#LITERALLY FOUNDATIONAL MEDIA LETS BE REAL

[mossspond]

Guess who went on a nostalgia trip

#LITERALLY FOUNDATIONAL MEDIA LETS BE REAL #moss.art #warrior cats #sss warrior cats #graypaw #lionheart #whitestorm #bluestar #warriors #wc

[thankskenpenders]

Amy's fortune cards

The Sonic fandom has long been the kind of fandom that takes minor details very seriously, for better or worse. On the one hand, this means fans will really dig for the diamonds in the rough, latching onto fun character interactions, animations, bits of background worldbuilding, and more in pieces of Sonic media that many would write off as "the bad ones." But it also feels like every week another needlessly hostile debate over Sonic minutia erupts on Twitter, whether it's over individual lines of dialogue, fanart that makes Tails' shoes blue, or the ideal length and volume for Sonic's quills.

So it was probably inevitable that a fandom-wide debate would erupt upon seeing Amy's new gameplay style in the DLC for Sonic Frontiers, which takes the once-obscure fact that she enjoys reading tarot and shines a spotlight on it like never before.

I mean:

The thing is, while I basically always try to tune out Sonic fandom bickering... for once, I kind of sympathize with the detractors? Don't get me wrong, I like Amy's tarot stuff, and people on all sides of the discussion are being overly nasty about their opinions, as usual. (Sonic Twitter remains my personal hell.) But when I set aside the hyperbole and zoom out, I do think I understand why some fans are put off by the sudden shift in focus for the character, even if I think it's cool.

It's complicated. Let me attempt to present the cases for and against Amy's fortune cards

For years, I was always one of those fans who thought it could be fun if they played with Amy's tarot reading, or even leaned into some kind of magic with her. Part of that is my own biases showing, but there's just something that makes sense there, especially when you look at Sonic, Tails, and Amy as a trio. (I would argue that's the real "Team Sonic" these days, especially in the comics where Knuckles is more likely to be stuck on Angel Island or otherwise doing his own thing.)

You could argue that Tails is all about logic, relying on science and technology and deductive reasoning to solve problems. But Amy is all about emotion. She wears her heart on her sleeve, is extremely empathetic, and is very prone to magical thinking - both figuratively and sometimes literally. Her origin story has always been that her tarot cards told her it was her destiny to meet Sonic on Little Planet. She's claimed to be able to "sense" peoples' presences - particularly Sonic's. She's the type to believe that The Power of Love is a literal magical force. So, on some level, it makes sense to mirror Tails's science by having Sonic's other best friend believe in magic. And then Sonic is somewhere in the middle, primarily following his own gut instincts but taking advice from both of them as needed. This isn't totally accurate to how their dynamics actually function in canon stories, but I think it's a mode that could work for them.

Going off of that, it's fun to lean all the way into Amy being a magical girl, or even a witch, using her fortune telling as a foundation. Take, for example, this version of Amy from Diana Skelly's old Sonic cast redesigns from before she freelanced for Archie and IDW. This is one of MANY such redesigns for Amy.

Fast forward to the 2020s, and Amy's tarot cards are, in fact, finally getting brought up again in canon. Which is fun! I like seeing that. I like all of the individual stories involving Amy's fortune cards. This is a fun character trait for Amy, a fun nod to old lore, AND a fun storytelling device, all in one. It's really cool that the Sonic universe has its own thematically appropriate arcana, and that the cards are getting made as physical merch. And sure enough, the official card backs and borders were designed by none other than Diana Skelly, in yet another cool example of an ascendant fan leaving their mark on the series.

BUT... when you step back and look at the big picture, I get why some fans find this shift in focus jarring. At the moment, it's starting to feel like every new story about Amy involves her fortune cards to some degree.

The most recent mainline comic arc to feature Amy as the lead character, 2021's Trial by Fire arc, prominently features a sequence where she reads fortunes while camping with the girls. The Origins version of Sonic CD now bookends the game with scenes of Amy and her tarot cards. Sonic randomly mentioned it in a scene in Frontiers. And now, just this week, we got the (very cute, gorgeously illustrated) Amy's 30th Anniversary comic with a story revolving around Amy's tarot cards, followed the very next day by the Frontiers DLC in which she gets a brand new tarot-based moveset. Even her base melee attack now has her throwing tarot cards instead of swinging her hammer. Again, I like all of these individual things, but after years of it almost never coming up at all, it's VERY noticeable that Amy's tarot cards are suddenly everywhere.

To be fair, I'm looking at this from the perspective of a superfan who's actively following ALL Sonic media. Casual fans - especially kids - aren't necessarily going to be reading the comics every month, buying the thousandth rerelease of the Genesis games, or playing the ultra-hard new alternate ending DLC for a game that came out last year. Each of these stories is going to be someone's introduction to the idea that Amy can read tarot, and that's probably part of the idea behind this unified push.

But to play devil's advocate, for my fellow superfans, I understand why it feels like a very minor footnote of Amy's character is suddenly becoming the entire focus of her personality. While Amy has always been said to enjoy fortune telling, that wasn't really a character trait in and of itself, but rather an example of her being a typical girl who hopes she'll be able to find true love one day. It's less that Amy can literally predict the future and more like her using a cootie catcher or going "he loves me, he loves me not" while picking the petals off of a flower. So I get not vibing with this stuff, or feeling like it's being pushed very hard out of nowhere.

What I don't agree with are comparisons like "it's like if they made Knuckles' moveset revolve around him liking grapes." Like, I get it. Ian Flynn loves shoehorning in his little winking references for us nerds, and mentions of Amy's tarot cards were previously on the same level as other random bullet points from old Japanese manuals. But a multifaceted hobby like fortune telling that opens up so many narrative and aesthetic possibilities is obviously very different from having a favorite food. It's ALWAYS been a part of her story, not just a random fact, and there's no reason why the fortune telling can't be elevated to something more.

And, hell, even if it wasn't an established character trait, there's nothing inherently wrong with injecting new ideas into a character. One of the best Amy stories in recent years, the Free Comic Book Day special "Amy's New Hobby" written by Gale Galligan, came up with the idea that Amy's secretly been drawing little comics about her and her friends. Is this based on Lore? No. But it's cute, and helps tell the story of a younger Amy who's still coming out of her shell as both a hero and a friend.

Certain fans are also looking at Amy's Frontiers moveset and using it as evidence that once again the Vile American Contributors like Ian are CORRUPTING Sonic Team's perfect vision of Sonic with their misinterpretations. And like. Come on. Ian does not control the gameplay. He's a freelance writer. The tarot stuff is clearly something that Sonic Team likes if they made it the basis of Amy's new moveset - and, you know, if they keep approving comics and animations about Amy's fortune telling. None of this gets made without their blessing, and lord knows how much they can micromanage shit and shoot down ideas over the most minor of details.

Like, yeah, Amy's fortune telling was probably conceived less as a sign that she Knows Magic and more as a pretty mundane hobby for a lovesick young Japanese girl to have. But you're gonna sit there and tell me that using Amy's tarot cards for more than that could only be the result of a cultural misunderstanding? That nobody in Japan uses tarot card theming and aesthetics (or the general idea of magical cards) for the cool factor? Stardust Crusaders? Persona? The Astrologian class in FFXIV? Cardcaptor Sakura?? Hello??? Do you think Capcom put Gambit in Marvel vs. Capcom ironically because they thought using magic to throw cards at people was stupid? There's tons of precedent for this! It's nothing like Knuckles throwing grapes at people, be for real.

Giving Amy a very magical girl-esque moveset also just makes a lot of sense. For decades her hammer attacks have literally made sparkly heart shapes appear around her. Leaning into both that and her tarot cards in her new moveset makes a lot of sense to me.

But, admittedly... I do think it's very odd that her hammer is treated as a secondary element here, rather than having her primarily use her hammer and adding the cards for extra flair. If hitting the attack button made her swing her hammer instead of throwing cards, I'm not sure we'd even be having this discussion right now.

But the tarot-cycle and Amy riding her hammer like a witch's broom are fucking SICK and I will not concede on this point

The thing is, this whole fortune card discourse is but a small piece of a bigger problem. Amy's been a character who needed some work for ages, but there's basically nothing you can do with her without pissing SOMEONE off.

Years of stories where Amy's crush was her primary motivator and Sonic went "Ew, cooties!" have lead many casual fans to believe that being Sonic's obsessive fangirl is Amy's entire personality. At best people might call her Sonic's Minnie Mouse. This isn't just a matter of Amy having haters within the fandom - venture outside of that bubble and you'll realize that this is how MOST video game playing people seem to see her to this day. I don't feel like this is a fair assessment of the character, but this idea didn't come from nowhere. No matter how much good deeply entrenched Sonic fans may see in their old dynamic where Amy perpetually chases Sonic, this is a very real problem that Sonic Team has to contend with for their leading girl. Of course all those games where the way-past-cool protagonist thought Amy was annoyingly clingy and tried to get away from her made people think less of her.

If new stories were to go back to emphasizing Amy's crush on Sonic a little more, they'd probably be taken as confirmation that Amy's just the girl with a crush on Sonic and that this is her entire personality. Conversely, when the crush is played down, you piss off the hardcore SonAmy fans who don't seem to understand that they're Charlie Brown and Sega is Lucy holding the football. You can't win.

And so here we are. In the absence of what was once her defining trait, now reduced to an occasional blush or wink in Sonic's direction, new stories are trying to mine Amy's past for additional material to work with. Having been a thing fans wanted to see for years, right now we're getting a lot of tarot, but we're also getting reminders of her compassionate nature and her desire to go out of her way to help the little guy. This is an ongoing process. I continue to hope that her bubbly, exuberant demeanor can shine more in future stories. Now, I also hope that the tarot stuff gets balanced out a little better with other traits of hers. But I don't want it to go away. I think it's fun.

This course correcting is far from exclusive to Amy. Knuckles is getting stories that remind us that he's a competent fighter, an experienced treasure hunter, and even a self-taught archaeologist after years of him being perceived as either the dumb one or just the guy who stands in front of the Master Emerald all day. And Tails has been getting some stories reminding folks that he's a capable hero in his own right and not just Sonic's timid kid sidekick.

But no supporting character will ever compete with the sheer number of new ideas Sega has tried with Sonic himself. Like Amy, his Frontiers moveset has also given him half a dozen new superpowers that he never had before, from the Cyloop to air-slicing projectile attacks to his own take on Shadow Clone Jutsu and beyond. He's also been a hoverboarder, a swordsman, a time traveler, an Olympic athlete, a racecar driver, cursed with a Flame of Judgment, imbued with alien power, a fucking Werehog with stretchy powers, and on and on and on.

If Sonic can do all that, Amy can try out using a tarot-cycle.

Anyway TL;DR the REAL problem with Amy's current characterization... is where the FUCK is Amy's bestie, Honey the Cat???????

#tkp post

[saintmeghanmarkle]

A Year in Review: All the times Meghan Markle been publicly called out in 2023. Highlights and favorite #MarkleMoment from last year? 📌Part 2 of 2

These are her humiliating moments over past year that she’s been publicly called out for in some way. All with proof, all archived from media reports around the world. Get cozy, save this post, and as always, appreciate the upvotes so it doesn't get targeted for downvotes! Posting it now as many of us will be celebrating Christmas with our loved ones. Although we are a diverse bunch, this unites us all :)

Here’s some from 2022 to inspire you:

Harry and Megan of “overseas”

the Funeral candle

no Jubilee balcony

voetsek Megan

I love the part where…(YouTube comments on their Netflix trailer)

Marriott Meg

12% Rotten Tomatoes rating for Netflix flopumentary, with her cutesy (mocking) curtesy

What was your favourite from 2023?

