#we aren't all perFECT

[ceilidhtransing]

If you hear Republicans speak to other Republicans, you'll hear a lot of them say that they really don't like Trump for whatever reason (many of them aren't fans of the felony convictions, his personal manner, his business dealings, his family life, or whatever else) but that they'll still be voting for him because he'll get them closer to what they ultimately want. They're pragmatic; they don't demand purity in their candidate. They recognise him as their strategic choice so they'll set aside the issues they have with him and vote as a bloc. That's what makes them effective at getting their way. That's how they win elections.

And boy I wish we had more of that attitude on the left. Imagine what we could get done.

[wannabe-f-f-friends]

Something something maybe Xue Yang was able to wield Xiao Xingchen's sword so easily and even in tandem with his own sword because XXC still held love for him even after everything even in the last moments love is the last thing in the spirit-trapping pouch ahaha I made myself sad

[dendroculus]

If I ever talk about Natlan characters this is who I mean btw

[maeamian]

Actually research skills are hard to learn especially unsupervised so maybe telling people to just "Go figure it out" especially if you already know they've been failed academically in other ways, might actually be a great way to just send them to a PragerU video on the topic.

[bogkeep]

WHEWWWW..... our hairspring exam is coming up, and we get 16 hours across two days for it, which is the longest exam yet. we just had a trial run for the test, and i think maybe only one of my classmates has finished so far? the rest of us are gonna continue on monday :') i thought i was doing particularly bad but no it's All Of Us. so it's going to be okay in the end!!!

[lord-squiggletits]

Y'know the thing about writing feral/unhinged versions of Orion/Optimus, is that you can't go too far into the feral/unhinged direction to a point where OP's core character traits are lost or become too diminished. After all, in a multiple-continuity franchise like TF, part of what makes the stories make sense is that even if details change (sometimes major details), the characters are still recognizably themselves to one degree or another. (Although this isn't always the case due to executive meddling or some characters being such blank slates from their initial G1 appearances that there's basically nothing to model them off of, but I digress.)

It's pretty much another reason why I love IDW1 Optimus, bc he literally is a canonical feral/unhinged Optimus who's unhinged as a direct consequence of who he is as a person and what he's been through. Like, he still has those fundamental character traits of trying his best to be moral and make good choices, trying to be a role model, etc, except after 4 million years of war and untreated depression he's basically holding onto his sense of self by his fingertips. So when he "goes feral" e.g. losing his temper and beating up/killing people or saying hurtful things, he's feral in a way that's directly tied to his normal personality and not just as a random quirk he has.

IDW OP's feral moments arise from the gaps between "Optimus' attempts to be who he thinks he needs to be" and "the reality of the world that he can't fix/seems to only make worse" that cause him to lose hope, or become cynical, or lose his temper. But in this case, the unhinged-ness makes perfect sense because it arises out of Optimus trying and failing to be the best person or to make the most morally good choices he's trying to make. Basically, the "feral/unhinged" label is just another way of me trying to say that he's not just unhinged because he's weird or because he's a bad person, but because it's an emotional reaction (more like an emotional explosion due to pent-up emotions) to the context he exists in.

I'd also say that IDW OP's personality being generally reserved/stoic and (trying to be) noble works in tandem with those moments he has of going feral because it makes him more realistic. His psyche is treated in a way where the writers are like, "Hey what if the pressure of having to be everyone's idol and be the best person in the galaxy at all times actually broke Optimus down mentally and emotionally?" It makes IDW OP far more relatable. Instead of naturally being a perfect Christ-like figure who never wavers in his morals or convictions and is just naturally a nice person who always has the wisest and best answer, being a good person is something that IDW OP has to consciously strive to be. Even when he feels like it's useless, or the cycle of violence will never stop, or any attempts he makes to help only ends up with things becoming worse.

And I feel like this does a service not only to IDW Optimus as a character, but also as a sort of moral/philosophical perspective for the reader to ponder upon? I feel like culture at large (or at least my experience of it) tends to believe that "goodness" in a person is simply an innate feature that people are born/not born with, and that being "good" means that you must be good at all times, both in your actions as well as the way you feel emotionally about yourself and the world. Like, there's a tendency for our vision of "a good person" to be good in every aspect at all times without having to try to be a good person. So I think IDW Optimus' character stands as a good example of how someone can be good at heart but still struggle to maintain those feelings of optimism and hope and justice. It's a good idea to have such a paragon of a character (in-universe and out-of-universe) be so conflicted and to even be mistaken, misguided, or make things worse because it shows that goodness is as much about "trying to behave/act in a way that is good" and not just "existing as an innately good person."

It's way more realistic for a person to want to be good, try to be good, and sometimes/often fail than it is for them to just be a good person. I enjoy the fact that IDW Optimus is both a good person at heart, but also has to strive to be a good person and live up to other people's expectations of what they see in him. I like how he wants to be a good person and change society for the better, but he also spends a good amount of time either feeling hopeless and alone or being angry at/detached from other people because of how frustrated they make him. He's realistically portrayed as someone who wants to be good and hopeful and change things for the better, but is also mentally and emotionally broken by that burden because of how impossible it is for him to Fix Everything and be the Perfect Prime/Leader/Autobot that people see him as. It's this fascinating mixture of "yes, this is who he is as a person" but also "there are things he desires to be that he could never possibly become or live up to."

