#which also means the title will have to be different.....

[felassan]

Some follow up posts following the recent Bloomberg [article]. Rest of post under cut due to length.

Jason Schreier: "One element of the Dragon Age story that I want to emphasize: If the team had known in 2021 (after the single-player pivot) that they'd ship in Oct 2024, it'd be a much different game. Instead they were always under the impression they had to finish in 6-12 months, which led to all sorts of problems. This happened with Suicide Squad, too, and countless other games that seemed to be in development for years but in reality were just delayed half a dozen times, offering the team little opportunity to plan or make smart long-term decisions" [source, two]

Jason Schreier re: this Reddit post which is titled 'To the DA devs after that Bloomberg article': "I suspected that hearing the whole story behind Dragon Age: The Veilguard's tumultuous development would lead to a lot of fans expressing empathy for the people in the trenches [link]" [source]

Blair Thorburn: "the worst part is that those issues were called out almost immediately, and the choice was made to push on. this strategy backed the team into an impossible situation from the start, and it was a miracle we shipped at all, nevermind shipping at the quality we did. our narrative team were heroes." [source]

Jo Berry: "Having seen the circumstances under which they were trying to create... I mean, I only came in right at the end and it was still -- holy shit." [source]

Brian J. Audette, rt'ing the article: "Reposting without comment except: I refute that we made a bad or compromised game. We made the best version of what we released, warts and all. I'm damn proud of it and the team. We couldn't have made a _better_ Dragon Age, only a _different_ one." [source] "Still the best reviewed game I ever worked on in a 25+ year career." [source]

John Epler: "my career up to this point has been largely motivated by spite and the good news is it seems I am in no danger of running out" [source]

John Epler: "still the truest thing I've ever posted" [source] John Epler [prior post]: "sorry one last DA thing, i just want to say, once again, that the team did some incredibly herculean shit to get this game done. they deserve all the kudos and credit in the world. i've never seen people work so hard or care so much. grateful to know them all." [source]

Also:

User: "I guess my big question is why did the game get an 83 on metacritic with all these problems." Jason Schreier: "Sometimes reviewers just don't align with general reception. Fallout New Vegas got an 84 while Fallout 4 got an 87" [source]

User: "Christ. Second major BioWare game in a row to inspire an investigative "what the hell went wrong?" piece from Schreier." Jason Schreier: "third" [source]

A user queried the part of the article that stated the Mass Effect team overhauling DA:TV's ending, mentioning that this seems unfair to say.

Jason Schreier: "Well, the ME team steered it and, most importantly, got the resources to make it happen. But I see your point and obviously in game dev, credit is always a funky thing." [source]

Following the Suicide Squad post above:

User: "the difference being that suicide squad's live service push was determined by studio leadership, whereas the dragon age decisions came from outside bioware right?" Jason Schreier: "I don't think it's quite that simple. If you run a studio owned by a company whose execs are coming in with powerpoint presentations about how live-service is the future, it might be "your choice" what kind of game to pitch but what's really going to secure you a budget?" [source]

[thirstkanaphan]

Sooo... with the uproar over the amount of lines Yeosang does not have, I have heard on instagram that people are pooling together money (and met their goal) to send a truck about it to KQ about Yeosang's line distribution. I am not a fan of the idea, I understand why theyre upset but I really feel like the fans are putting their own grief onto Yeosang based on rumors and projecting. What do you think if you want to share your thoughts that is!

If I were an idol and fans did this "for me" I would be mortified.

From what I understand, a ktiny at a fanmeeting relayed to a Yeosang fanbase something Yeosang allegedly said to her about how he was sad and that KQ was making him cut his hair and forcing him to stop bulking up at the gym. The fanbase has since deleted the tweet and offered no explanation.

This news came after fans were disappointed to find that Yeosang received the fewest lines in the new title track; fans also claimed they could see Yeosang's visible heartbreak in the fan chant video Ateez posted.

This was a recipe for a classic twitter!atiny meltdown, where the words of one anonymous source speaking a different language became all the ammunition they needed to launch a passionate campaign to save Yeosang from KQ.

Listen, if atiny twitter have a villain, it's Eden. You cannot have a nuanced or even slightly-positive take about that man on that app, or they will jinjja kill you. I was not there during the early years of KQ so I won't claim to know how it was back then, and it is empirically true that Yeosang (and Wooyoung) received fewer lines during the first few years of Ateez. We also know that this latest album was actually the most equal the line distribution has ever been, although Yeosang does suffer from a lack of lines in the title track.

However, what really irks me is the white knight/savior complex so many in the fandom have towards this adult man, who they believe cannot advocate for himself - and who they claim is actively being sabotaged by the company to weaken his leverage ahead of contract negotiations. You can certainly find examples of Yeosang talking about his frustrations with limited opportunities to stand out in the group, and the other members have remarked on Yeosang's tendency to avoid confrontation even when he's being treated poorly. Yet this does not mean the fandom knows what's actually happening in that studio, nor the truth of Eden's relationship to the members.

I will absolutely agree that the system by which each member auditions for their part by singing the entire song may no longer be the most effective means of assigning lines. It may have fostered healthy competition in the early years, but perhaps a new strategy is called for. I honestly don't know.

I guess the crux of my annoyance with the way today turned out is that, rather than wait and verify the truth to the secondhand claims made by this ktiny (did Yeosang actually disclose personal feelings and professional disappointments at a fan meeting?) they felt validated for their hatred of Eden and KQ. Already inflamed by a lot of (mostly valid) issues and complaints with this comeback, they chose to use this perceived attack on Yeosang as a way to vent their frustrations with a company who, depending on the day, is either a noble champion of artistic and professional freedoms for its idols OR an evil corporation trying to silence its members. You won't find me claiming the former, but I also don't quite agree with the latter.

So what happened? Instead of Golden Hour: Part 3, Lemon Drop, or Ateez trending, this is what trended for most of the day:

Wow, great job promoting the new album!

This all goes back to the weird maternalistic relationship a lot of the fandom has with Yeosang. "Saving" Yeosang (from KQ, Eden, San, or even Wooyoung) becomes a moral crusade that often belies a fundamental misunderstanding of Yeosang the person, who would perhaps not wish to be the center of a fan-driven campaign to flood the comments of every official instagram, twitter, and tiktok with complaints about unfair treatment on the day of a new album's release.

I really don't have an interest in discussing this further, but I guess I did need to get this off my chest.

[graylinesspam]

Operator/Drifter headcannon bc I saw someone else do it and now I have to.

Lets start with the name thing.

Operator doesn't even remember their name. Everything before the Zaramin is a fuckin blur. Memeories even of their family are basically non-existant and the ones they do have they dont want to dwell on. They see no real reason to have a name outside of a way to be refered to and are pretty content with whatever nicknames they're given.

Tenno feels more like a professional title. Like they're one of the tenno. Lotus' little helper come to do a job. While Operator is more personal to them seeing as how Ordis gave it to them and they consider Ordis to be a friend.

Operator also doesn't really have a great concept of self in any way. They've been deeply dehumanized for so long that they dont really view themselves as a person. Or perhaps they dont really view anyone as a person. Ordis is as much a person to them as Kahl is. Or Little Duck. Or anyone on the Zaramin. In a way they view almost everyone as equals. Though they dont view almost anyone in high opinion either. The major catagories in their mind is Ally (which implies affection and also responsibility) or Enemy. Or the secret third catagory which is Leader. Lotus and Teshin dominate this catagory though ordis and Umbra are starting to bleed into it as well. As allies whose judgemnt they trust enough to take an order from them.

Another side effect of their dehumanized disposition is that they have little to no concept of identity. Gender is meaningless to them as they're too young to display sex characteristics. They're pretty androgynous. Thier "style" is based on utility and ease. They have no concept of attration. They also have very few opinions on matters that dont concern their work. Its only with the encouragement of the different faction in the system offering them clothes and decore as well as Ordis making space for them to decorate and the various wildlife tag traders offering them floofs that has led to any want to customize their space.