Meg inexplicably marching with the Invictus vets, at the front, while Harry is literally on the sidelines. https://archive.ph/wip/VG5SP

Meg wears a JCrew sweater to the Games. Her fans claim the Meghan effect crashed the site. JCrew comes out faster than Dior to clarify it was a confirmed outage for a website update.https://archive.ph/wufbS

Archetypes trademark abandoned. So much for the other platforms manifested clamouring for it. https://archive.ph/wip/yhziu

Embarrassing video at the fundraiser with Kevin Costner where she assumes she’s going to be given the mic by virtue of her being there, reached for it, and is very intentionally avoided and not given it. https://archive.ph/yeZDN

Despite the NDA attempts, information on how the NY Bench faux Royal visit does not let anyone speak negatively about her visit. Ever. She also demanded a new carpet. https://archive.ph/qAhnb

Snubbed by the Beckhams on their far more popular Netflix documentary. “Humiliated” by the snub from the Clooneys at their New York Foundation for Justice event.https://archive.ph/wip/GsB7j

Snubbed by Kim K birthday party, despite earlier pics with Doria and days before floating PR that Meg may do a cameo on KUWTK. Compounded by Kylie’s ‘boyfriend’ Chalomet talking about the Worldwide Privacy Tour earlier in the week. https://archive.ph/wip/BGvVP

Mocked on Family Guy for Netflix contract getting paid for nothing/ spon con Insta for Del Taco. Del Taco joins in and tweets about it. https://archive.ph/wip/Sm56V

Meg manifests a deal with Audible. Audible spokesperson shuts that down. https://archive.ph/KTLnP

William lands in Singapore for Earthshot to lit up architecture, Union Jack waving crowds, and an official tree planting at the airport. Meg and H attempt to compete by releasing a ‘candid’ pic of them at Katy Perry’s Las Vegas show (implying the standing people, phones were for them and not Celine Dion who walked in behind them). Cameron Diaz was also there, but didn’t get pics sold the same way. None of the other celebs present interact with them on camera. https://archive.ph/gnpjA

Dior signs Meg. No, not that Meg, but Meg the actress who plays Kate Middleton on the Crown. https://archive.ph/wip/lH6dY

Harry and Meg highly publicize their birthday call to Charles. The Palace discretely responds with detailed full itinerary of Charles’s busy day and evening, plus the press runs the fact that Charles doesn’t have a cell phone. Sussexes double down and pivot to it somehow being a prerecorded message sent (to where?) with Archie and Lili singing happy birthday. The world laughs or ignores them. https://archive.ph/i0uz8

Move along Meg on TikTok, after the video of her refusing to leave her basking on the press carpet at the Variety awards. Bonus is the real celebs inside clearly refused any pictures with her. The next day it’s confirmed she wasn’t even on the Guest List, which explains the Table 12 seating in no star names social Siberia. https://archive.ph/uC4Y8

Harry and Meg graciously are open to an invite for Christmas. Palace guest list leaks a day later, NFI. https://archive.ph/wip/0dEoi

Endgame is published. Omid claims to not be a friend of Meghan. Two Royal racist names are leaked to the Dutch publication based on Meg’s letter to Charles post Megxit. Omid blames the translator. No one publicly appears to believe them. There is not one single positive review of Endgame in major world newspapers. Omid later in the week acknowledges the names were in the Dutch manuscript. https://archive.ph/wip/Lr8XR

Hollywood Reporter lists Harry and Meghan as one of the biggest losers of 2023. https://archive.ph/E4hUt

Kitson’s Holiday Hypocrisy celeb window display in LA features Harry and Meg. Tik Tok notices. https://archive.ph/7yA3F

Ranker poll has both Meghan (#2) and Harry (#6) in the Top 10 list for Most Disliked Celebrities of 2023. Oprah, Hilary Baldwin,Ellen, Amber Heard (#1), and Bill Cosby also make the list. Update: They've recently become #1 and #4. https://archive.ph/OpKH5

Archewell 2022-2023 Impact Report highlighting ‘Restoring Trust in Information’, including ethical journalism, drops the same day Harry is fined $60K in court for providing misleading information - where he’s suing a newspaper. Court documents call it “ironic” given the “Duke of Sussex is responsible for misleading the court.” https://archive.ph/wip/1YtSe

Archewell’s 2022 financials reveal they only raised $2 mil (two anonymous $1 mil donations) vs $13 mill (also two anonymous donations) in 2021. Press brand it a “failure.” Notice they literally had only 4 donations in two years. https://archive.ph/wip/LqnuL

Not invited to any parties for Art Basel in Miami. Back in 2014, Markus organized a Soho party, invited Meg, and sat her next to Misha Nonoo. Context shows Meg has even less clout now than her pre Royal days.https://archive.ph/wip/aKYPL

Christmas card released. Largely ignored by world media. The response from other media: where are the kids? Called out for its embarrassing corporate look. https://archive.ph/fldEw

WME is "horrified" by Meghan Markle's sinking brand and association with Endgame, and may drop her in 2024. https://archive.ph/mye6j

(Honorable mentions to specific Harry’s moments: with Charles too busy to met, not going to France and hiking in Transylvania, and “in the realms of total speculation”. Harry pitches a Spotify show interviewing Putin, Zuckerberg, the Pope, etc on their shared bond of childhood trauma, Spare the most dumped holiday book of 2023. “Peace talks” between KCIII and Harry since he’s nearby in Germany for Invictus shut down less than 24h later. Persona non grata).

​Which ones did you not know or forget about?

It's been quite the year! To quote the Sussexes, thanks for all the support in 2023!

post link: A Year in Review: All the times Meghan Markle been publicly called out in 2023. Highlights and favorite #MarkleMoment from last year? : SaintMeghanMarkle (reddit.com)

author: somespeculation

submitted: December 17, 2023 at 02:25PM via SaintMeghanMarkle on Reddit

#saintmeghanmarkle #sussexes #markled #archewell #harry and meghan #meghan markle #prince harry #megxit #duke and duchess of sussex #duchess of sussex #waaagh #doria ragland #fucking grifters #harry and meghan smollett #i am invictus #heart of invictus #invictus games #walmartwallis #finding freedom #somespeculation #top post

[justatalkingface]

The 'Great' MHA Read Along, Part Four (Chapters 12-21): Team Deathmatch!

So, first thing, we have a bunch of reporters creeping on kids for news. I... am not a fan of this. Like, I get that, in story, heroes are celebrities, and so UA is effectively a school about becoming famous, but I've never been a fan of this kind of paparazzi, or that kind of fame in general.

More relevantly, since this is a school to, among other things, turn these kids into celebrities...why do we never see them prepare the students for that fact? There's a bare nod to rescuing people later on (hardly enough for how important that is, and even that is in the License Exam, and it's implied 1A was never taught about that at all... for reasons, presumably the same reason Aizawa never mentioned that literally everyone is going to try and murder them in the exam... and outside of right now, where it doesn't happen, I don't think we ever see them train in that) and from there how to interact with victims, but for such a media dominated field, you'd think there'd be classes on, you know, how to talk to a reporter. And, sure, maybe there's some on later, but they've already been getting field work by that point, for years, well publicized field work, so it feels just a tad too late at that point.

Anyways, obvious focus on the UA Barrier for later, then straight to evaluations, where Aizawa tells Bakugou to stop acting like a seven year old'

...

Because, you know, that's how all seven year olds behave, I guess.

All those seven year old children, trying to murder anyone they don't like, stabbing people with knives, smashing each in the head with crowbars, you know, normal stuff. Kids being kids, amiright?

Then we turn to Izuku, and while, yes, Izuku not breaking his arm would be good.... do you, perchance, have a suggestion to help with that goal, Aizawa? You know, as his teacher? Who is supposed to teach him things?

Ah, yes, there it is: I want to see some sweat out of you. 'Work hard, Izuku, because clearly, the catastrophic, crippling injuries you've been dealing to yourself, which must be agonizing, aren't enough incentive for you to improve; clearly you're just being lazy here, and there's no other potential factors holding you back from improving beyond this disappointing performance.'

Sweet flying fuck, how in the hell did this guy train Shinsou? 'Here's the scarf, figure it out, I want to see results by tomorrow?'

And then they just move on, so... I guess only Bakugou and Midoriya get called out in class. Cool, cool.

Hmm. Alright, so we next we get some actual school shenanigans, and I... have mixed feelings about this.

On one hand, this is exactly the character developing, 'let it breath' stuff we've been wanting in MHA current for... years now, basiclly. Paying attention to characters when they're not actively fighting and what not is something essential for making them seem less like characters and more like people, which... you kinda want for a good story.

On the other hand, I just find this boring. I wasn't interested in who gets to be student president last time, and I'm not really now, either.

(As a side note, it's hyped up as being SPECIAL and HEROIC and IMPORTANT FOR DEVELOPING A HEROIC FOUNDATION, or whatever, which is why we're supposed to care about it, but all of that never happens, so... that's a lie. Also, kinda dumb? This isn't a military organization, there's no real reason to train heroes to command other heroes.)

Here's the thing: the content, itself, isn't the problem; a great story writer can make even the most boring shit seem interesting. I vividly remember a manga about farming, for example. Just farming, before anyone starts thinking of whatever farm Isekei may come to mind. On the face of it, that may sound boring, but it was engrossing all the same, because of how well it was written, how involved the characters were in process. There's shonen stories that manage to make the 'school' part of the story just as interesting as the, 'And now you and me fight' parts, but MHA... just isn't it. If I had to guess, it's probably how dismissive the story is about those parts; before we even get to that, after all, we already have Aizawa making it clear how useless and superflicious normal schooling is, and he continues that stance well into the story.

If one of the main characters of the story, here being Aizawa (AKA the teacher who is heavily emphasized in story about how 'wise' he is), is dismissive about something, and there's nothing in story to really counter that perception, then yeah, the story probably isn't going to be covering that topic in an interesting way.

TLDR: I don't think Hori doesn't give a shit about the 'Academia' part of My Hero Academia, and it shows.

Anyways, there's some pointless school drama, and the only things I'm getting out of it outside of some foundational character stuff is that: the kids are all idiots, with how they were mobbing when the alarm went off (and the teachers are alarmingly absent when said alarm went off; shouldn't a security alert be when you secure the children?), Iida is too pure for this world, and god that whiplash is going to hit hard, and finally that U.A. is way too OK with the fact that someone broke in.

(Well, that and, for all that I'm very much not a fan of pushy reporters invading things they have no right to... Present Mic literally says that this is going from illegal trespassing into villainy. How?????

Seriously, how?! The only thing they're doing, beyond the trespassing, is... ignoring them and being assholish about questions?

Why in the actual fuck is he asking permission to blow them away!? Mic???? I thought you were the good teacher! )

Anyways, Izuku dodges dealing with shyness, Iida gets promoted over Momo to be president, and Nezu gets to sound ridiculous talking about an 'element of evil'. Yeah.

Next chapter: We see All Might using his time in a far more productive way, and a nod to the fact that heroes jobs are literally built around crime happening.

That's exactly how I responded when I first heard Izuku told Bakugou about OFA, All Might! (Although, Izuku explicitly says he didn't tell his mom, so... what did he say? There's a serious conversation here that we're just not getting.)

