#we love discussions on here

[saphstories]

Now I might be stating the obvious here but...

Ya think the reason Shadow is so offended by Sonic calling him a Faker is because it's the one thing Shadow is most afraid of? That slim chance that he isn't...real? That he's artificial...a fake?

[clj-art-blog]

Tiny Treasure of the Three Realms

[tathrin]

Hey, so do you ever stop to think about how the premise of Lord of the Rings being an in-universe book written by some of the characters who lived through that story means that they decided what parts and perspectives to use to tell that story...?

And when our authors weren't there to experience the events themselves, they have to rely on what they're told about them by the characters who were there, right...?

Okay so stop and think about the Glittering Caves.

We never actually go to the caves in the narrative. Tolkien LOVES describing nature and natural beauty, but we don't actually see the caves described "by him" the way we do other places. Obviously Gimli's words are Tolkien's, yes; but we only see the caves filtered through his words about them, after the fact.

When Gimli and Éomer and the other Rohirrim take refuge there, the narrative doesn't follow them. Obviously from a narrative standpoint this is to keep the focus narrow, and not to interrupt the battle-sequence with a long ode to the beauty of the caves, and to create tension in the reader who doesn't know if these characters are okay or not. Which all makes sense!

But think about it in terms of the book that was written in Middle-earth by the folk living there. Why DON'T we get to have a direct experience of those caves? Gimli obviously related several other parts of the story that none of the Hobbits were there to witness to them, and which were written into the books as Direct Events Happening In The Narrative (think of the Paths of the Dead scene, for one of the more visceral moments!). So why not the Glittering Caves?

Was it because they wanted to keep that narrative focus and tension, and so they didn't include his perspective on that part of the battle? Perhaps, that's certainly a possibility to consider.

But also consider: when we do hear about the Glittering Caves, what we hear is Gimli telling Legolas about the Glittering Caves. THAT is the part of that event that is considered of importance to include in the book: not Gimli's actual experience when he was in them, but rather the part where he relates that experience TO Legolas.

And I kind of just THOUGHT about that today.

And went HUH.

[xanderindisguis]

THE EXPRWSSIONS HE HAS WHEN TALKING TO SCARAB HAS ME CRAZY the way they say so much with so little.

THIS IS YOUR SCARAB HATER??? From just a few frames he comes off as concerned in a caring way, how did we get to a point he's portrayed as an evil, abusive, narcissistic boss??

It's so clear that Orbo doesn't hate Scarab, I firmly believe he gets fed up because Scarab refuses to look outside of his own point of view and any attempt to bigger the picture with him falls on deaf ears, that he's more likely to listen under threats rather than just words he obviously doesn't care for.

(I DON'T AGREE with threatening or actually tearing his legs off, but it's to consider ORBO'S POTENTIAL POV. I feel that's more likely than him just being a huge asshole who hates him for some bs reason)

[sonyshock]

Please don't hit me with a slipper, but your OC reminds me of this guy:

Why would I hit you with the slipper if you are right

[instantpansies]

life is hard for us oz fans who are only meh about wicked. have half a meme.

[glitter-hound]

what kills me about lottie is that despite the consequences of what she says and does she's basically the only yellowjacket to never act out of frustration or anger. everything she does comes from completely kind-hearted intentions

(trying to help travis about losing javi)

(trying to help shauna during birth)

(trying to help shauna with her rage)

she only ever wanted to help!! she didn't even want to be a prophet or a leader

she just wanted to help her friends the only way she knew how!!!!!

[stiltonbasket]

Ive been loving your shen yuan qiu haitang verse! Thats the soul with spite that fed a thousand fiery rants on zongdian, and also the one that in canon turned a whole peak of baby scholars into his little chirping chicks. In shenqht verse, how aware are shen jius disciples that her presence is whats holding sj back from mistreating them? And how much interaction do they have with her?

Shen Jiu messed his disciples up by playing favorites with some and ignoring and abusing others, so most of them don't fully appreciate how unfit he is to be anyone's master. As a result, they don't appreciate the protection they get from "Qiu Haitang's" presence as much as they should.

