#the topic actually warrants a post of its own

[kindred-spirit-93]

and now for a post this blog was made for (take this as free trial of what to expect down the line. fair warning; not to scale)

If I had a nickel for every time a protagonist had to choose between a sword and a guitar, I'd have two nickels, which isn't a lot, but it's weird that it happened twice.

the first (and tbf only) two that come to mind are Manolo from the book of life and Kubo from Kubo and the two strings

quick background: manolo had to fight a giant toro (all the bulls his bullfighter family killed ever, and kubo had to defeat his grandfather the moon king in his final form. also he uses a shamisen not a guitar. but it fits the category so theres that)

and its such a beautiful and strange concept; to be presented with the choice of peace via music, or violence (so to speak) by the sword, and it works. the apology song moved me to tears the first time i heard it and kubo's words are truly beautiful and ones i wont forget.

i think its what the music relays rather than the instrument that brings about a change of heart or leads the hero to victory; their empathy and humanity. family is a prominent theme too, one of love and guidance and ocassionally a source of greivance lol.

i havent watched either films in quite a while (BoL 10 years ago oof) but both songs/ pieces speak so much truth they are able to do what the sword could never achieve. and now for a segment i like to call from where i stand, where i get to link fiction with my life and experiences to provide insight from, say it with me now, where i stand: as an aspiring psychiatrist in a part of the world where mental health is still finding its footing in the public eye and sadly among other healthcare students, its hurts to see how little we listen to each other, compounded by how simple and effective just basic human connection is in somehwat alleviating (albeit temporarily) whatever it is someone is going through. empathy my dudes. it goes a long way.

manolo appologises for the centuries of grief his family profession has inflicted on the bulls, and extends a warm hand of understanding and sincerity, while kubo uses the power of memories and love to prove to his grandfather that so long as he has his eye, an eye capable of seeing (and by extension a heart capable of loving and a soul capable of feeling), he will live and prosper. their humanity prevails and brings peace.

final word: to quote Jonathan Decker from a CT episode i cant remember lol: "Kindness won't always change someone, but it shows them you won't be changed." and i think its an important gap to mind, in the sense that the magic of music or whatever wont fix our real life probelms, like a failing relationship, but kindness and empathy and humanity are all necessary for healing and growth. and that, i believe is the message behind the trope. a good day to you all.

me, an intellectual:

[theoddest1]

Let's Actually Talk About The Issues With Vivziepop

Okay, first off, hello you beautiful people! Sorry about this foreboding title, but I needed to catch y'all attention on this so I can break down the issues that I and many have with "Hazbin Hotel" and "Helluva Boss" creator, Vivienne Medrano. Now I am sure you all on here are already aware of at least a couple of the controversies that revolve around this particular creator and if you have seen my posts floating around already, some have been greeted with the problems surrounding her social media presence and just her overall as a person. I know seeing another callout on her seems very very tiring at this point, but I felt that a lot of the current callouts missed key details that were not at all addressed or properly delved on. I plan on shedding light on my issues with her and I hope you get where I am coming from when I say that she sucks.

BULLYING

Okay, I am starting off with Vivienne's blatant use of bully mentality, her agreeing or encouraging her fans to call people who see flaws in her works sub-humans or harass those who find issue or simply jest about her works trademark cussing and and overcrowded designs. She has had this issue for YEARS and refuses to grow up and act her age despite many telling her, even her own fans at times, that she shouldn't be acting so unprofessionally. Clearly, she doesn't care and thanks to her fanbase caring more about her feelings than her being better she feels as though she doesn't need to change or do better. This goes for her friend group as well, who defend her tremendously and act as though she is never in the wrong. Name one time a friend of hers called her out for acting childish, I'll wait.

Now, you're probably wondering, "Wtf could they have done to warrant such a response?"

Criticism...That's all they did. (White Text is random peeps they would speak with or maybe mutuals)

Keep in mind...they used to be a fan as well. They were also a minor at this point

But, Viv doesn't care, this person's critical yet harmless tweets about her shows is what lead to her painting them in a horrible light and making them out to be someone who has attacked her personally and as "nasty".

Rich coming from Viv since she is completely fine doing exactly that for "Ava's Demon". Not only does she criticize it, she takes a shot at the creator as well, but GOD FORBID others do the same towards her.

And according to someone who knew her well, it's all cause they felt creeped out by her.

Her hatred for criticism is so prominent that Ima makes that a section of its own. But let's get back on the topic of bullying.

Vivienne has a fanbase filled to the brim with pushy and overall annoying individuals who have harassed, threatened, disrespected, and wished harm on many people, all cause someone had a negative thing to say about Vivziepop's mid af show. One of the earlier known instances is the one revolving around a MEME of all things.

This was what started it all, and it led to both parties blocking each other and people being mad pushy and calling them an idiot and the like over their opinions. Now look, their take and you're opinion on said take is fine so long as you stay respectful and humane about it all, but don't dogpike someone all cause they think HH sucks. And while Viv can not control her fanbase, for they are not a hivemind (some of y'all act it tho, ima keep it real) she is seen here ENCOURAGING the behavior. Tell me how someone who doesn't even like your trash ass show has the sense to tell people not to harass others, someone with a smaller following, but not your grown damn near 30 year old ass?

Oh, but people wanna act like she can handle criticism, is a sweet person, and grew from her past experiences. Fam, she was 27 in this screenshot [December 16, 2019] and has shown no change from 2013 to fucking 2024. Over a decade of the same petty ass behavior, and keep in mind, according to several of her old friends and workers, she is worse behind close doors. WORSE. She's already acting like she got no damn sense out in the open, imagine behind closed doors.

Last but not least, a glimpse into her outright blatant slander towards Dollcreep, a once good friend of hers that she even visited and spoke with frequently!

She stated that they fetishized pedophilia yet according to the victim and friends of the victim who were once friends with Viv as well, Viv actually threatened to end their friendship if he hadn't drawn NSFW art of her character and his character having sex [Addi was 15 at the time this was drawn]

On top of that, she liked the post, something she didn't need to do. The art also depicted things she had regularly drawn on her own. Addi being tied up forcefully, being sexualized, being harmed to some degree through bondage, etc. The claim that she forced DC to draw this out is backed up by her own art depicting similar elements. Also, if my memory serves me well, Viv and Doll were 17-18 years old [Doll was 17 Viv 18] and have a 1-year age gap. The way Viv frames things here is as if DC was way older and imposed some sort of power over DC, which sources say otherwise. If anything, Viv had a LOT of control throughout all of this drama, which deserves its own section.

I'll be making posts that talk about the different issues regarding Viv, so one post isn't too long (this one is already lengthy enough) and that you can just pick at one post targeting certain issues around this creator.

[anistarrose]

I'm seeing a huge uptick in fanart with artist-written alt text and IDs in my fandom circles recently, which is obviously great! But I can also tell that a lot of people, because they're just getting started, haven't quite figured out how to consider the screen reader experience while writing alt text/IDs.

The remedy to this, when in doubt, is to pull up a screen reader or TTS on your own device. That way, you can hear out how things sound. But in general, a couple things to keep in mind:

For multi-image posts: You don't have to repeat the same information in the description of every single image.

If you have a four-image comic, and a character — let's just say a young adult white woman, with brown hair and glasses — features in all those panels, you don't have to repeat that description in every ALT text. The images are going to be read in order, and in context. If a screen reader has to hear "a young adult white woman, with brown hair and glasses" four separate times in quick succession, to say nothing of other recurring characters, that's not a good listening experience!

Yes, if you were to share one of those panels on its own, in some other instance, it might be good to slightly edit the image description, and actually re-include that information. The description of an image is always going to be influenced by the purpose and context of an image — just like images being shared to appreciate the artistry will warrant more description than IDs for memes, where it's best to keep things brief. (And on that topic, this post puts it better than I could.)

And, secondly:

In-post image descriptions should go directly under the image. There should not be commentary in-between the image and the ID.

Imagine if every time you wanted to know what an image was, whether a piece of art or a screenshot of a tweet, you had to hear paragraphs of the artist's statement that presumed you'd seen the art already, or paragraphs of OP's commentary lampooning the tweeter. Imagine if every time anyone posted a graph, you had to read through a short essay presuming you'd seen the graph, but before you actually got to see what the graph was showing.

Yeah, that's the essence of the problem with putting IDs below commentary.

Also, after a point, people will just assume the post is undescribed and skip it! You described your post, you put in the effort to make your post accessible, but you want to make sure it'll have the impact you hope it will, right? Hiding the ID below commentary (or under a read more) is not going to let your effort have the maximum impact.

Here's a visual example of the formatting guideline I just described.

In general, there are many elements of writing IDs that are just subjective, and there are many ID beneficiaries whose preferences differ amongst each other, too. But if you start out by not including redundant information, by considering context, and by considering flow for screen readers? Then you're starting out totally fine.

[mariamegale]

More clarification on Dybowski's position within Ice Pick Lodge today from IPL ex-employee Luchin, after yesterday's comments.

Sorry for posting so much in the patho tag, but unfortunately it's what's best for visibility. I have, and will be, using the "Dybowski Allegations" tag for any post on this, so please block that tag if you don't want to see it.

Since my post yesterday on Alexey Luchin's comments/allegations against Dybowski, he has given Reddit some updates and clarifications. I'll summarise the Reddit thread, but quote Luchin in full for transparency.

