turn it off?
Anyway, sorry for rambling, I'm overall having a blast, but you can have a blast and also critique.
These thoughts may have flaws, this is just an off my chest ramble, if you disagree/think I'm wrong I encourage correction 🙂
#like oh yeah our gods are evil but no bigge#and the entire andrastian faith is a byproduct of the elvhen faith#but yeh no lingering on those feelings sorry harding fuck you and your faith#'oh no the elvhen gods are back' says the dalish elf with valaslin on her face#i feel like we missed and entire game in between these two#datv#dragon age#dragon age the veilguard#veilguard spoilers#datv spoilers#dragon age: inquisition#dragon age: the veilguard#datv critical
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Hello, Myrtle! 🖤
I hope you're doing well, and wish you a good *timezone*, and don't forget to take care and rest :3
If it's still actual, and only when you have time and more energy, could you please share your ideas of quiet sings of love prompt "i brought you flowers." "for what?" "there has to be a reason?" for AruAni feat. JeanPiku? I'm curious about your thoughts on this prompt, and I hope it'll also cheer you up and bring a smile on your face while working on it (but only when you have more spare time, no rush!)
Sending you many, many hugs and best wishes, Myrtle⊂(•‿•⊂ )*.✧
Quiet acts of love prompts
Anna!! Such a lovely prompt! I wanted to finish it for the boy’s birthday, but alas… the tiredness won out T^T
Anyway, I hope you like it :)
~~~
“N— no, that’s just wrong.”
“Pshaw, no, it’s not. It’s perfectly reasonable actually!”
“I’m sorry but I can’t get behind this. You can stretch the definition, sure, but still it doesn’t apply. I’m sorry.”
“I’m not stretching it, I’m following it to its logical conclusion.”
“No. I’m sorry, Pieck. I disagree.”
Jean enters the kitchen. His pajama shirt is buttoned wrong and he must have opted out of shaving for the day because his patchy stubble is clearly visible. This is what vacation Jean likes to do then: sleep in and skip shaving, thinks Armin, lamenting the fact that in all their years of friendship this is the first time he glimpses this side of him.
Pieck leans back in her chair, craning her neck to spy at Jean’s ass while he fills up a mug with fresh-brewed coffee. “Babe,” she says in a sugary voice. “What do you think? Is cake a sandwich or not? I’ll give you a hint. The answer is pretty… sweet.” She winks. Or blinks. Both eyes close at any rate.
Jean narrows his eyes as he sits with them at the table. “What are you guys going on about?” He slurps his coffee loudly.
His former zeal returns with vengeance. “That’s another issue actually. Sandwiches are generally savory.”
Pieck grins like a lazy, smug cat. “Have you never heard of an ice-cream sandwich, Armin?”
Rats. She has a point.
Jean sets his mug down with a decisive thunk. “This debate is stupid.”
“No it’s not!”
Pieck and Armin glance at each other in surprise. In their affront, they both spoke at the same time. They giggle at their own silliness.
Pieck recovers first. “No, but really. It’s two pieces of bread-like substance with filling between them. It’s a sandwich!”
“No, no.” He waves his index finger at her. “That’s stretching the definition. A sandwich is framed by two pieces of bread. Period. Not bread-like. Also, you may have noticed the operative word ‘two’.”
“Are you guys seriously gonna keep at it?”
Pieck huffs. She picks up her fork, cuts a bite of her piece of… well, cake, and shoves it in her mouth. “You and your definitions,” she teases as she chews.
Armin sits up in his chair. “Do you want me to bring out the dictionary?”
“Please don’t,” says Jean.
With a theatrical eye-roll, Pieck tilts her head. “It’s not about the dictionary! This is language in action! Expanding on the meaning of words as needs arise.”
“So you agree it’s expanding on the meaning?”
“I’m only pointing out that dictionaries are not necessarily updated on current vernacular.”
“But no one uses the word sandwich to refer to cake!”
“Not with this attitude, they don’t.”
Thankfully, the back door bursts open, and his glorious girlfriend walks in to save him from her best friend’s deranged ramblings.
Honestly though, sometimes he thinks Pieck is just messing with him. She likes to debate him on the silliest, most inane things imaginable. After a short period of continuously getting involved in ridiculous arguments, he refused to engage her any longer, but then she started baiting him. She'd open with the most outlandish of claims and then proceed to defend it to the death. He simply had no option but to set her straight. And thus they have found themselves debating whether cake was a sandwich on the very first morning of their vacation, while Jean was still asleep and Annie out for her ritual jog.
Along with a gust of crisp wind, Annie steps inside. Her cheeks have a healthy flush to them, from the exercise or from the springtime chill or both. She’s wearing a loose top and knee-length bloomers. On her side, she’s holding something obscured by the folds of her clothes.
Armin tilts his chin up in a silent plea for a kiss. She indulges him, dropping one swift peck on the corner of his lips. Preoccupied by her closeness as he is, he hears more than sees something soft landing on the table in front of him. Annie draws back and turns around, already too busy pulling a loaf and a jar of jam out of the pantry to make her breakfast. Armin stares at her strong hands as they work on her food.
