#this idiot has one brain cell

[purpleblch]

what do you mean you don't want to dress up in Rhysquez cosplay and have dirty sex!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[cakesunflower]

coming onto tumblr after ages and i’m loving all of the elriel posts i’m seeing but like?? stop showing me gwynriel posts?? no thank you?? i don’t live in delusion?? elriel or nothing baby

[cienie-isengardu]

Khaos Reigns (2)

So far, my two biggest complaints about new Mortal Kombat storytelling is the lack of Tomas in Lin Kuei-focused  Khaos Reigns and lack of sensible logic behind characters’ choices. This is not really about how characters behave toward each other as this is rooted in the previous game, but how weak is the reasoning that pushes the story forward. Which sadly is how the whole attack on Kuai Liang’s wedding feels to me. We have Bi-Han’s lie 

Cyrax: I still cannot believe that Liu Kang capitulated to Outworld. That he agreed to break up our clan.

that has no backing up. A certain time has passed between MK1 and current story mode, right? So if Liu Kang capitulated to Outworld, then logically Outworld forces should showed up in Earthrealm or the Fire Lord would knock on their door to say sorry guys, no more Lin Kuei; something Lin Kuei would be first to know. Even more, since apparently Lin Kuei were asked to protect Earthrealm in dire need in the previous game, something they refused to do (as we were told by Tomas). Liu Kang capitulating to Outworld would be a political change hard to miss. So it is no wonder why Cyrax is not buying it, as this lie makes little sense.

(Personally I think it would be better if Lin Kuei were not “deceived” but simply wanted their independence and supported Bi-Han for this goal alone, while Sub-Zero letting his father die still works fine as the shocking revelation to cast a doubt in Cyrax’s mind.)

Then we have Sektor and Bi-Han acknowledging Cyrax suspecting their deception

but apparently this is not a concerning enough to, you know, not including her in the attack or not giving her the top-technologically advanced armor, if you can't be sure of her loyalty.

Bi-Han said they will be ready when Cyrax learns the truth but as the story goes, there are no backup plans for that scenario. Sub-Zero does not deny he lied or killed his father and I really wonder what he or Sektor expected to happen? Yeah, so much for being ready to deal with the problem they were aware of from the start.

Same with the stealth attack on the wedding. Lin Kuei warriors successfully got unnoticed inside Wu Shi place,

where the wedding was happening. And instead of some of those ninjas quietly opening one of the gates, Sektor was using her guns to destroy the main gate, losing the element of surprise.

A tactical surprise that she and Bi-Han wanted to use it to their advantage.

Not to mention Lin Kuei warriors had no problem with getting past the not-even-so-high walls so it is not like the main gate was so necessary for their army to get inside. Or if they have such great firepower, they should thrown some grenades over the walls or set bombs before frontal attacking. Just saying.

Okay, that could be just Lin Kuei arrogance or testing the armors in battle (something they could anytime anywhere), but one would think a clan that for ages was doing commando-like work for Liu Kang would get the stealth attack correctly. Especially since one of the first things Sektor told us on screen was that Lin Kuei were not trained for Tournaments but for war.

Cyrax is overall a fine character, but for me she lacks an edge the MK9’s male Cyrax had and thus feel, well, meek. The story shows her as a person with a strong moral sense, however Bi-Han literally said to her the mission is to attack Kuai Liang and his clan. Harumi chose to fight back so why is Cyrax so surprised that Lin Kuei warriors were ready to kill her? It’s not part of their missions, she said when attacking her own people to save Scorpion’s fiance/wife-to-be, but for me this shows how much Cyrax is just naive and detached from reality. The previous game showed us that Lin Kuei brothers are ruthless fighters (Bi-Han was ready to decapitate defeated Shang Tsung, Kuai Liang effectively killed his opponents with no hesitate), so Cyrax jumping to rescue a woman that killed her own comrades kinda made me wonder, why she is even that important to Sektor or Bi-Han to be involved with them so close? Like, there is little I can see that could interest Bi-Han or Sektor in her, as she is presented from the start as disrespectful toward her superior and mentor (Sektor) and way more idealistic than any of them is. Literally the first argument she has with Sektor and her criticism about ambush & sneak attack tactics feels a bit off, considering this is what Lin Kuei were doing even as the good guys, presumably for centuries and with full approval of Liu Kang (as was seen in previous game).

Sure, we could say Cyrax is new! She knows no better… but then storyline openly claims she and Kuai Liang knew each other before he left the clan and even were once friends, so it is not like Cyrax just joined the Lin Kuei. On one hand, I understand why NRS went with Cyrax’s personality in such a direction, on another, she feels so un-Lin Kuei, I have no idea why Sektor and Sub-Zero even bothered with her in the first place. Like... what was so special about Cyrax for the whole fuss about her from their perspective?