*Snort*

'Dark forces would flow forth in legions'. I mean, he's not wrong, but All Might only barely pulls that off because he's, like I said, hammier than ham in general, but the fact all the heroes randomly have asides like that, no matter how serious they are, was always jarring about this early on stuff.

...'Trial' of Rescue? It makes it sound like your testing them on stuff they should have no way of possibly knowing; if things went differently, would you have threatened to expel the last place student here as well, Aizawa? NGL, though, feels weird that costumes are optional for this because 'they might not be adapted'. I mean... for all the shit you dump on them to force them to adapt, you'd think doing things in your costume, that you are potentially going to be wearing all the time, would be an obvious choice. Wouldn't it be better to figure out if your costume needs work now rather than later?

And why are costumes in the classroom...? I mean, they'll need to leave to change anyways, it'd make a lot more sense to just have a changing area where the costumes are stored at.

Bus time.

You know, one of the things that strikes me, here, is how everyone is acting; there is no fear, loathing or shunning of Bakugou for happened last arc, not only for the murder attempt they never properly reacted to, but to the savage beating they were begging All Might to stop the fight over... but, they're not admiring him, either. There's friendly teasing at his expense, even.

And it's like... the fight never happened, in their minds (or Bakugou attacking Izuku on Day One, for that matter). They're acting like they know Bakugou only as a competent, if abrasive, student, and are treating him accordingly. It's kinda fascinating, really, because later they'll forget all of Bakugou's sins, of course, but that's only part of it: they'll fawn over him, because they only get to see this idealized version of Bakugou. Here? They just aren't responding to the worse parts, but they're still generally treating Bakugou like you'd expect someone like Bakugou would be treated. From my perspective of the very ends of the manga, it's really interesting to see this, like an AU where Bakugou both as a person and a character was treated more seriously in the story.

Gotta love that Kaminari Truth Bomb, lol.

Also, for how short this is: the characters are all interacting with each, it's light-hearted and non-serious, the ingredients are the same as they were before, but this is a lot more interesting to read for me than the Class President stuff was. More evidence My Hero Not Academia, I guess.

And now we've arrived at the USJ proper and, again, waaaay too big; the fucking budget this one school has has to be bigger than the budget of some small countries. And... 13 created this? By herself? Yet again, UA teachers have way too much freedom in school, for no apparent reason, because the way this is phrased makes it sound like this entire, giant ass facility, is 13's facility.

All Might: saves people, rather than try (and fail) to teach.

Eraserhead: hOw IRRatiONal.

I get he was supposed to be here, and he is failing as a teacher, but acting like he's being an utter moron by doing his other actual job is a bit much; here starts the point where All Might never gets a win... ever again, really. It's not All Might if someone's not metaphorically kicking him, after all.

You know, for how much of a non-character 13 ends up being, this five seconds of her is really refreshing: this conversation she's having, about how, you know, 'Quirks are dangerous, let's all try not to hurt someone with them' is exactly the conversation you'd think would have started the school year off with; she feels like a lot more realistic teacher than anyone we've seen thus far.

I guess that why Kurogiri's coming to shut her up then, right? We can't have a teacher actually teaching in UA!

....You know, it's easy to forget how weird Tomura was drawn early on. His image is far more... stark than we get later on, more focus on his wrinkles and the shadows on his face; it gives me some Uncanny Valley vibes. Actually, I can really see all the weird-ass horror hand stuff Hori eventually ends up doing in this, because he just looks wrong in some fundamental way, like he doesn't fit in the setting properly.

I've said this before, but I never liked early Tomura, because of how dumb he felt, but if Hori had leaned into this version more, him being off instead of him being childish, it would have made him feel a lot more threatening. But... after this one of his main pieces of characterization is going to be throwing fits, so...

...

Actually, I'm hitting pause here.

So. I, among others, talk about how bad a teacher Aizawa is, but I don't think I've spelled out how dangerous that could be, beyond ruining the students education, if a man in his position was viewed as fundamentally untrustworthy by the students he's in charge of. What we have here is a perfect time to discuss that!

Let's picture the scene, everybody: a dark portal opens, and bunch of weird people rush in. Aizawa goes into Serious Mode, puts on his goggles, and leaps into action, loudly declaring that, 'THOSE ARE VILLIANS!'

Now we turn to students: they look at Aizawa, see how serious he's acting.... and then remember how serious he looked yesterday, right before he told them that the big thing they were worried about was a 'logical ruse'.

Their panic calms slightly, and they think about the situation again from a new light.

What's more likely? That a giant horde of villains have broken into UA facility, famed for how safe it is, staffed by actual heroes? Into a building that is presumably secured and closed off to the public at all times? That they knew to break in now, of all times, just when the class went on a field trip? To a training facility?

Or, that Aizawa is giving them a 'logical ruse' again, with 13 in on it this time, and all these 'villains' are actors to help them learn better? (Just to be clear, here, that's basiclly what happens in the actual License Exam later on: Gang Orca, who is canonly one of the scariest heroes around, 'breaks into' the rescue focused exam with an army of mooks and starts throwing down like he's an actual villain. The only thing that separates this theoretical situation from that actual exam is that it was clear in the exam that the 'villains' were part of the exam.) And that, once they get this little skit out of the way, they'll reveal the joke, mock you if you fall for it, again (that is if Aizawa doesn't threaten to expel you for failing his standards... again), and then everyone will get on with the training.

So, the thing is, in dangerous situations, you need to make the right choice right away; if Iida was more on the ball, for example, maybe he could have escaped the USJ before Kurogiri made his way over to them, and gotten help for everyone that much sooner.

Hesitation, in other words, leads to disaster.

Do you know what's worse than hesitation in a dangerous situation?

Thinking your teacher is punking you like you're on some hidden camera show, and acting accordingly.

Imagine what could have happened when the students were all randomly separated and dropped before packs of villains, if they thought the villains were acting? What could have happened if a bunch of kids, kids with no combat training (beyond Shoto, who had training, and Bakugou, whose trigger happy instincts would have come in handy for once instead of being a dangerous liability), were placed in front of a bunch of people out to murder them, while they treated the situation like a game?

Hell, what if the kids rushed in to fight the villains before that happened, while Eraserhead was bogged down by charging head first into the army of mooks? (Also, couldn't he have... not done that? Some kind of collaborative attack with 13, where she attacks them while Eraserhead nerfs them, maybe? For all that Eraserhead is apparently specialized in a group fight, the guy with no offensive Quirk against a small army seems... a flawed choice.) They're trying to be heroes, after all: brave, probably eager to fight and flex their Quirks some more after a lifetime of keeping them suppressed, of not being allowed to use this intrinsic part of themselves all out. Besides, fighting the 'villains' sounds like a great way to get a good grade, right?

It gets even worse when the villains explain their goals: to kill All Might.

All Might is, let me remind you, the guy who punched a bunch of slime so hard that it started to rain. While he was weakened, no less.

All Might, while he's branded as the Symbol of Peace, is more honestly the Symbol of Victory, more than Bakugou ever will be: he effortlessly crushes every obstacle before him, doing it all with a smile and a quip, throughout his entire career. The peace he is so famous for is built on the idea that he never loses, and that this is a universally acknowledged fact.

He is so strong, so overwhelmingly competent, that he has made Japan, as a nation, simultaneously safer and more willing to sit on their hands and do nothing. He is so unstoppably successful at his job that Endeavour, who is second only to All Might himself (by... whatever metric that's judged off of), gets a villainous backstory trying to keep up with him.

In MHA, before the main story happens, a bunch of randos saying that they're going to kill All Might is like me saying I'm going to beat up Mount Everest.

It's ludicrous, in other words. Anyone saying it is either actively insane... or clearly lying through their teeth.

If Shigaraki's Uncanny Valley factor was just a little weaker, just a little less alarming, if they decided Aizawa was just lying to them again, and that this was just another example of UA's extreme training philosophy, they could have been slaughtered because this man couldn't be bothered to put the effort into his actual job, which he is getting paid for, and focus on his students in any real way.

This is the problem with Aizawa, the Teacher. As a hero, sure, he's great, and him jumping right away to defending the kids is good and all, but as a teacher? He is so fucking lazy that his students could have been, and in all honesty should have been, killed because they have no reason to trust his directions, especially in a serious, unusual situation.

If you can't trust the person in charge of you to make wise decisions in times of danger, or this case communicate those decisions to you and be trusted, then they are a liability, and for a man in Aizawa's situation, with his job, his responsibility to these kids? That is unacceptable.

...

Anyways. Villains show up, Eraserhead wades in (and then Hori makes sure to have Izuku and Shigaraki talk him up! You're so cool, Eraserhead! Make sure the readers know just how awesome you are as you effortlessly plow through the mooks! And I love how he punches a guy twice his size, who is made out of rock, and sends this guy flying, somehow, and doesn't break his hand in the process), then Kurogiri rolls up, monologues like an edgelord, and yeets all the kids, but not before the Bakugou and Kirishima dynamic is founded by.... failing utterly.

*sigh*

Seriously, Mineta? You're half drowned and in serious risk of getting murdered, and now you perv? This is why he's so hated, BTW: not because he's a pervert, but because that's almost his entire characterization. Jiraiya is a creepy, spying pervert as well, sure, but he's beloved by the Naruto fandom because he does all this other stuff that isn't being a creep, that makes him seem like an interesting person. He has relationships, and develops more, that don't revolve around breasts, which gives us a good, humanizing take on him beyond that character flaw.

Mineta's second character trait after being a pervert is being a coward, and... I don't think he really has friends? It's not a good look, to say the least. And yes, I know he gets a 'brave moment' here, where he surpasses his cowardice.... that is to say, where he literally throws things from a distance, but that happens for... all of two panels, and isn't that impressive even when it does happen. Then afterwards it's right back to normal. The notes say Hori had a hard time balancing his character against Hori's natural perviness, and honestly I'm just surprised this is the balanced version?

Anyways, everyone has to fight, and we see Izuku have to deal with the situation. He forces his way past his fear, his hesitation, to the realization he has to act, and then commits to it.

He observes the situation, comes to several realizations from what he sees, from how the villains act and the environment they're in. Then he comes up with an unorthodox plan, built around using his classmates various abilities effectively, and then executes it, claiming an overwhelming victory despite the odds against him.

This, all of this? All of this is far more interesting to read than his fights have been lately. This Izuku is easier to root for, easier to be concerned about, easier to like, than when we know he's going to beat everyone else up because he's OP. He's relatable like this, and that is a magic word for keeping people involved in your story.

Then everyone else fights, and most of it isn't that interesting. One notable one is the Momo, Kaminari and Jirou fight where: they also come up with a creative plan to win, Momo gets to use her powers usefully.... and then Kiminari is literally nerfed into being an idiotic pervert (like the one we already have isn't enough?), while Momo's shirt is torn off. Because of course. Then Kiminari is beat up for the suffering the mental version of Izuku's bone breaking side effect, because he can't win anything; god, it must suck to be him.

...Do you know how surreal it feels to watch Tomura be competent? Seriously, he's in a hand to hand brawl with Eraserhead, doing well despite the fact this should be something he doesn't actually do that often, considering his Quirk, he's calculating Aizawa's weak points... this guy feels like a threat, and I don't usually have that impression of him until the Villain Arc. I... I'm genuinely wondering if he always was this threatening, far more than I remember, and that some bad takes on him became the most memorable trait of him that became his fanon characterization, or he gets nerfed after his introduction like All Might was.

Ah, the Classic Noumu. The very one that screwed up my view on every other version; god, this one is a monster. He's an impossible behemoth of a thing, easily beating every enemy he comes against, crushing Eraserhead as a brutal introduction. Great first impression, but he makes all the other versions until the High Ends show up seem bizarrely weak for all the fuss they get.