A low whistle penetrates the Annie-induced fog in his brain. It’s coming from Jean, who is glancing meaningfully down. Curious, Armin follows his gaze.
There on the table, right between his coffee and his plate, sits a small bouquet of bright yellow flowers. More than a little taken aback, Armin nudges the bundle with his pinky finger. “What’s this?” he asks Annie.
Annie’s spine stiffens noticeably. The tips of her ears are turning red. “I brought you flowers,” she murmurs while spreading butter on a slice of bread, avoiding his eyes.
He blinks. “For what?”
A tiny irritated shrug. “There has to be a reason?”
Armin is shocked speechless. He takes the flowers in hand and twists them around to examine them from both sides, as if this will reveal to him their secrets. It’s six flowers in total, he notes, chrysanthemums if his memory serves. He digs his brain for their hidden meaning. What is Annie trying to tell him? His mind provides several answers: longevity, amity, joy; but also the death of a loved one. He shakes his head, frowning. No, Annie is not well-versed in flower symbolism, that’s his brand of madness. Still, what could this mean?
While Armin is struck dumb by the bouquet, Pieck most certainly is not. She plops her elbow to the back of her chair and looks at Annie with a mischievous glint in her eyes. “Oh, come on, Annie-Honey. You can’t just show up with a bouquet,” the way she pronounces the word should be outlawed, “of all things and not share what’s the occasion!”
Annie pivots to face them. She leans against the kitchen counter, balancing her plate in one hand. “There’s no occasion,” she insists, and, before Pieck has a chance to question her further, she shoves the entire slice of jam-slathered bread in her mouth. She chews obnoxiously.
Little does she know, she’s only riling her up with her refusal to answer. Armin glances warily between his girlfriend and Pieck, but it’s Jean who speaks next.
“No occasion?” he muses, an extremely judgemental eyebrow tilt is accompanying his words. “I’m quite positive—nay certain—that gifting your significant other flowers is generally motivated by something. If not to mark an occasion, then perhaps to express some tender feelings?”
“Oh, baby,” Pieck mock-laments, “you shouldn’t be neighing like that.”
All levity bleeds out of Jean’s face. He pouts sullenly. “You and Connie should have never met.”
Pieck grins and blows him a kiss. Then, her attention zeros in on Annie. “But really, Annie, don’t be shy, is it because you loooooove him?”
Armin’s heart is hammering in his chest. He should interfere, he thinks, step in and get them to stop with their teasing. But in truth he wishes to hear Annie’s answer as much as them. This gesture… It’s so sweet, so romantic, so uncharacteristic of Annie, it makes him want to howl from happiness.
Annie is scowling. The food in her mouth is no longer filling her cheeks. Chewed and swallowed, warm in her stomach, it can’t provide an easy out any more. And Pieck is watching her like a hawk.
She sighs. “I passed by a vendor,” she says.
“And?” urges Pieck.
Annie casts a glance at him and meets his eyes. He doesn’t know what she sees in his expression—longing, embarrassment, tentative hope?—but her face softens. Her lips curve minimally in a fond smile. When she responds, it’s to him and him only: “And they reminded me of you.”
Armin gasps. The scent of pollen hits the back of his throat and he sneezes loudly. Then, he sneezes again and again and again, a proper sneezing fit. Jean is there, grabbing the flowers away from his nose. Annie is to his other side, rubbing his back with a small gentle hand. Pieck is chuckling, but her eyes hold a sympathetic warmth.
“You’ll kill him with your bouts of romance, Leonhart,” chastises Jean.
Annie’s palm on his back freezes, halting her caring petting. Her hand slips on his shoulder and then away. Oh no. Armin can’t have that.
He grips her fingers tightly before they vanish. With the other hand, he takes hold of the bouquet from Jean and brings it beneath his nostrils, taking a long showy whiff.
“No, she won’t,” he says to Jean. Then he beams up at his beautiful, considerate girlfriend, who melts at the sight of his smile. “And if she will, I’ll die a happy man.”
#asks#prompt fill#mini fic#long post#aruani#jeanpiku#armin arlert#annie leonhart#jean kirstein#pieck finger#fluff#tooth rotting fluff
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Nu carnival ftm boyfriend being dysphoric ♦️(Morvay)
Yakumo
He will sit with you and talk if you need it. He wants to comfort you and he's very likely to make you a cup of tea or your favorite meal to help you feel better. He may not know what to say specifically but he reminds you of just how much he loves you and why.
Edmond
He doesn't really get what the big deal is. As long as you say you're a man he's going to treat you like a man, and if anyone else disagrees well… He's not usually one for mockery but will definitely have words with anybody who is rude to you about your gender. If you vent to him you'll try his best to listen but honestly stuff that personal makes him uncomfortable. He'll never turn you down or say no to listening to you, but he doesn't like that he doesn't know how to help.
