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haunted-xander · 3 months

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Shadowbringers is about learning how to live.

Your enemy is stasis- everything and everyone is stagnant, they wait and wait for something to happen, but don't do anything to make it so (because the ones who tried before failed, because they don't know what to do/how to do it). People don't change, they don't try, not really. The crystarium is doing well, it's independent and sustainable, but it doesn't have the reach or power to do much outside of Lakeland. The Exarch is more-or-less confined to the city (because of the tower, because he's waiting for you), so even if he had power elsewhere, he'd be limited with how much he, personally, can do.

Eulemore is filled with mindless indulgence, there's no hardships or labour or anything but luxury for the free citizens, and the bonded only have to worry about fulfilling the task(s) they were brought for. The outside world doesn't matter, hard work doesn't matter, personal fulfillment beyond indulgence doesn't matter, everything exist solely in the moment. The people out in Kholusia have pretty much given up, they stay close to the city in the hopes that this time they will be picked, this time they will be saved. They wait and wait and do nothing but wait. The ones who try to live on are dying out or eventually give up and join the rest in waiting.

Ahm Areang, Rak'tika, even Il Mheg are all just waiting for something, anything to happen. They go day to day, surviving simply because it's all they can. Nothing changes.

Until, of course, you should up. You, who causes a ripple of change simply by existing, who can move the immovable by sheer will. You showed them that things can change, that things can, and will happen, if they just try. You show them that they can make things better, that there is an option besides waiting for a slow death, if they'd just grab fate by the neck and tell it "No. We are doing this my way".

And they do. They rally up together and do what they thought impossible. Not all their efforts succeed(not immediately), but they tried. They tried, they failed, and they got up and tried again and again until it did work. They take the chances, not knowing how it'll turn out (because it's not about whether it fails or succeeds, it's about having tried).

They learn how to try, little by little, and every step they learn what it means to really live.

Endwalker is about learning how to love life.

Your enemy is nihilism- the idea that nothing matters, that there is no real joy to be found that isn't snuffed out by misery. A concept that denounces greys in favor of a black-and-white view where black is all encompassing. Everywhere you go, people are doing what they can to survive, but refuses (or maybe are afraid to, or maybe never knew they could) try to actually save themselves. The Forum plans for escape, to leave their homeworld behind and take whatever they can afford. They will live on, but they won't be saved, no one is saved(and even with escape they aren't safe, Despair is everywhere and She will not stop until all has become Nothing).

The Loporrits love Etheirys, but in the way Winter loves Spring. They know about it, they are so close to it, but they are distant. They're strangers, they've never met. It's love, and it's pure and true, but it's also just love. It's surface-level(because the surface is all they had). Their love is pure but it's instinctual. Programmed. They love because they don't know how to not love. They want to save it's people, save us, but they don't know what it really means to save, so they create refuge instead(because that's what She told them to, because this is how love works for them).

The people of Garlemald are terrified, they are victims of extreme indoctrination, the (deserved) push-back their army got proved them "right"(that we are savage beasts to fear, that they are but prey in the maws of rabid dogs). They want to be build-up again, but what's left for them now? The world hates them(and it's all their fault, the ones who see past the propaganda know this, but who will listen to them?) and they are dying. It's so cold and the fuel is running out. They won't accept help, because they've been filled with the idea that there is no such thing as pure kindness from "savages"(and they are too prideful to question it, to break apart from the illusion that they are surperior, because they're terrified to face the truth).

The sky screams, the earth wheeps and the foundation of existence is overtaken by Despair, misery is around every corner and who knows what will happen now? Where do we go? What do we do? We live and live but for what?

What's the point of it all?

That's the question, and the answer is everything. We live because there is joy to be found. Because there is beauty in the world. Because there are stars in the sky. Because flowers bloom in spring. Because cats purr. Because waves crash against the shore. Because of every single little thing we can see, hear or feel. Because we love and are loved. Because there are things to do and discover. Because why not?

And you tell them this, by letting them see that there is more to life than the little they have seen. The Forum has closed it's eyes to anything but it's own kith and kin, everything outside of Old Sharlayan is irrelevant(non-intervention, always non-intervention) and it takes the entire world coming and telling them "We are here. We are alive, and we will make tomorrow happen." for them to realize they have slowly been killing themselves and what they stand for(you pride yourself on knowledge, but where is your wisdom? What do you truly know of things outside your own bubble? You do not know that which is lived because you refuse to aknowledge anything but the written word).

The Loporrits see Etheirys itself, they experience it's corners and valleys and learn what love can really be. They want to save it, truly save it, because they love and this time it's informed, it's personal(I love you, I love you, and I want you to know I love your loves too).

In Garlemald everything is slow, unsteady and complicated, but it's changing. They're changing. With every person who accepts help the illusion of supremacy and "purity" melts away just a bit, and the wall standing between them and us breaks a little(it will never vanish completely, years upon years of oppression and subjugation and conquest don't disappear like that, but it's a start).

Shadobringers is about learning how to live, but Endwalker is about learning how to love life.

#FINALLY I FOUND A WAY TO PUT IT TO WORDS #its like. shb is about trying and trying again and again regardless of how it turns out-#because life is a game of dice were any and all sides are possible #but you have to throw it. because if you dont you wont get anything- be it good or bad #and thats not living #and ew is like. doing things not because you have to but because you *want* to #you throw the dice because you want *that* side(s). because you want something (to happen/to exist/to love)#living is trying and loving is wanting. you cant love without life and you cant live without love. not really #i think moreso than any other expacs that shb & ew enhance each other when viewed together (in a broad sense- in a collective)#this turned halfway into poetry at the end but its the only way i could put it that made like. sense to me. its about Feeling and loving and #living and everything all at once #tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow #final fantasy #final fantasy 14 #final fantasy xiv #ff14 #ffxiv #shadowbringers #endwalker #xander rambles #going insane. my brain is melting and being build up again and again and again

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nana-mania · 1 year

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pls can you do a part 2 for the red flags of bllk characters!! it was so good!

࿐*ೃ sure!! i actually plan to do for more characters in part 3 so characters suggestion is highly encouraged! (4 CHARACTERS MAXIMUM)

“HIS RED FLAGS” - PART 2 - what does he do that make him an obvious red flag?

╰┈➤: ̗̀➛ headcanon

࿐*ೃ feat : reo mikage, seishiro nagi, oliver aiku, rin itoshi

࿐*ೃ fandom : blue lock

࿐*ೃ extra : gn! reader, angst.

࿐*ೃ trigger warning : cheating, manipulation, profanities, toxic relationship.

REO MIKAGE

╰┈➤: ̗̀➛ Reo would be the best, most perfect partner ever if only he believes that not everything can be resolved through his wealth. He loves you, he does but you're never his priority. All he cares about is his football career. He barely has time for you, often spending time with Seishiro to practice soccer together until dusk nearly everyday. When you tell him about your worries, you expect him to take action and finally considers to mend the relationship again. But he never. He just gives you tons of money and tells you to have fun by yourself to cheer you up. When you insist him to spend quality time with you, he harshly rejects you by saying he is busy. Indeed, he is busy. He is busy being Seishiro's servant and prioritizing his happiness more than yours.

“Sorry, Y/n. Not today. I have practice.”

“I told you, I don't have the leisure time to play around. I need to practice soccer!”

“Just take this money and enjoy yourself. Leave me alone and never speak about this matter ever again.”

SEISHIRO NAGI

╰┈➤: ̗̀➛ Seishiro...is lazy, in general and in all ways. Relationship is a hassle for him to handle due to his lazy nature. He never make an effort to spice up nor mending his relationship with you. If it happens, it happens. That's his motto, one that he never fail to hold onto. Seishiro basically doesn't even care about you let alone your feelings for him in the slightest bit. He is solely using your vulnerability to his advantage. In all honesty, he only engages in relationship with you because he thinks you would be useful to assist him with his daily needs. You're a gullible person who simply follows all his orders like a servant, only thinking you only do this out of love and casting aside the fact you're being manipulated by your own boyfriend. He asks for breakfast? You make one for him. He tells you to wash all his clothes while he play games? You gladly do so. This goes on for a while until you realize how wrong this is and confronts Seishiro about it. The result, he never give a flying fuck. Instead, Seishiro manipulates you into thinking this is your own fault and makes you feel much worse.

“So...what's your point actually? You're blaming me over your own stupidity?”

“You're really dumb, Y/n. So dumb that it took you this long to notice.”

“Apologize? I never do anything wrong. It isn't like I hit you or anything.”

OLIVER AIKU

╰┈➤: ̗̀➛ We all know what this man is capable of; cheating. From the start of the relationship, he has dropped countless obvious hints. During date, you will always find his eyes lingering on other people as he “admires” them with a lustful smirk on his face. When you confront him, Oliver just brushes it off and says you're overreacting. It doesn't matter how many times you scold him, he will repeat his doing. And as time passes, he straightout flirts with anyone that catches his interest right in front of you. Daring to even exchange number while his lips curves into a seductive smirk. He barely has time for you and frequently leaving the house to have fun with his “friends”, which turns out to be his secret lover, one that he has been cheating on you with for a long time.

