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crystallinecardinal · 3 days ago

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“The strings are wrapped around you,” or, a discussion about Truthless Recluse, Pure Vanilla, and an idea of an awakening

One of the things I’ve been hung up on ever since finishing A Game of Truth and Deceit’s story is the fact that the things Truthless Recluse says does not feel exactly in character for Pure Vanilla. I’m sure this is the point. You’re supposed to get that feeling out of hearing him, Gingerbrave even directly points it out.

So, other than the corruption, why the so sudden change? Why is he suddenly turning against everyone? And most importantly, how is he supposed to get out of it?

Or, a CRK analysis/theory of sorts regarding Beast-Yeast episode 7, as well as how episode 8 might go, split into sections below the cut.

1 - An Introduction

I will start off by saying that before this update came out, I was one of the people adamant that Pure Vanilla was not going to end up corrupted. Not because I didn’t want anything bad to happen to him, but because I couldn’t see a reason why.

For as much as Shadow Milk could break him, dig into his biggest fears and insecurities and make them appear real, there wasn’t a reason to me for him to suddenly turn against everyone on his own— not when those around him had consistently helped him, bringing him out of what might have been the worst dips of his bad mental state. Not unless Shadow Milk was able to really manipulate him into it.

Then again, I knew what Shadow Milk could do. I knew he could control the will of other cookies (seen with the faerie cookies), and disguise himself in another form (see: every time he impersonates the Light of Truth). I also knew Pure Vanilla would be vulnerable to him, both with the bad mental state, and by the fact that the first time they encountered each other, he was already struggling. The right strings being pulled could just make him snap.

And then, I saw Truthless Recluse. And I lost my mind.

So, the point of all this. I had been TERRIFIED before this update how Pure Vanilla would fall. I thought he’d have his sense of self broken, all his emotions toyed with, sure, but I wasn’t ready for a FULL CORRUPTION. Then I got to thinking: it’s been a pattern this happens, right? In the Ancient vs Beast chapters, they encounter each other, fight in some way, and the Ancient somehow loses their connection to their respective Light. They only awaken after, picking themself back up from the brink of defeat. And we already know Awakened Pure Vanilla exists, so that leaves the question: how do you help him? How does he come back from where he is now? How does he awaken if he’s already been “defeated?”

That’s what I’m here to discuss.

2 - The Spider-Man meme problem

So! Fortune Teller. That guy.

Almost everyone I saw took one look at him in the trailers and KNEW he was Pure Vanilla. Had to be. The voice was the same, appearance the same, motifs the same, the character design was a pretty big giveaway. If it walks like a duck, talks like a duck, yknow. It’s probably a duck.

And that presumption was right! Fortune Teller is Truthless Recluse, and by extension, Pure Vanilla.

How can that happen, though? If Pure Vanilla talks directly to Fortune Teller, how can they be the same? Luckily, the game decides to answer this question on its own!

So, if this is a space the future of the past (the present) and the future of the present (just the future) can both exist… that means Fortune Teller, and by extension, Truthless Recluse, are likely from the future. Not only because we’ve seen PV walking around in the present, but because we KNOW how TR talks about PV like he’s dead, as well as because of a fun little quote from Shadow Milk!

“In the end, you will become me.”

This is what I’m going to be building the rest of this off of. Stick with me here.

3 - What’s that, puppet boy??

Lies. Manipulation. Deceit.

These are the things Shadow Milk lives for. But any good snake, any good spider weaving a web, knows that the best lies have a hint of truth to them. This is what I intend to dissect.

It feels... a bit strange to think that Pure Vanilla could become someone like Shadow Milk. And yet, the signs are already there. He isn't honest with himself, tells white lies in the hopes that it may make someone feel better rather than the cruel truth, and his mental state is already in a horrid place. Of course, none of these are particularly bad things, they're human, and I can't blame him for any of it. But they're also all undeniably things that could lead him to snapping. What's the point doubt is all that's left? What's the point that he delves into the comfort of the lie of fantasy? What's the point that reality is too much agony to bear? Is that not how the Fount of Knowledge became the Master of Deceit, finding that cookies enjoyed the sweet lie more than the cruel truth?