The thread is on the topic of Dybowski's current involvement with IPL/Pathologic 3. Commenters stated that he has sold the company, and hasn't been very involved with the games since The Void (2008). Whether this is a valid interpretation of Luchin's earlier statements was discussed, and the fact that he's been a main P2 writer and involved with a lot of promo stuff over the years was brought up. Luchin, after being pinged, showed up to clarify:

Russian companies often use a "fake owner" for various reasons, this is the case here. Motivations may be to avoid alimony, to ease money transfers between the main company part in Kazakhstan and the original main company and it's Cyprus subordinary. It is not illegal, and even not a loophole, though. I wouldn't dwell on that much. It's important what people work in the studio factually.

and,

Yep, I'd say it's up to the currently employed to shed light reliably. But in general around after the Void he was more of an broad ideas guy — and a good one, it wasn't my intent to downplay him in that regard. At the same time, game development is a multistage process, and from my personal knowledge, I can attribute a lot of the new games qualities to "fresh blood", and the other co-founders acting more professional. E.g. Alphyna has covered a decent chunk of actual writing on Pathologic 2 and had a pivotal role in maintaining the timeline of events of the game, charater motivations, etc together. Ivan Slovtsov carried the detailed game design and balancing with his team — which gave him a good position in tinyBuild after, etc. IPL is to some extent an autere game company, with the source and numerous modifications coming from Nikolay, but in my time his input was irregural, disrupting, and in my personal opinion wasn't often for the good of the game. At the same time, the fresh blood in the studio grew on the principles on which the studio was founded and successfully carries its legacy already. This is an opinion, though, still. Personally, I'll still play Pathologic 3, it's great, from what I know / have seen. And all my posts here are done with a heavy heart — it's not easy to be dissapointed in a talanted figure such as Dybowsky myself.

So, based on this (keep in mind Luchin himself has stated to have no contact with Dybowski himself since 2018, although it feels fair to assume he'd still be in contact with other former coworkers) the exact role of Dybowski in the creation of these games seems a little unclear. But I also don't think anyone's been debating whether he's been involved up until p3, as much as how deeply involved he is in p3.

Ultimately, it's up to everyone to decide for themselves where they stand in terms of opinion on p3, buying the game, sticking around in the fandom, supporting the studio, et cetera., but that's the new info.

To just give my own personal two cents: I am still in the position I was yesterday, which is that I believe IPL has to make a statement on all of this, and cut ties with Dybowski, before I'll be completely comfortable giving them money. However, I do also want to acknowledge the fact that this is not a black and white situation, and that the discourse surrounding this does warrant some level of nuance. I'm, of course, speaking in relation to the other people working at IPL.

It's incredibly easy to say both, "Dybowski is not his team; they should never be punished for his actions," and "they may have helped cover for him for twenty years; they should be held responsible." Silence is, to a degree, complicity, and if Luchin is to be believed not just in his "open secret" statement but also here, in reference to the student grooming allegations:

That's the Nema-Soda episode around the same time previous accusations surfaced. Well known in the Russian segment of the internet.

That's bad. If this truly has been this out in the open and known, that's really fucking bad, and I want this company - at least its management - to be held responsible for their potential silence and complicity in this.

But, at risk of sounding like I'm excusing any of this, I do also want to remind you that according to Luchin, as well as earlier testimonies including Renata's, this is also a person who is apparently incredibly vindictive. He is also pretty rich by Russian standards, and has held some level of influence in academia and the Russian game dev community for many years. I don't know exactly how his vindictiveness would take its form, especially not against employees, but I've been in toxic workplaces before - it can be scary, downright terrifying, to go after or even up against someone like this. No matter how shitty they are, especially if you're not in a country with good whistleblower laws (and just, in general, a system which will take the original allegations seriously, which... I'm not Russian, but I'm allowing myself some possibly problematic doubt that you'd be able to comfortably know that. I come from a significantly more progressive country, and I would absolutely not take it for certain) it can be incredibly difficult to stand up for what's right and take that risk to your livelihood, safety, and future job prospects. Especially in a job market so (relatively) niche as Russian game development. I'm also pretty damn sure there's not a union, or anything like it, to back you up if you get inofficially retaliated against.

Human being end up in abusive situations and find themselves, for one reason or another, not doing anything about it all the time. SA victims don't always report their perpetrator. Fraud victims don't always come forward. People subjected to wage theft don't always call their union reps. And others, those who witness it, don't always do it either. Sometimes because it's not their place, sometimes because they don't care, and sometimes because they're afraid. I don't think it's fair to assume everyone is in the second category, just as how I wouldn't think it's fair to assume everyone is in any of the others - it'd be absurd to assume every IPL worker doesn't want to out someone else's victimhood, which is why they haven't said anything publicly, for example. However, not reporting is an incredibly common blame to put on a victim or witness, because it's assumed that by not reporting it, they're essentially enabling the perpetrator to do it again. And I personally just don't think that's just - not without knowing what else weighed into a person's decision not to speak up.

I'm not saying this absolves all of IPL. I especially don't think it absolves the people at the top with Dybowski, who would have been more protected than the bottom-line workers. I simply am asking for some honest-to-god nuance. Personally, I'm still not happy to give IPL any money - not until I know Dybowski is not getting any of it, and measures have been taken to protect their other employees. But I'm also not interested in broad brushing an entire company of twenty years as evil, because the employees haven't made (english) publically available attempts at getting this guy out. We know, by his own accord, Luchin didn't - we know nothing of the others. A conversation with a manager that went badly is not likely to become public knowledge. People lamenting their powerlessness to stop someone to their colleagues or friends won't reach us. Someone quietly resigning because they can't do this anymore, but not being willing to put themselves on the line, is not a detail we're going to have.

I'm happy the silence has, hopefully irrevocably and undeniably, been broken. I'm hoping some people, Dybowski in particular, will face justice, or at least consequences. I hope Renata and her son, as well as Dybowski's other children, are safe and happy. I hope that IPL will do something, and move forward as a better company.

I want them to make a statement about this. That's non-negiotiable, for me, personally. I also want to see a change, and a better company with a better work culture going forward, making games and nurturing a community safely away from all this shit.

However, I accept the grim possibility that this will never happen, and am trying to decide on what that means for me personally moving forward with the fandom. I don't have any moral qualms about piracy, that's not what this is about. And that's the wider conversation I think I personally will need more, moving forward, in regards to my relationship with Pathologic.

That's my two cents.

[hunter-sylvester]

The quiet sexual assault symbolism in Metal Lords.

[TW] Discussion of SA, SA aftermath, and SA symbolism.

Every time I've written about these scenes I've felt like I had to hold back. But fuck it, right? I was inspired by this ask to actually share a bit more of my thoughts on the topic.

I can't overstate that I don't think any of this was intentional. I don't believe the scene was ever supposed display any more explicit SA, I think it's all purely accidental. Which, if you ask me, tends to be where the best emotional representation happens.

There's two scenes that unintentionally mirror the typical portrayal of sexual assault and its emotional aftermath. The scene where Skip attacks Hunter, cutting a chunk of his hair off. And the following scene where Hunter shaves the side of his head in his bedroom.

How many times have we seen female characters cut their hair after an abusive relationship or after being assaulted? And how many of us, regardless of gender, have done the same? Hacking away at our hair with blunt scissors and tears in our eyes. Standing over the bathroom sink trying to somehow cut out the memory.

And we know the likely "why" to the typical post-trauma haircut. It's looking in the mirror and seeing something other than the person that endured the trauma. It's taking back control over our bodies.

Before the attack even happens, Hunter's been slowly losing the control that he at least thought he had. Control over himself, his surroundings, and not to mention: Kevin. Kevin's pursuit of Emily creates an important crack in Hunter's perception of their relationship. And is evidence of the lack of control he really has over it.

Everything about the attack screams accidental SA metaphor. He's ambushed by several guys, overpowered, "gagged." A piece of him is taken, only to be discarded. Because it was never about the thing that's taken, only that it's violently ripped away. And afterwards he's left writhing on the floor. Eyes wide in disbelief. Trying to process what just happened to him.

That scene in isolation already has this theme thoroughly woven into it, but I think it's really hammered home in the one that follows.

Of course, Kevin is there with him. The person he feels most comfortable around. The person he needs now more than ever.

Not only does Hunter directly call Skip's coach a rapist before lamenting that when Skip & his friends come back they'll "ass-rape" him. (Again, I don't think that's a literal accusation, but the fact that that's where his mind went in at the very least notable.)

More importantly: he blames himself.

Kevin justly points out that Hunter didn't "get them suspended." They got themselves suspended by attacking Hunter. But he pushes back. Pointing out that he flicked Skip in the face first.

Let's not let it slide how much of a batshit escalation Skip's actions are. Even if we take everything entirely at face value, Skip is fucking unhinged. As most bullies are.

The fact that Hunter flicked Skip in the face in no way justifies him literally hacking off a chuck of Hunter's hair. But the fact that Hunter tries to justify it as being his fault brings it that much closer to the SA symbolism. It's painfully common for us to assume we must have done something to warrant the abuse we face. That we made the fatal mistake that led to it all, rather than it being a decision made by our attackers.

Obviously, at face value, Hunter shaving the side of his head is a logical way to deal with a chunk of his hair being cut off. It's that or cutting all of his hair off. Part of me feels like that's what Skip would have been hoping for. So choosing the shaved side instead feels like a subtle(ish) "fuck you" in and of itself. It's Hunter reclaiming his hair.

