#just some thoughts really !!!

[invested-in-your-future]

So rewrites are pointless?

I mean...as pointless as anything really so depends on what is the intent and one's view on it all.

Personally I do think any rewrite that just tries to fix specific one volume or character leaving everything else after the same is in a way kind of meaningless. Because like I said before, it assumes that the show goes back on-track after some point and the fixes can slot right back in into the overall intent.

And that's not the case.

I think its pretty obvious at this point that there's no endgame. The writing team genuinely has no idea where they want to take the show and hasn't really since the fall of beacon. There's no narrative intent, no thematic or character arcs. There's no planned progression or long-term planning, just "what can we throw together this volume". Sometimes it off-handedly references the critique on something that happened in the show before, sometimes teases the fans with something they wanted to uphold sales, sometimes I am pretty certain they just throw darts at the dartboard (whoever placed "talking animal magic tree realm" on that dartboard as a joke, well joke's on you pal, joke's on you), but its pretty clear that the show's current direction is not having a direction, as seen by the fact that you can kind of remove entire Volumes and nothing changes in the show as well as by the fact that no matter what happens in said volumes nothing ever changes in the show. The show will last as long as it can and once it can't they will just throw something together quickly (or won't), then Jaune (obviously, who else) will wish upon a star and suddenly Salem will be defeated when she...uhhh...will get rushed by bunch of... squirrels and...um...slip on a banana peel into, um...whatever there is and that's the end, mission accomplished. Because that's pretty likely how planning goes at this point.

So at least for me personally, at this point, a rewrite that tries to "fix" something that happened (while keeping everything else the same) feels a lot more self-defeating than trying to actually redo/rewrite what is there into something new.

Like, honestly, as I outlined before, fixing specific episodes or volumes is something I tried and its an extremely Sisyphean kind of effort. You can't account for where the show might go because the show itself doesn't know. You just end up running after the show and the changes you do snowball very quickly anyway that you are better off with a clear cut-off point, after which you just build onto what you already did.

So is it pointless overall? Eh. For me, trying to make sense of where it could have gone is honestly kind of personal matter of closure?

For one, I accept V1 through V3 as they are, flaws and all and trying to piece together a somewhat coherent different version that comes after that can honestly feel fun and decently freeing - an interesting situation because in a way accepting V1 through V3 in on itself imposes interesting limitations and problems. There's honestly a lot one can work with, which makes what rwby-proper actually does with it all (nothing) kind of pretty damning?

[hcppyhotel]

honestly i have so much to say about angel and his feelings towards the overlords -- specifically about valentino and vox, obviously.

THIS IS TOWARDS MY PORTRAYAL, specifically. it's very much how i write his thoughts and the way he thinks when he's with them versus when he's not.

with vox, he doesn't see him much as a threat. it's easier to push and press his buttons, despite vox being known to be as cruel as valentino. either way, it still isn't his employer, so angel thinks it's easier to deal with vox. he doesn't take insults or anything really. he sees vox as lower than valentino, so it's not much of a big deal until vox proves to him otherwise. vox is only a threat when valentino gets involved.

valentino, obviously, is a MUCH bigger cause. and more complex an angel's eyes. he sees val as both his greatest strength and his greatest weakness. a confidant and his WORST ENEMY. he never knows whether he loves the overlord or hates him -- and most times, those lines get blurred really fast. he loves the popularity, but his status remains the same. it's a really situation to be in, but it's weird that he feels a bit more accepted. and really, he couldn't thank valentino enough.

though there are times he wishes he could flee valentino, he knows that's unable to. there's a part of him that's scared for what could happen without the protection of the overlord. it's what keeps him from really leaving. plus, there's the attachment of going from a nobody to be an overlord's FAVORITE sinner. that's not something that entirely happens, and he loves the attention from val -- and is determined to keep it. whether it's from his performances or pushing his luck. negative attention is still attention. he's addicted to the man, and is scared he's never going to break free. perhaps there's some thoughts that cross him that thinks that if he pushes too far, valentino wouldn't want him anymore, but it never comes and he's still here.

