#qbr rambling

[queerbrainrot]

"X is so genderidentity-coded" this "Z is b-sexuality and i will fight people on this" that, "10001 reasons why character C is [insert sexuality, gender identity, disability etc.]" shmat.

can we just go back to saying "I headcanon this character as being X, Y, Z"

If I see one more person use "[insert disability, gender identity, sexuality]-coded" in context of

"I personally view them as [sexuality] and a representation of [sexuality] and it's a positive thing and I will be upset if someone disagrees"

My brain will melt.

No one will fight you over headcanons, but some people will fight you over saying that a canonically pansexual character is 'actually lesbian/asexual/gay etc.'

[queerbrainrot]

Personally torn on this because while I agree that purity culture and people lacking media literacy are destroying fandoms and consumable art in general, this:

I really think everyone needs to truly internalize this: Fictional characters are objects. They are not people. You cannot "objectify" them, because they have no personhood to be deprived of. They have no humanity to be erased. You cannot "disrespect" them, because they are not real.

made me immediately think of character such as Astarion in BG3:

Astarion is a character with severe SA trauma, who was forced to use his body to sexually appeal to others - by all means his character arc is about realising he is not an object for others to use, and he needn't allow others to sexualise him or objectify him. The player even has an SA option (coercing him into sex) at a point where he is very emotionally vulnerable about his trauma.

Now, when people take this character and create overly sexual media of him, I can't help but feel extremely uncomfortable thinking what is the intention of the creator. Is it for their own healing of trauma, or is it for their sexual gratification? I cannot fathom looking at a character whose story is all this ^ and then just writing explicit porn or non con about them, or making explicit fanart of the same theme, mostly because of the character's backstory and trauma. Similarly I'd heavily side-eye anyone who enjoys Colleen Hoover's books. Or someone who takes a canon masc4masc gay couple and makes one of them extremely feminine, or writes a trans character like a cishet man would write a woman. Side-eye.

Of course there's the "don't like don't read" rule (although people still fail to tag things properly, half the time). I don't like dead doves so I don't approach dead doves, simple as that.

But, but. Let's be honest, which one of us in our tweens didn't look at a toxic romance book thinking "oh i want love like this" or "i want to be like this" without realizing how unhealthy, toxic etc. the media is? Like damn I'm glad I never got into a relationship in my teens, while I was still influenced by all the YA romance novels, because I know I'd be excusing some shady behavior.

I think there's an interesting conversation to be had. Especially since a lot of younger generation see 'people on the internet' as 'not real' and so treat others almost as NPCs in their world (the "its just the internet lmao why are you pressed about me telling you to kys???" approach).

I really think everyone needs to truly internalize this:

Fictional characters are objects.

They are not people. You cannot "objectify" them, because they have no personhood to be deprived of. They have no humanity to be erased. You cannot "disrespect" them, because they are not real.

[auburnfamilynews]

A look back at Gus Malzahn’s first signing class.

Next Wednesday, Auburn will close on another signing class. Afterwards, everyone, including yours truly, will attempt to explain to you dear readers why this is a class you should be excited about based off the bits of film they’ve seen of said signees. Some will explain how the fact that one class has a higher player rating average means that their class is in fact much better than their rivals’ ranked 3 spots higher while others will point to the sheer depth of their class as why it is in fact the best.

But the truth is we actually have no idea how good or not good a class is next Wednesday. Yes, it’s been shown over and over again that schools who typically finish ranked higher tend to be more successful. You will never hear me debate that fact. However, the level of success of a class can’t really be judged until those kids hit the gridiron. So this week, we here at College & Magnolia have taken the time go back and re rank Auburn’s signing classes based on their actual success on the field. It will be interesting to see if some classes that were thought to be poor end up strong while great on paper classes turn to disappointment upon reexamination.

I should point out that we are ranking based on the success of the player while at Auburn. We aren’t concerned about where they landed in the NFL Draft or any success they might have had after leaving the Plains. We are grading strictly on how these players produced while donning the orange and blue. Our final rating is an average of grades (1-5) given to signees by the majority of the brain trust here at C&M. You could call it a C&M Composite score if you so felt inclined...

Anyway, enough rambling, onto the re-ranks!