It's also that step towards regaining control. It's destruction on Hunter's own terms. (cough see the fucking jacket post cough) (and for that matter my other haircut post)

It's removing Skips fingerprints in favor of the scratch-marks of Hunter's own nails. Because by fuck is the stinging those leave preferable over the dull aching memory of Skip's hands on him.

For a split second we see him realize even a sliver of the impact of it all. When he's no longer able to distract himself by focusing purely on the act of shaving his head, he can't ignore what's directly staring back at him. That he's not the same as he was anymore. He's a different Hunter from the one that woke up that morning. He's been defiled. Destroyed. Partly by his own hand. Which doesn't exactly dull the sting of it but it at least makes it his. At least he has ownership over his damage. At least some of it's on his terms.

Of course the thing he turns to to snap himself out of this is to seek Kevin's approval.

A plea, perhaps. Tell me I'm not as broken as I feel. Tell me I'm not completely destroyed. Tell me I'm going to come out the other end of this. Tell me you still love me.

(I'm aware this scene is played relatively lighthearted, and that I'm in fact insane. Water is also wet.)

I think that's all I have on this for now. Might add more later idk

[yoroshiu]

Sora: Self-Esteem, Or Lack Thereof

I legit got struck with many thoughts when I woke up and decided to write an essay instead of going back to sleep. As in, this one's another long one ToT

Making Kingdom Hearts Stuff Until KH4 Comes Out (Day 13)

This is a topic that has been brought up a lot as of late but I found myself wanting to talk about it after reading some comments from some KH videos I was watching.

Specifically in Sora’s sacrifice scene in KH1 and his breakdown scene in KH3, it was interesting to see people say that they had just realized how low his self-esteem actually is, and I thought to myself, it must be interesting for them to look back and see how far back this feeling goes for him. I had my own thoughts as a result.

Sora grew up in Riku’s shadow. In the words of both of them, they agreed on the belief that Riku was the better one between them. It makes sense that Sora from the get-go had already taken blows to his self-confidence.

This is only added onto when it’s revealed that Sora was “just the delivery boy” for Riku, leading to the loss of the keyblade (which, for one, alongside the title of “Hero of the Keyblade” gave him a lot of confidence/assurance) and Donald and Goofy. This is a moment that stuck with him as shown in 358/2 Days is a memory that makes Roxas cry (in the same way seeing the Twilight Town trio made Sora cry). And while this is mostly supplemented by the manga/light novel adaptations mostly, Xion’s frustration in her encounter with Riku is reflective of that moment for Sora (especially in the manga).

In the perspective of the audience, Sora getting the keyblade back is a show of his own will and strength of heart. But in his eyes, since Donald and Goofy came back just a bit before, this is probably where the idea that his strength coming from his friends gets cemented. For him, the keyblade chooses him because he chooses to support others, which we will see rear its head in 3D.

One of the things that kept grabbing my attention when watching people play through 3D is when they get to the part where Sora says “I know the keyblade didn’t choose me, and I don’t care” because that ends up warranting confusion, and they usually say “but he was chosen though?” This is where that perspective thing shows up.

3D spent a notable amount of times mentioning how Sora isn’t the first choice. How the keyblade moved down the list (Riku to Sora), how the Organization moved down the list (Riku to Roxas to Sora). Xigbar even makes an attempt of mentioning such before Sora says the Thing. In Sora’s view, he wasn’t chosen for being special or having some kind of power but he was chosen because, in his eyes, his purpose is to help “those it [the keyblade] did choose.”

Even at his most confident (as he was on that KH2 victory high), he never viewed himself as “chosen” due to being worthy from his own merit.

And it doesn’t help that after 3D strips him of his power, he gets poked and prodded at for losing it. And that constant loss of power is something he’s aware of (“It’s always like this” line in Japanese). Others have mentioned it in other posts before, but Sora’s mistakes and failures weigh more heavily on his mind than the others who see his strength and victories over all else. Sora knows that he doesn’t understand everything and only does what he feels he can do in the situation for others. It’s kinda like everyone else sees him through these rose-tinted glasses (he gets through everything with a smile, he follows his heart /pos) but for him, he’s clawing through and following his heart /neg.

"It's okay, it's always like this."

This is all the buildup leading to his breakdown. It’s very in line with him, and it’s so fascinating seeing people realize that. Sora’s relationship with his self-esteem, alongside his trauma, are much more subtle arcs compared to other characters. It’s very much due to his style of coping being repression and smiling through everything until he can’t take it anymore.

This isn’t even taking into account other moments of his perspective like how he kinda blames himself for Donald and Goofy leaving him in KH1 (he puts it as “they had to leave” or that “they were separated” (in Japanese), never that they left or abandoned him. He usually doesn’t blame his friends if they’ve hurt him before. There’s even the tangentially connected topic of him being dehumanized.

Sora is both very straightforward and complex in his presentation and writing, just as his series is. His relationships with others are actually pretty complicated and are both the reasons for his strengths and his weaknesses (he and Riku alone are a whole doozy, being each others reasons for improvement but also their downfalls). Sora’s mental health is and will continue to be a topic of interest for me as we go into the next saga.

Someone please get him a nice hot cocoa and proper therapy…

[hauntingofhouses]

BRB thinking thoughts about Taigen's character, the TaiMizu ship, and a big chunk of fandom's perceptions regarding both those things.

(Inspired by @farintonorth's post related to this topic that just got my brain going brrrrr)

OK so let me just... start off by saying that I think that reducing stories to their tropes is seriously detrimental to the way some people are interacting with fiction, and while that honestly warrants its own post about the subject, I wanna talk specifically about how this affects the way some people in the fandom talk about Taigen and TaiMizu.

Because yeah, tropes are useful shorthand to refer to certain dynamics or archetypes etc, and they are indeed the building blocks to any story. But in a well-written story, characters and their relationships, actions, and motivations, are much more complex than just tropes. Because in a story that has characters who are more than just cardboard cutouts, their behaviours, backgrounds, motivations and all of that, are inseparable from the context of the overall story they exist in.

So like, sure, you can say Mizu and Taigen have an enemies-to-lovers or rivals-to-lovers dynamic. I also use those terms because it's easier. But I also think this is where things start to get a bit twisted, especially from an intertextual sense. Because "enemies-to-lovers" is also commonly used to refer to other ships in other media, whereby it tends to be rooted in an imbalanced power dynamic, such as oppressor-oppressed and bully-victim.

And while that's a whole can of worms that I won't be getting into because it can quickly derail into a whole separate sort of fandom discourse, I'd just like to make it clear that Mizu and Taigen, in particular, do not have an imbalanced power dynamic. They are not bully-victim or oppressor-oppressed. The only understandable reason why someone might actually think their relationship is imbalanced is if

A) they only watched the first episode, or

B) they cannot grasp the slightest bit of nuance in a character, or

C) they're being obtuse on purpose simply because the Mizu/Taigen relationship, or Taigen's character in general, just doesn't suit their tastes.

While yes, Taigen, along with his whole gang, had bullied Mizu when they were children, that dynamic does not exist between them whatsoever in adulthood. Whatever imbalanced bully-victim power dynamic that had once existed between them was decisively ripped apart the moment Mizu beat him in that duel in the dojo, and then completely obliterated by the end of the season.

Mizu is not a defenseless victim at Taigen's mercy. Mizu can beat Taigen's ass any time she wants (and she DOES, repeatedly in fact), and could even kill him if she felt like it. She taunts him openly and without fear ("I like your hair"; "I can beat you with any weapon you choose") and all he does is bark back, because that's pretty much all Taigen ever does. Time and time again, he yaps about how much he wants to kill her, but time and time again, his actions prove that all of it is just an empty threat. Because though his words say "I hate you", his actions demonstrate the complete opposite. He's shown how protective he is of Mizu, how unhesitatingly he sacrifices himself up for her, how loyal he is in enduring days-long torture to not give up information about her, how even when near-death and in pain, he's still willing to keep standing back up so he can fight by her side and help her win against her enemies.

And Mizu is not an idiot! She sees that too. She does not see him as a threat, an enemy, or even a bully. Especially not by the end of Episode 3, and definitely not by the end of the season. When she finds him in the dungeon in Episode 6, she smiles from relief, and doesn't think twice to take him with her. Mizu finds him, at best, an annoyance, or at worst, an infuriating hindrance on her quest for vengeance. Which is why, when Taigen is about to say, "It's a shame our duel's set for tomorrow; I have to kill you before you get your revenge," Mizu whacks him on the head without a second thought before he can even finish his sentence, and leaves him lying unconscious, face-down, in the snow.

And this further emphasises how he does not hold any power over her. There is no abusive power dynamic between them. She is more powerful than him, he knows this, and all he's ever done after they've met up again in adulthood is get his ass whooped by her, get mad about it and pester her and follow her around, get his ass whooped by her some more, and put his life on the line to protect her.

"OOoooOOoooH b-but he called her a demon at the end of Episode 7 and threatened to kill her again!!!" Oh my god. He called her that because he's calling her out on her selfishness to stay silent about her knowledge of Fowler's plans to attack Edo. Because to him, loyalty and honour as a samurai is more important than anything. So in his own brash-and-immature Taigen way, he felt betrayed that Mizu did not hold the same principles. That's why he got angry. He wasn't even that mad about letting Akemi get dragged off by the Tokunobu guards. It was about saving the Shogun and the Shogunate as a whole. That's why the first thing he does in Edo is not find Akemi, but try to warn the Shogun about Fowler's attack.

