#this isn't a means to /excuse/ their hostility by the way. i'm just thinking about it. explaining it to myself i guess.

[carnographix]

The knowledge that my mere existence is enough to challenge the views of some people is absolutely bonkers to me. Tbh.

[weebsinstash]

*strums guitar* you know who would be a total piece of shit, to be stuck up in Heaven fuckin FOREVER with

This douchebag! Gotta get some Adam content out before the finale drops and then I'm sure I'll be back for more then too!

I was listening to "You Didn't Know" again and I HATE this man, and because I hate him and he's an asshole, I can then see his wretched character doing shitty and debauched things

Which then means he's conceptually fuckable and we must discuss

I was sitting and thinking about. Ok in the most dramatic fucking way possible can you imagine being in the courtroom with Charlie as a Sinner Representative because you're dope like that, and Adam just starts fucking beefing with you on sight and you give it right back to him because HOMIE BASICALLY INVENTED MISOGYNY, you're standing in HEAVEN while an ANGEL looks you dead in the eye and calls you a CUNT like I wouldn't fucking tolerate it I'd be screaming at him like a feral beast, "why don't you look at your FEMALE BOSS and say that again, you dickless loser?!"

But can you imagine just having this insane BEEF, you guys are having MUSICAL DIAGETIC SINGING BEEF, and then, like. Either there in court or later on in the plot, hey, everything is good now, Sinners/you can ascend or we can go from heaven and hell and visit our families and everything is good now, yaaay! Or your name was mispelled on a form and it's like oh shit you were supposed to be in Heaven all along our bad and ONLY you are cool to "go upstairs"

And you can't even be happy about it because it's literally "oh cool I DO belong in Heaven!">wait but my friends are in Hell > oh fuck THAT ANGEL THAT HATES ME IS HERE, and sure enough he's standing there at the pearly gates to personally welcome you into Heaven, grinning like the cat that ate the canary, making it EXTREMELY CLEAR that he's basically gonna be stalking you because he wants to personally witness you fuck up and get sent back to Hell where he can kill you himself

Homie is back at base posting photos of you all over the walls like an insane person, "look at this tricky fucking bitch, fucking scheming, fucking planning something, fucking bitch" and even Lute is standing there, ".... that's a photo of them eating a sandwich, sir" and she's like TRYING to see where he's coming from but these are photos of you like SLEEPING and the suspicion that you might act out becomes an excuse to stalk you as he gets progressively more unhinged and perverted and frustrated (in more ways than one)

Let's also just discuss some baseline ideas! Abso fucking lutely do I see him as some, frat boy piece of shit who is always at least vaguely hostile to women so we're discussing female Reader specific ideas. Like imagine he's trying to actually be friendly and be cool with you or maybe you guys even hang out on good terms or whatever, maybe you both play guitar and he likes how you can shred it, and, he's the kinda guy to invite you to hang out and not specify other people are gonna be there so you get there and he's with his buddies and they're all talking about, gross shit like the size of the tits on the girl they last fucked, "oh hey did you sleep with Stacey" "fuck yeah I slept with Stacey you know that slut takes anyone", like, Adam deadass expects you to stand next to him with your red solo cup as they all talk about "the massive cow tits on that bitch" and if you even mildly imply this isn't entertaining "you're just bein a prude babe!"

Like Adam has no self awareness, he'll be saying horrid shit about women and then one of his buddies makes the most MILD of comments about you, "yeah your friend is kinda fuckable" and Adam is like in a RAGE, "hey man, that's not fucking cool! Let's go, outside NOW, fuckin step up, bro!" and he's brawling dudes for shit he's said about their conquests PLENTY of times

Just picturing the idea of like idk Saint Peter or even Emily flying around and they see you sitting on a bench outside far far away from where other people are and they fly down to greet you with the biggest smile, "hiya, how are you?" and you um look at them with such a genuinely dead, depressed, empty expression that they like cannot even fathom it. You're??? Unhappy??? In HEAVEN??? they cannot even comprehend it.

The real kicker is if you started to CRY and look this angel or seraph directly in the eyes as you ask, "can i... go back to Hell? I'm allowed to leave, right?" and THAT'S what raises massive red flags and sends that angel straight to their fucking boss. Sera would be over here, "oh she's having problems with Adam oh that's unfortunate but they'll sort them out -- WAIT WHAT DO YOU M E A N SHE WANTS TO LEAVE????" And,, oh, NOW they suddenly care about how happy you are, NOW they're suddenly willing to help maybe mildly keep Adam away from you. Because why? Because now you're potentially going to damage Heaven's perfect track record, and, geez they can't have you running around DEPRESSED, with your face looking all... ICKY and SAD! What if you made the other darlin-- I mean other residents of heaven sad and they maybe wanted to leave their precious angel protectors too? Huh? Ever think of that?

I love how I was sitting over here "what if like the entire Spider Society was yandere for the Reader" and ever since then my brain is like a puppy chasing treats, "what if I made this entire community mentally unhinged"

Also. Carmilla Carmine and her family + Zestial protecting Reader from Adam or any other angels because 👏 we can have as many mommies or daddies or fake family members as we want down here and that's the facts on that 👏

[nerdy-talks]

Obey Me! Nightbringer Lesson 35

It might be a very unpopular opinion, perhaps I will be entirely alone on this, but...

Is anyone else not into this?

I consider Lucifer extremely old fashioned, which certainly isn't a bad thing. So I feel like this gesture came from a very thoughtful, sweet, even innocent place.

But I'm the type of person who likes to wear what I wanna wear. I definitely wouldn't want someone else choosing my outfit for me.

Despite that... I chose the blue outfit xD

You're damn right there is.

Choosing my outfit and my meal?

Lucifer, my dear... you're crossing into unfriendly territory ( • ＿・)

Mainly because I'm a picky eater, but I also like to make my own decisions lol

Not gonna lie though, the power struggle is a turn on~

I wasn't sure which choice I wanted to go with, so I tried them all.

The first choice resulted in Lucifer basically dismissing us/brushing off our comment.

The second choice earned a pretty snarky/lowkey hostile comment from Lucifer.

In the end, I chose the third option.

That's a very bold claim you're making there, Lucifer. Try not to be too overconfident~

Ugh, there it is... "In fact, I know you far better than you know yourself."

Realistically speaking, if anyone ever said that to me, I would instinctively respond with an annoyed "fuck you."

But that's not an option here. And I can agree that staying in the Devildom would be the best choice, since I would be happiest in the Devildom.

Only problem is that we have to return to the "present", a detail that Lucifer is still unaware of.

Still.... Claiming to know us better than we know ourselves... for some reason, that statement makes my skin crawl.

It feels soooooooo manipulative to me. And declaring it as "fact" makes it even worse.

And yet... there's something about manipulative Lucifer that I really like~ (≖⌣≖)

I know, I'm fucked up and have equally fucked up kinks lol

Then we reach this part :

You supposedly know me better than anyone else, myself included, yet you laugh when I say that I feel depressed?!