It started with the floofs. Each one was a trophy. And Operator enjoys collecting trophys. So they aquire far too many. A truly absurd amount. And because of their tidy and formal disposition are forced to find a way to neatly arrange them. One case in the orbiter becomes dedicated to floofs from daimos. Another to floofs from earth. The couch starts collecting the really rare floofs. The vaska Kavats, being infected become a priority to hunt and capture and the case containing thier floofs quickly overflows onto the floor in front of it until Operator simply stops trading the tags in. There are various canine floofs nestled around the meditation window and pobber floofs aranged on the table. Velocipod floofs hung on the wall and arranged by color.

The orokin fish go in the fishtank display.

And eventually they decide that yeah, this room could use a paintjob. And that leads to the ship and the equipment and even their frames getting special skins and paintjobs. If you asked the opperator what their favorite color is they probably wouldnt know how to respond. But there is deffinitly a theme going on with their frames. They might have had one a long time ago if the way their features have been customized are anything to go by. Vivid unnatural hair and eyes. But that was so long ago, before the war. They hardly remember.

Operator also doesnt speak much. They can just fine. They dont have difficulty with it. They just dont unless it seems necessary.

As a side effect of centuries of over useing transference pods, as well as lingering damage from void touch and orokin abuse, Operator suffers from muscle and joint problems, Migranes, and fatigue. This doesn't lead them to use transference less but actually to rely on it more. Warframes are of the easiest ways for them to navigate the system. Both physically and because many wont treat them the same if they look like a child. Stasis means their bodies need less maintenance than it would if they were walking around all the time. But it also means they get less maintenance. Which is a form of neglect.

Operator does have a lot of investment in the communities they have allied with. Cetus and Fortuna are very important to them. They feels both responsable for and beholden to those allies and will funnel an inordinate amount of resources into those communities with the goal of illimnating suffering. Kahl's camp, the Necralisk, and the chrysalis less so. If only because they have a lot less need of Operator's help. They're pretty self sustaining.

Though opperator may glean a lot of joy out of their accomplishments, and the defeat of their enemies they arent cruel. Cold sure. But not cruel. Kahl and his very existance proves to operator that there is no truly evil faction. Only enemies. Once any group decides to no longer be an enemy Operator affords them she same neutral respect they offer any sentient. With the exception of the infested which are obviously not really sentient. And are illiminated with efficiency. Operator does not mour their enemies but neither do they bathe in blood.

Operator has a special connection with Umbra. There are many other frames that they enjoy piloting but most other frames have a far lower level of sentience left. They register more as a machine whose identity must be respected in the same way that you respect a lake on earth by not polluting it. Or respect a flower waving in the wind by stepping around it. Its an acknowledgement, an acceptance, care in a lack of cruelty. But not effection. Some though have more personality, maybe a couple memories. Enough personality left to influence Operator's mind and behavior when they pilot them. Not like Umbra. Hes still a man in many ways. Or at least every ounce of anger that one made up a man, cut out and turned to metal. They understand each other on a far deeper level. Umbra and Operator exist separately but move together. Either able to take control. The other only needing to be asked to relinquish it.

Both are quiet. Both broiling with anger and betrayal that may never fully fade. But both looking foreward to a more peaceful existance. Enjoying making their own decisions and choosing which causes to occupy themselves with. The loyalty that they feel to Umbra surpases any other relationship. And they mark themselves with it. Jewelry, bandana, maching colors and outfits. Even the papermache mask that they frequently wear.

Though very adult in their demeanor there is something undeniably childlike about them. From their massive floof collection to the mask or the ventkid comics or the way they curl up in the corners of the ship, under a blanket, tucked into their fluffy companion. When no ones watching, Operator is very childish.

Now Drifter. Drifter is different. They also dont have a name. Not because they cant remember but because they've chosen to leave it behind with their parents. A memory too painful to let anyone else speak it again. Drifter remembers who they were before but they consider that person to be dead. Drifter is generaly more outgoing and much better socialized than Operator. With thoughts and feelings and opinions that they arent afraid to share.

They do have a vegue idea of gender. If only because their body has developed to look more one way than the other. Though they generally dont concern themselves with the concept unless their buying clothing. They present Masculinly with the exception of pretty flower tattoos and soft pretty accesories. Lots of plants and gold and stone in their style.

They're dressed more casually than Operator as well. Less battle armor and more actual fabric. Real leather boots. Fun jewelry. Belts and chains. Funky hair styles. Drifter knows what their top five favorite colors are and what colors they associate with every frame. Drifter collects all the music. Loads up the somacords.

Drifter also took over most of the big decoration jobs. Operator collects things. Posters, floofs, art, toys, noggles. But drifter puts them up around the dormozone. Drifter picked out the furniture and saved up for the bird from duviri. Operator makes sure they the noggles are all equally spaced, and that their master sigils are displayed. But Drifter hangs the posters and sets up the holograms and programs the warframe ladout displays.

Drifter chooses the view out the window and grinds for ayatan sculptures. And bought ordis a body.

Drifter is far more concerned with the void factions than Operator. Concerned with taking care of those still on the Zaramin. Or the sanctum anatomica. Or the Hex. Drifter is also far more concerned with Entrati. Not that operator doesnt care but theyre still wrapped up with lotus and the end of the last war, and rebuilding from it. In many ways Operator is a vet after the war is over and the Drifter is already getting deployed again.

Drifter is also more personable. They have friends. They have rivals. They have a partner. Unlike Operator who views the Drifter as a different person entirely, Drifter sees operator as themself. Their memories are so scrambled like puzzle peices shaken in a paper bag, but theyve seen enough from Operator's mind to just shrug and accept that as their past as well. They share a lot. Not just memories and an apartment. Also frames and friends and a purpose.

Drifter sees them as real as their own past, just occuring congruently.

Drifter likes Umbra, a lot actually, but recognizes the connection he has with Operator and accepts it. No jealousy. After all Operator is them. And they just need him more. Drifter also likes taking the rest of the frames put for a jaunt. Isn't too picky about which ones. Though both of their opinions seem to mostly align on that front.

They have a generaly similar proficiency with weapons though Operator's tends to be nearly identicle to their chosen frames signiture weapons while drifter is all about flashy, high damage, and cool effects. While Operator sticks with efficiency and status effects.

Drifter loves prime weapons and incsrnons.

Drifter is also quite partial to Sun and Moon, though maybe not as much as Operator weirdly. Operator upon discovering Teshin gifted them Dax swords almost fainted with envy. Drifter helped them craft a set as soon as they could. Qnd though Operator can't weild them beacuse of their size. Umbra almost never puts them down.

Drifter encourages Umbra, Operator, and Teshin's general retirement behaviors. Bringing back seeds for their garden. Books for them to read. And tea to drink. Operator often reads to the other two. Drifter encourages Operator to take more and more time away from missions and teshin helps guilt them into staying out of stasis longer. Eating and drinking. And doing simple excersizes.

Operator's favorite allies are Konzu and Hai-luk, while Drifter's are ticker and Bird 3. Hex not withstanding.

Neither really like doing missions on the Zaramin but Drifter does them to study the void and try to learn more about it. Drifter also feels extreme guilt about having Jade as a frame, though justifies it as part of their void/infested research and tries not to think about how pissed stalker would be if he knew.

This is already thought vommit so im gonna have to call it. But i had way more thoughts on this than i thought. Damn.

[miyamiwu]

Link Click Traffic Light Theory: An Introduction

Although I’ve been calling it “Traffic Light Theory,” it’s not so much a theory as it is a framework for analyzing the show. Besides, the t’s in “Traffic Light Theory” sound so balanced, it’s catchy.

Anyways, what exactly is Traffic Light Theory?

To put it simply, it’s a way of analyzing Link Click by looking at colors and directions, which have been unusually prominent in the Yingdu Chapter, especially around Vein and Xia Fei.

Bloody Storm: Green as people go Down, Red as people go Up

Rent a Shell title card: Red and Green text, breaking as Yellow light shines over it

Link Click Yingdu: Green arrow on the inside in the OP (left), but Red arrow inside in YE1 (right)

Link Click Yingdu Episode 3: Green exit elevator going Down

Map of Dreams PAIN MV official art: In front of the same elevator above, Xia Fei wears a Green cape while the collar of his shirt points Down. Vein is in his usual Red while pointing a finger Up.

Xia Fei is always positioned Below looking Up, while Vein is always Above looking Down:

Traffic lights everywhere:

Why are colors and directions important, you ask? Well, for one, the main colors used (Red, Green, and Yellow) have meanings in traffic light language, and traffic lights are very much associated with directions—and in Chinese, time is viewed in a vertical manner (Up, Down).