“In the end, you will become me.”

And so, he just might.

So, consider. If present and future can both at once in Shadow Milk's domain, if Fortune Teller is not merely an illusion, then who's to say Truthless Recluse isn't who Pure Vanilla is destined to become?

The best lies have a shred of truth. This is our (hypothetical) truth. If nothing changes, if Pure Vanilla falls to Shadow Milk's games, lets himself be broken, plays the role he's had laid out for him ever since he was young (once again, if we choose to take that as truth and not an illusion), then his fate is sealed.

"Despair follows in your footsteps... A river lies on your path. Cross it, and you will face unfathomable dread. Turn back... Turn back before it is too late. Turn back before the cold flames of doubt swallow you whole."

That river is fast approaching, if it hasn’t already.

4 - Finding truth, breaking strings

Let's circle back to one of my first points.

"Then I got to thinking: it’s been a pattern this happens, right? In the Ancient vs Beast chapters, they encounter each other, fight in some way, and the Ancient somehow loses their connection to their respective Light. They only awaken after, picking themself back up from the brink of defeat. And we already know Awakened Pure Vanilla exists, so that leaves the question: how do you help him? How does he come back from where he is now? How does he awaken if he’s already been ‘defeated?’"

Is episode seven not still following the same formula, yet iterating on it in its own unique way? Pure Vanilla comes directly into contact with Shadow Milk, and tries to defend himself the most he can. However, he's a lot more vulnerable than the others this time around— after all, lies and truth cannot exist without the other. They're not entirely opposites. After having his sense of self shattered, Pure Vanilla falls from the Spire. Somewhere, he loses his connection to his Light of Truth. Enter: Truthless Recluse.

We know Pure Vanilla will eventually be awakened (see: dev commentary), so how does he leave the state he's in? How do you come back from falling so far?

This is where our "Truthless Recluse is a future version of Pure Vanilla" idea comes in handy! To put it simply: he hasn't become him yet. Not in reality. The present Pure Vanilla has fallen somewhere deep, deep down, into the darkest abyss... And has yet to come back. It sets a perfect scene to trick those closest to Pure Vanilla to believe the lie wrapped in truth of his ‘death,’ doesn't it?

It also solves our characterization problem from the very beginning of this post. I never said he immediately becomes Truthless Recluse. Given that in this interpretation, TR is what PV will eventually become, it provides a reason for Truthless Recluse to say the things he does, and act the way he does. Maybe Pure Vanilla wouldn’t have said or done those things, but to Truthless Recluse, that part of himself has long been dead.

So. Where does Pure Vanilla find his truth?

It could be a lot of things. However, one of the main things I've seen reiterated is just how much Shadow Milk toys with the mind. Right now, Pure Vanilla likely believes his entire life is a lie. Not once has he had free will. Since birth, he has been a marionette on strings, a plaything for a being beyond everything he ever knew. Every action, every decision, it was just part of an Oscar-worthy performance. Everything he may have once defined as himself is null.

And even worse: there's no one to drag him out of it this time. White Lily is gone, off on her own mission. Gingerbrave and his friends have Truthless Recluse to deal with. The Light of Truth is silent. Everyone, everything he may have depended on isn't there. It's just him, the Other-Realm, and eyes that have been watching for his entire lifetime.

To get out, he has to break the strings. Just as he once awoke from his prison when he needed to confront his past, he can do it again. But this time, it isn't going to be while he hides under another identity, it isn’t going to be while telling himself a lie. Outsmart the snake, remember, remember, remember. Hold onto the love, the care, the things that are true. No amount of deceit can change how he once felt. They say the heart is true. Maybe that's the key out.

To put it more simply: no matter what it ends up being that causes it, he needs to realize himself that he is in charge of his own destiny. The truth of the question "who am I" is "whoever you want to be." It isn't an question that can be answered by someone else. You only become fully truthless, only fully wall yourself away from everyone if you choose to do so. It isn't fate.

And so, in the end, I think Pure Vanilla will awaken. By proxy, if my entire idea here were to be true, Truthless Recluse would cease to exist. Paradoxes are funny that way. There's no way for that ending to exist if it's no longer the future that lies ahead.

