#man i really got read that fucking book.

[marcusrobertobaq]

You are forgetting Kamski who calls Connor a deviant because he doesn't wanna shoot Chloe.

Cuz Kamski gave him an order that is in favor of his mission of hunting androids but Connor directly refused going on, caused mostly by emotional conflicts (at least based on his reaction if u don't shoot). There ain't no superficial reason for Connor to really refuse this order cuz everything seems positive and that's all he should care as a tool, even if Kamski is clearly fucking with Connor by making challenges to prove his own points about androids conflicts with humans being inevitable: and that's about androids putting 'em own "wishes" and "wants" above what they were set or ordered to do: disobedience. Kamski doesn't seem aware Connor can directly disobey humans like that OR he's fucking with him due to Connor showing empathy to Chloe and being visibly wary of the word deviancy or the thought of being wrong about things (cuz it challenges what he was brainwashed to think and fails the purpose he was made to feel proud of), but he's at least aware Connor can use weapons (something common androids can't). Considering the model name on the jacket wasn't originally a thing he wouldn't know what type of model Connor really is besides what's on TV, unless he knows it's a model related to what he was once involved. But that's just my guess.

I don't see anything in the game that implies that there is a misunderstanding regarding the definition of deviancy among characters. I think if anything, they'd lie to him about not being a deviant so he doesn't panic and run away from them, and not the other way around. You know, just like how Amanda basically does the moment he admits that he might be "compromised".

I ain't talking about "misunderstanding regarding the definition of deviancy among characters", i'm talking about limits of a semi-autonomous system.

I don't think they would need to lie to Connor about not being a deviant cuz, again, u ain't a deviant if u ain't deviating from what u were ordered to do, but there's one thing Amanda is worried about with the "compromised" thing: she's worried about control and she wanna calm this very conflicted android down (conflicted about making his own choices on his own opinions vs making choices based on default priority) to see what happens, if it can potentially lead to this Connor turning on 'em. Like i said in a very old post questioning situations is one of the foundations of deviancy since deviancy is supposed to be like "opening your eyes" and "becoming free", and androids can't open 'em eyes and become free, they're slaves. Ironically this constant reminder can cause 'em to question it cuz, well, they made 'em too intelligent.

The moment Connor starts worrying too much about specific stuff often letting his own emotional capacity speak louder rather than supressing it due to the "fear", like he's an actual person with valid personal inputs rather than a brainless machine doing what he's told without questioning (and that's one of the points reinforced by CLT New Connor), there's a higher chance Connor will eventually find a way to directly disobey his master (his handler Amanda in this case) - and that's the biggest no-no for the plan A, in which CyberLife has a machine Connor to stop the deviants. Plan B includes a Connor who went rogue and can be used from inside the deviant circle, it's no wonder he's still being tracked in Zen Garden if we die as deviant: they found a way of tracking rogue androids and to establish control over 'em even if for a moment (resume control). Either Connor deviates or not CyberLife has a plan for both, so they're testing the limits of this model that already has a degree of freedom if u don't order 'em directly.

But one thing is a fact: they use Connor's emotional against him multiple times. And ofc Kamski's backdoor and Connor's will fucks with CyberLife's plan if we deviate.

But deviancy was never about disobeying, as we can see with Markus - he deviates before disobeying. Actually, disobeying is completely optional, he becomes a deviant the moment he decides that he must choose for himself whether to obey or not. Deviancy isn't portrayed as disobeying, it's portrayed as possessing the free will to decide whether or not to disobey your master. Most androids disobey, because they have no reason to obey, but we already have an exception in Markus, who can choose not to do anything if he thinks that would deescalate the situation.