I have written several metas using the traffic light framework to elaborate on this, and you can find my key posts in this masterlist or under the #traffic light theory tag.

But to summarize, here’s what the colors mean:

Blue = water. stasis. trials in life.

Traffic light colors (red, green, and yellow) = altogether, they signify the flow of time.

Green = go Down and meet your Future

Red = go Up and stay in the Past

Yellow = a liminal state. Opportunity.

Red, Green, and Yellow are also different colors of luck. The three are all lucky colors in China, but especially Red. Green is more commonly associated with Luck in the West.

And speaking of West-East associations, VeiFei’s designs pretty much showcase that dichotomy. Even in the Map of Dreams MV, Xia Fei is a typical Western fantasy-style prince, while Vein, in spite of the setting, retains his ancient Chinese vibes:

(translations on the image are by qhqfeihuo on Twitter)

Vein is also very much associated with luck (he wears so many lucky charms, and his Yingdu character profile mentions his luck in games).

So, apart from the colors representing Direction and Time, they also represent some aspect of Luck—which I am yet to talk about in any of my posts.

“Luck”, I believe, will be a very important factor in season 3. And I will talk about it in my next post in this series: “Yellow is Key: Whoever Gets Xia Fei Wins”

[chatonarya]

One Of The Hypergryph Writers Is A Fujo: A Crack Theory

I can't believe I'm writing this, but here we go.

About a year ago, when the Break The Ice drama CD was first announced, it came to my attention via a certain joke that it was not the first time Midorikawa Hikaru and Konishi Katsuyuki (the Japanese VAs of Gnosis and Enciodes respectively) would be starring in a drama CD together--though this previous drama CD was a BL drama CD from 2005, based off of the R-18 manga of the same title, ...Virgin Love. I was highly amused and made an appropriate meme to commemorate this newfound knowledge, which you can see below.

Then through a few generous connections and kind souls, I managed to obtain a copy of this ancient disc, whereupon I gave it a listen for the sake of some cheap and cheesy entertainment.

I was surprised, however, to discover that not only are there multiple similarities between the Arknights and the disc's characters, plot, and setting, but they are... a little uncanny. This feeling only increased as I, out of some morbid curiosity, proceeded to track down and read the original manga (painful anatomy and all), and saw more startling similarities.

I realize this is an absolutely unhinged, unbridled tinfoil hat moment, but there are certain things which are so similar that they almost--almost--make me suspect someone at Hypergryph was somewhat or even vaguely familiar with this story, perhaps even on account of its voice drama (which was apparently popular enough to inspire the author to write two more volumes about the lead characters), and possibly even used it for inspiration for the plotline and relationship of the two characters who share these 90s yaoi mens' voices: Enciodes and Gnosis.

(Please take everything I am going to say with a grain of salt.)

The Setting

...Virgin Love takes place in the extended "Toudou universe" created by author Fujisaki Kou. It forms the setting for the "Beast" series which spans some 20 volumes and explores different interconnected characters within this same universe, most of which (to my understanding) have some sort of connection to the Toudou Group company, hence the nickname, and which tend to be set in the corporate world. For the purposes of this essay, we will be looking at three connected volumes: ...Virgin Love, ...Junai no Seinen, and Men's Love, which focus primarily on a single couple (the side couple, actually) with a supporting cast from the other books and universe. There are two more volumes which focus on this couple (namely, Erotic ni Kojiakete and Otoko no Mikkai wa Bed no Naka de), but being as they are only available in Japanese on Japanese sites, I have not been able to obtain or read them, so I will preface this by saying that I have read only the VL (...Virgin Love) trilogy and listened to the drama CD, so I have supplemented some of the gaps in my knowledge with our good ol' friend TV Tropes.

The Characters

The lead couple of the VL trilogy consists of Daigo Mikihisa (the seme, played by Konishi) and Kirishima Kaoru (the uke, played by Midorikawa). (Though both experienced VAs, this was their first time being paired together for a BL drama.) Let's look at them one at a time.

Daigo:

The "Young Lion" of Mercury, Daigo is the managing director of the Japanese branch of the Mercury company at the young age of 27. In contrast to the many mentally unbalanced residents of the Toudou'verse, Daigo stands out as being a fairly normal and down to earth despite his background. On the job, he is extremely cool, capable, and professional, while being very laidback and big-hearted while he's off, including switching his speech pattern, and keeps his professional and personal faces quite separate.

His position also means that he cannot afford to display any weakness on the job, being exacting and merciless, though this doesn't prevent him from cracking a few times due to how deeply and intensely he is smitten; he falls very quickly and very hard for Kaoru. He faces intense pressure from his father in the third volume regarding Mercury, with his father attempting to force him into an arranged marriage advantageous to the company and break up his relationship with Kaoru.

He also has rather wavy hair, like a certain snow leopard.

Kaoru:

Kaoru works as a mid-level manager for the Toudou Group as the assistant and second-in-command to the president's secretary, his cousin Saijou Chiharu, with whom he has a somewhat vitriolic relationship (he and Chiharu grudgingly help and sometimes hinder each other's relationships); in volume 3, while Chiharu is away or occupied, Kaoru effectively takes his place to hold down the fort. He often overworks his subordinates, but despite it, is respected and liked due to the fact that he produces results and assumes responsibility for his subordinates' mistakes. A workaholic whose hobbies consist of drinking, smoking, or casual sex, he meets Daigo at his usual bar and is impressed by Daigo's extremely straight-forward proposal and invites him to have a one-night stand.

His cold and disdainful demeanor and somewhat abrasive tsundere personality conceal a deep insecurity and lack of self-worth, as well as an inexperience with intimacy and fear of vulnerability. These issues stem from his childhood neglect: his mother was an abusive man-eater and unable to maintain a stable relationship for long, inevitably driving her partners away through jealousy and obsessiveness, which she always blamed on Kaoru's existence. This left him determined to never become like her, and also extremely fearful of commitment.

He also has dark hair worn messily in a style similar to a certain crane.

The Plot

The plot revolves around the two mens' developing relationship as they try to balance their work and private lives and grapple with Kaoru's psychological issues. Throughout the narrative, there are quite a few striking similarities to Break The Ice and the Kjerag plot events, as well as certain things which could easily be extrapolated as in-character for Enciodes or Gnosis. I shall recap, whilst doing my best to refrain from inserting headcanon or personal theory.

-- As mentioned above, Daigo and Kaoru meet at a bar, where Kaoru feels someone staring intently at his back. When Kaoru turns around and stares back, Daigo acknowledges his interest and propositions him for a night. Kaoru, pleased and intrigued by his boldness, accepts. -> Enciodes also approaches Gnosis very boldly when they sneak aboard the train as children, and it's through his boldness speaking of Kjerag's weakness and need for change that Gnosis is won over by him.

-- Kaoru has a penchant for bondage as it gives him control of the situation and ties Daigo up before having sex with him, and does so repeatedly; though Daigo later asks him if they can go without it, he accepts it being a condition of continuing the relationship and doesn't complain, especially as it becomes a fixture of their sex life later on. -> Enciodes is very unperturbed by being tied up as a child. You can extrapolate.

-- Daigo also accepts the initial bondage as a fair form of payback when Kaoru is annoyed about the whole thing being a set-up and a dare from Daigo's friends. -> Again, Enciodes simply comments that he "should get used to this" regarding being tied up, as it's a consequence of Kjerag's weakness.

-- Related, Kaoru, despite being the uke, is fairly assertive in bed and likes to be on top to remain in control. -> Gnosis has an aggressive streak (feel free to take this as you will, even if it verges on headcanon territory).

Kaoru initially refuses to continue maintaining a sexual relationship with Daigo despite their chemistry as he feels that Daigo is dangerously addictive and vows to never see him again, but this is thwarted when they meet again in the professional sphere as Mercury pursues an alliance with the Toudou Group and Kaoru is put in charge of the account. Following this, their relationship continues.

-- Kaoru comments how completely Daigo switches off when he's not at work, and Daigo replies that there's no need for him to maintain his "company face" in front of Kaoru, and that Kaoru is the same. -> Enciodes always speaks to Gnosis without any pretense or facade, and vice versa.