5 - A conclusion

I have absolutely no clue what's coming in episode eight. I'll say that upfront. I have no clue, and it terrifies me. I love Pure Vanilla, I want him to make it out of this, but I know he won't make it out unscathed. The tragedy could stay, it could just be for this episode, it's unclear. We just have to wait until episode eight goes live.

Regardless, I want him to struggle. I don't think it makes sense for him to get out of this easily. Not when he considers himself pathetic, not when he can't trust the voice of the Light of Truth, not when he's been questioning himself. Let that doubt sink into him. Let him rebuild himself, piece by shattered piece. It makes for an emotional story, and makes me like Pure Vanilla even more as a character. Maybe that's just the Omori fan in me, but I love delves into characters' minds like that.

It may not be anything like what I've discussed here, but I'm very excited to see what Devsisters does. This is all I'm going to be thinking about until then.

#I'm like. 90% sure that this won't happen #but I still think it's fun to explore #and maybe other people will like it too!!#I've just had this ruminating on top of all the DE/TR similarities I could talk about #and also the whole truth/freedom rant about PV and WL lmao #can't wait for Beast-Yeast episode 8 #cookie run spoilers #crk spoilers #cookie run kingdom spoilers #truthless recluse #pure vanilla cookie #pure vanilla crk #cookie run kingdom #crk

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mieczyhale · 6 months ago

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the destiel news delivery meme format isn't supposed to make light of anything. it's literally just a news delivery format. it has been used for all kind of things.

i fully agree there are some things that should be delivered Not Like That, but i also don't think people (at least most people) are doing it to make light or be disrespectful. not intentionally anyway.

and i think it's very bad faith to assume they are - to see a news delivery meme being used to deliver news and jump to the worst opinion, to immediately get so angry. there are all sorts of people on here and not all of them are going to see things the way you do

also, "read the room"?? not everyone can read a room and you'd think this site of all places would get that. imagine. neurodivergency on the neurodivergency website.

look. try approaching the person if you really have a problem with it. no one is going to see your post and just stop. things don't work like that here, outside of a blogger turning out to be a unicorn of a person

vent on your tumblr all you want but if you have a problem with something someone specific has done you could try being an adult about it, depending on your age i guess, or at least be mature and say "hey so this thing you did was kinda fucked up, here's why" (not exactly like that, please don't word anything exactly like that. try politeness first. if that doesnt work then you do what you want)

i am too old and have been here too long and it's been a wild ride where i have learned A Lot. in that is How To Deal With Certain Things.

take my stupid free wisdom and change the world. or your dash. same thing i guess

#talking about people's problem with a meme #under the read more with ye #maison speaks

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writer-room · 10 months ago

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Its so funny that Arin and Sora have shown to have significantly better emotional intelligence than any of the ninja from all of the old seasons combined. "You should be taking care of your mental health" and "yeah saving the world is upsetting! no wonder you're having stress dreams" oh my precious children. You are surrounded by a teen dad with massive self-worth issues, the only one of two people who remembers the genie incident and also turned into the sea once, guy who's died like 3+ times and committed genocide under mind control, and a child soldier who's been living the hard knock life since age 2.

I hope to god you two are prepared to witness the most mentally unwell behavior you've seen in your entire teenage lives. You think you've already seen how bad it can get now? Fools. Just wait until you get a mission involving the Departed Realm

#ninjago #ninjago dragons rising #dragons rising #lego ninjago #arin #sora #ninjago ninja #text post #departed realm #i wouldnt say 'prepare to become the team therapist' because lets be frank #its not even a matter of 'they wouldnt make the kids their therapists'#its literally just bc they would literally never get to that point #because that implies talking about their problems. like an normal person #what do you mean that random fits of rage or fcking off into oblivion from time to time isnt healthy #this is how i cope! this is a perfectly reasonable way to cope #arin and sora are watching the most mentally ill people alive fray at the seams before their eyes #theyre like the monkey side-eye meme warily looking at each other like are #are they good??? are they good.....#then they hit the departed realm and suddenly all that morro & ghost cole trauma FLOODS back #and theyre just like OH THEY ARE NOT GOOD