Consensus Five Stars

We start first with the folks that we all agreed were 5* impact players for the Tigers. What we defined as 5* is pretty subjective but for me at least it’s someone that was not only ultra productive but raised the level of play of those around him as well. Three 5*s in a single class ain’t bad at all.

#14 QB Nick Marshall

247 Composite: 3* | #27 JUCO OVR | #3 JUCO QB | #6 JUCO KS

Career Stats: 320-532 (60.2%) 4,508 yards 34 TD 13 INT 147.5 QBR 325 carries 1,866 yards 5.7 avg 23 TD 3 rec 51 yds 17.0 avg

C&M Composite: 5.00

This was the easiest rerank of the class. Marshall was the engine behind Auburn’s high powered offenses in 2013 and 2014. I will completely admit to the fact that I was very confused on why Gus would take a flyer on a 20+ INT thrower from some JUCO when he had the stud QB of the future coming in the same class back in 2013. But you see, there is a reason I am an internet blogger and not a multi million dollar head football coach.

#18 K Daniel Carlson

247 Composite: 3* | N/A OVR | #2 K | #6 CO

Career Stats: 198-198 XP (100%) 92-114 (80.7%) TD

C&M Composite: 5.00

One of the dumbest things recruiting sites do is give kickers a ceiling of 3*s. Not here at College & Magnolia. Our experts here understand the value of kickers especially someone like Mr. Legatron whom not only leads Auburn in scoring but the SEC overall. That’s right, no human being that has ever played in the best football conference in America has scored as many points as Daniel Carlson. Did you see that Mike?

#55 BUCK/DE Carl Lawson

247 Composite: 5* | #22 OVR | #1 WDE | #3 GA

Career Stats: 67 tackles 24.5 TFL 14.5 sacks 3 FF

C&M Composite: 5.00

There will always be a feeling of what if with Lawson. What if he had not missed all of 2015? But that one year actually helped prove just how valuable a player he was to that Auburn defense. Teams always had to account for Lawson which opened up opportunities for guys elsewhere and his leadership was special. He’s now making a bunch of NFL front offices look super dumb which is just an added bonus honestly.

The Four Stars

What you are going to notice about this class is it is very top heavy. In some other re-ranks I will have to delineate a bit at the 4* level but in 2013, guys were pretty clearly either a consensus 5* or a consensus 4*.

#23 S Johnathan “Rudy” Ford

247 Composite: 4* | #306 OVR | #22 RB | #13 AL

Career Stats: 280 tackles 12.5 TFL 2.0 sacks 5 INT TD 11 PD FR 3 FF

C&M Composite: 4.17

Auburn flipped Ford from Vanderbilt late in the 2013 class and brought him on as a running back. He switched to defense before his sophomore year where he became an instant impact player and led the Tigers in tackles the next two seasons. I still think he could have been a dang good tailback if he left on that side of the ball but hard to complain too much about how his career turned out.

#1 Montravius Adams

247 Composite: 5* | #10 OVR | #3 DT | #2 GA

Career Stats: 147 tackles 19.5 TFL 10.5 sacks 2 INT 3 PD 3 FR TD 3 FF

C&M Composite: 4.00

I was a bit surprised to see consensus across the board that Adams was a 4*. This was a tough one because we all love Adams and there’s no denying he had a productive career for the Tigers. But consistency eluded him and he just never seemed to have that one big game changing moment in his career. If I were fully re-ranking the 2013 class he might be a 4* but he would be a top 50 player just outside the 5*s. If you disagree, feel free to make a passionate case for Adams in the comments, chances are high you will convince us.

#44 Cameron Artis-Payne

247 Composite: 3* | #60 JUCO OVR | #3 JUCO RB | #17 JUCO CA

Career Stats: 394 carries 2,218 yds 5.6 avg 19 TD 14 rec 151 yds

C&M Composite: 4.00

I vividly remembering telling my buddy with me in Atlanta when Artis-Payne broke off that tremendous late TD run against Missouri that the Tigers would be just fine at tailback in 2014. Artis-Payne was another successful JUCO hit for Malzahn and I think is overlooked in Auburn RB lore. He was insanely light on his feet for a 210 lb running back and delivered more blows than he took that season.

Borderline Four Star

Here resides one player where the C&M crew had mixed thoughts on his rank. The 4s outweighed the 3s though.