[valenfield-inspo]

Well would of been back sooner today but a plan to get in a 20 min cat nap ended up turning into a nearly 3hr power nap! 😅 Alrighty, I got to watch the trailer today off and on and again still liking a lot of what I am seeing so far! I gotta say I'm surprised they are really exploring Jill's post 5 trauma. I just didn't think they'd do that considering we hadn't really heard much about Jill aside from her e-mail to Barry in Revelations 2 files. I guess I assumed if they brought back Jill, they'd just kind of ignore all that (which was my worst nightmare lol) . I mean they kind of left us in the dark for so long about her! So needless I am happy they are showing Jill coping past the events of 5. Judging by that trailer, she is going to be kicking some major ass!

Look at that man's face! 🥺

I LOVE the concern and worry Chris has for Jill. He hates that she's carrying around so much guilt when it was never her fault with being brainwashed by Wesker. I mean they had been through a lot together since RE1 through RE5 really, so it's nice to see them interacting post 5 💚💙. I never really had doubts they ceased talking to each other, Rev2 files kind of cemented that for me plus the games don't really touch upon the relationships of the characters as the main focus is them (whichever character is in the game at the moment) facing bioterrorist threats each game. I do ship Valenfield romantically (duh this is a ship blog lol) but I just think their partnership is amazing. I'm just happy to see them together on screen post re5. Fanfics , headcanons, and my vivid imagination can do the rest! 😏🤣 I'm also happy to see Jill not just interacting with Chris but really getting to at least interact with Leon as well. I been curious to see how they would work together. To me I always pictured them getting along so it's really cool to see working together some in the trailer. I really hope she gets to talk and work more with Claire and Rebecca. Let the women interact, Capcom! I mean no doubt Jill's known Claire through Chris and Rebecca in STARS and the Spencer Mansion Incident, so it's really awesome to see them all together in the trailer. So seeing Jill interact with other recurring characters besides Chris and Barry is ticking off all the boxes for me. I'm very hyped to watch this film. July 7 does seem so far away with all the waiting but to quote Chris: "Yeah, it's worth it." Especially with post 5 Valenfield and 3 more iconic characters of this series in one movie. Gonna be a great summer with this one!

[no0t2]

yknow there's something i realised, not a lot of people really understand about the art of photography, unless they themselves are a photographer too (or have an interest).

im not saying that people do it on purpose or anything, obviously. just some observations after ive shared some photos of mine ive done. and something i realised within myself, i never really bothered to think about a photograph when i saw it, usually just the subject in the photo and the context, that's it. now that i regularly work with cameras and had personal work done it's like "wow, this is far more intricate than i thought" and have come to appreciate photography more.

[bionigrls]

Redesign your logo, we know how to do it Make the calculations, put them into action

[lovnelymoon]

The Good Terrorist, Doris Lessing (1985)

14.-28.07.23

I have a very complicated relationship with this book.

After reading the quotes on the blurb, I interpreted the book as a criticism on terrorism but more importantly on communism - not so much the theory, as the "lifestyle." And the "communists" shown in this book are terrible people. I hated so many of the characters, especially Jasper. But they also feel incredibly contrived. The idea that every single person living in the squat is just this selfish and stupid is simply not believable to me. It felt very much like a strawman.

After I read up a bit on the background of the book, mainly the fact that Lessing at some point was a socialist, and that she meant this book as an exploration of how people become amateur terrorists, I've gained a new appreciation for it. That doesn't change the fact that I could not suspend my disbelief for these characters. Some commentators say this book is a satire - Lessing only ever referred to it as humorous - and I can somewhat understand that point of view. Still, I feel it doesn't work as a satire because the "joke" relies on the reader believing that communists/squatters are selfish, anti-intellectual and hypocritical. Which I do not.

All of this aside: I adored the character of Alice. Not necessarily as a person, but the complexity and believability was incredible. The way she is the most responsible and sensible person among the squatters, yet so childish and annoying in every other context... How she is incredibly perceptive regarding people yet also completely fails to understand her parents. How she is at once a founder of the CCU and passionately against what she calls English imperialist fascism, but also resents Andrew and Gordon for being foreigners, is an anti-intellectual and unsympathetic to the working class and the poor... There's so many contradictions yet she feels incredibly real and human.

Similarly, I felt that Jasper as a villain worked really well. And I also appreciated Lessing's prose a lot, which is why I kept reading even at points where the characters seemed absolutely ridiculous to me.

Overall, then, I'm not sure how to rate this book. I enjoyed it, and I also didn't.