Olivine
He will pray to the god of Klein for your piece of mind. Man also has huge honkers so he may make a joke about that to lighten your mood. Of course he'll be blushing like mad if he does. Hes really good about talking and listening and you know he would never use your insecurities against you. He will try and give advice but after will always double check that he didn't cross any boundaries.
Quincy
He's not entirely sure what to do in this situation, so he asks. He'll ask you what you need or what you want from him and if he can accommodate he will. If you need anything specifically he's even willing to talk to the old fox to get them for you. He may ask you to do simple tasks like chop wood for him. It's a simple way to not only distract you, but build muscle and make you feel more masc.
Kuya
Actually a pretty simple fix for him. He is going to make a magic crystal necklace for you that casts an illusion so anyone who looks at you while you're wearing it sees you as however you want to be seen. Oh and if the reason you're feeling dysphoric is because someone misgendered you… well let's just say they won't ever bother you again.
Blade
You explain dysphoria to him and he sort of understands? He thinks it's similar to how he feels human despite having an edroid body. It's actually really interesting talking to him about the differences between your dysphoria and his dysmorphia. He often uses reading and learning as a coping tool for himself so if you're feeling bad he's going to invite you on a library date.
Garu
You're feeling bad about yourself? Proceeds to tell you how amazing you are and how he's confused about why you feel bad. Once you explain the bad feelings aren't something you can control and it's about how other people perceive you he is still just as confused. He wants to know who's perceiving you wrong so he can tell them just how good you are.
Karu
He's got no idea what's going on, but that's okay because he loves you anyway. If someone misgendered you he's going to insult them. “Wow I didn't realize humans were blind and stupid. That one can't even tell you're a boy.” He never comforts you directly but he's always speaking up for you even if he thinks you're not in the room.
Dante
He's not going to let you have self image tissues while he's around. If he can get his hands on something that'll make you feel better he will. Whether that be tailor made clothes that fit perfectly and make you look flat, or a rare herb that acts like HRT, or really anything, nothing is too great for him to do for you. If you ask if he can make a workout routine for you to help with some of your image issues he will be really excited. He can use the workouts to help you shape your body how you want, and use it to sneak a peek.
Rei
He'll do the surgery himself if you ask… this is also his go-to response if you tell him that you're feeling dysphoric. I don't trust him with a scalpel anywhere near me, but that decision is up to you to make. He's not good at soft comfort but he can definitely talk you through some of your feelings. He can probably also explain why your brain chemistry is like that and rationalize everything you're feeling. I don't know if he's trying to help or just info dumping though.
Eiden
He is SO good at being a supportive boyfriend! It doesn't matter if you came out two minutes ago or two years ago, he loves you for who you are on the inside. He may be the only person here who's got experience with trans people in a modern sense. He's the first to make a sarcastic comment if someone misgenders you, and knows the importance of a good distraction when you're feeling bad. Also being a designer has the perks of knowing how to make binders and packers.
Aster
Is it something money can fix? He's more than happy to help you transition physically, but he's very awkward when it comes to listening to you talk about dysphoria. He doesn't really know how to be emotionally supportive, but he's trying. He may “accidentally” order too much herb that can be used to increase testosterone and be graceful enough to share with you. He will also use you to test cute clothes and is very vocal when something makes you look flat or particularly masc.
Morvay
This can go one of two ways. Either he's really sweet and sits down and lets you vent about whatever you're feeling, or he hands you a strap on and tells you to fuck him like the man you are. Either way he's not leaving you alone until you feel better. Even if you say you want some space he'll just sit in the corner of the room because he doesn't want to leave you alone when you feel bad and always wants you to know that he's there for you.
#Nu carnival Yakumo#nu carnival Edmond#nu carnival olivine#nu carnival Quincy#nu carnival Kuya#nu carnival Garu#nu carnival Dante#nu carnival Rei#nu carnival Aster#nu carnival Morvay#nu carnival Eiden#nu carnival x reader#nu carnival #a degenerate writes#x ftm reader#x ftm#x trans reader#♦️
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you want complex characters? here's Gale.
I am fully convinced that people only hate Gale bc it's Liam Hemsworth and because they think he's annoying - and yeah, it's true, he IS annoying, but to like president snow more than him? (its pretty privilege)
Most people know by now that the love triangle in thg is for metaphorical purposes - the choice between peace and war. And it's not even a choice as a reader - there is quite literally no chemistry between gale and katniss (in my opinion). But that doesn't merit hatred for the character himself.
He grows up in the seam, poor and being the breadwinner for his siblings. (how sad) We're supposed to disagree with his motives by the end of it - he shouldn't want to get revenge because that makes him as bad as the capitol (yada yada yada). And Peeta is in the right because he wants to show mercy. (peace vs war)
But Peeta grows up as the bakers son. Has he ever gone hungry? No. Are we meant to feel bad for him because of his mum? idk. His name was in the bowl far, far less times. Does that make it any better? No, because he's picked (and this is meant to be about how the system is awful... you get it). But Peeta doesn't grow up hating the capitol because they don't hurt him... until the games.