[jzargo]

[romainlettusdinnerparty]

questioning "coming out" as the culmination of will's character arc

i just had this thought of just like,, what does coming out mean for a characters arc? like is that really the final goal in a queer person’s life/ story? i mean, i think in some cases it makes sense like if a story is about a character’s queerness and also their relationship to their family and how secrets can affect relationships but i feel like there’s this idea that if there is a queer character their goal should be to reveal said queerness. i think that 1. kinda makes them a caricature of queerness, dumbs their character down to just one aspect 2. centers other people way more in the narrative - things that have fs been said before. but i really like the scene of will “coming out to jonathan” because its not like a “coming out scene” - will doesnt come to him with a confession - instead jonathan comes to him with support because he can see will’s sadness and longing and most importantly, the distance that has grown between them. queerness isnt necessary to this scene but we know its there so this support, this kindness, this connection means so much more, defies expectation - especially in this time period when such acts would not be at all expected of someone encountering a queer person. we dont expect cruelty from jonathan but its important that he is the one to reach out to will. idk if i want there to be an emphasis on will telling people he’s gay despite the agency it may give him - with both of the “coming out scenes” we’ve had in this show neither of them were necessarily voluntary or on their own terms. robin came out to steve because he told her he liked her and she Couldn’t like him back. jonathan shared his support for will without will ever voicing the monstrous desire jonathan offered comfort for. that feels so much more true to the time period and the lives these characters are leading - queerness is not the biggest issue rn, theyre being haunted by an evil dimension or whatever. idk what it would do for will’s character to tell joyce that he’s gay - i dont like that the idea of coming out to her would just be motivated by wanting to Come Out in that situation, i dont think thats a good enough motivation for will - i dont think he wants to be known necessarily, i dont think that his goal or his overall thing,, mike however? maybe? because of the more societal pressures and hiding and “forced conformity” his character deals with i feel like sharing that secret with someone and having them react well could be really important for his arc - like revealing his true self and not hiding behind what he thinks is expected of him is really important character growth and a huge thing holding him back in his relationships over the last couple seasons. he’s performing - taking the mask off, finding out that it was a mask all along, is important for him, his relationships (with will and el especially), and us as an audience to forgive him. will obviously dealt with bullying both from lonnie and his pears surrounding his sexuality which makes being Accepted for said sexuality so so important for him, i just don’t know if the Telling People part is as important for his character? telling mike he’s in love with him? yes. absolutely. hes hiding that from him and it affects their every interaction. but i don’t think will is hiding from joyce in this regard - i dont think its important for him to reveal it to her much like it wasn’t necessary to reveal himself to jonathan - they already know - or even if they don’t, they know nothing will ever change the love they feel for Will, they just need to show their love and acceptance. i wouldnt be mad if there was a scene almost identical to will and jonathan’s with joyce and will, at least in sentiment. ik it can be very important to say it out loud but if thats the goal then That should be the goal, not informing joyce. im curious why other people want a joyce and will coming out scene so badly - is it just for the ensured emotionality? is it for will’s agency? is it for the show to say the word gay? what is will’s motivation here and why is his tactic to come out?

[seilnakyle]

it's always funny that the crowd who says "why would we get Wayne over Bertinelli"/"Bertinelli is better than Wayne" always fail to understand that we only have Bertinelli because Wayne was so beloved that DC HAD to rebrand her and bring her back... lol

Bertinelli was built off the Wayne blueprint as well, idk why they hate her so bad. Like the bare bones of their origins are nearly the exact same, and Bertinelli either wears or has modified pieces of Wayne's costumes.

EXACTLY TRU I love Helena B but Helena W WAS the original Huntress (excluding the obscure golden age villainess of the same name) AND the first dc legacy character. She deserves her moment in the sun just like Helena B. Helena W getting recognition in media shouldn’t hurt Helena B fans (and I haven’t seen any on here being upset) just like Helena B getting comic material doesn’t hurt Helena W fans

If anything Helena w being on the scene too will just mean they’ll need to work hard to make them distinct and unique from each other

And thankfully nowadays their suits are starting to look pretty different

[littlespoonevan]

rewatching s1 this time around has actually left me sooooo fascinated by buck and abby's relationship??????? bc what we know of it in its aftermath is actually completely visible on screen during the season???

in episode 6 when abby is talking to carla about a potential valentines day date with buck she outright says she's fine with him being a boytoy and it just being something casual so she can feel good in herself again and is almost complaining that buck is taking it so seriously by trying to go slow. and the thing is, i don't think her stance on that ever changes???????

she absolutely cares about him and appreciates him for everything he does for her (both in helping support her with her mom and what he does in helping her find her way back to herself) but i don't think she ever really wanted or needed him to be more than that????