“Jeez, you're overreacting too much. I'm just being nice to them.”

“What's wrong with getting their number? You know me, I like making new friends!”

“Come on...can you just be open-minded and let me do anything I want? I can date anyone I want besides you. You have no control over my life.”

RIN ITOSHI

╰┈➤: ̗̀➛ You and Rin were like dream lovers, perfect for each other and completed each other's heart. That's it, until the dispute between Rin and his older brother happened that drastically changed him...and his relationship with you. Rin is not as sweet and as caring he used to be, solely focusing on his goal to surpass and beat his older brother in their unhealthy rivalry. He has become more distant and acts colder toward you. There is no spark of joy in the relationship anymore, with Rin drifting apart from you and you hurting from his cold-hearted treatment. You try to be there for him, supporting him in his journey to be the best striker to prove to his older brother but your efforts are often overlooked and left unappreciated by Rin. In fact, he sees you as a nuisance rather than his biggest supporter.

“I don't have time for you. Screw off, (Y/n).”

“You interrupted my practice to tell me to fucking rest? Are you telling me to laze around?”

“From now on, stop visiting me during practice. You are a fucking nuisance.”

࿐*ೃ thanks for reading this headcanon! likes and reblogs are deeply appreciated ♡

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funnycreatortimetravel · 1 month

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So the Madoka Magica movie is coming out and there's a lot of speculation about how it's going to end (or rather, be the start of a new series of movies/a show? Idk, it was extremely vague.)

And while I love the idea of Homura and Madoka ending up together because they both deserve some happiness, I can't help but feel like the best ending for Homura at this point is letting Madoka go so she can become a healthy adult (which, let's be real, that's not possible in this world.)

And by "letting go," I don't mean cutting contact or abandoning her, I mean they can still be friends while Homura can become a person who sees herself worthy of living with or without Madoka. Because as much as I love my favorite tragic lesbians, Homura isn't her own person in the relationship with Madoka.

Like, Madoka has a loving family, loving friends, and people cheering her on. And even if she doesn't believe she's good enough to do anything, she still objectively has things going for her, a safety net if you will. And she still has a goal in mind that doesn't involve one specific person, but rather she wants to become someone that people can depend on/wants to help other people (regardless if this is at the cost of herself.) I'm not saying it's a good or even a healthy goal but with some tweaks, I could see the goal becoming something she could work toward as a means of personal growth and not just because she thinks she's useless.

Meanwhile, Homura doesn't even have parents as far as we're concerned.

The only ties she has that we're told about are the catholic school she attended and the hospital she pretty much lives in. No friends, no family, and no aspirations of her own. And because of her circumstances, she really wouldn't be able to. It's no fault of her own. I get why, then, she attaches herself to someone like Madoka. I'm sure ANYONE would attach themselves to Madoka if they were in the position Homura was in.

And then that starts the obsession. A long, tiring journey in which this poor girl sacrifices her mental health, her youth, countless years spent trying to save this doom girl and her doomed friends while she herself is also doomed. She's pretty much made herself Madoka's sole protector while also not allowing herself to even do or enjoy the one thing she wanted in the first place; being Madoka's friend.

It's all but confirmed that Homura hates everything about herself as seen in her backstory and rebellion when she was destroying her labyrinth. Her saving Madoka is the one good thing she thinks she's associated with, so much so that she's OK with dying either to protect Madoka or in a world without her.

Like, the concept of one person being the only reason you continue existing is so unhealthy (note that I'm not saying their relationship itself is, it's just her mindset.) I completely understand wanting to help your friend you know...not die a terrible death, but Homura doesn't think she has anything going for her outside of protecting someone else and that's such a sad thought to me. She thinks of all her past friends as enemies now, and she alienated herself from everyone. She thinks, now, that it's her versus Kyubey, the other magical girls, and Madoka herself. The girl is borderline, if not entirely, suicidal.

I'm hoping so badly that in the next movie, this is the start of healing for Homura (though it probably won't be because Mr. Uro loves his sad/bitter-sweet endings.) I hope this is the start where she's able to piece together who she is outside of wanting Madoka, who she could've been had Kyubey not manipulated her and the other girls into making contracts, had her parents not died, had her body not been as fragile as it was, had her confidence been strong, had she felt she was good enough to befriend and get close to other people without fearing her hurting them or them hurting her.

Sayaka was able to let the bitterness of not being with Kyosuke go, accepting that even though she wanted him, she couldn't be with him and even if she was, she never would've been happy. She was able to realize the flaws in her "ideal magical girl" concept and accept the fact that she's just one person and even though she's not perfect and didn't get the thing she wanted, she's still able to be a hero in her own right in the company of people who actually love and support her because she's Sayaka Miki, not because she's a heroic magical girl.

Mami was able to be honest with herself, similar to Sayaka, that she's not a perfect person, that the perfect magical girl illusion was never her. She's able to admit to herself that she was inherently selfish that all she wanted was friends and family, and that there's nothing wrong with that. She doesn't have to keep up the pressures of being perfect and mature and all-knowing because, at the end of the day, she is still that little girl who almost died in a car crash that claimed her parents' lives, and she has to live with the fact that she didn't and wasn't able to save them even when she had the chance to. And she's able to come to terms with the fact that though she was alone, she didn't have to be lonely. She's able to realize that it's not too late for her and she can make her own family that will stick around with her, flaws and all. And she can be a good role model for her little sister surrogate and also orphan Nagisa, but this time, she can be a realistic big sister rather than an idealistic one.

Kyoko can move past the pain of her family's demise, and unlike Mami, feels as though she is directly responsible for it. She was a naive kid who only wanted the best for her family and yet, by doing the "right thing" her father goes on a massive suicide-homicide rampage and she's left to think that her naivety, that her wanting to do the right thing, was what killed them. But no, it wasn't. It's ok to have hope and to have the desire to help others and do the right thing. While the actions of the wish were undesirable, it didn't change the fact that Kyoko's heart was in the right place and that she could continue to try to help others without fear of it coming back to haunt her. She can let the tense guard she's had up since her family's death and enjoy the little things in life she never got to when she was too poor; food, drink, comfort, and having others around that care about you. While she thought that it was her wish and her misunderstanding of what her father wanted that ultimately killed her family, it's the same desire and intentions that push her to save Sayaka and befriend her and the other girls later on.

Now Madoka is an interesting case because she, like Homura, is sort of trapped in being who they were before they gained powers.

Now that Madoka is essentially back to where she started (unlike everyone else who at least has something/someone in their lives now in Rebellion compared to the OG series where they were missing those intimate connections) again,

she's left to feel like she's missing a key part of herself (only in the OG series, she was missing the confidence she had the in OG timeline as a magical girl whereas, in Rebellion, she's literally the missing part of the Law of Cycles) and you're left to wonder if she'll be satisfied, or will she challenge this new world that seems too good to be true, a world that was made just for her and only her?

And Homura?

Poor Homura.

Being an orphan and having no one, not even doctors or nurses it looks like, be close to you? Being unable to live comfortably due to a physical condition you had no say in? Having to be behind because of said physical condition and then having an inferiority complex WHILE teachers belittle you for things out of your control? So then you consider yourself a burden and truly believe only death and loneliness await you? AND YOU’RE ONLY 14???

And then you think you've met this amazing person, this girl who thinks you're interesting and cool with no ulterior notices, a girl with amazing powers that are as wonderful as her only to have the rug pulled under you and realize that the cost of those powers and your protection is her's and others like her inevitable demise.

So then you attempt to right that wrong because even further than your want to save your friends, you know the system that they're in is objectively terrible and needs to be torn down.

But then you try to warn said friends about the system and all they do is belittle you and admit they're comfortable in something that's designed to kill them before they turn twenty, and when (or even if) they're finally aware of the system and the terrible reality of it, they STILL blame you for not telling them sooner even though you tried your damn hardest? Or even worse, try to KILL you after they find out for themselves?

And then top that off with an oppressive alien race trying to control you and pretty much end your life prematurely or turn you into an immortal Lovecraftian Paper mache creature that looks like it was created by five-year-olds should you fall into despair at the hands of this default depressive system and you'll have to remain like that, killing and trapping people while you have no memories of your life as a human and have to live as an animal of pure instinct and evilnesses until some unknowing other magical girl puts you out of your misery, and the cycle will rise and repeat eternally.

Then not to mention other magical girls who try to "game the system" (which only leads to them dying/witching out even earlier, indirectly harming the girl you're trying to protect) or even worse, the girls see you as competition because they're insecure/power hungry instead of joining you in taking down the system set up so where death is an inevitable thing regardless, indirectly siding with the species that are literally killing them slowly but surely (and yet you're somehow still the problem in their eyes.) And then to add the shit sprinkles to this shit show of life, you have to battle this biblically accurate German clown of a witch that's a bunch of witched-out magical girls mashed together like a Cthulu-esque Ren and Stimpy-type creation (that's also pretty much invincible to everything that you and all of the nukes and missiles you store in a tiny, rinky-dink space-time shield you were pretty much cursed with while everyone else gets a built-in weapon.)