Look, I'm not defending his stupid ass, of course. Because calling her a demon especially after their cute little wrestling time was obviously rude and inappropriate, especially since words like "demon", "monster" and "Onryo" have had such a deep effect on Mizu throughout her life, and continue to contribute to her self-hatred. But like? That's the fun of realistic and flawed characters, and realistic and flawed relationships. They're not perfect, and it's why we as an audience root for them, wanting to see them work through their shit and find a way to prevail despite it all.

Also, him saying that was in the heat of the moment. He was angry, he felt like his initial belief of who Mizu was—a strong and loyal samurai, just like him—was shattered, and so he lashed out. Was it rude? Definitely. Was it immature of him? Yes, incredibly. But it's also very much in line with his character, because even though he's grown a lot over the course of the season, the show isn't over yet, so obviously his character arc is just beginning, as that is also the case for the other three main characters: Mizu is beginning to accept herself, Akemi is beginning to grow into her position of power, Ringo beginning to train under Master Eiji, while Taigen is beginning to simply be a better person.

On that note, when speaking of Taigen's immaturity, I think that's also one of the main things that people tend to gloss over when it comes to his character. Because when you boil everything down to its bare essentials, Taigen is, essentially, a boy. I've talked about this before, but to reiterate, Taigen very much behaves like an unhealed child. Even as an adult, he is insecure, prone to throwing tantrums, and is desperate to latch onto some material goal in hopes that it will make him feel better—initially he was chasing status/glory/greatness, and then when Mizu tells him that "Nothing comes from being a samurai but death," he immediately decides he wants to run away with Akemi in hopes that he will be happy.

And it's a big step, acknowledging that he doesn't truly want greatness, but had always just assumed it was his only path to a good life. But it's clear he still hasn't really figured it out. Because if he did run off with Akemi to get married and live in the countryside, he still wouldn't be happy. Because he still doesn't know who he really is, or what it is he really wants. Marriage at this moment is the last thing he needs, and as he is now, he would be a pretty awful husband. A simple life would be good for him, but would he be good at a simple life, when he still has so much he needs to work through?

So anyway, what I'm getting at here, is that he's trying and he is learning and growing. So yeah, he is flawed, but honestly? So is Mizu. And the funny thing is that they're flawed in very similar ways.

Because Mizu is also an unhealed child. That's why she's so angry all the time. That's why she pushes people away. That's why she, just like Taigen, is so happy when given the chance to playfully wrestle in the forge, laughing and rolling around like children without shame or pretense.

Again, this shows there is no imbalance between them. They had grown up together as peers from the same town. And while Taigen had had the upper hand back then, because he'd had a gang of other kids with him, that is definitely not the case anymore. Today, they are equally flawed, equally strong, equally skilled swordsmen, and equally bull-headed.

However, yes, Mizu is definitely leagues more mature than Taigen. But she still holds a lot of childhood wounds that mirror Taigen's own. And we see this especially in relation to her mother. Similar to Taigen who had an abusive and alcoholic father, Mizu's Mama was an opium addict and had hit her, berated her, had shaved her head without her consent as a child, and as an adult, had constantly emotionally manipulated and guilt-tripped her. Mizu's love for her Mama was what had driven her to a path of vengeance in the very beginning. And when she'd found out Mama was still alive, she had wanted nothing more than her Mama's love, and it was this alone that pushed her to agree to the marriage with Mikio in the first place. And now, knowing from Fowler that her birth mother is someone else entirely, is what makes her agree to keep him alive and haul his ass to London to seek answers.

Thus, integral to Mizu's self-hatred is also Mizu's intense longing for love and family. Just like Taigen, whose pompousness comes from his insecurity about being the son of a poor fisherman, Mizu's goals are also shaped by who her parents are. Remember, her vengeance is not against just anyone who's corrupt or evil, but specifically against the men who she believes had assaulted her mother, the men she believes had made her a monster, the men she believes had abandoned her to die and continue to try to kill her. Her vengeance is against a father, on behalf of a mother. In The Tale of the Ronin and the Bride, Mizu is not merely the Ronin, the Bride, or the Onryo, but also the Child.

This is also why Ringo is so good, not only for Mizu, but for Taigen as well. Ringo is wise and caring and considerate, but above all, he is in tune with his inner child in ways that Mizu and Taigen are not. He is always earnest and positive, he sees the world with childlike wonder, but is not naive or blind to its ugliness. His whole life has been a battle. Ringo brings out the best in Mizu, consistently acting as her moral compass and conscience, and Mizu's choice to save Akemi in the final episode is only because she promised Ringo that she would. Because it's the right thing to do. Ringo inspires her to be a better person, and to think outside of her narrow-minded goal of revenge. At the same time, Ringo also brings out the best in Taigen. While at first Taigen had looked down on both Mizu and Ringo ("Half-limb to a half-wit"), by the end of the season, he's proud to have Ringo as a friend and ally, he listens to Ringo's advice ("What would Master do?"), and asserts to the fucking Shogun that Ringo is a worthy warrior to have by his side.

Okay, I've gone on a bit of a tangent here, but my main point is that Mizu and Taigen are incredibly similar. They are equals. They are both flawed, unhealed children who are chasing some impossible outlandish goal in hopes that it will fill the void in their hearts. They also both have a long way to go in terms of character development if they were to ever build a healthy romantic relationship (either with each other, or even with anyone else). So while I believe things will be rocky (because duh, it's a story, we all live for the drama, etc), I think with Ringo's help, they'll get there eventually.

[divorcedfiddleford]

Random but - if you were given an opportunity to rewrite Ford's character and his arc in the show (and later J3), how would it be like?

canon gay and trans

so the thing is that i think most of how ford himself is written is really really good! i just think that the writers (particularly alex) have a bias against him, and so a lot of the narrative ends up feeling like he's either being punished or being forced to atone for his past. so i'm gonna ramble and daydream for a bit but i want to be clear i actually really like how he's written in general (yes, even in the book that i have so much beef with!!)

there's very few moments of catharsis for him, and those that he gets are either short (reunion with fiddleford) or undermined by the writers' bias (the ending of journal 3 where he burns all his bill stuff but has to keep reminding us that he was stupid for trusting bill in the first place). so i think a lot of the problems i have would be resolved with tonal shifts and a few cuts, like that fucking scene in the stanchurian candidate with the mind control tie. the implication of reaganite ford is bad enough but then to have a guy who has very specific trauma relating to being mind controlled/not being in control of his own body just hand that over is really fucking stupid. then again i think that whole episode is stupid so i'd end up rewriting all of it lmao

i've said before but if i really had my way i'd cut roadside attraction entirely and replace it with another ford episode. i loved how goofy and fun dd&md was and i think if more of that lighthearted side of him was shown it would endear him to the audience more. a long time ago i had an idea for an episode where they go back to the bunker and ford basically does puppy talk to the shapeshifter who is actively trying to kill them. i never followed this idea through to its conclusion but i think it still sounds entertaining, plus it would also give more time for him to reunite with fiddleford so it wouldn't have to be squeezed in the finale.

speaking of the finale... my personal fantasy is that i'd love to have a scene stuck in there where stan apologizes to ford. it REALLY stood out to me that despite all their fighting, ford still at least says the words "i'm sorry" to stan. stan never apologizes for anything he did to ford - neither for breaking his project, nor for banishing him to the hell dimension for 30 years. i get that they were mistakes, but you still have to apologize for mistakes (and if i allow myself to get very self-indulgent for a second, i've often thought the whole story would be a lot more resonant if stan broke ford's machine on purpose). i had a whole section in here where i talked about what a scene like this would look like but it was so long... if people want to hear more about it i'll say more but it's the kind of thing that warrants its own post.

anyway. moving on from the show itself. so possibly my hottest take is that i think journal 3 should not have been published KJSHDFLGKHSDFGUIWEHRGJSDF. basically i think instead of trying to write the actual journal 3 they should have picked a handful of stories from his research era that they wanted to tell and made a graphic novel about that. i got WAAAAAAAYYYY off topic and wrote PARAGRAPHS about this but it's not related to the question you asked so i'll just summarize by saying i think it would play more to their strengths as writers, leave more to the imagination, and they could leave out all those fucking retcons that i hate

as it is, though, again, i think that ford is written pretty well in the journal. there are a few off-handed comments and lines that give me "he would not fucking say that" vibes but overall it very realistically portrays what it's like for someone to be manipulated, isolated, drawn away from his loved ones, etc. it's a very poignant story which resonated with a lot of people, myself included. again my main problem is that it's undercut with the writers being like "BROOOOO HE'S JUST LIKE ICARUS!! FLEW TOO CLOSE TO THE SUN!!!!!!!!" as though it's all his fault, and that it ends on a very moralizing "i learned my lesson" note. so really the biggest characterization problems i have with journal 3 have to do with fiddleford, but that's a whole other can of worms

anyway i hope this was... interesting? informative?? i hope i answered your question to your satisfaction. have a nice day :)

[diaphin93]

Okay, so this post was brought to my attention and I considered at first, if I really want to react to it. On one hand I think it warrants a rebuttal and is a peak example of the general lesbophobia not only general fandom but also some queer men like to perpetuate, on the other hand I also originally didn't want to engage with his blogger anymore. For added context, Gascon is a blogger/youtuber who openly on this very websites has made some troublings statements and admissions leaning into the direction of Incest and Necrophilia. I will not go into further into detail about it, but it somewhat leaned into Lily Orchard levels of fucked up. And to rub salt in the wound, when I tried towarn people on the Edelcrit side of this guy and his takes, they immediately jumped into his defense and framed me as the bully here. Among other things, like very stupid and fucked takes which I personally don't stand behind anymore and which I did during a time when my mental health was on a really deep low, was why I took a break from Tumblr in the first place.