#25 Peyton Barber

247 Composite: 3* | #482 OVR | #30 RB | #42 GA

Career Stats: 248 carries 1,071 yds 4.3 avg 13 TD 11 rec 112 yds 10.2 avg

C&M Composite: 3.83

Barber’s career has been far from typical. A nasty knee injury robbed him of his junior year in high school and resulted in him not being as highly pursued as he probably should have been. He redshirted in 2013 and took garbage time reps in 2014 before emerging as the lead tailback for much of the tumultuous 2015 campaign when all of Auburn’s other more highly rated backs were all hurt. Then, after a fantastic redshirt sophomore year, Barber shockingly declared for the NFL though he gave a pretty good reason for it later. Now he’s Tampa Bay’s starting tailback after going undrafted and battling a learning disability all his life. Keep doing you Peyton.

Three Star-ish

Here we find a trio of key contributors that didn’t necessarily have consensus on their rank. One had a few more 4* votes while the other two picked up some lower 2* and even a 1* rank.

#80 Marcus Davis

247 Composite: 3* | #865 OVR | #69 CB | #126 FL

Career Stats: 83 rec 650 yds 7.8 avg 3 TD

C&M Composite: 3.33

Davis’s best year ended up being his first one. He never broke the 200 yard barrier after a strong debut season in 2013. But I will never forget that wheel route catch against Texas A&M.

#53 Devonte Danzey

247 Composite: 3* | #106 JUCO OVR | #2 JUCO OG | #18 JUCO KS

Career Stats: 10 starts

C&M Composite: 2.83

Danzey was never a star for the Tigers but was a crucial backup in both 2014 and 2015. He started 7 games at left guard in 2014 and filled in for an injured Xavier Dampeer at center the final 3 games of the 2015 campaign.

#50 Ben Bradley

247 Composite: 4* | #16 JUCO OVR | #6 JUCO DT | #3 JUCO KS

Career Stats: 36 tackles 6.0 TFL sack

C&M Composite: 2.50

Bradley was an important rotational piece for Auburn’s defensive line in 2013 and 2014. Never a major impact player, Bradley saw plenty of action and was a useful backup for the Tigers when Adams or Dontavius Russell needed a blow.

The Two Stars

This is an interesting category. Some names here I feel might have been judged too harshly while others probably given too much credit. As you can see, this 2013 class was very top but filled with a lot of signees who never really made a huge impact.

#8 Tony Stevens

247 Composite: 4* | #130 OVR | #16 WR | #23 FL

Career Stats: 50 rec 751 yds 15.0 avg 5 TD

C&M Composite: 2.33

I was a bit surprised to see Stevens rated so low by some of my esteemed colleagues. I personally had him as a clear 3* talent but can understand some of the harsh grading. Stevens would have moments where you believed the top 150 talent was showing out but would often times disappear for long stretches. His inability to stay healthy undoubtedly played a large role in those consistency struggles as well.

#6 Jeremy Johnson

247 Composite: 4* | #164 OVR | #11 PRO QB | #7 AL

Career Stats: 179-282 (63.5%) 2,223 yds 20 TD 11 INT 73 carries 210 yds 2.9 avg 9 TD

C&M Composite: 2.33

There’s no point in rehashing this story that has been told plenty. All I will say is that I greatly respected the way Johnson handled his struggles both during his collegiate career and after. He’s still got a fan in me.

#29 Brandon King

247 Composite: 3* | #176 JUCO OVR | #14 JUCO S | #28 JUCO KS

Career Stats: 19 tackles FR

C&M Composite: 2.33

Despite having a pretty nondescript career for the Tigers, King has carved out a niche in the NFL as a special teams beast and is finishing his 4th year with New England. Not a bad way to make a living.

#47 Cameron Toney

247 Composite: 3* | #433 OVR | #28 ILB | #15 AL

Career Stats: 7 tackles

C&M Composite: 2*

I really liked Toney coming out of high school but there were some concerns about his athleticism. He proved too slow to play linebacker and not big enough to play defensive line. I think though he could have been a half decent Buck if he could have played in Kevin Steele’s system. Muschamp moved him there in 2015 before he left the team.