Is this an attack on Peeta? No, of course not, but circumstances are important as the actions taken within them (situation ethics). Peeta goes into the games and you'd think his outlook on life changes, but it doesn't. Some people have stronger cores - a lifetime of security within yourself does that.
Peeta goes into the games again, Gale saves the citizens of 12 in the bombing. Peeta's kidnapped. And Gale says this:
"He might have been tortured. Or persuaded. My guess is he made some kind of deal to protect you. He'd put forth the idea of the cease- fire if Snow let him present you as a confused pregnant girl who had no idea what was going on when she was taken prisoner by the rebels. This way, if the districts lose, there's still a chance of leniency for you. If you play it right." I must still look perplexed because Gale delivers the next line very slowly. "Katniss…he's still trying to keep you alive."
So, he's annoying, but is he a liar? No. He's ever the strategist, thinking of things from the logical point of view. (really grasping for straws but I need a pro and less cons😭)
People really hated Gale for bombs - killing innocent people that just want to help the fallen? (ohno how sad). But are capitol citizens ever really innocent? Bystanders that simply allow children to be murdered year after year? The idea that they simply have no idea of the harm being caused is ludicrous. Do they not have critical thinking skills? No matter what happens in life, you KNOW murder is wrong. No matter what propaganda media shows you.
(also Beetee helped make those bombs too like gale was annoying but stop giving him full credit like if I was beetee I'd be pissed)
So, that comes to the idea that killing people as a whole is unethical, and it doesn't matter that they're awful people. Is that untrue? No. Is it far to those that have been oppressed their entire lives, being told that using force against their oppressors is wrong? Maybe. It's not an easy issue to resolve (kinda explains the metaphor, doesn't it?)
Neoliberalism probably wants you to blame the individuals. Coin, Gale, Snow. Coin and Snow were two sides of the same coin (ooh pun) - politicians, adults, playing for their own power. Is it wrong to enjoy power? No, of course not, just don't abuse it. Gale enjoyed power. But he was fighting for the freedom of the country, not himself. And he's only 19/20. You're a lot angrier when you're younger, as many adults forget.
The system is the real problem, clearly. Why should the capitol have all the power? Why are the districts being used? We don't know. But that's unimportant.
And then there's Katniss. She's the one making the decision - peace or war. On paper, its peace anyday. Katniss has seen both Peeta and Gale's hardships - Gale is a metaphor for who she could have been. Bitter, angry and hateful. It's not unjustified hatred but under Kantian ethics, murder is always wrong. Katniss does not want to retaliate because it's a vicious cycle of violence.
As far as we know, the capitol don't really pay for all they do. I know if I was a district citizen who suffered, I'd want capitol citizens to feel the same way. That is not to say that it is ethical, but it is not unjustified.
It would be more of a fair argument if Peeta and Gale suffered equally, but can you really quantify suffering. Their experiences shape them. Its easier for Peeta to want mercy for the capitol because he wasn't starved his whole life. And Peeta's stance is the right one.
But see, that's why we say complex character and not good person. Because the decisions aren't malicious in intent, just with clashing personal values to the norm. Like, bffr, half the people online hating on this guy would NOT have stood for mercy for the capitol.
(anyway have a nice day this was my ethics essay plan and I'd better get a 9 on it or else <333)
#the hunger games#catching fire#the ballad of songbirds and snakes#mockingjay#ethics#morality#gale hawthorne#peeta mellark#katniss everdeen
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I honestly think I would be more willing to engage with harsher critiques of Veilguard if so many of them didn't seem to include projecting malice or cowardice onto the developers and/or frankly really insulting blanket statements about how people who don't agree with said harsh critique are only disagreeing because they have a child's sense of fantasy and don't like feeling complicated emotions with consequences in their fiction.
Both of them annoy me but the idea of someone looking at me, of all people, and saying "well you don't agree with me because you want a story that puts you in a safe bubble that's never sad or conflicted or realistic" is absurd. Like, no, I just think some of the basis of your analysis is kind of bothersome and flawed because you keep assigning motivations to strangers and then arguing with a guy you personally made up, and my willingness to suspend disbelief and engage with a piece of fiction on its own terms isn't proof that I'm a baby or a coward just because it would make you feel smarter if that was the case.
And there is a world of difference between "the story's perspective softballs X or pulls punches with Y", and "the writers are cowards who don't want you to deal with consequences because there's something wrong with them artistically and morally". That's fucked up, projecting malice onto someone you don't know and whom all evidence suggests (both by their own words the last few months and by past storylines they've written for Dragon Age) would actually probably agree with your critiques and agree that they'd either done things different or had been ALLOWED to do things different. It ALSO makes for less coherent critiques because some of your analysis is based off of, frankly, an underlying motivation that is literally just made up of your own personal projection of what other real humans were thinking (which conveniently fits the narrative you already want to spin), rather than interrogating the perspective of the narrative itself on its own terms, where all of the pieces are fully available to you.