He really is a sadist... (˶ •̀⤙•́ ˶ )

As someone who actually does have depression, this would have likely pissed me off while also making me feel super sad/gloomy lol

Though I know Lucifer probably didn't mean it in a bad or negative way. I think he's just enjoying the challenge that comes with our stubbornness. It may seem like I'm making excuses for him, which I absolutely am. And that's because I love this sadistic old man, so it's all good xD

[nishnormp]

cheavy ramblings

Been thinking about the stinky BLU classic heavy from the comics lately. He's basically the villain of the final issues, and was practically built to be unlikeable from the start so his defeat could be more satisfying; buut since its been years since an update came out and I am slowly going insane, I think it would be funky to explore him more (bonus cmedic feature)

Few disclaimers: I'm not excusing his actions (I myself think hes a bitch) and I do NOT ship him with tf2 medic (also I dont think tf2 medic is unmasked cmedic bc 1)why would he sabotage himself in the issues by acting like That 2)uhh reasons later 3)this panel) also some of my takes aren't original, but I've expanded on em a bit

P1: Medic hater activities

As we all know, cheavy's greatest sin was dunking on + killing tf2 medic

Somehow he and tfc demo got sidetracked by medic's question, but the most hostile he gets towards tf2 medic here is jeering at the fact that they're going to hunt down his old team; which tf2 medic doesn't seem bothered by.

( @number1yisuchongfan actually brought this up before me) This panel pretty much sums up why cheavy is pissed: medic was implied to have a record of being weird with parts (he lost his license bc he stole a man's skeleton), he blew ALL of his budget meant for healing on exotic parts (that he put in cheavy's teammates), AND he revived the enemy (said enemy slips away a few panels later just as cheavy gets informed that three of his mercs died).

(also, the weird p3do tfc scout and soldier arent included in the 'three good men', since they died much later) Speaking of the 'good men' comment-

P2: Good leader at some point?? Not anymore tho

Hes gruff and an ass, but cheavy has a soft spot for his team; the tf2 mercs call each other strictly by their classes, but the tfc ones know each other names (also see cheavy's way of describing his dead teammates and his immediate reaction to go over there rather than curse/assume their incompetence)

He gets curious about australium, and from here on out he gets fixated on it- enough to be more unreasonable than usual. Cheavy is pretty amicable with Bea, and the way he acts with her is probably more in-character for what he was like back in his prime rather than the hot-tempered man that the later panels show.

I mean . He and his team were highly recommended and even took out ALL of the admin's elite teams, leaving the tf2 team for last. He may be a drill sergeant, but I don't think he was a genuine tyrant for most of his career; they aren't purely business-basis with each other (some of them formed close bonds, like fred and virgil), plus- any elite team would be able to capitalize on an overly prideful and control freaky leader (+a constantly demoralized team) sooner.

With three of his mercs dead and his plans failing against a team that he saw as rejects, the mental strain is showing badly. Tfc mercs don't have much personality in their games (or their own comic about them during their prime) but one of the few dynamics mentioned is between the Heavy and the Engineer+Medic. Tfc engie is the one who stepped up to ask about cheavy's plans, and he also gets the brunt of his anger. Earlier, cheavy answered bea's question and encouraged her, but now he's yelling and mocking the capabilities of one of the men he coordinates with the most.

Tfc scout's line may just be him not understanding/underestimating australium (esp since apparently cheavy had to ask grey mann what it even did), but it also reads as him seeing cheavy having officially gone off his rocker; his shaky grasp over leadership might kill the team before being deprived of yellow rocks does. Both scout and engie are thrown off by his attitude, implying that cheavy isn't usually like this (I can't imagine them being coordinated if they all shrimp away like that).

His line of thinking for both of these situations are pretty questionable. For the first one, he knows that the bots extract australium from the body, but he also knows that the mercs likely have nothing in them anyways (note the emphasis on his dead mercs, this is him taking revenge but also he is NAWT going to get any australium for those extra immortality machines which is still a pressing issue for his engie). In the second one, he first tells medic that they'll try figuring out how to stitch the machine on him, which leads to medic stabbing him and cheavy retaliating. Cheavy then goes all the way with attempting to kill him, stating that he'll just gets his answers from the administrator. Its soon revealed that he wants to fight tf2 heavy, but even that is ??? Like cheavy knows that he and his team are old as hell, but he's going to try having a fair fight with a guy in his prime anyways? He didn't even know that he could just slap on the machine at the time, and the unnecessary risk for what seems to be a quest to satisfy his ego is antithetical to his supposed goal of getting the rocks and making his team immortal. At this point, his hatred of medic has completely overridden his rationality; there were many ways for him to have killed both of them, yet he didn't take em.

P3: Cmedic

I saw some posts abt how cheavy is likely coded as homophobic due to how he treats medic (a presumably gay-coded character) bc of the "stay in the kitchen"-esque dialogue, and the way cheavy undermines him in verbal + physical ways. I do not have a very solid defense for this . aside from everything I listed before.

Just to clarify, I think its cheavy's fault for alienating medic from the start: loss of medical license aside, medic's inventions DO work splendidly for healing. Would it have been more concerning since medic is . meant to heal? Maybe. But mercs are literal murderers for hire, personality quirks should be the last of their priorities. The guy is passionate about showing off his stuff, and he was even enthusiastic about getting on the battlefield and healing cheavy. I'm not saying medic was going to be 100% loyal, but he's willing to do his job for the classics as long as he wasn't disrespected so damn much.

The tfc mercs with personalities are ones that oppose their tf2 counterpart; tfc sniper is a sadist rather than a swift professional, tfc pyro is...also a sadist rather than having tf2 pyro's misguided bubbliness, and cheavy does not respect his team's (current) medic. This in conjunction with the complete and utter lack of not just presence but also mention of tfc medic leads to the popular belief that the guy just up and left because of the disrespect.

(Writing inconsistencies be damned I like to cope) so what if it wasn't the case?

These are one of the few lines in tfc that describe a cooperative nature between certain classes. Like I mentioned earlier, tfc has less media compared to tf2 so its easy to slot personalities onto them as villains (tfc sniper's gun blowing people into giblets kinda helps), but I don't think these can be ignored. Fred was the one who represented the rest of the team's opinions to cheavy, and the phrasing in the second pic is even stronger; the heavymedic duo was always a thing, even in tfc.

Sort of. Gameplay-wise, cmedic is more like a roided out scout armed with a medkit that can give enemies and disguised spies tuberculosis, grenades that can send him across the map, and a gun that can destroy sentries (situational). He doesn't need to cling to his more offensive teammates as much as tf2 medic, and while his kit can instantly heal a teammate to full no matter the percentage + give overheal- its strictly melee ranged and has no ubercharge. In a narrative sense, cmedic would most likely oppose tf2 medic as a more 'grounded' healer. He prevents damage to his team by erasing enemies himself, doesn't go too overboard with his biochemical arsenal (his brew is potent but hes stuck with the melee-ranged kit and no crazy mechanic like uber), and can typically run off by himself (provided he isn't jumped by two soldiers or smth). Its a matter of game design, but can translate to the comics in an interesting way.

Medic is the only one who speaks of cmedic, and while the mention itself has no violent reaction- no one else speaks of him. I can't imagine him being easily forgotten since the heavymedic duo is just too iconic, so what if smth exceptionally horrible just happened to him? If cmedic was close to cheavy than everyone else, his loss/disappearance could explain cheavy's immediate dislike for tf2 med; not only replacing his own med, but with the complete opposite in terms of personality as well.