#75 Deon Mix

247 Composite: 3* | #459 OVR | #25 OG | #7 MS

Career Stats: N/A

C&M Composite: 2.00

Mix was a career backup for the Tigers before transferring to Houston. There was always talk he was in the “Mix” at center but it never came to fruition. Sorry, just wanted to type that sentence.

The Busts

Probably harsh but this is a harsh business. There’s an uncomfortable amount of 1s in this class though it’s not a huge surprise considering that Gus had to scramble to put this class together after being hired.

#22 Khari Harding

247 Composite: 3* | #635 OVR | #45 S | #5 OK

Career Stats: 4 tackles

C&M Composite: 1.17

I loved Harding’s tape coming out of high school and was so excited when the Tigers stole him away from the Hogs. But sadly, illness in his family cut his Auburn career short and he transferred back to Tulsa where he never really made much of an impact.

#44 Kenny Flowers

247 Composite: 3* | #67 JUCO OVR | #3 JUCO ILB | #13 JUCO KS

Career Stats: 9 tackles TFL

C&M Composite: 1.17

Flowers was a hard hitting backer out of JUCO who looked poised to find a role early on a defense that needed help at linebacker. That never materialized and Flowers left the Plains without ever hearing his name called much on Saturdays, though he did win the Defensive MVP in the 2014 A-Day Game.

#97 Elijah Daniel

247 Composite: 4* | #55 OVR | #6 SDE | #2 IN

Career Stats: 23 tackles 5.5 TFL 3.5 sacks

C&M Composite: 1.00

Daniel was a nice signing day surprise that did not work out. After an encouraging sophomore campaign that saw the Indiana native make the move inside where he proved more effective, Daniel was dismissed from the team after being arrested for burglary.

#83 Dominic Walker

247 Composite: 3* | #500 OVR | #71 WR | #76 FL

Career Stats: N/A

C&M Composite: 1*

Walker decided to join teammate Tony Stevens on the Plains in 2013, flipping from Nebraska which did not go over well with the typically pleasant Bo Pelini. Sadly, Walker’s career didn’t amount to much on the Plains and he transferred to Troy after redshirting.

#37 Kamryn Melton

247 Composite: 3* | #542 OVR | #40 CB | #18 AL

Career Stats: N/A

C&M Composite: 1*

Melton was apart of the DB migration in 2015 when Will Muschamp came back to town. He ended up playing two solid seasons for Troy in 2016 and 2017.

#21 Mackenro Alexander

247 Composite: 3* | #585 OVR | #40 S | #86 FL

Career Stats: 4 tackles 1.5 TFL

C&M Composite: 1.00

Auburn’s first attempt at a package deal under Gus went poorly. Clemson landed 5* Mackenzie Alexander who went on to have a brilliant career for the purple shaded Tigers. Mackenro picked Auburn where after two seasons of not contributing he transferred to Iowa State where he had a solid senior year.

Earnest Robinson

247 Composite: 4* | #296 OVR | #43 WR| #11 AL

Career Stats: N/A

C&M Composite: 1.00

Robinson failed to qualify after signing with the Tigers and then was arrested for setting up a man for a robbery a year later. Kid had immense talent but that can only get you so far.

This class was ranked #10 overall in 2013 which was only good for 6th in the conference because that’s life in the SEC. It proved incredibly top heavy with three clear 5* impact players, one more borderline 5* talent, two outstanding tailbacks and then a whole lotta meh. This was really Gus Malzahn’s Year 0 class considering he didn’t have all cycle to recruit these kids. So while this class lacked depth, it did provide plenty of punch at the top of the list to make it a solid first signing class for Malzahn. Tomorrow, we will take a look at the very interesting 2014 group.

War Eagle!

from College and Magnolia - All Posts https://www.collegeandmagnolia.com/2019/1/29/18196000/re-ranking-auburn-signing-classes-2013

[queerbrainrot]

incoherent ramble on Vegas' character in the show 1/???

i'm gonna go ahead and say I didn't read the whole novel, and I do not treat the novel!Vegas as the same character as show!Vegas so i'm not gonna speak on anything novel character did, cause, frankly i do not care for the novel. the show's where it's at.

Vegas is a very interesting character to me. He doesn't have a lot of screen time--first time we see him, it's when minor family comes to visit. He arrives in a different car than his father, and shoots a smirk at Porsche and Pete. When Macau comes hurt and screaming, Vegas' moves to check on him and console him (while Gun uses the situation to force Korn's hand and punish Porsche).