This got really far off based from feral/unhinged Optimus sdklfjaslkdlfkas. The TLDR is that if people want unhinged OP, I feel like they should give IDW OP a chance because he IS unhinged but he's unhinged in a way that's a realistic/thematic representation of how being an Absolute Good is impossible. And how being a good person isn't just about Existing And You Are A Good Person, but rather goodness is a constant state of flux in which you adjust, you make mistakes, you lose your temper and feel hopeless, but then you pick yourself up and try again.

Also IDW OP really likes climbing in dangerous wilderness and jumping out of flying vehicles which I think is very feral and sexy of him to do.

[goldensunset]

i really do think terra would be the final boss for therapists. yeah i know everyone in kh has low self esteem and scrambled memories and repressed ptsd and guilt etc etc don't get me wrong they all need serious help. but there's that and then there's getting your very being split into three parts remaining separate for over a decade. mere fragments of his being trying to hold onto themselves. he was torn apart mind body and soul. and this is BEFORE you factor in the problems he already had and the strong anger and grief etc etc. he walks into the therapist's office and they're completely baffled within the first five minutes of listening to him talk because literally what is he even saying? how do you even begin to dissect that

[naamahdarling]

.

[blaithnne]

my timephoon hot take is that the episode was literally fine, it's the episodes that came AFTER it that fucked things up

[angiestown]

[sysig]

Let him dad her!! (Patreon)

[imminent-danger-came]

i don't know why people think the writers hate wukong so much. making a character flawed doesn't mean you don't like them and wukong getting yelled at twice isn't the writers putting their grievances in the characters' mouths

The news come in: writers have things happen in their stories

Tbh, the people who have that sort of take are probably just not writers, for the most part. Having characters make bad choices and face consequences for those choices is really fun! It's also just not indicative of how much you "like" that character.

And you know, Lmk is fundamentally about loving flawed people. That's it. That's the core theme. So it's like, of COURSE Wukong and everyone else are going to be flawed. That's why MK's so flawed, he's gotta realize he's worthy of love in spite of and with his mistakes (you know- his actual mistakes and flaws, not the fake ones from 4x01 lol). He's gotta accept the ways people hurt each other.

[danwhobrowses]

So, people naturally have opinions with the AEW All In Footage releasing - something I'm surprised was genuine footage and not some work or swerve. Here's my cents about it;

Just because CM Punk didn't lie about the altercation doesn't put him in the right. He still deserved to be fired still because he attacked an employee. This doesn't make Punk look strong, or tough, and it doesn't mean he's truthful about everything, he just didn't lie about something there were several witnesses for.

People are forgetting that Khan 'fearing for his life' is a separate interaction to the Perry fight, reports beforehand have made a point that they talked after the altercation - since Punk was immediately in a match afterwards - one to one.

AEW never said Punk was lying, most reports after All In match what Punk said, including Samoa Joe's own comments about it. Showing the footage was framed in the way of the Bucks' EVP character delusion that many have missed the point of. FTR even came out and questioned why the footage was necessary, which means there is awareness of it.

I don't know why they're blocking the footage, don't ask me because I don't have the answers I'm just a guy in England seeing this unfold; maybe it's down to the negative response, maybe there's some other legal things about it given how Punk is a WWE wrestler, I sincerely don't know.

Nobody wins from this for sure, but Tony Khan could never win from this anyway. Punk did a full on interview about the incident with a known Pro-WWE Anti-AEW guy and people waited for a response; when they didn't get the 'twitter meltdown' he gets mocked, when Copeland does a promo talking about the positives of wrestling he gets mocked, he shows footage of the altercation validating Punk's firing and he gets mocked.

Many just want Khan to be Vince 2.0 or failing that someone out of depth with money and a toy box of wrestlers, even though that's exactly what Triple H is too he just inherited it rather than built it from the ground up.

In an ideal world AEW and WWE wouldn't take shots at each other, but they do, fans however only give AEW shit for it. Punk buries AEW on an interview, Triple H takes subtle shots at AEW talents in the build to Wrestlemania, Punk and other wrestlers also take shots at AEW during and after Wrestlemania and it's treated as banter, but AEW wrestlers respond and it's 'rent free' comments. The reality is that WWE and AEW both live rent free in each other's heads, because they are in competition with one another.