(I could expand on cmedic more, but this post is already long enough as is so I'll probably just make a separate one gah)

[therowdymagpie]

No because I NEED to ramble about The Princess and The Dragon(TW: Spoilers for the Pristine Cut.):

I got such whiplash from this vessel...she is just...SO aufghughaurigh, so unexpected and wonderful, one of the sweetest and kindest vessels in the game. Not to disregard the others, like the Shifting Mound has said, they are all different manifestations of our love for her and her love for us, but the Dragon (I call her The Dragon) FEELS different.

Literally I love the Specter route which the Princess and the Dragon derives from because we have a chance to have an actual, normal(kind of) conversation and because she is dealing with what happened in a realistic manner, sure she's angry at us but she really doesn't care, she just wants "to go home, wherever that is". But it's very important for the game to apply a certain Uncanny valley to her and every other Princess even the one from the Hero and the Princess, so that they have a reason to be dangerous, capable, slightly dehumanizing them at times, which OK SM and LQ aren't actual people but still the vessels just become something other than what we have been led to believe.

A ghost, a demon, a predator, a literal god, an eldritch horror made of blades, all of them are formed by our beliefs and expectations, they are the ways we perceive her, they are perspectives. It is a very skillful way to subvert the damsel in distress character that the princess has been shoved into, she is never JUST a princess and yet at the same time the Dragon is the only princess that is actually very human in how she confronts the fact that we are who we are and we do what we do to her with such Grace and forgiveness.

Now when it comes to the other Princesses, even if the Damsel is technically an innocent as well and doesn't try to kill us, her always trying to "make us happy" is the thing that immediately sets her off and gives us an excuse to believe she is strange and off-putting. Even the witch and the thorn , who make us feel terrible for hurting them at certain times because one can present a certain remorse and the other is simply broken so much that there's nothing else to hope for. Both of them immediately back pedal into being hostile if you hurt them again though, since that's what they have to do to survive. I could go on for each vessel but no matter how much we dig into the psyche of the princesses and find out that they have a genuine reason or a not genuine reason to kill us at all, they are all trying to survive and follow their nature, they all progress for their characters with a predictable unpredictability.

But the Dragon? She is SO forgiving, so kind, especially when in some cases, she shouldn't even be. We've killed her twice yet, much like the Specter, she doesn't hold a grudge, doesn't try to immediately kill us afterwards, she isn't following some twisted narrative of doing something that was always meant to be. She is just...curious and trying to understand why we're doing this, how she can get on our good side, how to work together to make the best of this situation. Out of all the vessels, I think she is the purest manifestation of Swifty's belief every time we see her that 'we are the only thing like her and she's the only thing like us', so they should be together, try should try to get along…right?

Also a funny thing I noticed is: The fact that we see things from her perspective kind of gives more leverage to some of the other princesses for being mistrusting and hostile, I mean we're a terrifying bird thing that is often quiet, holding a Knife and doesn't always answer you, often doing unpredictable actions…I wouldn't trust this either. And STILL, she says that even though we look scary, she doesn't mind, "Looks aren't everything" and tries to communicate with us, at the same time not being completely helpless. She speaks her mind, tries to be assertive and bringing up good points during the entire time.

Basically what I'm trying to say is, The Princess and the dragon feels like the most Princess character in the entire game, even more than the Happily ever after, even more than the Damsel, exactly because out of all the princesses she has the capacity to understand us and we have the capacity to understand her, it is so incredibly human and surprising.

For the first time ever we are dealing with someone who is painstakingly our equal, not above or below us, not our better, not our worse, not something out of our understanding but simply? Another confused inmate in this Twisted Concept, that tries to create the best case scenario where we both survive like us. The Shifting Mound calls her the empathetic heart...it's the first time we see her perspective of US for a change, it's how we have truly become ONE, even more so than The Wild and that breaks me...

[yanderes-galore]

Could you write a yandere concept for Karin (f&h 2: termina)?

Sure! I researched her wiki so I hope things are in character :) Here's some HCs for her. I really have to play the game for myself but I just... hate the idea of dying over and over again and relying on luck to have a good run.

Yandere! Karin Sauer Concept

Pairing: Romantic/Platonic

Possible Trigger Warnings: Gender-Neutral Darling, Obsession, Stalking, Manipulation, Jealousy, Overprotective behavior, Violence, Secret picture taking, Threats, Murder, Blood, Forced relationship/companionship.

Karin is a reporter and assertive woman who refuses to believe in the occult no matter what anyone says.

She always tries to take a rational route to understand things... but she still remains cautious during the festival.

Armed with a knife and handgun, she went on the train to research the Kaiser and "New Gods" for a paper and answers about her father's death.

She's determined, impulsive, short tempered, and dismissive of others.

Even in her first meeting with her potential obsession, she's dismissive of their help and goes off to find answers herself.

In a lot of her dialogue, she us hostile towards people like Daan and doesn't like to consider the idea of magic or religion.

The only time she decides to be cooperative and take help from others is later on when she realizes there's more danger than she can handle.

I imagine Karin comes off as hostile towards you at times.

She acts like she doesn't want your help... but deep down she really does appreciate it.

Karin enjoys discussing theories on what could've happened in the Termina Festival as long as you don't try to say it's occult related (it is, but she's in denial)

Karin's skills are routed in persuasion, lockpicking, handguns, and knives.

She wants to talk things out with others before turning to violence.

You could also argue she'd be charismatic, especially with her obsession to get them on her side most of the time.

If Karin antagonizes other contestants, her obsession may actually be able to break the fight up.

Her temper does not help when she's jealous or... any part of her obsession.

She tries not to be violent for both you and her... but she can be so mean towards other contestants near you.

She isn't new to violence, if tempted she'll no doubt use it.

But she does try to listen to her obsession and holds herself back.

Despite her hostility, Karin shows cares for her darling.

When she isn't taking pictures or trying to rationalize with herself... she checks in with you.

Even if you believed in the occult, she may tolerate that when it comes to you.

Everyone needs some way to rationalize with themselves.

Karin, in terms of rivalry, may be the most volatile with Daan or O'saa.

She has the most hostile experiences with them, so if her obsession was close with any of them she may be more irritable.

If she snapped at her obsession, she'd immediately regret it and apologize once she's attached.

If you two had to separate for any reason, Karin probably couldn't stay away from you.

Even if you told her to stay at the train for a bit, she'll follow you secretly.

She worries about your survival skills and thinks she's just... protecting you.

Karin seems like a yandere who would take pictures of her obsession and hide them away in her jacket.

It's all done in secret... and if she's ever caught she'll threaten others to keep it secret or just straight up deny it.

Karin, even though she tries to prevent it, could kill.

Maybe she sees a contestant too close to you... and plans to kill them.

When you catch her with her knife bloody or her gun smoking... she has her excuses.

"They were going to hurt you! After all, isn't this a killing game? You can't trust anyone here... except for each other, right?"

She then steps closer, a smile on her face as she puts away her weapons.

"You can trust me, love... I'm protecting you from this foul city."

