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inkskinned · 1 year

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one of the things that i think we should pay attention to, socially, about the disney v. desantis thing is that it is really highlighting the importance of remembering nuance.

in a purely neutral sense, if you engage in something problematic, that does not mean you are necessarily agreeing with what makes it problematic. and i am worried that we have become... so afraid of any form of nuance.

disney isn't my friend, they're a corporate monopoly that bastardized copyright laws for their own benefit, ruin the environment, and abuse their workers (... and many other things). this isn't a hypothetical for me - i grew up in florida. i also worked for the actual Walt Disney World; like, in the parks. i am keenly aware of the ways they hurt people, because they hurt me. i fully believe that part of the reason florida is so conservative is because it's been an "open secret" for years now that disney lobbies the government to keep minimum wage down, and i know they worked hard to keep the parks unmasked and open during the worst parts of Covid. they purposefully keep their employees in poverty. they are in part responsible for the way the floridian government works.

desantis is still, by a margin that is frankly daunting, way worse. the alternative here isn't just "republicans win", it's actual fascism.

in a case like this, where the alternative is to allow actual fascism into united states legislation - where, if desantis wins, there are huge and legal ramifications - it's tempting to minimize the harm disney is also doing, because... well, it's not fascism. but disney isn't the good guy, either, which means republicans are having a field day asking activists oh, so you think their treatment of their employees is okay?

we have been trained there is a right answer. you're right! you're in the good group, and you're winning at having an opinion.

except i have the Internet Prophecy that in 2-3 months, even left-wing people will be ripping apart activists for having "taken disney's side". aren't i an anti-capitalist? aren't i pro-union? aren't i one of the good ones? removed from context and nuance (that in this particular situation i am forced to side with disney, until an other option reveals itself), my act of being like "i hope they have goofy rip his throat out onstage, shaking his lifeless body like a dog toy" - how quickly does that seem like i actually do support disney?

and what about you! at home, reading this. are you experiencing the Thought Crime of... actually liking some of the things disney has made? your memories of days at the parks, or of good movies, or of your favorite show growing up. maybe you are also evil, if you ever enjoyed anything, ever, at all.

to some degree, the binary idealization/vilification of individual motive and meaning already exists in the desantis case. i have seen people saying not to go to the disney pride events because they're cash grabs (they are). i've seen people saying you have to go because they're a way to protest. there isn't a lot of internet understanding of nuance. instead it's just "good show of support" or "evil bootlicking."

this binary understanding is how you can become radicalized. when we fear nuance and disorder, we're allowing ourselves the safety of assuming that the world must exist in binary - good or bad, problematic or "not" problematic. and unfortunately, bigots want you to see the world in this binary ideal. they want you to get mad at me because "disney is taking a risk for our community but you won't sing their praises" and they want me to get mad at you for not respecting the legit personal trauma that disney forced me through.

in a grander scheme outside of disney: what happens is a horrific splintering within activist groups. we bicker with each other about minimal-harm minimal-impact ideologies, like which depiction of bisexuality is the most-true. we gratuitously analyze the personal lives of activists for any sign they might be "problematic". we get spooked because someone was in a dog collar at pride. we wring our hands about setting an empty shopping mall on fire. we tell each other what words we may identify ourselves by. we get fuckin steven universe disk horse when in reality it is a waste of our collective time.

the bigots want you to spend all your time focusing on how pristine and pretty you and your interests are. they want us at each other's throats instead of hand in hand. they want to say see? nothing is ever fucking good enough for these people.

and they want their followers to think in binary as well - a binary that's much easier to follow. see, in our spaces, we attack each other over "proper" behavior. but in bigoted groups? they attack outwards. they have someone they hate, and it is us. they hate you, specifically, and you are why they have problems - not the other people in their group. and that's a part of how they fucking keep winning.

some of the things that are beloved to you have a backbone in something terrible. the music industry is a wasteland. the publishing industry is a bastion of white supremacy. video games run off of unpaid labor and abuse.