But yeah, at the risk of this firing back at me, I decided to make a blogpost engaging with his post. I'm a random nobody on this site, but I've noticed that at least some people seem to be interested in my takes and I consider a rebuttal to his takes important enough, as it goes into typical misogynistic and lesbophobic attitudes inside this particular fandom, but also fandom in general. So lets begin:

Initial ask and to be more of help than Gascon, the answer is yes. Naturally lesbians are wrong to be drawn towards a complicated and nuanced canonically queer female lead character with strong themes of abuse, vilification and loss of bodily autonomy, who tries to uproot an opressive social system that affects women in particular, duh. They should center their attention on a white man, of course. Didn't you know that good lesbians are supposed to produce male on male porn? Skits over, in all seriousness, whoever this anonymous is, if you ever read this: You're a fucking dipshit, what kind of asshole even asks a cis gay man whether or not lesbians and sapphic people should be allowed to like a female character. What a fucking imbecile.

He really had it with the first sentence, lol. I guess every dog has its day, but then he fucks it up. Though I somewhat doubt he is sincere here, considering my actual experiences with the f!Edeleth fandom, it really sounds more as a set up to weaponize and distract from the topic and push his male chauvinism and misogyny under the guess of feminism. First off, 3 Houses isn't mostly written by Intelligent Systems. Secondly, the issue lies in the fact that people like Gascon don't criticize misogynistic aspects in Edelgards character and writing which hurt her as a character, he is using performative feminism to instead bash aspects of the characters usually praised and appealing to queer women and feminist fans, as well as marginalize sapphic themes inside the game. Gascon is not only deeply fucked up according to some of his public tumblr posts which are visible to anyone, he is also just a plain hack. No civility politics from me here. This guy is practically the James Somerton of Fire Emblem Discourse, minus the plagiarism...maybe, don't know. But lets move on, just keep the reference to James Somerton in your mind for maximum entertainment.

Here is where things finally start to go down the gutter, rather early, by him already already attempting to dominish and marginalize the sapphic aspects of these games by chalking them down to male gaze titulation or flat comic relieve, while elavating the m/m subtext of his personal favs, Catherine and Shamir being the sole exception who he treats as the good token lesbians of the story, probably due to the attachment with the church of seiros, which he is super defensive and apologetic about, to my knowledge due to his own romanticization of patriachal concepts of chivalry which it supports and his catholic nationalism which I still clearly remember, trying to contextualize catholics as somewhat the most marginalized group in all of society.

I draw the connection to James Somerton, because ultimately his offhand misogynistic and lesbophobic attitudes combined with his androcentrism and male homosexual chauvinism feels just very reminiscent of him, Gascon falling into this trend of cis gay men who always push forward to center themselves and their identity in LGBTIQ+ advocacy and visibility, in what I call gay male main character syndrome. It plays into an undeniable history of cisgender queer men imposing male chauvinism and patriachal androcentrism into the LGBTIQ+ movement, pushing forward primarily their visibility while having historically contributed to the marginalization and invisibility of both cisfemale and trans queer people in broader society. I've seen another post of his where he gets somewhat pissed about anti-fujoshi discourse, one that is currently inside fandom explicitely pushed by sapphic women who are fed up with the andocentrism and male glorification inside fandom at the expense of sapphic characters and relationships which remain marginalized, with the self-serving comment revealing that his position is primarily founded in him being a beneficiary of the androcentrism and and female margilanization inside fandom. Though discussing all of this would probably go too far for this blog post, maybe I will come back to it later.

Whats clear is that Gascon here, to begin with the easy part, knows shit and makes just blanket uninformed statements about Fire Emblem 3 Houses development process and houses, as he credits IS for its writing, when the main scenario writers all were Koei Tecmo employees, 3 Houses being a collaborative Intelligent System and Koei Tecmo project and FEW3H being full on a Koei Tecmo game. They reference and build on older Fire Emblems, especially the Kaga era of Fire Emblem, alot but the game is mostly by a different company. And while it is not the team that developed the Fodlan Games, as a Studio Koei Tecmo actually as quite the history of including Yuri-Subtext into their games, especially Team Gust, which has titles like Atelier, Nights of Azure and Blue Reflection under their belt. So as a Company, Koei Tecmo is already an entire different beast and it really shows with 3 Hopes, that really ramps up the queer subtext or outright text alot compared to 3 Houses. Gascon is talking with alot of authority on the subject matter, yet displays not having done much research in who even developed and wrote these games. And going back into it, he again argues from a very dismissive and somewhat lesbophobic position of trying to play down sapphic subtext and text, especially as presented inside the Black Eagles. Is Monicas obsessive love for Edelgard often played for comedy? Yes, of course, many aspects of the game are played for comedy, even Dedues role as Dimitris caretaker is often played up from this angle. Is it it treated at her expense? Not really? Monicas Love and Loyalty for Edelgard have often a comedic undertone, mostly by being set up for jokes centering her photographic memory and Edelgard being overwhelmed, but they are also never mocked by the narrative and played as genuine, their support ends in appreciation for Monica. I think his own loathing towards sapphic characters and bias against Edelgard and possibly the black eagles (who are understood as somewhat of the gay house of the game) comes into play here. Monica does suffer alot from Hopes lack of supports and not having pre-existing Houses supports, which makes it rather unfair to compare her to Dedue, who benefits from Houses bigger library of Support.

As I mentioned in another post, its also a rather disrespectful downplay, as Monica is predominantly popular among queer women, with alot of dedicated Monica Fans I've seen being esplicitely sapphic trans women. It is obvious that she appeals alot to this demographic and it is easy to see why, Edelgard is a fairly big favorite and comfort character among queer female fans of the game and Monica, being basically the Nr. 1 Edelgard Fangirl, is a character they can immerse themselves strongly into. In this vein Monica also feels less like a mockery and more like a not to the yuri fanbase around Edelgard, after all, it is quite on your nose to make the new Black Eagles character the games only explicit lesbian. Btw, I also think one of the 3 scenario writers is a woman tbh, they at least have a female sounding name. I think Gascons argument becomes really weird and self-contradicting in this case, as he is really obsessed with dismissing the sapphic appeal and subtext of the game surrounding the Black Eagles, which leads to him dismissing the writers outright, which also plays into him basically claiming that the subtext he glorifies as superior and valid compared to the inferior ridiculous f/f subtext, is supposedly just accidental. He is also misrepresenting the scene to make his claim about the allegedly superior m/m subtext of the game. Because...like, its not the scenes which he quotes, it is a scene in which Dedue does lead Dimitris Hand onto his heroes relic and push him into fighting, which could be understood as more of an example of male machismo, lol.

I mean, I think there is legitimate queer subtext especially among Dimitri and Dedue, though their relationship has alot of problematic issues and context and there is the legitimate issue of Dedue being somewhat of a good token minority engaging in respectability politics, while there also being the context of him being a man of color genocide survivor who exists purely to be subservient and nuturing towards the leader of the people who commited said genocide, being made to crush liberation movements by his own people in favor of the genocidal Nation Dimitri leads. I think there is interesting potential inside their relationship, especially due to the themes of vengeance surrounding Dimitri, but the game does handle it by far more poorly than could be said even with the most criticial lense towards the obsessive fangirl jokes surrounding Edelgard and Monica. Something Gascon does not acknowledge, because he is operating under the double standart that the male queer ships he enjoys are supported, pure and true and that outside of one token example, the female queer ships he dislikes are just mocking or titulating. Because, and this is important to remember, Gascon is a gay male chauvinist mad at sapphic women. His language and arguments make this fairly clear.

And here we have it. All queer female rep and subtext in Fire Emblem, in Gascons mind, is his argumentation, at the same t ime in a blind spot but also exist purely as profitable male titulation. This is an extreme case of misogyny, in which queer sapphic fandom is just entirely dismissed and sapphic subtext depicted as something lesser, only serving men. Because you know that this chauvinist thinks that lesbians should instead spend their time focussing purely on male gay representation. It is also an argument which we see often inside broader fandom discurse and by Fujoshis to attack Yuri and reveals a deeply rooted lesbophobia inside fandoms. And this is a peak example in which falls into the James Summerton school of performative feminism underneath he hides a weakly disguised deeply misogyny that specifically targets sapphic women in an attempt to dismiss the notion of women existing decentered from men. It is a good example of how even a gay man can still participate in patriachy and misogyny, in perpetuating the notion that women can only exist in relation to men. What he also does is full on dismiss decades of sapphic subtext and reading inside the Fire Emblem Community, for example what is with Eirichel or the strong bisexual subtext surrounding Camilla, and the extremely strong queer female subtext inside 3 Houses itself, not only in the way Crimson Flowers overall themes and subtext works the best as a sapphic story between a female Byleth and Edelgard, but also the undeniable queerness of Edelgard and Dorothea, both to each other as well as in their relationship with other women. But no, for him, all queer female expression that isn't to his comfort and resigns to exist as a secondary behind male queerness is to be dismissed as pure cishet male titulation. This is a strong example of queer male chauvinism and lesbophobia.

Could be because Byleths support with Rhea is incredibly unpopular, probably due to Silver Snows general massive lack of popularity and its strong aspect of grooming, implications of being based on love bombing and the fact that for all intends and purposes, Rhea is Byleths grandmother and depending on Sitris genetic components maybe or maybe not somewhat like a biological half-sibling. Not that a guy who on this very website openly admitted to persueing incest irl while framing this as just a normal part of gay culture could grasp that one.

