#is it more realistic? that’s not the point!!

[zaun1tecr0w]

And isn’t it all the more realistic for the idea that love existed at its strongest in the harshest, darkest parts? Is love not rusted and sharp and does it not make you bleed from the inside out, is it not a loaded gun pointed at your heart, bomb waiting to be set off? Is it true that love will always feel lost in the end, but that the loss is a reminder it was there?

something something despite the all horrors and tragedies of the world, love was there and that's all that matters

[stardust-swan]

What Advice Does Aphrodite Have for You?

Pick a picture: 1, 2, 3

Note: this is a general reading

Pile 1

Aphrodite is calling on you to stop dwelling on the negative and focus on the beauty in your life.

I'm getting a sense that you're struggling with feeling unfocused. Maybe you feel directionless, or you're putting your energy into too many different directions at once and feeling burnt out because of it. I feel a sense of procrastination and/or ignoring realities, or just having a scattered approach which doesn't yield the results you want.

I'm also getting a sense of loss or regret, maybe over a lost or squandered opportunity. You're dwelling on the past and not facing the current reality.

However, not all is lost.

Aphrodite's message to you:

You must process loss, and re-evaluate how you're spending your time and energy. Although you might not agree right now, change is on the way. You will experience victory, and take control of your life instead of letting it slip by. A sense of energy, willpower and movement is bubbling under the surface even though you might not feel it right now. But it's necessary for you to stop dwelling on your regrets and to focus on the beauty in your life if you want to succeed. She also cautions you against distractions and hesitation - where are you losing focus? The reins are in your hands and the road in front of you is wide. You can move forward to a life or purpose, love and fulfilment, as long as you heed her advice to see the beauty amongst the ruins and to not let your vision of the future become clouded.

Pile 2

Aphrodite is calling on you to release yourself from rigid expectations and to focus on your dreams.

I'm getting a sense that you feel trapped by the expectations that have been placed upon you, whether by yourself or others. There may also be a power struggle or overly controlling power dynamic.

There's also a sense of annoyance here because someone is failing to meet expectations. You may be dealing with emotional immaturity or unfulfilled expectations. Someone may not acting with sincerity. Or you could be annoyed with yourself rather than another person and struggling with emotional insecurity. You may be ignoring your dreams in fear of being hurt.

And there's a sense of hard work. You may be wondering if all your grinding will have the desired results you want, and the answer is YES. Your hard work will be rewarded, especially in the creative world. Commit to your dreams and be patient; the fruits of your labour will be sweet.

Aphrodite's message to you

Set boundaries with those who hinder or oppress you. Stay grounded and realistic in love and emotional matters; avoid unrealistic ideals and avoid promises that sound too good to be true. Tend carefully to your garden, as the first sprouts of your labour are begining to emerge. Have patience, as beauty takes time to bloom.

Pile 3

You've been through a LOT, and feel worn down. But it's made you more resilient and you're standing strong. A goal you've worked hard for is in reach, but there are still some obstacles to overcome.

There's a sense that you're repressing some difficult emotions. It's also possible that someone in your life is betraying you or that there's gossip surrounding you. However, the light at the end of the tunnel is nearing. You will release all the negative feelings and learn to cope better. If a partner is being unfaithful, they will be exposed. The worst is over and it's time to heal and rest.

There's also a sense of passion to the point it's harmful. There's emotional turmoil and moodiness; in matters of love you may be dealing with a person who appears charming on the surface, but will break your heart. Or you could have a crush on someone who doesn't reciprocate. In matters of health, an unhealthy or hedonistic lifestyle may be having bigger effects on your health than you realise.

Aphrodite's message to you

You are stronger than you know, but even the strongest of people deserve to rest sometimes. She cautions you against chasing illusions or clinging to people who are bad for you because you miss how they made you feel in the beginning. Ask yourself what kind of love you truly need and deserve instead of being grateful for scraps of affection. She encourages you to embrace hope; she is gently brushing the weight you've been carrying off of your shoulders. You are safe to breathe, to dream, and to heal. Your scars are proof of your courage, but do not let them harden your heart - guard yourself, but not so tightly you shut out love. Rest and ready yourself, as the journey is not over, but you are now more prepared for it.

[mangotangerine]

what if ozzie created hell's version of ao3 and then radiostatic became one of the most popular ships but alastor didn't find out because ew, technology, until one day he did, but the top 69 fics are written by the same person & have incredibly realistic aspects that only one other person in hell would know

well, i wrote it. see below the cut for what i have so far

vox writes fanfic (and his username is alastors_babygirl)

Alastor goes nearly a century without acquiring any of those ridiculous, overdesigned electronic devices that the rest of Hell rots their brain with.

×

Things have been odd as of late. Angel Dust has been giving him strange looks—not the usual objectifying leer meant to evoke discomfort, but something more inquisitive—and Niffty has taken to giggling every time he walks past that tacky television they keep in the lounge. It hadn’t bothered him at first, as Angel Dust has always been a strange fellow, and Niffty is… well, Alastor isn’t sure if even she understands her own whimsy, sometimes.

But now, it’s getting a bit out of hand.

“Niffty, my dear,” Alastor says, “I have a question for you.”

She giggles, likely because he is standing next to the television. She manages to get it under control, though he can still hear the laughter in her voice as she says, “Yes?”

He glances pointedly at the television, then back at Niffty, and her grin widens. She kicks her feet and covers her mouth to hold back the giggles that threaten to erupt, and Alastor sighs. He is not going to get satisfying answers from her. “Never mind,” he says, weary. “Perhaps Charlie knows.”

×

Charlie blushes a bright red and flips her phone face-down in a panic, when he finally asks her in her office.

“Um—um, well…” she trails off, body language broadcasting her discomfort.

“This is getting tiring,” Alastor says, letting irritation bleed into his voice. “Despite my confidence that it is not the case, because who would be so foolish, I feel as though I’m being mocked. It is quite unpleasant.”

“No! No no no!” she squeaks. “No, it’s not that, it’s just…” she takes a deep breath. “The fan fiction.”

“The what now?” Alastor asks, eyebrows furrowing.

She bites her lip, glancing down at her phone. “Asmodeus um… launched this new website,” she starts, and Alastor wrinkles his nose in disgust. Ugh, not this nonsense again. “And, well… people write stories on it about... about media or things they’re fans of. Like—like use the characters and setting, and… andyou’rethemostpopularship,” she says in a rush.

Alastor looks down at himself, and then back up at Charlie. “I didn’t take you for the type to be critical of somebody’s figure, regardless of the inaccuracy of your statement,” he says, clearly disappointed, and Charlie gasps.

“No! Ship—ship, like relationship! Not—I would never.” She’s offended now, frowning at him. “Why would you think I’d—”

“Please, Charlie,” Alastor says sharply, “Explain to me in plain language.”