The moment she starts trying to convince you the other contestants are going to harm you is when things go downhill.

As the timer ticks down, Karin slowly starts to take those out around you.

Party members aren't safe as Karin monitors them to see what their intentions with you are.

They'll still fall by her hand.

Karin can try threats... but if that doesn't work it isn't like she hasn't killed before.

She soon gives up persuasion.

Just words won't work for her... she needs to know she'll have you safe and beside her.

Like most contestants, I can see her locking you in a room until you both Moonscorch.

Her attempts to rationalize her behavior and the events happening make her go crazy.

By the time she locks you away, her clothes are covered in blood and she's holding you still.

"You aren't going to die like an animal out there..."

Karin whispers in your ear, crazed eyes never leaving yours.

"I'll keep you here... with me... safe and sound..."

Her mind is corrupted due to the timer ticking down... Moonscorch approaching both of you.

Of course... deep down she probably knows you aren't safe anywhere.

However... that doesn't stop her from clinging to you, caressing your cheek lovingly as she presses a kiss to your forehead.

The blood coats your skin as she hugs you tighter.

You jolt for a moment when the photos she took of you fall out of her pocket... you try to squirm, but she silences you.

"Just relax... I won't hurt you. No one can hurt you now...."

Escape was always a distant dream.

As the timer ends... Moonscorch occurs.

You become a lost soul meant for the Valkyrie to guide and care for... forever meant to roam the decaying lands of this hell.

[harunayuuka2060]

Silver: I'm sorry if I have inconvenienced you in any way. But Professor Trein has requested that I bring you to him.

"It's not a problem."

Silver: Are you not going to ask why?

"They're not the first who tried to seek me... Or my sister."

"Ah. But I could say that this was the first time I wasn't disposed of. *chuckles*"

Silver: Please excuse me. However, I don't think that's something to be laughed about.

"Is it not? Hm... I didn't mean to upset you."

Silver: No, it's not because—

Sebek: Silver! You're going to be late just by talking with that artifact! You've been walking too slow!

Silver: *sigh* Sebek, would you please not interrupt me while I'm in the middle of a conversation?

Sebek: Hmph! Watching you get attached to that thing pisses me off!

Silver: *stern* Sebek.

Sebek: *walks past him*

Silver: ...

Silver: Don't mind him. Sebek isn't usually like that.

"... It's fine. It's expected for a curse to be treated unkindly. *chuckles*"

Professor Trein: I will be asking you questions. Its purpose is to make some revisions about the twin artifacts.

"I will do my best to answer them."

Professor Trein: Did you kill your twin sister?

"..."

"I might or might have not."

Professor Trein: You're not certain?

"You could say that."

Professor Trein: Hmm... Then, what do you remember about your twin sister?

"Ah... I could tell you a lot about her. She's a beautiful being. She's the sun herself that I swore to cherish even if I burn under her rays."

Professor Trein: ...

Professor Trein: What about your sister? What does she think about you?

"...I don't remember."

Professor Trein: I see. I think that is enough for now. Thank you for your cooperation.

Crowley: How was your session with the cursed artifact, Professor Trein?

Professor Trein: ...

Professor Trein: It surprisingly went well. They were not hostile at all.

Crowley: *nods* Then have you discovered something about the twins? *smiles*

Professor Trein: They didn't deny nor admitted of killing their twin sister. And I don't think they were trying to defend themselves... When they speak fondly of her.

Crowley: It seems like a mystery.

Professor Trein: Indeed.

Silver: MC? I've heard from Professor Trein that there are things you have forgotten?

"Yes."

Silver: ...

Silver: But how is that possible?

"It's not anything difficult. I've had died a long time ago."

Silver: Sorry... It still confuses me.

"I'm only a piece of kept emotions acting consciously."

"I, who hold no significance to my previous self."

"I'm just a curse."

Silver: Don't say that. You're MC and you miss your twin sister. I think that's enough of a significance.

"..."

"*chuckles* Ha... I wonder if it is like you said."

"It would be wonderful if it is."

Silver: *gives them a sympathetic look* You've just had to claim it for yourself. At least what's my father taught me.

[to-thelakes]

I'm watching Moon Knight (again) to help me go to sleep and I've rewatched episode 1 so so many times on nights like tonight but I still absolutely adore all the little details.

Like, okay so when Steven wakes up in the Alps (I think that's where it is), Khonshu says "go to sleep, worm" and okay, first watch and without knowing the context of Jake existing, that makes sense. Khonshu doesn't like Steven which we learn more and more as the series goes on but then he says a few lines later "the idiot's in control" in that same scene in the Alps.

There is such a clear shift in attitude between 'go to sleep, worm' and 'The idiot's in control' and it's so obvious on a rewatch that Khonshu is talking to two different people with each line.

He's referring to Jake as 'worm' and he thinks that telling him to simply 'go back to sleep' would work because Jake is aware of the alters and their situation. Although from the brief glimpses we get of Jake, we know that he is an... interesting guy yet we can gather that he at least has some sort of alliance/respect/something going on with Khonshu. However, when he realises it's Steven, it's not hostility in the same way. It's more exasperated frustration. He's mad at Marc for letting Steven suddenly appear rather than being annoyed at Jake for making a random appearance. The way that the dialogue is written just exposes so much on a rewatch.

But going back to Jake/Khonshu even if they do have some respect, it's also pretty obvious that Khonshu does not want Jake around. I'd speculate that that's probably because if Marc loses time when he knows that he's not in London as Steven, that would create suspicion. Suspicion that Khonshu wouldn't want because that would put their avatar/God relationship at risk.

Though, I also suspect that Khonshu and Jake probably were working together but Marc never became aware because Jake worked at nights (maybe why Steven is so goddamn tired) or simply took over while Marc thought that Steven was in control.

I know that the Moon Knight portrayal is not the most accurate DiD portrayal but from my research, there's this whole idea of like different levels of awareness. Like the blackouts for Steven are because he initially has no awareness of the other alters. Then when Steven and Marc black-out, it's because neither of them are aware that there is a third alter aka Jake. Which means that Jake can do things for Khonshu while Marc believes that he is in London and neither Marc nor Steven would be aware.

I'm kind of just rambling about the show at this point but also, what I find really interesting every time I rewatch is the date thing. So, right, if Marc was the one that set-up the date why would he let Steven stand her up without saying anything to her? Marc isn't exactly the best guy when it comes to romance but he is incredibly protective over Steven because he wants to protect him from Khonshu. So, why in the world would he let the whole date rejection thing happen?

Because it wasn't Marc. It was Jake. Jake asked out Steven's colleague and that also makes sense why they went to a steak place. Jake doesn't give a f*ck about Steven's veganism while Marc absolutely would. Marc wants to protect Steven so he wouldn't make such a silly mistake.

But Jake would. Honestly, at this point, convinced that Jake just wanted to fuck with the Moonboys and Khonshu just played along.

I don't know.

I always find the dynamics of the Moonboys so interesting and I love how even when you rewatch it, there are new little discoveries that you can make. Like there was so much love, thought and attention put into this show?? It makes me SO SO happy.