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myfairkatiecat · 4 months ago

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Okay I’m going to say it, some of y’all treat the KOTLC tag like it’s a tumblr community instead of an organization system that gathers together everything people post and tag as KOTLC

#unless something has absolutely nothing to do with kotlc #no one is in their right to tell you to not tag something at kotlc. just so you know.#you can’t clog up a tag. that’s not a THING #no one talks about this in bigger fandoms. we only have this problem bc it’s a small fandom and people are used to going to the tag #to find the content they want #and if they aren’t finding the content they want too bad so sad.#like I’m not saying you can just tag whatever as kotlc #but if it’s about kotlc in any way. you are well within your right to tag it as such.#Im ALL FOR properly tagging. like don’t improperly tag. that’s just mean #and that DOES interrupt tags :/#but there’s no way for you to post too much about any one topic #the kotlc tag is NOT a curated space. it’s not a place of all these assorted kotlc posts in similar formats #it’s a space for everything tagged as kotlc #so unless you look at the post and are like ‘this doesn’t even mention kotlc or any of its characters???’#you can scroll along your merry way!#kotlc #it’s something that’s come up in both the right and wrong contexts #during tam cam people told ppl talking about just the identity stuff to keep it out of the kotlc tag and that was CORRECT bc that wasn’t #about kotlc. but also during tam cam people put in my ask box that there were too many tam cam meme posts and that they were clogging up #the tag. to which I say A) I was only making like a quarter of those and B) those have to do with kotlc so you can suck it up! in the end I #didn’t respond. but yeah. i get that there’s a time and place for us to be like hey that doesn’t belong here #but whether or not something belongs in the tag has NOTHING to do with how much you want to see it or how many posts are being made about it #thank you and have a nice day. and if you want a curated space of similarly formatted kotlc posts you should make a community #Ik our tag often functions like one bc we are a small fandom. but we are NOT entitled to that.

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polyglot-sock · 4 months ago

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it's ironic that, for someone who is able to speak several languages, my ability to verbally communicate disappears really often

#bad mental health moment👺#i swear i didn't want to disappear for 3 months it just happened #idk how to tag this #srsly why is talking to people so hard. why is my brain so silly #langblr #languages #language learning #polyglot #studyblr #memes #foreign languages #avpd #← look at me coming out in tags. pathetic #autism #← don't have a diagnosis but starting to consider the possibility. heard about autistics having this sort of problems as well #social anxiety #← this is a classic. i hate classics though /j

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crazy-fangirl2524 · 9 months ago

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Seeing people reacting to tsc and them getting shock over things I thought was obvious and I was getting annoyed until I realised maybe not everyone reread aftg like a million times and have read most of the analytical posts and yeah maybe I am the problem instead

#I’m so pretentious about aftg lmao #like people be like Neil is feral?! not just uwu baby??#or be like omg Kevin and Jean friendship surprise surprise and I’m like ????#or people shocked by jeans trauma and I was like hello the EC ?!#and people talking about not knowing the foxes or usc winning for the next match and I was like babe it was in the EC #and people talking about why Kevin was sticking to Andrew and was because the nest buddy system and not for Andrew’s benefit/deal #and I was like WASNT THAT OBVIOUS?!#then I realised I’m just crazy and obsessed and yeah hi I’m the problem it’s me #I forgot people could casually enjoy the series yk #I thought it’s either all or nothing like wdym not everyone get entirely consumed by aftg and remember and know every single thing???#my friend literally called me the EC in a human form because any question she got she just ask me and I can answer it like it’s the most #common sense question and that’s why she said she never even bothered to read the EC because I can just tell her eveyrthing #okay maybe I have some slight issues but anyways #anyways it’s just cuz seeing the post going over things I thought everyone knew I was just like 😭??!!!#aftg #all for the game #tfc #the foxhole court #aftg series #aftg fandom #aftg incorrect quotes #the sunshine court #tsc #aftg shitpost #aftg textpost #aftg thoughts #tfc textpost #tfc shitpost #incorrect tfc #tfc meme

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quizzesandthings · 3 months ago