*images not mine

[bespectacled-grackle]

"I love you" is just a thing to say, to me. I could hate someone and still say "I love you." I could feel absolutely nothing towards a person and still say "I love you." Those are just words I throw at people who say them first and hope they stick.

If I REALLY love a person, I'll say shit like "if we were taxidermied animals, we'd be mounted on the same log" and that means so much more to me than "ily." If I really love a person, I'll point out how we're getting wrinkles in the same places because we love each other so much and spend so much time together that we've started making the same expressions. If I really love someone, I'll tell them that no, beige is NOT your color go change right the fuck now.

Love is something I can't say, not if I want to mean it. Not plainly, anyway. Maybe it's because I'm an eldest sibling, maybe it's because my family has always expressed our love in actions and time spent together and unhinged words, maybe it's because I've written poetry for so long that I find more meaning in metaphor than in plain sentences. I don't know. I don't even know why I'm posting this, but it might be because I've said "I love you" in any words except those to one person in every word I've spoken to them in a recent conversation. I don't know. But I did want to put this somewhere, and here is where I'm putting it.

[perfectlyripeclementine]

calling my lover "mine" but not in the way that my toothbrush or notebook are mine, mine in the way my neighborhood is mine, and also everybody else's, "mine" like mine to tend to, mine to care for, mine to love. "mine" not like possession but devotion.

[endusviolence]

Rowling isn't denying holocaust. She just pointed out that burning of transgender health books is a lie as that form of cosmetic surgery didn't exist. But of course you knew that already, didn't you?

I was thinking I'd probably see one of you! You're wrong :) Let's review the history a bit, shall we?

In this case, what we're talking about is the Institut für Sexualwissenschaft, or in English, The Institute of Sexology. This Institute was founded and headed by a gay Jewish sexologist named Magnus Hirschfeld. It was founded in July of 1919 as the first sexology research clinic in the world, and was run as a private, non-profit clinic. Hirschfeld and the researchers who worked there would give out consultations, medical advice, and even treatments for free to their poorer clientele, as well as give thousands of lectures and build a unique library full of books on gender, sexuality, and eroticism. Of course, being a gay man, Hirschfeld focused a lot on the gay community and proving that homosexuality was natural and could not be "cured".

Hirschfeld was unique in his time because he believed that nobody's gender was either one or the other. Rather, he contended that everyone is a mixture of both male and female, with every individual having their own unique mix of traits.

This leads into the Institute's work with transgender patients. Hirschfeld was actually the one to coin the term "transsexual" in 1923, though this word didn't become popular phrasing until 30 years later when Harry Benjamin began expanding his research (I'll just be shortening it to trans for this brief overview.) For the Institute, their revolutionary work with gay men eventually began to attract other members of the LGBTA+, including of course trans people.

Contrary to what Anon says, sex reassignment surgery was first tested in 1912. It'd already being used on humans throughout Europe during the 1920's by the time a doctor at the Institute named Ludwig Levy-Lenz began performing it on patients in 1931. Hirschfeld was at first opposed, but he came around quickly because it lowered the rate of suicide among their trans patients. Not only was reassignment performed at the Institute, but both facial feminization and facial masculization surgery were also done.

The Institute employed some of these patients, gave them therapy to help with other issues, even gave some of the mentioned surgeries for free to this who could not afford it! They spoke out on their behalf to the public, even getting Berlin police to help them create "transvestite passes" to allow people to dress however they wanted without the threat of being arrested. They worked together to fight the law, including trying to strike down Paragraph 175, which made it illegal to be homosexual. The picture below is from their holiday party, Magnus Hirschfeld being the gentleman on the right with the fabulous mustache. Many of the other people in this photo are transgender.

[Image ID: A black and white photo of a group of people. Some are smiling at the camera, others have serious expressions. Either way, they all seem to be happy. On the right side, an older gentleman in glasses- Magnus Hirschfeld- is sitting. He has short hair and a bushy mustache. He is resting one hand on the shoulder of the person in front of him. His other hand is being held by a person to his left. Another person to his right is holding his shoulder.]

There was always push back against the Institute, especially from conservatives who saw all of this as a bad thing. But conservatism can't stop progress without destroying it. They weren't willing to go that far for a good while. It all ended in March of 1933, when a new Chancellor was elected. The Nazis did not like homosexuals for several reasons. Chief among them, we break the boundaries of "normal" society. Shortly after the election, on May 6th, the book burnings began. The Jewish, gay, and obviously liberal Magnus Hirschfeld and his library of boundary-breaking literature was one of the very first targets. Thankfully, Hirschfeld was spared by virtue of being in Paris at the time (he would die in 1935, before the Nazis were able to invade France). His library wasn't so lucky.