And then All Might comes in.

And he isn't smiling.

Remember in an earlier post how I mentioned that All Might acts hammy to appear non-threatening? Well, I feel validated. (You know, until he promptly loses.)

...That is Actually Bowser. There's actually a Bowser-lite character, canonly, in MHA. Huh.

Anyways, it's faced up against Serious Might that makes Noumu seem that big of a threat, the fact that Tomura takes his arrival so well makes him that much more disturbing; I keep saying this, but this arc was a damn good intro for him.

Oh, hey! Remember when the strongest warper in setting was a threat in combat? This arc does; an ability like that could be lethal if used right, and it's nice seeing that in action, when later Kurogiri is devolved in a largely passive porter for The Team.

And then Izuku charges in! And then Bakugou... 'helps', ugh. I've gotten spoiled by all the chapters where he was 'dead'; I forgot how much he used to be shoved into every possible situation, in the best possible way to make his otherwise alarming behavior look good.

Like. He's not doing the right thing here, like everyone else is (even Shoto, who feels disconnected from the situation). He's doing what he wants, and it's just happening to help everyone else, yet it's getting shown as the 'right' thing. It's just frustrating for him to get these 'hero' shots of him looking and acting unhinged, but knowing I'm supposed to find that heroic.

And here, Tomura is pointing out what I pointed out earlier: All Might's 'peace' is based on the threat of superior violence, which... is quickly ignored because he's a murder hobo. Mixed feelings about that; as a character, for where he is in the story, for who he's supposed to be, he's exactly the kind of person to act off that logic, but he does have a good point, and I don't think anyone else brings it up, really? All Might being dissed for being All Might later is based off him no longer being a hero, and society is falling apart and all that, never that the peace itself is based off the threat of him.

...That said, why the hell doesn't All Might just... grab the Noumu again? If Kurogiri isn't hard countering that kind of thing, there's nothing really stopping All Might from grabbing the Noumu's wrist and just yeeting the guy. It's a big, dramatic moment, I get it, overcoming the shock absorption with power and sheer determination, but it's also dumb.

Also, hope that Noumu doesn't land in anybody's house or anything, lol.

Eight or nine last minute saves later, and it's all over save for the All For One introduction; ah, the nostalgia of 'Sensei', plotting from the shadows. I missed him being threatening.

Minor thing, but I like that brief moment of humanizing on the previously aloof Shoto when he realized Hagakure was there when he was fighting, it's a nice touch showing that he's more than his facade without slapping us in the face with it, a good setup for later.

Oh, and here's some extra Aizawa hypocrisy for you: he goes on and on about how bad Izuku is at taking care of himself, but we got a butcher's bill about all the damage inflicted on him. Next day? He shows up mummified. Great example, there; and it's set up just to show how.... badass he is, I guess? But it's annoying that they went through all that work setting up how badly he's damaged just to gloss over it, and yet Izuku's injuries are about to be taken seriously.

Awkward end of chapter cliffhanger!

#mha critical #bnha critical #aizawa critical #bakugou critical #The 'Great' MHA Read Along #holy shit shigaraki was threatening? #i have no idea what i'm doing #what the fuck did i just bring upon this cursed land

[foone]

Hi I'm Foone Turing. I've been here a while but never really did an introduction post, so...

Hi. Yes, that's my name. I'm an asexual trans enby (they/them pronouns), I'm married, and I'm both older than you expect and younger than you expect, depending on what you know me from. I'm a writer and programmer. I'm better known on Twitter, at the moment. I'm well known for being severely ADHD and I'm also on the autism spectrum, somewhere near ultraviolet. I live near Oakland, California, USA, but I grew up on a farm in the south. I'm a furry, but I don't have a fursona yet.

I'm big into retrotech stuff, especially floppy disks. 80s and 90s PC stuff mainly, but I have a passing interest in everything else. I loves me some weird tech that you have no idea ever existed. I'm also big into analog media. VHS tapes, laserdiscs, that sort of thing.

Fandom wise, I'm a Trekie from way back, primarily in the TNG/DS9/VOY/ENT era. I haven't yet gotten into the new stuff, and I have only a passing knowledge of the original series. I'm also a big fan of Babylon 5, Red Dwarf, and Doctor Who (4th doctor, and new who doctors 9,10,11). I watch a bunch of British panel shows: HIGNFY, Mock the Week, Nevermind the Buzzcocks, 8 out of 10 cats (primarily the countdown spinoff).

I am a Big Hater on crytypocurrentseas and AI art. I used to be famously mad at the JWST, but now that it's in space and functional, I've calmed down. They just need to rename it and I'm golden.

I'm currently splitting my social media presence across three sites:

* Tumblr, obviously. Shitposting, jokes, queer stuff, and queer joke shitposts are all going here.

* mastodon: I'm putting my tech stuff here. Teardowns, building new death generators, fun historical weirdness.

* Twitter: formerly my primary platform, but now I just use it to keep in touch with people and make fun of the impending collapse of Twitter.

Stuff I do and have done after the readmore.

(I'm on mobile now but I'll get back to this on the desktop and add more links)

* I run lettuce.wtf, a webcam showing a lettuce to see if it will outlast Twitter. (My money is literally on the lettuce)

* my long running site The Death Generator: a tool for making fake video game screenshots, with user supplied dialogue.

* I run some Twitter bots, one of which is more popular than me, and all of which will need to be migrated soon: Gay Cats, WinIcons, Print Shop Deluxe, and Every Clue Line.

* I got Microsoft 3D Movie Maker open sourced

* I got rickrolled so hard that it ended up on national TV

* I ran doom on a pregnancy test

* I have made many horrible and weird keyboards. Keyboards with hair, keyboards which write poetry, keyboards that take 5 hours to say "hello world", keyboards with randomly placed keys, keyboards with 7 toggle switches instead of buttons, and many more.

* I tear down random electronics and try to figure out and explain how they work. (originally on Twitter, but moving over to mastodon now)

* I pissed off the FBI on more than one occasion. They tried to get me fired, they delayed my wedding by over a month, and they mentioned my 4chan nickname in a federal trial.

* I used to work for 4chan. I was a moderator and coder, I created /rs/ and /r9k/, and I convinced moot to destroy the original politics board (for obvious reasons). Things went further to shit after I left, but I am still glad I left. Oh and I also inadvertently prevented the creation of the 4chan dating/meet up site by being too ADHD to actually complete development of it. You're welcome.

* I ran a windows 95 machine for the maximum amount of time. There's a bug where it crashes after 49.7 days of uptime, so I let it happen. I livestreamed the end on YouTube.

* I've done exhibits at the Vintage Computer Festival on the history of floppy disks and optical discs.

* I've worked with the Video Game History Foundation (and others) to preserve old games and game development resources (source code and such). I'm big into archival!

* I wrote a really famous Twitter thread about the surprising way our vision works, which is still circulating in screenshots (including on Tumblr!) something like 5-6 years later.

* I made my old apartment play the Zelda Ocarina of Time shop music when you walked I the door.

* I run the Tumblr animefloppies, collecting screenshots and GIFs of floppy disks in anime.

* I run several other sub-tumblrs for collecting weird things, but I'll have to link them later.

* I am technically a speedrunner. I did the TAS of Duke Nukem 1, episode 1, and a joke speedrun of Solar Winds, where I beat the game by ignoring every single possible objective and just flying to the end, which takes over an hour.

* I used to make games. Some of them are available for download.

* but it still do, too: I'm working on a (currently unnamed) game about managing a dairy farm. Both the developers have ADHD. This is going to take forever before it comes out, if it ever does.

* I'm currently working on three books. Two are compilations of stuff previously twitterized, one is a novel:

- Always Screaming Forever: non-fiction, stories about my career in the tech industry and various other tech/science/history stuff I love ranting about.

- The Other Side of Screaming: fiction. My short stories.

- Mundane Kaya Sona (placeholder title): a linguist gets pulled into an FBI investigation into a car crash. An unknown language leads to the discovery of a wizard living in a forest in Oregon, and an interdimensional plot to smuggle nuclear weapons to another world, and break a cold war stalemate we (the planet earth) didn't realize we were in. I've been working on the setting for this story since I was about 7 years old, and I'm excited to finally get it out of my head and into yours.

* I'm probably forgetting like 5-10 major things I've done but ADHD is a hell of a drug. I'll add more as they come to me.

#Introduction #Foone

[marabarl-and-marlbara]

hello. i'm not sure how to phrase this properly but do you have any advice on not being afraid of being social with real humans? i admit i am a bit paranoid. i do not want to share anything about myself with anyone in real life, i do not want to use any social media that can be easily traced back to my real identity, i am afraid of meeting up with and talking to people i can meet locally etc. i know that human connection requires vulnerability and being "real", but i've seen far too many examples of people being bullied for being themselves and from my experiences relationships don't last that long, i can't keep friends, so it's almost not worth it to open up that much because it can be used against you later once you stop talking etc etc etc., at least that's what i think. i don't know how to perceive people as kind and stop being afraid. it's hard. sorry if this question is not phrased well.

hi anonymous; i:m terrible to ask for this!

i have basically no real-life relationships and my whole life has basically been a tomb built upon an inability to change, connect, and grow; spiritually i:m like what happens if the bacteria inside an empty house is allowed to stagnate and flow in-to the floorboards till it becomes like a fat pungent jelly saturating the baseboards, principal post, foundation; nasty and tepid and like a black mold :-))!

any-ways: what helped me get-over my social anxiety, slightly, was just gradual exposure at my own behest: forcing myself to go-out and get something nice for myself weekly/daily; when i had a little more money: this would be stopping out for coffee; or: just going to a thrift-store and looking at books.

for internet stuff and bullying: being open and facing consequence for your own existence is just part-and-parcel of being a person; even: if you are "making a career out of yourself" (whether it be an artist, or just some prolific poster (i:d consider this a career, absolutely, because when i was "way emotionally worse" i:d more-or-less literally get financially incentivized for being actively suicidal and mentally ill--blood sacrifice)) you sort-of implicitly are surrendering a barrier between yourself and other, cause ultimately it:s All About Connection & people don:t connect to barriers super well; incidentally, i think i had a worse time with "bullying" when i had more to be ashamed about myself, and had more internal insecurities -- but i also cared more about my identity as an artist; i:ve Confronted(!) the parts i:ve been too ashamed to confront and made peace with them, and now am mostly content with just housekeeping.

But: i:m still terrifically lonely. purpose and identity helps there; the only things that have ever abated the loneliness for me is being completely ensorcelled with /something/ (like a writing project, drawing, fleshing out an inner world, feeling like i am furthering my goal to the Communication/bacteria) -- and those only come as impulses for me; without: every-day is just a lonely dead-quiet stretch between meals that:s filled up with finding excuses to keep myself busy.

~but: i think that:s also "better;" i keep myself to a routine and give myself responsibilities that i don:t let myself shirk (my praying, my cleaning, my exercising, forcing myself to go to church once a week, my cooking, my grocery shopping); it:s like what moto realizes at the end of boogiepop phantom episode 1,

unfortunately we have to reconcile ourselves by ourselves, and likely: that is a life-time struggle that none of us get to shirk;

if you:d like a recommendation, anonymous, i:d like you to watch "boogiepop and others" (not "boogiepop phantom") episode 6; it:s an episode about that struggle, suema talks about it; if i:m feeling super-duper down i:ll listen to that conversation @ the end of episode 6 between suema and aya, about the struggle with the imaginator, and whether-or-not boogiepop is real.

anyways, i don:t think i gave you great advice here anonymous; even: i doubt any of this will lift your spirits >:-)) but @ minimum: try to be kind to yourself, including patience with yourself, and also responsibility to yourself; often it seems like people are awaiting another to come and pluck the dirt out of us: but that dirt is us, and all another can do is add more slurry to us.

take care chief.

