#there are so many more interesting things to talk about in the world

[dioptre-hertz]

no, it does mean taking things literally, as in metaphors and figures of speech. this is a well documented feature of autism. it really does actually mean that. i feel the need to point this out, because there's a lot of misinformation going around these days about what is or isn't a "symptom of autism/adhd", and i think it's important to be careful about what we say!

but, in saying that: there is a really interesting conversation to be had here about how autistic people interpret other people's statements, so let's dive into that for a bit! (i love infodumping. bear with me. lmao)

for starters, let's get this out of the way: there's quite a bit of evidence suggesting that autistic people do, in fact, struggle to process figurative and non-literal language. this includes things like metaphors and idioms (e.g. some autistic people report struggling to understand idioms like "kill two birds with one stone"), but also other forms of non-literal language like implied requests and statements. the linked study by Wilson & Bishop on implicatures suggests an example. suppose two people are having a conversation that goes like this:

Person A: Do you want to go outside? Person B: It's quite cold today.

does Person B want to go outside? if you ask a neurotypical person, they're more likely to say "no, Person B doesn't want to go outside"; if you ask an autistic person, they're more likely to say "i don't know what Person B wants". in fact, the likelihood of saying "i don't know" is much, much higher for autistic individuals. quoting the aforementioned study:

Controlling for grammar/vocabulary ability, we found that autistic adults (N = 66) were 6.19, 95% CI [3.63–10.39], times more likely to select the “don’t know” rather than the correct response compared to non-autistic people (N = 118), and also 2.56, 95% CI [1.76–3.77], times more likely to choose the “incorrect” response.

(bear in mind that this is a study with a very limited sample size, so take this number with a grain of salt.)

so, to summarize: yes, autistic people almost certainly do have difficulty with non-literal language, including metaphors and figures of speech, implied requests, irony, et cetera. that's not something we all collectively misunderstood this whole time; it's a fairly well-established autistic trait at this point.

that being said, it's super interesting to talk about why this happens, and in so doing we can maybe draw some fun connections to OP's experience too.

a really fascinating contemporary lens through which to view autism is the predictive processing approach. under this view, many autistic traits - struggles with non-literal speech, sensory overload, supposed rigidity and inflexibility, etc - all relate to a central struggle with prediction and uncertainty. the hypothesis is that autistic people have less confidence in their own predictions about the world, based on prior information and experiences and patterns, and therefore tend to assume more error in their own predictions, leading to placing more importance on immediate sensory input. by contrast, neurotypical people are better able to make assumptions and predictions about the world or about other people. Vicente, Michel & Petrolini in the linked study phrase it thus:

Predictive processing approaches to autism hold that the basic difference between a neurotypical and an autistic brain is the weight assigned to incoming sensory information or experiences with respect to top-down predictions or priors. The neurotypical brain relies more on its priors, compared to the autistic brain; correspondingly, the autistic brain assigns more weight to sensory data compared to the neurotypical brain. As a result, the autistic brain modulates sensory data less than the neurotypical brain, with sensory signals being experienced more intensely.

this framework is then used to examine and explain a number of commonly reported autistic traits. why do many autistic people enjoy routines and structure? because they minimize uncertainty and reliance on prediction. why do many autistic people struggle with non-literal language, sarcasm, implied requests, etc? because these rely on guessing what someone means using contextual information beyond just the literal words being spoken. even hypersensitivity to stimuli, like certain sounds or textures, has been argued to be an expression of increased sensitivity to "expectation violations", i.e. something not feeling or sounding like it usually does.

i think it's important to stress that this isn't the be-all end-all approach to understanding autism; it's just one particular avenue of research, and there's still a lot to discover when it comes to autism. but the predictive processing theory does lead to some really interesting conclusions, and i think that makes it interesting to contemplate.

for example, if it's true that autistic people struggle with non-literal speech due to a struggle with predicting what people mean, then we should see a marked difference between comprehending metaphor versus producing metaphor. after all, when you're creating your own metaphor, you don't have to worry about figuring out what it means; you're the one making it! and this does, in fact, appear to be anecdotally true; many autistic people do perfectly fine when it comes to inventing and using their own metaphors, but struggle with understanding other people's metaphors.

similarly, hypersensitivity to stimuli - if understood to be a response to changes in the predictability of the environment - shouldn't be a concern when you're producing the stimuli yourself. and, again, this appears to be anecdotally true: some autistic people have trouble with loud sounds except if they themselves are causing the loud sounds, et cetera.

anyway, to circle back around to the original post: "taking things literally" definitely does include metaphors and figures of speech, but... it's possible that this is ultimately an expression of an underlying reluctance to assume what other people's intentions are. and if that's the case, then that could account not only for struggles with figurative speech, but also struggles with being able to tell when someone is lying/doesn't really mean what they're saying/is trying to scam you/etc.

one thing that took me embarrassingly long to learn is "sometimes when people say things, they will not be true."