She bites her lip, then shrinks a little in her seat. “Sometimes people… um, write stories about people, who they think would be good in a relationship… like romance stories.”

“What does this have to do with anything?” Alastor snaps.

“You’re the top—you’re the um, most popular, uh, ship. Relationship. Well, not just you, it takes two—anyway.” She stops, and smiles at him nervously.

“Who is the second party in this ‘relationship’ involving myself?” he asks, eyes narrowed.

When she tells him, he very politely demands to be shown this website, and she meekly flips her phone over and slides it toward him. He looks through it, smile fading slowly until it’s just a barely-there quirk of the lips. “Who?” he asks, unable to hide the venom in his voice. “Who is writing these?”

“Many—many people, Alastor. It’s—there’s—I, I mean, you see how many stories!” she squeaks.

“Do you read the ones where I’m involved with your father?” he asks, suspicious, as he points at the device. She gasps.

“No!” Charlie practically yells. “No, I do—I do not read sex stories about my—”

“Sex stories?” Alastor asks, voice thick with radio distortion, and she covers her mouth in horror at her own mistake.

“I—I mean, not all of them are—I mean, there are a ton that are just—and not just with my dad, but with—you know, him, and they’re—they’re so sweet, Alastor!”

The exhaustion is settling in his bones now, his ever-present smile twisted into a sardonic grimace. “I fail to understand how there can be any stories involving me and that—that walking billboard that are sweet.”

“Well, um…” she hesitates, nervous. “You could… you could read some?”

“I will most certainly not be doing that,” he says. “I will be going now. I appreciate your transparency, as painful as the information was to extract from you.”

Alastor leaves with his signature flourish, melting into the shadows.

×

He goes a week before he folds, though he has one of those egg creatures Sir Pentious left behind procure an electronic device for him instead of trying to find one himself. He then commands it to demonstrate how to navigate to that vapid archive of obscenities everyone seems so enraptured by.

Though there are a lot of these creepy little stories, and just as many writers, the most popular of these ‘fan fiction’ novellas are all written under the same pen name and have very specific personal details that only one other person in Hell would know.

Well, he supposes it has been quite a while since he’s gone to terrorize that tower in person. Why, he’s been positively angelic since his return to the public sphere. It’s time to pay his old friend a visit.

×

He could go in the front door, cause a scene, really ham it up for Vox’s pervasive cameras, but that’s too easy. Too predictable, and what sort of performer would he be if he didn’t improvise and change things up a bit?

Alastor materializes in Vox’s office, behind his chair. He is, unfortunately, not alone, as Alastor had hoped. Startled, Velvette screams, and Alastor turns to blink at her owlishly.

“Was that really necessary?” he asks.

Vox spins around in his chair so fast it keeps spinning, makes 3 revolutions before Vox manages to stop it. Alastor looks Vox up and down, nose wrinkled in distaste.

“I just greased it!” Vox says defensively. “It doesn’t do that all the time, I can—I can control my chair!”

“Why is he here?” Velvette hisses, and Vox points menacingly at Alastor.

“Yeah! Why is he—why are you here?”

Alastor inhales deeply, and lets out a slow, disappointed sigh. “We need to talk.”

“Get out of my fucking tower,” Vox snaps.

“I’d love to,” Alastor says, “as soon as you answer some questions about the creepy little love stories you’ve been writing online.”

Vox blanches, as much as a television screen can blanch—that is, his face turns greyscale, reminding Alastor very distinctly of the picture shows his mother used to take him to as a child. It’s very amusing, on Vox.

“Velvette, get out,” Vox orders, voice sharp. The color slowly bleeds back into his face, one pixel at a time.

Velvette gets up, looking like she’s about to argue, when Alastor turns to face her directly, twirling his microphone in hand as his smile grows.

“Fine, fuck you,” she spits, and makes her way out.

Then it’s just Alastor and Vox. Vox and Alastor. Two old friends. Two old buddies. Pals. Former pals. Ex-partners.

“I can explain,” Vox says, panicked.

“Oh,” Alastor says, sounding delighted. “You’re admitting to it so easily? Usually you’re more difficult than that.”

“Fuck,” Vox groans.

[captain-alex-grayson]

Imma be so fr rn, I've only had one (1) bf. I'm bi and 25 and I've only dated one seriously mid dude. I was 20 when I had sex the first time during my first ever relationship, which was a 7 month relationship. I'm not religious, I wasn't saving up for any moment, I was very not okay with a casual hook up and I also didnt see sex as this all imporant moment/thing, like at all. Prior to adulthood I just didn't have time to date. Once I hit college, I still didn't care to date and didn't care for sex. Lucanis is extremely relatable to me in the whole "that's not my thing, (insert upbringing trauma here) i just don't care for this" way. Lucanis very much was isolated and didn't have many platonic relationships at all. It's hard to imagine a guy with like 3 friends who doesn't go out bc he's dedicated to the job to a very unhealthy point would have any experience dating or the like. This makes lucanis a far more realistic character and compliments his foil illario. It's like if the sad part of Zevran and the hoe mask part of Zevran became 2 different people.

A portion of people within this fandom are really letting their discomfort with asexual people and virginity show.

I hate to break it to you, but there are people who make it to adulthood as virgins (and it isn't inherently tied to being religious.).

I need you guys to breathe and be realistic for 5 minutes, and also realize the implications of your exclamation about how impossible you find Lucanis being a virgin is. Maybe it's not within your scope of focus, but yes, it happens.

No, I don't care that he's a Crow. He specifically tells you that seduction is Illario's thing.

Yes, you can read romance and be in love with the idea (and even long for it for yourself!) and still not take that jump.

Sex is not casual for everyone. Casual sex is not for everyone.

Please sit with that before you guffaw and call it impossible.

[syoddeye]

Here me out pls

Nik in the Strict Machinery AU as a possible bf for reader for a NikPricexReader

Thank you for your time

hear you out? for nik? always. this was fun. nikolai is still nikolai in this au. that is, mysteriously wealthy and well-connected. he's probably fascinated by john. it's cutting edge technology, after all. available only to the testers that live in the building.

that said. i do not think their first meeting goes well.

strict machine anthology. cw: alcohol mention, implied non-consensual voyeurism, the boys are fighting

the hesitation is intentional, nikolai thinks. prototype or not, there is no reason for this thing to experience a delay. it's too advanced. his own cheap, voice-active coffee maker brews pots when he's face down in bed, slurring commands through a hangover.

he leans against the counter. "john. i said, black coffee, no sugar."

this time, it responds. "user has not authorized food or drink for guests."

nikolai smiles, a tired amusement curving his mouth. "she's asleep," he counters, pushing to see where the line is. "should i wake her?"

after a beat, the machine hums to life, reluctantly, he assumes. as the mug fills, he turns his attention to the wall panel. he ignores the in case of emergency and authorized users only stickers.

the nearly invisible door gives a soft whoosh as the compartment opens, revealing a sleek, intricate array of circuits and controls—a shrine to cutting-edge design. far beyond what even the wealthiest of his clients might handle, nikolai marvels at it, his fingers hovering just shy of contact. then, he touches its small screen, intending to peek at—

it zaps him. not painful, but pointed. a gentle warning, considering. nikolai shakes out his fingers and chuckles. "i apologize. i should always ask before touching."

there is no answer, until he retrieves his coffee. it is black, but one sip, and he knows there are at least two sugars in it. what a curious, temperamental thing.

