#its a level of cognitive dissonance i dont get

[octopodian]

i genuinely dont understand the sheer cognitive dissonance to be posting about how masks are soooo soooo important for preventing covid (true!) and then NEVER wearing one yourself irl. are you..... looking forward to catching covid? like are you doing it on purpose? idgi

[yonpote]

I need to know why and how you were anti-phannie from 2014-2016

alright here we go i get to talk about THIS shit now.

i was generally anti-rpf at that point, and honestly? i think it was for fair enough reasons as some people were a bit too eager about showing (general) youtubers stories they wrote about them sucking and fucking their friends. i think i was also pretty high and mighty about being a somewhat oldhead phannie tbh, like ugh do these gaming-channel-only people even know about dan being super edgy and offensive 🙄 and lowkey it was a lot of subtly misogynistic "i'm not like other girls" type shit like i was sooo much better than yall cuz i hadn't watched that video (yet.)

i was generally not into these sorts of fandoms to begin with. i wasnt on the superwhopotterlock side, i was on the homestuck/dangan ronpa/anime of the month side of tumblr, if that gives you an idea of what i was like lol. around 2014-15 i was very much in a community that is kinda similar to what you might see on twitter now, where if you had any interests in media that portrayed anything problematic, that means you are in full support of that problematic thing. if dan howell said something racist in 2010, it doesn't matter that he wasn't being racist in 2015 he's still racist and liking him makes you a racist etc. and of course, rpf is included in problematic topics. if you ship real people, even if said people say they don't mind it, you are a sick pervert and you should be in the loony bin for being so depraved. and if you write or read any fiction that has immoral acts, it means you support those acts in real life too and you are trying to normalize abuse and SA (yknow as if whitecishetpatriarchy hasnt normalized that enough) and you're a danger to children and you deserve to rot in prison (yknow as if a queer person writing stories about queer people hasnt heard that one before)

now here's the real kicker. in 2015-2016 i ran a game grumps fan blog where i did talk about shipping the grumps. "wait how were you anti-rpf if-" well have you ever heard of this thing called Lying? or perhaps even, Cognitive Dissonance? i HAD to run a separate blog for this interest, because if my friends knew i consumed slashfic about arin and danny they would stop being friends with me and think im this evil horrible monster etc. genuinely that was where my brain was at, and is a little bit the reason i decided to this day, to make my phannie accounts completely separate from my main accounts.

nowadays, none of my non-phannie friends actually give a fuck and i do occasionally talk about dnp being silly gay white boys w them! at this point i dont post about em on main just out of respect like "hey im sure you dont actually want to hear about british yaoi constantly regardless of our level of friendship so i'll keep it over here okay?"

also, yeah i grew out of thinking consuming media with deplorable acts makes me deplorable. my favorite tv show is hannibal. i know its shocking, but i dont actually support serial killer cannibals. i will say, i dont fuck with "pro/anti" language with regards to what is considered "problematic" or having that be an identity marker. i think that people are free to write fiction as they please so long as its all properly tagged for people who dont enjoy that kind of content to avoid. but i also think there can be and often are problems in the way these stories are written, and yeah if all the romance stories you read growing up involve some sort of force or danger, that CAN normalize this sort of action as inherent to romance stories/real life romance. but i think thats an issue with like, society at large, and it's not on an individual fic writer to be educating teens who read their dead dove fic despite the explicit rating and tags.

TL;DR: BASICALLY. I WAS A DUMBASS KNOW-IT-ALL BUT DW I GOT BETTER.

[joligarcon]

i cant possibly go over every single thing that bothers me about the whole hogwarts legacy debacle but one of the most annoying and hurtful things about it is the way cis people are seemingly incapable of Not making it about themselves and whether they are Good or Bad people for buying the game and playing it. like has it ever occurred to them that not everything in the world is about them? that maybe its not about whether they get to be Good People and feel like Good People or whether they are Ontologically Evil No Matter What? that maybe i have better things to do then to waste my fucking time and energy reassuring them that they are Good or convincing them that they are Bad? that maybe just maybe this is about the IMPACT of what they are doing when they line the pockets of one of the most notorious transphobes in recent history and help her maintain cultural relevancy by continuing to engage with her creative property? because yeah, when you do that, you ARE contributing to a culture of transphobia, and you ARE complicit, because JKR isn't some rando celebrity with views that happen to be problematic, she is literally using her money and influence to empower shitheads who have the means to strip us of our human rights, and to normalize their transphobia as well as that of the public who remains passive and complicit at best. and if me saying that makes you feel guilty or like i'm calling you a bad person, maybe sit down and reflect on it for a bit. because what you're experiencing is called cognitive dissonance and it's not my fucking problem to deal with. and if you're still going to play the game in spite of all of that, at LEAST have the decency to do it in secrecy and shame and not come begging your trans friends and acquaintances for validation that youre still Totally A Good Ally uwu because i promise you we don't care to listen to you justify why the nazi terf game is Fine Actually and that youre Totally Engaging With It Non-Problematically we really truly dont. trans people aren't the catholic church, we aren't here to give out indulgences. so either play another game or fuck off.

all of this applies to your jewish pals too btw, they don't want to hear about it either. because yeah, apparently it wasn't enough for JKR to be a terf, she also had to be a raging antisemite to spice things up!!

i dealt with cognitive dissonance and a LOT of guilt before i went vegan so it's not like i don't know what thats like. but you know what i did? i boycotted animal products instead of making it everybody's problem. i was privileged enough to have the option not to fund animal abuse so i stopped doing it. and i'm not saying i'm a bastion of animal rights and good virtue, quite the contrary. i know i'm not actually doing anything amazing by simply Eating Different Food, but that's kind of my point. even with just that the stakes were much higher than with a video game boycott- i had to give up the food that had kept me alive for 20 years. whereas with a video game there are NO stakes at all, you're not actually sacrificing anything by not playing it but yall cant even fucking do that. you don't need any level of privilege whatsoever to partake in the boycott and yet. it just makes me think yall are the absolute lousiest people on earth if you cant even bring yourselves to do 1/10th of the lousy stuff ive been doing for other causes because "but my childhood uwu"

it hurts so much because it feels like betrayal. or rather thats straight up what it is. thing whole thing sheds an ugly, ugly light on the pervasiveness of performative allyship and it makes me think the future of the trans rights movement is looking bleak as FUCK if all our supposed "allies" are willing to abandon us over a video game. a fucking video game.

and maybe some people just dont realize the extent to which JKR has a direct impact on the state of human rights for trans people and they think shes just a kooky problematic fave but i don't think that's an excuse either because we have been SCREAMING at you guys for YEARS about what kind of person she is and what she does so at this point if you're still not aware it's like, where the fuck have you been?

i just. i just cant wait until the day we move on from harry potter as a society and let it and JKR fade into obscurity forever. im sick and tired of having to hear and talk about her.