Ultimately, the issue is that this just moves the goalpost, as he does not engage with and instead talks around the fact that sapphic women inside the fandom gravitate towards Edelgard and are part of her fanbase, sapphic women inside this fandom gravitate towards Edelgard, which Gascon obviously does not want to acknowledge. Hell, we know that many of the more well known fanartis and writers outside of just Captain Flash are sapphic women and enbies. One of the most popular Edeleth Fanartists is a non-binary lesbian, we see on twitter how a large portion of sapphics engaging with Fire Emblem strongly gravitate to and center Edelgard. And the issue with Fujoshis and androcentrism is one that currently inside of fandom discourse is predominantly pushed by lesbians. It is often lesbians criticizing the way how female writers, often female writers who also identify as queer, center and prioritize male characters inside of Fandom over promoting female characters and sapphic relationships. And nobody even claims that Dimitri Fans are all horny fujoshis, only that the fujoshi community, and all of its problematic elements which certainly don't describe all fujoshis or even a minority but issues inside the yaoi genre itself, gravitates strongly towards Dimitri.

Hell, the m/m centric ships of the Blue Lions and Dimitri are predominantly criticized for being examples of androcentrism inside Fandom and the fact that Dimilix being wastly more represented than Dimidue reveals an anti-PoC bias inside the community. Something I even wrote about today, while he focuses on being the lesbophobe he always was.

thankfully, I have this guy blocked otherwise I would have to disappoint him, as I'm not a troll. I'm a clown. I might need some psychopathic Juggalo gang though, just in case somebody decides to call me a troll.

[hogwarts-legacy-confessions]

What is Hogwarts Legacy Confessions?

@hogwarts-legacy-confessions exists for fans to share your "confessions" related to Hogwarts Legacy.

For example:

you might have a crush on a particularly unpopular character.

you secretly love certain dynamics in fanworks that your friends would not approve of.

you may loathe aspects of the game that other people enjoy.

perhaps you have other insights or opinions that you feel would not be well-received.

Whatever you'd like to get off your chest - to say to fandom at large about the game and the characters is welcome to be posted.

Frequent Topics: Shipping Discourse (frankly, we've had enough of it), Smash or Pass, Polls, Ship it or RIP it, Hogwarts Legacy MC (and of course the usual character tags!)

Other themes you're encouraged to explore: Would You Rather, Fuck/Marry/Avada, Favorite Minor NPC, Discomfort Characters, Too Much Information, True or False, Two Truths and a Lie, Bookmarked Fics, Fucked Up Ships, Unpopular Headcanons.

We're always open to suggestions!

Rules & FAQs ↴

1. Nothing that targets a specific person will be published. This includes a specific MC, OC, fic, or other specific fanworks with the exception of praise or a recommendation, with the exception of discussing your own work.

2. Please avoid negative posts about fanworks or creators. We want to foster a positive environment in this blog while expressing our opinions respectfully. This includes all types of fanworks - not just writers and artists. 3. Please be polite when referring to members of the fandom (ie: us flesh and blood folks.) You can be rude, insult, and use profanity/slurs against fictional characters - that's fine. Just please avoid using them in reference to actual people. If you're criticizing an aspect of fandom, do it politely. If your post is worded too harshly, we may take the liberty of rewording it while preserving its message. 4. Please keep your responses to comments and reblogs. Please do not respond to confessions by submitting a new ask. If a confession prompts a topic you think warrants its own post, feel free to submit it, but I don't want this blog to become an endless cycle of replies on the same topic. 5. Provide details and avoid redundancy. We have confessions on many subjects already. For instance, don't just submit an ask that says "I hate __________ character," please provide unique reasons why you dislike them. Or why you like a hated character, for that matter. 6. I reserve the right to abstain from posting low effort confessions or those that come across as being purely provocative.

General Info

ADMIN: Feel free to DM at any time with questions, comments, or concerns.

POLLS: Your post may include a poll to gauge the fandom's reaction to your confession. You may opt out of having a poll added to your post. Just add [no poll] at the end if you have a preference - otherwise we will add polls at our discretion.

TIMING: We will publish the current number of queued confessions from time to time. Currently, the queue is set to post every few hours, more or less in the order that the posts were received. We may adjust the queue frequency based on the number of queued posts.

TAGS: No trash-talking posts will be tagged for any specific character. Positive posts may receive more specific tags if warranted.

CONTENT: Posts are not checked for factual accuracy.

"Why was I blocked from this blog?" - Chances are you were blocked because you have the admin blocked or sent asks intended purely to stir drama or insult an admin. Kind of a no-brainer.

Pretty please

Try to post something positive on @hogwarts-legacy-hype if you post something negative here! Positive posts are also welcome here although they still need to fall under the realm of a "confession" - ie: something you would not say publicly.

This will help keep fandom morale up.

Why wasn't my post posted?

Unfortunately given the anonymous nature of posts there is no way for me to provide feedback regarding why a post was not approved. Here are some common reasons a post may not be posted:

It violates a rule above.

Off topic. It's not a confession of any kind (if the queue is low I might post non-confessions but at least make it interesting) and/or it's not about Hogwarts Legacy or its fandom.

Recently-exhausted topic. If your confession is similar to others posted lately, I might reject it or save it for a later date.

Have patience. Depending on the length of the queue, most posts will appear within 2 or 3 days.

Please don't post posts about why your post didn't post. (DM instead, I will be happy to answer any questions you may have.)

The Unrestricted Section discord is a good place to discuss posts.

[blanket-fish]

So. 'Dead Dove: Do Not Eat'. Slightly contentious tag.

People often think it means 'This fic is fucked up, read at your own risk' and I mean, it doesn't not mean that, but it's only one possible interpretation.

All it actually, originally meant is 'This fic is exactly what it says on the tin. Please pay attention to the tags.'

It's most often used in darker fics, where that sort of warning is more warranted. But it can be used on any kind of fic, and Dead Dove itself doesn't convey any information about the content.

That is, however, the reason that people think it means 'Dark fic' or something containing gore/other darker topics. Which is my quandary at the moment.

See, there are two schools of thought when it comes to linguistics*: Descriptivism, and Prescriptivism.

*linguists please don't kill me, I know its more complicated than that.

They are both ways of looking at how language works. Under Descriptivism, a linguist just observes and describes how language is used. Under Prescriptivism, a linguist decides how language should be used. I.e., only under Prescriptivism can you actually use a word wrong.

And, well, I tend to think Descriptivism is more helpful. Language does change over time, so fighting against it seems silly.

But I'm not the ultimate authority on this subject, and the point of this post isn't whether descriptivism is better or not. It's about how this debate applies to a specific term.

The question is this: Wheres the line between people using a term wrong, and the actual meaning of that term changing?

[deivorous]

Hollow Society

Something's been tickling at my brain recently. The below is by no means a comprehensive review, and I don't particularly have any coherent thoughts, so anyone, please feel free to add your own.

Hueco Mundo isn't culture-less like the vast expanse of fandom portrays.

There are, in fact, at least three key pieces of evidence that support this.

Forms of government precede Aizen's involvement in Hueco Mundo.

There are multiple instances where hollows have been shown to exist in community structures, and at least one that involves an actual neighborhood.

Hueco Mundo contains ruins.

Government in Hueco Mundo

The first point is one that I believe we're all cognizant of. Specifically, Barragan was regarded as a 'King'. Whether he is actually perceived as one by the population of Hueco Mundo is debatable. However, he's exceptionally old, and has likely held his position for many many millennial. He also is describing the rather small gathering of hollows (they are all presumed to be adjuchas) as an 'army'. I wonder for what purpose he formed an army to begin with, and have determined that the most likely reason as consistent with his character is to create a sense of authority for himself.

Just a few quick observations to point out to you:

He's in possession of a OLD metal bell - it is in poor repair, but I warrant it is an item of great value because despite it's disrepair it's still afforded a prize location above the God-King's throne.

He's one of only a handful of hollows depicted wearing clothing (prior to Aizen). It's a tattered fur-collared cloak. The other item if clothing belonging to his servant woman and is just a plain tunic.

On the clothing note, the crown may or may not be part of his mask but an individual item as seen in the fact that its different after he becomes an arrancar.

She is in possession of a carafe. It could be water or something else - again the implication is that this is an item of luxury.

The scene we meet him in is 'Las Noches', and Tousen mocks him for the sorry state of it.

My main point with this is less the existence of Barragan's kangaroo court, and more the evidence of relics indicating a period before the existence of his reign (the bell, the crown. the carafe).

Secondly, and someone please correct me if I'm wrong (as I haven't actually read the novels myself) but I believe the espada pre-date Aizen as well. Many of the arrancar who have the titles of Privaron are naturally occurring arrancar, which afford them power beyond Barragan and his army of adjuchas. Their attempt to create an element of stability in Hueco Mundo (though ultimately a failure) is telling.

Hollow Communities

Barrangan's army, while small, indicates something other than his feeble attempt at control which is: Hollows naturally do come together in social settings. We see this as well with Grimmjow and his pack (and he's certainly not the only hollow in a pack). And a third time, glossed completely over, in Nnoitra's flashback - which is the most interesting of the three.

Neliel specifically refers to the location as a 'colony'.

The image depicts what looks like dwellings of some sort carved into the rock formations behind them. Hundreds of non-nomadic hollows were all living together in a community in some relative form of harmony, and their postal code (so to speak) is recognized by Nel, Nnoitra, and Aizen who charged them with exploring the colony and recruiting any Vasto Lordes present.