This show honestly means the world to me and excuse the ramble/rant but I just love talking about my Moonboys and I never really get to speculate or discuss the show. I talk about it with my dad but being at uni means that I do not get to ramble at him as often. So, tumblr gets it instead.

But yeah, they're my (not very) astute observations about my beloved Moon Knight

[melancholic-pigeon]

During my class, we talked about the difference between like, Catholic guilt versus the kind of atonement that's associated with Yom Kippur. The phrasing that was used was "course correction", which my moral OCD really found helpful. It's not "you're a terrible person who must suffer in repentance", it's "Who do I want to be? Where did I stray in being that person over the last year? How can I correct my course so that I am closer to the person I want to be next year?"

I talked to my therapist about certain things that recently happened that I won't devote any more air time to specifics on unless I'm forced by someone else's actions. And I've been thinking about it and turning it over in my head, because it still has me pretty shaken!

But basically, I got a very clear, very vivid image of the kind of person who says "Kindness is so important, unless I'm the one being unkind, then it's okay". I found a pattern of unkindness and justifications afterwards for said unkindness. I realized the path I've been going down this past year leads to a destination I find revulsive.

I don't want to be mean. I don't want to let my anger eat through my load bearing walls. I don't want to be the kind of person who snaps in anger, who defends others snapping in anger, who spends her time justifying her outbursts of poor emotional regulation and who blames everyone but myself for my own big feelings.

I've been down this path before, and it's something I'm ashamed of. I don't like being full of rage, but it's way too easy for me to get swept up in someone else's excuses for why their own uncontrolled rage isn't destructive and totally won't ruin all their relationships or give them a reputation for being a combative hair-trigger who will scream at people over innocuous things or miscommunications and then scream at them more for tone policing when told screaming at people for misunderstandings is rude.

I don't want to be fueled by anger. I don't want to be bitter and mean and judgmental and suspicious. I don't want to turn into the kind of person who spends their day arguing on tumblr dot com about how actually I am special enough to be trusted with the death note because I am a Good Person who would only use it on evil people. I don't want to be the kind of person who lashes out every time I misunderstand someone and then punishes them for clearing up the misinterpretation because it made me look bad.

I don't want to be a bully. I don't want to enable bullies. I don't want to defend bullying. And I want to get better at actually listening to the voice in my head (maybe the voice of HaShem) telling me "Hey, you know better than this, you know this is wrong, why are you letting a charismatic bully sway your actions and pull you along to defend them?"

So, yeah. This year I'm working on improving my de-escalation skills and getting a much tighter rein on my anger. Rage is like fire: it's a great source of energy, but it will also destroy you completely and turn everything you love into ash if you don't keep. it. controlled.

I want to reaffirm that it's not okay to blow up at people because you're having a bad day. That if I've done this to you, I'm really, deeply fucking sorry, and I use that in the New England Intensifier way. I fucked up a number of times over this past year, I'm not okay with it, I don't WANT to be okay with it, and I'm just...sick of being angry. I'm sick of watching people hurt each other. I'm sick of being complicit. I'm sick of holding the idea that "being mean is not praxis" is a controversial viewpoint that should be kept away from activism rather than a preschool level ground rule for how not to actively make your community worse and more hostile.

I'm tired of all of it. I don't want to be in this place anymore. It's dangerous to all of us when we lean into the idea that our anger is paramount and angry responses are always justified.

I just....if your behavior towards other activists on your side is to treat them like you're the mustachioed villainous husband in a lifetime movie about an abused soccer mom and then criticize others for telling you that's shitty, that's a bad thing! But I've historically been way too easy to shame into accepting this premise, and it doesn't matter why I ended up there. What matters is that I did, in fact, enable this behavior from people, excuse this behavior from people, and defend proponents of this behavior. And I hate that I did it, but I did.

Frankly, it makes me ill to think about. But it makes me more ill to think about not even trying to do better.

This year, I'm trying to do better.

Fast easy if you're fasting, everyone ✡️

[velvetvexations]

That sounds a lot like my interpretation of Boys Will Be Bugs~!

I bent over backwards and crafted an elaborate theory as to why Eminem's Abracadabra isn't too terribly transphobic, I can't judge anyone for making excuses for the media that's important to them.

I don't think characters just being heroic and sympathetic necessarily covers getting something like this badly wrong, but a lot of other Velveteers also chimed in, including this anon:

(Just realized this is pretty silly, feel free to ignore me/not answer this, I just saw One Piece mentioned and the hyperfixation jumped out.) But just to go to bat for One Piece a smidge as someone who is trans and read all of it, while yeah Okama(Queen Ivan) leaned very transmisognistc(which was made worse in the anime for some reason??) the intention for him, his subjects, and the other gender fluid character, Bon Clay, was meant to be good. It fell HELLA short, but there was an attempt at least. However!! I did want to add, the comic has been going on for a long time, and by one of the more recent arcs with two new, very clearly openly trans characters, things are MUCH better! The transfem one, Kiku, says outright when asked that she's a woman at heart which is accepted by everyone, and her story was really sweet and made me tear up(her anger is never treated as predatory or masculine, she's allowed to just be a woman who is also a samurai), and the other transmasc one, Yamato, is referred to as a boy by everyone despite him not changing his presentation at all, which is pretty rad imo given how hostile people can be to transmasc people with breasts, and both characters are allowed to bathe in the baths that match their genders at the end of the arc. They were still a little messy in the "yeah this wasn't written by a trans person" way, and certain misogynistic/transphobic parts of of the fandom on reddit get a little weird about Yamato, but I didn't see anything glaringly wrong with the way either of them was written like with Okama or Bon Clay. The vibe I got from the comic was that early on Oda meant well and included some characters who were intended to be positive rep but were messy and fell very short, but as time passed he figured it out and the more recent ones are genuinely phenomenal rep. Ofc that doesn't mean you need to read/watch OP(especially since again the transmisogny is worse in the anime?? still don't understand what happened there but Oda had no control over it) like god I would never tell anyone to do that lol, but I did want to just chime in and offer a perspective from someone who read it and felt like the more recent rep was really good and worth mentioning. Oda has his issues for sure, and has a lot to make up for, but based on what I've read he IS making up for it.

And, honestly, that makes me really happy! Oda always seemed like a cool guy and it's great to know he is in fact a real cool guy. According to @changelingfangs in the replies, he's friends with people in the subculture he based a lot of those characters on.

They're now just openly accusing me of not being a trans woman because trans women don't identify as AMAB and I'm apparently hostile to every trans woman that talks about transmisogyny.

...no?

It's a good theory and I think that plays a part in it for sure, but I think mostly it's just thinking it's the worse thing because it's their group's oppression. It again kinna goes back to that Lennon/Ono song with the n-word in the title, that's just how radical feminism works, trans/misogyny is the only thing that really matters.

Still, interesting thread to have spotted here and I think it's in that soup somewhere.

imagine thinking using a meme format is asserting a cultural claim to it

like seriously, has any Black person ever said that there was something wrong with "deracializing" either or even both characters in the Dis _ Look So Mad meme by substituting them with white characters?