[rose-teeth]

every time i see the "stop fear mongering noone is doing surgery on trans kids" shit i feel like im losing my mind. meanwhile people are screaming that if you dont let your kids under 18 get surgery youre evil, the state has the right to take them away, which has happened, jazz got bottom surgery on international tv before 18, and we regularly have girls getting their breasts removed before even 16. absolutely fucking wild the trans community is a level of reality denial and cognitive dissonance beyond anything else. same w the noone is saying bio sex isnt real and lesbians have to like dick shit, meanwhile if you deny this youre a nazi fascist and this shit b taught in schools and its just. everywhere. gooooood

[goopgirlie813]

It is also very clear that none of these people have meaningfully changed their opinions on a topic after being wrong.

I've had that moment of "oh shit, the thing I've been arguing for constantly and insulting people over is wrong. Wtf am I doing?" And it completely shifted my view of other people in a way that these folks have clearly never experienced.

Like hey, do you know what cognitive dissonance feels like? I do, now. It feels like getting angry, defensive, or otherwise resistant to engaging with material that has the potential to contradict your worldview. Because someone somewhere has made a good point but you're emotionally attatched to your opinion so instead of conceding that there may be something to it your mind treats the idea like a threat and has a fight or flight type reaction to information you disagree with. It feels like being emotionally invested in your opinions. It feels like having strong gut reactions to things associated with alternative opinions. It sounds like, "I don't need to read it, I already know what its gonna say." It looks like digging into and picking apart opposing evidence in search of something that will spin it your way or allow it to be dismissed.

And for the most part, you don't even know its happening. Like, yeah you have resistance to meaningfully engaging with other opinions and you're constantly spinning up hypotheticals to fill in the gaps and stretching the meanings of words to make things kinder to your position. You would think that would be obvious. But unfortunately its not. The brain obscures your own bias from you by explaining it away.

And this is the case for other people as well. Often when you see behavior that makes you think "they secretly know im right but dont wanna admit it," you're describing cognitive dissonance. As in, someone with your opinion made a good point but they had a defensive reaction that obscured their faulty reasoning in order to protect their ego. Or something of the sort. But they arent as actively aware as that phrasing implies.

Now I don't have the authority to say 100%, but I am fairly confident that the reason there is so much hate and anger toward other opinions is rooted in the fact that opinions are tied to identity. Its not just "I think abortion should be accessible," its "I am pro-choice." Its not just "I think the patriarchy should be dismantled," its "I am a feminist." Its not just "I think racism should be actively opposed," its "I am antiracist."

We turn every opinion into an identity with a community of people reinforcing that "this is the correct opinion." And the result is that people's identities get tied up in their opinion affiliation and having their opinion challenged turns into an attack on their identity. This puts disagreements on the level of a self defense situation and people lash out.

People going into comments or askboxes and sending hate and insults? Very possibly a fight response.

People vanishing and refusing to engage with a conversation after a point has been laid out? Very possibly a flight response.

Thats not always whats behind the behavior, but sometimes it definitely is whats happening. It think that fight or flight response to cognitive dissonance framework can explain a lot of unsavory behavior on social media.

Tl;DR people are not evil human brains are just super prone to bias and our current social context just amplifies that big time

"Those people believe x. We know they're wrong because y, but here's how they got to this point."

"So you think x!"

"No, I'm explaining what they think."

"You're making excuses for it and arguments that support it!"

"I'm laying out the arguments they give. I'm not making them, I'm showing them. I broke down why it's wrong and how it became a prevalent view."

"You're an x-apologist!"

Right, sorry, my mistake. Those people don't have a distorted worldview that leads them to cruelty, they're just evil by nature, their essence is darkness and violence, there's no humanity in them, go ahead and fantasize about wiping out whatever population you marked as bad. Didn't mean to interrupt your fantasy. I can see you're quite attached to it. Go on, advocate for whatever useless violence you think should happen in retaliation. I thought violence should be a horrible but sometimes-necessary tool, but it can be a goal, that's fine too. Everyone needs a dream I guess.

[ithisatanytime]

Varg & Bladee - Perfect Violation

 i also wanted to point out again, that if it were put to a vote today to abolish the police, and abolish meant fucking ABOLISH, i would smash that fucking like button, hit the bell, and subscribe. when i see videos of these protests i cant describe how badly i want to be there and stomp the fucking shit out of perverts and the synagogue of satan and the only thing that stops me is the fact that the law will be enforced in a lopsided manner, meaning they can hit but im not allowed. the police are the only thing keeping the fringe minority of brainwashed leftists ALIVE, if rule of law broke down in the united states those fuckers would be bloody and naked in piles all over the country, we hate them, its the police that keeps us from doing what needs to be done frankly, the police are essentially acting as an immuno suppressant. if you dont believe me you need to go back and do some research about what happened during katrina, the core american people are armed, intelligent, and natural apt for war.

 ive been on this website saying all my thoughts allowed for a decade, and ive never been surprised, GO BACK! SEE FOR YOURSELF! and yet my political opponents are in a constant state of either being surprised or being completely fucking wrong about the next thing that surprises them, they are always in either one of these two states or a combination of the two, its mesmerizing, i guess for some people the warmth and safety of a community even if the majority of its members are imaginary creations of hollywood is worth constant cognitive dissonance and lucy football pull levels of dishonesty from the people they trust. im telling you right now get out the way.