Works of fiction carry unintended perspectives all the time, it's a whole thing, and you can engage with that without assigning cruelty or cowardice or malicious stupidity to a small group of real human beings that you do not know and did their job in circumstances that we as fans will never know the extent of. You have no idea if "the devs" as you conceptualize them are actually at fault for the things you have such harsh feelings about, or why that thing happened or whatever, because big media projects like video games have hundreds of hands on them and many people making decisions whose names we will never know because they're just not pulling PR duty or whatever.
And when it comes to other fans, unless someone outright states their feelings on something, you actually don't know if any individual person agrees or disagrees with you for a good or bad reason about something as subjective and low stakes as a video game. Imagining that anyone who enjoys something that you don't as a dumb idiot baby too stupid to see what you see is pretty gross.
I am, as ever, not saying that anyone must like or dislike something, or that liking or disliking something means you're smarter or stupider than anyone else. It bothers me when analysis in these spaces seems to reserve all of its empathy for fictional characters and leaves little of it left for the actual people that are in these spaces or made the work that's being analyzed.
#this stuff makes me much less willing to engage in public criticism#because i do have my complaints! i have criticisms!#but i don't feel the need to inform people constantly that i have them like an apology for enjoying a game i paid for and liked#and the current fandom environment is so pathologizing that just having an opinion doesn't feel neutral#nothing gets my heels digging in more than being told that disliking something makes me Smart and liking it makes me Stupid#also this is going on main bc i want my sideblog to be a fun spot for meta and gifs#and not just a belabored account of my complaints as so many DA focused blogs seem to be right now#fandom bs#bog post
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We get the bare minimum of people acknowledging we exist that's not pandering. Literally all most of us want is access to medical care and the right to live our lives without violent threats or harassment. Of course there are shitty trans people, there are shitty people in every group whether they're marginalized or not. No one should be harassed for just trying to live their lives, but every fucking day I have to have someone remind me that they think I should commit suicide and they think it's fucking hilarious. Some celebrities saying "trans rights" isn't helping my safety, medical care, or material existence.
"Bare minimum of people acknowleding we exist" and yet every major company acknowledges and accepts trans people (and if you disagree you can be fired), every job application now asks for your gender identity and acknowledges nonbinary identities, women's DV shelters are forced to accept transwomen or else risk facing defunding and being shut down despite the fact that most women there are traumatized and need space away from male people, males are legally allowed to go into women's restrooms and sports and prisons where they assault and rape female inmates and staff, and y'all are also allowed to undergo "gender affirming care" despite the fact that it violates the hippocratic oath and is not safe. Hell, many insurances will even cover the cost of transition so either you're lying or you're misinformed. Literal children having some restrictions being placed on transition doesn't count, as children aren't allowed to make many other life altering decisions and you don't complain about those (no smoking, no drinking, no tattoos, etc.). And I haven't even gotten into how the trans movement is inherently homophobic as y'all are trying to redefine homosexuality as "same gender attraction" and call any actual homosexual person a "transphobic bigot and genital fetishist" in much the same fashion as homophobic conversion therapists. Literally the guy who came up with the concept of gender identity, John Money, was a pedophile who did sexual experiments on twin boys which eventually caused both of them to commit suicide. Look it up. Also look up Alan Turing and the Aversion Project.
It's not just "some assholes", your entire movement is built on trampling on the rights of women and LGB people.
I'm sure you genuinely see yourself as a victim because you have been told BY OTHER TRANS PEOPLE that trans people will commit suicide if they don't get affirming care instead of just better mental health resources. You know what LGB activists told gay children? "It gets better", not "Affirm gay kids or they'll kill themselves". Like. Doesn't that rub you the wrong way at all? Why are your activists encouraging children to kill themselves?
Acknowledging reality is not oppression, either. Even radfems acknowledge that you exist and that you identify as trans, but the reality is men cannot become women and vice versa. Also, radical feminism the ideology has nothing to do with suicide baiting people, so if radfems have actually told you to kill yourself on the basis of you being trans (doubt) then I want to see receipts.
#anon#response#long post#sorry this response is disorganized#I genuinely would like to have a conversation with you about this though#anyways all this just to say that if trans people respected women and LGB people's rights and boundaries#we'd have no problem with you#and if you just excuse that behavior instead of calling it out and shutting it down then you are part of the problem
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Okay, I have thoughts about Leander and need to express them.
Now, I could very well end up being wrong and might be missing some things that make everyone else really suspicious of him, but I really don't think he's a bad person completely masquerading as a hero and trying to manipulate people. I do think his whole heroic persona might be somewhat performative, but I think he genuinely wants to help people and be seen as a good person. He at the very least strikes me as a people-pleaser.
I think the problem might lie in him over-extending himself and neglecting his own wants and needs (like sleep, if the dark circles under his eyes are anything to go by). Like keeping up a protection spell just so a certain cursed newcomer can hold his hand/feel him up whenever they want (magic has to take some kind of toll on the user). Or promising to cure said newcomer by claiming to be able to do the work of an entire organization on his own (we don't know what the Senobium's deal is, yes, but they have to have a decent amount of power to have the reputation they do).