[reitheist]

bucchigiri ep 9 thoughts:

taken over huh... is that also what senya is doing to arajin maybe? like with the magic trampstamp (words i never expected to write...)

shindo is a bitch and pathetic but i enjoy his character unfortunately (in my defense, my interpretation of him threatening to do That to mahoro was just to make arajin pissed and get him to reveal senya. i think it was kind of narrative low-hanging fruit honestly.)

'is that a yes or no' take a wild fucking guess buddy

zabuuuuuu you are such a good friend

senya hitting people as a show of affection lol

matakara gathering money, presumably he was saving to get an apartment with his brother. what's he planning to use it for?

oh my godddd the cat boy drama 💀 this side gag is so stupid but so funny i love it. i imagine jasmine as as a pure white long hair cat and pu'er as a classic brown tabby. also cat boy getting way too invested in his personal life is *chefs kiss*

arajin is trying his absolute best to convince himself he doesn't care about matakara

the dynamic between komao, zabu, and ara is really funny. i think in other shows they might just sideline the friend characters but they really have an awkward 'friend of a friend' dynamic i like. komao isn't really socially aware enough to be mean to ara despite being him being mean to matakara, and zabu is more hostile but puts most of that aside for matakara's sake. it's like your friends scoping out your awful crush lmao

THE LIFE SIZED NAKED MARITO DOLL? EXCUSE ME??? there is so much wrong with mahoro oml

wait is the life sized naked marito doll marito's? that's somehow weirder.

mahoro, is that concern for a person who isn't your brother? wow

matakara :(

so is the 'monster' literal or metaphorical? interesting

ichiya you're hot as hell but stop telling matakara to draw away from his friends you bitch

'one person would've wanted it' stopppppp 😭 arajin is realizing he liked having matakara around while matakara is being turned against his friends by ichiya. the dramatic irony is killing me

the fact that this 'love forever stone' is a lake blue stone wrapped specifically in a blue cloth as well... that thing is definitely going to be given to matakara by the end, right? pretty gay if you ask me.

ohhhh my god mahoro character growth. plus her relating to him specifically through their shared brother idolization is a good touch. very sweet

mahoro's basically saying like "dude how are you only focused on yourself and me right now. how have you not noticed your childhood friend is depressed and crazy in love with you. like seriously he has not been subtle. at all." lmao i love herrrrrrr

mahoro deserves her own show

also relieved to have ara's interpretation of matakara and mahoro's relationship as romantic to be kind of trivialized again in this scene. i think their dynamic is more interesting as two very different personalities which share just enough to relate with each other. she only wants ara to get his shit together for matakara's sake. i want them to be besties please

arajin is The Worst with emotions huh. he can't read other's feelings and he's somehow worse at reading his own. he needs to stop being relatable right this second

yknow at this point i think i can say i truly and properly enjoy arajin as a character. he's mostly an asshole and deeply emotionally unintelligent but i like him regardless and because of it

ah senya ichiya and arajin matakara parallels as i expected

so does senya=matakara and ichiya=arajin kind of?

i really wasn't joking about them being exes huh

stoppppp ichiya gave him his name? senya was and continues to be so ridiculously down bad

'he meant absolutely everything to me.' dude.

senya is trying to get ara and matakara together bc he couldn't do that for him and ichiya

i am so gd curious what happened to drive them apart

matakara losing sight why he wanted to become a honki person in the first place (ara) and trying to destroy it

'what senya wants is your body' context needed.

i'm thinking maybe ichiya is willing to fully take over bodies and senya isn't, thus why he hasn't done it to arajin already. that or he was planning to in the beginning but got too attached

ohhh this is gonna make for a good dramatic fight

ughhhh another really good episode. i think the story's finally full found its stride. very hyped for the last 3 episodes. i think next episode will probably deal with betrayal between senya and ara, leading senya to explain exactly what happened between him and ichiya. matakara will trying to fight ara and ara will have to run away, frustrating matakara even more. mahoro might focus on trying to help matakara

[a-pink-beau]

FFXIV Write 2024 #24 - Bar

Summary: Beau goes to the bar after a very long adventure. Gets some unwanted company

Content Warnings: Indirect Transphobia

Spoilers: Endwalker

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The star is safe. The Final Days are now behind the people of Etheirys.

And Beau could use a drink.

It is fairly late at Mehryde's Meyhane, and very quiet. The people celebrating have gone home, leaving a handful of solitary individuals, nursing their drinks. Beau is one of them.

She has much to think about. What to do with herself now that there are no more wars, people to save, or evil to defeat. She had thrown her life on the line multiple times in the last few days, and somehow she came out of it all alive. Facing the Endsinger, then Zenos, alive is the last thing she expected to be after all was said and done.

And this type of contemplation requires alcohol.

Two drinks and three shots in, Beau found herself sliding her near-empty drink from one hand to another. Everyone around her is happy, but she can't seem to bring herself to feel the same way.

Her train of thought is interrupted by someone taking a seat in the stool on her right, waving down the bartender, and ordering a drink.

He doesn't look like a regular. He doesn't even look like he is from Radz-at-Han at all. 

Beau looks to her left to see a half dozen empty stools running down the bar. Then she looks to her right, at this man who is glancing at her in his periphery as he takes a drink.

The Warrior of Light sighs, then polishes off the last of her drink. She knows what's coming next. She has a fan sitting next to her.

“Can I help you?” Beau is rarely in the mood to play celebrity, especially not tonight. The man shifts in his seat to face her at a 45 degree, a smug smile appears on his face.

“You're the Warrior of Light, aren't you?”

Beau wishes she had more liquid left in her cup.

“A Warrior of Light. Not the,” Beau replies, correcting him. The man raises his hands in a feigned apologetic way, still smiling.

“Well excuse me. Just trying to give my thanks. No need for the hostility. It's a simple mistake.” The man turns back toward the bar.

“Don't need your thanks,” Beau says curtly, instinctively going to drink from her empty glass before realising and setting it back down. The man brushes off Beau's words and waves down the bartender again.

“Then how about I at least pay for a drink for the saviour of Rads At Hawn?” The man stumbles through the name of the city. Beau examines him. He doesn't look drunk enough to mess that up.

“Not the. A. As in one of multiple.” Beau said, watching the bartender approach them.

“One more of what she was just having for this one, if you would.” The man starts rifling through his gil purse for payment. Beau swiftly pulls gil from her own purse and slaps it down on the bar first. The bartender takes her money and quickly gets her another glass.

The man huffs as he takes his hand off his gil.

“Eh, semantics. I mean isn't it true that the other one died somewhere and you lot brought back a new one to take his place?” The bartender sets Beau's new drink down in front of her. “That'd make you the leader by seniority alone, wouldn't it?” Beau grabs her drink with an angry grip as she takes a swig. She isn't liking what she's hearing and the alcohol in her blood is making it impossible to turn the other cheek. She turns to face the man.

“First off, I'm not the leader. Never have been, never will be. So get that through your skull. Second, my friend has done more to save and protect this star than I ever have, so if you want to go throwing around praise, go find the one who actually deserves it. Third, you’re running off bad information, so make sure you know what you're talking about before you go running your mouth.” Beau is not having it with this man. The man still holds onto his smile.

“Heh. Here I thought the Warrior of Light was supposed to be a friendly face to everyone.”

“That's your reasoning for bothering me? Thinking I'd humour you?”