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The thing that kills me is that all of it really didn't matter. The impeachment, the bigotry, the national security risk, the tearing down regulations resulting in recalls and outbreaks, January fucking 6th. None of it mattered because "well the democrats are gonna raise taxes"

#like i know there are a lot of people who are wholeheartedly for trump #but also so many people ive talked to just dont like harris bc 'i cant see my taxes get any higher'#like not to be the 'you draw the line at' meme but thats where you draw the fucking line???#you watched all this shit happen and you draw the line at some theoretical raising of taxes??#i hate this country #'smooth and i still had money in my pocket' it was not fucking smooth!#how quickly people forget the past #2024 us election #i dont care really about the people who voted third party - at least right now there werent enough to make a difference #over half the people who voted voted for trump tho and thats a problem

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adhdandcomics · 2 years ago

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adding to my tags because i’ve been thinkin a lot about the post i just reblogged and have more thoughts:

i’ll be real, the more i saw ‘hey adhd influencers are so annoying’ the more i worried that i was unconsciously contributing to the spreading reputation of adhd folks as annoying and over-pathologizing every symptom they experience

and then i realized. i am not a goddam influencer or life coach or representative. obviously i have some obligation as someone who cares about myself and the people that like my comics to not spread harmful ideology or blatant misinformation but i never intended myself to be a “’increase your productivity!!’ blog OR a ‘if you have XYZ you have adhd!’ blog. and i do this for fun, and originally started this blog bc i had a lot of internalized shame and self loathing about my adhd and thought if i could make it funny i might have less of that. let’s get real! and it worked!

i’ve obviously done this kind of thing— (hey these symptoms might be adhd!) a lot before in my life & on this blog, but there’s more to it than trying to be an “influencer” or whatever. a term that didn’t even exist when i started this blog!

i felt very isolated trying to find out if i had any mental problems & what have you originally because of large advice (etc) blogs with staunchly anti self Dx views at the time

so i overcorrected when i DID get dxed and tried to validate everyone who was like me. and of course. not the best course of action always for the ol mental health. tried to be the source of positivity and jokes that i didn’t see because the online adhd presence was near non-existent.

and anyway. i make a lot of fun of myself & the way m brain works in my comics obviously but it is not my obligation to... how do you say.... not be annoying online.

because if folks interpret MY little jokes as a strict guide to diagnosis. that’s on them, really, not me. i also believe “making adhd your entire personality” is a non-issue. so what if people find out they have it and get over excited with identifying as adhd. saying this as someone who DID do it. criticism of this gives the same vibes as people being annoyed that young queers make “being queer” their whole personality. im very obviously more than a guy with adhd, and id reckon other adhd comic artists are too. (im friends with a lot of them!) it’s fine to post about it online.

anyway. i just don’t take myself too seriously and i’m a comic artist for myself first! and you know what, i’ve been considered annoying my entire life. what do i care if a few more folks think i’m annoying. neurotypical or not

#i think the article did have some good points especially on the capitalism and marketing angle but i oft think it did venture into #being mad at individual folks who post jokes about adhd. which is literally fine thats what an opinion piece is for lol #i am just very tired of people pretending that a lot of reaction to online adhders is not in itself just an extension of the ableism #we already were facing #'adhd people are so annoying everyone does this youre pathologizing everything' ok and how exactly are you helping.#i hesitate to throw my hat in with hating on adhd tiktok because i am simply not on tiktok and have no way to back up my thoughts #that they may be annoying and oversimplifying a complex disorder on the 'drains your attention span' website.#and i think perhaps the value of each adhd resource varies widely depending on who made it and what theyre even posting.#sometimes its a joke made by a person with adhd. sometimes its sourced and cited research. sometimes its someone discussing their personal #experiences in depth. sometimes its someone talking completely out of their ass. sometimes its THINLY veiled ableism.#its up to the individual to research and determine the value of the memes and resources you seek #anyway. perhaps these points are tough to clarify on sites like insta and twitter. bless.#text #adhd #im punk now #oh and yeah i also agree lots of folks do not talk about the unsavory parts of adhd but rather the funnies and the sillies. but that is #once again a larger capitalism and marketing and ableism problem #r we not talking about them because we are actively trying to infantalize this disorder or is it because we collectively experience a lot #of internalized ableism and hesitate to talk about our worst symptoms for fear of the backlash #weve always gotten about them 🤔🤔🤔#much to consider #if youve read this far sorry for tangent number 56 about this. but also start being more unapologetic about your disorders. fuck it!#<3

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twinsoftriumph · 1 year ago

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so if we're seeing the king's corruption and destruction in the series then surely this means elder content RIGHT TGC?