I used to tell people about this revelation and they'd be like yeah.....duh.....but like, why wouldn't my base assumption be that you're communicating to me in a straightforward manner. anyway, I get scammed a lot.

[absoluteditto]

Lucanis Dellamorte is such an enigma. After a year of torture at the hands of Zara Renata, and upon learning of his grandmother's death, he says he needs to work. It is easier to bury your head in the sand and hide from the fact that you feel as though you've failed everyone who ever depended on you. And yet, as soon as he is out of the atmosphere created by such heavy grief, he begins to open up.

He has always cared far too deeply. His compassion is what angered Zara enough to act against him. Rather than stick to the contract against Ambrose Forfex, he insisted that the elves he tortured deserved justice. Retribution. He makes sure that the orchestrator of all of that misery pays for his crimes in the most painful way possible.

When Lucanis gets to the Lighthouse and realizes that his new compatriots aren't eating nearly well enough to fuel their bodies for the fights to come, he takes the initiative and begins preparing meals, alongside Bellara, who he finds refreshingly honest and surprisingly compassionate.

He buys mint for Harding to help with her dreams. He knows what it is like to be haunted by nightmares so frightening that you wake up screaming. He buys Bellara some fish for a Dalish recipe that she wants to cook. He knows how much food can connect you to your home, and help heal your heart when you feel so alone in the world. He buys fruit for Neve as she hardly eats anything more than fried fish. Except I feel that this one goes deeper. He sees so much of himself in her. She is what he could be if he opened up a bit more, perhaps if he offers something sweet it will build a bridge that allows him to come out of his shell more, to learn how to love and be loved simply for being who he is.

And, if you wait until you recruit the rest of the companions, he gets something for them as well. He gets a bone for Assan to chew on. Caterina would never let him have a pet as a child, and though he tries to act nonchalant about it, having an animal that is always so enthusiastic to be pet fills him with no small amount of joy. Of course he would want to spoil the good boy! For Taash he gets spices. They've learned so much about themselves since joining the Veilguard, and growing up multicultural introduced them to many foods. The easiest way for him to share his culture is through his cooking. And for dear Emmrich, he picks up wine glasses. Lucanis is a man who has enjoyed the fine things in life since birth, but he is far too trained in reading people to believe the same of Emmrich. The Professor enjoys the fine things in life because he worked hard to achieve them, and he respects that. So he brings a bit of his home's finery to the Lighthouse for Emmrich to enjoy. -= This next bit is about my Crow Rook & the wyvern tooth dagger =-

And once he's finally done with his shopping and ready to get back to work, Rook, the woman who broke into his prison and freed him, treated him like he was simply a man even when he felt like a monster, bought him something. A dagger. He is suddenly drawn back to many years ago, attempting to gift a dagger to the other young Crow who he was infatuated with, only to have it seen as a threat. Upon wrestling his thoughts back, he realizes it's a wyvern tooth dagger.

He meets her gaze, and she has a knowing smirk on her face. He feels a warmth in his chest as he admits that he was quite fascinated with wyverns as a child (he still is, but she doesn't need to know that) and that Caterina had never allowed him to have a dagger like this. Her smirk turns into a content smile as they head towards Café Pietra, and he begins talking to her about the different types of wyverns that you can find all across Thedas.

She doesn't interrupt him once, simply asks questions about particular habits, and inquires if his fascination with Wyverns also translates to an interest in dragons.

[hyperions-light]

Good riddance to that mess: Thank the Dread Wolf we’re done with the Mage-Templar conflict

(because magic in Thedas is more interesting this way)

Okay the people who love conflict have won and I am going to talk about this now lol

I've decided to stick within the framework of the world/story for this particular post, because I think you could talk about the issues with the mages/templars in connection with how they relate to real-life groups for an entire essay AT LEAST, and I want to focus on magic here, so I don't think it's that germane to the discussion. If you all want to talk about that later, I can put it on the pile.