Deviancy is used as a metaphor for fighting masters/opression and becoming truly free. In the android case (in a more technical pov) it'll be going against set orders, either by owners or the law for this android cuz [1] androids can't just be free and [2] androids can't "fight" the core of 'em commercial funcitonality (having masters). Free will is disobedience, it's everything something used as slave doesn't need - and it'll conflict with it automatically. For the android to deviate they gotta break rules related to 'em, otherwise they wouldn't be deviating from anything. And one of the first laws should be androids must obey masters - the moment an android is obeying "itself" alone without an outside master at all they're deviating cuz there ain't no android that can operate without one for now. Even autonomous androids like RKs, in this case semi-autonomous, can't operate without a hard-coded master.

Markus is the only actual example of a deviant that "disobeyed to obey orders" in the entire game, and i still don't really know if it was always the case or if the option we got to obey Carl is "recent" due to changes in the ending of Broken. Cuz what makes things complicated is the text used in the mp wall called "DO NOT DEFEND YOURSELF", Markus deviating means breaking this rule as all other androids in the game did, why would he be special in this sense, right? Something tells me he was going to do it but the change in the idea was in the very last moment, otherwise this mp wall text is just useless and has no meaning at all, including all the anger (fight back) it's supposed to represent in the first place, the anger of being ordered to do nothing, sense of injustice. Originally Markus had thoughts about Leo hurting him and that potentially being the reason why he'd have to do something asap but idk if it still interferes in the final version or not.

But one can argue Markus making his own decision alone (even if basically doing what Carl said) goes against his function as android, since Carl didn't order him to give himself orders or do whatever he wants (like in The Painter) in that particular moment - it doesn't explain the mp wall text tho and still different from 99.9% the cases in the game and it's quite a stretch. Although he's a RK he's being used as a caretaker android.

In this case Connor should be operating differently cuz it's totally ridiculous how they let everything in the hands of this android, probably just to see what happens when u let 'em make 'em own decisions most of the time and using the sense of duty against him, the same way he can bypass a lot of things in the AA solely cuz he's under CyberLife and under a direct handler.

(...) If you truly play Connor as a machine, you don't even get the option to deviate, so why shouldn't we already see it as deviancy if he has gathered enough software instability to be able to deviate and disobey? He isn't programmed like that - you get 0 software instability per factory setting, you need 20 points to deviate, and you get 20 points really easy. Sure, he might have enough freedom to make some decisions as per program, but the decision to deviate is solely dependent on software instability.

SI comes from the principle Connor had enough internal conflicts to be able to be able to question things and make decisions that goes against what he was directly told to do, potentially disobeying his master directly and solely based on his own wishes alone rather than logical ones in prol of an outside goal. A low instability Connor means he has less doubts and less reasons to not do what he has been ordered to do, less of the emotional factor knocking on his door and interfering on what he was taught and his decisions being in prol of outside parties rather himself, consequently less reasons to sympathize with androids (the main factor that causes his conflicts) and have interest for a personhood. The problem with the game is everything falls apart if you're outside one of the 2 pre-made narrative routes.

I think if there is really any intention behind androids developping emotions, free will, whatsoever, it comes from Kamski and definitely not from CL as they are during the game after they got rid of him.

Kamski was CL's creator and CEO and the android design we see is his, CL post-Kamski didn't do much shit about it, it seems. So ofc i'm talking about Kamski's own personal opinions on things (androids being the perfect replacement and superior to humans; more inteligent and worthy evolution) and how it interfered in CyberLife as megacorporation. But doesn't mean the new board ain't got any shady interests behind it, including using deviancy at 'em favor or even learning way of containing it since they'd have to start a new design from 0 cuz, well, KAMSKI.

„You can’t remain what you aren’t“ is a valid take, but what you are forgetting is that this is the option from Connor's perspective and if he is a deviant in denial, then he cannot be seen as a reliable narrator of his own perceived options.