the point of activism was always to bring to light that abuse and try to stop it from happening, not to condemn those who engage in the content that comes from those industries. "there is no ethical consumption under late capitalism" also applies to media. your childhood (and maybe current!) love of the little mermaid isn't something you should now flinch from, worried you'll be a "disney adult". wanting the music industry to change for the better does not require that you reject all popular music until that change occurs. you can acknowledge the harm something might cause - and celebrate the love that it has brought into your life.

we must detach an acknowledgment of nuance from a sense of shame and disgust. we must. punishing individual people for their harmless passions is not doing good work. encouraging more thoughtful, empathetic consumption does not mean people should feel ashamed of their basic human capacities and desires. it should never have even been about the individual when the corporation is so obviously the actual evil. this sense that we must live in shame and dread of our personal nuances - it just makes people bitter and hopeless. do you have any idea how scared i am to post this? to just acknowledge the idea of nuance? that i might like something nuanced, and engage in it joyfully? and, at the same time, that i'm brutally aware of the harm that they're doing?

"so what do i do?" ... well, often there isn't a right answer. i mean in this case, i hope mickey chops off ron's head and then does a little giggle. but truth be told, often our opinions on nuanced subjects will differ. you might be able to engage in things that i can't because the nuance doesn't sit right with me. i might think taylor swift is a great performer and a lot of fun, and you might be like "raquel, the jet fuel emissions". we are both correct; neither of us have any actual sway in this. and i think it's important to remember that - the actual scope of individual responsibility. like, i also love going to the parks. Thunder Mountain is so fun. you (just a person) are not responsible for the harm that Disney (the billion dollar corporation) caused me. i don't know. i think it's possible to both enjoy your memories and interrogate the current state of their employment policies.

there is no right way to interrogate or engage with nuance - i just hope you embrace it readily.

#does this make sense #to do be deleted probably yikes #(takes a swing at a wasp's nest)#like i think ppl have started to just be really quiet when they like something 'problematic'#and im like... u can be like -#girl tswift NEEDS to just TAKE A BUS . LIKE?????????????????????#while also being like.#''she's a lot of fun''#if ur personal policy is that u don't support her for that reason that's great #but it's like. eating meat???#like yeah some people won't bc the environment. but the fact i eat meat doesn't mean i hate the earth #like i can say that i think the meat industry is HORRIFIC and also downright cruel to its employees #but like. still enjoy a chicken nugget....#there are people who choose otherwise. it's okay . we are people. i make like no money. u probably don't either #us fighting about whether or not it's Right To Eat The Chicken Tender just distracts from like.#actually turning your ire on the corporation #i hope it's clear what i'm saying here is like. when we fight each other for Purity Reasons #we are just doing the work of corporations . for free. like they WANT us to be doing this lol #it's the fucking DREAM of the upperclass that now ALL forms of responsibility fall on the individual

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enhanced-operatives-division · 25 days

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Junicrane/Starstruck Ramble

I will not be brief, all under the cut

To clear some things right off the bat:

No corpse, no proof with Juniper. Obligatory this is set in a canon where he's alive and adjacent to the agency in some way.

Reggie & Juniper are just gay to me, but I don't mind any interpretation of their sexuality

The games are set in 1967/68 to me (based on a couple bits in game) which is before it was legal to be gay in America at least (1971), which is relevant to how I interpret canon as being somewhat grounded in reality, despite unrealistic elements.

This is just an insane amount of headcanons/elements of and AU all culminated into one post. I will talk about some headcanons like they're just facts because they are established in my head, and it saves me over explaining literally everything, however I will explain some parts a little bit for clarity.