Not to mention the PTSD of having everyone and everything around you die and crumple to bits for 12 years over and over again, failing at every turn to complete the only goal you have for yourself (which isn't even for you, it's just saving another person because you believe you're extensible at that point) and at every twist and turn, you're beaten, bruised, belittled, scared, tired, pushed to the brink and all alone with no one to depend on because you're the ONLY one who can and will remember anything once you have to go back in time.

And then you learn the more you go back in time, the more fate and karma you're attaching to this girl which makes the aliens target her even more because of the level of potential she has. And even worse, you find out that the girl you've been fighting so hard to protect is now an entirely different person, lacking the confidence and outgoingness that made you fall in love in the first place, her desire to become a confident magical girl being unfulfilled because of you.

But you have to play the smaller evil. You have to deter her from making a wish, even if it means inadvertently scaring her away from the idea, even if it means being cold and calculated and harsh because she won't listen otherwise.

You have to crush that confidence because that desire will only lead to her death, but she can't know that because well, you still want her to trust you.

But because you've been trying so hard to scare her away from the idea of becoming a magical girl, she ends up becoming scared anyway and distancing herself from you, meaning you don't even have the comfort of knowing you two are friends anymore.

And even still, all of the other magical girls, including her, always end up dead or turning into witches no matter what you do, leaving you to fight the final boss witch alone and failing every single time because it's just too powerful.

But you can't stop. No matter what, you can't stop. Because stopping means death for you, the girl you love, and the entire world, whether it be because of Walpurgis or Madoka's witch which is only so powerful because of you and your time-traveling shenanigans.

So you do another timeline, and things go wrong like they have for the past 100 timelines so you're just numb to it now, and while you're fighting the boss witch, you get critically injured. And now armed with the knowledge that you'd just be putting an even bigger target on your friend's back, you resolve that your efforts were all in vain and useless and decide to just let yourself witch out because you have no other choice.

Only, you're interrupted by your friend, who's finally ready to put her fears aside and make a wish.

Your biggest fear is coming true and you're powerless to stop it.

So she makes her wish and becomes a magical girl Jesus pretty much and restores hope to every magical girl.

Every magical girl except for you.

She says your efforts are the reason why she was able to make such a powerful wish and thanks you for your service, as if you're an old veteran about to retire, and then she ejects you to a remade world, a world without her.

And you're doomed to fight in this world, the world she gave her life to protect, a world in which only you remember her. You don't let yourself become too close to the other magical girls for fear of losing that connection once the Law of Cycles takes them away.

So you're doomed, essentially. The one thing you've fought to protect is gone forever and there's no one but you left to grieve for her, and you start an endless fight against the new evil creatures in place of witches until you're about to disappear yourself.

But you don't even have the comfort of peaceful passing on because AHA!, that evil alien race wants to you use as a sadistic experiment to inflict suffering on you and the other magical girls while controlling the one saving grace you all had, to restart the terrible system you were trying to run away from in the original world.

So they place you in this fake simulation of happiness and fun and magical girl transformations all for the sake of controlling you and the girl you fought for and thought was safe.

So you take matters into your own hands and resign to destroy the labyrinth, even if it means your death, hoping the other magical girls put you out of your misery once and for all.

But if you die, then who would be left to protect that girl you love so much?

So you take matters into your own hands and override her power, creating an idealized world in which everyone can be happy at the cost of making all of your past friends your enemies later.

Even the girl you love and gave your life for time and time again.

All for the sake of keeping her safe once more from not only herself since you pulled a piece of her from the Law of Cycles, but also those terrible aliens who can only think about themselves and their sick curiosity.

I so badly want a happy ending for Homura, and I'm so hoping that that happy ending is one without magic or Karmaic fate or the weight of 26 years of repeated time travel or having to save her girlfriend from a terrible demise or dooming herself to magical Jesus type limbo for eternity all while she's the only one who can remember.

Outside of Madoka, what does Homura enjoy now in Rebellion? What were her dreams, if she had any? Her aspirations? What was her childhood like (even though we know it was lonely) was there anything in her life that even remotely made her feel that living was worth it?

If and when she becomes an adult, what will she be like? What career what she want to pursue? What interests her? What does she want the most for herself? Power? Fame? Company? Comfort?

And will it even be possible for her to enjoy anything outside of Madoka so long as she attaches her self worth to this one, ordinary girl?

Will she succeed in protecting her at the cost of herself? At the cost of anyone else excluding the kyubey?

Will she give up ultimate control over the world, or will she double down; ok with challenging her friends-turned-enemies all for the sake of her love?

And if so, will she succeed as Madoka's sole, eternal protector forevermore, or she be dethroned and killed, left to rot in a labyrinth of her self-hatred and mistakes? (God, I hope not.)

Or...will she finally be saved and released from the shackles of fate, time, and space so she can live her life as a normal girl, a life she wasn't granted even before she made her wish?

My excitement for this movie is beyond real.

#madoka magica #homura akemi #pmmm madoka #sayaka miki #kyoko sakura #mami tomoe #puella magi madoka magica #madoka x homura #madoka magica rebellion #madokami #magical girl madoka magica #devil homura

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pagodazz · 4 months

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thinking about how people just. don't ever talk about how Vinnie literally shot himself. Like did you guys??? genuinely forget about that.??

We talk about Evan and Jeff's attempt but ?#?$? we never talk about the fact Vinnie SHOT HIMSELF. AND WE SAW IT ON VIDEO.

like EVAN AND JEFF ARE NOT THE ONLY ONES WHO ATTEMPTED.

I just AIYHHSGSHHH I know they're everyone's favorites but sometimes it seems like no one actually ever acknowledges Vinnie and the stuff that he went through too.

and I mean that is genuinely the point of his character,

"THE VOYEUR SHALL REMAIN IDLE TO ALL WHO SEE, HOWEVER BUSY HE MAY BE BENEATH"

and so many people just really did assume that he was perfectly fine and that he didn't have it as bad as the others.

WHEN IT COMES TO HABIT?? yes Vinnie did NOT have it as bad. if anything HABIT has treated Vinnie with literal luxury compared to the others but.

with slenderman??? Jesus fucking christ Vinnie never got a moment ALONE. He's probably coughing up blood more then the average person even should.

This is one thing I've noticed people don't understand about the story, Evan is working to defeat HABIT more than he's working to defeat slenderman, and Vinnie is SOLELY working towards defeating slenderman.

I don't know I'm really just rambling over nothing. it just makes me really sad when I see people talking about Vinnie as if he isn't just a guy who was doing all the could. He doesn't feel good about the things he's done and he wishes he never did it, but it's not even his fault. He's destined to fail every single time.

There's nothing that he could've done, HE TRIED. LIKE WHAT DID YOU GUYS WANT HIM TO DO????? what was he SUPPOSED to do.

slenderman is in his FUCKING HEAD DUDE, Slenderman has such a HOLD over him and is so auyhhhh. HES PART OF THE MACHINE. SLENDERMANS MACHINE AND HES SO FUCKING GOOD AT IT I'M JUST.

oiuhhhduh. I'm gonna shut up now I'm sorry I just have so many thoughts about Vinnie and how so much of his character goes unseen if you're not exactly looking

also adding this. bc I'm actually not done. HE DIDNT EVEN WANNA SHOOT HIMSELF EITHER. he did BUT HE DIDNT. its awful. I hate it

#ethan rants 🐍#🐍 ⦻#everymanhybrid #emh #slenderverse #vinny everyman #vinnie everyman #habit #habit emh #evan myers #jeff emh #im also suffering from severe mental illness thannks for asking

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singingcicadas · 2 months

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The main thing I have against Spotlight: Hot Rod is that it portrays him as being constantly weighed down by past losses and guilt, to the extent that he even limits himself for fear of facing the potential negative consequences that his misjudgement might inflict onto others - the "prefer to go solo" line - when it contradicts the very essence of his character as established in MTMTE and the main comics (even Autocracy), which specifically presents him as the type of person who is unburdened by the past and for the most part consciously remains unaffected by the consequences of his actions. It's why he has a perpetual Peter Pan thing going on, because he moves on from one day to the next, one crisis to the next, for four million years without letting the experiences change him - which includes the experiences of deaths and sufferings of both himself and others - and maturity and growth cannot be achieved without change.

His impulsiveness and headstrong obstinacy is in part a compensation mechanism for insecurity and subconscious self-doubt but is also an intrinstic aspect of who he is, someone who plows onward while refusing to look back. He can feel sorry but he does not do regret, much less mire himself in it like his spotlight appears to suggest. As a matter of fact he doesn't mire himself in anything at all - be it politics, responsibility, or guilt. He doesn't regret Nyon, nor Ironhide, nor Optimus' resignation, nor leaving Cybertron, nor trusting Megatron. Not even the Overlord incident, since although he does feel bad for his poor decision getting a bunch of people killed, in the end the biggest issue that he has with it is the 89/101 voting result (which isn't even solely about Overlord).

It's obvious that he wants - expects - to stay as captain in spite of everything and having the vote cut so close got him hard because it's a blow to his ego. He practically admits to this when Optimus calles him out, which again is in direct contradiction to his spotlight monologue.