-- Kaoru is caught off-guard by Daigo saying that he wants him. -> Gnosis, in general, is surprised by Enciodes throughout his oprec, and his gestures of acceptance and liking.

-- Kaoru and Daigo have a year's difference in age. -> Enciodes and Gnosis also have nearly a year gap between them.

-- Chiharu comments that Kaoru typically won't have anything to do with other people beyond strictly necessary. -> Gnosis shuns contact with others as well.

-- Kaoru tells Daigo that he's not his subordinate when Daigo asks him if something happened at the office. Yep. -> Gnosis is very clear to Enciodes that he is not Enciodes's subordinate.

-- Daigo talks about how he clearly divides his professional and private faces, how there isn't really anyone to help him and his position as the director of Mercury means that he has to be decisive and firm, and is happy when Kaoru immediately understands that if Daigo is too soft, the company will collapse. -> Enciodes draws a clear distinction between his personae, and his position also requires him to be merciless, and Gnosis is one of the people who understands this best.

-- Chiharu warns Daigo that Kaoru is surrounded by a wall of pride in which he isolates himself, and for his own sake, it's better that he break up with Kaoru as soon as possible. Daigo states he has no intention of letting Kaoru go. -> It's implied that Enciodes was heavily discouraged from continuing his friendship with Gnosis, but Enciodes ignored this for years. Similarly, Gnosis is an emotionally isolated person, something which stems from his ostracization and childhood neglect.

-- Kaoru is frosty to Daigo's school friends at the bar. -> Gnosis has nothing but disdain for Doctor, ostensible friends that Doctor is with Enciodes.

-- Daigo's friends describe him as someone who is alone despite being surrounded by many people and who rarely talks about himself and tends to go his own way. -> Enciodes is of similar character.

-- Daigo is pleased when Kaoru expresses jealousy over him despite it entailing a slap in the face, as it means Kaoru feels something for him. -> Enciodes is generally unperturbed by Gnosis's radical streak even if ends in harm to himself or his assets, such as the train explosion in BI. He also quite cheerily and accurately realizes Gnosis came to rescue him after being kidnapped despite Gnosis denying it.

-- Kaoru is repulsed by the idea of being in love with someone else, and is fearful of his "ugly self" and "the blood of madness" which flows within him which he refuses to acknowledge. -> Gnosis's father is the stereotypical archetype of the "mad sage", and Gnosis, also, possesses that 'madness' in his radical streak. Similarly, much as Kaoru is terrified of inheriting his mother's possessiveness and obsession, Gnosis sees himself as "the son of a sinner," branded by his father's mistakes and actions.

-- Kaoru desperately and stubbornly refuses to become like his mother and cuts off personal contact with Daigo. -> The thought of having to become like his father makes Gnosis want to run away from Kjerag.

-- Daigo, panicked, confesses that he's in love with Kaoru and can't bear to let him go, a sentiment that leaves Kaoru stunned. -> Enciodes is the first to tell Gnosis that he's starting to like him, a feeling that Gnosis doesn't really reply to.

-- Kaoru, cracking under his own emotions and fears and losing control of himself, is temporarily suspended from heading the Mercury account as his mistakes pile up, by suggestion of Daigo but further escalated by Chiharu. -> Enciodes temporarily suspends Gnosis from Karlan Trade following the "unapproved" incident in the valley and Gnosis's outburst.

-- Chiharu explains that Kaoru is slipping up too much to remain in charge of the Mercury project to Daigo, and that someone who gives up after a single rejection cannot be Kaoru's partner because Kaoru cannot so easily come out of his shell, and Daigo will soon find a better person. Daigo rejects this notion, stating that he feels that Kaoru is the only person who can meet him on his level, which Chiharu describes as "someone who has been fighting alone all his life meeting his match." -> Enciodes and Gnosis view and treat each other as equals and are the ones best able to understand each other's mindset, particularly being co-founders of Karlan Trade.

-- Daigo says that to know Kaoru's true feelings, it's better to ask his body directly. -> Gnosis, too, is very tsundere and his actions speak louder than words about his feelings.

-- Kaoru believes that Daigo will abandon him due to his true self being hideous and "abominable" (in other words, wracked by emotion, jealousy, and possessiveness just like his mother in the way he hates), but Daigo tells him that moment is when he's most beautiful and that he is beautiful. -> Gnosis asks Enciodes at the climax of Break The Ice whether "[Enciodes] would like to finish [him,] the traitor, and make this farce real", underlining the fact that everything he has done has been without Enciodes's explicit approval, questioning whether Enciodes wants to continue the partnership with him; Enciodes simply smiles and confirms that in his mind, Gnosis is still dear to him and everything else doesn't matter.

-- Kaoru tells Daigo that because Daigo called him "beautiful" while he was hideously twisted with jealousy, he's decided he won't hide that side of him anymore, and Daigo is completely unperturbed by this. -> Enciodes has always been accepting of Gnosis's radical streak for as long as they've known each other, and continues to be despite Gnosis's own fears as expressed in his first module ("Vow").

In the second volume, ...Junai no Seinen ("The Young Person's Pure Love"), the couple go through a rocky patch as Kaoru's insecurities and inexperience with intimate relationships flair up.

-- Daigo complains to himself that Kaoru's ambiguous comments sting more than he lets on. -> Gnosis frequently makes ambiguous statements that can be taken quite sharply, such as his insistence that Enciodes let him play the scapegoat in BI, and his snide remarks when they meet up again in Victoria.

-- Kaoru's subordinates like him better now that he has softened up somewhat thanks to his relationship with Daigo. -> Gnosis is much less abrasive in The Rides to Lake Silberneherze, and his relationship with Enciodes is much more harmonious than in Break The Ice; he and his work are also much more respected than in BI.

-- Even so, Daigo's friends point out that Kaoru is a scary person. -> The Karlan Trade employees also fear Gnosis.

-- Kaoru and Daigo are described as strangers or business partners by day, lovers by night. -> Enciodes and Gnosis have much more intimate conversations off the clock than on.

-- Daigo seeks more intimacy from Kaoru than he's willing to give at the moment. -> Enciodes is the softer one emotionally of the two, and the one who emphasizes their emotional bond far more, such as when he reminds Gnosis that Gnosis is his dearest friend.

-- Kaoru takes responsibility for one of his subordinate's shortcomings at a conference, stating that he did not give the man clear enough instructions. -> This is a bit tenuous, but Gnosis being a workaholic, CTO and Director of Karlan Trade, who's stated to care about the ends and not the means, it's not difficult to imagine him holding himself responsible for a mistake in such a way.

-- Kaoru has always enjoyed solitude since he was a child, and in fact took it as a blessing when he didn't have to be around people. -> Gnosis generally doesn't care for other people or being around them, nor dealing with them emotionally.

-- Kaoru has no intention of apologizing for telling Daigo off for losing his temper at work, despite Kaoru knowing no other way of expressing his feelings. -> Gnosis tells Enciodes off frequently regarding decisions he disagrees with, and never apologizes.

-- When Chiharu tells Kaoru to cut Daigo some slack lest he disappear like the "lesser men" before, Kaoru retorts that if Daigo was a lesser man, he wouldn't want him anyway. -> Gnosis is clear in his first module that should Enciodes falter or abandon their mutual dream in any way, he will cut ties with him. Additionally, Gnosis is of an exacting nature, and Enciodes mentions in BI that one must be capable of exceeding Karlan Trade's expectations to work with them. Gnosis also has high standards for his partners.

-- Kaoru struggles with classifying Daigo as a lover or as a sex friend (i.e. fuckbuddy), as one is an intimate relationship and the other has no strings attached. -> Again in his module, Gnosis worries about whether or not his relationship with Enciodes will survive their personality changes. Gnosis never calls Enciodes his "friend" outside of his oprec as a child, the rest of the time they are simply "partners-in-crime."

The last three chapters entail Kaoru playing Daigo against his ex-sex friend Ian Evans purely to satisfy his own ego and and insecurity as Daigo's jealousy makes him feel happy and wanted. This backfires when Daigo has enough of being toyed with and leaves, and I must say that there are much fewer similarities here, but there are still a few notable things.

-- Kaoru reflects that ever since he was a young, he has always been unwanted. -> This is mostly personal theory, but it's easy to read Gnosis's parents, particularly his father, as neglectful when Mr. Edelweiss frequently forgets Gnosis exists.