"before she wakes, i should inform you that i was unable to complete your background check last night." john suddenly pipes up, voice clipped and stern.

"you ran a check? on me?" not the first time, not the last. good to know his team is worth their salaries, though. keeping him disconnected, his data scrubbed.

"i run checks with everyone my user spends more than five minutes with."

"surely i lasted longer than that," nikolai smirks into his mug, feeling the granules dissolve and swim between his teeth. "you were watching us, weren't you?"

silence.

"to make sure i was acting as a gentleman, as i assured you last night?"

"you were drunk."

"we both were." nikolai replies, moving to the couch. he sinks into its corner, one leg draped over the edge, lounging comfortably. he looks out across the sterile space. it is cozy compared to his own, but it has its charm. he is undecided about the assistant, though.

the thing is too over-zealous for his liking. he would spit if he heard his coffee maker back talk. he would take a bat to it.

"you must know her better than anyone."

this time, the response is immediate. defensive, even. "i am optimized to ensure her well-being."

nikolai chuckles. "'optimized'. is that what you call it?" he smooths back his mussed hair. "you don't like me. you're suspicious. that's good. it's very…human."

"it is not. i am not." a shift in tone. closer, too. like he's right on top of him. has he flustered the thing? "my programming is consistent and solid, unlike–"

"humans?" he catches a flicker of light, and a projected figure materializes beside him, legs disappearing into the couch. broad shoulders, bullish posture, arms crossed. its face is tight and stern, probably modeled after a thousand logged expressions of intimidation. the fidelity is nothing like he's seen, either. realistic enough that nikolai wanted to touch it the mole on its nose. his hand twitches before he recalls the panel's warning.

hm. interesting. more rugged than i imagined.

"that's good, john. because i'm consistent. solid, too. ask her about that later. she will tell you, or she will request pain relief." he lifts his mug in a toast, and the figure's frown deepens.

just as quickly as it appeared, the image vanishes. he hears movement from beyond the cracked bedroom door, followed by a voice. low, but not quite low enough.

"john?"

"yeah, darl?"

darl?

"i'm, uh, sore from...dancing last night. do you mind setting out something in the bathroom for it?"

something in the wall behind nikolai makes an awful sound. a muffled, metal-on-metal rumbling. an equivalent to grinding teeth together. his grin widens, and he spreads his legs a little further.

"of course, darl, i'll—"

"oh! and ask nik what he wants for breakfast, okay?"

he laughs quietly into his too-sweet coffee at the program's stiff and resigned assent.

[oceansarepink]

Stella - Fans give HelluvaBoss far too much credit.

When starving for rep, people will eat anything. The phrase goes, “Beggars can’t be choosers”. But stop insisting mud slop is chocolate cake.

Talking about Stella with the fandom is extremely awkward. Most hate her because of headcanons and projections. Those alone are why they claim she’s “scarily realistic”, not the writing itself. When you speak to them about the character they start talking about their own experiences as if those are part of the show.

When “Stella is terribly written” comes up, the fans love going into diatribes explaining what domestic abuse is to the audience as if we don’t know, and their explanations alone, they think, make Stella suddenly become “well written”.

You ask the fans, “how is she well written?” And they say “well, she’s a woman who is abusive to a man.” The fact female abusers are underrepresented in media means stellas mere existence alone is enough to warrant undivided praise. Standing ovations happen at cons where Bryce Pinkham cites his lines divorcing the character. Despite this conflict being completely shallow.

Stolas fans are extremely insistent that she must remain one note and pure evil. Because to them, in this “powerful story” she’s carrying the fate of male DV victims on her back. So if Stella is humanised, the fear is that male victims of domestic abuse won’t be believed, and their abusers have ‘apologist rhetoric’ (Stella being legitimately done wrong) may hurt them!…Despite “Stella” being nothing more than a cartoon swan. They give this webtoon incredible amounts of social power. And medrano I think, loves and relishes in that power. She doesn’t have to lift a finger and actually write a character, backstory, arc, relationships, likes/dislikes, a plan of villainy, a dynamic, or a story, the fact Stolas exists, is gay, and is a victim to a woman, is enough. Enough for a grand standing ovation.

Let me explain with an example

In this scene of Stella and Via where her mother takes her phone away. The sole dialogue to via is “sorry sweetie, no talking to that deadbeat” that’s all. But twitter users started saying - Via cries like stolas does, Stella hates that. Abusers sometimes bully their children for having traits of their victims. So via has to hide her tears so her mom doesn’t abuse her. They imply they have experience with it, which makes Stellas writing is so realistic.

…..That’s great and all. People are allowed to relate and have comfort characters. But none of that is in the show. Stella just took her daughter’s phone. That’s all she did and said to her. But when someone points that out, they get accused of doubting someone’s real life abuse experience. The one they’ve imagined as also being in the show.

[sturnlsstuff]

NOT SO TOUGH | ghostface!matt

ghostface!matt comes to you for help after geting hurt on one of his "nights out".

— warnings; blood, mentions of murder & violence, cursing

requested by this person !! divider credits. @anitalenia

it was a quiet evening in which you finally found some time to take care of yourself, do skincare, watch your favorite shows and read a book. you were home alone, a week after finishing your finals at college, and you needed some relaxation and peace. you didn't think anything could destroy your alone time tonight.

until someone started banging on your door around midnight.

confused by someone visiting at such an hour, you get out of bed and lazily trudge to the door, first obviously checking who it was. a frown appears between your eyebrows and your heart skips a beat. you unlock the door, "matt? what are you—"

he practically pushes himself forward, almost losing his balance and leaning on your body for support. "fuck, sorry— are you... are you alone?"

"yeah," you kick the door shut with your foot, arm wrapping around his waist causing hiss to escape from his mouth. matt takes off his blood stained ghostface mask, tossing it to the side so you were able to see his face. he didn't look too good, blood dripping from his nose, hair messed up, dark circles under his eyes. your heart drops at the sight. "what— what happened?"