Nnoitra points out that there isn't one present, which indicates that all of these hollows came together despite their cannibalistic requirements, without the oversight of a stronger power forcing them to conform to a set of pro-social behaviors.

very interesting.

Finally,

The Negal Ruins

I've already touched on the bell.

Now I'd like to touch on the elephant in the room, which actually inspired this post to begin with. I don't know if anyone else has explicitly written on the topic - but this has to be one of the most fascinating things Kubo never touched.

Hueco Mundo is included in the Soul Societies genesis story - it was created, allegedly, by the Shiba family to house the hollows and prevent consumption of normal human souls. The sand is supposedly made of all the dusted bones of what must be billions of hollows when the Soul King, in a fit of rage and disgust, destroyed them all upon their banishment. While this did not prevent the creation of new hollows, it does contribute to the god-like lore of the Soul King. THe key take away is that Hueco Mundo is an artificial land - and hollows are not native to it, but rather were herded into it as a way to separate them from the humans and spirits (and forced them towards their cannibalistic diet, rather than preying on plus souls).

Despite this, the story never discusses the Negal Ruins.

My two quick-fire evidence points that this is a brand new, distinctly different location is 1) the architecture is drawn completely differently to that of any version of Las Noches and 2) it has a roof.

Barragan's Las Noches did not have a roof.

A roof implies a certain level of sophisticated engineering that it seems Barragans Hollows were not capable of. It implies a certain amount of education and cooperation.

Presumably the name of the ruins were related to Team Ichigo by Grimmjow or Nelliel (Orihime is the one who officially says the name) however Kisuke is the one that directed everyones (independant??) transit to the ruins. One can assume there would have been a reason for this (Kisuke seems to be doing some sort of research), Kubo never returns to this particular plot-hook.

What's specifically interesting to me, however, is how a ruin like this came to exist in the first place. While Kisuke has knowledge or Shinigami records of the location I doubt it's from Shinigami construction given HMs genesis story and the Shinigami's hands off approach to HM for the most part.

A hollow community of some sort must have constructed it at some point, and since then the place has fallen into disrepair. Whatever community, government, or sect may have built and maintained it is long gone - an entire era lost with nothing more than the bones of it's buildings left behind.

I don't have a neat, tidy point to finish with, so I leave you with this:

Even after Aizen's meddling, arrancar still reside within Las Noches. The community remained even without shinigami enforcement (I doubt Hallibel or Grimmjow were forcing them to stay). Hueco Mundo has an entire history no one knows about. It's population has a society.

In the wake of the Winter War and Thousand Year Blood War, it's a population that was completely decimated.

[stephensmithuk]

"You’ll be hearing more of this, Mr. P 34!"

Mackenzie is here referring to the poor police constable by a feature that most uniformed officers in the UK and Ireland have, namely his collar number. Although these days they tend to be known as shoulder numbers.

Permit me to demonstrate via this image:

This is Police Constable C 333. His actual name is not recorded in this c.1948, but we'll call him Robert Smith, or Bobby to his friends.

The letter C represents the division of the Metropolitan Police he is assigned to. In this case, C covered the West End of London. The Met has gone through a lot of command changes over the decades - today this would be Central West Basic Command Unit and he'd have AW on his shoulders, not his collar.

These numbers allow for identification of the officer; the public would know who to compliment or complain about. There have been cases of officers policing protests not wearing these, which caused a fair amount of upset when it was reported.

If he was using a radio, he would be Charlie Three-Three-Three. Or just "Three-Three-Three" for a local chat.

If he was to sign a statement, he'd be PC Smith 333 C. He would also put that in his email signature today.

Sergeants would have three V stripes on their sleeves and now their epaulettes outside of a dress uniform situation. They would also have their numbers on their uniform.

Police Community Support Officers (civilians wearing a uniform, basically) and Special Constables (volunteer officers with full powers, but unpaid) have shoulder numbers.

Inspectors and above just have their rank insignia, no numbers.

If Bobby moved to another division, he might keep his numbers, but he would have to change his letter. He would go down to two numbers if promoted to Sergeant.

****

Outside of London, you will usually just see four numbers, with no letters.

Bobby would also have a warrant card, akin to the US police badge, which he would use in a plain clothes or off-duty situation. If he were suspended for excessive force, he would have to hand it over.

****

Now P 34 is a bit outside his area.

This is the 1888 police divisions map, also relevant for Sherlock Holmes:

(Source: https://gmic.co.uk/topic/64457-metropolitan-police-divisional-areas-1888/)

The blue area represents the boundaries of the London County Council, although the City of London was excluded from that - it retains its own local government and police, who have their numbers on their sleeves today.

You can see the Whitechapel area under H and the Docklands area, plus points east under K.

The red area was the then boundaries of the Metropolitan Police District. You can see that it excluded my manor of Havering, then under the auspices of Essex Police. This went quite a way out, beyond even the modern Greater London boundaries in some places, although in 2000 it was aligned to match those. Havering was KD until recently, it is now part of EA.

As a further fun note, the MPD boundaries were also those of the coal tax area. Any coal brought within this area, which also included the City, was subject to tax until 1890, when this was abolished due to its unpopularity in the new suburbs. The boundaries were marked by obelisks or white concrete posts, many of which are still in situ, although not always easy to spot, to remind people of the tax. The railway or river transport companies usually collected this anyway.

Anyway, P Division covers the Camberwell, Lewisham area. Quite why Mackenzie has grabbed this bloke from there for this operation is a mystery. While P 34 could easily go outside his area for public order stuff, like a parade or dealing with a protest; during the miners' strike of 1984-85, Metropolitan Police officers were used in protecting those who were going into work from their striking colleagues, as well as beating up the latter.

Perhaps he was just doing it for the LOLs.

****

As a final note, police officers are also starting to wear name badges. This was somewhat controversial as some officers feared being targeted as a result.

[oblivions-arts-culture]

ENVY'S TOP TEN ALBUMS OF 2022 -part 1

No one asked and none of you know who I am but I made SO MANY spreadsheets and lists about this, so!!!!!

10

Wet Leg’s breakout single Chaise Longue could have been their whole legacy, a novelty-adjacent one hit wonder who never captured that magic again. Except they did; and I actually think they did it better on a lot of the tracks on their debut album. The excitement around the Isle of Wight’s premier indie rock act is well warranted, and their debut LP delivers on the promise of their viral hit. The humour never runs dry, the energy persists through to the last note, and the fun never stops. It’s been a long time since a debut album made me so excited for the next one.

10

(yeah I couldn't choose. This is a top 11 xoxox)

It’s hard to pin down exactly what’s so captivating about this album. It’s enchanting on a surface level, a gorgeously written and utterly unique post-rock project filled with alluring idiosyncrasies. But I don’t have words for the beautiful, ethereal something in the heart of the album that keeps me coming back. Maybe I’m entranced by the swirling mix of guitars and brass. Maybe it’s the vivid but abstract tapestry of Isaac Wood’s lyrics, enthralling in their oddness but relatable in a way I don’t know how to describe. Maybe I’m trying too hard to make sense of my love for this album, but we all know snow globes don’t shake on their own.

9

I have very little to add to the discussion of this album, save to add to the chorus of people singing its praises. Though I can understand why Kendrick Lamar’s latest record has been somewhat divisive; it’s certainly not an easy listen, but it’s a deeply rewarding one. The strength of Lamar’s conceptual vision runs like a rich vein throughout, adding a theatrical element to even the musical arrangements that elevates the work without taking away its sting. Lyrically, the album touches on every touchy topic under the sun. It’s challenging, at times deeply uncomfortable, but also truthful, and nuanced in a way that so many attempts to diagnose our age have lacked. He’s also getting bonus points for the best song about Being Trans a cis person has ever written. Same Love by Macklemore this is not.

8

Don’t let the minimalist album cover or the lofi, rough-around-the-edges production fool you: Adrienne Lenneker has fit the entire universe into this double LP. Big Thief step well beyond their comfort zone on this record, and out into the cosmos beyond with swirling, almost shoegazey guitars that blend seamlessly into more straightforward folk and country without missing a beat. This is an album about finding the small, mundane joys in life, and filling them with love until they expand into the celestial. But in spite of the grand scope, the album art still sells the vibe; it’s the whole universe, but it’s about the view of it all from beside a warm campfire, surrounded by friends. It’s sweet, it’s heart-wrenching, it’s at times bizarre, and it’s in a league all of its own.

7

If Big Thief takes the beauty of the mundane and makes it celestial, Friendship has chosen to preserve the mundanity in its retelling. That may sound like a criticism – and certainly more cynical listeners may write the album off as boring – but I promise you it isn’t. Appreciating the little things is not always about finding a life-affirming revelation in every cup of coffee. Sometimes it’s about taking things as they are, no matter how boring or unglamorous. There’s something deeply comforting about Friendship’s expression of this reality through stark, alt-country instrumentation and the blue-collar emotional truths in the blunt imagery of their lyricism. As the year went on I found myself returning more and more to this album’s down-to-earth roots.

6

From the year’s least-flashy album to perhaps the year’s boldest stylistic statement. The quality and creativity of the production alone on Death’s Dynamic Shroud’s latest LP would have been enough to land Darklife a spot on this list; there really is nothing like the sound of this sprawling tapestry of experimental electronica. But what keeps me coming back is the strength of the songwriting that production is draped around; each track is its own world, with multiple ideas bouncing off of each other in ways that at times sew mesmerising chaos and in others offer striking, impossible moments of cathartic clarity. This is an LP that is begging to be experienced as an LP, a project even grander than the sum of its parts. If you want just a taste though, Judgment Bolt is the year’s biggest banger.