There's also the little things, like Leander not complaining about Vere ordering expensive champagne even though the price does seem to concern him. The way he physically jumped in to diffuse the tension. How, if you take him up on the drink, he picks what sounds like the most palatable drink that also introduces you to more of Eridias' local culture. He won't even give us his opinion of the others without asking for ours first, as if he doesn't want to risk disagreeing with us.
He also just doesn't seem to make any decisions for himself in general. The people at the bar ask him to to perform, so he does. Kuras said Leander could help us, so he says he will. The Bloodhounds' reaction to us mentioning the Senobium makes us uncomfortable, so he talks them down; but also we made them uncomfortable, so he moves our conversation outside. We never see him order a specific drink for himself independently: when we first meet him, he just asks the bartender to surprise him, and during his section towards the end, he just orders whatever you order (when they all gather at the bar, we don't get an idea of what drink he ordered or how, but I wouldn't be surprised if something similar happened). Even when he grabs our wrist the first time we touch, I think he does it more to reassure us than out of any desire to touch us more (and I mean that even if you hesitate, because at that point you're like 90% of the way there and he wants you to know he can help. His whole freakout, as I've seen others point out, is probably just due to a stronger than expected reaction from our curse).
As for how that might tie in to what makes him monstrous, I think that might come down to what lengths he's willing to go to in trying to help people. Maybe he's willing to kill for other people, maybe he dabbles in some dark magic like necromancy or has some sort of magic patron he's made a deal with a la dnd warlock pacts, or maybe it's something more self-sacrificial and he's willing to risk his life or sell his soul.
Regarding his relationship with the MC, I do think he could get obsessive over them, but I don't think it would be in the stereotypical yandere fashion. Considering how submissive he acts (and how Ais describes him to be), I think Leander would rather be possessed by the MC than possess MC himself.
I don't know if this makes sense. I just think Touchstarved is doing a lot of interesting and nuanced things, and Leander just being a deceptive yandere feels too easy (no offense to the people making those headcanons, though. love a yandere headcanon. i just like to overthink things).
#touchstarved leander#touchstarved#leander theory#blorbo from my visual novel demo#i've just been rotating leander in my head since i finished the demo#the relationship bit is there mainly because i keep hearing I Wanna Be Yours by Arctic Monkeys every time i think of him
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Aside from the BE2 mischaracterisation, do you have any other fanon Jumin pet peeves?
Sure do lol, I want to preface though by saying that I don't think any particular characteristic is wrong or out of place all of the time. He can act any which way if it's for a reason and he can do things he otherwise wouldn't if a specific situation calls for him to. Sure he wouldn't fucking say that usually but he might if he was stuck and you can definitely explore that! Even his route itself is an example of him being pushed to his limit and acting in a way he usually wouldn't, and both he and his friends point that out frequently. This to say that me saying I don't like it when people interpret him as xyz doesn't mean him being written that way is inherently bad, so don't let me discourage you from writing. Anyway!
I think I've mentioned most of this at some point or another, and honestly I feel like a lot of his most common mischaracterisations do stem from the same place BE2 comes from. Any part of him being incredibly domineering or overly possessive, making big decisions without consulting MC, trying to limit who she talks to, being suspicious of her, etc. On the contrary he is very much at her beck and call. Her happiness is his. He's not going to be immediately perfect but being protective does not inherently mean being controlling and I think it's a fine line that people can trip over very easily.
Kind of continuing from that, I dislike it when people think he's too demanding on a professional level. It's often to the point of people calling him abusive, and while I can't deny that he's strict and impersonal and often a bit oblivious to larger structures at play, on the whole he's respectful of the people that work for him and genuinely values their contributions to the workplace. He wants everything done to the highest possible standard and I understand it can at times have negative repercussions, but he's not just an unreasonable dick who gets off on the power imbalance.
I'm also really not a fan of people believing him to be overly traditional i.e. the very socially conservative, strict gender roles, no sex before marriage, children must attend church type. It just doesn't make sense. It's taking smaller aspects of his character or things he says out of context and blowing them out of proportion—into something they're simply... not? Even the things he does say directly (eg. not living together before marriage) could be swayed easily under the influence of his fiancée.
Sure he likes things done efficiently in a way he knows works, but he is both very knowledgable and repeatedly shown to be very open to learning. He's curious and asks questions and will try and understand things to the best of his ability, even when they're entirely unimportant. If he's made aware of his ignorance he will not continue to push it (unless you're Zen, maybe). Jumin is not stubborn if he has no reason to be! He is very much pliable. You can tell him off and he'll listen. He wants to hear your side of things. He likes it when people disagree with him; a fan of some healthy debate, if you will. And he is not!! selfish!! So much of what he does is for others. He very rarely puts himself first. He's trusting and beyond loyal and goes out of his way to make sure his influence/knowledge/money are used for good the minute he deems it necessary to help those around him.