[pup-pee]

*presents u my dick grayson hcs like ur @ my garage sale* (dick hcs #1?)

♡ this

♡ hes a passenger princess(no this is cannon whoopsie)

♡ dick is like the first girl 2 b killed in a slaughter movie, but just as a 27-ish yr old adult man

♡ draws on a beauty mark in a different spot everytime & gaslights any1 who asks about it -"hey wasnt ur beauty mark under ur other eye?" -"idk i cant see my own face"

♡ hes always losing his hairties bc he keeps shooting them @ ppl -& rubberbands 4 that matter

♡ we dont talk about the skin grip example -it involves a lot of falling & a lot of crashing -if ykyk

♡ dick usually has a twix in his pocket, but in order 2 get it u have 2 guess if its a left or right twix -he also respectfully keeps the left twin in his left pocket & the right twix in the right pocket

♡ he never believed in santa claus but is terrified that watermelon will grow inside him if he swallows the seeds

♡ not rlly a hc but hes vry mcdonals girl toy coded

♡ says "fuck it we ball" b4 jumping in2 a drug ring

♡ the hardest hes laughed in a while was @ a bucket falling over

♡ "masculine but in a peacock way" quotes,,,,,

♡ makes hot chocolate in a pot -refuses 2 make it in a mug it HAS 2 b done on the stove or its not the same

♡ knows how to do his make-up but doesnt know the name of the product he uses -foundation? no thats just my face paint

♡ if u ask him 2 draw, hell say "i cant even draw a straight line!"

♡ dick; *pulls out sticker sheet* *puts mlp sticker some1s face*

♡ swallowed grapes/blue berries whole as a kid bc he didnt know better -didnt chew them*

♡ dicks fav turtle is leo

♡ fixates on tinkering w/his bits & bots

♡ wears crocs -"y do u wear crocs?" -dick; kicks in their direction so the croc hits theyre face

♡ eyeballs measurements(like cooking) -until it comes 2 clothes, then its ultra mega super duper whopper popper deluxe edition focus

♡ h8s grippy socks -the textures weird + attracts halys hair(as if all socks wouldnt but-) -prolly h8s socks in gen

♡ had 2 have snorted pixie stick as a kid -i am such a believer that every kid has done this so he will 2 -as a dare @ LEAST

♡ when hes angry he plops 1 of those sweet cough drops in his mouth 2 chew on just so that he doesnt go off -any hard candy works 2 -he needs 1 of those chewie chewables

♡ biting/chewing hcs bc it needs a separate category @ this point -keeps chewing on earbuds -h8s biting his nails actually -no pen or pencil or eraser is safe -loves biting but h8s when his food is 2 chewy/has 2 bite harder than usual -has more than 1nce caught himself about 2 chew on electrical wire -bites ppl he loves 2 show appreciation/love nom -(i will defend this goddamn hc till the day i die)

♡ pizza bagels -if ur confused, come see me after class

♡ titans have basically banned horror movies from movie nights bc dick would complain about the gore/physics/traps/mo/literally anything 'inaccurate' -"dick its just a movie" "U DONT UNDERSTAND."

♡ has the most social media followers out of batfam but only posts 1nce a month(sometimes not) -its just a picture of his half eaten cereal captioned "beautiful day today"

♡ titians walked in on him doing a backbend & thought some1 murdered him(not 4 vry long though cause oviously he was alive i just like the thought of some1 like roy when he 1st joined the team walking in & doing the most dramatic gasp ever)

♡ listen, i like contortionist dick -its fun & silly

♡ takes 'cringe' as a compliment

♡ "ur mature 4 ur age!" dick; "let me fix that real quick"

♡ hair grows vry quickly

♡ h8s functioning labels(i mean we all should but yk)

♡ skilled in bingo

♡ over buys treats 4 haly -& toys

♡ insane internal clock -kinda ties in; tells ppl specific times -"meet me @ 2;37 pm" as an example

♡ comic sans enjoyer(literally stole from ttg but shhhhhh)

♡ more invested in presidential gay love affairs than WW1 or 2

♡ hes about yay high

♡ hyperfixates on languages istg

i literally could go on 4ever bc my brain is that highway in germany but i wont i regret nothing

pt 2 <- if i make 1 lol

#the amount of times i wanted 2 write “y? bc i say so” after a hc was crazy #my worst fear is that i make hcs off of a hc'd dick from another hc'd that was based off ao3 from some1 whos never read the comics #dyinf on the biting hc hill #dick grayson #dc #puppee hcs

[khalixascorner]

Foundations Pt 1

Summary: After agreeing to let Tony take care of him, they have to establish the foundations of this strange new dynamic. Peter stumbles a bit along the way, but Tony's there to catch him. Part 2 of the Priorities Series.

Tags: Slow Burn, Like so slow it's glacial, Still technically pre slash here, Platonic BDSM, for now, Dom Tony Stark, Sub Peter Parker, Friday and Karen gossip

Read on AO3

It was child’s play to find the evidence he needed to disgrace the Osborn heir. A few clear photos of the underage heir drinking and doing lines off of his latest fuck of the week and he was out. Jetted off to somewhere in Eastern Europe where they wouldn’t look down on him for that behavior while the American media had its day with his reputation. 

Meanwhile, Tony was outside of Peter’s apartment. As he waited for the younger man to come down, his mind was already planning upgrades and new safety measures if Peter still meant what he said. Tony was starting to get impatient when Peter came rushing out the door, his hair still slightly damp but dressed in the charcoal slacks and deep blue shirt he had sent. It was the first test because Tony had also included shoes, socks, and underwear with a note for Peter to wear them. 

“Sorry for making you wait, sir,” Peter gasped as he slid into the passenger seat. “I was trying to work ahead on some homework and lost track of time.”

Tony waved it off, willing to let it slide this once since Peter wasn’t officially his. 

“How were classes this week?” Tony asked instead, pulling the car out to head to the restaurant.

“It was crazy busy,” Peter replied with a sigh. “We’re not quite to finals yet but everyone is already starting to ramp up for it.”

“Anything in particular giving you problems?” Tony asked, glancing over. 

“Not really,” Peter said, waving off the concern. “It’s just a lot of final projects, papers, and extra assignments that the teachers want turned in early.”

“Nothing you can’t handle then,” Tony agreed. 

-----------------------

Tony kept the conversation light as they drove, and Peter found himself relaxing in the older man’s presence. It had been so long since he’d been around his mentor that he had almost forgotten how nice it was when things had been good. Had stored it away in his memories but couldn’t help but wonder how much was fabricated versus real. 

The restaurant was nicer than anything Peter had gone to in recent memory. It was also louder. Voices rose and fell in a discordant symphony that made him flinch. Silverware clinked against fine porcelain dishware with the occasional clatter of a busboy hard at work. 

Peter tried to take a deep breath, hoping to bring it under control, only to be swept under an aromatic assault. Notes of citrus and vinegar from a nearby table’s salad burned his nose, only to be covered up when a waiter walked by with a seafood dish that turned Peter’s stomach. He tried turning away from it, only to get a nose full of a woman’s overbearing perfume as she handed off her coat to the maitre d’. 

His eyes watered, and Peter could only be distantly embarrassed as a complete overload threatened to literally bring him to his knees. He hadn’t even realized he had closed his eyes until they shot open in surprise when a warm weight settled on his back between his shoulders. 

“This way, Pete.”

Tony’s voice was like a beacon to orient himself by, and the heavy weight of his hand was an anchor to his body, grounding him against the external stimuli. With a bit of effort, he could pick out the faint hint of Tony’s cologne and the background smell of coffee and metal that always clung to the man. 

His focus narrowed until only that spot of warmth, familiar scent, and low baritone mattered. Everything else was muted and ignored so completely that Peter didn’t even realize when it all disappeared. 

“-te, Pete? Take a deep breath now,” Tony’s voice rumbled in his ears, and just as always, Peter couldn’t help but obey. “That’s it, in and out. Nice and easy.”

Ever so slowly, his senses returned. Hearing was first, with Tony’s soft commands to breathe and the steady beats of their hearts filling his ears. He basked in it, tension falling away and his shoulders dropping as the anticipated pain never came. 

As if the movement triggered it, his sense of touch came back next. Awareness spread from Tony’s hand on his back to the one now holding his wrist. From that second point of warmth, he felt a third, underneath his palm. Smooth fabric with buttons rose and fell beneath his hand, while a rhythmic thumping pounded away steadily. 

Touching the fabric, realizing it was Tony’s shirt, helped his brain remember what clothes were. Suddenly, he was very grateful that Tony had provided the entire outfit because instead of rough cheap blends, all his skin felt were soft smooth cottons and silks. 

He let himself relax further, still not opening his eyes but daring to take deep breaths. Tony’s scent was safe and familiar, flushing out the memory of the others, and finally giving Peter the courage to open his eyes. 

“There we go,” Tony murmured as their eyes met. “I was getting a bit worried there, kid.”

“S’rr- s’r,” Peter mumbled, still not quite up to talking coherently as his system finished its reboot. 

“Nothing to be sorry for,” Tony said quietly. “I’m gonna go out on a limb here and say you haven’t had that happen before just from going to a restaurant.”

Peter shook his head, eyes fluttering when the room seemed to spin. 

“Alright, spider kid, let's get you sitting down and some water I think,” Tony said, slipping his arms more firmly around Peter as he guided him to a seat. Thankfully, it was a booth and he could rest against the wall as Tony stepped away to speak with someone at the door. 

Peter drifted in and out while he waited for his mentor to return. His limbs felt like lead and it was a losing battle to keep his eyes open for more than a second. 

“Drink,” Tony commanded even as a cool glass was pressed to his lips. 

Peter started with a sip, only to realize his mouth felt as dry as a desert. Tony didn’t let him gulp it down, but it was a close thing. The drink wasn’t water, Peter realized only halfway through the glass but instead was lightly flavored lemonade. The sugar seemed to perk him up, and by the end of the glass, there was only a little residual shakiness left. 

“Better?”

“Much, thank you,” Peter replied, unable to fight the flush of embarrassment.

“None of that, kid,” Tony said with a wave. “Everyone’s got weird quirks from their super powers. It’s a thing, so don’t feel bad.”

“Even you, sir?” Peter asked in a moment of braveness. Tony looked at him, gaze heavy for a long moment before replying. 

“I compulsively upgrade the suits because there’s always the next bad guy, the next random power that could get used against us,” Tony said softly. “My brain can’t help but try to quantify the threat and pre-make at least 3 potential solutions. Not quite as fancy as weird metabolisms or allergies from super soldier serums, but it is what it is.”

“Oh, ah- thank you. For telling me,” Peter said, suddenly feeling shy. “I, ah, it's more than just the metabolism but yeah. Lots of weird quirks from mine. Guess that’s the trade off from my powers coming from a spider instead of a bottle in a lab.”

“Nothing we can’t work around with a little bit of applied brain power,” Tony said confidently, leaning back against the booth. “Now, I ordered a wide variety of relatively easy to eat foods that aren’t too pungent and they’ll all be brought out in individual courses with palette cleansers in between just to be on the safe side. Eat as much as you like, but don’t feel obligated to finish anything you don’t. This is just a chance to get a feel for what you like.”