In all fairness, I’m also a bit confused how MK1 and Khaos Reigns follow the same storyline. In the previous game, Bi-Han was captured by Kuai Liang after the ill-fated mission and presumably imprisoned. Then somehow Lin Kuei was asked(?) to aid Liu Kang in the battle against the sorcerers

so how is that the news of Sub-Zero allying with Shang Tsung is still a secret to anyone  if Lin Kuei already made a decision to abbadon Earthrealm in need - story wise, after Bi-Han was defeated by Scorpion and captured? So I’m to believe Scorpion took compromised Sub-Zero to Lin Kuei headquarters like nothing happened, did not mention the whole allying with enemy, then left to honor tradition and dad and joined Liu Kang and some time later he is angry at Cyrax she believed in a not-well prepared lie? Is this me, or did NRS not connect all the dots together between the first game and the additional storyline and kinda every character took damage to intelligence so the story could go from point A to point B?

The relationship between certain characters is frustrating, I won’t lie about it. But I’m much more frustrated by how the logic and consequences of events feel either forced or make little sense. I do not except a brilliant, smart storytelling from a fighting game, but when characters that are supposed to be competent and/or trained for a specific job suddenly share one brain cell - and no one is using it at all - kills a great chunk of enthusiasm I had for Mortal Kombat.

I may not like my fav characters being robbed of their original complexity and yet still enjoying the fact they are part of the storyline. I do however take a great offense when story mode turns them into incompetent idiots just to push plot from point A to point B.

[thedragonkinproject]

PLEASE, PLEASE someone make a cute 10k> merthur fanfiction based on this reel https://www.instagram.com/reel/C6NDRvZIsQm/?igsh=MXA0eGxxcmUwd2dnZA==

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[purpleturtle9000]

usagi: *has been yanking on a door clearly labeled 'push' for three minutes straight* leonardo: lmao check out that guy who doesn't know how a push door works

-the next day-

leonardo: *pulling on the same door for a solid eighteen seconds until he accidentally rips it off the hinges* tello, who's been there both days: 😐😐😐😐😐😐😐😐😐😐😐

[bidisasterevankinard]

Buck wears this hoodie all pride month (btw it was present from Chris)

[romanianseba]

rewatching gotg vol 3 and it's adorable how everyone is the parent and everyone is the child at the same time

[tiistirtipii]

I think it’s extremely important for everyone to know that First’s character in Wake Up Ladies enters a room holding 6 containers of soymilk and proceeds to slurp 4 of them while wiggling his eyebrows. For absolutely no reason. He is the love of my life.

I’m not kidding.

Also. His face when questioned about the milk:

[nerevar-quote-and-star]

New crackship idea: Jolinar x Ancano

Nin, I love the way you think.

Truly the most hilarious of all possible Jolinar ships.

[mothmussy]

One more Charlie

[thatfruitychaos]

[grn-fog]

I have finally read Phantom of the Opera! Unfortunately my survival skills are such that I now pity Erik MORE than I did before (would you believe me if I said Erik might actually be an improvement on one of my Ex's? /lh). Like....all you had to do to NOT piss him off immediately was NOT rip of the mask???? Am I the weird one that I wouldn't rip it of???? I'd let the damn guy have his mask???? Is this just a concept that doesn't work anymore when you have Internet friends???

He's not a good person like I get that he's a murderer he torments ppl for fun yeah I get that I'm not excusing it he's definitely not a hero or to be emulated like AT ALL blablabla. It's fiction I'm allowed to question why fictional ppl do things that confuse me.

[a-dauntless-daffodil]

man i love book!Christine

raoul's all like: oh oh ! im gonna go chase the opera ghost, move christine, imma chase him !!!

but she's blocking the door, so he "tried to overcome the girl's resistance by force" and even tho he's supposed be some sort of sailor, navy guy, christine just

"she repelled him with a strength which he would not have suspected in her."

and word for word says "you shall not pass....!"

girl i love you. your guy's fainting and freaking out all over the place, bursting into confused tears, while you try to keep him from getting killed like 'listen someday you'll understand how stupid what you just said to me was, but i want you to live long enough to actually get an apology out of you, so for now imma let it slide and tell you to please just Stay Alive Dammit"

[ode-of-odr-archive]

‘  you touch me  &  my skin burns  &  it burns for you,  always you.  ’ (hhhhhehe)

Well, his touch may set her skin ablaze but her comment about it incenerated his cheeks, and the inferno was spreading down his neck.

"That does not sound good. Might be a reaction of my blood and the divine blessing of your goddess. You should ask Shadowheart about that." he stammered out.