It turns out that Jenny Nicholson was 100% right about the efficacy of numbered lists on the internet, so this essay will be hybridized into a list. Here are the reasons I'm glad the mage-templar conflict is gone and hope it never returns:

It limits storytelling avenues I understand how they arrived at this dichotomy as the logical extrapolation of a minority of people in Thedas being born with magic BUT it's very boring and it doesn't facilitate interesting stories. If you have this strict system and hierarchy that means that every mage has to live in the tower or they're a) a criminal or b) Dalish, that seriously limits the kind of characters you can make who are mages, which is dull as both a player and a writer.

Trying to make it nuanced is difficult Attempting to show that everyone has a point in a situation is difficult when one group has absolute power over the other and can kill them whenever they feel like it. Also, with the abuses the Templars regularly perpetuate against the mages established in DAO and DA2 any attempted justification reads as the story sanctioning an oppressive force. If they try to demonstrate the danger of magic, they end up with the 10,000 blood mage problem from DA2. It's a hard thing to do within the framework they set up, but they also haven't been particularly successful with it, imo, so abandoning it is a better choice.

It's the most reductive version of the conflict Reducing the entire discussion to whether magic is good or evil, whether mages should be free or confined is really boring. It's a false dichotomy that promotes extremism in characters on either side of the conflict who never interact with one another. "Is magic bad?" is a useless and uninteresting question. Who cares? What does it do?; Where did it come from?; What different ways can you use it? are all better questions.

Makes it difficult for the audience to learn more about magic If the only characters the audience ever meets are people who come from the Circle, Dalish mages, and apostates, the amount they're going to learn about different perspectives on magic and its various uses is limited. Part of the reason Jaws of Hakkon was such an interesting DLC for DAI is because the Avvar have a completely different philosophy about magic and spirits. It was refreshing after several games of having the same ideas about magic shoved down our throats to hear someone give a different perspective and ACTUALLY NEW information. Everything I needed to know about the mage-templar conflict, I already knew by the end of DAO, but I had to sit through two more entire games while people discussed it at length.

Magic in the North is fascinating Now that we're finally rid of that conflict, look how many different kinds of magic we get to see in DATV! We get to meet a Rivaini Seer, a Mortalitasi (who can use magic to TALK TO REAL DEAD PEOPLE!!!), a non-Altus mage from the Tevinter Imperium; we get to see magic as it was utilized by the ancient elves and how it interfaces with technology. We got DWARF MAGIC!! Finally, an answer to what Sandal was doing! We found out you can use it to turn yourself into a LICH!!! All of that stuff is so cool, and we had never encountered it before this game! It brings up so many new questions about the nature of the Fade, the source of magic itself, the strength of magic in Thedas relative to other places in the world. And NONE of it could be discussed in the South because they are too busy arguing about fucking towers!!!

tl;dr: The mage-templar conflict was a boring and reductive lens through which to view magic in the DA universe, I'm glad it's gone, I hope they continue what they started in DATV and explore different ways magic can be used in the future.

[fastcarlesbian]

The gay implications of Conclave are not about the old many yaoi-ification of the movie but instead about a community where so many people's decision to join was in part because of the lack of any kind of allowable gay public life and the implications of continuing to live that life in an institution that doesn't allow this when the western world now for the most part allows gay people to exist in public and live their lives.

Up until very recently (80s or so) religious life existed as a haven outside the confines of heterosexual marriage and for all its sins and faults and the issues with mandated celibacy is an environment that encourages fulfilling and loving friendships between men and men and between women and women.

I feel like I can't word this eloquently and its now honestly beyond Conclave but I feel like a lot of people don't know about this dynamic and how it still exists today. Obviously there are the priests who are fire and brimstone homophobes and though I hate the stereotype about this for some it really does come from a place of self loathing. But for all of those priests there are also many who are gay and fine with it even if they don't talk about it and are living in with the tensions of all these things. And I think examining the sexuality of Conclave is more interesting in this lense.

[d3lly1000]

SILVAZE FAMILY IS HERE!!!!! I've been thinking a lot about the concepts I wanted to explore with them and their lore and I'm finally satisfied with the result! Even though I'm not a big fan of Silvaze, I think the dynamics between them are interesting to work with. And for my AU, they're quite relevant!