Tony said the whole thing so casually and yet, Peter still felt blindsided by the thoughtfulness and also willingness to put others out. Surely that would drag their dinner on extra long, and rooms like these were probably in high demand. Yet, Tony didn’t seem to care in the least. Peter wanted to argue, to say it wasn’t necessary, but the hint of challenge he could see in Tony’s gaze deterred him. 

“Thank you,” was all he said instead. 

Tony’s pleased smile brought a small one to Peter’s face as a warm feeling bubbled in his chest. Making Tony happy and proud had always made Peter feel happy as well, and it seemed like years apart hadn’t changed that. 

“Not a problem, Pete,” Tony said warmly. “I take care of what’s mine.”

Peter shivered and just nodded, eyes dropping to the table. 

---------------------

Tony wanted to say more but their first course arrived before he could open his mouth. He bit back a sigh, knowing that Peter needed more than just lemonade to help him bounce back from the strange reaction to the restaurant. Tony hadn’t seen one of the kid’s overloads in years but they seemed worse than ever if that one was any indication. 

He held his peace though, as course after course came out. At first, Peter seemed unsure about trying the food that had set his senses off just a short while ago. However, the time to relax had done the younger man good, and after a few bites, he was digging in with gusto. There were one or two he seemed to like less, and Tony had Friday make a note of it for the future, but otherwise, he kept the light conversation going, eating a few bites occasionally after Peter had commented that it was weird to be eating alone. 

Tony didn’t fight the satisfied feeling of seeing Peter taken care of properly. He was dressed in the clothes Tony had picked for him, eating the food Tony ordered, and all around looking happier than when he had seen him just a few days ago. And Tony hadn’t even gotten to his true gift for the night.

Only after a large dessert spread was laid out before them did Tony finally bring his phone out.

“So, I had one more gift for you tonight,” he said, activating the holo function as Friday brought up headline after headline. “I told you earlier that I wanted you to really think about it before saying yes to me. To understand the lengths I would go to. And well, I think this makes a pretty good sampling.”

Tony watched as Peter read the headlines, eyes going wide and they flicked from Tony to the holos and back to Tony again.

“He-he’s really gone?” Peter asked, his voice almost fragile.

“Yeah, he’s gone. Because I’m not gonna leave someone around that could hurt you when I’m not there to protect you,” Tony said. “You didn’t want to involve campus security or the cops so the issue’s been resolved without your name being involved at all.”

“How- it’s only been three days- that’s, it shouldn’t be possible,” Peter said, his voice an awed whisper. 

Tony wasn’t expecting quite that response, but he wasn’t going to complain about it either. He was trying to be fair, trying to ensure Peter knew what he was getting into, but he also knew what he wanted and exactly how to get it.

“I told you that I take care of what’s mine, Peter,” Tony said solemnly. “So now the question is, are you going to let me take care of things? Of you?”

----------------------

Peter’s heart was pounding in his chest like when he squared off against the villain of the week. He felt like he was about to launch himself off the top of a building without checking that his web shooters were full. A leap of faith. Faith that Tony would catch him. That the older man meant what he said and would follow through on it. Life had beaten Peter down again and again, had taken everything from him that mattered, but maybe that made this easier because he had nothing to lose.

Peter took a deep breath and looked Tony straight on, unflinching despite his trembling hands that he hid beneath the table.

“Yes, sir.”

#starker #tony stark x peter parker #tony stark/peter parker #tony stark #peter parker #dom tony #sub peter parker #mind the tags

[teekays]

Davo for the character ask thing please!

this one took me so long because i have THINGS to SAY. i have cried in an airport over connor mcdavid. lets begin

First impression

i will be so real when i first got into hockey i totally fell for the like... this guy is the BEST agenda. mostly because i think i noticed that the praise he got was SO strong and i wanted to know what made him so good as opposed to other guys but i also noticed he got a lot of hate for being boring and i was like... they're all boring. why do we hate him for being boring specifically? and that led me on a quest to tease out The Connor Mcdavid Story

Impression now

i'm a mcdefender sorry. i know!! he's the most interesting guy in the world actually. like he IS boring but that is so clearly a purposeful obfuscation of whatever else he's got going on there that he developed because of course you're not going to just have your heart out there in the open as a first overall who's been hyped up for years as the Next One placed on a flop team in a flop city... it's also interesting to have seen that kind of relax a little bit in recent years and i think that relaxing is directly parallel to him becoming a little less like. black and white in his thinking which he very much was for a long time. like he's someone with a very strong sense of right and wrong and very strong ideas about How Things Should Be Done and as that has loosened up (because that's not conducive to like, being alive yknow) and as he's gotten more secure in his position he's gotten a little more willing to put himself out there which is fun. the morals thing does come out sometimes tho in that he will speak up if he feels like he needs to in the name of fairness. also i find his like, earnestness and the ways he's different than the nepo babies of the hockey world to be deeply charming even when they suck. like he's a shill grinding for his money but he's honest about it and i have to respect it. make your terrible millions and have a zero tolerance policy for being irreverent and Too Cool for the media while doing it. go white boy go

Favorite moment

sitting on mitch's lap in the everglades was a foundational babygirlism but also. right after the draft i don't remember who it was but little baby connor freshly in that oilers jersey was like "why are you ripping him to shreds rn he literally just got drafted" it makes my heart break into a million pieces i feel like when spongebob lost gary. because that's sooo... it's not him anymore really. but it will always be him and who he was.

Idea for a story

my sick and twisted mind has been percolating Mccareer ending injury for so long because i would like to see him freed from the shackles of hockey and having to build a life outside of what that means to him. who is connor mcdavid? find out next week when he escapes to a beach for a week and hates it

Unpopular opinion

say it with me now. estrogen could fix him! but also once again i think he is much less miserable than people want to think and if he is then it's justified. he lives in edmonton. you'd be sad too. also i covered this but he's actually a little freak and not boring at all if you know how to look at him!!!

Favorite relationship

i'm a mcstrome warrior til i die hashtag Your dead best friend is walking up the stairs hashtag I ain't a kid no more we'll never be those kids again. that being said i think also him and leon should get married. and another thing this may be also an unpopular opinion BUT i am actually so obsessed w ambitious girlboss lauren kyle and the way she so clearly runs their whole lives and he's so deeply okay with that... i think a common hockey boy trait is kind of always wanting to be told what to do because that's what you've done your whole life but to see someone quietly own it that way is so fun to me. i think she should lean into it and be like the tweet that's like "if two guys were in love with me i would manipulate them into doing gay shit together"/"if i had two boyfriends i'd dress them up like twins" with connor and leon and like leon is there for connor's benefit but she makes him think it's her idea so as not to upset the delicate balance. yknow?

Favorite headcanon

this is also from what we've seen mostly based in fact but he's absolutely dogshit at other sports. like. some guys are athletes and other guys are hockey players and he is absolutely a hockey player to his core. hilarious

#i could have made this even longer like you can't even begin to understand the amount of things i could say abt him #asks

[girl4music]

REPRESENTATION ANXIETY AND WHY IT’S BAD FOR ACTUALLY PROVIDING REPRESENTATION / WHAT CONSTITUTES AS REAL REPRESENTATION / WHY ITS IMPORTANT IN TV ART/ENTERTAINMENT

Ever heard of the phrase “representation anxiety” when it comes to TV art/entertainment? No, I haven’t just made it up: it’s a real thing/a real concept. It’s something that’s only come up recently actually. See representation - especially when it comes to sexuality/identity/gender - is all over the place now. Therefore it’s nowhere near as restricted/limited as it used to be when writing and producing TV art/entertainment. And so representation is often made a “quota” in the TV art/entertainment landscape now. Creators are encouraged and expected to include it somewhere - usually for selfish reasons - a means of getting more or better ratings (i.e. making more money/gaining more power/success/fame) by the studios, networks or streaming services/companies. It’s a literal quota to meet as if in the business of sales - because technically it is about sales. And so there is an anxiety surrounding providing that representation and meeting that quota of representation by creators in TV art/entertainment. And this anxiety is a pressure and when pressure is involved in creating art/entertainment, things go wrong very quickly out of sloppiness, carelessness, laziness, ignorance. The anxiety is so strong that there is a loss of focus.

Now anybody that suffers with anxiety knows why this is. It’s because you’re so focused on and worrying about and overthinking what makes you anxious that you lose sight of everything else that’s important. In context of creating art/entertainment this means the quality of your writing/producing starts to decline because you neglect the storytelling aspect to focus entirely on the representation aspect - and so representation now becomes something you’re forcing and contriving into your art/entertainment rather than letting it flow and ebb naturally and organically. Plot and character narrative/theme or arc takes second place to making sure you show that gay/queer couple doing gay/queer things as much as possible without a foundation for why or how. Whether it makes sense, is logical, feels realistic or even is at the right place and time for it. All that takes a backseat. All the detail, all the nuance, all the substance just gets sucked out completely in favour of meeting that fucking quota you’re pressured to meet by the higher-ups at the studio/network/company who could not give a shit about your work - what it provides, what it teaches - when or where. They’re not gonna watch it. Executives very rarely ever watch the media they greenlight for production unless they absolutely have to because it’s failing so they can sus out why they believe it might be failing. It’s not for any kind of genuine support or help or in solidarity for your passions, your ambitions, your heart. They don’t care about any of that unfortunately. Creative ideas and decisions don’t matter to them unless those creative ideas and decisions make bank. So you’re not doing yourself or anyone else that cares any favours by forcing and contriving representation. By being so anxious about it that you’ve lost your focus. I get it. It’s not easy when it’s a major project. When there’s people watching you do what you do. But the thing is is representation is not proper or genuine representation if it’s just put in there for the sake of it. When there’s no rhyme or reason behind it. And I’ve watched a lot of TV art/entertainment where this is unfortunately the case. Where I can tell that it’s just a quota to meet and isn’t giving me anything substantial or real. I almost immediately pick that up. Sometimes it’s in a really selfish way like with queerbaiting - which by the way - you can queerbait a canon textual couple just as much as you can non-canon subtextual ones because if your couple is not proper/genuine gay/queer representation anyway… then it’s going to come across very queerbait-y because of all the forced sexual intimacy and then no context behind why or how it happens - no communication between the characters - no aftermath, no set up, no emotional connection, no chemistry - no realism or depth. It’s going to seem like an act - which obviously it is - but your viewers aren’t supposed to think or feel that way. It’s supposed to be convincing, it’s supposed to be well written and performed to the point where it looks and feels real. That’s when representation really works. When the viewers watching are fully immersed or engaged in what’s happening on the screen that they feel things. That’s guaranteed not to happen when it’s forced in.

Here’s the deal. Communication and connection. If you can show this happening between the characters both when it’s in a sexual context and when it’s not - then you’ve got something substantial with which to build on. The main problem with forced or contrived representation is that there is no foundation for it. It just comes out of nowhere. It just happens randomly. There’s no slow burn or anything even remotely close to any genuine connection or attraction or love between the characters that you force into a romantic/sexual relationship. It lacks everything that makes it stand up and holds it up. It lacks foundation.