Alright. Actual beginning of the ramble:

Juniper is a character to me who had gotten so lost in his job as an actor and a social presence that in the end his whole life revolved around that 'role'. Because of this, by the time he's put into the situation where he's around the Agency, he basically knows nothing about himself, though he doesn't realise at first. Furthermore, what little identity he had has changed in so many ways. He's no longer a beloved famous actor in the prominence of public light, he's legally dead and he tarnished his career just before he was supposed to die, with the bonus of that making him lose the majority of his estate. From that, he also has horrific facial scarring from the electrical burns from literally having his face fried. I believe a friend of mine made a post about this a while ago (I also think they were the first to think it up also), but, to me, Juniper has a permanent trimmer in his right arm (aka his dominant hand) from the electrical current and it is messing with his nervous system.

All in all, he's not doing great, but he's too proud to admit that he's not doing great, because if anything, what's left of his ego is all he has as a defense since he's deep in unfamiliar water.

Before ending up around the agency (I have multiple interpretations of this, so I'm just going to bring it up generally), he'd never actually seen Reggie, and his only impression of him is a single voicemail, which was his only reference he had to later impersonate him. Juniper probably has very little feelings other than the ones he projects onto him because of Phoenix and that, at the very least, he's physically attracted to Reggie to some degree (that's like the beginning of how everything else would tumble into place in this sort of interpretation at least).

And on Crane's side? His feelings towards Juniper are probably very intense and muddled. On the one hand, he adores musical theatre, and that's his now ex-favourite actor. The thought of just casually being around him blows the bit of fanboy in him away at first because THAT'S the GUY, plus the inklings of a celebrity crush which still poke at him. And then there's the rational side of him, which knows Juniper has committed absolute atrocities on the side of Zoraxis, and hates him for that. Then there's how much Juniper comes off as an asshole at first because he refuses to cooperate with anything the Agency tried to put in place. He finds Juniper endlessly frustrating, and yet he's stuck working with him since, afterall, he's the one who knows the Agency's history with Juniper the best. I imagine him acting a lot like how he does IEYTD 1 around Juniper.

At this point, I'm just describing the pitch for a romcom.

I think the start of their relationship with one another largely started with Juniper trying to wind Crane up. It was a way of getting his attention, and I don't think Juniper knows why he's so dead set on that at first, because I don't think he realises he has a crush on 'this grump' at first. (I think that's actually the fun part about these two, because it's almost like a role reversal of the celebrity crush dynamic. This ex-big name actor has a TERRIBLE crush on an average joe and it is KILLING HIM.) But of course the Agency keeps them together because Juniper is at least conversing with Crane, so it's a start.

Through one way or another, they actually get talking casually, at least mildly at first. It takes Juniper a long time to fully deconstruct the wall he's built, and the thing is, Crane isn't the one trying to deconstruct it, at least at first, because yeah, Juniper realises if he wants Reggie to actually like him in any way, he can't keep winding him up. So they talk. Small talk at first, something rhythmic and almost easy to keep to a script. And over time that turns into actual conversations. Genuine ones in which Reggie rips out the occasional one of his jokes which Juniper is endlessly endeared about. The way he smiles just before he makes them, like he wants to chuckle at what he's about to say before he says it. That's probably when Juniper realised that he does have some vague crush on him, and that it wasn't going away.

This is what kickstarts John I can't-buy-you-things-to-impress-you-so-acts-of-service-it-is Juniper to do little things for him. It mostly starts off as him trying to make Reggie his tea how he likes it. However, the nerve damage in his arm makes that hard, as the weight of the kettle and trying to pour is hard all of a sudden. And he refuses to accept that, so he tries for a very long while. Long enough that Crane would go to investigate what was going on. And when he does see Juniper leaning over a cup with the kettle as he uneasily tries to pour it, and when Crane asks Juniper responds so matter-of-fact that his intention is nothing but genuine. And it catches Reggie off guard because Juniper hadn't done anything like that up to that point, and his very apparent vulnerability is so clearly on show.

It shifts something between them.

From that point on, conversations are longer, more familiar. Both of their attitudes soften, and Reggie makes more jokes. Juniper learns how to better use his left hand while strengthening his right back to a point where it could be used again. Slowly, they're both spending time with one another not because they have to, but just because they can. Little bits at first, not too far outside what they already were doing, but those little bits turned into long bits to a point where the other person's company was genuinely desirable.