[phlondie]

okay ik this is an opinion no one asked for but now im thinking about the whole dan and phil joint branding as opposed to Dan Branding™ and Phil Branding™. also this is fully adding onto posts on @ browncesario and @ demonetisation’s blogs and i feel too awkward to tag them bc i dont wanna make anyone feel obligated to read this lol but if i repeat anything they said or their anons said its not on purpose!

but like, full disclaimer while i love dan and phil i feel like its always been kind of obvious that they were marketing their relationship to us? obv not so much anymore but like... as much as people who dont keep up w dnp like to pretend that their only awareness of us as a fanbase was creepy objectifying shippers who should feel ashamed for harassing them etc etc, they’ve always been way more tuned into their audience than i think people realize. like they’ve *known* what we’re like, and i dont even mean just the bad parts. like they *know* that a lot of their fanbase is queer and genuinely has looked up to them as queer role models long before they were out, and a lot of that hinges on us understanding they were a couple. and ik they resented it and i wasn’t really part of the fanbase until a few years ago but hearing stories of how dan would react on liveshows sometimes and the like, barely concealed resentment for the fans sometimes shows that while they definitely had issues with it (which like,,, is fair), they also knew they were kind of stuck in a rut. because if their primary source of fans are people who like seeing them together, that meant that their success as youtubers/creators/etc depended on keeping those fans right where they were.

and to be clear! i know ive never been here primarily for their relationship; i started watching them bc i thought they were funny together and had a good dynamic, which wouldve been possible even if they really were just friends. i didnt get emotionally invested in the projection part of it until later. but even so, i was always aware as a fan that they were selling to us the speculation of their relationship.

and this is def pulling from other posts ive seen today but considering the fanfic part of tatinof, the fact that they wrote fanfic in tabinof and incorporated shippy fan art into the youtube versions, giving the people what they want, even little things like the conjoined baking challenge vid.... they wanted us to stay curious about their relationship. Even if on a very real level it was literally bringing back trauma for them, there was this weird cognitive dissonance between “im angry at people for speculating about us” and “look here, dont stop speculating about us! look we’re sharing a sweater! look we’re being ~domestic~ in ditls!”

which is also why i thought the hiatus wouldnt last long tbh, like i was genuinely shocked that after the success of ii they would completely separate their brandings from each other in 2019. and i wont @ this person but someone said it best years ago when they said that joint branding had to die for dnp to come out. bc it really did; how could they keep up the speculation if we have literally almost all the puzzle pieces laid out? when they’ve primed their audience to actively hunt down these pieces (even if again, they would rather have not, esp given what they each talked about in their coming out videos), but they dont *want* us to put it all together, how could they sustainably make joint content while keeping the speculation fanbase there? bc once the speculation is over, people are gonna keep wanting more. (and disclaimer i really dont think this applies to like....anyone i follow on here tbh bc in general i feel like we’re fine w them keeping their boundaries where they are, but we’ve all seen posts like that that indicate that people *will* want more, and thats something that they’re unwilling to give and understandably so).

anyway this all goes to the main thing that brought all this on today lol, ever since 2019 they’ve been trying to cultivate their own separate branding from each other, and while i’m here for it tbh, surely they know that they’ll never escape their old joint branding. Which also means never escaping the spectre of relationship speculation. so i have mixed feelings about seeing dan act shocked that people could ever speculate about his private life once he became famous bc like 1) thats literally just what happens when you become famous, and 2) ....he and phil egged it on up to a point, and that doesnt mean it didnt upset them but it definitely feels off for dan to always be so pikachu face about having had fans that speculated about his relationship. like dan you literally wrote erotic fanfiction about you and phil, pieced together fan art illustrating it that showed you and phil in a homoerotic lens, and yet you’re *still* acting shocked and indignant that fans got invested in your relationship/the possibility of your relationship?? idk man. its confusing bc at the time i took things like that as “oh, we’re in on the joke,” but ever since 2019 they’ve made it more clear that we’re not, but we’re also not *not* in on it to an extent (looking at you, cah phan edition)

so im def still excited for dan’s book (like the subject doesnt terribly interest me tbh but i do wanna see what he does with it and read whatever highlights inevitably get posted on here), but as always w the end of regular joint content, im lowkey here for the over-analyzing about the relationship between dan, phil, their fans, and their content bc dear god we never run out of material to rant about

[theskyexists]

she-ra 4

the reason i stopped watching she-ra is the same reason i stopped watching the dragon prince.

the narrative doesn’t take the situation seriously. instead of leaning into the anguish of war and violence (atla, teen titans) - they make light of it. EVEN when the characters’ guardians are KILLED!!

when Angella died and they spent 2 seconds on Glimmer’s grief at the end of season 3 i was like......actually fuck this. HOW can i take any of these stakes seriously when they insist on brushing them off???

anyway just had to complain about that - especially because the start of the first ep of 4 is them joking AGAIN about something as grim as Glimmer now carrying all the responsibilities of her mother - who may i remind you IS DEAD

but catradora became canon apparently so now i have to struggle through

her aunt, her mother’s sister, is fuckin, joking about cakes, her friends are laughing at the joke. COME ON! how goddamn unrealistic and insensitive. EVEN if they wanna make a point of it - it’s silly! because the narrative PARTICIPATES in making light of the situation. if it was just the characters it would be less jarring

‘we’ll make sure this day is perfect’  WHAT? how could it EVER BE IF HER MOTHER IS FUCKING DEAD????????? AND THAT”S THE ONLY REASON SHE’S QUEEN????? ‘must be hard’ YEAH IT’S HARD - IN FACT IMPOSSIBLE. instead of pretending to be happy maybe you can show some genuine sensitivity. these people are so crazily emotionally underdeveloped my god. what age are they supposed to be? 16? 17? The problem that She-ra has (just like the dragon prince) is that there are no relevant adults. Oh sure there’s a Queen, and some Soldiers, and a Sorceress. But there isn’t a single relevant competent adult around who is concerned with running a bureaucracy or the emotional stability of children