During the scene, Vegas just seems pissed but controlled the entire time. He leads Macau out of the room--presumably to take care of his head.

Later there's the scene with Gun and Vegas talking alone, and Gun basically treats Vegas as if he was his employee that he's giving orders to. If I had no knowledge of the two being family in context, I'd think it's a boss scolding and giving an order to his employee. Vegas tries to get an answer to "why" he's being ordered to get close to Porsche, but is met with an aggressive outburst, and he immediately shuts down. He just relents, changes his tone and says "yes, pa" and that's it. So, my brain jumps to "oh abused / neglected child reaction huh," and not gonna lie, I started to wonder if Gun gave Vegas more orders like this, to "get close" to another person.

so, what I can gather is that Vegas and Macau have a healthier, brotherly dynamic, while Vegas and Gun have a cold and distanced or abusive dynamic.

We know that the second family is generally treated as worse, lesser, and they're set out to fail, basically. I wonder how it influenced Vegas and Macau. Obviously, Macau went in the route of "pay attention to me!!!" and being loud, but Vegas seemingly does the opposite--he becomes a chameleon. Warm, attentive, friendly and empathetic for Porsche. Witty, cutting, daring and confident with Kinn. Mildly threatening, almost seductive and mysterious with Pete. Quiet, passive, emotionally distanced with Gun. It can be argued that with Kinn, Pete and Porsche he puts on a mask and is manipulative, it can't be said about how he is with Gun, which makes me wonder how the "real" Vegas is.

There's of course the short scene of him being alone, but I don't know what to make of it. He sure seems to enjoy the feeling of pain, as it's the thing he's remembering. But I can't say much more about it, idk, maybe because Bible's ass is too distracting.

[queerbrainrot]

The elevator scene alone was a spiritual experience that put a reset on my life, and the ending is not only peak cinema but also the most emotionally devastating 30 minutes of cinema i ever experienced. The director didn't come to play, he came to fuel the therapy business in SK.

Strangers From Hell is supposedly just as homoerotic, with bits of found family and dentist horror and cannibalism... so almost like Hannibal 👀

watching The Merciless p5/5

The tie fixing, most homoerotic thing known to man.

Fellas is it gay to take a homie to a strip club only to sit with him and drink

Jaeho protecting his man saying „you picked the wrong dick” i have tears in my eyes

… why the elevator stop is this a jealous fuck in the elevator trope

NOT THE MANNANDLING AND PUSHING HIM UP ON THE ELEVATOR WALL. NOT THE HANDS HOLDING TO THE WALL. hyunsoo (and i) just discovered a kink. Now let me rewatch this scene 5 more times as i watch Jaeho put his hand on Hyunsoo’s neck to keep him steady and maneouver his hands. as he pats him down ofc.

OH JAEHO KNEW BEFORE THE CONFESSION?? also bleh the SA threats from the other one

NO DID HE ORCHESTRATE THE MOMS DEATH?! I WAS ROOTING FOR YOU

who kidnaps the poor hyunsoo, hasnt he been through enough

Chief you’re one big scumbag. ACAB all the way

Playing with fireworks what can go wrong, im sure no one burns their face off

Honestly chief Cheon this is karma for the fuckery you’ve caused

Jaeho has harder time with shooting Hyunsoo than Hyunsoo had with getting shot.

I dont even have the words for the emotional toll these last 30 minutes have on me

Hyunsoo needs so much therapy from Jaeho alone, but also from his coworkers to be fair

Damn this entire movie feels like set up for Hyunsoo to become the most fucked up villain imaginable

BRUH JAEHO GOT TAKEN OUT BY A FUXKING CAR????? Aint that poetic justice but also the way my ship has sunk— 

NOT HYUNSOO SHOOTING THE CHIEF—  i mean its deserved but its almost comical

In short:

Amazing cinematography. I cried. I laughed. I giggled and kicked my feet into the air. 10/10. Homoerotic goodness. Sol Kyung Go and Yim Si Wan did fantastic job of acting in this, in every single scene.

@chaos0pikachu I feel emotionally punched down, spat on, chewed out but in a good way. Thank you for posting about this gem of a movie.