#as an aside please dont take this as me being dismissive of the stories of spirits and the kids #i honestly feel like its more in the spirit (lol) of the game to focus more on the everyday people and their lives #at least relative to the elders and its not that which i have a problem with its simply #the UTTER DEARTH of elder content. sky has such fascinating lore and we're missing so much info about #some of the most instrumental people leading the kingdom's rise (and fall!) so like. Pleeeaaaase tgc. :3 #ooc #sol talks #thatskygame #the two embers #[SPONGEBOB WAIT MEME] DEARTH OF ELDER CONTENT FROM TGC THEMSELVES!!!!!!!!!! NOT SKY FANS!!!!!!!

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ninjasmudge · 1 year ago

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real question is why has tumblr started opening posts in a separate browser when i click 'view' on a post with blocked tags. i mean, it often does that with links to posts, but straight up taking you out of the app to view a post on your own dash? thats new

#some tags i have blocked are like #squicks where its fine if they come from some people bc i know its gonna just be a meme that vaguely touches on the subject #and from others i know its gonna be examining it in detail which i dont wanna see #so i click to view half the time #i also just like to have some warning before something sometimes #or the op tag spammed and its not actually about the thing i blacklisted #theres lots of reasons you might want to view a blocked post on ur dash #it happens fair often i dont think it should have to take u out of the app completely #shark talks #mostly im wondering if this is just a me problem

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thanatika · 1 month ago

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low-coherency rambling in the tags

#the thing about IPL is that‚ at least as far as i see it‚ they've essentially been propagating and encouraging an auteur myth regarding him #which is nothing new or unique to them; i think that people (audiences) naturally want to ascribe some Great Man Theory to everything #it's hard to conceptualize the fact that almost anything that comes from a ''studio'' will be the product of collaboration #people naturally want to personify things and attach a human face to what they like #and studios (whether game or whatever else) will indulge this by generally seeming to pick one or maybe two people (often men)#to essentially be the main ''face'' or ''spokesperson'' for the product. it's branding.#and it has an effect even if people obviously are aware that someone isnt the ONLY person who's hands touch a work #i see it in the way people take this very personal parasocial tone in how they talk about the creators they like #which is just a subset of the problem of parasociality in general but in this case i mean how they basically put these people on a pedestal #because they seem them as singularly responsible for creating Thing They Liked because of the aforementioned spokesmanship #i've seen it in how people talk about (and talk to) j sawyer and chris avellone as if they're singularly responsible for fallout #anthony burch and borderlands 2. christian linke and arcane #robert kurvitz and disco elysium (but to be very clear im not saying that makes cutting him out of his own intellectual property acceptable #fucking i don't know.... jeff kaplan and overwatch lmao #and very much with dybowski and pathologic. like the kind of memes i saw people make about him and the personal way they'd refer to him #BUT that pretty much all stopped after 2021 or so at least in the fandom spaces i saw #because i suppose people realized that whether those rumors and allegations were true or not that they did not really know this person #no matter how much they liked ''his'' game. and that he might not be a good person at all.#which is good. i think people should take that kind of ambivalence by default instead of getting parasocially attached to anyone #especially to one lead figure out of an entire studio #and then winding up distraught and disappointed when it turns out their fave did something bad #like be distraught for victims sure. but don't tell yourself you understand this person because their fiction spoke to you #and you won't wind up feeling personally betrayed.#i'm rambling big time but basically i hope people start taking this view more #because among other things. putting these people on pedestals and singling them out as auteurs gives them social power #which allows some of them to engage in the awful behavior that leaves fans feeling betrayed in the first place #and i hope that studios and creators stop leaning into it too #if it really is true that dybowski is barely involved with the IP anymore then IPL should say that.#don't prop him up as the face just because he's the one everyone knows #maybe they think it'll get backlash if anyone but him is said to be writing the game because of how much they leaned into him as the auteur