[causeimanartist]

unemployment hell 🤝

on all levels but physical I am gifting you a hot chocolate and a soft blanket, beloved

I would love nothing more

[clarabosswald]

"Hamas' terrorists did not pity anyone on October 7th. Not religion, not nationality and not belief changed the fate of those who were murdered that Saturday. Awad Darawshe, of Iksal, was a young man who studied medicine, volunteered at the United Rescue EMS organization, and worked as an ambulance driver for a living; and on the morning of October 7th he was an on call first responder at the Nova party. When the massacre began, Awad exited his ambulance and ran out to aid the many wounded. When the emergency service center asked him to quickly evacuate and leave, Awad insisted on devotedly treating the casualties, until he was shot point blank by the murderers. Awad's sister, Maysam, shall give an address."

"Many ask me what kind of child Awad was. Those who knew him from the stories of the Black Saturday, knew that he was a paramedic and ambulance driver who was murdered at the Nova party. But for us, Awad was our little boy at home, our light, our life, who filled the house with warmth and love. Awad was a boy who always loved helping, full with endless energies. He was a boy full of dreams. He wanted to be a doctor, but also a great chef. To build his own home, but also stay forever by our parents' side. After six days of uncertainty, our Awad came back home in an ambulance, this time - dead. Awad, I'm hearing the words mother tells about you in Arabic, the same language that on Saturday morning was linked with blood and horrors, and many here must struggle to hear it. But it is the language of our childhood! The language with which we dreamed of a better future, of love, of peace, and of life - for all of us. To quote mother: [in Arabic] 'Awad was a gift from the heavens. His journey was short, but it carried many and massive meanings, which taught us how to love each other, help each other, and not let hatred and envy live in us.' Awad, I hope you could hear me. Shukran."

The People's Memorial Ceremony, October 7th, 2024.

[dustteller]

Reading He Who Drowned the World and honestly Baoxiang has no right to be as bitchy as he is about Ouyang squandering Esen's love or whatever. Baoxiang is genuinely convinced that Esen loathes him. No you dumb bitch, your brother loves you and the reason he's giving you a hard time is because he wants you to be safe and happy and healthy. Yeah, he sucks at expressing it, and his efforts are misguided (bc the toxic masculinity gender rolesis fucking up Esen as much as it's fucking up everyone else), but Esen very much does love Baoxiang deeply. Every time Baoxiang remembers a time when Esen "enjoyed his fear" or whatever, I can only think of these parts of Esen's POV from the first book:

Esen's first instinct is to defend his brother. The only reason he doesn't is bc Baoxiang leaves before he can. And Baoxiang glares at him bc he assumes that Esen agrees with Altan and won't defend him, but no, Esen WANTED to defend him and it's Baoxiang that took away his oportunity to do so.

And a bit later, we have this interaction. Baoxiang assumes (again) that Esen would hate him if he was gay, and immediately goes on the defensive. Meanwhile, Esen literally does not care about this except for how it would affect his brother's reputation. He's just WORRIED. He doesn't care if Baoxiang is gay or whatever, but he's deeply aware that if he IS it would put him in more danger. Because, again, he cares about his brother, and he hates seeing what he assumes is Baoxiang making his own life harder.

And it's heartbreaking bc Baoxiang will probably never realize how much Esen adores him. He's so jealous of Ouyang for having his brother's heart without realizing that Esen sees him as his beloved baby brother and is desperately trying to protect him from a world that he KNOWS is cruel to him. Baoxiang will never know that his greatest supporter and the only person that loved him unconditionally was Esen. And maybe it would be WORSE if he realized how dear he was to Esen, because the realization that all thise things that caused him pain were borne out of a deep, unconditional LOVE and not the disdain he's convinced himself Esen felt for him might break him. Baoxiang has deluded himself into simplifying Esen's feelings for him into those of hate and disdain because its so much harder to accept that the person you love the most has destroyed you out of love. Baoxiang is doing the exact same thing Ouyang does in convincing himself that he's unlovable and relishing in the world's response as a form of self-harm. And Esen, who is genuinely trying (and floundering horribly) is a great tool for Baoxiang to use to tear himself apart.

And, on the other hand, Esen will never realize how much damage his attempts to help Baoxiang caused. He loves him so much, bc that's his baby brother! It's his job to protect him! But Esen has been raised as the golden poster child of a Mongol Warrior Man, a perfect pinacle of masculinity, and is thus doomed to only being able to express his love and acceptance for Baoxiang through a tough love, lets sand down all the edges to remove friction approach. For him, pushing Baoxiang into a box IS an act of love. It's the act of saying I love and accept you, and so I will help you succeed in all the things you're bad at so that everyone will love you too. Except by doing this, he doesn't realize how awful he's being and how he's asking someone that CANT ever fit the mold to break himself in the attempt. He's a perfect Mongol Warrior Man after all, and as such he has never been given the tools to express his affection in a healthy way. He will never truly understand how much he's an asshole, not because he is lacking in love (as Baoxiang assumes) or because he is incapable of sympathizing (as ouyang thinks), but because understanding is not something allowed of him and his role in society. At the end of the day, Esen is as much a slave to his role as all the other characters are, and now he's dead he will never be able to break free of the assumptions people have made of him. He went to his grave having destroyed the people he loved most, and now he will never have the chance to prove their assumptions wrong as be better.