As time passes, Juniper probably realises that he doesn't genuinely know much about himself or what hobbies he's into, because he never really had the time when he got big, and his home life in his youth wasn't bad, but it wasn't picturesque. I think Reggie would pick up on it, and absolutely try to introduce him to some things he's into. Some things stick, other things don't (corn husking very much stays Reggie's passion, and John will go with him sometimes because it's him, but it's not something he strongly cares for). Crane introduces him to a lot of music, and it's something that becomes a staple between them, with tracks they listen to more than others (tragically, I know relatively little about 60s music so I couldn't really say what). Occasionally they dance, never anything intense, think slow dancing, but the closeness is nice.

Through all of it, Juniper is battling the worst crush of his life, and he can't stand it, because I think he struggles to read people since he doesn't have anything like a script or a director to refer back to, so he has no idea if Reggie likes him back or if he's just desperate for that to be true. I think because of that any sort of confession between them would be incredibly raw, not only because of the time they live in making it hard for them to be truthful about how they love, but because it's a complete show of Juniper who's worked to be this better person. I don't exactly know how that would go, mainly because I don't have one set version of their dynamic, this post is just a generalisation of main consistent points.

Reggie does like him back, because he's gotten used to Juniper being just this guy, not a figure in the public eye, not a Zoraxis lackey, and not any sort of Agency operative (despite being under their care to some degree). He's someone he genuinely cares for, because they've given one another the time of day to learn one another, and I think because Reggie was a field agent, he was a lot better at reading Juniper than Juniper was at reading him. Eventually Juniper's company becomes something he could see around him for the rest of his life, and I think he accepts that he likes Juniper a lot more gracefully.

I think any affection directed at Juniper would at first be met with him feeling a little muddled. Reggie was a very physically affectionate person when he could be, and sure the initial flirting with one another came with the occasional little touches, but everything now was so deeply intentional. I also don't think Juniper would almost ever get over the novelty of being able to kiss him, or many other gestures, because it made the fact that they were together so very real, and it was great. I do think it comes easier to Reggie, and it's a big way of showing how much he cares, so it's important for Juniper to try and show it back because he knows how much it means to the other.

I like the idea of them eventually living with one another, too. I think Juniper would have always had a quiet little daydream of sorts where he does just live a domestic quiet life, and he can with Reggie (well, as close as they can get between the Agency and Zoraxis always being at odds), and he loves that, and he loves him, and it's immense.

I think they cook for one another a lot, it helps Juniper work on his dexterity in a controlled environment, which means a lot because it's a huge point of insecurity (that and his scars). He does improve, and Crane is proud of that and shows it and it's great. I also think they'd probably cook together too, because they can deal with being in the kitchen together and they work well with one another. It's probably a good way for them to unwind because over time they can do it in relative silence.

As I said before, I also think music is a staple in their household, and that Reggie listens to things on vinyl almost all of the time because he likes the background noise. Sometimes Juniper will catch him chuntering along to the music which he finds endlessly endearing. I wouldn't put it past his dramatic ass to also join in to fluster Reggie, but I also don't think Reggie would mind that terribly because Juniper has listened to the music enough to know the lyrics, and that's huge to him.

I don't think they are without rough patches, no relationship is, but I think the good part about them is that they're willing to talk about it (... eventually). They're used to long conversations, and while they're often less fun conversations, they're needed and they know that, and it works out.