I personally tend to gravitate towards slow burn and friends-to-lovers or even enemies-to-lovers situations and tropes in TV art/entertainment because there is rich history there between the characters where it actually seems probable and even appropriate for them to develop into romance. You can see and feel the chemistry radiating off of them, the intensity, the longing, the passion - in more than just a sexual way. There’s deep emotions and feelings there that drive the attraction the characters have for one another. I very rarely see that anymore in TV art/entertainment. And I understand the reason why this is - it’s time constraints mostly and it’s not the fault of creators. But that doesn’t make it any easier for me to watch it. I can’t justify watching, supporting and shipping a couple or a relationship just out of time constraints because that makes me feel fake and obligatory and yeah - that’s not something I wish to feel in watching TV art/entertainment. I want my experience to be genuine and real just as much as I want the characters and their relationship to be genuine and real. I’ll be honest - I don’t watch pure romance or love stories because if that’s the only thing that piece of art/entertainment is for or about - it does feel very fake. My niche is action/fantasy/drama because there’s more going on with the individual characters - they have individual stories, arcs, developments and those don’t take away from the romance or love story. Actually,… it tends to help it and cultivate it because if the individual characters feel real and fleshed out, probably, very likely, the relationship also will too because all of the individual detail informs the coupling detail. You see? This gives it foundation.

Xena and Gabrielle are my most favourite gay/queer relationship of all-time despite them not even being textually canon - as in they were never confirmed as canon lovers or a canon couple in the TV show itself. They actually couldn’t be. I’ve gone into the reasons why this is many times before so I won’t talk about it in this post. Anyway, there is a reason why they are and still remain my favourite and honestly the best representation of any romance or love story - gay/queer or otherwise - that I’ve ever since in TV art/entertainment. The reason why is because they’re main characters that have a lot of focus on their individual representation and development each and all of that builds incredibly solid foundation for what becomes their “non-canon” romance and love story. And in every way where it actually matters,… it is what a depiction of a romance or love story should be. This TV show is action/fantasy/drama with some comedy thrown in here and there. It’s truly the most insane, farcical, campy shit ever - but THEY FEEL REAL. They communicate, they emotionally connect, they declare their love, they kiss, they get married, they behave as domestic, they have a baby… Even though they’re not confirmed as a main-textual canon couple in it, they are exactly what representation for romantic/sexual relationships should be in TV art/entertainment today! And because IT’S NOT… that’s why it is still THE BEST. Them being my favourite is a subjective obviously, but yeah, they are genuinely objectively the best representation there is in TV art/entertainment because they’re a same-sex main protagonist couple. Both of them. Not one a main character and the other a supporting/recurring character. Both of them are THE ONLY main protagonists all throughout the entirety of the show. 6 SEASONS length of a show. And their romance/love story is a major storyline. It’s not a textually canon romance/love story, but it plays out exactly like one regardless of the “non-canonity”. So it doesn’t matter. It does not matter whatsoever. Now here’s the problem with watching this show in this day and age where representation is expected. It can come across as queerbaiting that there is so much ‘will they-won’t they’ subtext. I hate queerbaiting with a searing passion. I think it’s the worst thing that we have to put up with in TV art/entertainment in a queer narrative. So trust me when I say that what it may initially look like you - it isn’t. Again, I’ve explained why many times before so I’m not gonna go into it here. But give this show a chance. Seriously, give it a chance. It is an EPIC love story.

I’ll leave this post off by saying that representation anxiety is awful and I do understand the pressure but I cannot support representation that’s forced and contrived. Not when I’ve had a life-changing experience where I’ve gotten so much better and where I know what real representation looks/feels like.

This is not an order. It’s a request.

Do better because representation anxiety is ruining what should be amazing influential art/entertainment that people can really learn from and be inspired by every day that they watch/interact with/engage in your creation be it in whatever format - but it’s especially important in a television/visual format because people look into it and see themselves in it. They would get a sense who they are and what their purpose is through watching this TV show or movie or video with characters that can mean so much to them that have a relationship between them that can be seen or interpreted as a romantic/sexual love story and you have to provide the foundation and honesty and the substance for it to be real representation. Meeting a quota is not worth it and it’s not enough.

If you want to know what you should be aiming for and attempting to achieve instead… it’s actually this:

#representation anxiety #representation #foundation #context #xena warrior princess #xena and gabrielle #love #romance #intimacy #trust #faith #understanding #respect #meeting a quota #wlw representation #lgbtq representation #lesbian representation #communication #connection #Youtube

[lostyaotl]

Transformers One: Fear overshadows excitement.

This is just a bit of rant and I apologize for the lack of eloquence and structure in my thought process as I type this message.

To begin with, I have been quite a fan of transformers franchise for many years now, and although not an expert, I really appreciate the characters and the expansive lore behind it. When I first saw the trailer for 'Transformers One," I got extremely excited at seeing another Transformer movie to add to the collection and the fact that it was an animated added to this feeling. But as I started to maul over it and reflect on what I had just watch I couldn't help but feel an gnawing emotion: fear. It may seem odd why I would feel this way so let me explain:

Lately, media has used comedy as some sort of foundation for every show/movie/etc. Don't get me wrong, comedy is great, it adds a touch of lightheartedness and can even emphasize emotional shifts. I could go on for hours on examples and how they just work and how comedy has changed nowadays to the point that it seems more like a nuisance than anything. I think just for a quick example, think of the shift from Kung Fu Panda and Kung Fu Panda 4. (I would love to go on a rant on this). And one of the main issues with this excessive comedy, is that it sacrifices story. We lose those deep heartfelt moments, those growth moments, and so much more because either they are erased from the narrative or they are quickly washed away with comedy. Now back to 'Transformers One,' I fear for this movie simply because of this tendency.

I love how it is an origin story, especially because it would add so much to the characters. Don't get me wrong, I think most of us knew that Megatron and Optimus were close friends before they became who they are but it's not really talked about (again, not an expert I'm talking from like Transformers Prime and MTMTE which I need to reread). It gives an itch, but we can't really delve or feel the actual loss between the two. To see these two characters grow and their traits interact and leave us asking what could have been. So this movie would be an amazing chance to feed us.

I am also excited because if you really think about it, the real reason why the war started, the social issue at hand, was quite hard hitting (depending of iteration) and I think could easily be applied to today's world. Because it wasn't just a caste system, the cybertronians were literally stuck in their role depending on the model they were born as (ref. MTMTE) to the point that they would try to change their parts (if I remember correctly). I don't know I am just rambling at this point, but again, I fear that this message will be lost because it will be glazed over with comedy.Like I know it's an origin story and they aren't supposed to be even thinking about war, but it sets up for it.

I was also a bit anxious about the characterizations. I fear that they will be changed just to be more 'likeable' to younger audiences. Like don't get me wrong, there are many examples where characters have been changed from the source material while still keeping the core characteristics that make them who they are. I think a good example would be Leonardo from "Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles." He was drastically different from the other iterations (cocky, dramatic, arrogant vs serious, focused, stern) but keeping the core characteristics (self-sacrificial, perceptive, most rational, quick-thinking, strategist). And there are examples where it is bad (Velma, although not completely bad but could use some work Wednesday, and some others I literally had a list and I just forgot.) And I think this concern first appeared when I saw Bumblebee....He...I didn't know what to think. Bumblebee always gave off little brother vibes but this time he just gave of 'chad' vibes and I fear how this will work out in the movie. Maybe there will be some growth! Hopefully. And this spiraled down to D-16 and Orion's characters as well. I enjoy the use of the iteration of both of them being slaves, it really pulls them in together, but I did love the character dynamic we say it 'Transformers Prime' where Orion is still serious, but he's a bit more naive, fully trusts his best friend with no second thought, obedient, loyal, perceptive, compassionate which we still see in Optimus Prime but not as blind, we can see the growth, like he trusts his allies but is cautious with newcomers etc, he is loyal to his cause, compassionate in keeping his people safe and still has the idea mercy/of second chances. And it can become flaws at times as well, if I remember at some point Ratchet calls him out saying that he was too soft and it costs them because Optimus still had hope that they could be united without the violence. D-16 has just the same potential, we have seen proof that he was passionate about what he stood for, but his traits sadly were fed to the wrong end and quickly became huge flaws that turned him to what we know him as. I always say it as Optimus cared for the People, as Megatron cared for the Cause. Two sides of the same coin. And this could be set up in the movie, we could easily see these traits and how they differ. I don't know, I just fear that a great dynamic could be lost to just 'hur hur they are bros and they are silly and learn to tolerate each other.'

Again, I apologize for this rant and how messy it is, I just needed to get it off my chest. Again, I am not dissing on the movie. I am genuinely excited to watch it because the art style looks really cool, the premise looks promising, and I can't wait to see what characters make an appearance.

Ps. I also apologize if when referencing Prime I am confusing Megatronous with D-16 it's hard when rapid typing and thinking keep track of the the names

#transformers #transformers one #transformers movie

[angelbabyblog777]

Conscious Awareness

Being consciously aware is a game changer. It also reminds me of when people say "once you wake up, there's no going back." It can be a painful experience to become aware of the spells and curses people speak over themselves. It can be painful to want to be better while some people around you don't want to put the work in to change and improve their lives.

If you are consciously aware, you know that the words you speak are like a veil you put over your life. Our subconscious mind basically rules over our lives and our actions and it is always listening!

Our subconscious mind is formed from when we are a baby up until 7 or 8 years old. It is the core beliefs and perceptions that act as a foundation for the rest of your life. That's why it can be somewhat of a problem for kids who weren't necessarily loved correctly, or worse, abused or ignored..

There are ways to tap into your subconscious mind.. for example, my favorite practice right now is to brush your teeth with your less dominant hand. Brushing your teeth is something that comes as a second nature, we've been doing it since we were little. When you use your less dominant hand, you are fully present, learning the mechanics of this act. After you've finished brushing, you look into the mirror, look into your eyes and say "I love you" 10 times.

We don't have any control over how we're brought up as children. But if you want your life to change for the better, if you want to break generational patterns, break patterns of addiction, of abuse, of narcissism, you need to practice tapping into your subconscious and directing it the way you wish.

The tooth brushing method can be used with any affirmations, not just "I love you." After doing a google search, it says that "it takes 3 to 4 WEEKS to reprogram your subconscious mind!!!" That's insane. It's definitely something I want and need to practice more. As a little girl, I was nervous. I would pick hairs out of my eyebrows and profusely sweat at any given time. I would bite my nails too. These behaviors have seeped into my adulthood and I still get somewhat flustered while talking to people, although I have worked hard to change this. It takes a lot of being uncomfortable and purposely doing hard things to get further in your personal development.

Since our subconscious mind controls about 90% to 95% of our day, changing it can, like I said, be a game changer. When you no longer have that negative, irritable, bitchy voice in the back of your mind beating you up about literally being a human being and living and experiencing your life, you're really free to do what you want to do. I've always wanted to be someone who is able to be CONFIDENT without even a hint of social anxiety. I think that's why I've been on social media for so long, because you feel like you're able to be your real self, even if it's actually a fake, curated, mistake-less version of that.

So far on my journey, I've become more aware of my thoughts and each and every time they're negative, I change that or "challenge them." This alone has helped me a lot because I'm no longer a "prisoner" of my mind. It no longer has that power over me.

At the end of the day, your subconscious is important if you want to change. If you want to release bad/old habits, if you want to become a "new person" with a fresh approach, you need to look deeper into your mind. What do you want to do with this life? What do you want to accomplish? What feels good to do, on a soul level? Are you going to keep letting the past hold you back? It's PASSED. Live in the here and now, it's where life is happening for us. It's where our kids are growing and learning from us. It's where you can set the foundation to reach your wildest dreams.

It takes becoming consciously aware of ourselves to ask, "Why do I do that? Why do I feel this way?" Listen to your feelings!! They are trying to tell you something! When you ignore your feelings, your body still takes note of them! It's so easy to mindlessly go through life, being told what to do and how to act. It takes courage to go against the grain, to change for the better. Do it for the sake of yourself and the future!! You are not alone!