It annoys me when people act as if he's clueless and sort of just sits back and lets his status do the work for him. There seems to be this narrative of him being foolish and relying on others to get him by but that is absolutely the opposite of what he's really like. His intelligence and resourcefulness are not just a façade created by his disposition or the way he was brought up. He tells MC himself that his father wouldn't have put so much trust in him if he wasn't capable of handling it. He really wants her to believe in him because he's used to people wrongly assuming. It's not like he's just the heir and has little to no role, or even that he only oversees a department or two. He has a VERY high position in the company and easily excels at it. Jaehee herself (who people tend to see as the overworked one) admits that Jumin works significantly more than she does. He's the director of a global conglomerate in his twenties and takes it in his stride.
Last but not least he is far from unemotional. He's just good at detaching himself from his feelings and viewing them objectively. It does not!!! mean he does not feel or he does not care 💜
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As much as it pains me to say it (because of my visceral dislike of the BMoL storyline), “The Raid” is a good episode. So far in the season the BMoL hasn’t succeeded in recruiting any American hunter but Mary Winchester. We’re mid-season now, it’s time for The One where the BMoL seduce Sam and Dean. And Mary is the key. And Sam picks a side. And he’s wrong, of course. (in a cruel twist of fate, I’m starting to suspect I should be “grateful” to SPN writers for writing a main character who’s always so blatantly wrong. Like, without Sam (and Cas) consistently screwing things up we would have no plot and therefore no SPN, so thank you??? I guess???). Anyway, let’s see what this seduction is about.
Quick note before I continue: as per classic SPN, the ones that die.die.die are women and black people. This episode is, sadly, no exception. Billie, Benjamin, The Vampire Alpha, the “Death Siren” music producer + other extras. I mean, come.the fuck.on. Ugh.
“I’m not just a mom”.
Mary is this episode’s (well, obvs primarily this season’s) keystone. She came clean to Sam and Dean about her involvement with the BMoL in “Family Feud” and now she’s facing the consequences of her actions. Her sons (well, mostly Dean) throws her out of the bunker. Dean is pissed, Sam is… how is Sam?
Sam: Look I-I am pissed and – and frustrated and confused, too. But we've frozen her out for days.
Firstly, let me say that the use of the verb “to freeze” in relation to Mary The Fridged-Unfridged-Refridged-Character-Of-All-Time is… hilarious, not gonna lie.
Secondly, Sam is pissed, too, okay? But he’s not THAT pissed. He wants to hear her out. This is big because, so far in the season, Sam hasn’t exactly showed a propensity towards communicating with Mary. She wanted space, he gave her space. She didn’t text him, he didn’t text her. So why is Sam suddenly so interested in Mary? I think it has to do with the fact that she has clearly stated that she’s their mother but she’s not just a mom. I’ve talked about how Sam is subconsciously very VERY VERY pissed at Mary, specifically at her role as his mother. Sam is known to be able to easily compartmentalize events, things, people, feelings into what he can handle and what he can’t. He can’t handle his mother right now but he thinks he can handle Mary.
Dean calls bullshit on his excuse:
Dean: She lied to us, Sam. Sam: I know. Dean: For months. Sam: I know, but it's Mom! I mean, whatever she was doing, she must've had a good reason. Dean: A good reason? A good reason for working with those ass clowns? Sam: Look, I hear you, all right? But – but at the end of the day, she's family. We owe it to her to at least –
In “Lily Sunders has Some Regrets” Sam says something similar about Kelly and Jack: “at the end of the day it’s a mom and her kid”. I mean, this starts to sound like a mantra he tells himself in order to avoid sorting out his feelings. Of course, she had her good reasons, but can Sam accept those reasons for what they are while disagreeing with his mother and being pissed at her for making wrong decisions? Spoiler alert: Sam cannot. So, at the end of the day what can he do? He can play neutral and, again, Dean calls bullshit:
Dean: And this whole peacemaker shtick that you've been running, first with Cas, now with Mom, it's getting old, man. Sam: What's that supposed to mean? Dean: You're always playing the middle, Sam. For once, why don't you pick a side?
(And, again, it’s just hilarious that Dean’s saying this, Mr-Pick-A-Bloody-Side, lol, Bob Berens knows his references)(also, wait so is it Sam who’s stuck in the middle with them (ep12, Sam: “Mom... what the hell did you get us into”)? Oh-oh, yeah guys, Sam is very VERY VERY pissed at Mary)
Picking a side.
If it wasn’t clear, Mary is not a saint, okay? And the previous episode did show us a mother, Rowena, being cunning and evil and getting her revenge. You don’t mess with mothers in this show, cause they are not “just moms”. So Mary plays her “Sam we need to meet. It’s urgent” card and boom, Sam is baited. She didn’t send the same message to Dean, we have two clear shots of her text chats with both her sons. Mary is smart. The only good thing Ketch has ever said in the whole of SPN is that they [the BMoL] didn’t need Sam and Dean because they already had the best Winchester, i.e. Mary. He was not wrong.
So now the brothers are split and the seduction game can begin.