This famous picture of the book burnings was taken after the Institute of Sexology had been raided. That's their books. Literature on so much about sexuality, eroticism, and gender, yes including their new work on trans people. This is the trans community's Alexandria. We're incredibly lucky that enough of it survived for Harry Benjamin and everyone who came after him was able to build on the Institute's work.

[Image ID: A black and white photo of the May Nazi book burning of the Institute of Sexology's library. A soldier, back facing the camera, is throwing a stack of books into the fire. In the background of the right side, a crowd is watching.]

As the Holocaust went on, the homosexuals of Germany became a targeted group. This did include transgender people, no matter what you say. To deny this reality is Holocaust denial. JK Rowling and everyone else who tries to pretend like this isn't reality is participating in that evil. You're agreeing with the Nazis.

But of course, you knew that already, didn't you?

Edit: Added image IDs. I apologize to those using screen readers for forgetting them. Please reblog this version instead.

[fairsweetlonging]

truth serum / system reveal au where shen qingqiu gets hit with an uncloaking spell that reveals the system in the reflection of his eyes every time it pops up.

during one of his missions, in the treasure hoard of some dragon-like creature, he finds a golden, oval shaped hand mirror, its gaudy style more victorian based than anything (airplane you hack!), that doesn't seem to do anything when he looks into it. but when he does, it reveals the system's screen in his eyes.

he doesn't notice this, of course, because he can't see it, and the system, surprisingly, stays quiet.

the peak lords think he's cursed.

maybe mu qingfang is the first to notice, during the mandatory post mission check-up, when shen qingqiu is scrolling through his most recently accumulated points and mu qingfang can see the strange vividly-blue lines reflected in his pupils. it's gone when shen qingqiu blinks, like it was nothing but a trick of the light.

it comes out when yue qingyuan is visiting and, just as he's done laying out the plans for a new mission, shen qingqiu's eyes glaze over and a bright blue box takes over the whole of his iris. shen qingqiu goes quiet; the thing in his eyes moves, shifts, pulses for a second, like static worms crawling all over his pupils. then he blinks, and it's gone, and shen qingqiu accepts the mission that yue qingyuan was almost sure he would decline.

maybe there is an intervention, when the peak lords corner shen qingqiu at qian cao peak and try to figure out what's wrong, subjecting him to all kinds of treatments and curse-finding spells that turn up empty, they can't find anything.

of course, the silencing threat is still very much up and running. at first shen qingqiu was kind of confused by the whole ordeal, but when the peak lords start describing a "strange blue box", he realizes, with sickening suddenty, that they're describing the system. and he can't say anything.

this only makes everything worse, because their fellow peak lord now keeps evading every question and acts like he doesn't understand. liu qingge points right at his face and asks, "that blue box, what is it?" and shen qingqiu laughs nervously and starts talking about how bright the weather is and surely it's the sky and nothing to worry about!

even worse, during the intervention the system thought it was a good idea to start talking to him, so now even the peak lords who hadn't seen it and who might have been persuaded by light tricks and reflections, get a first row view that no, that definitely isn't a trick of the light.

they try to do the whole thing of "are you in danger, blink twice" but shen qingqiu can't even do that because it's still a direct admittance!

maybe eventually he starts saying vague confirmations that don't actually confirm anything, like "this master hears what you're saying", or maybe he goes with a classic "this master can neither confirm nor deny that." but the system starts warning him for that too and eventually he stops saying anything, which worries the others more.

luckily mu qingfang catches on that every time they ask a direct question about the box or shen qingqiu says anything vaguely confirming, it appears. it doesn't appear when they ask about curses or demons, so it must not see that as a threat.

for a little extra angst: maybe the peak lords keep pressuring him for answers, and at some point shen qingqiu gets fed up and snaps out something like, "why don't you understand that i'm not allowed to answer that!" the system counts this as a direct admittance, threatening it's existence. so it punishes. shen qingqiu has a qi deviation so bad it lasts two weeks and takes two people every day to cleanse his meridians. the system doesn't appear in that time. it doesn't appear for a long while after that, either. the peak lords stop asking, mainly because shen qingqiu will instantly leave the room if they do. they don't stop searching for a cure, though.

shang qinghua returns from a business trip and catches on the second someone mentions a blue box and forced silencing.