If he's willing to apply this kind of introspection for a failed mission that can’t even be attributed to his fault, then a lot of his later screwups would never have happened.

Choosing to return the Matrix to Optimus is supposed to be a landmark incident of Rodimus' character growth, yet he regresses right back in MTMTE, in which he develops a recursive pattern of messing up, trying to do better by making amends, then returning to his old ways because he can't fully commit. There's no fundamental change going on. I would argue that the true pivotal moment of change to his character took place during his talk with the guiding hand in Mederi, when he first learns to look past himself to accept what's best for other people, how his decisions might affect them etc. - even if it clashes with his own desires.

And then he chooses to save Getaway, and the speech that gave everyone the confidence to open their matrices. There's change and growth and maturity, he learns to fully empathize and appreciate the people around him. But with this growth comes a double-edged sword: by opening himself to connect with other people he leaves himself open to be affected as well - he is irrevocably changed by his experiences aboard the Lost Light, by the people around him he's grown to care about, so that when the Lost Light lands for its inevitable end and everyone departs to pursue their own lives, he alone remains mired in place, with nothing but the past to cling to. After a lifetime of moving on and brushing horrors off without lasting issue he's suddenly unable to move on. The remainder of his life becomes defined by the weight of memories and loss (and the empty comfort of a parallel universe of which its existence he'll never know).

#the Lost Light is his Neverland lol #I was thinking of that quote #blah blah life never gives anything for nothing and a price is always exacted for what fate bestows #anyways this started as a one-star review for spotlight hot rod and then got off topic. again. for the umpteenth time #I'm aware that inconsistent characterization is a common thing for this kind of long comics with multiple writers #but for the most part I find Rodimus' character to be fairly compatible throughout the different series #transformers #idw transformers #maccadam #mtmte #rodimus #hot rod

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scintillyyy · 1 year

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so i want (finally after months of this sitting in my drafts) to say some things about dana winters-drake, because she, along with jack and janet fascinate me. and i'm going to preface this and say: yes, i know she was created and written by terrible sexist writers, a lot of her more negative traits are because terrible sexist writers don't understand or care about how to write women and write them as laughably wtf, and none of what i'm saying means that i think she deserved her ultimate fate (she definitely did not, and i am mad about it). but! she is more complex than just a generic good mom and she has some really interesting negative characteristics to me. and i'm gonna put this under a read more, because this is probably going to get long

#1 dana as the worst physical therapist in the world:

so i'm going to start with my main point of contention(? i don't know, maybe not that strong) with her: her introduction. she's introduced as jack's physical therapist, and i will not lie, this comes very, very close to absolutely ruining her completely for me and the only reason is doesn't is because i'm aware of who created her, so it's not her fault. i'm am absolutely biased about this, i will admit it. i find this personally abhorrent on every level due to personal reasons, and there is no way anyone will ever convince me that this is not that bad. there is no situation in which dana is not a total monster for this. and i am correct about this. i promise you i can argue every "but" you have about it. i'm sorry. (unless, of course, your argument is 'but this is comics and we don't ascribe that much real life morality to comics', in which case: fair. that's true.)

because i want to make it clear: jack sucks, but dana is the one in the wrong here when it comes to them getting in a relationship. i see a lot of "but she was way younger than him" kind of framing her as an innocent young ingenue to jack's older, predatory ways and i'm over here like...that's not how this works at all.

because dana was the professional in the patient-provider relationship. jack shouldn't have been weird or flirty with her, absolutely, please don't harass your health care professionals (but it also tracks! a survey of physical therapists showed that 84% reported being sexually harassed at work from a patient during their career. so yes, of course jack, a man in his 40s-50s would absolutely try to flirt with his PT, 100%) but the thing is...there's nothing actually stopping jack from trying to flirt with his PT. it's annoying and he shouldn't, but there's no laws against it. dana is the one who has the moral, legal, and ethical obligation to maintain a solely professional relationship with jack (yes, even if she is younger than him-also, i promise you, she was at least 24-25 even being introduced in the 90s. at that time physical therapy was largely a master's program following a 4 year bachelor program. she has a fully developed frontal lobe. she's old enough to know her responsibilities. you don't graduate from school for physical therapy or any other rehabilitation job knowing anything but getting with a patient is the #1 no-no, go directly to jail, do not pass go, etc). she is the healthcare provider in this relationship. jack can flirt with her until the cows come home and it's her responsibility to shut him down every time.

because!! there's a little thing called a practice act. it governs what a licensed professional is and isn't allowed to do. and look, i found new jersey's. highlighted just for you. no amount of ~but they're in love~ will help here. no excuses dana!!

i just live in a world where she loses her license to practice after she gets together with jack, okay. like, tbf, she doesn't get shown actually going on dates with jack until after he can walk again in robin #15, but this is nowhere near at least 3 months after he's done with his rehab. like. it's heavily implied that their relationship basically started while she was actively treating him. like. is he even done with his rehab at this point? he mentions he's almost there wrt his walking so is she still his physical therapist? it's never made clear when she stops. dana starts sleeping with him a few issues after this, so god, i hope so.

anyways, even if she had waited three months after terminating their patient-provider relationship, there's various other reasons why her choosing to get together with jack at all after being his physical therapist is a little morally sus even if technically legal. because here's a list of things that dana would technically probably have access to/know about jack as her patient:

does jack have erectile dysfunction issues as a result of his neurologic damage from the poison? she has access to his medications, so she knows.

does jack have depression/other mental health issues from the loss of his wife/is he getting therapy/is he on anti-depressants? it's probably in his chart as a part of coordination of care. is that mental health stuff relevant to his care at all? in this case probably, given the fact that his quadriplegia is wrapped up in the incident that also murdered his wife.

has she worked with jack at all about modifying sexual positions on account of his impairments? pts will discuss this with patients if it's relevant to their care. they actually learn in school on how to educate patients with quadriplegia on how they might have to modify their intimacy with their partners in case it's relevant to care.

patients tend to confide in their PTs a lot. a lot. since they tend to see their rehab providers a lot more than other providers, patients are far more likely to confide a lot of really personal stuff to them because of the rapport/trust that builds between them over time. has jack cried over janet in his sessions with dana? has jack talked about his insecurities about how things will never be the same for him or his mobility and how that makes him feel? has he discussed his frustration at his progress or lack thereof? i cannot stress how much dana has probably gotten to know jack over the course of their rehab together, really sensitive stuff, and then to turn around and get into a relationship with a patient after having been entrusted with that sensitive information about them? would be extremely sus on the part of that provider. would you feel comfortable if that was your dad? you shouldn't.

like, this is fundamentally a very intimate and delicate patient case given everything that jack has been through. which makes it even more important that a clear line of professionalism is drawn and maintained. and dana didn't do that, clearly.

#2. dana prioritizes her position as jack's partner over her position tim's "mom"

now, i don't think this is a bad thing, necessarily! she is, after all, tim's step-mom and she made it clear from the beginning she had no intention of taking tim's mom's place. and she and tim do see each other as family and clearly care about each other. i think she's a very good step-mom, actually! she's willing to listen to tim and she tries to be a mediator between him and his dad/advocate for tim.

that being said, she almost always will capitulate to jack's position in the end. she might try to get jack to ease up, but she never really actively fights against jack's final decision on what to do with tim. remember the tv ripping out of the wall incident? in robin #45?

this happens after dana came in and talked to tim and said she'll talk to his dad about jack hearing out tim's side of the ariana story. she does, because jack comes in hoping to talk things out and when tim is ignoring him he does this lovely move. so what does this have to do with dana? well here's the thing: dana is still only dating jack at this point. she's not married to him, she can leave at any time. if she's over at their house, there's no way she missed this happening. did she wonder why jack came back from his talk with tim with tim's tv at all? did she shrug it off when she heard him start screaming at tim (remember, drake manor is big but it's not that big)? she clearly accepted that jack grounded tim for weeks after this. she's clearly not opposed to staying in a relationship with a man who would do this to his son. which says something about her. no matter how awful jack treats tim (in front of her even) she maintains a very harmonious relationship with the man and continues to want to be in a relationship with him, so as much as she might try to surface disapprove of jack's treatment of tim, in the end she'll shrug and accept it because she won't implode her relationship with jack over his treatment of tim. she definitely prioritizes her place as jack's partner. see robin #66, jack yelling at tim for running away back to gotham city right in front of dana. she's still not married to him!! this could be a deal breaker for her and it's not!!

here's her being clearly fine and going with jack on a vacation to blizzard central chicago, il right before the holidays in the dcu holiday bash iii.

here she is being more concerned about when jack is going to ask her to marry him when he's sending tim to boarding school as punishment for no man's land in robin #74:

like none of this is mutually exclusive with her being a pretty nice step-mom to tim. just that is she's okay and is a person who wants to be in a very good relationship with jack drake, she has to be someone who accepts jack's treatment of tim. she doesn't want to actually rock the boat with jack in a way that would actually jeopardize her relationship with him, as much as she tries to soften his treatment of tim.

she's clearly okay with jack just calling tim in robin #78 to tell him they're getting married. she's popping toasting to celebrate as he does this. she never said, hey jack, maybe we should tell tim in person?

