#subset: choices

[raayllum]

4x04 / 5x02 / 6x03

[apas-95]

the view that sexual predation is based on 'brain development' rather than life experience and social power is, like the common view that incest is bad because of 'inbreeding' rather than the control granted by the family structure, one where the issues of social power imbalance are replaced by an unhelpful bioessentialism - one that both makes permissions for these abuses (whether it's in the cases of non-blood relatives, or of an 18 year old being exploited by a 50 year old), and targets non-abusive relationships (if the reason for incest's immorality is that it might produce a disabled child, how does that logic continue towards people with inherited illnesses?). working within this essentialist logic, it's impossible to rectify these issues - neither extending the supposed 'undeveloped brain' to greater ages, nor simply deciding that there exists no real power a middle-aged man has over a new graduate, can fix the errors generated.

[deadcellmate]

fwiw I think the reason why BOLAS 2 took so long to release wasn't because it took them two and a half years to write a single new book, but bc they at the very least also outlined a book 3, so I (perhaps harboring under deep delusion) think we're not going to get the same insane wait time for book 3

[procrastinatingattorney]

...........man it's weird seeing unironic cutesy b/illford stuff (but it quickly has an au label slapped on to it so they can have free reign to make the most ooc thing you've ever seen)

[adamsvanrhijn]

this is obviously a very premature feeling but like. i want them to keep oscar on the show and i want his scenes to be tolerable to watch and if they go full realism on consequences here i am not really sure what direction they could take it that i would be able to appreciate as an audience member for whom he is blorbo... if he like. loses his job and is ostracized i don't know how they could justify keeping him on the show in a way that is both narratively meaningful and something i am comfortable watching. he does not need to suffer extended social or material punishment.

would rather they somehow magically manage to keep the details in the immediate family and that dynamic changes but his conflict with the society in which he lives is more internal for him — e.g. having to mentally confront what Could have happened to him and his family if ada had not come to the rescue and the thought of that combined with the changed family dynamic/relationship being shameful enough on its own that it changes his mindset and behavior without like. actually ruining his life

but all the people who are like. i want him to lose his job i want George Russell to prevent him from ever working in banking again i want him to be impoverished and humiliated and suicidal etc... could not be me, sorry

[tranakin-skywalker]

Who is your most disliked star wars character and why 👀

Oddly enough I don't tend to dislike characters. The most I get is indifference, just a complete non-opinion.

Actually wait no

Rush Clovis

I suppressed my memories of those episodes so hard I forgot he existed. Though it's more the writing choices rather than the character himself I dislike. I'll admit, I only ever watched the Clovis episodes once and that was several years ago so I don't remember them very well at all.

I think mostly I just dislike that the writers used him to get Padme and Anakin both to behave in ways that are entirely out of character for their movie counterparts, and it pisses me off to no end. Like, I'm fine with characters acting ooc, but only when the writers give me a convincing reason to why they're behaving that way. I actually find that really interesting! For me it's less a question of if someone is acting out of character and instead what would it take for them to behave this way realistically? And those episodes episodes failed spectacularly at that.

Honestly, it's probably the wasted potential more than anything else that annoys me.

[shanewright]

>opens discussion thread about slafs recent point streak

>immediately see commenters bringing up shane wright unprompted just to dunk on him

>closes thread

[angorwhosebabyisthis]

i think possibly the best way to summarize the inside of setrákus' head from a writing standpoint is that he thinks he's a pokemon trainer and every single other living person in the world is a pokemon

[transfaguette]

i never include all of the above/none of the above in my polls because i love to see what people choose when forced to choose just one

[iwatcheditbegin]

I have other more important things to focus on than what a very wealthy pop star chooses to wear. But that racism is loud.

[raayllum]

EZRAN: Prince Karim, all Queen Janai wants is peace. There's no need to attack. Take your army, the people who follow you, and build your own future somewhere away from here.