In order to seduce the brothers, Mick and Ketch must find out either what they want or what they need. To be fair, Ketch is better at this than Mick, Mick so completely lucks out in this episode, like he literally cannot believe that, in the end, he’s the one who’s succeeded in attracting Sam (he really, really needs to send a fruit basket to Mary for this). What do Sam and Dean want? Well, good question, let’s skip it for now. So what do they need?
Let’s start with Dean cause it’s easier and he literally tells us. He needs to hit something. Now. Oh, and he also needs drinks, plural. But, he hasn’t been able to find a case and he’s alone in the bunker with no alcohol around. (so reminiscent of s11 Crowley drinking alone vs Dean and Cas on a fake beer run, Berens did study). The magic can begin: knock knock who’s there? It’s jolly good pal Ketch with a bottle of great scotch, a nest of 10 vamps to kill and a lot of fun toys to play with. This is the perfect recipe for Dean but Ketch still fails at seducing him and we’ll see in a moment why.
On the other hand we have Sam, what does Sam need? To be honest with you, I don’t really know. Like, textually, Mary tells him three times that “he needed to know” and she successfully baits him and is able to give him her sales pitch so I guess she was right, that’s what Sam needed. And knowledge is a huge part of who Sam is, this episode in particular shows us how his knowledge is far superior than any other hunter and how it’s the only thing that saves them (well, that saves only Sam, Mary, Mick and the Hunter King of Baton Rouge ‘cause the rest of the BMoL is dead). The show is ambivalent in this regard, sometimes I think Sam wants out, sometimes I think he wants to keep hunting but in a different way, sometimes I think he’s more or less fine with his life… I mean, really, I don’t know. But the show ended with Sam getting out of the life so I must presume that Dabb’s endgame was exactly that.
Anyway, let’s go back to the seduction thing. Mick, by pure chance, manages to seduce Sam with the illusion of organization and method. Sam wants to be a part of it because he thinks they’re changing the world which is ridiculous because the audience has literally just watched how unorganized and unprepared the BMoL are. And I’m not talking about the vampire attack against the base, but we see Ketch going on a hunt certain of his intel but when he arrives at the supposedly vamp-infested motel he finds only one of them. So I think that, all in all, even if I don’t know what Sam needs I think I know what he wants and he wants power (the knowledge he has, the power he wants). He sees the results: the Alpha is dead, doesn’t matter how bad the night was, he sees it as an opportunity and he wants in.
Mick thought they had failed to “attract the, uh, top shelf of American Hunters. Like you” but he actually managed to work well with Sam, they worked in sync to kill the Alpha and that’s not something that goes unnoticed. A connection has been made between the two and Sam picks a side.
On the other hand Ketch’s seduction fails. Dean and Ketch don’t work well together, they’re not on the same page. Ketch reminds Dean that he’s a killer (“You’re a killer, Dean Winchester”, the same line Rowena uttered in “Regarding Dean”) and that they share the same “inclinations” but he’s wrong. What drives Dean is not a crazy impulse to kill but it’s family.
Dean: (to Mary) When I thought something might've happened to you, nothing else mattered. Mary: Dean, the things I said – Dean: No, Mom, you were... It's not your job to make my lunch and kiss me good night. It's – We're adults. You're gonna make your own choices, even if I don't like 'em. Even if I really, really don't like 'em. That's just something I'm gonna have to get used to. Okay, Mom?Mary: Yeah.
(I really really wanna ask: whose job is it to make you lunch and kiss you good night, Dean? 'Cause I know you've given that a thought and you might have an answer, share with the class, maybe?)
And just like that, even if this was an episode where Sam and Mary finally have some screen-time together and manage to somehow connect, we are once again reminded that Dean is the only one who’s putting in the work to establish a relationship with her and who’s willing to sort out his feelings about their frankly messed-up situation. Dean is growing up a lot, being in your late thirties changes your perspective on life, man. Ain’t nobody got time for bullshit anymore.
To the way things are supposed to be.
I love when Sam delivers his little manipulative speech and people fall for it. every.time. He’s that bitch, after all. So one thing is sure now: although Sam has picked the wrong side, he’s aware that they cannot go back to how things were, how things were supposed to be. This will be incorrect as far as the BMoL storyline is concerned (voice of the narrator: things will go back as they were, hunters and vampires, cops and robbers, a fair fight), but it’s correct in terms of Sam’s relationship with Mary: it’s a small step compared to Dean’s emotional growth this season, but Sam is also (slowly) starting to realize that they are indeed adults, Mary is indeed not just a mom and, more importantly, he doesn’t want to go back, he wants to change the world (voice of the narrator: or so he thinks, poor Sammy).
So yeah, good episode. The Mick/Sam-Ketch/Dean parallels worked really well (Ketch invading the bunker and Sam infiltrating the BMoL’s base is visually cool), the family theme smoothly underpins every dialogue, every character has changed (to varying degree) by the end of the episode and the acting was solid. Cool.
#spn#supernatural#spn rewatch#spn season 12#the raid#sam winchester#dean winchester#spn s12#phd in spn s12
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