"fuckin' disaster, that's what happened." he retorts dryly, grimacing in pain as you start leading him to the bathroom. "i know is late, i just didn't really know where to go. i couldn't... couldn't show up like this at my place, y'know."

after helping him sit down on the closed toilet, you stand between his legs, grabbing his jaw and examining his face against the light to see better. he gently smacks your hand away, "is nothing, y'need to help me with this." he points at his black robe, only now it is noticeable that it was damaged, torn in some places and also bloody, your mind swirling with questions, assumptions and worries.

you help him untangle himself from the robe, several curses and painful groans filling the bathroom. underneath he had a black t-shirt through which you could also see the blood stain. you lock eyes with him, "matt. what the fuck happened?"

he rolls his eyes, trying to take off the shirt with which you're also quick to help. "i was out, doing my... stuff. had to take care of things, but it went slightly in a wrong direction—"

"slightly?!"

your eyes widen, breath catches in your throat as his bare chest is revealed to your gaze with numerous bruises forming on it and — what's worse, a cut on his rib from which blood was oozing out.

"yeahhhh... business problems," his voice tinged with a hint of sarcasm, before he winces when your fingers brush against his bruises. his skin feels exposed under your eyes, and he can see that concerned expression of yours that you were giving him more and more often recently. he sighs, "it looks worse than it feels, i promise. don't worry 'bout it."

"i'm not..." you mutter quietly.

he smirks, blood from his nose begins to flow down his mouth and chin. "sure you don't, sweetheart."

"matt, you should see a doctor. i'm serious, this is...."

"be realistic," he scoffs. "i can't go to the hospital. it'd arouse suspicions. you gotta be my doctor for tonight." he cracks a little smile, his amusement making you annoyed.

"you're helpless."

"wooow, low blow, low blow—"

you quickly find the first aid kit and take a towel, soaking it slightly with water. standing between his legs again, you tilt his head back, starting to wipe the blood from his face. "so how did it happen? and i don't wanna hear any of this 'business problems' bullshit."

he sighs, eyes locked on your face. "my victim was such a fighter, apparently. didn't really want to die." his words makes a shiver goes down your spine, even if you were already used to his lifestyle. "there were two of 'em, wanting to make sure to leave me with a few gifts." once he sees the death stare you give him, he decides to push the jokes aside. "it was just a little harder this time. one of 'em punched me in the face with something, which explains this," he points at his face that was now clean. "if not my mask, i'd probably get my nose fuckin' broken."

"and what about this?" you urge him to lean back slightly and look at the cut on his ribs that is still leaking blood. it wasn't deep luckily, but looked nasty.

"the other one tried to defend himself with a knife and scratched me a little bit—"

"scratched you? jesus christ, matt..." you start cleaning the wound without warning, causing him to flinch and curse loudly. "oh, sorry— sorry..."

"be maybe a bit gentler, huh?"

you kneel between his legs, looking up at him with clear annoyance, "what's the problem, tough guy? i thought it only scratched you."

"oh, shut up..." he rolls his eyes, the corner of his mouth twitched upwards slightly, but then he groaned again as you continued to clean up the cut.

"not so tough now, hm?" you tease, but then gets more serious as the blood is still oozing out. "matt, you need to be more careful. and why the fuck would you even attack two guys when you're on your own? are you crazy?"

"hey, don't question my skills just 'cos i got hurt. it never happens, there always has to be a first time." he watches as you use a clean cloth, trying to stanch the gash on his skin. then you wrap the bandage tightly around his waist. luckily the wound really wasn't that big and didn't need to be seen by a doctor like you thought at the beginning. "besides..." he hisses uncomfortably. "i know what m'doing is dangerous and it's not gonna stop me. so quit worrying, m'kay?" he grips your wrist when you stand up, about to pull away. he pulls you to sit on his thigh, his hands finding its ways to your hips. "i'm serious."

"it's just... i never know what to expect from you," your arm wraps around his shoulder. "what if next time is going to be something worse? like..."

"m'good at what i'm doing, sweetheart. and you know it," he presses a small kiss on your neck, which breaks your attitude, causing to smile. "and to be honest? you're pretty good at being my personal nurse, so maybe i should start getting hurt more often."

"matt, don't even fucking joke like that," you reply, getting a chuckle in response which quickly turns into a slight cough and grimace, his chest and ribs in pain. "see? karma."

taglist: @certifiedstarrr @chrislovespepsi @le4hsblog @sturnsxbitvh @sweetlikesug4rvenom @xaristhings @mattsfavbitchhh @lvrsturniolo @r0s3luvr @slut4brunettes @madisonsturnioloss @chrispillowprincess @sturnioloslutttt4 @ashlishes @mattsbitchh @hi-people-who-are-alive @stellward123 @inssanely @matts-girlfriend @imnotalive420 @emely9274 @shadowthesim @yunkilm @sophiaxsblog @namelesssav @demyackerman @fratbrochrisgf @lvrsturniolo @chrisweetheart @chrisfavoritewhore @sturnslutz @ncm9696 @certified-sturniolo @mattsobvimyfav @swagalicious260 @giannalovessturniolo @sophand4n4 @brazyturtleneck @jocelyncsblog @sophand4n4 @giannalovessturniolo @alesturniolos @ilovenmcs

[overclockedopossum]

I shall not name the specifics but I can think of multiple events in my life that were traumatic entirely because of the way I was treated in the immediate aftermath. They were tame in themselves, but the overall experience was not. Honestly the tamer of the two sits worse with me now. It's not just the event and the person, it's the whole context as well.

Also realistically it's a sliding scale and I don't think it's useful to gatekeep at what point something counts as "trauma" anyway. Like if someone starts saying "I have TRAUMA don't criticise me for being shitty!" then I see where the impulse to gatekeep might arise, but it's more accurate to just evaluate the situation to say if it's an excuse (is the person hurting too, can you unite against the hurt, or are they just hurting others?). "mild trauma" is a more useful understanding than "sucked but can't be trauma because trauma is never ever mild".

Trauma is not always gigahyperultra bad things that happen to people. What's traumatic to one person might not affect another person in the slightest. Trauma is individual to the person experiencing it. If you have memories of something traumatic that you have been told repeatedly can't be traumatic because its "too tame", this is your sign to start accepting that trauma

[adventures-in-moderating]

So, like, I have been asked more than once how my OCs sound, and god I wish I could you an answer. Like, I have voices in my head for them, but it's difficult to point to a character or actor and say "they sound like that." The only one I can do that with is, stupidly enough, Dandy, who I've decided sounds exactly like Mark Baker's Raggedy Andy from the Raggedy Ann musical movie. I've established that Phonograph just sounds like me, but I'd probably cast someone else if I could.