Alright. I think I'm done for now. I haven't mentioned everything, but this definitely got the worst of it out of my system. If you ever want to hear any specific thoughts my ask box is open but other than that, behold my general dynamic for these two which has been festering in my head for years. I think they're great

#ty right-agent for explicitly telling me that this would be welcomed you a real one #i had a massive babble to my friend abt what if they all feed me to the hounds for speaking #and he said “girl that fandom is like 12 people big they need you to speak” and yeah that also helped #i have a hard time talking if I'm not asked/prompted to that's why i adding tags is great for me. that and i like the format #anyways.#THESE TWO.............dear lord can you tell I have been unwell abt them forever..#this is propeganda (/j) for them. btw. please you have to understand the potential here. it's so good.#it's slowburn <- my (probably) demiromantic ass cannot handle romance without a build up and this set up is perfect (it will never happen)#also i find it easier to write ANYTHING between these two from Juniper's perspective because i find it easier to get into his head #idk reggie is like the gay version of the: what is he thinking of? i could take a bear in a fight. audio ive heard.#whereas with juniper i have him trapped under a microscope #im going to tag this now so i can use the remaining tags to RANT #ieytd #john juniper #reginald crane #junicrane #starstruck #i expect you to die #<- being BRAVE!!!#when I get really excited i start getting like this internal shaking feeling and uh. yeah this rant started that #the worst part abt that is it also triggers my tourettes so like. double whammy. excited about blorbos? jail :(#but. yeah I uh. yeah. sorry this IS so long..I did warn but . AUGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHAHHHHHHHHHAUUUUUUAHHHHHHHHHHHHH #also i did this rant in 2 parts. last night and this morning so yeah uh. yeah.#god im so messed up about these two #make me a boat by the family crest came on while wroting this and while it's mainly a roxanix song to me......AUUUUUG.....#i struggle to find music for these sillies because they have such a specific vibe to me amd I've not quite managed to find something which -#- genuinely feels correct for them and it drives me up the WALL #GOD NIGHT SHIFT JUST CAME OF SHUFFL.....all my ieytd songs are coming out to drive me up the wall.......#FINISHED I've been adding tags as I've gone alonga #thank you for reading hope you enoyed and if you didn't im sorry

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doodlingwren · 3 months

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Hi hellooo- i saw that you started follow me and i asked my self "why and how a talented artist made brain connections to decide to follow this low quality artist", did i look funny? 🥺

Do I look talented? 🤨😳

#wren inbox #wren draws stuff #btw found your blog while I was wandering in the StS tag #the fandom here is pretty tiny and not super active like idk on Twitter #not that's a bad thing btw #and I'm always happy to find people that share a bit my interests :3 #and don't u dare to define u a low quality artist #or imma start a fight alright'#sorry for the late reply <3 forgot to check the inbox for a week and then I didn't know what to answer bc I don't get a lot of asks lol #have this silly doodle of Aldebaran idk what he's doing :3 #he's the silliest cowboy in the Sanctuary fr no cap #“do I look talented” and then adds the dumbest doodle she could find on her tablet

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everysongineverykey · 2 years

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look i don't want to stress anybody out by commenting on discourse that really should stay yesterday's news (literally) but i think it's very funny that the utdr fandom's all "complex characters are good! no protagonist has to be perfect and it's better if they're not! let your characters do genuinely awful things, it makes them more compelling and their eventual growth more moving!" and then lose their shit when the character whose whole thing is being a reformed bully is revealed to have (gasp) bullied people in the past

#discourse #look i don't mean to start a fight here. this is just my opinion. i can understand why susie saying that #might upset people.#but i think it only makes susie more interesting. i see that insult as projection more than anything else on her part #doesn't excuse it obviously but like. i will remind you that we are only two chapters in.#and we know less about susie's backstory than we do gaster's.#we're probably missing a LOT of context here. so i literally don't care.#i'm just excited to see where this goes!