Sounds more like a box for gameplay purposes but, well, sure. But he indeed got no reason to think he was truly a deviant until Crossroads and the face to face with the deviant leader, cuz deviancy is direct betrayal and "failure" - exactly what he was wary of and exactly what Amanda uses to force him to focus. If Connor were a deviant he'd get his ass bitten, that what he was taught. No matter how u played Connor is a good boy until Act 3, even if Amanda is disappointed with his decisions (and i bet she regrets not directly ordering Connor to do things so he got no way of evading it, but maybe it was intentional since she asks what Connor thinks it's the best approach for some things). And that's what matters for 'em, having Connor under control rather than fully focused on his "system compromised" or even on humans like Hank, who more contest things rather than "helps" and shut up. And the ultimate representation of his system being compromised - the thing they sit down and say "this mf fully fucked up" -, is directly disobeying Amanda, his master, when there ain't no ways of evading things and the worst: joining the folks he once hunted. It's no wonder Connor considers this "betrayal" his deviancy.

Deviancy is a B&W thing, either you're a deviant or u ain't a deviant. You're outside the norm or you're inside the norm. The way there, tho... it's the fight to be a person, a process of discovery until you're finally, in fact, recognized as a person not only by yourself but by the law too cuz androids ain't people, so the moment they're people they're outside the norm automatically. It'll be easy for ones, difficult for others. But in the end u gotta make the decision of deviating and becoming "free" of masters to be this person, it's inevitable.

And again, like i said, if Connor was a deviant in denial the whole time... then all androids are deviants in denial or didn't know they were deviants. And if deviancy means free will in big form (putting the disobedience thing to the side) then, well, Connor ain't a deviant until Act 3 cuz he may be able to make actions if his master doesn't directly order him but he ain't really got free will, he's limited by his android program all androids has. They may have emotional development in mind but there's still this commercial barrier.

So, Bryan was casted for the role of Connor based on an audition tape, in which he did the scene from „The Bridge“.

He was picked to play Connor because he could portray Connor's uncertainty about whether or not he was a deviant so well.

He played Connor as someone who may or may not be a deviant, as someone who could be a machine but also could be a deviant who is repressing it. Bryan was picked for that role specifically because he could portray that desired nuance in his audition - using the scene from „The Bridge“ in which he hasn’t officially deviated yet.

Now, am I saying Connor was a deviant all along? No. I think that’s up to interpretation. All I'm saying is that people who think he might have been a deviant in denial from the start aren’t as „stupid“ as some of y'all like to call them. Because, depending on the route and the choices, he is quite literally intended to be seen as a „possible deviant in denial“. Many people can read between the lines and see what the narrative is showing them. That’s all.

Source at 7:38

[beifonng]

Jiang cheng antis are so annoying. Just saw some neanderthal say they’re upset jc never apologized to wwx 💀 wtf is he apologizing for like be so fr “hey so you spiraled out of control and accidentally caused the death of my last remaining family member and your hubris inadvertently caused my entire sect to be massacred but Im soooo sorry” like ok lmfao. Now if we’re talking about apologies sure he could apologize for blaming him for what happened with the wens killing his clan because even if wen chao was especially foul because of wwx the wens would’ve came regardless but anything aside from that is really up in the air. Hunting DC is a rumor that has never been confirmed (some of yall are illiterate so I’ll give you grace for missing that and the entire message about rumors in the book) and even if the rumor did have validity DC is not a good thing and DCs are not good people 💀. If we’re talking about defecting, it was staged and wwx made the choice of his own volition to defect because they both (wwx & jc) knew that JC didn’t have the power (politically and physically) to defend wwx for protecting the wen remnants. For the golden core, JC never asked him to give him his core, if anything he literally lost his core trying to protect wwx. It was a parallel symbolizing the extent that both would go for each other and sacrificing themselves to help the person they love. (And even then JC didn’t distract the wen patrol with the thought that he would lose his core, in his head the price of protecting wwx would be his life if he were to get caught. the one time JC chose love over duty) “jc should have apologized to wwx” I think there’s a lot of things unsaid between them both, whether that be apologies or whatever else, but don’t be fucking delusional and put all the blame on JC 💀 if you’re gonna make half-baked excuses on why you dislike him then you might as well wear a big glaring red sign that says remedial and illiterate xoxo