-- Chiharu notes that Kaoru has never been in love before, and doesn't know how to strike a balance in their relationship. -> Gnosis has precious few interpersonal relationships outside of Enciodes, and treats most people in an abrasive manner, similarly to the way he is tsun to Enciodes. His file again emphasizes that although he understands others' emotions, he has no energy for them; it's not difficult to surmise that Gnosis, due to his ostracization as a child and difficult personality, doesn't really have experience in relationships.

-- Chiharu also observes that Daigo has finally found his match in Kaoru, and loves him so much that he's willing to forgive anything. -> Again, Enciodes and Gnosis are equals mentally and intellectually, and Enciodes forgives essentially everything Gnosis does, up to potentially forgiving Gnosis even for being involved in his parents' murder.

-- Chiharu also comments that Kaoru has spent his entire life living in a shell, and now that he's come out of it and experienced the warmth of being loved, he can no longer return to the way he was before. -> Gnosis is changed by Enciodes's friendship, and Enciodes reaching out to him as a child changes the course of his life completely.

-- Kaoru grimly commits to getting past his break-up with Daigo despite how miserable he is. -> Gnosis commits to the outcome of the gambit in BI heedless of the unhappy consequences to himself or Enciodes, as well as accepting the negative effects of the events which happen outside of his control, such as his position and exile from Kjerag.

-- When Kaoru has a breakdown during a company party, Daigo realizes that Kaoru would hate losing his composure in public and knocks him out and carries him out. -> While not a direct parallel, Gnosis is also carried out elsewhere during what Degenbrecher refers to as one of his most emotional moments.

-- Daigo reflects that he's run away from his true self, and this is the consequence of his actions. -> Enciodes never shies away from the consequences of his actions.

-- Daigo comments to an unconscious Kaoru, "You've lost weight." Yes, really. -> I don't need to explain this one, I hope, as everyone should remember the way Enciodes opened up the "farce" in BI with that exact line.

-- Kaoru awkwardly apologizes for his behavior, and Daigo immediately forgives him. -> Enciodes always forgives Gnosis for everything.

-- Kaoru admits that he's been harsh to Daigo who has always been sweet to him and lets him take control of their relationship. -> Enciodes is the leader of the Karlan Trio, but Enciodes makes no move to stop Gnosis when he decides to do something (such as his plot in BI).

-- Daigo says Kaoru is much sweeter to him now. -> As I said above, Gnosis is much nicer to Enciodes in RS after their disagreements in BI.

In the third volume, Mens' Love, the relationship continues to develop, facing new challenges in the form of Daigo's blood relations this time. There are less parallels here, but for the sake of completion, I will cover it nonetheless.

-- Daigo is placed under extreme stress running the Japanese branch of Mercury, piled with impossible projects from the HQ that he nonetheless continues to accept in order to prove himself as capable of his position, as he is an illegitimate son, working himself to the point of exhaustion despite internal speculation that he is being intentionally ostracized. -> Enciodes often works late and comments on being tired, insisting on handling everything himself, heedless of whatever speculation may follow.

-- Kaoru is also under heavy stress in Chiharu's absence, and the lovers have no time to meet outside of business. -> Enciodes mentions in RS that he's been "increasingly busy with many things", implied to be personal matters, which are causing rumors to spread as he does not show his face in public often. Both Enciodes and Gnosis place business ahead of their personal matters.

-- Continued from above, Kaoru takes time to offer Daigo emotional support after hearing about his troubles from president Toudou, meeting Daigo late at night and lending him a sympathetic ear and a lap to sleep on. -> Gnosis emotionally supports and reassures Enciodes in RS during one of his most stressful moments, and comments that normally he would arrange care for Enciodes's wounded hands.

-- Kaoru is still baffled why Daigo puts up with someone like him. -> Again, Gnosis is somewhat abrasive in personality and regards himself as an outsider, but Enciodes is unfazed by this. It's not difficult to picture Gnosis unable to understand being liked when very few people do.

-- Daigo and Kaoru both admit that it was only thanks to the moral and emotional support of the other that they were able to accomplish their tasks flawlessly. -> Though they don't admit it as explicitly, being partners(-in-crime) allows Enciodes and Gnosis to achieve what they cannot do alone. Again, Gnosis supports Enciodes emotionally in RS, and Enciodes also supports Gnosis off the clock, particularly when he is drunk.

Daigo's father calls him from America to inform him that he has set up an arranged marriage for Daigo, one that will form a political alliance with another company and make him officially part of the family. Daigo refuses to break things off with Kaoru, but is given pause when his father reminds him that him being part of the family is his beloved mother's dearest wish.

The parallel here is more meta than anything--I couldn't help but be reminded of those accursed and hateful bloodline memes, albeit inverted. And while we have no evidence to suggest Olafur would impress such a thing upon his children, it is true that political marriages amongst the nobility were common. While I personally do not believe the marriage of Olafur and Elizabeth was politically motivated nor arranged in any way, I do think it is the connection the Duke of Caster used to make inroads into Kjerag, and perhaps even Olafur himself valued this connection though he may have not expected the Victorians to be quite so cruel or crafty. But this is merely speculation on my part.

-- A stark contrast is drawn between Daigo's mother and Kaoru's mother: though both raised their sons alone, Daigo's mother sacrificed her health for him and he wishes to see to her happiness, while Kaoru's mother never did anything for him but curse his existence. -> While Enciodes himself is somewhat and ironically dismissive of his father as a child, Gnosis idolizes and admires Olafur greatly, while shunning his own father, and the contrast between the forward-thinking and exploratory Olafur and the reclusive and ever reiterating Mr. Edelweiss is clear in Gnosis's eyes.

-- Daigo's father sends some of his people to meet Kaoru in Japan, and they present Kaoru with a blank check to break up with Daigo and threatens to expose his orientation and force him to lose his job. -> While we don't have explicit evidence of such specific methods, we do know that nobody was happy to see Gnosis in Enciodes's company when they returned from Victoria together. Given the "sugar daddy" rumors, some underhanded business, potentially even bribery, is within the realm of plausibility.

-- Though initially disturbed by the news of Daigo supposedly getting married, Kaoru spends the night thinking it through and concludes that Daigo must be trapped or manipulated in some form of guilt or obligation rather than remaining in America by choice. -> Enciodes and Gnosis are able to innately grasp the reasoning behind each other's actions without exchanging words regardless of what may appear to be happening on the surface.

-- As Daigo reluctantly lingers in New York and Kaoru finds himself at his wit's end, Kaoru takes matters into his own hands and clears his pending projects to fly to America to meet Daigo since Daigo will not come to him... -> Gnosis is also prone to taking matters into his own hands and making executive decisions when unhappy or displeased with a situation.

-- ...Though not without telling Daigo to go ahead and get married, much to Daigo's shock, as he had been keeping the whole affair secret so as not to worry Kaoru. -> Gnosis also catches Enciodes by surprise when he says Enciodes should let him be the one to bring down the other clans in BI, letting on that he already knows and suspects more than Enciodes does. Enciodes, too, did not mention the plan as he did not want Gnosis to execute it on account of the consequences to himself.

-- Daigo wants to know the real reason Kaoru is there, and Kaoru tells him that he's there to erase him and then himself. Although he says he would never allow it as he takes responsibility for handling the situation poorly, Daigo confesses that he's ecstatic by Kaoru's possessiveness. -> Not to repeat myself, but Enciodes has never been bothered by Gnosis's radical streak nor his oft-violent way of resolving matters.

-- Kaoru encourages Daigo to make his own decision and pursue what he wants even if he has to be selfish about it. -> Gnosis pushes Enciodes to make decisions he thinks are better, though they may not always be as perfect as Enciodes desires, and indeed, one of his chief criticisms of Enciodes is that he always believes he can achieve the "perfect outcome." Furthermore, Enciodes's behavior towards Gnosis is perhaps the most "selfish" he's ever been, as he nigh-demands that Gnosis will stay with him in Kjerag, and repeatedly emphasizes to Gnosis that "this undertaking is ours together," rather than letting Gnosis go to do his own thing.

The volume ends with Daigo refusing the marriage yet again and informing his father that he's returning to Japan, as well as the marriage being called off as the Toudou president is unhappy about Mercury threatening one of their employees and losing the Toudou Group's alliance outweighs the benefits of the marriage. I don't really have much to say about this except it's an interesting situation to picture the Silverashes in.