Here are some fun facts about them in my Sonic Next Gen AU:

Blaze and Silver, the Empire of the Guardians.

- Silver and Blaze were together at the end of the Great Incident at the End of the World, a bigger problem that arose and began with Villains already known to them and Sonic's gang. - After Blaze became Queen of the Sun Empire, Blaze lost contact with Sonic and his friends. She could no longer return to their dimension, as she now understood the consequences her Trips there had within the Dimensions. - Her routine became more hectic than ever, although she always remained a responsible and organized Cat in her duties as Royalty. - Silver understood that Blaze was an important part of his life after all the past events, and so he made the Sacrifice of staying by her side in her Dimension. Leaving his future origin and his old team in it, who were now also in good hands and safe, in an emotional farewell. - Even though Silver decided to stay with Blaze, he remained responsible for being the Guardian of Time. Having possession of the Time Stones and ensuring that no one interferes in any event, be it past, present or future. - After time passed, as they were now married, ruling their own Empire and being guardians of powerful jewels with Blaze, Silver always wanted to start a family. But it was a distant thought, since pregnancy between different Species was risky for both the mother and the child. Blaze also didn't like the idea of ​​being a mother very much, even though she knew that at some point, she would need someone to inherit her legacy as Queen coming from the same blood. - After some hesitation, Blaze makes the decision. She would also like to start a family with Silver, and is now more open to the idea. She mentions that he made many sacrifices for her and she was willing to do the same for him.

Chance and Cyrus, the Twins coming from the Sun.

- Chance and Cyrus are twins, born during sunset. Their names refer to Good Luck and Enlightenment. - Chance is worthy of inheriting and ruling the Sun Empire in the future, as she is the first to be born. - Although they were very close when they were younger, Cyrus feels that Chance should not inherit the Throne. Since she feels unprepared and often overestimated, this leads to the birth of a greater Envy. - Chance and Cyrus were conceived with their mother's Pyrokinetic powers. But not only these, they also inherited The Eternal Flames. Their mastery of these is equivalent to the total mastery of fire that will never go out, being lethal if it reaches its Peak. Their powers were dormant within them when they were still young, and neither of them knew about it… Until they became young Adults. - Cyrus can also teleport and create weapons through telekinetic powers. Chance has always been very reluctant about his powers over fire, having much more connection to the Flames than his brother. - Chance, despite being destined for the Throne, never felt confident about it. She talks countless times about her insecurity with her father, with the fear of disappointing everyone. Silver has always been one of her great voices to guide and calm her. While her mother, has always been the inspiration to keep doing the right thing and be determined during her journey. - Cyrus has always shown interest in the throne, but while he has not yet achieved it, he has trained to continue as the protector of Time, like his father. Although he was never able to actually go with him during his time away, he learned a lot from Silver about how time can be treacherous and affect countless events… Something he always reminds himself of.

Nova Del Sol, the Youngest Prince.

- Nova is the youngest child and also the most withdrawn of the other two siblings. Born during the night, this last pregnancy was the calmest Blaze has had, which was a positive surprise, knowing the great risks involved in having children of different species. - Unlike his two siblings, Nova never had any great connections with fire, he always had an irrational fear of large Flames. - He was always very interested in the stars and the waters. - Nova has the ability to create a Gravitational Field, despite being a child, he gained great mastery over his powers. As a baby, his abilities acted erratically and almost always as his feelings took over. - Blaze always comforts him by reading books and telling stories during his nightmares, something that happens quite often. - Silver always enjoyed playing with him, creating stories and helping him with his lessons. Although he is always surprised by his own son's reasoning ability. - There are times when Nova says, "I've seen this before," but in reality, he has brief visions of the future. He still hasn't figured out the purpose of this, perhaps it's to predict something worse coming in the future…

Extra Fun Fact: All 3 children end with "Del Sol" since they are children of mixed species. A concept I put into my Next Gen AU: Although they are not necessarily a mix of species, their names do not end with the animal they are. Which indicates that they are considered hybrid children! (The theory of Amy Rose being part Echidna is interesting to me too lol) Finally, I believe that's it! I've been planning to write and draw some scenes about them. Even though I've already shown a bit of Chance's old concept here, I feel like I ended up giving her a new vision, and besides… I ended up adapting what was already going to happen before >:) See here also my SonAmy kid: Skyler The Hedgehog! See here also my Shadow's kid: Aura The Porcupine! Thank you very much for reading, sorry for the English mistakes! <3

[black-cat-luck]

Can you do dick and Bruce father son activities

I sure can!!