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lhazaar · 4 months

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it's a liiiiiittle sus to turn a "hey this person you're following is an out-and-out zoophile" message into several thousand notes' worth of posts about transmisogynistic hate campaigns. really a case of "yes you're saying all the right things but why Now, why in This Context"

#bark bark #i'm making this unrebloggable because i'm so incredibly uninterested in starting fights w/ someone much bigger on here #and i don't want it spreading around beyond this specific corner of online #but it /really/ gets my back up #especially seeing people reblog those posts frequently over the past several days like it's about ''kink communities''#when these forums extremely are not equivalent to girlbloggers posting about cnc on tamblr dot corn #why are you making this about trans people. why are you making this specifically about trans women. what the hell are you doing

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blazingblorbos · 1 year

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Honkai Impact 3rd is a love letter of a game

In its creation, and throughout its conception, the story that it sought to tell is one filled, so completely, with the concept of love and thanks.

It's a medium of appreciation. The story thanks everyone and everything that it comes into contact with. Its creators, developers, player-base, and characters.

I think the story is perfect, not necessarily because it's masterfully well-written, or because it's groundbreaking in its approach, but because it served its purpose so well. The pride and joy of Honkai as a game, is the way its community feels so united in its experience with the story.

Every time I think about it, I feel like I just know that these developers care so much about their game. About their characters, their story, and the world they've created. And they never fail to try and let the playerbase know this.

Recently - especially - they've dedicated the last couple shorts to the collective community. Uniting us in their message "Fight for all that's beautiful in the world"; and their sincere dream: "May all the beauty be blessed"

It's been through its ups and downs, but personally I think that only contributes to its sincerity. I've seen and heard so many beautiful stories about the way this game has helped others. How other players feel so deeply connected to it, because something about it - the narrative, the characters, the music, etc - just resonated within them. And it really is the case for the majority of us.

I haven't had experiences with any other piece of media that loves its community so much.... Whose community seems so deeply connected, related, and intertwined through their shared - HIGHLY EMOTIONAL - experience with the game.

And I feel so at home here, despite not really directly interacting with others. 'Cause I'll browse posts made by other people- other players, about how excited they are for the next version, or how scared they are to watch the new short. How loudly they sobbed over the lyrics of the latest song, how much they've saved for that one character...

This game, this story, has left such an impact on us all. It's the reason we're still here, it's the reason we stayed. Some people quit after the first hour of playing, and it's understandable because the beginning of the game is far from amazing. But not us. We kept going - for one reason or another - and eventually settled in and stayed for so many more reasons.

And now that Part 1 is over, Graduation Trip managed to tie together everything about this ~7 year old journey into one tender 7 minute piece of masterful emotional expression.

It's a little hard to say goodbye, but it doesn't hurt anymore. I cried because I'm happy, and I'll look back at the story that once was with fondness.

It is the culmination of everything we've been through - all of us. From creators to veterans to new players. They're thankful for all of it, and this short is the epitome of their gratitude. It's their love letter to the story we all made.

It's a love letter to her. To her who inspired them, and inspired us. A love letter to us. To us who inspired her and them. The devs created this story. The story reached us, affected us, and as a result we - the playerbase, who game developers naturally depend on - managed to affect the story in return.

Thank you

#Not apologizing for the long post I needed to get this off my chest #I was listening to Da Capo the entire time I wrote this #Da Capo is the link attached to Thank You btw #We call it Depression Impact for a reason /I'm so genuine #Ever since I started going here I felt really at home and accepted #just 'cause everyone REALLY WAS just like me fr #When people say this game affected entire portions of their personality they mean it #and it's for good reason #Flashback to my GLB 5th Anniversary livestream post where I pointed out the way all the hosts cried #you don't see that everyday I'm telling you #Graduation Trip #It's a love letter to Kiana AND us #and because it's a love letter to Kiana that makes it a love letter to the players/devs and vice-versa #so really- it's a love letter like... cubed #Ever since Everlasting Flames they really accentuated the 'this world is beautiful and worth fighting for' theme #and when I tell you I had never been so profoundly impacted by a theme like that before...#I love this game dearly #it's my favorite game ever #Honkai #Honkai Impact #Honkai Impact 3rd #Kiana Kaslana #Kiana #Honkai Kiana #HoYoverse #MiHoYo #'May you the beauty of this world always shine'#blazingtextpost

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words-be-upon-ye · 1 month

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There are a couple tropes I really love in the space of Miraculous Ladybug fan works, but quite possibly my favorite is when the miraculous holders just get creature from using their powers.