Now, while I confess perhaps more than a few of the parallels I've pointed out here have been a bit of a stretch and up to personal interpretation and headcanon, the way many of the character traits and several plot developments have matched up with Silverweiss and the way I personally read and interpret the characters of Enciodes and Gnosis them was a rather mysterious and peculiar experience.

In conclusion, perhaps rather than it being a remarkable and funny coincidence that there exists a BL drama CD starring both the voices of Enciodes and Gnosis, perhaps it is that Enciodes and Gnosis star together in a heavily subtextual story and in their own drama CD because of the yaoi...

[homestuckreplay]

SIGN ME UP FOR YOUR IDIOTIC CLOWN RELIGION OK.

(page 1995-2010)

Homestuck has passed 2000 pages!! Wow that’s a lot of comic. Who’d have known 2000 pages ago that we’d be hanging out with a little gray kid on an alien planet, millions of years before John Egbert even exists. Not me. And not Andrew Hussie either. And yet the transition to this feels pretty natural.

I don’t know much about Alternia yet, but my first impression is that it’s just ‘mask off Earth’. Specifically talking about modern Western culture (aka the culture where Homestuck comes from), we construct this veneer of a polite and civilized society where everything follows rules and traditions, and where we as humans are rational creatures who should be ‘above’ animals and our own biological needs. Meanwhile Alternia is like asking ‘what if we admitted that the world is a bad place where people constantly do harm to each other, and where being a biological creature is both inherently gross and inescapable. what if society simply accepted these facts and did not try to hide or change them?’ The trolls have terrible nightmares as they sleep in their own disgusting slime, are forced through painful and difficult ordeals as children, don’t have great respect for arts like fashion and poetry, and their upper class literally have different colored blood which (to them) legitimates their own importance. I’m sure it sucks ass to live on Alternia but it sounds kind of refreshing to live in a place that doesn’t even pretend to play fair.

The fact that Alternia has the same movies and TV shows as Earth means their societies must be far more similar than they are different, because media is so much a product of the culture it comes from. Also, ‘50 First Dates’, ‘Serendipity’ and ‘Hitch’ are all already fairly literal titles! And movies on Earth are often categorized by genre, by tropes, and by comparisons to other, similar movies! So Alternia is just taking this to its logical conclusion by having its movie titles basically be their TVTropes pages, where people decide whether to watch them based on whether or not they enjoy the individual elements they’re composed of. It seems wacky and different at first glance, but on deeper consideration it’s really not.

All of this might not hold up as I learn more about Alternia, but this is definitely the lens I’m looking at it through right now. And to be honest all writers are humans (as far as I know) and it’s incredibly hard to write an alien society that feels meaningfully different from Earth as we’re all so influenced by our own experiences, and especially in a comedy webcomic where Hussie probably hasn’t sat down to do extensive complex worldbuilding (for one thing, when would they have the time), there will be similarities just due to shortcuts, assumptions and biases.

I watched Karkat’s movies! I saw Serendipity a while back when he first mentioned it and it sucked ass. Hitch was pretty good though – 2005 Will Smith is cute, there’s genuine chemistry between both of the main couples, and the characters feel more fully realized than the average romcom, so I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys the genre. 50 First Dates was not good but it was fascinating, so I get why Karkat likes it even though he has a hard time defending it (p.1998). It has many flaws (racism, misogyny, unnecessary grossout humor) but it really takes the premise of Lucy’s short term memory loss and runs with it, acknowledging the horrors and genuinely exploring what that would mean for her ability to have a relationship and a future, and I kind of respect it for that.

Back when the trolls and kids started talking, I noted that Homestuck was starting to explicitly discuss romance – for example, Dave accusing GA of having a crush on Rose (p.1589). That all went away later in act 4, which was very plot-focused, with the exception of Mom and Dad’s meeting and holding hands. But Karkat specifically liking romantic movies could be a return to that theme. Twelve trolls offer far more options for romantic pairings than four kids, half of which are siblings.

My boy Karkat doesn’t even need a Sburb server player to destroy his house. Apparently he is doing a fine job of it all on his own with this dumbass modus.

Hivebent already feels ominous for a few reasons. First and most obvious, the darker color palette. Second, the ~ATH (TILDEATH) manual. John also has this manual (p.115) and has unsuccessfully tried coding with it (p.24), but never looked inside. It’s full of skulls, bones, graves and grim reapers (aesthetically very cool) and its ‘logic is composed of nothing but infinite loops’ (p.2002). Sort of like paradox space?? Like how John creates himself through ectobiology, sends his baby self to Earth on a meteor, grows up to create himself, in an infinite loop? Kind of like that but now about death, instead of birth perhaps?

‘You certainly wouldn't get all that worked up about a game that happened to allow you to do such a thing. At least not for that reason.’ (p.2003)

Third, this quote – maybe it’s because I know Sburb is a fucked up game that destroys planets and ruins lives, but this is a very menacing, VERY loaded line to me. (It was the final line of June 13th’s update and definitely stuck with me overnight). Sburb too has necromantic capabilities, so this could tie into the Bone Manual from above.

And fourth, the Hivebent title card. A few pages ago, we were told there wouldn’t be ‘time to drag out every little gag and expected pattern’ (p.1993) and this shows even in the art – it’s three still images, compared to John’s title card (p.82) where time was taken to animate the sequence in Flash. But in this case the pattern is upheld, because its purpose – illuminating the POV character’s mental state – is fulfilled the following page. It’s just that Karkat’s mental state is far more action-oriented and ambitious than the more contemplative, trapped kids.

Karkat’s computer looks like it’s made out of biological material, powered by wires going into something soft and slimy. This is kind of like how Skaian chess constructs are made through biological/genetic processes, so, much like the Harleys + Mom Lalonde are already using Skaian technology on Earth, it seems like that’s seeded itself on Alternia already, though in different forms.

I’ve heard that the Alternian language is based on some existing fantasy language but I think it’d be fun to puzzle it out for myself if I have a minute. ‘GAME GRUB EXCLUSIVE LEAKS’, which gets translated in text on page 2007, is probably enough to get started and then fill in some blanks from there.

Pages that aren’t titled with commands are now titled ‘======>’ instead of ‘==>’. Six equals signs for twelve lines in total, representing twelve characters, instead of four. This is just a cool detail, and another way that the characters bleed into the actual structure of the comic.

On the last page of today’s update, there’s a NEW TROLL!! terminallyCapricious, who has messaged Jade (p.1390) at a time when she wasn’t opening the trolls’ message, is now here via pesterlog. Back when I was a forums kid using BBCode tags, I used to use [color=indigo] for all my posts, so I feel an instant connection to this troll. Also, TA and GC both get namedropped (initialdropped?) here, so the initial group of six who’ll play Sburb is starting to come together. My guess is we’ll meet these six first and see them begin the session, with the other six joining the story later.

TC and CG both come off very badly in this conversation, which essentially means that the trolls were always awful, they didn’t become so due to the trials of Sburb interfering in their previously good friendships. Karkat is constantly rude to TC, calling them an awful friend and saying it’s cosmic punishment to even know them, which is a bad way to talk to someone even if you’re trying to distance yourself from them, unless Karkat likes making himself angry. Meanwhile, TC has some highly anti-intellectual attitudes that are harmful and which I associate with fundamentalist Christianity (on Earth). Speaking of which – Karkat is the first to mention God, which suggests some kind of mainstream troll religion, and then refers to TC’s ‘IDIOTIC CLOWN RELIGION’ a few messages later (p.2010). These may or may not be the same religion. But given that there’s already some religious imagery in Sburb (John biting the apply, for example), I’m interested to see religion explored in Alternian society.

okay I said so much here and I didn’t even delve into karkat character analysis. god damn.

[alpaca-clouds]

The Culture War is not real

Okay, I kinda feel like we need to talk about this sometime this month, because this entire bullshit has created so much fucking harm already.

Whenever a movie or game comes out, that people within the "culture war" hate on one side, and love on the other, inevitably the narrative will be spun around how the relation of the movie or game is to the culture war.

Baldur's Gate 3 is one of the most popular game in years? Ha, people love queer games, say's the queers.