KARIM: But I agree with you. There is no need for violence today if my terms are met. EZRAN: Your terms? Prince Karim, I may be a child, but I know how to count. Janai's five armies are more than your one. The Queen expects to defeat you decisively. KARIM: And I expect my sister to surrender unconditionally and acknowledge me as the High King of the Sunfire Empire. EZRAN: I don't think— KARIM: And all humans will leave our lands immediately, and return to the other side of the border. Where you belong. EZRAN: You can't force the humans to leave. People have made friendships, built families. Your own sister is marrying a human! KARIM: I know this must seem harsh to you, but... history cannot be forged without fire. Without strength.

EZRAN: I am a king. And as a king, I choose love over strength. Sometimes it's hard, but when I struggle, I think about the people I love and how they are counting on me to do the right thing. Not the harsh thing, not the strong thing. The right thing.

KARIM: But she will always be my sister. EZRAN: Then you can still choose love. It's not too late. KARIM: The great Archdragon of the Sun was faced with a choice long ago. He chose fire. I honour Sol Regem now, as my sister should have done when she had the chance. [...] EZRAN: You want Janai to attack! And when she does... you'll call down Sol Regem and—they won't stand a chance! KARIM: Ah. Humans might be more clever than I thought. I don't need five armies when I have one archdragon.

A few notes, as always:

Karim, when nudged by Miyana, acknowledged in 6x02 that what they were doing, they were doing "for us" and "for [their people]" and I think in a lot of ways, like Viren, that's what it initially started out as. However, here we see most clearly that this is about Karim's ego (shocking, I know) and pride. He wants to be king of this land, he wants to crush and restore 'natural order' to Xadia by expelling humans again. Just having this own followers and his own piece of land elsewhere isn't enough, even though it would be if his people's happiness was all he cared about.

Ezran offers a variety of options and perspectives to Karim to appeal to him — you could leave peacefully with your people, you can make active choices, don't you love your sister? — the latter of which being the only one to really get under his skin. I also like seeing Ezran advocate on behalf of his citizens (and possibly others) who have been integrated into Sunfire society and daily life. Karim wants to return Xadia to being wholly divided, but Ezran — like Janai, and Amaya, and the bulk of the main cast — want reintegration, for humans to live on both sides of the border again (and elves beyond just Rayla I'm sure).

We also see consistent motifs such as the 'paths' element that arc 2 has largely fostered, Karim's focus on history and fire, consistent themes like the emphasis on choices, as well as anyone — but especially Ezran — harkening back directly to Harrow's letter from 2x06, which is the first time in seasons we've heard the same sentiments so directly expressed. (Crying over "No, it's too late for that" in 1x02 vs "Then you can still choose love, it's not too late").

I also really enjoy the way this scene tests Ezran. As he said in 4x03, "We all want love and we all want peace" and here, he's presented directly with the opposite: Queen Janai wants peace, but Karim wants violence, he wants to be attacked so that he can have the upper hand, and that's when Ez and Corvus know they need to get out of here.

I also can't help but think about how relevant Ezran's speech here is going to be when he encounters Runaan in S7. We saw in the TDP short story "Deep Below" that he will likely want to do the "harsh thing, the strong thing," rather than the right thing. It makes me wonder if we'll see more of an Ezran&Rayla focus as a way to guide him through. After all, Runaan murdered his father, but Runaan is also Rayla's father—and doesn't Ezran love his sister?

[andhumanslovedstories]

To a subset of people interacting with any photography after like 1960, I promise you: not every photo deliberately shot in black is a conspiratorial attempt to make the past seem further away. Yeah, even the ones taken today. Sometimes people make artistic choices.

[mesetacadre]

Throughout contemporary history, especially in the third world where oppression is more explicit and more brutal, the general attitude taken by oppressed peoples at governments that don't represent their interests and that violently supresses them has not been to hope a slightly less worse person is put in place, but rather to overthrow the entire system that supports them and creating another that does represent the interests of the social majority.

To the specific subset of people who prefer to remain ignorant or self-deluded about this fact, the mere suggestion of this might seem unrealistic, unproductive and idealistic. While it is true that the strategy stated above has failed some times, it has also succeeded the rest of the time, and the results have been better than any amount of reform could achieve.

The only actual harm reduction is the organized effort of workers to remove the source of harm altogether, and the only unrealistic strategy is to keep trying to reform your way out of a system that has been reinforcing itself for more than 200 years to guarantee its own existence.