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choco-court · 1 month ago

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so Choco and purr dad just got done with our last gift shopping trip and while we were out we saw a taylor swift calander so we chatted about it a bit and Choco's dad said "so you're not a swiftie, you're one of these" and then pointed at this

#how do u talk about yourself and one or more people while reffering to yourself in the third person but no one else?#problem to be pondered later #choco text #meringue memes #christmas shopping #ig

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thegreatimpersonator · 6 months ago

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word of mouth isnt facts babes, especially when it's from a blog that literally got caught being wrong about me before

#sorry yall just trust someone who has a history of acting like their experience is the only one to happen #i couldnt possibly have been talking ab people who were saying sexually aggressive things & saying they wanted to motorboat her or trap her #i was totally only talking about the innocent memes you saw- youre experience is the correct one once again #i totally have a problem with people saying taylor is hot (me when i lie)#and that one line about straight men i immediately apologized and took it down within seconds #god if youre gonna be a sheep do it in a more interesting way #tp

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tortoisesshells · 1 year ago

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Tagged by the thoughtful @enchi-elm to spell out my URL in song titles!

Thirsty Man - Blitzen Trapper Open All Night - Bruce Springsteen with the Sessions Band Ruby, Are You Mad At Your Man? - Carolina Chocolate Drops The Third Death - Isobel Anderson Off To Sea Once More - Jerry Garcia, David Grisham In The Pines - Strange Creek Singers Soul Meets Body - Death Cab for Cutie Émigré - Alela Diane Sucker's Prayer - The Decemberists St. James Infirmary - Preservation Hall Jazz Band Hangtown Ball - Railroad Earth Eliza Lee - The Dreadnoughts Lowlands of Holland - Steeleye Span Little Heart - Amarante Sea Shells - Humbird

Tagging: @pomprincesse, @boltlightning, @johnbly, @dying-suffering-french-stalkers, @widowshill, @sagiow, @ramiroangel, @starsuncounted, @flameandignite, @undisclosed-serendipity!

#tag meme #polkaknox talks #music #this is ... not a playlist.#god that's a lot of s in there!#also this made me aware of how many different versions of songs i have saved. like. leatherwing bat? FOUR. variants on go to sea once more?#HELP. i am drowning in sad people playing sad string instruments singing about exploitative labor structures and fucking whaling. again.#... this is not a problem.

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problemswithbooks · 2 years ago

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God can hori be any more heavy handed with the "DONT YOU WANT TO BE NORMAL NORMAL NORMAL" bestie, shes drinking other kids blood, thats not just "not normal". This weird retcon thing is annoying, Idk why hed bother putting her backstory in when he didnt give much of a shit about it 😭

The thing is, I actually don't think trying to say Toga's blood drinking is normal is necessarily bad or something that can't be done well. Quirks are a major part of the world and the story overall--it's not that far fetched that blood drinking might be a normal thing a person with a Quirk would want to do. If people can accept people that can make explosions which could also be dangerous to kids and people (and very much was for Izuku) then it's not a huge stretch to accept that blood drinking for Toga is normal and she should be accepted as such.

The issue is that Hori didn't really make that the issue. I don't think he really sees it himself given how he wrote Mineta, but Toga's main problem and why shes not accepted is a matter of consent not because she's seen as a creep.

This is why her backstory doesn't work very well, besides the fact it's way to late and very short. Yes, her parents freak out about her Quirk and obsession with blood. The problem is that they don't freak out for zero reason and are the only ones who reject her.

No child should be drinking the blood of birds. Whether she killed it or not, birds carry many diseases and parasites harmful to people. Her father shouldn't have hit her (because, I guess he did even though it's poorly conveyed), but the shock given what she's doing is understandable. Especially if they think she killed it (which is weird, and suggests she might have done something they found disturbing before this or were bad parents regardless of her Quirk).

Then they yell at her because she's biting her finger bloody. That's self harm and something you would want to send a child to therapy for. Sure, the counselor didn't help, but it's not like they can give Toga what she wants.