“Oh come on now. From what I hear, the other one is too… soft to have done everything I've heard. No need to pity ‘em. We all know you need to be tough to get things done.”

Beau sets down her drink. She takes a deep breath.

Beau shoots out her leg at the base of the man's stool, kicking it out from under him. The stool rolls along the floor as the man falls where he sat and hits his head on the side of the bar as he goes. 

Beau stands up and looks down at the man on the floor, a hand on the side of his head as he pieces together what just happened.

“Lehon'a is the toughest person I know. You wouldn't last a tenth of a bell in her shoes. Now if you want an example of what tough looks like, since you seem to be lacking in it, I'd be happy to provide examples.” Beau hands tighten into fists. She is ready to beat this man to a pulp. The man looks up at Beau, absolutely bewildered. “If you thought I'd just roll over because I'm supposed to keep up some nice persona, you're dumber than I already think you are.”

The man lays on the ground, frozen in fear. As though he truly never thought someone would ever retaliate against his words. “You know what won the day at the end of it all? Being kind. It takes guts to be kind. Lehon'a has that in spades, while you look like you've got nothin’ inside. But I'm not tough like her. No I'll be mean, just like you.” Beau squats down, her elbows on her knees, now eye level with the man. “I'll get myself dirty. I'll play at your level. Want me to show you?” The man sees violence in her eyes. His fight or flight kicks in and he scrambles backwards away from Beau until he can get his feet under him. He pauses for a moment before turning tail and running out the entrance.

Beau stands back up and looks at the bartender. “Sorry.” She'd likely be hearing from Mehryde in the morning for causing a ruckus. She retrieves the fallen bar stool and returns it to its home before sitting back down in her spot.

Taking another sip of her drink, Beau returns to her thoughts. She truly thought she'd be dead once the Final Days were over, and now had to find purpose.

Keeping pieces of shite like that away from Lehon'a seemed like a good enough purpose. At least that will have to do until I can find something else.

Beau takes another sip of her drink. And for the first time in a long time, Beau let a small smile visit her face.

[funbirdnest]

Atlantis - Below the surface chapter 2

Eichi: It's called Project-ATLANTIS.

Also known as PA. It's a colonization project that ES, which now has its sights set on national domination, put into motion after SS.

Tori: Colonization?

Eichi: Yuzuru, Tori... What do you suppose SS is in the first place?

Yuzuru: It is a historic annual idol festival with a long-standing tradition—It is the largest, most important festival in the idol industry.

... Is how I would answer—But I doubt that you'll be satisfied with such a generic textbook response, correct?

Eichi: Yes. I'm not asking for a formal definition of SS, but rather about its impact on the industry.

Yuzuru: Can you give him an answer, Bocchama?

Tori: Eep! D-Don't put me on the spot like that?! Rather, you should be concerned with demonstrating your worth in front of your master!

Hmm. The SS that was held a few days ago was unprecedentedly large-scale, wasn't it?

It spanned the whole country, and we were able to get local and underground idols to actively participate. Thanks to that, the total number of participating idols was higher than ever before.

But, as a result, almost no local idols made it past the qualifying rounds. The final round was completely monopolized by ES, or more accurately, by Yumenosaki.

Yuzuru: Yes. Some local idols made brief appearances in collaboration with Mikejima-sama. But they were the exception.

Eichi: That's right... SS was held with the pretense of an energizing collaboration with local idols all across the country.

In reality, however, it turned out to be more of a farce that only served to flaunt the strength and authority of ES, which in many ways has become the center of the country.

Ultimately, you can say that was ES's intent all along.

The local idols were mere foils—nothing more than casualties positioned to highlight our—the "main idols'"—brilliance.

Naturally, the local idols found this dissatisfying.

The most radical among them have formed what one might call an anti-ES organization, and are now rioting across the country.

Project-ATLANTIS is one measure with which to pacify these hostile anti-ES forces gathered in such places.

Yuzuru: This is quite the belated response.

Eichi: It's certainly better than doing nothing.

When ES was first established, it was falsely advertised as a "utopia for all idols." For that reason, those who did not directly benefit became quite dissatisfied.

ES was supposed to be an ideal world where "all idols" are able to shine. Then, if we really are idols, why can't we shine?

Yuzuru: It's a natural question and a natural complaint.

Eichi: Fufu. In my opinion, people just navely put their faith in ES' exaggerated advertising

Anyway, if this was the Sengoku period, it would be standard practice to suppress such criminal forces with military power.

Tori: I-Isn't it kind of mean to call them criminals...?

Eichi: I consider it an appropiate expression. ES is a nation, and the forces that oppose it are nothing more than bandits and pirates.

However, although ES continues to make strides like Oda Nobunaga, we still haven't conquered the entire country like Tokugawa Ieyasu (*).

Yuzuru: I think that's a good analogy.

Eichi: Thank you. Right now, ES is in the era of Oda Nobunaga. More precisely, around the time that the anti-Nobunaga network (**) was established.

Yuzuru: I see. That makes it easy to understand.

Tori: Er, I'm sorry, but I don't really get it.

Eichi: You studied history in school, right?

Fools learn from experience; wise men learn from history. Be sure to take your studies seriously while you still have the chance, Tori.

Because, once you grow up, you'll have no choice but to learn things on your own.

Tori: Yeah~ I know this is gonna sound like an excuse... but I haven't been able to study much at school lately.

Eichi: Is something happening at Yumenosaki?

I entrusted all matters over there to Mao, my successor. I don't think it's appropriate for graduates to intervene, so I've generally been staying away.

Yuzuru: Fufu. At present, Yumenosaki Academy is holding an election to determine the next student council president.

Bocchama is running for the student council presidency as well, of course.

Combined with idol work, this is too many irons in the fire. As such, this is a very busy point in time.

Eichi: The student council elections? Huh, this is the first time they've been properly carried out.

We—or rather, mainly Keito—created a model for the student council and then passed it down to Mao, who inherited it.

Tori: As the new president, Isara said that we should actually hold an election.

He said, "I could appoint you, but I don't have much authority, so it'd seem really forced."

If I win the election properly, then I'll be able to attain that kind of authority.

Eichi: That sounds really modern. And it feels like a natural progression.

I like Mao's way of thinking. He understands the limitations of his position—I mean that in a good way.

(*) Eichi is referring to the reunification of Japan at the end of the Sengoku Period (1467-1600). Oda Nobunaga was a feudal lord who raised war against different clans during one of the most tumultous eras of conflict in Japan. Oda set the stage for the reunification of Japan, which was achieved later by Hideyoshi and Ieyasu—the latter becoming the ruler during the beginning of a peaceful period in Japan that lasted until the arrival of Perry and the US Navy.

(**) At the end of the Sengoku era, a group of forces led by Shogun Yoshiaki Ashikaga formed an alliance to rebel against Nobunaga and his allies. The conflict ended with the defeat of the anti-Nobunaga alliance and the expulsion of Yoshiaki from Kyoto.