Like, if we're being honestly, they'd all realistically sound like Becky Sloan or Baker Terry, maybe one of the other actors from the TV show if they're lucky. Penny probably would sound like Becky Sloan doing an impression of Julie Andrews, and I don't know what that sounds like, and Coby would just be Becky pitched up and bitcrushed (no auto-tune, that didn't exist in the 80s) with an American accent. May? Tori? Blue Jay Woman? Indigo Lady? No goddamn idea.

[liketwoswansinbalance]

What would you do if you knew you couldn't fall??

Did you mean "fail?" Unless you meant literally falling, I will answer as if you wrote "fail." You can correct me if that is the wrong interpretation, and I could answer the question again.

Assign first-class experts to solve the world's problems... so I wouldn't have to do it all—assuming the technicality is that I start the projects, then they probably would not fail. Would that loophole work? (Realistically, if it didn't work, I don't think I'd actually be altruistic enough to do all that...) Would I have to see the projects through to completion? That's quite a lot of work. But doing this would likely mean I will probably have a clean conscience for the rest of my life, ideally, because, I know I should if I had the power to do so.

In relation to #1, even if this is non-necessary, also assign people to figure out if there's life on other planets. I just want to know. Don't need to contact whatever is out there—I don't want anything to go wrong. I'd just want to possibly spy on them for a little while. The problem is: spying is unethical, so I'd have to convince myself that I'm either doing it for cautionary reasons or as a longitudinal, naturalistic "study." This could be a pandora's jar, so I might take it off the list.

Cure stupidity and herd mentality. (Curing all physical ailments is built into no. 1 already.) Or better yet, get someone else to do it. (At the same time, we could argue that these qualities are part of being human or flawed, and that we shouldn't tamper with our human-ness. In which case, just no. Also, we would lose part of our former connection to literature, pre-cure. For instance, we would no longer comprehend the meaning of the trope: "love causes poor judgment." So, would it be worth it? Even if the world were terraformed and otherwise reshaped in more metaphorical ways to be "perfect," I think we would still manage to invent new problems because it's what we've always done as a species. Thus, there needs to be a reasonable stopping point. And, I'm not sure what that point is, meaning several other items on this list might have to be struck out.)

Have the world's politicians be... better somehow? Ensure they are sane and moral, that they trust science, are scientifically-literate... I feel, perhaps, like we might get better results if we chose science-fiction writers, particularly those who've managed to predict our present and know how to do social commentary. They seem to be aware of and actually care about the state of humanity. (I'm not really well-informed enough to make any decisions, but I know well enough that the world needs people of varied knowledge and skillsets to continue on. So, I'm not completely, intentionally trying to valorize only what I'm interested in. I'm just biased like any other human being is.)

Delegate everything I don't like doing to competent people (like cooking), and reap the benefits of the exact outcomes I'd want every time. If they were successful, I'd never have a problem with dust and no one would ever move my stacks of books and paper, which often collect dust.

Turn myself immortal and gain eternal youth. (This should probably be item no. 1 on the list, actually, to account for how long the first few tasks could potentially take.) Then use those means on others who would want it done. If it's someone I don't like, I could still let them become immortal, and would just tell them after this favor not to cross paths with me again. I would also try to convince anyone I want to keep around to stay.

No. 6 would attract too much publicity. I'd need a way to continue being relatively anonymous, except for what I would selectively want to be recognized for. (If I couldn't fail at it, I'd love to become the next "Shakespeare" or some kind of literary giant... and maybe then have the world forget about me... and be rediscovered and reinterpreted by future generations who use my original and/or revolutionary works as required reading in their syllabi. That'd be striking and cool. I'm not sure how I would stop suffering from belatedness though.)

Find a way to never sleep, never eat, never exercise, and not experience cognitive decline. I would only do the ones I like doing.

Find a way to resurrect people from the dead. (I already know this has too much margin for catastrophe, so there would have to be restrictions on what can and cannot be done. At the same time, I am also aware this would violate nature, so it might have to be removed from the list. Who am I to decree the rules?)

I haven't addressed religion yet. I'd have to find some way to alleviate my guilt, but that's more of a temporary fix and not a real solution. I'd have to find some way to remain a mostly good or at least harmless person, assuming I'm mostly one now. If there's no reason for anyone, any force, or anything to object to my existence, I would hope I would be allowed to continue on with my plans.

If there were some way to affirm what I think my personal beliefs are, that would be great. At the same time, that defeats the point of faith, and so, I'm not sure what to do about this dilemma.

Learn everything I want to learn now that I have infinite time to learn it (and infinite time to procrastinate).

Consume all the media I want to consume and also never miss new installments or works of art because I wouldn't be outlived by creators.

Become some kind of successful writer. I mentioned this before, but to specify: maybe a novelist or maybe an academic critic—why not both?! Sky's the limit!

Eventually, if I could never fail, I might wonder about whether anything could ever be a challenge or worth doing anymore. (Doubt that will happen since I have a fear of failure anyway—and being cured of it would be a wonderful reality to live in!)

And so, I could want to die eventually. (Again, highly doubt that will happen.)

In case: It's not my top priority, but: study philosophy, so I don't become corrupt, apathetic, or suicidal since I know things can happen to the human psyche after too long.

If no. 1 didn't happen, and humans were faced with climate change as well as other problems, then I would want to die before the planet were barren and ruined, so I wouldn't have to live under dystopian conditions.

Some of the above might not happen because I may procrastinate too much. That would suggest that the revised item no. 1 should be: conquer procrastination once and for all, and only then proceed in a rough order.

[wolfbon3z]

I do agree with you on that! This reblog is not meant as hate is disapproval of your statements, simply an addition, even though unrelated to the actual point of your post :,3

One of my issues with this is, that these are kind of „requirements“ for getting attention on tiktok, which kind of ruins the idea of, well, self expression.

If you are alterhuman and u don’t show exactly this type of creativity or flexibility/endurance, then you won’t get attention, which on tumblr is completely fine, but on tiktok it’s just kind of not how that works.

Yes many creators make posts talking about how these things aren’t requirements nor do these make you a therian, but every time I stumble upon posts that say these things, show self expression in another way or simply aren’t „good“ enough at the things, they do not get to be seen for their actual skills.

Even though this isn’t really criticizing tiktok therians, I feel it is absolutely to complain about tiktok as a platform, which I could get into an entire rant about. To put it as simply as possible; on tiktok, for anyone who does not use it, you can either be famous and made into a content machine, or you are simply, a consumer.