༺♡♱⋆🦇⋆♱♡༻

𖥔 Dick being Bruce’s first ward (son) means there was a lot of awkwardness at first. Bruce took him in because he saw himself in the young boy after the accident, and when Dick was hellbent on vengeance, Bruce wanted to make sure he didn’t go down the wrong path; he wanted to lead the boy to a better life. But, Dick was still just 9, and he had a whole childhood ahead of him.

𖥔 Bruce wasn’t ready to have to be a parent, to have the birds and the bees talk; to make sure Dick knew not to get peer pressured or let anyone walk over him. So when Dick is almost eleven, he’s changing out of his Robin suit as he looks at Bruce, who’s changing out of the Batman suit. “Can we go to Disneyland?” He asks, and Bruce furrows his eyebrows; looking at him. “What?” He asks, genuinely startled by the question. “I dunno, my birthdays kinda coming up and I’ve been wanting to go, and you’re like, super rich.” Dick says with a shrug as Bruce continues to just stare at him, cogs turning as he blinks. “Yeah, we can.” He answers, and Dick beams a bright smile, skipping away happily. Bruce just watched him punch a burglar in the face and laugh at him for crying, but Bruce has a tendency to forget that Dick is not just Robin, he’s still a little boy.

𖥔 They have a blast. Bruce takes them to Disneyworld, and a few other parks and attractions, spending a few days just experiencing it, and enjoying their time. Dick tells him multiple times how grateful he is, and still talks about it even as they get older. He cherishes their time together.

𖥔 Dick breaks a few chandeliers. It’s not his fault, he’s been getting antsy, and how is an acrobat supposed to just sit still? Bruce has an unused ballroom in the manor redesigned, with professional equipment installed. Every type of rope, trapeze, and safety mats are all readily accessible for Dick. The last few chandeliers survive, and Dick spends every free moment in there. Bruce often watches him under the guise of “coming to bring lunch, but not wanting to disturb him.” Dick tries to get Bruce to join him a few times, saying he’ll show him all his tricks, but Bruce is not a fan, and prefers his feet planted on ground, so he just sits there watching Dick, both of them with a smile on their faces.

𖥔 Dick was a fan of baseball, so he occasionally makes Bruce play with him. It’s a bit too father-son, throwing a ball back and forth, it makes Bruce’s chest tight, but Dick is happy, so he doesn’t voice his nerves. Bruce is barely twenty three now, he wasn’t ready to become a father. He thought he was just doing Dick a favor, but when the little boy gets distracted, and the baseball makes his noise bleed, Bruce shushes his cries, and wipes up the blood; promising you’re okay, I’m here, I’ve got you.

𖥔 Dick is extremely compassionate. More so than Bruce has ever seen in someone. He joins Bruce to many things as the billionaires new ward, and the charity events, and volunteering makes him feel better, makes him feel like he really is making a difference. But then he sees crime scenes, places they were too late to, dead children. Some even younger than he is. He wants all the pain and suffering in the world to just go away, but he doesn’t know how to make it, he’s not strong enough to get rid of it all. So Bruce starts wrapping him in blankets and putting on children’s movies.

𖥔 Dick is adamant that he’s fine, he just got a little sad, he’ll get over it, but this movie about a rat that can cook really is interesting, so he gives in. Bruce doesn’t leave him, whether it’s fear over the boys mental state, or just enjoying sitting with his son and letting him eat popcorn out of his hand so he doesn’t have to break free of his blanket burrito, Bruce isn’t too sure, but he enjoys it regardless, and he’s not going to leave his side. He makes sure Dick is covered up and not in a position that will hurt his neck. He turns off the tv and presses a soft kiss to his temple. “Goodnight.” “Goodnight dad.”

𖥔 Dick likes to paint. He never takes it too seriously, but he’ll still find himself in the garden, trying to match the shades of the flowers as accurately as he can. Bruce joins him, they don’t say anything, they swap brushes and squirt out new paint for one another, listening to the birds chirp, looking at the beauty all around them. Dick’s painting is just of a few flowers, some grass underneath it. Bruce’s is a lot more detailed, a lot more beautiful. It’s the garden in its entirety, and there’s a little red bird sitting on a flower. It’s a Robin. Dick keeps that painting in his bedroom. Bruce keeps Dick’s painting in his office.