[zvtara-was-never-canon]

I don't think the kataang fandom is perfect/ has never harrased people all fandoms have bad apples but im getting annoyed with how much zutaras keep insisting that they were never the bad guys and were always jut the victims of the ship wars. that kataangs are nothing but big bullies who wont let em ship in peace. . when i myself was met with hostile aggression from their fandom as a aang and mai supporter zutarian they were ruthless ,angry, called anyone that didnt agree with em abuse supporters.. bryke D suckers. SExist ect. i just wish that they would be humble and admit that their fandom has lots of bad apples but no its always Kataangs bullied us.. we did nothing wrong and are the victims of the fandom. I'm tired.

Yup, them calling out when Kataang shippers are being dicks is one thing, and I'd even accept them doing it more often than they call out "one of their own" because duh, obviously the bad apples of the zutara fandom would not be hostile to them, so they could genuinely not know about some things.

But denying anyone "on their side" could EVER be bully? Pretending there isn't nearly two decades of evidence of Zutarians threatening and doxxing people and telling them to kill themselves? Acting like there's any truth to all the conspiracies and full on lies about Bryke, Ehasz and a "secretly planned Zutara endgame" just because said conspiracies and lies would put Zutara as the underdog and the writers that liked Kataang as cruel, unfair, downright abusive bosses? Acting like it isn't super hypocritical to imply Bryke are PEDOPHILES for "self-inserting as Aang to date Katara", but praising Dante Basco all the time for being a die-hard Zutara fan and understanding that him liking a ship doesn't mean he's attracted to actual children?

Not to mention the classic: screaming "But what about what THIS person did?" whenever someone calls out any bad apple in the Zutara fandom - like one cancels the other out.

Zutarians don't just deny their fandom has bad apples, they go out of their way to protect them from any criticism - and then wonder why the sane zutara shippers end up finding a safe place in blogs like mine, even though I constantly make my negative feelings on the ship very clear.

Decent people don't turn a blind eye to harassment just because they aren't the target of it, and the more the Zutara fandom tries to excuse the actions of bullies in their community, the more decent people will avoid said community like the plague, regardless of how they feel about the ship, which in turn keeps all the bullies and enablers off in their own little bubble because literally nobody else wants to interact with them.

[midnightmah07]

Pookie I was listening to music earlier when I remembered this gem https://youtu.be/ZbyEyaT06iw?si=jC9JE_kloH1EXoRL

And I was thinking about how much it fit like Davi and Rigel("Toasty, stop bringing up Rigel in everything" *blasts you to dusts* silence)

This part is kinda obvious but allow me to explain. So basically, Rigel doesn't like the idea of people helping him, or to be vague asf, he doesn't like the idea of Perse helping him. He thinks he isn't worthy of her help and that there are so much more she could spend her time one

The last part however is how despite how much he doesn't like her help, he still wants her near because he feels like he has someone to get better for but at the same time, feels like he's destroying her by simply suffering

In Davi's case, it's more how his pent up anger prevents him from opening up, so in order to save face he acts as if all's fine with the only person he actually opens up being Cater and Trey

Tbh, Davi's the kind of guy that jumps to conclusions a bit too quickly, like if someone's ignoring him, he'll immediately go "fine, I didn't need them anyway" when in reality he desperately needed them to properly function to be his anchor to life

This is probably more Davi than Rigel tbh

But basically, Davi doesn't like showing his feelings bcus if he did, he'd be a sobbing mess 24/7, and we don't want that, no no no. So he acts as if he's just mean on purpose when he's not. Plus, a lot of his current problems are centered around his harboring guilt bcus bro did accidentally kill his mom and separated his whole family and has no way of contacting them, so bro obviously feels a horrendous amount of guilt and has many skellies in his closet

For Rigel, it's more the fact he sees himself as more of the "comedic relief" character and feels like he's not supposed to be sad and is supposed to be happy all the time and make others happy(hence why he goes with Perse's help, even if he doesn't want to) Him and Davi are kinda different sides of the same coin if you think about it.

Bcus Rigel's guilt is that his uncle basically cut his life insurance early while he was in his presence, his friends then left him one by one and he had no one to turn to except his main abuser, so while these would be able to explain as to why Rigel would be like Davi(hostile) he doesn't want to be seen as a "demon" so he acts happy and tries to get others to cheer up as well

Davi tries to heal by suppressing everything and hopping it'll solve itself when it doesn't. It festers and lingers, causing his guilt to worsen and his temper to shorten as well. He doesn't want people to worry about him so he acts like he has no problems so no one can worry about him. It's mainly why he hates his "brothers" mainly Falena, because they try to help him and he doesn't want them to. If he could, he'd run away and head back home but he can't, he's stuck in Sunset Savannah until he can find an excuse to go back home.

*coughs* I'm uh kinda not normal about these guys pookie-

I see I see 🤔

Very interesting links between them and the song, I see!!

[brightside-brigade]

So, I've been thinking about kin stuff a lot lately, more specifically my time back on Kinmunity. If you don't know, it's an online forum site for kin folk of all kinds. Maybe some people from there are on here? If so, hi, my username was InkyDaily, I'm still kicking.

But, I've realized how that being on that site did more harm than good for me as a whole with its philosophies and ways of running. Now I'm not dragging people who use the site or anything, I'm just talking about my own experiences, and keep in mind the site may have changed since I was there.

The site as a whole always felt... clinical. In a sense. There was a whole culture around things that made for a very limiting experience. There was pressure I always felt to keep up and fit in the very neat box The site had set out for being kin. Like there was a right way and a wrong way. There was a lot of pressure to fully understand your identity, not have fun with it. In fact the whole site felt very... pro cringe culture.

There was a lot of emphasis of always questioning your kintypes, and never taking any feelings you get at face value, and if you didn't, you were wrong. No, I'm not saying those who go about their identities this way are incorrect, because you're not. The only right way is your way after all. However, it's not right to push your way onto others, which is something I often felt the site did, and that led to me having quite a few identity crises.

I felt so pressured to fit in at the time, I even ended up lashing out at people who used terms like "kinning," off site. I'm not proud and I'm not excusing myself. However I do feel this was a product of the environment the site provided. This created an openly hostile environment not only for people who just liked those terms, but to new kin folk just starting out.

I mean, imagine you're a newly awakened little guy (gn) and you find and join the site. And on your intro post you immediately get grilled. "How do you know this is right," "what's your proof," or things like "have you tried taking a step away from your source," ect. Again, if you yourself use these questions for your identity, that's okay. I'm talking about forcing it on others.

I eventually, through cramming myself into the box this site set up, I eventually became a mod. In my time as a mod, I watched our site admin, who I will not name here as that's not the point of this, complain about and put punishments on people they simply found annoying or didn't agree with the sites specific views. A young user was once banned and called delusional over believe in and being curious about the idea of transformation. I'm aware why this kind of thing isn't possible, but calling a child delusional is not only wrong but very ablelist.

I also banned those who acted too much like roleplayers, ect. Now I'm not talking about those who used the site to rp, but those who were more uh, like, rawr XD with their posts. And there's nothing wrong with that actually. The whole "us vs them" style about it felt really icky. I'm not making any direct comparisons, but saying that the way someone identifies has to be a certain way, and those who dont fit it should be avoided and spoken out against gives uh.... vibes.

This whole ordeal is why I find it hard to post about kin stuff myself, because of the mentality that site instilled in me. And I hate it.