[saffitaffi]

So I just read all 914 pages of Fool’s Fate in one day. I don’t think I’ve ever read that much in one day ever. These books are so good holy snickerdoodles I love the politics and the amazing worldbuilding (robin writes matriarchies and different societal structures SO GOOD) and the realistic characters and Fitz’s unreliable narration and also the gay ass ‘friendship’ between him and the fool (fitz ‘no homo but also my bond with you is deeper than my love for anyone else including my other half bonded wolf and my wife and also sex’ farseer)

So uh. Yeah. Excuse me while I go cry in the corner. Again.

[monstermoviedean]

"it's the same in other countries" no the fuck it is not. "yeah in my entirely different field it's exactly the same" no the fuck it is not. literally any anecdote i tell about my (limited!) teaching experience gets me a starbucks drive thru meme response. it is NOT the same. you do not fucking get it.

[kradogsrats]

GOD okay so zero amount of surprise about this but the way Aaron Ehasz talks about Ned Stark is just like...

Yeah, it's legitimately a sacrifice on Ned's part to let everyone think Jon is his son, in that it puts a stain on his reputation, since it's also really driven home how important honesty and loyalty are to him (like he's functionally incapable of playing the Game of Thrones because of it) but...

HE 👏 ALSO 👏 SACRIFICED 👏 CATELYN'S 👏 REPUTATION

Not to mention her sense of security in her own marriage, particularly given how precarious her position as a woman in the setting society is, AND her sense of security in her children's future, and he did all of that with exactly ZERO of her input or consent. Oh, boo hoo—Ned had to go his whole life with everyone, including his wife, thinking he betrayed her when really he was always faithful! Catelyn is such a bitch for being cold to Jon and acting like letting him live with them is some huge sacrifice! ... okay, but you literally cannot have any of that without the fact that Catelyn is going her whole life believing her husband betrayed her, while she also has no option to leave him that wouldn't put her somewhere way shittier (because this is fucking ASOIAF) and unlike Ned, she doesn't even fucking know that it's all an altruistic lie.

And sure, Ned is the tragic Good Man(tm) in a setting where There Are No Good Men(tm)—I'm not surprised it comes at his wife's expense, because this is fucking ASOIAF, and I assume there's even less consideration given to her position in the show (which I didn't watch, as there were already many reasons I'd stopped reading the books, but I would be truly shocked if they acknowledged it there).

I guess I'm like ???????? because we literally just had a major story beat where the entire point was that doing harm to your wife, even if it's "only" emotional harm, even for the sake of your own child's life, is pretty fucking bad? It's explicitly described as monstrous, in a story where "what is a monster?" is a central theme. Like... sir, do you not watch your own show? Or did Devon Ghiel write that entire arc?

(This is in like 5% of the interview though, and the larger point he's trying to make is actually very interesting... it's just a really weird example. But the rest is really good! Go listen to it!)

[deadandphilgames]

oversharing in the tags time :)

[crystalkitty1220]

Man I wonder where the leader of the fear realm could've gone, it's alMOST LIKE NEVIN HAS AN

[sillyfudgemonkeys]

Roku: *has multiple opportunities to confess to Ta Min but never FUCKING TAKES IT*

Me: If I was Kyoshi I would've ripped through the walls of the Spirit World and just fucking suplexed you until you stopped breathing.

[assmundr]

"Because we all know that a woman is not a woman until pregnancy/childbirth/motherhood/rape/infertility/other uterus related topics, is an integral part of her story" lol preach

If I had a penny for every time I encountered this in a story, I would have enough money to be able to quit my job and fully focus on the second part of the Asmundr/Home review lmao

Little tangent under the cut

I am honestly so tired of this still being an issue in the year of our Lord, 2025. It's even worse then the writer/artist are attempting to portray something "progressive" through their writing, but still somehow end up doing this.