𖥔 They learn a lot of things together when it’s just the two of them, they face a lot of emotions when they’re both living their first lives, and are struggling to figure it all out together. Dick doesn’t want to end up like Bruce, Bruce doesn’t want Dick to end up like him. Dick sees himself in Bruce and it terrifies him. Bruce still sees Dick as a nine year old boy even when they’re eye level now. Dick finds that painting from all those years ago when he’s unpacking in Blüdhaven. He didn’t want to pack everything up and leave that manor an empty husk of what his life was, but after all the screaming and fighting he had to. He couldn’t take it anymore. He hangs the painting above his bed. He crawls under his covers, wrapped up like a burrito, and watches a little rat cook to get everything off his mind. Bruce had never been a father before. Dick had never been a son of Bruce’s before. They had to figure it out together, and right now meant being apart, but Dick knew he would find his way back home, they still had a lot of growing up left to do together.

༺♡♱⋆🦇⋆♱♡༻

I know this was written differently than Jason’s was but it had to be, Dick was Bruce Wayne’s first son, they had to figure life out together, and it’s a bitter but sweet thing for both of them. I hope you enjoyed, thank you so much for the request. ᡣ𐭩

[doloresdisparue]

Since I've had some clown in my mentions claiming Nabokovs intent was to present Dolores as equally culpable echoing the good old "but what about her TEEN SEDUCTRESS powers to CONTROL MEN" let's collect some of what Vladimir "Strong Opinions" Nabokov said about the book and Dolly in particular:

"Some simply haven’t read the book or don’t understand it. It is not obscene; it has none of the dirt of many so-called realistic modern novels. “Most critics have failed to stress the pathetic side,” said Mrs. Nabokov. “It’s really a tragic story. Here, in the hands of this maniac is this poor girl—.” “And a very ordinary girl—” Nabokov put in…." (What Hath Lolita Wrought? Ithaca Author Distressed by Some Reactions,” Elmira Telegram, Dec. 14, 1958. )

"In Lolita, who’s the most likable person for you? It’s Lolita. It’s with her that the good reader should become friends. American readers, generally, talk of her as an unbearable kid, but you pity her as you would pity any kid. There’s something touching in her." (“While Lolita Travels Around the World, the Entomologist Nabokov and the Agronomist Robbe-Grillet Exchange Pawns on the Literary Chessboard”), Arts (Paris), October 28–Nov. 3, 1959, 4.) 

"She came entirely out of my imagination. Critics, in general, find her odious; I pity her: an orphan, alone in life with a demanding forty-year-old. When I wrote about her last meeting with Humbert, I cried, like Flaubert at the death of Madame Bovary. “She cries every night, and the critics don’t hear her sobs,” said Mrs. Nabokov." (“Nabokov Without Lolita”,��Nouvelles littéraires, Oct. 29, 1959, 1–2.)

"But she’s also a very touching character. Toward the end of the book, the reader and the author pity her, this poor child who has been sacrificed on the altar of motels. It’s very sad." (“The Good Mr. Nabokov: Lolita’s Father Forsakes Nymphets for the Sake of Pushkin and Robbe-Grillet”), L’Express, Nov. 5, 1959, 32–33.)

"Is Lolita amoral? On the contrary. It has a very moral moral: don’t harm children. Now, Humbert does [...] And Lolita, isn’t she a victim and not a little slattern….After all, haven’t I indicated the evil of all this, in giving Lolita a stillborn child?" (“Conversation, Vladimir Nabokov: He Likes Humor, Tennis and Proust. He Hates Communists, Sade, Freud”),  L’Express, Jan. 26, 1961. )

"How, then, do you explain the “Lolita cult”? How do you explain all these girls who move, act, dress, and talk like Lolita? I wouldn’t know. Perhaps it is a result of the way the popular press has distorted my poor Lo. It has come up with something that has absolutely nothing to do with the book or Lolita the character. Lolita is the story of a sad little girl in a very sad world. The “Lolita cult” is something completely different." (“Love Today: How the Author of Lolita Sees It”), L’Europeo, June 23, 1966, 28–33. )