I do like how Catra has overcome her fear of Hordak. but i think i remember being fuckin furious at her for almost destroying the whole world and hurting Scorpia and betraying Entrapta just to spite Adora. vaguely.

the rebellions problem is that they’re all extremely stupid himbos. like literally, in the whole story, only catra and shadowweaver have any smarts, while glimmer gains the ability to think during full moons on wednesdays. meanwhile everybodys is a slave to their emotions - which destroys any brain cells that shadowweaver or catra (or angella or anyone) might have managed. they could literally have killed hordak the entire time but just let him order them around because they’re so hot for acknowledgement

I’m glad Glimmer reflects my frustrations now hahahahaah

‘everyone is already acting like she doesn’t matter’  - yeah dudes, you fucking insensitive bastards

‘im supposed to take care of you glimmer’ - but unfortunately i have the emotional intelligence of a crab! FUCK!

this is another thing about this show that makes me groan. sappy quick resolutions of emotional turmoil through re-affirming the fuckin power of friendship in the first episode of the season.

also couldn’t Adora have done this she-ra stuff from the very beginning

that was badass.....miss glimmer’s other hair though. ok the emotions at that hologram and statue though...

the coolest part of she-ra for me is finding out more how the ancient systems all fit into Etheria and the She-Ras and Hordak Prime etc.

THIS IS A GOOD SPEECH. love this badass.

love Hordak getting put in his place. Love Catra realising she has power - love Hordak reaping what he sows. its unfortunate that she’s a shitty brat who JUST can’t get over her inferiority complex

if i could endlessly teleport i would do what glimmer does

also, glimmer was willing to fuckin murder catra before and she DEFINITELY will be now lol. love that for her.

why did they only introduce adora learning to transform her sword NOW ahahaha, theyve had SO MANY SCENES in which she doesnt have it and then suddenly does - and then its gone again

scorpia is the funniest and most likeable person in the whole show

they really suddenly can’t take five people on with she ra and fuckin huntara on their side??

i remember that little sadistic righteous twist in my stomach when Adora finally was like: FUCK!!!!!! YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!! Catra!!!!!!! and the stupid idiot got it

FINALLY A GLANCE AT THE PEOPLE OF ETHERIA AGAIN! i love the party sequences in this!!! the people of etheria are so beautiful! nobody ever comments on the main characters all looking plain human in contrast....

‘and i fell for it!’  yeah cos you DUMB AS BRICKS ADORA

so first they quietly take out the guards....and then literally break open the door hahaahahahahaaha

‘we forgot the bots regenerate’ - yeah cos you DUMB AS BRICKS ADORA

i just dont understand why they insist on making the main characters so DUMB ahahahahaah

Adora and Catra are great at hitting where it hurts. the difference between them is that Catra KNOWS that she’s hurting Adora - she does it deliberately.

wow that could be some pretty angsty stuff constantly leaving her to struggle on the floor while painfully electrocuted. Catra has also moved to kill Adora straight up so many times. im sure she really wants to (but it would destroy her later). But now, Adora swept something at Catra that might have actually killed her. I get Catra though, I would’t want to get beaten by some blonde, blue-eyed, glowing golden kid who always gets to win and do better. this is truly the first time Adora has moved to kill Catra......

does flatterina not have parents who’d be like: uhhhhh maybe leave the soldiering for a couple more years?

catra truly burning all her bridges. hahaha. it’s so satisfying to see her use her anger and power to truly destroy herself - because of guilt!

no other villagers were like - HMMMMMMM this random new kid is here? weird..... i didnt see that coming either.

Adora doesn’t think about what Catra might have even been doing there - cos she’s DUMB AS BRICKS

the interesting thing about this show is that they’re setting up a dichotomy. they’re treating war like a high-stakes game because they have the good side adhere to an aesthetic of ....magic. they will not make the two sides equivalent in any way - which makes questions of morality moot. the show is purely an emotional drama. the horde is an army of brainwashed kids in an industrial wasteland - they fight with tech and guns. but the good guys cannot fight with an army or tech, they fight with cleverness and magic. they’re called the ‘rebellion’ - they HAVE to be underdogs because they have to follow the script of good - even though what’s really going on is war, not a rebellion. That’s why they have a single strike team that do ‘missions’. They are presented as FUNDAMENTALLY different - on the level of identity which they cannot change lest they destroy themselves - and in that way the good guys can never become the bad guys. it is ALMOST meta. think they’re gonna do something with that at one point. i hope

also Netossa has such a super cool design.

‘everyone knows you’re needed in bright moon’ - uh. really? i dont know. some random person i’ve never seen before demands you go to meetings. so? is that important? why?

spinerella can literally FLY???????? why has she been in the background this whole time??? hahahaha military inefficiency.

there was an explosion that ripped trees apart - but bo’s alive!! honesty why didn’t they try explosive suicide bots before. they’re very lucky he was still alive to heal

‘could they be tracking she-ra?’ WHAT? isn’t the obvious suggestion - A SPY???? they just assume that the general is right hahahahaa.

i love how double trouble is so meta.

actually, why wasn’t glimmer trained as a sorcerer anyway?

glimmer is upset about her growing magic plants but not her having magic ingredients

why do they present good strategic thinking (for once) as evil influence from shadowweaver

what a fuckin badass. honestly - glad that this show finally utilised glimmer’s extremely op powers like they should be. honestly, she’s much more powerful than She-Ra.

that bit with spinerella was so contrived jfc.

‘by using me as a decoy’ adora says, pissed off. uhhhh YOU went off on your own to get smushed by fuckin bots adora. Glimmer didn’t do that to you. she just used your stupidity.

glimmer really left catra to die. hahahahaa

i like adora best when she’s on her own and being a dork

they definitely managed to foreshadow that Light Hope was evil but im glad they picked up the thread now

am i seeing this wrong or did scorpia have two mums??? but also. where the fuck are they

lolololololol because everybodys dumb as bricks and emotionally volatile they’re incredibly easy to manipulate

‘i cant risk hitting flatterina’ pffft - ALL YOUR ARROWS ARE NON-LETHAL BO. ugh i cant deal with these contrived stakes

I LOVE THIS BADASS EFFICIENT HARDCORE GLIMMER

they’re really gonna spin it like this is a bad development? fuck off. finally some grit.