#3. dana is kind of judgemental about tim's girlfriends in defense of tim/lowkey a little sexist and she's a fair representation of a republican woman.

now, this one is fair to ignore because it was written mainly by dixon and willingham, but also the sexist things she's said/implies about them is actually fairly realistic imo because the republican older women i know have said things along the vein of things dana has said. in robin #45 she says this weird thing about ariana

by saying she is implying that she knows that ariana is actually the one at fault for this entire mess and tim has to protect her reputation and saying that ariana would have a "reputation" if it came out that she was actually the one at fault. which. maybe in the 90s, but also this is a very old, conservative viewpoint on women so.

and then in robin #124 where she defaults to blaming stephanie for corrupting tim (also, she's like "jack we shouldn't do this" but then. like. doesn't actually fight him and stop him from doing this she let's him do this. then is like sigh, guess i'll make tim's favorite lasagna rather than actually fight and stop jack from doing this).

which yea, willingham. but given that dana has defaulted to defending tim over his girlfriends in the past re: ariana, i actually think it's quite in line for a more conservative woman like dana to be super nice to their son's girlfriends up until their son potentially looks bad and then immediately turning their backs on them because or the idea that their sons ~could never~. like. i hear the following things from conservative women at least 3x/week (paraphrased):

oh, well, girls you know. they're so much more drama than boys.

my boys were so easy, but my daughter? oh god, i can't even begin with her

girls are so catty. boys are so much easier to deal with.

my son has this girlfriend. i just. i. hmmm. i just don't know about her. she's. she's. she's okay, i guess. i have some concerns.

as for how i know she's a conservative woman? she's happily and harmoniously married to jack and she's a PT in bristol township. i am 110% certain she's a registered republican. with her moral ambiguity and slighy sexism she reads as a fairly realistic conservative to me.

anyways in conclusion, i think she's actually a lot more complex than just generic good step-mom! she has a lot of failures and negative characteristics that makes her more interesting to me than just good sainted woman who puts up with jack and tim. she has her own faults. we do have to remember that she had a very good relationship with jack and saw how he treated tim and was largely okay with it. maybe jack was someone she thought she could change. maybe she agreed with him on a lot of things. jack and dana have the harmonious relationship that fandom wants jack and janet (a very volatile and ultimately ill-matched relationship) to have had!

anyways here's one final panel from robin #100 of dana saying that tim could just get a job and help out with the family finances after jack lost the company that i couldn't think of where else to put it (like, she's probably joking. but clearly this is something both she and jack find funny to joke about.)

#dana winters #jack drake #tim drake #batman #dc

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musicfeedsmysoul12 · 7 months

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You're forgetting that Eraser is an enabler. Yes, Bakugo should be held fully accountable for his own actions, I completely agree with you there. But Eraser is his homeroom teacher. It's his job to discipline Bakugo when he does something wrong and not allow him to continue that behavior. Instead he does nothing as Bakugo repeatedly attacks a fellow classmate. He assumes that Midoriya is just as responsible for them not being able to get along. He has CONSISTENTLY treated Midoriya unfairly, especially as opposed to Bakugo.

Who's the one always defending Bakugo? Eraser. Who's the one who paired them together for the final despite Bakugo repeatedly being violent toward Midoriya? Eraser. Who's the one who did nothing to correct Bakugo's behavior despite promising to? Eraser.

Either Eraser is an idiot who genuinely doesn't believe that there's a power imbalance between Midoriya and Bakugo, or he's aware of it and sees no problem with it and doesn't deign to do anything about it. You can understand how neither of these options do him any favors

I'm not saying he isn't an enabler.

I'll acknowledge that my preferred version of Aizawa is mostly fanon because I like him better when he's a good man and a good father figure to the kids. But I know that he enabled Bakugou.

It's why in every five I write the backstory is that Aizawa doesn't read teacher comments and he assumes based on Bakugou’s attitude that he was treated like a villain. Because it gives us a reason why Aizawa does defend Bakugou. As for Izuku: I think Nezu never included the activation date or even Izuku kept it quiet out of fear. He never tells ANYONE when he got his Quirk for a long time. So I can actually understand why Aizawa would think Izuku is lazy in that situation. I think Aizawa is a fucking idiot for not looking into it further, but that's me.

However I can't remember Aizawa ever blaming Izuku for the fights with Bakugou. I literally can't. He blames them BOTH for the after curfew fight which is highly unfair but it's not solely Izuku. I've rewritten enough of the series that I can see how unfair Aizawa is BUT with his personality I can't understand why. It feels incredibly out of character to me that a guy who hates when people coast on their Quirks and acts like a bunch of entitled dicks would give Bakugou a pass. Hence my headcanon.

Aizawa does enable Bakugou: and it's WILDLY out of character even early on. This is why I think Horikoshi either: a) wants Bakuhou around the most and will make everyone OOC to do it or b) is being forced to keep the guy in due to popularity.

But to say he ONLY blames Izuku is wrong. He's just never punishing Bakugou which isn't good. I won't deny Aizawa is a dick the first while before becoming more open. However: he's not the one at fault for Bakugou’s actions. Bakugou would have figured a way out to bully Izuku no matter what. He'd have gotten sneaker and meaner over time. That's what abusers do. He'd have hit Izuku in places people can't see and he'd have done things to mess with him.

Aizawa did enable Bakugou. But to have him receive a horrible punishment when Bakugou gets off Scott free is my issue. If Aizawa is fired for not doing anything, Bakugou should be expelled. If Bakugou just needs anger management, Aizawa just needs therapy.

To me, Aizawa honestly thought Bakugou just needed guidance. He never threatens Izuku with expelling him after the first day. He pulls logical ruses, does train Shinsou over them and isn't a great teacher but NO teacher at UA is a good one. Vlad King certainly the hell isn't given he hasn't cracked down on Kendo or Monoma for their shit. Power Loader isn't for not stopping Mei from her antics. Present Mic and Midnight could have done something to. All Might isn't a great teacher either.

Aizawa is an idiot who got blinded by his own beliefs. Bakugou is a child who was hurt by society and needs guidence while Izuku is the old version of Kirishima: a well meaning guy who pushes to much. That's what Aizawa thinks I believe. That's what he is to me. Someone who honestly has the best intentions but fucks up.

But again: the issue will always be the unequal punishment for Bakugou when he is the sole person at fault. He didn't need an enabler the very first day: he attacked Izuku no matter what. His actions are his own.

#bnha #bnha critical #bakugou critical #anti bakugou #aizawa critical

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casasupernovas · 3 months

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I wish RTD had leaned further in to 10/Rose being insufferably toxic. It was clearly his intention going by Tooth and Claw and Love and Monsters and Doomsday. He just couldn’t quite commit to villainising 10 and then it was a real shame that he went back on their original cathartic ending in S4. But then I guess if he hadn’t reversed course into painting them as True Love’s Dream rather than a codependent mess that ruins everyone’s lives, Moffat wouldn’t have taken the original concept and run with it to create the explicitly nightmarish 12/Clara. And 12/Clara is so fun for being so terrible.

I do like the 12/Clara but I'm sure he could have come up with that on his own.

It's also weird because Russell only truly villainses 10 for all of....10 seconds at the end of The Waters of Mars but even that isn't as deep because I don't think 10's reasoning is properly defined. He's not a villain for wanting to save people from grisly deaths but he IS for doing is solely because thinks he's allowed to control people's lives. He calls them little people at the end. It's not because he cares anymore. There's the villainy. But by the next episode it's over and any more moral ambigouity doesn't stay too long.

I personally think Russell didn't know how to make 10 address these things and still be likeable. Better to have him act out but remind the audience it's valid because of Tulip. It would have even been more interesting if he confessed to Jack in Utopia that he let Jack down. If he was gonna go abandon him at least have something to show for it. But they both became arrogant berks - I mean hello they Rose stopped the Time War because she loved the Doctor. That would boost anyone's ego about 1 million. It gave his new face arrogance and a smugness and it cost him his entire found family. He waltzed off with Rose and bloody lost her! And it was their fault! How tf wasn't he ashamed?! He should have felt nothing but shame seeing Jack, fixed point be damned.

Because the Doomsday is way more positive for Rose even if it didn't seem like it to her on the day of it all. We could have had a Doctor with his tail between his legs, Martha would have been a brilliant segway into that...which you can argue was the original intention considering Martha was supposed to be Adeola. Have Adeola be like hey, my memory of you was you being the 'enemy' but actually ending up as the only one who made sense and tried to save people. Be that hero I remember.

But star crossed lovers who never did anything wrong actually and continue to bulldoze through other people to get half a happy ending...sure.

#doctor who #asks #captain jack #martha jones #adeola oshodi #10th doctor

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faithfromanewperspective · 9 months

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jesse deep dive cause i can't sleep

was thinking about the Controversial Jesse Scene and--before i do any hard takes or really have opinions on it--i can't help but think the way he perfectly captures Traumatised Victorian-Edwardian Man. how we don't see how he's feeling most of the time, considering he's not a main narrator and nor is he in a position where he's constantly able to talk about his emotions. In fact it would be canon consistent to assume he actually has never been able to talk about his emotions with anyone ever. Nor is he or has he really ever been able to show them or express himself in any way. With Grace he could express his love for her, but he was always in a bit of a carer position for her; she was never really there for him to confide in properly. He's not overly guarded about everything--his trauma doesn't manifest like that. He recognises a generally caring community when he sees one; he applies all his skills on how to be respectful and kind and connect with people that he no doubt had to teach himself (Tatiana not being the best role model and all, and also keeping him away from the rest of the world for the most part).