"Humbert Humbert is a vain and cruel wretch who manages to appear “touching.” That epithet, in its true, tear-iridized sense, can only apply to my poor little girl." (Paris Review, The Art of Fiction No. 40, Issue 41, Summer-Fall 1967)

"Lolita isn’t a perverse young girl. She’s a poor child who has been debauched and whose senses never stir under the caresses of the foul Humbert Humbert, whom she asks once, “how long did [he] think we were going to live in stuffy cabins, doing filthy things together…? [...] It is equally interesting to dwell, as journalists say, on the problem of the inept degradation that the character of the nymphet Lolita, whom I invented in 1955, has undergone in the mind of the broad public. Not only has the perversity of this poor child been grotesquely exaggerated, but her physical appearance, her age, everything has been transformed by the illustrations in foreign publications. Girls of eighteen or more, sidewalk kittens, cheap models, or simple long-legged criminals, are baptized “nymphets” or “Lolitas” in news stories in magazines in Italy, France, Germany, etc.; and the covers of translations, Turkish or Arab, reach the height of ineptitude when they feature a young woman with opulent contours and a blond mane imagined by boobies who have never read my book. In reality Lolita is a little girl of twelve, whereas Humbert Humbert is a mature man, and it’s the abyss between his age and that of the little girl that produces the vacuum, the vertigo, the seduction of mortal danger. Secondly, it’s the imagination of the sad satyr that makes a magic creature of this little American schoolgirl, as banal and normal in her way as the poet manqué Humbert is in his. Outside the maniacal gaze of Humbert there is no nymphet. Lolita the nymphet exists only through the obsession that destroys Humbert. Here’s an essential aspect of a unique book that has been betrayed by a factitious popularity." (“Apostrophes: Bernard Pivot Meets Vladimir Nabokov”), live television interview, Antenne-2 (Paris), May 30, 1975.)

And let's close with my blog title:

"Lolita is an indictment of all the things it expresses. It is a pathetic book dealing with the plight of a child, a very ordinary little girl, caught up by a disgusting and cruel man….But of all my books, I like it the best. " (Author of Lolita Scoffs at Furore over His Novel,” Niagara Falls Gazette, Jan. 11, 1959, 10B.)

Thanks for coming to his TED Talk

[ecofear]

our dashs were clearly different cuz i just remember so many posts like "when will this end" "this games such a slog" "im exhausted" style of posts and so much "im still in the hinderlands lmaooo i have 50 hours looooool" and "do i really have to wait real time for war missions" or whatever the fuck theyre called df;lkgfdg i remember people hating playing it. enjoying the story and pushing through but really not enjoying actively playing the game... i really remember so much disappointment and huge fans trying so hard to push through it..... so many "i wish this was more like da2" style posts, so much complaining about the open world, the mmo style side quests, etc etc....

i only saw real love for dai when people learnt the best way to speedrun through the slog, exactly what they need to do to progress to avoid the shit they don't enjoy, cheat mods where you don't need to grind and can enjoy only the parts you need, where a playthrough could be turned into the best bits (the story) without all the additonal shit that adds nothing (stupidly large open world maps with nothing interesting in them and tedious side quests and real time waiting for shit to finish so you can progress)... i so very rarely see these things praised even today

and my whole dash since datv came out has been dragon age, i had to filter it because its absolutely everywhere with the people i follow, and i've seen 1 billion rook posts from gifsets to screenarchery and people talking about their ship like. its absolutely everywhere for me... there has been as much dragon age on my dash as there was bg3, and i think i've seen more rooks than i did tavs tbh

yes datv has hit less with the outside of tumblr crowd, and dai hit much stronger with those people (though i still remember a very loud portion of people upset its still not like dao again, and complaints about the gay companions, and how men weren't happy with any of the LIs for straight dudes), but when u say 'scroll' it really makes me think ur viewing it exclusively from a tumblr pov so. i can't help but disagree. cuz my experience was different

tldr ur experiences are not universal. ur annoying

also it shouldnt have won goty. imho. it was against bayonetta 2 and dark souls 2 and shadow of mordor with the insane nemesis system that was absolutely revolutionary and is still heavily discussed today in essays like the nemesis system was such an innovation people have been praying it'll be freed from warner bros ever since 2014!!! ......feels so insane to me that it won goty that year SDFSDFSDF i feel like dai's flaws were much louder than these games own flaws............ imho again don't bite me

[recurring-polynya]

How do you compare and contrast rukia’s relationships with ichigo and renji?