‘you took things way too far’ - but she got results! dumb as bricks adora

(this may seem harsh but adora is DUMB shes so fucking DUMB!!!! and she has many good qualities (such as an almost innate sense of morality) but goddamn. i guess its good to sometimes have a show about all around dumb characters. i mean, it’s not unrealistic per se, it’s just.....weird.)

the interesting thing about these characters is that you can SEE every single one of them struggling with cognitive dissonance. thats the big story of this show. they see the world a certain way - and then when something challenges that, they fight to the death to destroy or deny or ignore that new information - to everybody’s detriment. and they can’t back down because every step they’ve taken - would turn to sins they can’t live with. it’s interesting and its also a kind of conflict that‘s frustrating if not resolved at SOME point. thats why i love this season for its characters going off the rails. adora aiming to kill catra, catra destroying her last relationships, glimmer growing more and more militant.

they’re all acting like teens - that  is - highly volatile - unable to keep from provoking others or be provoked - but they ARE teens.

‘catra doesn’t care. she’ll hurt people to get her way (implied: EVEN people on her side)’ - we must remember that Scorpia was entirely fine with KILLING the trio (it was Catra that wasn’t at the time).

‘you’re a bad friend’ OH OUCH. Catra - who’s always been treated as a whipping girl by those in power - does the same to those she is in power over. But on some level she doesn’t WANT to be that. she’s just always always been rejected and take advantage of and lashed out at and abandoned by the people she considered important (shadowweaver ---- doing the same to catra that was done to her is so goddamn....it’s the story of this show. the simplicity and banality of damaging and hurting others and that carrying over to harm even more people - is the story of this show and it’s immeasurably frustrating and REALISTIC)

she still flinches at Hordak’s lashing out. but she imprints on him the exact lesson she’s trying to school herself in. If you don’t need anybody - you don’t want anyone - if nobody matters but the mission and winning - then you can’t be hurt. she wants to prove her worth - but she doesn’t realise that inherently means that she’s putting somebody in power over her - again and again and again.

mermista coming  in clutch with the braincells: there’s a spy! I love how this is played as completely implausible and just Mermista nonsense (who i love learning about) - while it’s so obviously true/

i actually love Adora when she’s being serious and heroic, or a huge dork. and she has the wit to RECOGNISE good ideas. but i just don’t understand why Adora is being big b about being used as a distraction. like....why?

i love that the underside of Mermista’s sneaker has a figure. but why the fuck is a common soldier with them (flatterina) and do they really think they can interrogate the whole castle filled with some shitty guards and...what - the guerilla troops they sometimes employ? where do they even live? ah in a tent city. ok

why is the GENERAL in front line combat WITHOUT SOLDIERS???? oh wait. glimmer did that too when she was general. lolololol

i understand why Adora doesn’t trust Shadowweaver and doesn’t want her around most of all - and Glimmer getting buddy buddy with her is hurtful. but...it’s not helpful to needle glimmer about it. but dismissing the guards around shadowweaver however? stupid of Glimmer. unnecessary. ‘what has she done but help us?’ - uhhhh she kidnapped you, corrupted your powers, almost wiped Adora’s mind. I wish Adora had summed up those things instead of leaving them implied.

so perfuma and mermista come across inconsistencies in the stories - but then. forget about it? i just...... UGGHGHGHGHGHGHGH. people really aren’t this dumb are they? they’re just NOT.

‘no more secrets and doing things without us’ - that was a good speech. but like, glimmer is right - she’s surrounded by INCOMPETENT IDIOTS lolololol. but good leadership is corralling idiots, Glimmer. not going off on your own. but she’s already planted the bait about the dining room.

‘we were the only ones who knew about the plan to take back dril’ ---- THEN WHY DID YOU INTERROGATE OTHER PEOPLE AHAHAHAHAAHAHAAHA

‘stop questioning my choices, stop whining about being a decoy’ YEAH FUCKIN HELL ADORA STOP BEING SUCH A FUCKING SHIT. IS THIS REALLY ‘TAKING CARE OF GLIMMER’????

‘all you do is question my authority, it’s exhausting.’ yeah god...it really is. adora needs to fucking BACK! OFF! but im loving these fights because it brings out the grievances. Adora is right to be worried about Glimmer no longer including her in her decisions. and she makes a good point that that’s bad. She makes a good point that Shadowweaver cannot be trusted. And Glimmer makes zero good points - except that it’s been hard for her and has garnered 0.1% understanding from the people around her. Oh they were working together. BUT those were definitely real grievances.

GLIMMER CAN ALREADY DO A CONTAINMENT SPELL LIKE THAT??? godDAMN. castapella completely flunked her responsibilities to Glimmer but shadowweaver did NOT.

hmmm so Solinius was....destroyed. but like, did the people die? like....the people? that’s the important bit isn’t it? i mean, they were under the sea right?

i suppose the problem i also have is that this show will NOT hurry up. normally i love filler stuff but ...the characters are too.....cheery. too flat. their quirks are fun and funny until they’re literally character flaws.

are the horde just literally attacking civilians? jezus. the war crimes. how did shadowweaver ever expect to trick Adora when she was released into the field?