Hogwart's Legacy is also super popular? Ha, people actually hate trans people, say's the anti-woke professional whiners.

Black Panther and Captain Marvel are box office hits? Haha, says the people who want more diversity: Diversity wins!

Phase 4 and 5 of the MCU, which is generally more diverse than those before, mainly fail? Haha, says the professional whiners, people are tired of your woke DEI non-sense.

The thing is... both sides are wrong.

Because most of the real world does not really care. Most people could not care less. One way or another. Most people do not care how much representation a game or movie has. Most people do not care whether a game or movie is racist or homophobic (they usually just do not even have the knowledge to realize those tropes as such). Most people do not even care whether a game or movie is particularly good (also see: Mindcraft movie mox office).

All they care about is that a game or movie is fun and distracting for a bit.

Was Dragon Age: The Veilguard a financial disaster because it had trans characters? No! It was a financial disaster because it came 10 years after the last game of the franchise, meaning that the franchise was dead in public consciousness and nobody even remembered much about it, while it also managed to alienate at least some of the hardcore fanbase that stuck around due to being quite different to older titles.

The issue is just, that the people who are chronically online do not notice this, due to living in an echo chamber, where everyone they come across either is vehemently for diversity in media, or vehemently against it.

Then people will go: "This one YT video that spoke very much about this issue in one way or another got 2 million views!" Which... cool. you get that that is not even 1% of the US population (let alone the entire anglosphere)? And any given Blockbuster trailer will have 10 to 15 times as many views (which still is not a lot, mind you).

Most people do not care one way or another about the culture war. The only reason you think it does is two-fold: 1) Because if you read this there a good chance you are chronically online in a space where people care about it, and 2) because media generally cares about it, due to culture war drama being a good way to fill in programming holes on those useless 24/7 news channels. And, yes, sadly there is enough people in the deciding positions of some companies, that also care too much, partly because they got baited into the culture war, and partly because they listen too much to the aforementioned 24/7 channels.

And of course much of the creative force in many studios is actually neurodivergent queer people, who actually do just want to make diverse games, because they are the people who want to see themselves represented. (Which then lets them clash with the financial force being those same studios, who often - as noted - get baited into the other side.)

But the truth is: At least 80% of the people out there really do not care one way or another. They will watch a movie that has queer people, Black people and trans people in it. Some of them might grumble a bit about one of the groups or another, sure, but they will still watch it if it is a fun movie, Most of them, if they are a gamer, will play a game with those parameters. Again, some will grumble, but it is gonna be still fine.

And frankly, we all would be off so much better if the media had not picked up on the entire culture war bullshit, because this is the thing that made a mountain out of a molehill.

Most folks out there really do not mind if you put pronouns in your bio. They might not do it themselves, but they don't mind that you do it. They might also get your they/thems and neo-pronouns wrong, but not really because they mean will, just because they have issues adjusting, even though they might get annoyed after a while if they do not manage it and you correct them and so on. But generally they do not mean ill.

And don't get me wrong: many of them absolutely do hold some racist, misogynist, homophobic, transphobic and ableistic bias, because they grew up in a society that normalizes this. I mean, most people who care about diversity and inclusion hold this bias and it will show from time to time. Nobody is perfect.

In an ideal world, it would have just pettered out.

We just do not live in an ideal world. Because in this world Gamer Gate happened, and media picked up on this stuff bieng good clickbait. Partly, because no matter what you write: both sides (of permanently online people) will clock on it and share it, either to agree with it or to be outraged, and a lot of normal folks will still look at some news paper on it due to humans loving drama.

And this created the idea that this is a much bigger issue than it actually is.

Mainly what is happening here is three-fold:

Two fairly small group on the internet scream at each other about diversity in media representation.

Many creatives due to large overlaps between creative types, neurodivergency and queerness being part of one group, while studio executives often are part of the other group.

Media using this drama as clickbait.

But due to Rando Randomson not having this context, Rando Randomson thinks this is a much bigger thing than it actually is, and that due to this Rando needs to have an opinion on it. So he takes up one of the two extreme opinions. This goes doubly if he is American and has fallen for the entire FREEDOM🦅 bullshit, making him think that somehow someone wants to force HIM to be gay or something.

Again, most people do not care much one way or another - at least in terms of media (they might whine a bit if their kid is queer in any way, because again, society). But when they are asked on it and pressed on it, they think they need to care.

To be frank: No, I do not know a solution for this, other than reminding people that indeed, the culture war is just a screaming match between two small very opinionated minorities online. And if it was treated as such, it never would have gotten that bad. We never would have gotten Trump, to be frank.

And right now... I guess we just can keep reminding people of the fact that this is just not real. And that there are real issues out there.

And mind you: I am one of those very opinionated people, who thinks that yes, I actually want only queer media and leave me alone with straights, and in fact, if I did not have to watch a single movie or show with white people in a year, I would be happy, too. And because of this I do join the screaming match regularly, because I am afraid that if I do not scream, in the end the other side drowns out the pro-queer side and we will only get cishet white bullshit for another decade. But... man. Just man.

[fall0utmind]

Okay you guys liked this a lot. So. Here's the thoughts.

So i actually think 2027 would make more sense

Marcs retired from MotoGP (10 titles included)

The written bit will skip the lead up, although I might make a mini series with different one shots etc. However the main bit is the race in this one-shot.

Vale and marc teammates, 3rd person TBC - open to suggestions.

At first it was awkward af, but they're professionals.

All very based on this year and how dead Robert Kubica was at the end.

Imagine that, but Marc. They're winning, and Marc is breaking the curse for Valentino (who always dnfs at Le mans- in MotoGP too). Except they kinda screw Marc over by making him do a load of back-to-back stints at the end. He's in that car for 3.5 hours, exhausted, also his arm is in agony, meaning he can barely use it.

Hes dehydrated and tired, stops answering the radio. Valentino is PACING in the garage, he's kinda pissed at the team for doing this anyways (like why should Marc finish the race, also why would they leave him in for so long?) But also worried as hell. Because he knows Marc, knows that he won't say he's in pain.

They don't have enough of a gap to driver swap btw- this is their only chance of a win. So marc pushes on. Like he always does.

Lots of angst going on in and out of that car.

When they win, Marc says something to Vale (who has to help him out the car) which is farrrr to vulnerable and honest.

Bonus points for Vale holding him up on the podium.

(Marc has to be checked by medical after, Vale takes him, this is the start of their true reconcilliation).

This is sooooo loose rn but I like the idea so much. It won't be a long work but hey its not a bad shout.

with the conclusion of le mans. I may write a fic of Marc and Vale teammates in 2026👀 i have ideas ok

[chirpsythismorning]

Yeah a teaser dropping on ST day would be cool. But can we agree that a DNA board reveal would be infinitely better?

[random-autie-fangirl]

I drew another Chara- living with the Dreemurrs edition

"The King and Queen treated the human child as their own. The underground was filled with hope."

I don't like this as much as the last one but oh well... I ended up rambling a huge amount in the tag, so if you want details and headcanons about the actual drawing again, you'll have to look pretty far down this time, sorry (Also, I ran out of tags after a while. Tumblr is tired of me, lol. I might reblog this more tags later if I remember what I was going to say.)

[mantisgodsdomain]

More notes for Roach conlanging. Roach has grammatical gender, in which only Male, Female, and Object are grammatical genders, whereas Worker uses feminine grammar, Queen and King use a slight variant on feminine grammar, and Drone, and Queen-Alate use masculine grammar. This is because King is derived from Queen, due to their similar positions in a colony, and Queen-Alate is derived from Drone, as both are forms of alate.

Queen is an alteration of feminine grammar that functionally just adds a handful of extra syllables to it, and King is an offsprout of Queen that uses the same grammar with different pronouns. Queen-Alate, despite the name, is derived from Drone, as they are both for referring to different types of alate ant.

Most Roach dialects are intelligible to speakers of Snakemouth Den Cordyceps Roach, but Snakemouth Den Cordyceps Roach is not entirely intelligable to speakers of Roach dialects due to a mix of the excessively specialized vocabulary caused by the specific needs of its speakers, the fact that its speakers do not necessarily have Roach mouthparts and thus may not pronounce syllables in a similar way, and due to the fact that Inanimate Object is a full grammatical gender that does not exist in any other dialect of roach and replaces a decent chunk of terminology for things that previously had Other Words For Them.