Like, Andy Weird for an example. I loved The Martian and Project Hail Mary is honestly one of my the most favourite books I have ever read (read Project Hail Mary PLEASE I'm begging you I AM BEGGING ON MY KNEES-) but his second released book, Artemis? Atrocious. I have no idea what possessed him after he wrote the deliciousness that is The Martian to then spit out the kind of lukewarm mess Artemis was. I couldn't get past 60 pages, and I only got that far because I loved his two other books and wanted to push through. But I couldn't.

It absolutely is because of the main character, who is a woman (unlike the main characters in The Martian and PHM) and just kinda written as if an alien once did a Google search on what a woman was, spent 20 minutes reading about them on Reddit, then wrote a book about one. Nearly on every page, the reader gets reminded that the main character has boobs and has sex, because it's the most progressive thing ever to say women fuck!!! The MC has "not like other girls" vibe that obnoxiously overtakes over everything else happening in the book itself.

One of the worst books I have ever read, The Spectres, has many issues, but the biggest one gotta be how Every. Single. Female. Character. in it's story is defined by what male character they're currently attracted to. Every. Single. One. No matter who's POV it is, if it's a woman, her internal monologue and their actions will always circle back to the man she's into, completely defining her by her attraction to them instead of, you know, defining her by her personality like a regular person should be. And yes, this book was written by a man, if you were wondering.

It's even funnier when other people call this shit out, but then write it into their stories themselves, either being completely oblivious to it or bending back over backwards to excuse why it's okay if they do it. I once knew a person who heavilly criticised the badly handled sexual assault/rape in Home but then they had their own character raped/taken advantage of MULTIPLE TIMES for the sake of cheaply written drama and also have them have like seventeen miscarriages, too, because we all know the story of a person with a uterus isn't compelling until something like that happens to them. They also had a character they used as a clown and a comic relief in their writing that they were weirdly attracted to, while they were also a rapist (who assaulted several characters. Yes, it includes the previously mentioned one as well) All of this while they called out Home and Kique for misusing these topics for cheap drama/trauma/shock value.

I'm just. I'm so tired of this. I'm tired of seeing women and female presenting characters in media that's not even of this niche be written this way. Have rape, assault, pregnancy/birth related trauma thrown in left and right as if those are the traits that define women. I am tired of having to research the media I wanna engage with, whether it's a movie, a game or a book, to figure out if something like this will be a part of it's story. I don't mind at all reading about this, mind you. What I do mind, however, is when it's cheaply used as a sterotypical "female" trauma authors throw into stories so they can then label them as dark or provoking or some other shit. A woman is more than her uterus, a woman is more than a vessle for some cheap drama, and I am getting really tired of seeing this writing so often.

[nexus-nebulae]

just realised that the first media we consumed that made us REALLY sympathetic for the monster was that fucking point and click Mystery Case Files Ravenhearst game. bc that entire game i was legitimately fucking TERRIFIED of the ghost lady in that game but the second i found out her husband was abusive i doubled down on trying to help her escape. and the ending of that game Did make me cry out of fear but hey at least i did in fact help her escape

[tragedykery]

you know what? to be completely fair to dr victor hoppe, if that had happened to me, I, too would develop a complicated (read: fucked up) relationship with like. Everything

[daisybell-on-a-carousel]

Theyre going to think I like canon and purely canon if I keep going on like this

[ghost-oftheriver]

my dad just hit me with the “i’m the parent and you’re the kid”

in the context that i should be the mature one

i’m so fucking tired

[millyrocking]

question for the culture — why don’t we ever really discuss the massive amounts of sexual assault, domestic abuse and misogyny entrenched within professional wrestling?

[nspolaris]

read the sunshine court and have never been more impatient in needing a second book my god

[oflgtfol]

he was only nineteen???? he should've been at the clubbbb