‘you can’t just keep going off on your own!’ - SHE LITERALLY SAVED THE WHOLE FUCKING TOWN. SHE’S THE QUEEN! EVERYBODY SHOULD LISTEN TO HER! lolololol

the problem with Adora’s points is that everything about their dynamics are always so nebulous. why cant glimmer keep showing up to help out? WHY??? she’s the most capable fucking soldier in the field! she’s supposed to have full fucking authority! like, Adora isn’t in the right here. the problem is that her needling is only a symptom of her worries - which is that Glimmer doesn’t trust her any more. but the needling does NOTHING but make her seem like an idiot

i do love this trope reversal here - Seahawk deliberately damselling them to let the princesses save the boys? pffft

love catra getting the consequences for her actions regarding Scorpia. You can’t keep lashing out at people and expect them to stay my dear cat.....

oooohhh Glimmer.... you’re treading close to very hurtful territory. Blaming Adora for the Rebellion failing? for things she couldn’t do anything about? stupid.

really?? you’re really gonna fucking fight-resolution BLOCK ME? are you FUCKING kidding me? edging me for the whole GODDAMN SEASON??? and finally Adora cries at Glimmer going over the line????  fuckin I HATE the narrative decisions in this stupid show I FUCKING HATE THEM FUCK THESE WRITERS GOD FUKCING DAMMIT!!! this has been the whole GODDAMN SHOW!!!!!! ARGHGHGHGHGHGH

i’ve been waiting for a fucking resolution for Adora and Catra the whole! goddamn! SHOW! NOTHING! else matters! you do the exact same for glimmer and adora and now you let it fester again??? because of some no-stakes BULLSHIT? just give me the fucking godddamn PAYOFF for watching these kids be IDIOTS.

this fight on the boat is COOL and really wonderfully animated

really? Glimmer’s response to Adora being hurt and not wanting to be TOUCHED is to be angry herself? what a fucking IDIOT. god i can’t stand this. I CAN’T STAND IT

is this how people act? do they never take a moment to breathe and think and reflect and realise their priorities and take a step back and fucking apologise?

jezus FUCKING! CHRIST!

‘no matter what glimmer thinks of me’ oh that HURTED. oh damn. that’s so relatable. it’s a way to run, it’s a way to internalise the hurt and then prove the things that hurt wrong. the one that hurt you

I know Bo is supposed to be the emotionally intelligent one but he’s also too soft. He should go up to his friends individually and ask them the sharp questions. not - ‘communicate more positively’.

I just like Adora so much better when she’s alone. Her friendships’ positive moments are always so sappy or so....like over-exaggerated, the negative moments always so fucking annoying. Alone, Adora is generally driven, tragic, and cool. the problem is perhaps that i don’t care for the constant fucking drama

god i LOVE Mara so much - she’s so beautiful. and i LOVE learning more about the Old Ones. So they were trying to study Ehteria’s magic.... but then Bright Moon and the princesses were already here. The Magic-Like systems of the Old Ones are pure tech.

wow! even Mara’s transformation is way cooler.

so why was the first one’s tech (she ra) responsive to the magic? why does Raz know about She-Ra? when she ra is first ones tech????

WAIT ONE SECOND. She-Ra is ‘magic’ ??? it’s the SWORD that’s the first one’s tech! She-Ra is Etheria’s magic ! but how if the First Ones chose Mara. Did they steal She-Ra from Etheria?

so what im getting is that. the Old Ones colonised Etheria. Etheria has magic, and when Mara was chosen they made that girl an elite soldier - giving her a first one’s tech sword so she could ‘control’ Etheria’s magic. Then Mara was told to study the magic of Etheria - the ship implying that she’d not been on the planet before. then they created a Heart of Etheria project - which will probably turn the magic into a weapon. this was going to be used against Hordak Prime, im sure. I mean, Mara saved Etheria, but she did doom the rest of the universe to...extinction.... like, judging from Hordak’s strategy, Hordak Prime just literally exterminates planets and repopulates them with his clones....

But why would the planet choose a girl from amongst the colonisers - twice?

OOOHHH that anguished scream. i love anguished screams

why dont they put fucking safety belts in these ships. it’s not like the ship didn’t survive. only Mara got splatted (i guess)

also i love Mara. but damn Adora just got some more shit on her plate. why the fuck was she pushed through a portal again? for a She-Ra chain reaction?

I love madame Raz.

So they didn’t explicitly use it against Hordak Prime. and it wouldn’t have destroyed Etheria back then but it will now...

guh this showmakes it so hard to enjoy catra’s pain.

well they did finally have a good talk about it. I have to say, Glimmer is making good strategic sense - it’s just that this show only rewards harebrained schemes

Catra having a crazy panic attack cos she can’t find Scorpia and she’s completely lost and she knows its her fault. kinda love that for her. my heart

my dear Glimmer, theres a difference between absence of trust and absence of agreement.

they’re bringing king micah back just when angella is dead? oh fuckin lol

the horde....exiled micah? they exiled Micah instead of killing him???

why do they ALWAYS interrupt important conversations? i hate that shit. it’s cheap. it’s unsatisfying.

now THIS is what im here for - that unstoppable WILL!! john gonzalez is right - we watch stories for characters overcomign obstacles. writing, is creating the obstacle course. .....what does that say about me and my life....hmmm.

‘light hope told me everything i need to know’ - uhhh no she didn’t. she didn’t tell you how to harness the energy at all. ugh

how the fuck did double trouble escape. seems to me that they didn’t actually. they were let go....

it’s always so stupid when people try to tell other people: oh no you’ve got no plan - this is too risky! when that’s NEVER a problem

Glimmer is going to activate the weapon just in time for Hordak Prime to use it. And naturally she misses the return of her dad. fuck this

they’re gonna have Hordak and Catra fight? hmm

Double Trouble is right - this IS good for her - and it IS Catra - except for Shadowweaver’s case - she was an abusive bitch

I love Scorpia’s new cool fight music and also glowy eyes

is glimmer going to throw herself into lava??

the unfortunate thing is that Hordak Prime is right on the doorstep and he took over the whole universe or whatever. so they could probably have used that weapon. i mean the Old Ones must have seen something coming. there must be a reason they’re all GONE maybe????

why did Adora assume that all those stars would be destroyed?

THE ANIMATION ON THAT FINAL STUFF WAS INCREDIBLE AND EPIC

how the fukc are they going to beat Horde Prime lolololol.

i guess Glimmer really shouldn’t have done that. but at least she was in time to bond with Catra.

[tulipscomeinallsortsofcolors]

there’s a certain level of cognitive dissonance that a lot of people have about children that is really bizarre and baffling to me.