That's hammered home when they yell at her again when she drinks another kids blood. Hori messes up and doesn't show us what happens so we don't know if she hurt this other kid, or if they were scared of her or if they were fine with it.

Just giving us a look at her parents reaction doesn't give us any idea how she was seen by her peers. Because of that it's hard to make the case that she was only rejected for her Quirk alone, rather then her actions. In fact the only time we see other students they say she was popular and well liked until she attacked a boy in the class.

Given how young she looks when her parents yell at her for sucking another kids blood, and the fact she fled school after she attacked her crush, it appears these were separate events. If that was the case people in her school might have already heard about her sucking a kids blood earlier, and clearly not cared. In the very least we have to assume they knew her Quirk involved blood because Hori doesn't make any suggestion that it was hidden.

And that's why the theme of acceptance and Toga being normal because blood drinking is a part of her falls flat. No one ever said shit about her Quirk ever, except for her parents in sparse flashbacks. Ochako never thinks her blood drinking is gross nor do any of the the other Heroes or class 1A students. Hell, Tenya doesn't even bad mouth Stain for drinking blood even though he hated the guy so much he wanted him dead. This doesn't make it seem like the world rejected her for her Quirk.

No, the entire problem is that Toga doesn't understand consent or boundaries. We never see her ever ask anyone, even as a kid if she can drink their blood (that would have been a better scene then her drinking birds blood imho) and get rejected and told off and bullied/ostracized for her desire. Which if that did happen would explain why she never asks again and feels no one will accept her.

And, you could blame her parents and the therapist for this, but I'd just wager Hori doesn't really grasp that consent is the issue here. Mainly because Ochako never addresses it in anyway, even though she does bring up Toga's crimes. She offers her blood to Toga for life, but does not say that difference between Toga drinking her blood as opposed to anyone else's is because she is giving permission.

In the end Toga doesn't learn anything and just gets what she wanted given to her. Maybe Hori will address this next chapter but it really should have been brought up sooner. That or he should have had Toga actually not be accepted what-so-ever and shunned by all her peers for her Quirk even before she attacked her crush.

And this is part of the reason I really don't like the queer reading of the chapter is because by doing so it is suggesting that queer people are dangerous. If we read Toga's blood drinking as the same as kissing--which she seems to say (though her expression while drinking blood suggests something more...problematic) then she has been going around kissing people against their will to fulfill her own needs. If we read this as queer, is the story not saying that repressed gay people will sexually harass people because they can't understand consent when they inevitably snap?

I'm not saying this was or is Hori's intent. I think it's pretty clear he just didn't see how big an issue of consent there was with Toga and her Quirk. He wanted it to be all about how she wasn't accepted as normal, but didn't put in the work of showcasing that well. He has a lousy track record with female characters getting way less attention and with his rush to finish on top of that, Ochako and Toga got screwed with a half baked climax. Unfortunately that's also left it with less then great implications if you think about it for a coupe of minutes.

#ask #thanks for the ask!#sorry for the wait #and the back log of the other ones in my inbox #but i have a hard time focusing on one thing to talk about with Toga #since her character has so many problems #and the last chapter just pissed me off #cuz i'm sorry but neither of these two people know each other at all #Ochako doesn't know Toga's past #shes not seeing the flashbacks #and Toga knows even less about ochako #she just likes ochako because it gives Hori an excuse to draw girl on girl touching #like i'm sorry but I really doubt it's much deeper then that #I mean if he does make Toga/Ochako canon it's nice that wlw relationships get some exposure #but I wouldn't say it was good representation and I don't think that's means Hori is 100% behind gay rights #like at best I'd think he's like that fresh price meme “he's confused but he's got the spirit”#which is better then you generally get from a shonen jump title #so I wouldn't say it's worthless or unimportant #but that doesn't mean it doesn't have alot of flaws #and this isn't me saying all queer ships have to be wholesome/perfect #it's just that i think if it canon it will be treated as wholesome when it's really not #like way more issues then Catadora from She-ra #anti togachako #anti toga #anti himiko #mha #bnha spoilers #bnha #bnha critical #bnha 393

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