With this background, it makes perfect sense for him to latch onto the Herondales, whom he's realised over decades how unfounded and exaggerated his mother's hatred of is. He's heard horrible things about them, and they're nothing like that when he gets to know Lucie and she tells him about her family (which as much as she vents about them in her first writing project, she actually loves her family and finds them generally supportive and not a source of trauma or hurt, so different from Jesse's experience of family). To him, getting to know the Herondales is a bit like leaving a restrictive cult and realising that rock and roll and dungeons and dragons are actually great and not charged with supernatural villains at all (and of course, subsequently getting far more into them than if they had never been forbidden in the first place). He idealises the Herondales a bit, and if I'm honest--I can't really blame him. They gave him the life he always wanted and his in-laws and wife are always going to feel like a sort of rebellion against and liberation from his mother, especially when she inadvertently but also kind of intentionally put him through you know, the whole possession thing. In which he 'did' everything he's worked so hard to not be anything like and which would've been traumatising on so many levels.

I know possession is a supernatural trauma and not really relatable to any of us (as far as I'm aware, can't ever say never) on here. But when it comes down to it: Jesse was raised solely by an arguably evil if not at least bitter, vengeful and delusional (in terms of feeding herself lies because she can't face the truth until they become her truth, I'm not sure if I'm using the word correctly here and understand it can be a sensitive and ableist thing if I'm not) woman, who isolated him from the rest of the world (much like a cult does). I know Tatiana did things to Grace she didn't do to Jesse. But it's also not a competition of who had it worse: each of their childhoods was what it was. Jesse has known literally nothing else. And yet he figured out how to be generally a good person, he researched how to be a shadowhunter and trained himself and his sister, did all the things that Gideon and Gabriel didn't figure out about their family until they left it, without actually ever leaving. We don't really get page time talking about these things, but it's pretty impressive when you think about it. But it also means his (relative, okay, okay) morality has been hard-fought for, and even though he logically knows none of what Belial did in his body isn't his fault, it's still as if he failed in the one thing he thought to be critical, more critical than what he wants or prefers: breaking the cycle of hurt breeding hurt that Tatiana lives in.

Combine that with the fact that he's never had anyone to hold space for his feelings. Had to figure that all out on his own, and grew up in an era (has it really changed though??) where it's virtuous to be calm on the surface even if, as we know, it leads to emotions simmering into rage when they do eventually surface, making an anger/trauma response when it does happen bigger than if, say, hurt was felt and processed and grieved with others who offer a corrective experience as would be ideal. And the fact that though he has a new network around him, they're not there to all be his therapists and he's still the new guy, still super polite and trying to make a good impression and super grateful and kind of surprised when they do include him--so he's not about to process, really, how to look past his own trauma and be there for his sister, when, in his eyes, she's had more agency than he had in his possession, something he would have longed to have just a smidge of so he could hopefully stop it, and seemingly taken the easy way out and done the thing that Jesse could never, ever condone and honestly thinks he raised his sister to be better than. It feels like a betrayal of Jesse: his morals he fought so hard for. And it reminds him too much of what he went through: James, who he's heard how much Lucie adores and all the times she's been worried about, not being in control of himself and accidentally hurting people (Cordelia at least, Lucie fills him in on that) for three and a half years.

Yes, he isn't taking into account the dynamics of power and abuse and how what Grace went through, too young to know better or really have any choice in the matter until it was normalised, held over her in ways she couldn't fight until Tatiana was briefly out of the picture (at which point she did straight away). Going with the cult metaphor, the brainwashing and gaslighting and blackmail and total under-thumb squishing was exactly what Grace was going through, she was being controlled as well, but from Jesse's point of view she had a little bit of autonomy, she didn't use it or even come to him for advice and help, and it just feels like a betrayal especially given all his unprocessed trauma. It's too much of a shock for a man who's just been resurrected (which would also have some jarring effects one would imagine). Yes, he wasn't kind in how he treated her, the way he should've been. Yes, he hurt someone so vulnerable and it's always going to be there in their sibling relationship history. Yes, the shock wears off and she's still his sister, James and Cordelia are back together, yes he should've stood up for her more but. I don't think it's out of cowardice, even if one could call it morally grey. He's behaving like someone with his resources and trauma would, arguably better than many. He did make a brother out of that event, putting in an effort to reach out to James. So many people don't know how to mediate, and honestly, this is a really tricky situation for all who do (Christopher mainly, who does accidentally belittle James' pain in a way and brush over it with the turn-the-other-cheek-privilege rhetoric, which is in some ways the attitude Jesse places on himself and those around him including Grace if you get where I'm taking you and the irony of it).

Anyway, I have thoroughly enjoyed every fic exploring this relationship and everything that went down with this event in every different way. I don't have a problem with saying 'oh Jesse should've' but I also don't see the point in expecting him to be morally perfect when we don't expect that of other characters, and when it happens to the extent the imperfections that make him three-dimensional are washed away, when he has so few of them to begin with and he's probably the least fleshed out male character of the main cast (not saying he's complete cardboard!!! he's just the amount of fleshiness many of the female characters are, who we also tend to expect to be morally perfect!) like yes it creates an island for Grace in many ways that Tatiana all but orchestrated the way she did Jesse's death--a lasting punishment if you will, for ceasing to be her 'weapon' by exposing her to the others she forced her to hurt. It's a shitty situation in so many ways and I hate that she gets this legacy even from beyond the grave. I only don't think Jesse should bear the full responsibility for bridging everything and processing it for all of them

#jesse blackthorn #tsc deep dives #chain of gold #chain of thorns #chain of iron #the last hours

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dixbolik-lovers · 1 year

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They are threatened and abused by the owner's new partner whenever the owner is not around. Now the owner finds a big bruise on their back and the partner says he has nothing to do with it. If the owner asks them, are they honest or cover the Partner? Shuu, Laito, Kanato, Subaru, Ruki, Yuuma

Shuu

He's not sure what would be the best option here. On one hand, if he tells you what's been happening, you'll probably put a stop to it... and it would be nice not to be smacked around like that anymore. However, it also might cause a lot of trouble if he ruins your opinion of your partner, and the last thing Shuu wants to deal with is you being pissed at him too. In the end, it depends on just how bad the abuse has been, and if the risk is worth it.

Laito

He doesn't dare tell you the truth. If he's honest about what your partner is doing, that would cause problems— and Laito is convinced that causing a rift in your relationship would be a near-suicidal mistake. Even if you know that your partner is hurting him, would that change anything? Or would you simply join in? He can't imagine you siding with him in a situation like this, so he finds a convenient excuse and pretends like everything is fine.

Kanato

It depends on if you ask him when you're alone, or when your partner is around. Kanato is too scared to tell the truth if the person who's hurting him can hear it, but if it's just the two of you, he's telling you everything through messy tears. It's mostly just because he wants the abuse to end... but he's also a little too eager for your partner to get in trouble for hurting him. Wouldn't that be hilarious, if you hated them for this, in the end?

Subaru

By that point, Subaru probably thinks it's his own fault that your partner is hurting him. How could it not be, when his disgusting self keeps causing problems? He's likely to cover for your partner solely because he believes the abuse is warranted, and that it's better not to cause you distress than make trouble because of his self-earned issues. It feels stupid to whine to you about someone hitting him when he's been through so much worse before.

Ruki

Depending on how kind you've been to him up until that point, Ruki is likely to tell the truth. He knows that this abuse could become dangerous if it gets out of hand, and he also can't stand allowing someone to hurt him when, by his owner's standards, he's done nothing to deserve it. However, if he feels that you'd be more upset with the truth than anything, there's still a chance he'll keep his mouth shut out of sheer self-preservation.

Yuuma

It feels silly to complain to you about such minor harm— he's strong enough to take what your partner has been doing, so it's fine to just deal with it... right? Yuuma isn't exactly trying to cover for your partner, but he's so convinced that he can handle what's being done to him that it doesn't feel right to admit to what's been happening and make you miserable as a result. He'll be fine even if this continues, and you shouldn't have to worry about him.