I don’t want children, have never wanted children, and will spend the rest of my life going out of my way to avoid having children. theres a whole host of reasons but none of them are really anybody’s business but mine.

this fact is almost never met with anything other than absolute disbelief and a not-insignificant amount of actual rage.

but just the other day, my grandmother - who has four sons and is the most vocal by far of the “you’ll change your mind” club - said she doesn’t even touch children. this woman worked in a nursery for more than twenty years. she called them disgusting. she covered her hands with tissues if she had to touch them.

i brought my confusion up with my mother and she said “its different when they’re yours”

i dont get it. it makes no sense. i dont want kids  but the idea of not comforting a child when theyre crying, helping them clean their face when they get sticky, holding their hand to help them walk or stand, being kind to them - its unthinkable. its repulsive.

how can you think having children is the only feasible option and then treat nearly every actual child you come in contact with with indifference? contempt? like their needs are inherently unimportant and disgusting? it makes no sense! i genuinely cannot comprehend it!

[impossibledata]

no offense but i fucking hate it when people watch something with a morally questionable protagonist and condemn the whole movie/show because they dont think its right to have the viewer “sympathize” with the character. you have to get on board with this protag because they are the vessel that drives the story, thus some level of “support” ensues/ we want to see them get what they want, but i dont agree with their moral choices i.e. killing ppl to get what they want. like that cognitive dissonance is exactly what makes a compelling story.... 

basically peeved my roommate hated nightcrawlwer because they didnt like that the director was trying to get the audience to sympathize with lou because he was a sexist creep who got his partner killed or whatever. im like bitch thats why i DID like it, it doesnt mean i condone a real world application of his behavior? idk why we have to be moralizing characters that exist in a fictional world, or why understanding the nuance of an antihero is somehow synonymous with agreeing with everything they do. 

[altmediabuzz]

' When Prayer, Love And Light Aren't Enough'

💫New Age Passiveness

Recently a friend asked how to deal with one of his friends who he felt was displaying Cognitive Dissonance while discussing many of the harsh truths about the world we are living in today. His intentions were good, but being the empath that he is , he realized discussing these topics was quite difficult for her, and they in fact made her so uncomfortable that she didnt want to discuss them at all.

While dialogue and communication are key elements in any friendship/ relationship, it is important to understand timing and when, where and how some of the tougher topics should be discussed. Please dont let this deter you though.Some people swallow red pills easily, while for others they may be a little bit more hard to swallow.There are many different reasons people choose to deny harsh truths, or even better yet accept them and express ambivalence towards them. It seems however their are some personality types within two particular Spiritual Beleifs that are more likely to do so. In my experience those two beleifs are 'Christianity' and ' New Age' Spirituality

I suggested he send his friend prayers positive vibes and uplifting energy( ofcourse, right?) But....to also give her her space..still making it clear that he was there for her if she needed him...to not push discussing the topics they disagreed on as much for awhile and focus on the ones they did . to work on strengthening their friendship bond , and remember that they are on the same team. To try to have empathy..but not to be swayed. To discern and decipher if there is any truth in her opinions through her feelings, words and actions and what the universe might be trying to teach him through her apprehension.

As one of my favorite motivational speakers Teal Swan says ' a lot of these 'love and light ' ' kumbya' 'que cera cera' , ' whatever will be will be' ' live and let live' 'New Agers ' who were previously just sitting back and 'letting be what will be ' are realizing that in this season,they have to take a little bit more of an affirmative and active stance in order to help change the world for the better .

This is the Age of Aquarius .The dawning of a new day .Lies to be exposed, truths to be revealed and justice to be served. The collective consience is truly being stirred. Some new agers are not used to this concept and this is a rude awakening for many of them.Some ,after being awakened to many of these harsh realities that have been kept clandestine from the population at large ,even feel extreme levels of guilt for' turning a blind eye' to the injustices of others for so long.

Many of the ' New Age ' spiritualists I know have suffered some kind of trauma which caused them in many ways to dissassociate from society ( similar to abused children who develop dissosiative identity disorder to cope with the anger, pain and confusion their abuse leaves them with). Sometimes the fear/ pain of the darkness is just too much for them to handle until theyve healed enough.Then will they realize by conquering that fear and having the courage to fight back, that they have actually taken the first step toward victory in the battle of spiritual warfare.

Some say there has to be negativity in the world because there needs to be balance in the universe and both darkness and light must be present for balance to be acheived ( yin-yang energy). Others are all about combating it outright ( doing more than just trying to balance out the negative energy in the universe by doing positive deeds). But a lot of this is new for many of them. They have no idea the depths of the evil that exist in this universe and the IMBALANCE and abuse of power that goes on in higher realms. And the ones that do realize might be too intimidated to fight or address it.( Again , many , likely due to previous trauma). Doing this would actually increase the positivity and love and light within them and help them to strengthen their spirit to face these dark entities and forces and tackle them head on, thus helping fight the good fight along with the rest of us .

However doing this before its ' proper' timing can be just as detrimental as fearing the fight against evil itself. Let these people get their strength ,courage and wisdom up . And again focus on discussing positive topics for a while if you can unless it's something extremely detrimental to their immediate health of course . Try to honestly understand their perspectives and points of view as well as the reasonings behind them. Be patient, Be nurturing, Be understanding Be the light you want to see 💙💫✨

🙏Christian Passiveness

When addressing Christians ( I myself being one) I get the sense from many of them that their stance is to ' let the Lords will be done' ' let go and let god' , and ' give it to god' etc. Which is a comforting concept when being overwhelmed with circumstances such as stress, general day to day anxiety or a physical illness. But once a relationship with God has reached a level of maturity and acheived enough strength for that person to withstand their own personal battles, it is then they should be ready and willing to step in and help fight the good fight as intercessors for others who cannot or simply refuse to do so.Ofcourse never alone, but with the courage to know that the Holy spirit isnt only BESIDE them ,leading and guiding their words and actions.But also INSIDE of them.

Many say with their mouths they beleive in a higher power but dont express those sentiments through actions. Yes there is only so much a mere mortal can do.But with meditation and prayer ask God/ the Universe just what your role should be to help the healing of our earth in this particularly tumultuous era and season. Realize that you are not alone and have your spiritual brothers and sisters fighting the battle of good vs evil along with you.Realize what an integral peice of the puzzle you are due to your unique God given talents, skills abilities, and experiences. Know that while communing with the Most High Infinite Creator ( through prayer, meditation, song, dance, whathaveyou) you are doing in fact one of the most powerful and effective actions possible to fight the dark and evil forces running rampant in this world. However ask for the discernment on just how much you could and should do in ADDITION to prayer.