Non-violence is a fairy tale. Almost 10% of the world population went hungry in 2021, and around 2.3 billion people were moderately or severely food insecure. 1.6 billion people live in inadequate housing conditions and 15 million are forcefully evicted each year. We could keep going over statistics but the fact is that the global capitalist economy is built atop systematic misery and death. No amount of people with guns could ever even hope to come close to the magnitude of suffering imposed on the exploited. Violence or non-violence is not a choice you can make, it was made for you millenia ago. The only decision you can take is whether to dedicate your efforts towards ending class society, or not. Civility and "rational" centrism is a luxury only those who live by the accumulated wealth looted from everywhere else in the world can afford, and only for as long as their imperialist order can stand.

[areyoudoingthis]

I'm as atheistic as they come but i look at all the religious groups out there (including christians which is how I was raised) who are being inclusive and in some cases speaking out for queer rights and then i look at my mother and think she's certainly made some choices in her life

[theonlycampix]

Grimm quickly turns away from the pikachu on the ground, taking several steps away from them, trying to remain composed. His hands begin to shake in anger as he clenches them tightly. His voice nothing but a hiss Grimm:.... I no longer trust them to be within even a foot of their own soul... Enough damage has been done.. and not just to my own trust... But to things beyond their comprehension... Flake manages to stand slowly, grabbing their head as if it was in pain Flake: I haVe,,, NO idea wHAt you are tALKing about... Fuckgin... craZY WEIRdO Grimm looks over their shoulder at Flake, their rage filled expression causes Flake to go silent. Grimm: You will be lucky if you even receive a afterlife. Lest Yveltal destroys what's left of you. Grimm appears to be furious The area seems to get even more chilling by the second - - - - [ A whole lotta asks I don't wanna tag a bunch of people so I wont lmao ]

[loosescrewslefty]

This was absolutely brilliantly done.

Because this isn't Anya's most closely guarded secret being discovered by accident without her consent. She made an active, CONSCIOUS choice to tell Damian that she is a telepath. Something that she was previously terrified would lead to her being hated if someone happened to find out. And throughout this little prom arc we slowly get fed the reasons that lead up to this moment. First being that while she initially saw Damian as a bratty, self centered jerk, Anya has slowly come to know him better and see a more noble and compassionate boy under all that cocky bluster.

Then there's the way Damian also mentions to her that many people try and use him in order to get close to his parents-- which she sees for herself when the other girls start swarming him demanding to dance-- hence his suspicions of her own intentions.

And the finally is the fact that, despite his own admission that his parents barely acknowledge he's alive, Damian still loves and admires them and is desperate to earn their affection.

In fact, during the Damian quiz, it's implied that Anya didn't use her powers to figure out who Damian's most beloved person was, because she already knew the answer just from knowing him. It's the only question we don't see her telepathic 'sparkles' or hear her listening on the answer.

It happened slowly and subconsciously, but despite the unflattering first impression Anya has come to care about Damian. She doesn't want him to be hurt or sad. She doesn't want to use him or take advantage of him the way she sees others try to (and the way a small subset of the fandom accuses Anya of trying to since they can't seem to grasp that Anya is at most six years old and hasn't thought as far as to how the fallout of Twilight's mission will affect the Desmonds). And she understand him a lot better than she ever realized. She trusts him with her deepest, darkest secret despite her fear and the uncertainty because she genuinely WANTS to be honest with Damian. It's her olive branch to him, after HE was vulnerable with her time and again when it comes to his family and his fear of letting others close after so many people tried to use him for his name.

Because more than anyone else, Damian has noticed her, and how intuitive she is of the thoughts of others.

And despite denying or deflecting it time and time again-- including intentionally bombing a few questions in this chapter to avoid standing out too much after Damian called her out again-- Anya FINALLY came clean to him about her powers.

And, of course, he thought she was messing with him, which in turn pissed HER off because this is her biggest secret, dammnit! XD

But despite Damian's refusal to believe her ATM, this isn't something Anya can take back, and Damian is perceptive enough of Anya that sooner or later he's going to realize that Anya was being honest with him. And it'll be a wild ride to see where things go from there.