on the flipside, you have buck who's experiencing feelings he's never felt before and is so totally overwhelmed by this woman who's making him realise real connection is possible and it feels a million times better than the way he's vied for people's attention before. and there's something a little heartbreaking in the way he questions if he's ready for it to be something real. because bobby encourages him to step into the relationship fully and in the end he does do that

but abby doesn't really want him to???

so you have buck, fully committed and ready to be the partner he thinks abby needs, and abby, who is so completely unable to be that partner in return because she wants to navigate the next stage of her life alone

and aksdjfh it's just!!!! so!!!!! interesting!!!!!!!!! and i am once again BEGGING someone to make a gifset/video/edit/anything for them with reckless driving by lizzy mcalpine

[twilight-deviant]

[Avengers Academy: Marvel's Voices Infinity Comic (2024) #29]

The holidays are over and the darkest days of winter are upon us. The newly human Blackheart wrestles with the sins of his father – and those of his own. Guest-starring Daredevil!

Do I... ship Matt/Blackheart now...? 🖤

[meirimerens]

my greek prof (who's also doing her phd) had mentioned yesterday in class that she and others were partaking in basically a "theses state of affairs" lecture where each phd student invited to it could talk about their research for 20 minutes and I can't usually attend stuff on fridays because I dip but I fw her as a prof + the blurb for her presentation intrigued me so I went. i was the only one of the class who showed up dude nobody fw this like I do.... she smiled when I walked up and came to thank me for coming during the break.... we exchanged a bit over her presentation (on how Atwood's Penelopiad deals with agency, sex and class, and how it pulls on intertextuality to create the voice of the servants) and I mentioned Nicole Loreaux's (french internationally-recognized classicist for her works on female characters in greek play as well as women's social role through antique sources) work Façons Tragiques de tuer une femme (study of the way greek tragedy kills its female characters) because one thing about me is that I'm gonna bring that book up and mentioned how hanging was The quintessential way to die for women in greek tragedies, we exchanged on that, when I mentioned Loreaux I saw how she perked up and she told me "You're interested in Atwood, you read Loreaux, I see you read Cixous...!" with emphasis and a smile [Cixous is one of the pivotal french writers and militants of france's secondwave feminism]... dude I'm going to get a good grade in Prof which is both achievable and something to aspire to. I jest. but it was so fun and wormed my heart a bit. I fw your line of work!!!! we exchanged on more stuff about or around her presentation it was really fun. on one hand I Know why I rotted in the countryside for 3 years after getting my bachelor's degree i couldn't do otherwise. on the other basically every day I'm proven I did so right to get back to college. going to college to get more knowledge....

[bisexualseraphim]

Also, I refuse to entertain the discourse as to whether acespec people are “oppressed” or not, but I will say it’s really fucking lonely — especially if you fall somewhere on the spectrum that’s a little more unconventional.

I’ve discussed many times before how I feel absolutely no attraction whatsoever except towards my lovely partner. I went through the phases queer men tend to: exploring many types of pornography and cruising on Grindr. I really tried, and none of it has ever done anything for me. It wasn’t until I started having sex with my partner that I realised, ohhh, so that’s how most people feel. And even then, enjoying sex with him is far more of an intimacy thing than the actual physical sensations. I do not fantasise about other people or consume porn. There is only him.

And yet when I’ve spoken about this in acespec spaces, I’m still treated as some sort of weirdo who doesn’t belong. I’ve literally been told many times that I can’t be demisexual because demis will still fantasise and consume porn (although that doesn’t line up with my understanding that demis require a close bond to feel sexual attraction, but never mind), and I’ve even been accused of having some weird internalised Christian puritan shit going on because I genuinely cannot comprehend ever looking at or thinking about someone in that way who isn’t my man. As if anything about this is a choice for me and it is offensive to them somehow. As if only feeling attraction to one person is like… “worse” than never feeling any attraction at all. I’ve never once shamed others for how they experience sex and sexual attraction and never would, yet people act like that’s what I’m inherently doing just by speaking about my own experiences.

So no, I won’t say whether acespec people are “oppressed” or not because honestly, when is this shit ever going to come up in conversation and ever be that relevant? But the fact I don’t feel I can talk about it even amongst other queer people, even amongst others in the acespec community, kind of speaks for itself.

Being a queer man who can’t relate to all the stereotypes and anecdotes about enjoying casual sex is one type of loneliness. Being a queer acespec man who can’t even relate to most others in the acespec community is another. I can never win, and either way I do not fit in.