[what-am-i-doing-in-this-fandom]

I am such a big Werewolf Stan advocate I had to jump on this particular train 🙏 (but I didn't really wanna commit to full line art, you guys understand)

Oh, and you guys aren't gonna believe this, but here's part two 🙌

[egophiliac]

doylist explanation for why Gidel is only in Fellow's non-idle lesson animations: probably something about space constraints and making sure two sprites in one seat aren't covering anyone else when they're not in focus

watsonian explanation for why Gidel is only in Fellow's non-idle lesson animations: he snuck in and is hiding from the teachers, don't give him away 🤫

(I've reached my limit of unsuccessful attempts at pulling them before I need to save keys for Halloween, so I've been living vicariously through youtube videos...but the fact that Gidel just pops up from under the desk to wave his arms around happily is really testing my resolve. D: I'm gonna die when they finally get to do alchemy...)

[stump-not-found]

A Lifetime Served in a Little Cup

pt.1 / pt.2 / pt.3 / pt.4

---

bill, babygirl, the red flags get outta there

[yuri-puppies]

Shape-shifters, face-blindness, and "paying attention to others"

The shapeshifter is one of my favourite "monster of the week" episodes because it showcases how differently Laios processes social information than the rest of the party. It reminds me a lot of the strategies I, faceblind name-forgetter and eye-contact avoider, use to recognize people and learn things about them.

We see Laios clearly fail at recognizing the doubles through "standard" social cues that are perceived as "easy to tell", such as their clothes. This makes the team (unfairly, but understandably) weary of his ability to tell the fakes apart and even worried that he'd prefer the monster versions* over them. Nonetheless, he gives it a try!

...And is immediately overwhelmed. His lack of attention to social cues works a bit in his favor, though, as it makes it harder for him to fall for stereotypes that fool the rest of the group.

Instead, he chooses to rely on his strengths and use his investigation and animal handling skills to distract the shapeshifters, lure out the monster, and roll the most insane balls-to-the-wall intimidation check of all time.

If it had ended there it still would have been a great episode that showcases Laios' strategic mind and his strengths as a leader. He doesn't have the social skills necessary for the task, but he is clever and creative enough to use the skills he does have proficiency in to solve the problem*.

However, what makes this episode so dear and near to my faceblind heart is the revelation that Laios was able to recognize the real party members after all.

Laios is fantastic representation of how special interests actually work for a monotropic interest system. Having a special interest is not just about how much you like it and the need to know everything about it, it's a way of processing and filtering information. Laios' special interest is monsters: his skills as a dungeoneer and party leader are acquired for and informed by his desire to interact with monsters, as is his interest in eating them. He actually brings this up himself when comparing his interest in cooking to Senshi's.

And in this episode, we see that this also extends to his friends. Laios hacks one of the most difficult types of information for him to process by routing it through the lens of the special interest. And, because it's not something most people would notice, it works. He knows that Chilchuck wouldn't let his guard down around a potential mimic, that Senshi values a balanced ecosystem, that (my favourite) Marcille just isn't as thoughtful about monsters as he is.

It might not be what was expected, but it did the trick! And what's more, the narrative validates his way of thinking (even if Chilchuck doesn't).

[verflares]

(click for higher quality!) draconified link concept ive been chipping away at this past week ..... here's my funny little compendium concept for him:

"A heroic spirit has taken the form of this bestial dragon. Unlike it's kin, this creature exhibits an extremely aggressive disposition. It appears highly territorial, and will relentlessly chase down those who disturb its skywide patrols - of which it seems to be endlessly searching for either a long-time vassal or foe. Unfortunately, it seems the spirit within has long since forgotten exactly who it was looking for…"

[serapheseraphim]

People really need to stop talking about aromantic people in such a way to suggest we need to, like, make up for our lack of romantic attraction? This ties into the whole "aromantic people can still date" and "aromantic people can have qprs" and "aromantic people still feel strong platonic love" pattern I keep seeing where it's as if people are trying to say "don't worry, they can still be mostly normal" and it is so frustrating to me as a non-partnering aromantic person and is likely even worse for aplatonic and loveless aros.