[spuddy-potat]

not entirely sure what it is but my internalized ableism has been kicking my ass HARD lately

bit of an off topic vent type post so feel free to skip this one, i just wanted to organize my thoughts somewhere

tw: internalized ableism

for some context i occasionally get sciatic pain, lets say i have a bad day maybe once every 10-15, more often when im working or particularly stressed. what i define as a "bad day" is typically back pain that extends to my legs and makes it somewhat difficult to stand/walk without the threat of my knees giving out, or just prolonged bouts of sciatic pain

i realize ive had some form of sciatic pain since i was really young but it never manifested enough to really be noticeable, it only just started to become a problem my freshman year of college and has kind of remained at the level its at now

beyond that ive had a few other minor persistent health annoyances but those arent really the point here

anyway recently i havent been able to shake the feeling that its not actually as bad as i would make myself think it is, that im "playing it up" so to speak for the purpose of complaining about it and gaining, like, sympathy? i guess? from other people

that having back pain sometimes doesnt constitute calling myself disabled because for the most part i can do pretty much whatever i need to

and im no stranger to this type of self gaslighting where i keep telling myself that im making things sound worse than they are or that im actually perfectly fine and there is nothing to worry about (see: ive gone through this exact same thought process with me sexuality, depression/anxiety issues, adhd, autism(?), and gender dysphoria to name the big ones) and its a constant uphill battle to just accept a part of myself like that

i have a number of friends who struggle with disabilities, both mental and physical, and i worry that talking about my own percieved issues is discounting their experiences in a way because i think im complaining too much for what it actually is

like, the thought process is "if you actually had issues you wouldnt be using them as an excuse to complain, youre just too lazy to see that they could be fixed with simple lifestyle changes" or something

as if im using my back pain to get out of, what, working? which isnt true at all because i truly want to be able to work a full 8 hour shift without issue but my body starts to scream at me if im on my feet for more than 6 hours. and when my manager offers to give me fewer or shorter shifts i just feel so guilty because it feels like im conning her into making me work less

which isnt true! i want to work more! i really like my job!

and i see friends with worse health issues work twice as much as i do and i think "maybe i really am pretending its worse than it really is because i should be able to work like that with no problem. maybe im really doing this for sympathy that i dont deserve"

one of the biggest things that has been on my mind since this summer was that i think it would be really cool to have a cane. for the bad days when its hard to walk. so i found one that matches the one my oc has because i think that would be awesome. but for the life of me i cannot fucking convince myself to get it. because having "just a few bad days" doesnt warrant getting a mobility aid if im not gonna need to use it like 90% of the time

and of course all the friends i told about this are urging me to get it because "yes it will help you and you should get it anyway" and i agree! right up until i remember that its not actually that bad, that on my "bad days" i only make it seem worse by constantly thinking about it, i could literally just take some painkillers and it wouldnt be an issue. truly the pain isnt even that bad, right?

and so the loop starts again. an endless battle between both sides of myself, one that thinks im making everything seem worse just because i want an excuse to be lazy and gain sympathy, and the tiny tiny side that says "hey i think its good to have something that helps manage your pain even if you need it once every 10 days" and the bigger side ALWAYS wins.

its always been like this. with every issue i seem to have. and im just so tired of it.

in the grand scheme of things i realize none of this really matters, im never gonna talk myself into changing anything or trying to get better, so really im just screaming into the void here. eventually ill stop caring so much and go back to doing nothing and brushing off any pain as "its because of that terrible posture"

oof this post got really long but i just needed to put my thoughts down onto paper. i dont think i even touched on all the points i wanted to, and i dont think anyone will actually read this, but idk maybe itll help me feel a little less insane

whatever

[nopaintjustpain]

It just… takes longer to bring him home, when Jon doesn’t catch it early.

He comes back from a walk through the hills to find the safehouse’s kitchenette glimmering with rime, a veil of mist curling around his ankles. He drops his coat in a pile by the door and rushes through to the little sitting area between the kitchenette and the parlor, finding Martin’s indistinct outline at the breakfast table with a stone-cold mug of tea in front of him.

Fuck. Poor Martin. How long had he been sitting there, slipping? He’s nearly all gone.

[Ficlet posted with permission and collaboration from OP. 🫶 Thanks bestie]

This is the worse it’s been since Jon pulled him out of the Lonely. A sickening frisson of fear rips down his spine at the thought that it wasn’t enough. That Jon’s effort, his love, his desperation to save the only good person he has left, will never be enough on its own to just keep him once and for all.

“Oh, Martin… my love,” he sighs. He approaches and, despite the radiating chill and the heavy, metallic scent of rain-soaked sea air, perches on his lover’s lap. The man’s thighs are cold and rigid. Like sitting on the icy headstone of a grave in winter, where the chill has seeped in deep through the pores and cracks of the rock.

Jon loops his arms around where he approximates Martin’s shoulders are amongst the indistinct, shifting mass of blur that is Martin. He makes a similar approximation in order to touch their foreheads together. He stares into his lover’s eyes and Knows him: the faint, hot buzz of his patron’s power coiling hatefully in the back of his skull and the nape of his neck. He’s been trying so hard not to use it. But this… this warrants an exception.

Martin’s outline solidifies just that little bit more, the longer Jon turns the Eye’s gaze upon him.

“Come on back to me, Martin,” he coaxes. There isn’t much there for him to kiss yet. So instead, Jon narrates the most minute details of his walk just now. The pale butterflies he saw. Couple of rabbits. Almost taking a wrong turn. Hiding behind a rock to avoid a pair of villagers on a walk of their own. The inane thoughts he had over breakfast. (Should he cut his hair? He trimmed it a bit since the wild tangle it’d been left in after he awoke from his coma, but there’s still a lot of length left. Too much? He’s not sure. He knows Martin likes to run his hands through it, though.)

And on that note, he spends a little longer than necessary lauding the skill and strength and gentle goodness of those hands, most importantly when they are playing with his hair and rubbing away the building throb of a stress headache. As Jon so often asks of them. He whispers gently,

“I could actually use a little of that tonight, now that I think about it. Haven’t been sleeping as well. You’ll oblige, won’t you?”

A soft, affirmative hum. Martin’s head turns just a fraction up and to the side as if to face Jon more fully, though that pale gaze is still fixed on some point in the middle distance. His shape is clear now. Just still so cold. Jon counts it a victory. Martin is, and always has been, a caretaker at heart. Jon’s noticed — much as he hates the implications — that Jon’s needing something is the most straightforward way to summon Martin back. Not for Martin. Not for himself. But because Jon needs him.

“Thank you, my love. You’re good to me,” he sighs sadly, and leans down to kiss the dew from those cold, cold lips, shivering as he does so. He’s never retained body heat well. Martin is the one who keeps their bed warm. He curses Peter Lukas’s dead name a million times more for daring to rob the world of that warmth, even temporarily. Without it, Jon’s fingertips grow numb. Still he doesn’t let go.

Lacking further topics to babble about, Jon lets himself go there. He might as well. Martin doesn’t hear him when he’s this far gone. Not the words, anyway. Just the tone of voice, the haze of distant ‘Jon-ness’, as Martin affectionately calls it, serving as a lighthouse on the shore. Martin will hardly notice if the light turns a little red from righteous bloodthirst.

“I hate what Lukas has done to us. What he’s still doing. Even dead, he’s found a way to screw with us. To hurt you. Makes me wish I had some link to the End so I could bring him back and kill him again.”

A long pause.

“…Sometimes I wish it had been bloodier. Uglier,” he admits aloud for the first time. “He died in the worst way possible, for him. Known. Seen. But I… even though I Know he died in agony, there’s just this… I keep remembering the mess Elias made of Leitner. The blood everywhere… He didn’t deserve that, least of all from Elias, but I hated that pathetic old man. Beating him to death must’ve been so satisfying. The way Peter Lukas died? It satisfied the Eye. But it didn’t satisfy me. I’d have liked to have had a knife in my hand. Would’ve liked the blood. Just for him, you understand. I wouldn’t ever want to feed the Hunt, or the Slaughter. But with him, it’s personal. I’ll never forgive what he did to you. And a year from now I’ll find his grave on the anniversary of his death so I can piss on it, just for good measure.”

A chuckle, faint and distant as wind over rocks on the moorland. But Martin’s eyes focus on Jon’s face, the hint of an amused smile toying with his lips, and hands slide up Jon’s back to rest across his shoulders. Cold as blocks of ice, but Martin’s not so rigid anymore and the chill doesn’t permeate so deep. His lap is more comfortable now.

“I like when you get a little… vicious. Is that wrong of me?”

“Probably,” Jon huffs as he shifts to get more comfortable on his perch, with the tone of voice that says he’s not particularly bothered by it, and perhaps even pleased to hear it.

He can’t help a shudder as Martin draws him closer for a frigid hug. Martin notices and draws back with a concerned flinch. His face is still oddly blank, eyes without light, but at least he’s present enough to take notice of things now.

“I’m sorry, are you cold?”

“When you’re not around? Always,” Jon whispers, and leans in to hug him anyway.

The warmth will come back.

It always does.

Sometimes Martin goes away for a while

He always comes back, but its easier when Jon speaks to him