Prayer is seen by many as passive and cowardice.( and many scoff at the mention of being in somebodies' thoughts and prayers') however taking the time out of your busy schedule to think of someone and wish well for them while sending them positive energy and reminding them of their value and worth is one of the most effective ways one can show another humanity and compassion.

This however, should preferably be balanced with action. The bible states that ' faith without works is dead' and that we are to be the ' hands and feet ' of Jesus on this earth. What are we doing to edify this concept? Are we sitting back, while this world is going to Hell in a Handbasket? Comfortable in the notion that as a Christian at least we are 'lucky enough to be chosen to spend eternity in heaven' and passively waiting for what many people refer to as Christs second return? Or are we actively out in our neighborhoods, communities and even online reaching out to those left broken and beaten down by the ways of this world as we await? Are we as the book of Exodus advises us to do combating evil by exposing it so that justice can be served? And by that contributing to the freedom of those afflicted by this worlds suppresion?

Yes no matter what the ' Lord's Will will be done'. But dont underestimate the power of 'free will'. The gift God has given us from the beginning of time. We aren't puppets being controlled by strings or mind controlled brainwashed zombies tricked or otherwise manipulated into believing our spiritual beliefs . You make a CHOICE to believe or not to believe them .( At least most of us do, unless we were raised in a Religious cult or suffered some sort of Satanic Ritual Abuse since the day we were born...but that is another blog entry for another day).Dont think of your life as simply a movie you are watching on a screen or play you are seeing on a stage with God acting as the director. Realize that you are the main character and how much of an active role you play in directing your own life as well as influencing and impacting others around you.

During this season of ' Great Awakening,many all over the globe fortunately are coming together, being brought together by a common interest, to fight the good fight in this spiritual battle of GO(O)D vs. (D)EVIL.

No matter our gender, race, nationality, religion or socio-economic status , people are coming together to help spread the great awakening. Knowledge that will be difficult to hear, but once truley understood, cannot only provide healing for us individualy, but as a collective as well.

Bottom line, know the power and authority that lies within you. Acknowledging it while determing to remain passive is the oposite of ' love and light' its actualy continuing to contribute to the pain and darkness that exists in this world. Instead Pray and ask the Most High God/ the Universe what you can do PHYSICALLY to help spread love and light not just ' send' it. Pray and meditate on when and how to begin doing so.Dont let negative energies and dark forces rob you of your desire to help change the world we live in for the better and to realize the power and ability you have to do so.

💫💙✨

[narcichondriac]

"When I 'sees' ya I 'nose' ya!" . . My majestic little sprite 🌌💚🌸🍃🌑 . . I don't have the time or energy to describe the amount of cognitive dissonance in my thinkparts at the moment, but it's worth mentioning vaguely in the most annoying way (social media). . . So instead of attempting to explain that madness, I will share with you the heads side of this new moon coin for me (personally). . . At precisely the moment the new moon began its journey into fullness, i had a spectacular moment of radical acceptance and for once, some total clarity in the present moment awareness type shit. Now, for those of you who know me magickally, i dont just throw around gnosis and that level of awareness around willy nilly. It's not something I experience a lot but it is the primal call for me. The best feeling in the world. I cried for several moments, tears of inescapable awareness and acceptance and self love from this beautiful, unexpected, and most magical moment of pure knowledge. I knew myself. I knew this moment intimately. I knew love and everything. It is here and now. It is this body, this blood. This breakdown. This flood. This complete annihilation of pride and jealousy and greed. A pure feeling of intimacy with the universe. . . . These are just words on a screen and I know that's all they'll ever be But they're still beautiful to me You are so beautiful to me. Thank your wrinkles Thank your soul Thank those vows to have and hold Because in the morning You will rise Look into those beautiful eyes Of yours And say Something that you've always wanted to hear Something to make you a better you Something that already is you Something that will let you see your glorious shine. . . Sometimes you just have to follow your gut. . . Grateful for the lessons 🙏🌰🌱🌑 . . New moon... New you. Get into something good. Make yourself feel Snazztacular. Let that shit go. . . Allow yourself to be seen in all your glory. (at Tennessee)

[antiism]

how acceptable would it be if i showed up to a trump protest with an unloaded revolver and signs that say:

ARMED WOMEN AGAINST TRUMP. THE 2ND WILL PROTECT US TOO.

ARMED AGAINST TRUMP. IF HE WON’T PROTECT YOU, WE WILL. (if there are other gun ppl there we can form a lil group)

DONT VOTE YOUR LAST LINE OF DEFENSE AWAY.

like as bitter as i want to be about ppl who are just now realizing the value of the 2nd amendment, who have an astounding level of cognitive dissonance, 

“gun-righters are all old racist white hillbillies who want to shoot minorities!!! oh look trumps a tyrant!! where are those hillibillies i hate when you need them? nonono but *I* wont get a gun thats such a white inbred thing to do ew!! guns are bad anyways. but all u rustics that are SUPPOSED to protect us, you’re useless and i hate you more. i’m going to wait in my sky-rise studio to be saved as i continue to vote for firearm restrictions”

.... I think its much more useful to let people know their rights and like godDAMN the law doesn’t say you can’t get a gun unless you’re white and married to your first cousin, it applies to anyone, even in California (CALIFORNIA) if you’re 18, pass a simple knowledge test, and clear a background check, you can buy a shotgun or rifle. 21 for a handgun (and before you all say there are too many restrictions, how the felony law disproportionately affects minorities or its too expensive to get a permit, gee i wonder who voted for that...((i’m salty)))

anyways I too used to be terrified of guns not just a year ago, and tbh my best advice for those who are too, are to watch hickok45′s gun safety videos. he’s been described as “the Bob Ross of firearms” and is the epitome of safe, responsible gun ownership. his property is beautiful, he has fun, and he always explains everything with common sense and safety in mind.