[bigcats-birds-and-books]

Books of 2025: February Wrap-Up.

As it turns out: Rereading your own novel manuscript twice (once for the original NaNo and once for the most-current-frankendraft) dramatically slows down the Reading Published Books train, which is fine! I had fun on all fronts! And I did a bunch of knitting, too, and everything I read this month was Good, Actually :D

Photos and/or reviews linked below:

THE LANGUAGE OF THE NIGHT - ★★★★★ Essays on writing, science fiction, and fantasy! Wound up loving this, per my Le Guin Usual, had to bust out the flaggies to mark passages. My favorite chapters were "Introduction to City of Illusions" (which I must track down a copy of immediately), "Talking about Writing," "The Stalin in the Soul," and "The Stone Ax and the Muskoxen."

METAL FROM HEAVEN - ★★★★★ Y'all this was SO FUCKING GOOD. It's pitched as for fans of Gideon the Ninth and The Princess Bride, because it's about messy lesbians and one in particular's quest for revenge against the industrialist who had her entire striking family killed. Personally, I'd also throw an Arcane comp in there for the class warfare and aesthetics and weird magical substance. Significant review linked, PLEASE go check this out, it was very excellent.

ODD THOMAS - ★★★★ Reread, to go with my own manuscript-rereading (this book was an Inspiration for my project, as was WtNV). I still love Odd so much. Fucked up, weird, funny, tragic book--if you've ever been curious about Koontz, try this one.

WHEN WOMEN WERE BIRDS - ★★★½ Received this in my nature writing subscription box, started it without meaning to on a random Tuesday, accidentally read the first three chapters because it sucked me in. Parts of this REALLY hit right for me and parts of it were just Meh--definitely depended on the particular Variation on Voice. The opening chapter is the author receiving her mother's journals, collected over a lifetime, and they're all blank. If you like memoirs, and feminism, and environmentalism, and birds, and writing, and Mormonism, or any combination thereof, check this out! Short little book, does neat stuff with white space.

Under the Cut: A Note About ~*★Stars★*~

Historically, I have been Very Bad™ about assigning things Star Ratings, because it's so Vibes Heavy for me and therefore Contingent Upon my Whims. (Example: I don't like that stars are Odd, because that makes three the midpoint and things are rarely so truly mid for me)(I have hacked my way around this with a ½, which is really only applicable for me at ★★★ and up). Here is, generally, how I conceptualize stars:

★ - This was Bad. I would actively recommend that you do NOT read this one, no redeeming qualities whatsoever, not worth the slog. Save Yourself, It's Too Late For Me. Book goes in the garbage (donate bin).

★★ - This was Not Good. I would not recommend it, but it wasn't a total waste or wash--something in here held my interest/kept my attention/sparked some joy. I will not be rereading this ever. Save Yourself (Or Join Me In Suffering, That Seems Like A Cool Bonding Activity).

★★★ - This was Good/Fine/Okay/Meh. I don't care about this enough to recommend it one way or another. Perfectly serviceable book, held my interest, I probably enjoyed myself (or at least didn't actively loathe the reading). I don't have especially strong feelings. You probably don't need to save yourself from this one--if it sounds like your jam, give it a shot! Just didn't resonate with me particularly powerfully. I probably won't reread this unless I'm after something in particular.

★★★½ - I liked this! I'll probably recommend it if I know it matches someone's vibes or specific requests, but I didn't commit to a star rating on Goodreads. More likely to reread, but not guaranteed.

★★★★ - I really enjoyed this!! I would recommend it (sometimes with caveats about content warnings or such--I tend to like weird fucked up funny shit, and I don't have many hard readerly NO's). Not a perfect book for me by any means, but Very Good. This is something I would reread! Join me!!

★★★★★ - I LOVED THE SHIT OUT OF THIS, IT REWIRED MY BRAIN, WILL RECOMMEND TO ANYONE AND EVERYONE AT THE SLIGHTEST PROVOCATION (content warning caveats still apply--see 4-star disclaimer). Excellent book, I'll reread it regularly, I'll buy copies for all my friends, I'll try to convince all of Booklr to read it, PLEASE join me!!

[shreddits-less-popular-opinions]

Real pretentious for rusties to call themselves burgundy…you don’t see any other caste arguing about what they’re called :////

}:0|

[toxicrevolver]

2024 K-Pop Wrapped Tag Game

Tagged by @onlyoneofsideblogtrashheep thanks for the tag 💚💚

Regardless of Spotify stats, share your personal k-pop favorites of the year. Of the k-pop content that was released in 2024, post:

Favorite Group Album: DREAM()SCAPE - NCT DREAM

Favorite Solo Album: Depth - Yuta (of course. The way I will never be over this sweeping my October receiptify. NCT solo albums are the best thing ever to me.)

Favorite Title Track: Work - Ateez (this bitch was number 2 for my Spotify wrapped top 5 songs if that tells you anything.)

Favorite B-Side: BOX - NCT DREAM (from the album DREAM()SCAPE) honorable mention to Flamin’ Hot Lemon - Jaehyun

Favorite Music Video: Liar - BUS

Favorite Collab Track: Hush-Hush - BE:FIRST featuring Ateez

Tagging (no pressure): @we-survive-endlessly @smushedmuffin @skinzchoerim and anyone else who wants to participate can blame me

My ramblings bcs me tags started being excessive:

The way I had to fully think and google what fucking albums came out this year is insane. 2023 and 2024 have just blurred together for me. What do you mean Fact Check came out in 2023 but Ten’s solo album was 2024. Whot. I deadass could NOT think what group albums came out this year that I actually listened to. I’m so behind on releases it’s ridiculous. I’m still not over most of 2023s music. How am I gonna cope in 2025. I ended up picking dream()scape purely bcs I clearly remember looping it several times at work or while playing video games and not skipping any songs.

The way Jaehyun’s solo music has had me in a CHOKEHOLD. UNCONDITIONAL WAS MY NUMBER 4 TOP SONG ON MY SPOTIFY WRAPPED. IT CAME OUT OCTOBER 24th. SPOTIFY STOPS TRACKING ON LIKE NOVEMBER 21st. I HAVE A PROBLEM. HIS ALBUM THREW ME FOR A LOOP BCS IM NOT TYPICALLY AN R&B FAN BUT GOOD GOD THIS SHIT SLAPPED. THERE IS NO WAY THAT MAN IS BITCHLESS.

Also. 3 NCT related things making the list. On brand. If NCT was just one giant lumped together Spotify group I swear they woulda been in my top 5 artists. But no. They’re separated bcs subunits and I gotta somehow divide my time or only pick certain subunits to make my chart. A hate crime.

[hausofanya]

i have to ask because ive seen the name spelled with and without the accent- is it cléo or cleo?

it’s cléo! and omg okay i actually had a written thing for this back when i was first setting my girl up but it’s lost in the void now…….. so her maternal grandmother grew up in france and was named anya right. huge huge pianist during her time. and it’s bc of her grandmother that cléo’s mom kemi grew up to be a child of the industry herself (MORE ON THAT LATER!) but kemi wanted to honor anya with her own daughter + just really liked the name cleo (which means to ‘make famous’ btw…) so: cléo anya! the accent is just there for decoration tbh i think it just makes it look prettier LMFAOOO

[moe-broey]

GIRL......................... suspension of disbelief I know but.

Obviously you can pick out a BUNCH of the dragons as that Is an ongoing trope (dragons aging differently than humans, so they can look younger than they "actually are") (also while I did try to avoid including them to make them more comparable to Nino, I think Flayn can fit in either category for the purposes of The Context -- esp cause her dragon blood is meant to be secret)

Not only do we have Heroes skewing younger (a lot fitting into another trope of What If There Was A Baby Sister) we also have Baby Banner. Where the whole point is they are baby.

LIKE....... maybe I'm speaking way too soon and maybe the whole point IS this will backfire LMFAO, but it IS absurd to be presented with her art (which, def still looks youthful!) and having her say yeah I can pass as a kidnapped child. Which COULD be true! But also what do you mean no one is going to know you're a part of the Heroes. Why is no one fighting her on this. Not even including the dragons there are like a handful of Heroes who fit into her exact vibe. Some even MORE baby than her.