Like yeah, I would say that hosting the power of an abstract concept given sentience, that got shoved into the shape of an animal and bound to a piece of jewelry, would kinda mess with your body a bit.

The little bit of this we get in canon is basically that Adrien loves being a cat and the whole Tikki munches incident.

But I love it when people give them ears and wings and tails, give them eyes that aren't quite human anymore. Fuck with their gender and their sense of body. Sometimes it's body horror, sometimes it's just aesthetic. Love it either way.

I just think it's so fun, a lot of the time it's combined with the like "when a holder and the kawami really respect and bond with each other there's nothing that can be done except having magic bleed into the holder" I think that's fun, but also just making the animal of the kwami a bigger deal is fun. Like if you're going to make it a ladybug you might as well give her wings and antenna and mirrored eyes.

#yes I do like ml #there's just so many characters I like to mess with in my head #also sue me I'm trans and have a certain respect for body horror. for the forced change of your physical self especially when you chose it #anyway I alwasys ramble in the tags #I set up this side blog to hide random writing thoughts I had and oh boy do I have a lot and none of them are on here #and recenetly (and by recently I mean like the past year) I've been hit with so many ml thoughts)#they're all gay #and some of them are cohesive #actually a lot of them revolve around chloe and au's where she gets a meaningful improvement arc #give that gay girl intresting stuff #miraculous ladybug #ml #although one of my ideas is also my very fun very gender take of ml where to conceal their identities ladybug and chat start pretending #to be different people under the masks like they don't need to like explicitly say. they just #switch costumes a lot and they like slyly hint at maybe theres dozens of people who pass around the miraculous to make sure that their #Identities are always safe #and to support the act they also start changing the genders they present as as holders. everyone is like “it's clearly multiple people”#and during this process marinette and Adrien are both like slowly having personal gender revelations #and gabe is like tearing his hair out over having to fight this secret group of superheros that he can never find or catch #but he's still just getting his ass kicked by two kids who're doing the world's most successful costumes change bits #it's like those “fake dating” tropes where they're like “oh but we really do love each other” but with gender #“oh I've got a great idea lets pretend to be different genders sometimes”#cut to “hmh ok so I think I'm not pretending anymore”#oh I do always ramble in the tags

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karmaphone · 1 year

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can u imagine if they tried to make atla today. 'yeah here's my pitch about a child who has the weight of the balance of both the physical world and an ethereal spirit world on his shoulders on top of being the last survivor of a literal genocide. yeah he's spiritually enlightened already in a non Christian religion, and reincarnation happens to him and him alone. yeah no the show's major themes are about how war and imperialism are bad for everyone involved, including the world around us. no, there'll still be cool fight scenes but it will also fundamentally explain the difference between defending oneself from an oppressor vs using that power to oppress and how even children can grasp that- where are you going'

#not to mention the backlash I'm sure they would have gotten for the 'feminist agenda' like looking specifically at katara & how the northern #water tribe and even sokka learning to respect women juice I can HEAR the outcry of subverting male power for fake female empowerment #or what fucking ever #don't even get me started on the racial aspect I had to hear about that enough growing up #like 'hey here's my series about No White People whose main messages fly in the face of American culture'#I'm not like 'wau things were better then!!1!' I know it contributed to the normalization of feminist viewpoints and the idea that maybe you #don't actually want to be part of the war machine #im just saying considering the level of fan engagement and social media I can just imagine the backlash they would get for making it today #like? the hama episode????? I DOUBT they could have gotten that passed today #literally the entire episode where they explain zuko's scar I don't think they would have gotten away with such a direct portrayal of #physical child abuse without changing the rating of the whole show #in fact all of the child abuse presented. everything that zhao did to zuko. everything that general did to katara to get aang Triggered #the blind bandit fights I can see passing bc it's like wwe and not real violence but like child kidnapping?? at the direction of the parents #how did this show get approved for 10 year olds is all I'm asking I'm NOT complaining I'm genuinely exuberant it exists im jus stymied lmao

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twistedapple · 2 months

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OK so I need to get it out of my chest somehow, because I've been a bit displeased ever since I read that post. Not gonna tag or link because I don't want to cause trouble for OP.