Rukia and Ichigo:

She saved his life and then he had to put up with her

After some amount of initial frustration, built an intense friendship over a short period of time based mostly on admiration of each other's ideals and character

Rukia takes a mentorship role early in their relationship. Later, he greatly surpasses her in power, although she still occasionally gives him encouragement and support (largely by yelling at him)

Ride or die for each other

Tend to see each other for relatively brief, emotionally charged situations, with separations in-between. Although Ichigo was unhappy during the period that it seemed he might never see her again, this generally seems to work out for them. ("This isn't going to be the last time I say [good-bye], so who cares how many times I say it?")

Come from different planes of existence. Frequently find each other's views and behaviors to be weird and nonsensical, usually in a teasing way.

Can fight as a team, or part of a larger team, but show no particular preference for doing so. Ichigo tends to team up with most of his friends (and sometimes enemies) but his nature as the extra-powerful protagonist often has him fighting solo.

During the initial course of their friendship, they had a lot of solo time, but once Ichigo's shinigami powers become general knowledge, they are more likely to be seen as part of a larger group.

As far as we know, their relationship has no romantic or sexual aspects to it. This is a shounen, so they wouldn't show that anyway, but obviously through the power of fanfiction and wishful thinking, all things are possible.

Rukia and Renji:

She saved his life and then he had to put up with her

After some amount of initial frustration, built a strong friendship over a long period of time based on shared experiences, common ideals, and admiration of each other's character.

Although they have periods where one or the other pulls ahead or falls behind, are generally equal in power and rank. (Rukia yells at him just because she can)

Ride or die for each other

Work in the same organization, have a shared social circle, and (based on filler episodes) hang out regularly. Were both deeply lonely and unhappy during the period where they separated due to societal pressures.

Are very frequently the exact same flavor of batshit insane.

Will often preferentially team-up during combat scenarios, even though they are in different squads. Have basically been joined at the hip from the end of the Soul Society arc onward.

Sometimes they have to put up with Byakuya, but spend a lot of time (which is to say most of the Blood War and two New Year's episodes) one-on-one.

Are married, cohabitate, and have a child. This is a shounen, so they wouldn't show it, but Occam's razor would suggest that they are romantically and sexually attracted to one another. Obviously, once again, through the power of fanfiction and wishful thinking, all things are possible.

[ignatiusteto]

i think sacred music in the kryn dynasty would be very cyclical and repetitive in form to symbolize the idea that life is a continuous thing (at least those who are consecuted right right) and is a cycle across lifetimes and yeah

[waywardsalt]

the only minecraft movie i want to see is the one i found on yt several years ago and have been trying to track down again ever since

edit: i think i finally found the video i was looking for. win

[lilacerull0]

you know that episode really fucked me up this morning

[icewindandboringhorror]

Lineup of all of the characters that appear long enough to need a visual representation of them in the game lol

[paging-possum]

3.5 hours of sleep does crazy things to ones brain and by that I mean. Murderbot gender thoughts

[harrowing-of-hell]

One day I'm gonna go through HTN and point out all the moments that show that the Body is not just a hallucination and is actually an aspect of Alecto's soul. Because there are so many moments that hint at the Body knowing information that Harrow wouldn't know but Alecto would, and at one point the Body even looks at John with something resembling recognition.

One thing I cannot explain is why the Body has golden eyes now, but didn't before. I speculate that this has something to do with her proximity to John since John has a part of her soul and vice versa.

The only reason I don't think it has anything to do with Gideon at all is because Harrow (from what I can remember) does not hemorrhage, pass out, or bleed from her ears at the sight of the Body with golden eyes, but she does those things with everything else that even alludes to Gideon (like how she reacted to seeing Naberius's trident knife since she watches Gideon fight him in GTN).

I think the biggest thing that supports the Body actually being an aspect of Alecto is that the Body leaves Harrow just before Varun arrives at the Mithraeum, and I assume that she's doing this protect Harrow in some way. But regardless of the exact reason for why the Body leaves, there is quite literally no other logical explanation for why the Body would do this if the Body is not actually an aspect of Alecto.

[whentherewerebicycles]

this sucks lol