If you are famous, it is either because you slowly built your audience through constantly joining trends and appealing to your general audience, or one of your videos accidentally blew up and got a bunch of attention, gaining you followers and people who do find interest in your content. Either way, you need to become a content machine thst posts regularly in a similar style or else you will lose interaction, which again, as stated, removed the entire point of SELF expression and rather puts you into this little cage like in a zoo, doing only tje tricks that the platform wants you to do (trust me, I was a small-ish content creator for a while and my neurodivergent ass decided to analyze this stuff)

The issue is that your creativity isn’t yours anymore once put out to the public cuz either you are unique but unseen, or you are mass-printing into trends but then really popular, to extend this metaphor even further. With this in mind, remember that if you are famous, people will listen to YOUR opinion, which causes issues involving drama, which spreads quite regularly on there. This also means that if you use labels and you give the definition, people will use that instead of actually looking things up before believing what they read on the internet (isn’t internet safety ironic).

Linking back to my statement about personal creativity being taken away from you; many people (especially on here) have made the statement that therian tiktok is ableist, which may seem confusing to many; here’s why. When you think of tiktok therians, you probably imagine people aged 14-18 doing VERY realistic quadrobics with the cat-base masks, wearing hippie or „fairycore grunge“ outfits, most being feminine presenting. This image often messes with any therians who are either older, have physical disadvantages either through disability, body shape or other physical factors, not getting them the reach they want, even if they try just as hard. This also goes for people who live in urban areas or live in a very violent/judgmental environment, making it unable to get time for yourself to try out this fun sport, which, again, means you aren’t getting any views on social media.

I coukd honestly do a whole study on the retention rate of therian tiktok and seeing what factors make what videos blow up more just to prove this, but I think my point is clear enough.

With all this 'tiktok therian' argument going on, let's say what we appreciate about the community despite the negatives- i'll go first I love seeing how creative tiktok therians are. Gear tutorials are readily available, and I love looking at how artistic folks can be. I love the POV quad videos, it's like i'm running through nature!! Its quite impressive how well folks can do quads, they're a pretty good workout! And quad tutorials that prioritize correct form and comfort so you dont get injured! I love seeing how brave folks are to go out in public with gear or do quads, unapologetically. I'm too nervous to do that.

I love my fellow therians, no matter what platform, and you should too.

[xypheris]

Batfam Watches Titanic

Imagine this chaotic family sitting down for movie night, begrudgingly agreeing to watch Titanic because Dick said it’s a “classic.”

Dick

Crying before the iceberg even shows up. “It’s about the journey, not the destination, guys!” Overdramatically quotes the “I’m the king of the world!” scene while standing on the coffee table. Shushed several times for giving an emotional monologue about love and loss during the “Jack and Rose on the door” scene.

Jason

Constantly pointing out who would’ve survived if he were there. “You don’t just let go, bro. Hold on. What’s wrong with you?” Cheering when Billy Zane gets called out. “We love a rich jerk takedown arc.” “Wait, are you saying the diamond wasn’t cursed? Missed opportunity.” Definitely the first to say, “There was enough room for Jack on that door.”

Damian

Complains the entire time. “This is a waste of my brain cells.” “Why is the dialogue so… sappy? Is this supposed to be realistic?” Calls the iceberg the MVP for being the only logical thing in the movie. Storms off at the end, muttering, “Rose is a fool for throwing away the diamond.”

Cass

Silently vibing. Not a single word the whole movie. Absolutely loses it at the scene with the old couple holding each other as the ship sinks. Somehow ends up with the loudest sobs in the room during Jack’s death. Shoves popcorn in Jason’s mouth when he says something snarky.

Steph

Lives for the drama. “Omg, the tension between Jack and Rose? Immaculate.” Pauses the movie during Rose’s iconic “draw me like one of your French girls” scene to say, “This is art.” Cry-laughs at the guy who falls off the ship and hits the propeller. Glares at Damian when he calls the love story “unnecessary fluff.”

Tim

Watches the whole thing through a critical lens: “So, technically, this movie has several historical inaccuracies.” Pulls up Wikipedia articles mid-movie to fact-check. Argues with Jason over whether Rose would have been better off staying with Billy Zane’s character for survival. “Okay, but have we considered the logistical challenges of building that door?”

Alfred

Sits quietly, sipping tea. “This is a cinematic masterpiece.” Tuts every time Jason interrupts. “Master Jason, kindly refrain from ruining the experience for everyone else.” When the ship sinks, he mutters, “The folly of man’s hubris.” At the end: “There’s a lesson here, Master Bruce. Perhaps don’t take on more than you can handle.”

Bruce

Pretends not to be interested but watches the entire movie with a furrowed brow. “They could have planned better evacuation procedures.” Overanalyzes the structural failures of the ship. Gets weirdly defensive during the “rich people are awful” scenes. “Not all wealthy individuals lack compassion…” Quietly agrees with Damian about Rose tossing the diamond being ridiculous.

Barb

Laughs every time Dick cries. “Again, Dick? We’re not even halfway through!” Agrees with Jason about the door: “Rose really said, ‘Sorry, Jack, sink or swim!’” Points out how Rose’s story wouldn’t pass as a valid eyewitness account in a real investigation. Records everyone’s reactions for blackmail material.

Duke

“So y’all are just now watching Titanic?” Emotionally invested in Jack and Rose’s romance until Jason and Damian ruin the vibe with their commentary. Absolutely loses it at the propeller guy scene: “I know I’m going to hell for this, but—BAHAHA!” At the end: “Rose could’ve had a whole lifeboat to herself if she had my luck in emergencies.”

Post-Movie

Jason starts a Twitter poll about whether Jack could’ve fit on the door. Dick hosts a group therapy session for his unresolved feelings about “the fragility of human connection.” Tim tries to plan his own historically accurate Titanic story. Bruce just quietly leaves the room, muttering something about “better ship designs.”

[eternalera]

so people have been wondering why caitvi is a lot less popular now within the arcane fandom than ships with timebomb or jayvik and as someone who ships them let me explain mostly why this is happening, of course mostly from the writing perspective as there is likely some misogyny included in said reason but thats just what ive heard and not seen (this does NOT mean it isnt happening though). and im also not including it because im just addressing why even some caitvi shippers (that i know) ended up not caring for it in s2

(click read more because this... this is a long one)

first off im stating that this is just a combination of what ive seen from other people and my own opinions. in your opinion these points can be completely dogshit and thats okay because they're opinions. not fact. with that being said lets get started.