But I saw a post regarding the way some people engage with Baldur's Gate 3 content, and how it was frowned upon to have opinions without playing the game. I didn't exactly take that post well in part because I saw a lot of people from the Raphael Corner nodding in agreement with what I consider a short-sighted opinion piece.

I kind of disagree with the base statement that one's opinions aren't valid if one hasn't played the game for the following reasons:

1. It honestly sounds a lot like actual DnD players complaining that new players who got on board thanks to BG3 expect the game's rules to be the same in DnD, and I consider that gatekeepy when one could be eased into the tabletop version in a more welcoming manner;

2. It's very easy to scroll past what one considers a bad take. It's even easier to block people and even tags on Tumblr, if there's a type of content one doesn't wish to see (inb4 tag your shit properly please);

3. It can quickly come off as classist because what if one's only way to enjoy the game is to live it vicariously through other people's content because say, they can't afford it (either too young and their family won't invest in the game and the gear to run it for whatever reason, or simply someone who generally can't afford it? Like idk what's the price of a PS5 in some of y'all's country, but in my country it's almost 800€. That's a lot of money just for a console. Don't get me started on gaming laptops and desktops, the only way to hace something decent is to slowly build it yourself with some clever part hunting for something that won't literally cost you a month-worth salary);

4. Having been in that exact position of having to live videogames vicariously through other people myself, for the longest time, and still having trouble sharing my own stuff now because I don't feel at my place in the gaming community simply because I couldn't afford it for so long, this post hits close to home in an unpleasant manner. Sure, Tiktok isn't a reference (like, generally speaking. Don't go on Tiktok if you really want to learn about stuff and build informed opinions/media literacy), but following streamers on Twitch for example is very helpful in that regard because it's raw footage and one can actually learn from it (on top of having fun in the chat if the community is cool). Checking quality gaming/analysis channels on YT can also help acquire enough knowledge to build a solid opinion.

5. This is literally a game with a fuckton of options for the storyline. No matter how much you'll play it, there will always be someone else, somewhere else, who'll figure out something you've never picked up. It's a very common occurrence on the subreddit. So judging people because they don't play the game kinda misses the mark even in that aspect. Instead of criticising people for getting their informations from Tiktok, I think it'd be more productive to either simply ignore these people, or engage with them in a manner that makes them want to dig further and learn more through other, more interesting/reliable sources.

Now mind you, my own opinion on that matter is very likely colored by the fact I'm a TTRPG player IRL, I've literally had experiences of one DM animating a one-shot with different groups and everybody getting to discuss all of the outcomes afterwards (it's an interesting thing to experience, highly recommend it) - it's very similar to games like BG3 where one has multiple paths depending on one's decisions for the storyline, or more generally games with multiples endings (like my beloved Dishonored and Bloodborne, for example). There's also the fact that I simply avoid what I consider bad takes, I literally don't interact with it, I block if necessary to curate my feed. So maybe I'm just like "ok some people build bad takes from Tiktok instead of getting into the game proper, I'll just steer clear of them" in term of stance, which makes me much more moderate in my opinion of these people - I actively make the choice to ignore them and vibe in my corner.

I'm just sad to see many people I know from the Raphael Corner agree with that initial opinion piece so eagerly.

#crow speaks #i'm leaving that out of the tags #not willing to start a fight with the Raphael Corner over that topic #but that initial post saddened me ngl #i get what OP means but I don't fully agree with it and find the core message to be dangerously close to pretention #that's not how one grabs people's attention for general improvement #will likely not engage much here because the initial post made me uncomfortable

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