Gods, was this what it was like to be flirted with? How in the hells was he supposed to respond and for the love of Ilmater when did it get so damn hot?

The demon spawn looked over at Gale and Wyll, desperate for an out so she didn't have to see his body just go up like he was the one with an infernal heart.

Gale unknowingly when he made eye contact became part of this man's escape from being flustered.

"Gale, you were complaining about the alchemical pack getting to heavy, yes?" Raserei blurted out quickly.

He looked back at Eira, looking like a spooked deer. Such an odd sight for a man of his stature. But he managed to smile. She was beautiful.

"Sorry, need to help Gale, but talk to Shadowheart, make sure you are okay."

[purple--queen]

My favorite 'it will never happen in the mcu' trio is Daredevil, Hawkeye & Moon Knight.

[caparrucia]

Full offense and pun fully intended, but I genuinely think the very existence of "dead dove, do not eat" was a fucking canary in the mines, and no one really paid attention.

Because the tag itself was created as a response to a fandom-wide tendency to disregard warnings and assume tagging was exaggerated. And then the same fucking idiots reading those tags describing things they found upsetting or disturbing or just not to their taste would STILL click into the stories and give the writer's grief about it.

And as a response writers began using the tag to signal "no, really, I MEAN the tags!"

But like.

If you really think about it, that's a solution to a different problem. The solution to "I know you tagged your story appropriately but I chose to disregard the tags and warnings by reading it anyway, even though I knew it would upset me, so now I'm upset and making it your problem" is frankly a block, a ban and wide-spread blacklisting. But fandom as a whole is fucking awful at handling bad faith, insidious arguments that appeal to community inclusion and weaponize the fact most people participating in fandom want to share the space with others, as opposed to hurting people.

So instead of upfront ridiculing this kind of maladaptive attempt to foster one's own emotional self-regulation onto random strangers on the internet, fandom compromised and came up with a redundant tag in a good faith attempt to address an imaginary nuance.

There is no nuance to this.

A writer's job is to tag their work correctly. It's not to tag it exhaustively. It's not even to tag it extensively. A writer's sole obligation, as far as AO3 and arguably fandom spaces are concerned, is to make damn sure that the tags they put on their story actually match whatever is going on in that story.

That's it.

That's all.

"But what if I don't want to read X?" Well, you don't read fic that's tagged X.

"But what if I read something that wasn't tagged X?" Well, that's very unfortunate for you, but if it is genuinely that upsetting, you have a responsibility to yourself to only browse things explicitly tagged to not include X.

"But that's not a lot of fic!" Hi, you must be new here, yes, welcome to fandom. Most of our spaces are built explicitly as a reaction to There's Not Enough Of The Thing I Want, both in canon and fandom.

"But there are things on the internet that I don't like!" Yeah, and they are also out there, offline. And, here's the thing, things existing even though we personally dislike or even hate or even flat out find offensive/gross/immoral/unspeakable existing is the price we pay to secure our right to exist as individuals and creators, regardless of who finds US personally unpleasant, hateful or flat out offensive/gross/immoral/unspeakable.

"But what about [illegal thing]?!" So the thing itself is illegal, because the thing itself has been deemed harmful. But your goddamn cop-poisoned authoritarian little heart needs to learn that sometimes things are illegal that aren't harmful, and defaulting to "but illegal!" is a surefire way to end up on the wrong side of the fascism pop quiz. You're not a figure of authority and the more you demand to control and exercise authority by command, rather than leadership, the less impressive you seem. You know how you make actual, genuine change in a community? You center harm and argue in good faith to find accommodations and spread awareness of real, actual problems.

But let's play your game. Let's pretend we're all brainwashed cop-abiding little cogs that do not own a single working brain cell to exercise critical thinking with. 99% of the time, when you cry about any given thing "being illegal!!!" you're correct only so far as the THING itself being illegal. The act or object is illegal. Depiction of it is not. You know why, dipshit? Because if depiction of the thing were illegal, you wouldn't be able to talk about it. You wouldn't be able to educate about it. You wouldn't be able to reexamine and discuss and understand the thing, how and why and where it happens and how to prevent it. And yeah, depiction being legal opens the door for people to make depictions that are in bad taste or probably not appropriate. Sure. But that's the price we pay, creating tools to demystify some of the most horrific things in the world and support the people who've survived them. The net good of those tools existing outweighs the harm of people misusing them.

"You're defending the indefensible!" No, you're clumsily stumbling into a conversation that's been going on for centuries, with your elementary school understanding of morality and your bone-deep police state rot filtering your perception of reality, and insisting you figured it out and everyone else at the table is an idiot for not agreeing with you. Shut the fuck up, sit the fuck down and read a goddamn book.