1. Tension, s2 act 2 kills almost ALL of the tension that the first act sets up. in the first act you have them getting together, you have them finally kissing and breaking the previous tension in s1 then to keep people interested in the ship in the same episode they have them breakup. and this works people talked a SHIT ton about this and were going feral over it, looking at the trailer and seeing 'oh look at emo vi and her dictator gf!!' and even the 'there are two ways to handle a gay break up' memes. it was all over.

people were feral, waiting for the next act to see them interact and have beef with each other (before inevitably getting back together because we all knew it would happen). but in act two we dont really get that. we get the aftermath from vi's perspective and kinda cait's???? but then we have their interaction and people are hyped at this moment. because this is the moment. the one that they were all waiting for and there's a small scuffle before... it stops.

vi calls cait cupcake and... all if forgiven rather quickly in that scene (obviously in act 3 they have some more drama but we'll talk about it later). they have their moment and its cute. you have cait folding after being called cupcake, its cute. but thats just the thing. its nothing else but cute. there are still stakes dont get me wrong but that moment is just... so bad for cait's character. she has the whole dictator arc and it just takes vi calling her a pet name for her to switch sides.

and yes its adorable, its everything you want in a ship. but it doesnt really make sense when you take in account everything that they've been building up for cait. her dictator arc, her gassing zaun, training with ambessa, losing her mother, breaking up with vi. it all seems undermined by vi calling her a petname and all of the sudden the tension is taken out of their relationship.

they get back together (sorta) and help plan to take down ambessa and that's all it took. its like having a really evil villain who did a ton of bad things but the good guy gives them a pep talk (vi doesnt even do that) and all of the sudden their mind changes completely

it's not realistic, it doesn't make sense.

then you have act 3 and where vi actually confronts cait about ambessa and her going along with her actions and they have a small argument thats kinda just resolved by cait saying that she knows what she did wrong and that she tried helping jinx not get arrested too and then BAM there's a shift in the argument and then we're back to jinx and it never gets brought up again (correct me if im wrong)

their relationship follows this, happy moment, create something that causes tension, build up tension, refuse to follow through.

its like its tightening a string on an instrument to get a tone but before you pluck it the string loosens and all of the sudden you get this really really dull and kinda disgusting sound that doesn't leave you feeling 100% satisfied in the end

or if you're an artist almost filling in a circle completely but at the last second you color just a little bit outside the lines. it's not satisfying.

2. The sex scene, this is just mostly stuff ive seen and while i dont agree with all of it i must say that they do have their valid points of thinking that the scene was a little misplaced. most of the complaints of seen of this is that vi was out of character and that she should've been looking for jinx since it was implied that jinx was going to kill herself to 'fix' everything. and while i dont think vi couldve really known this i do see where theyre coming from as vi is inherently protective of jinx and her actions and even if there was the slightest chance that she might harm herself vi would do anything in her power to stop it and... she just doesnt.

when cait unlocks the cell she doesnt rush out to jinx, she just wallows a bit longer and mopes (WHICH IS FUCKING VALID BTW). then you have cait talk to her and... SEX. yeah there is other stuff between that but some people felt that they shouldve had them have their talk and then had vi rush out to help jinx.

a lot of people also felt that cait was taking advantage of vi in this moment (i do NOT agree with this at all) to an emotional extent and saying how the scene didnt feel right because vi wasnt in her best state (i agree slightly with this) and that the sex in the cell wasnt really reclaiming anything from all those years of being in the cell like the directors originally intended it to

then you have people saying that it was misplaced (and i kinda agree) and that it just felt so sudden for the both of them especially considering everything with them and then there's the next reason...

3. Caitlyn herself, there was so much drama about her character. in the first arc you have people defending her actions and who were ready to die for her and people getting mad at her, saying she was the worst and that she didnt deserve vi after what she did to her. this also comes with her character being set up to do a lot of evil shit in the future. there was drama (when is there not) and that meant the majority of people loved or hated her with a slim minority not really caring her for at all.

she was implied to have gassed zaun (actually its not even really implied as she, vi, and the gang do it that one episode in a montage and they actually show them doing it for like... a scene or two) and overall just have been a really shitty person to zaunites. she slept with maddie (which people HATED) and they kept leading up to her being the big bad the person who vi would have to convince but once again... they meet and all tension is ruined.

cait's character is one of the best and worst things in arcane. they did such a good job setting her up only to fumble last second and yeah... thats enough to effectively kill a ship as one half of it is the other character (assuming is a monogamy ofc) and 50% is not passing. people arent going to be as committed to a ship when they hate the other character in it and thats just a fact

4. Time, it just... didnt work. timebomb got a full episode (practically) devoted to it and jayvik was kinda in there as crumbs. not to mention that their entire arc is sprinkled a lot more effectively and more long lasting throughout s2 of arcane. with timebomb THEY GOT A WHOLE EPISODE

people already like both characters of ekko and jinx so yeah theyre going to go feral over what coudlve been. the dance, everything and it effectively builds up tension with showing us how good everything couldve been and fully releases it in a satissfying way with ekko's leave. with jayvik you have him going insane and realizing that he has to kill viktor in order to stop what happens in the future (GIVING US THE ANSWER TO WHAT HAPPENED IN EP6 and this also gives us more tension in the relationship when viktor comes back).

you have ekko stopping jinx from ending her life (another reason people didnt like the sex scene cause jinx was actively trynna off herself during it) and telling her to give living another chance because you can build something more you can start again. and you also have the implications of them drawing on themselves in the artbook and just in general during the show. you have the hot air balloon contraption that they create. its everything

jayce then meets with viktor in the room and there is tension so much tension and it all goes to them. then you have jayce confronting and giving himself to viktor on the battlefield and its so well written. now, personally i have my issues with how jayce talk not jutsu-ed viktor into stop being evil or whatever (personally that scene was like a 6/10 for me). "BUT WAIT WHAT ABOUT YOUR COMPLAINTS WITH VI AND CAIT AND CAIT FOLDING AFTER BEING CALLED CUPCAKE?!?!" they would be lessened if we were shown them talking and discussing what happened, what went wrong. with them we dont do that, we dont get the release of them regretting what they've done, their actions. that declaration of love.

with jayvik we do (love can be interpreted as romantic or platonic) and they probably spend more time in that scene talking about each other and how much they care for one another than caitvi do in the entirety of s2 when it comes to discussing their relationship.

basically what happened was that the writers confirmed 'yes theyre canon now, nothing else is going to happen to them. okay time to focus on other things' and caitvi got sidelined SO HARD in the end that come people stopped caring for them entirely and put more attention to ships and dynamics that were getting more attention and love from the show.

basically thats all i could think of and its 1am so sorry for any grammar or spelling mistakes lol. tell me if i got anything wrong, if you agree or just your general opinions on the matter because this is what i could find/gather about them. have a good day/night everybody :)

[infizero]

silver hasn't changed - he's just been put in different scenarios (a silver character analysis)

something that constantly frustrates me when it comes to discourse over silver's character is that people either treat him as a total uwu soft boy, OR they overcorrect and treat him as some unhinged asshole.

silver's always been a mix of both, but here's why i think it feels like he's gotten "softer" to some people:

silver has ALWAYS had sort of two sides to him based on what situation he's in. he's this pure-hearted, naive kid who refuses to give up hope and who cares about people deeply.

but part of his naivety is that he's very headstrong when pursuing his goals, and tends to see things as very black and white when other people get involved ("you're either with me or against me" kinda thing)

silver is not one or the other, he's both. HE'S ALWAYS BEEN BOTH. in 06 you see scenes of him ruthlessly trying to murder sonic, but you also see scenes of his relationship with blaze, or him taking in the beauty of the nature he's never seen before.

and these sides of him are intertwined as well. the brash and aggressive way silver treats people in the rivals series, for example, stems FROM his naivety and social awkwardness. silver genuinely expects people to just believe him and let him do what he needs to do without question. so when people demand he explain himself, or get in his way because they don't understand what he's doing, he gets frustrated.