#Diabolik Lovers #Dialovers #Sakamaki Shuu #Sakamaki Laito #Sakamaki Kanato #Sakamaki Subaru #Mukami Ruki #Mukami Yuuma #Headcanon #Reader #Pet Au

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transgenderoliverritz · 1 year

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not to start posting Hot Takes but low-key i do not think oliver was the sole or even main reason mark/oliver as a couple did not and could not happen in the timeline of tct.

oliver is obviously not ready for anything, which is not (believe it or not) his own fault. arguably, he has started working on himself and recovery, but he was sidetracked by the whole. blackwell manipulated him into joining a cult and fucked up his feelings (because he KNEW the book would) so bad that oliver could barely think for himself until later in the series. and this is addressed, actually!! oliver knows what he needs to at least some extent and he's at least gone through the work of building up some support system and recognizing his trauma and needs. we know this.

mark, though. mark, in tct, presents himself as a healthier person. he's allowed to be closed off to oliver about the trauma they don't share because he's getting outside help for it (this is said while he is yelling at oliver for being closed off about the trauma they don't share).

mark's issue is that he views recovery as linear. he's not recovered, nor is he entirely emotionally healthy. he freaks out when he realizes he doesn't know everything about oliver despite trusting him immensely. instead of recognizing the manipulation and abuse oliver is going through, he blames oliver for getting himself into it and not telling anyone. i think this is a direct result of his trauma with damien, because he recognizes himself and he still blames himself for what happened.

i think that, yes, oliver at least needs to have some support established outside of mark before they can do anything. but i think he knows that, and i think the thing no one considers is how much more difficult it is for oliver to find that.

tct was oliver finding help and support. his ability is so far ingrained into his issues that he can't pull off what mark is trying with therapy. and while oliver would benefit from therapy and i think he should at least try to find someone atypical, what he needs more than that is other people. and tct is him finding those people (which is also why beck should apologize for being a dick to him).

but mark is so incredibly close to making the same mistake with oliver that he made with sam. and i don't think he realizes that, except maybe subconsciously, and he pushes oliver away. but i think the reason that this matters a little more is that mark is pushing all the weight on oliver. he thinks he's at a place where he's not the one who needs to put in more work before they do anything.

and because oliver is very likely aware, and mark isn't, mark ends up having to put more work in.

and quite honestly, i think if they both apologized (mark more, because oliver already did) and both just acknowledged the things holding them back. it won't take as long as fans tend to project.

you can in fact be in a relationship while you're still working to heal. which is ultimately why mark is the key piece here.

i don't know if all of this made sense, it's super early. but have a little ship analysis.

#the college tapes #the bright sessions #oliver ritz #brytz #mark bryant #mark was a worse boyfriend in tct than oliver was argue with a wall

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adobe-outdesign · 2 years

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Oh, Wooloo. I am so conflicted over you. On the one hand, it’s adorable, and I love it’s little rectangle pupils and how round it is. The design is also easy to read and free of clutter.

On the other hand, however... it is just A Sheep. Not even in the sense that it’s mostly a sheep; it is, quite literally, a 1:1 cartoon sheep. I can’t help but feel like like a Pokemon design needs something to make it distinct. At least do the Gen 1 thing and slap a horn in the middle of the forehead or something.

(You could argue the way it rolls around is something, but I generally feel like if the most interesting part of the concept is something that's visible solely in the animation and not the flat design, something went wrong.)

Of course, while there are things you could do to visually spruce up Wooloo or ways you could add a theme to it, one could also argue it’s not Wooloo’s fault. Sometimes a Pokemon has to start off bland before it becomes interesting later on, and if Wooloo had a better evolution, it might be perfect as-is.

There were some really interesting ideas being tossed around during SWSH’s reveal, for example. One idea was a wolf in sheep’s clothing kind of thing, which I like--though granted, I’m not sure if that saying even exists in Japanese. Then there’s this design, which is my personal fav take on it:

Granted, you might need to make the line a three-stager for this design, but I love how it goes from a fearful prey animal to a fierce warrior, and it plays on the one thing Wooloo has that's somewhat unique--the braids--and integrates them both visually and thematically. If this was Wooloo's evolution, Wooloo would be perfect as-is. Unfortunately...

Yeah, I'm not huge on Dubwool.

I mean for starters, it's just a Jacob sheep, right down to the iconic pie-balding and the four horns:

And I want to make this clear: I am not saying a straightforward, sheep-like evolution is inherently (especially because the somewhat similar Mareep line ends up distinctly Not Really A Sheep at the end, and while I love Ampharos, I can get why people might want a more normal sheep). Rather, I'm saying that the lack of anything unique makes the entire line really underwhelming.

I've heard some argue it has a soccer (or football, seeing as we're in England in this game) theme, but if that's what they were going for it needed to be much more overt because honestly I'm not even sure if it was intentional or not.

But my other main problem with Dubwool that isn't related to the plain-ness is that it doesn't... really look great, visually. First, it isn't as cute as Wooloo, but it's not interesting visually either. It doesn't really have its own niche to make people appreciate it, you know?

But secondly, and more importantly, Dubwool is a weird mishmash of styles. The body is very similar to the cartoony, round body of Wooloo, but the head and legs are sudden much more realistic, in a way that clashes with the body. Make the torso more realistic or make the entire thing more cartoony, I don't care, but keep it consistent.

And there are just a few other things that bug me. Like, why give it the Jacob sheep-style four horns, which are very cool, and then bury half of them in wool? Why is the extra wool around the neck such a dark grey, and what's up with the random leaf-like points at the bottom of it? And what's up with that barely noticeable grey eyebrow above the eye?

I mean, it's not terrible--if you really like Wooloo, this at least preserves some of the elements from it (like the lovely ungulate-style eye), and it doesn't go off in weird directions that would alienate Wooloo fans. But at the end of the day, Dubwool just feels like a waste of potential, and not a terribly well-designed waste of potential at that.

So overall: Wooloo is adorable and the design is very simple and pleasant, but it's awfully plain. This is only amplified by Dubwool, which adds nothing thematically or visually while just looking worse overall than Wooloo. If you like sheep you'll like this line fine, but it's simply too underwhelming to really do much for me. I will still protect Wooloo with my life, however.

#wooloo #dubwool #pokemon #pokemon reviews

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scoobydoodean · 1 year

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I think part of the reason Cas hates Crowley and dislikes Benny (at first) so much is that both of them don’t self-sacrificingly resist from ever asking Dean for anything and do pursue a relationship with him (argue over whether it’s romantic, or whatever). I think Cas is sort of unable to handle the transition between the way things work in heaven (heavily regimented, everyone knows who they are to each other) and on Earth (lots of feeling out boundaries). I think the disconnect people are expressing is they don’t understand that Cas’ discomfort isn’t Dean’s fault, even if it is relatable/makes sense from the perspective of a very isolated character who has already lost all sense of belonging and fears jeopardizing that further by asking for literally anything from the few friends he has left. Cas didn’t hide how he felt for Dean’s benefit (though he may have told himself that), he did it for himself. And that’s totally understandable, but like you said, you can’t have a real relationship if you never communicate what you want out of it. And that is again, not Dean’s fault.

That's interesting about Crowley and Benny. This is definitely all a perspective I can respect.

I think from my perspective, what Cas struggled with with Benny early on (and Purgatory is a good example of most of Dean and Cas's problems actually), is that Benny immediately wanted an answer as to why Cas abandoned Dean in Purgatory. Dean actually would have been willing to brush it under the rug (this is the guy who rewrote his own memories of what transpired at the portal to make it so Cas didn't intentionally let go of his hand). Benny was willing to poke into the issue, and he did, in fact, find some hot air in that balloon. Cas and Benny both agreed that Cas was a liability, but Cas did believe in his own integrity (at least when it came to his choices on "The Best Ways To Protect Dean Winchester"—which in this case, involved bailing). The thing is... "protecting Dean" isn't the entire explanation for Cas's actions (see 8.07), and that's why Cas didn't like Benny poking at him. He'd suffered enough hits to his self-image and didn't want to deflate any further (and I'm not entirely sure Cas knows yet why he might deflate further if pressed—but Benny—the person with the objective outsider's view—is shrewd enough). Even if "Protecting Dean" was the sole reason for Cas's actions, it's bullshit anyway, because Cas proves while doing it that he doesn't actually see Dean's opinions and feelings about the best ways to protect Dean as relevant to protecting Dean, and... they are. Not just because Cas isn't always right and needs someone to challenge his perception (maybe abandoning Dean to a pack of gorilla-wolves isn't the best way to protect him... shocking idea I know), but also because Cas isn't capable of understanding Dean better than Dean understands himself, and actually has no idea how badly he can actively harm Dean (the exact opposite of what he is trying to do) through actions that are intended to protect Dean.

Does Cas realize that he treats Dean's feelings as irrelevant when he is off doing Hot Girl Summer things, and that he frequently wounds Dean while trying to protect him? Of course not—which is how he isn't actually Chuck or John 2.0. He's got a lot of issues going on in his life, like being raised in the equivalent of a weird religious cult where free will was frowned upon, losing a lot of his strength over the course of the series which he stocks the majority of his self-esteem into, lots of siblings with very different expectations, speciesism, homophobia (speciesphobia?), repeated lobotomies, and like you said... cultural differences (we actually don't talk about this enough lmao).