(i also just don't think that the rivals series is a good frame of reference to point to when complaining silver is too soft nowadays, considering that literally everyone in those games is like 50% more aggressive than they usually are lol. espio literally tells knuckles, his friend, to his face that he doesnt care that the master emerald is missing and won't help him find it)

anyways, getting more into specifics, 06 and the rivals games show off how silver acts when he's on a mission - he's brash, he's aggressive, and totally focused on doing whatever's necessary to achieve his goals.

his next appearance after that is sonic colors ds, where he's way more chill and casually talks with sonic. which makes sense because there's no reason stated for silver being there; he doesn't have a goal he's pursuing at the moment, so you're able to see that more relaxed side of him.

he's aggressive again in his next game appearance, generations, because he thinks sonic is an impostor - again, there is a specific reason for him acting that way.

forces i don't count because silver is so egregiously out of character there ("i'm an optimist but i'm also a realist" - dawg no the fuck you are not) but he's definitely not an uwu soft boy there

in team sonic racing he's definitely a bit softer which makes sense considering it's just. car racing. and in idw for the most part he's either chilling, or helping the others face a threat, so again there isn't really a reason for that aggressiveness to rear its head.

but we DO see it come out in idw more recently!! as soon as he thinks something's up with "duo," he immediately jumps to that anger and brashness:

these moments are pretty in line with the aggressiveness he displayed in 06 or the rivals series, which i think goes to show that his character hasn't really CHANGED.

it's just that more recently, he's usually been in lower stakes situations where that softer side of his is spotlighted, while during his earlier appearances that more aggressive side was what was spotlighted. but both sides have always existed, and both sides continue to exist.

tldr: stop complaining about silver being too soft please for the love of god

[plaidos]

Didn't want to be that one follower who sucks the wind out of the room with a big addition, so sending this for you to answer or ignore at your own discretion.

Visavis that body slider post, I kind of just feel like we can't and will never be able to depend on AAA games to represent us accurately, or really any minority experience for that matter. These games are all fairly archetypical power fantasy heroes quests or whatever, and especially if they incorporate full character customization, they necessarily will shave off granularity, especially in the name of budget feasibility.

Maybe they could be convinced that transfems are a large enough market to hire a VA for us, and learn the dos and donts of body/gender character creation by rote, but the story will still be roughly the same. They won't add a hundred, maybe thousand, little instances of microaggression, degendering, kneejerk suspicion; completely rewrite the fabric of how every other character in the game interacts with us, because then they'd have to do that for every other conceivable identity.

I'm not saying this is fair, or justified, or that they should be let off the hook for it, but I just unfortunately don't see it ever changing for these types of games. A far more feasible ask, in my opinion, would be to demand that games if anything stop making the character a blank canvas for the audience to craft an effigy of themselves, and instead force them to make narratives that are explicitly transfeminine alongside being power fantasy heroes quests; to ask the majority cis audience to step into our shoes for once, in a way that can't be cordoned off to the side as the overwhelming majority of the audience plays as a character that doesn't force them to challenge their preconceptions of the world.

i agree somewhat, but i’m not necessarily asking for literally every line of dialogue to be restructured for every element of every character — but this is Dragon Age we’re talking about; it prides itself on writing separate dialogues for different character traits, and it literally follows through on doing that with transness as a trait too — that’s actually one of the cooler parts of Veilguard. the problem is that when we come to meet the non-binary character, none of their story makes any kind of sense. theyre closeted and anxious about telling their mom, but… there doesn’t seem to be any transphobia in this world, so why would that be a factor? there’s this great big Very Special Episode feeling cutscene about this character being accidentally misgendered and how all the cis characters should punish themselves for it. but if there’s no transphobia, that’s just a genuine mistake, like i don’t see people forcing themselves to do push-ups when they accidentally refer to their married friend as “miss”, or if you accidentally refer to a cis person who changed their name by their old name — it’s just a “oh my bad, sorry” moment before moving on — and worse yet, this conversation forces your character to be a cis person at the sidelines when it’s a perfect example of just One perfect place you could be inserting different dialogue for a trans character.

i’m not asking for massive vast differences between trans and cis characters, obviously these types of RPGs have to have some element of mushy in-the-middle-ness to be able to have such widely customisable characters. but there’s a mid ground between “literally realistic depiction of being microaggressed by every cis person you meet & totally separate dialogue trees and quests and storylines” and “my trans character is assumed to be cis in the writing of cutscenes interacting with major trans characters about them being trans”. and we’re at the latter right now.

you’re right — we’re not a marketable demographic. that’s not why these things are being added: that’s literally my point, the trans content in videogames is largely aimed at cis people feeling good and progressive for its surface level inclusion. like, “nobody cares enough to represent us because we won’t give them enough money” is part of what i’m complaining about? 😭

[sir-adamus]

Ironwood's spiral from volume 4 (closing the borders, recalling the military, Dust embargo) to volume 7 (Mantle's become a police state, diverting supplies meant for the undercity to his secret projects, putting Penny alone as the sole realistic defense Mantle has and acting more and more without Council oversight) all happens in just over a month

Weiss leaves Atlas in volume 4, gets to Anima a few days later and is caught by the Branwens, who hold her for a short period of time before Yang shows up, at which point the two reunite with Ruby shortly after - this all takes place within the month leading up the Battle of Haven

volume 6 starts two weeks after the Battle, and the journey to Argus, then onto Atlas, takes about a week in terms of days passed

Weiss left and was back in Atlas in just over a month - but while we see Ironwood has clearly deteriorated in that time, we don't actually know how bad conditions in Mantle were before Weiss left, because we see in volume 8 that Atlesians are kept incredibly insulated from what's going on below (meaning Penny was probably restored and installed in Mantle for months and Weiss just never heard about it)

the Dust embargo was also likely Ironwood attempting to appropriate the SDC's Dust stores for the Amity project by preventing exports (though clearly without much success, considering the increasing tensions between him and Jacques - also that was another red flag, that they were 'friends' despite their arguing. like, it's telling that Ironwood was more willing to butt heads with Jacques than he was to even talk to Robyn)