As a clarification, what I'm arguing isn't exactly that Cas didn't communicate what he wanted out of the relationship and therefore his stans can't blame Dean for Cas's issues (though I would agree with that argument). I'm actually arguing that Cas pre-decided, without an actual conversation or input from Dean or clarification of what he might think if all the cards were on the table, that a relationship with Dean was impossible. What he wanted was something he could never have. So he specifically did not communicate his feelings. Instead, he slotted himself into Dean's life in a very specific way—and it wasn't in a romantic way (move over, "Dean needs to pull his head out of his ass" truthers—your ideas aren't just patronizing—they're wrong—hope this helps <3). Cas intentionally slotted himself into Dean's life such that he was Dean's guardian, ready to be martyred in his name to achieve sainthood. The object of his affections was Dean Winchester though, not Moloch, so that blood offering wasn't smelling super tasty to his god of choice... and Cas never did quite get that part—that every single one of his blood offerings smelled less like tasty morsels of bacon and pie and more like repeatedly stacking proof that Dean Winchester is poison and anyone who falls in love with him slated for a violent horrible death... his touch is worse than Midas's.

#mail #this is a runaway train sorry #and cas is my best friend #season 8 #benny #the very touch of you corrupts

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outrunningthedark · 7 months

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Do you mind sharing examples of Miss Gun's ex's toxicity? I think their age difference isn't that great... she was 25 or whatever when they got together. Very much into adult years. All this drama about ages constantly in media about relationships is tiring. 25 and 45? Sure, talk about it. 25 and 30? Come on.

The age difference isn't *great*, but a 30 to now 36 year old man copying the behavior of his kids' mother who JUST turned 30 is not something to excuse or laugh at just so we can make her look like "the problem". I'm not here to sympathize with either one's relationship struggles (I think they need to separate in order to spare the kids above all else) when the timeline of the first pregnancy confirms they were not taking the necessary steps to avoid doing too much too fast.

As for what he's done to mimic her behavior. Just today he's liked a post criticizing women for being more in tune with a dog's needs than those of a man. (And considering she spent so much time helping Pepino recoup? Well.)

We talk about her blocking him, but what about him agreeing to participate in the farce while ignoring her attempts to reach out or removing his username from her posts while not caring that his "fans" are tagging him in posts pointing out how bad she is for him?

We talk about the V-Day word vomit confession, but what about him putting up a birthday post in 2021 where he mentions that his children are the most important gift he's been given, leaving her completely out of it? What about him making it known that he wasn't with her that day? We talk about her suddenly bringing up toxic masculinity, but those narcissism stories he's shared over the last few months? Who might those be directed at? And with his last ex most likely referring to him when she discusses toxic boyfriends from her past...for as much ~growth~ as the guy likes to claim he's achieving every so many months, it doesn't look like he's actually putting the advice he's given to good use. Two failed long term relationships and the women were the sole cause? I don't think so. (And let me reiterate, if his behavior has anything to do with public v. private, it is not the fault of the other person that they don't know how to deal with someone who can never love them like that, esp. if they weren't privy to the whole truth the whole time.)

#anonymous #tina speaks #xoxo gossip girl

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goldazu · 1 year

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Okay, I know people are tired of my Pokemon shenanigans, but hear me out. Some people were also interested in what I thought about the overall plot and I will try to go ahead and give my two cents on it.

Personally, I'm somewhat sick of the same recycled Pokemon plot in which the rivals are overly friendly, hold your hand throughout your whole journey, and act a little too light-hearted for my tastes. Give me a mean rival again, those were fun. However, that isn't to say I didn't enjoy Nemona and Arven in particular. Especially Arven. His arc was very mind-blowing for me by the end of the game considering what happened with his family.

Truth told, before I started the game, I definitely heard rumors of people like "the story made everyone cry." So, I wanted to see what exactly was so heart-wrenching about it. Initially I thought it was the whole plot arc with Arven and his sick dog who showed little to no signs of recovery even as you collect the Herba Mystica (basically nutrient-loaded food for the Pokemon) for him to feel better, which I'll admit was indeed sad and tugging on my heartstrings at some point, but it wasn't anything too eye-opening for me all the same.

Little did I know, this was just the beginning of it.

As the player explores Paldea and collects the Herba Mystic for the professor (Sada or Turo depending on your version—I played Scarlet so I got Sada), your ride legendary also gains some new powers. Dashing, jumping, swimming, gliding, climbing, etc. It's clear throughout the adventure that Arven and the professor have strained relationships due to Koraidon/Miraidon yet the player doesn't really know why until the end, which I consider the most exciting part of the overall story.

Once the Herba Mystica subplot was finished, the player then has to make their way to the forbidden Great Crater since Arven just kinda goes "okay, we need to find my mom/dad." Yes, the professor is revealed to be his parent, though I didn't see it coming even when in hindsight they do resemble each other. That's on me, I guess. Oops? Anyway, the professor up until that point has and continues to communicate with you, the player, via Rotom phone so you never actually get to meet them. It turns out they're "trapped" in the lab in Area Zero, which leads you and the gang to travel there despite the prehistoric/futuristic Pokemon crawling about. All of which are quite powerful in their own right.

Eventually as you approach the lab, it's revealed those Pokemon from the past/future are too dangerous for the ecosystem and must be stopped/contained in their "respective times." It makes sense, to be fair. Should they escape Area Zero, then they'd undoubtedly infest all of Paldea and probably turn the whole region into a living Hell for all the other, much more weak Pokemon who are from the current time period. So, the professor asks you to disable the time machine that they themselves made to prevent that from happening, since a lot of the paradox Pokemon are already starting to go out of control.

Sounds easy enough, right? Well, there's just one small complication.

Turns out the professor is actually an AI based on Arven's real parent, who died in the respective time zone of their field of study. They died in an accident trying to protect Koraidon/Miraidon yet somehow the AI still lives on. Ironically enough, even the AI recognizes the whole time machine thing was going to be a bad idea and faults the original professor for it. They warn you that if you try to disable it, they will be programmed to fight you since anything that tries to stop the time machine is immediately deemed a threat.

Now, this is what I find very interesting. The AI is on your side, yet you have no choice but to defeat them in battle. Even though they don't want to fight, it's just how they're wired and programmed, unfortunately. This battle is also very exciting from a blind player's perspective because the AI's whole team is comprised of Pokemon solely from the "past" and "future" that the player has yet to encounter, forcing you to guess their weaknesses if you haven't already spoiled yourself by this point. For those going into the game 100% blind, I can see why the fight poses the greatest challenge yet.

Anyways, after you defeat them, the AI explains they can't leave the time machine which is why they were "stuck" in the lab all this time. Despite your efforts, it doesn't exactly "shut down." There are too many protocols and it turns into a Koraidon vs Koraidon (or Miraidon vs Miraidon, again, Scarlet vs Violet differences) showdown. Yes, there are two of them, by the way. Apparently the one you own is the more submissive one who lost a territory fight or something, but I think it's kind of awe-inspiring that it beats the one it originally lost against. It just goes to show that since you traveled with it all throughout the game, your bond overcame everything else.

Instead of disabling/destroying the time machine, the AI decides they, too, want to go on their own journey. All this time, monitoring you as you collected the Herba Mystica, beat all the gym leaders, challenged Team Star, etc., it's revealed they envied you. Makes sense, since they spent all that time tethered to the lab/time machine. I guess even AI can develop a thirst for adventure.

Enough recap, here's where I add in my opinions on everything.

Honestly, the idea of an AI character in Pokemon developed this way is very interesting to me. I know they tried to do similar in the past, but the exposition here was much more intense than other games. And the fact that it's revealed Arven's sole parent who already spent little to no time with him throughout his childhood as is died, I realized "wow, this is darker than I thought for a Pokemon game." I love it. I actually came to adore the professor more knowing they were an AI in the end. Their parting words to Arven before the time machine transported them was something along the lines of "s/he really cared about you." And I don't think they're lying, either. If you take a look at the lab, you'll see the original professor has a picture of Arven and his dog when he was just a child.

The whole game, all the side characters encourage you to "find your treasure." Yet, here we see with the professor that sometimes people go overboard with their treasure hunt, and they devote all of their time and energy to their goals that they forsake their loved ones, their kids, their family, etc. Hell, the professor even developed all those protective measures so that the time machine would never fail, which just goes to show they wanted to research those paradox pokemon no matter what—even at the cost of neglecting their kid.

If I was in Arven's shoes, honestly, I'd be devastated. The one parent I came to resent and never spent all that much time with turns out to be dead, and I was only speaking to an AI version of them all this time. Crazy, right? He surprisingly took it well despite all the rivals being kids, but still, crazy stuff. Makes one wonder what his life would be like if only he had an active parent around.

Now, I may be biased because I played through Scarlet, which means Arven had mommy issues with Sada. However, I just cannot imagine Arven and Turo for some reason. 💀 Maybe it's because I also played as a girl, and considering his beef with Nemona who is also a young woman, it makes sense that Arven has a distrust towards the opposite gender due to his mother's absence. Sound familiar yet?? Omg, Arven is even good at cooking.

Back to the paradox Pokemon, there are theories that they aren't actually from the past/future and that they're just the professor's imagination coming to life due to a third unrevealed legendary. To be honest, I think this theory is sound. After all, how can Sandy Shocks, a Pokemon resembling manmade magnets, come from the ancient past???

Overall, I loved how surprisingly dark the story in Scarlet and Violet were this time around. Please give me more plotlines like this. TL;DR, Arven is best boy and deserves everything good in this world. 😩

#shenanigans #pokemon rambling #pokemon scarlet and violet spoilers

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