Love, Kaylee Duquette.

#lifestyle #personal blog #mindfulness #selfcare #blog #change #mindfulliving #self realization #acceptance #blogger #realization #subconscious #mindset #mind corruption #life #memory #being #understanding #purpose #awareness #conscious awareness #self awareness #spiritual awakening #the great awakening #trainyourmind #reprogramyourmind #reprogramming #take action #take accountability #be happy

[sapphiresonstrings]

Allegory Must be a Double-Edged Sword

If you write a story that's obviously an attack on a particular belief system, especially a political belief, anyone who supports that position will tune you out. People tend to dig in their heels when you attack their beliefs.

If you want to reach people who don't already agree with your message, you need to sneak up on them. That's where allegory comes in.

You start by introducing inoffensive characters or plots that hook the audience, then sneakily set up the structure of your message without the audience noticing. When the allegory is revealed, the audience may find themselves on the other team without realizing it, far deeper into engagement with the subject than they would ever allow themselves to get normally without shutting down. This can make them re-examine their deeply held beliefs. It's a political sneak attack under a veil of fiction.

But there's a flipside to this. In order to attack, you must make yourself vulnerable to counterattack.

In order to have an allegory at all, you need to construct a fictional issue that turns along the same philosophical axis as the object-level issue your allegory is about. To do that you need to expose the foundation of your beliefs, beneath slogans, beneath buzzwords, beneath conformity. That foundation becomes a vector for counterattack. If your foundation is weak, your sneak attack becomes an own goal. The sword cuts both ways.

In order for your allegory to penetrate a real believer, the real subject needs to be present. You can't have an allegory without inviting its subject and allowing it to speak for itself. In other words, to use rationalist parlance, you need to pass the Ideological Turing Test. If you skip this step, your sneak attack won't reach its target. A sneak attack on a strawman draws no blood. (You may not know what your opponents believe, but they do and can't be fooled.)

But if you do this and your argument doesn't actually stand on its own, this can bite you back. People naturally root for the underdog, and the greatest underdog-overdog fight of all is Character vs Author. The character is not even allowed to speak for himself. If the author is unfair to the character, the allegory falls apart. Worse, its sneak attack power is turned back on you - now it's your team that let their defenses down and started to really think about the issue from a neutral standpoint.

The famous example is The Merchant of Venice, when the audience says, "I know he's the villain, but I kind of feel like Shylock was treated unfairly." (It's a subject of debate whether Shakespeare intended this kind of Straussian reading.)

The current Zeitgeist is very anti-debate. Elaborating on this would be its own post, so take my word for it.

Most English-language media comes from either the tightly-knit Hollywood bubble or the tightly-knit UK bubble, both of which enforce strict ideological conformity. Engaging with beliefs you disagree with is considered suspicious, sometimes heretical. Consequently, the people who make most media are really really bad at forming strong arguments. Many of them have literally never had to defend their beliefs against a real attack in the format of a sincere debate. They want to make allegory about their political opponents, but they've never met one.

The end result is a two-pronged problem. On one hand, the people making these allegories don't know enough about their subjects to actually portray them. On the other hand, if they did succeed at it, they would lose the debate to their own allegory because they have no practice.

[dimdiamond]

I wanted to make a post about Chester but all his info is just on this page (keep only the information that his first name is George- I still can't believe it) and in canon, he literally appears in only a few pages in Shooting Star and he's mentioned three times later on, one in The Secret of the Unicorn, another in Seven Crystal Balls and another in Castafiore's Emerald. Unfortunately in no media he ever appears (yeah, not even in the 90s cartoon series- THE AUDACITY TO CUT HIS SCENES- and let's leave the Belvision show, just keep in mind neither there he appears), as far as I know at least (if you find him elsewhere send me the link immediately, it's an order).

So you must be wondering (no you don't but let's pretend you do) why all this fuss about a less-than-secondary character? Well, that's because, first, I'm not well, and second, HE'S NOT LESS THAN A SECONDARY CHARACTER! Just because you can kick him away from the plot doesn't make his importance less, and at least for Haddock he's NOT! They're shipmates for 20 years (20 YEARS! DO YOU UNDERSTAND HOW LONG ARE 20 YEARS OF FRIENDSHIP?!), Chester risks his career for him, Haddock asks for his help, they try to meet up but fail and they keep in contact, regularly enough for Chester to send his congratulations for his "engagement" with Bianca. Chester is the only connection to Haddock's past and the only true and loyal stability of Haddock's almost whole life! So how can someone deem him less worthy of attention and importance when the mains (yes, even Tintin) count on him despite the distance between them?!

And now that we made clear how Chester is a very undermined character with unfair treatment from even official releases, I'll proceed with my personal takes and headcanons of him under the cut so you can ignore them if you don't care or whatever :)

Ohhh boy where do I begin??!!!

Ok so from the little canon material we can see that Chester is calmer than Haddock but ready to fight anytime and also uses the same style of sea shanties as him so we can conclude that they developed it together and, considering how sillies and childish they can get with their greeting, it doesn't surprise me that they have lots of imagination. This shared childish joy makes me wonder if they could know each other as kids so I usually end up headcanoning them as childhood friends, growing up in the same village and sharing many interests and dreams and secrets. They're for each other the most trustworthy person and the truest friend, and their friendship has such a strong foundation that it is sustained after so many years and despite following different paths in their lives. They won't need more than a moment to go back to their old ways and be kids again together, only more aged as the years pass by.

Chester also shows to be more moderate and quieter than Haddock and in general, a guy that reads the room much better than his friend. The way he treats Tintin, immediately trusting him and taking him seriously, is because he sees how he and Haddock are close and understands that there is a big level of trust and respect between them. That could be maybe because Chester reads characters well or because Tintin wins you over immediately but probably it's because of both of these and the fact that Haddock only speaks well of his young friend, who seems genuinely interested in the friendship of the two captains. Also, Chester's attitude towards Tintin is very interesting, he immediately shows trust and goes along with the plan (these two are seriously the real masterminds and Haddock is super lucky to have them work for his benefit), meaning that for him what matters is the person and not the appearances.

I find it so funny and cool how Chester just goes along with every plan and idea that most people would be more cautious to agree with?! Like fooling the fuel company to give in secret to someone the company refused to?! And doing it with such ease?! Like "Of course I will mess with the millionaire corporation" despite the huge risk of ruining his career?! You can't tell me that he wouldn't be the first to go to protests and support strikes and help anyone being mistreated by rich and powerful people! This man hates capitalism and authorities and would straight-face mock cops and royals (he and Haddock are proud anti-monarchy Scottish men) and the only rich he respects is Haddock because he doesn't have the attitude of a rich person!

I can't but mention how easily he gave Haddock Sirius for finding Red Rackham's Treasure and there was no mention of giving him a merit of the treasure (actually none on the ship asked for a merit and that's amazing). Most people would ask for something in return, especially giving something as essential as a transportation mean, but he just offers it?! How generous is that?! Maybe Chester isn't the kind of person to care for riches or he considers himself financially well enough to not worry about it? And probably he is since he never seems to ask that kind of help from Haddock later on and he always works so it's not like he has difficulty in securing a good contract.

Speaking of Chester always depicting traveling and never stopping being a Captain, it makes me think that he doesn't want to stop. Not only because he loves the sea and ships and his profession in general and not only because he has no life elsewhere and the sea is his whole life, but also because he wants to run away. Think of it! Chester, after his first and only appearance, is only mentioned in the comics and never shown, even when the main duo tried to meet him it was too late, he was already gone. He depicts freedom as a concept and the ideal of a well-traveled captain but also someone you can't catch because he doesn't want to. He gives the impression of someone running away from whatever life on land can be and while Haddock found his peace away from the sea Chester can't and doesn't seem eager to do so.

The reluctance of Chester to retire or just live on land might be because of his lack of family back on land and when all your friends and acquaintances are at sea why leave? He undeniably loves his job but I think he also hesitates to do something different from what he knows and lacks the confidence in fields he has no idea of.

As a captain he is excellent, his social skills are very good and he's very friendly but he knows how to keep his crew in check and they all respect him. I find it funny not being good with languages but insisting on learning them. He might look like not the academic type and not intelligent but that's because he believes himself to not be so, especially since he hasn't finished school- a learning disorder that was never diagnosed- and he can't concentrate long on reading books. However, he is really smart and intelligent of different kinds, like how he can adapt to new situations and people easily and even emotional intelligence.

Chester needs socialising but he's not as open as he looks. An extrovert that looks for interactions and outgoings, relaxed and comfortable in the middle of a big group of people but not the loudest, and in the end you realize he barely talked about himself, or if he did he only said what he wanted you to know. In reality, he has many insecurities and he reveals them and a more unpleasant side of himself only to his closest people. He prefers straightforward discussions and clear words but his hesitation to open up more or react strongly to anything can lead to the misunderstanding of being apathetic and uncaring.

About his family, I usually picture him being an only son with a very doting mother and a very strict and closed-minded father who raised him with traditional values and ethos. I don't know what job his father might have had but they wouldn't be wealthy for sure, learning to save money and not do unnecessary expenses. Chester was trying his best to not disappoint his father but he realized soon that this was inevitable as he couldn't change who he was (he could never be like his father as he was what his father hated) and leaving far away was the only way to safely be himself, satisfy his thirst for adventures and get away from a "proper" life, restricted in the same place with a wife and kids. His mother didn't stop him but his father abandoning his family for the sea was the last drop and they were separated on bad terms. (Depending on the concept I guess the details change in my mind but I stick to the gay with daddy issues).

Chester has a sufficient amount of money on his name but he lives a modest life and can't stand sitting down and not doing anything, even in his relaxing time he cleans like a maniac or knits (a habit he has adopted by his mother). He is a listening person so he listens to radio or vinyl if he hasn't got a company to listen to. He would like to have a cute pet but he doesn't have much free time nor can't take it with him on his long trips. He takes care of his appearance but that doesn't mean he follows all the new trends and prefers a more classic style.

He is a merciless teaser and with the right victim, he can go hours messing up with them. Haddock is a usual and fun victim but Chester would never go that far to actually hurt him. He is cheerful and usually positive, without letting it get over his head, and if he's not in a good mood he prefers to hide than be seen like that or be pitied.

In conclusion, despite being raised with very closed-minded values, Chester managed to be a very open-minded person, without letting prejudices affect him, be fair with his treatment to anyone, choose positivity and goodness and kindness, and be determined to live his life the way he wants to, free from restrictions, free for any possibility.

I think I have written more or less most of the things in my head about Chester but I do believe there are many things someone can do with his character (I didn't even touch the topic of early adventures with Haddock as I'm sure fans have many great stories for them in their minds and I doubt I can reach this level of creativity).

If you want to ask something more about my headcanons of him or/and his relationships with other characters and such feel free to do so :)

#i am sorry for not making any sense of my writing they were just my bare thoughts #i feel i have forgotten things but I guess I will add them here if I remember #again these are just my headcanons and I would love to hear what kind of ideas you may have for him #i just wish his one and only appearance was properly shown in some form of media #captain chester #the adventures of tintin

[commajade]

Because of what's going on with garam right now I'm seeing a lot of people talk about bullying in East Asian countries do you really think it's worse than other countries or is it just people trying to make western countries seem more civilized??? Better?? In comparison

yep ur right it's textbook orientalism! everyone engaging in this convo with the framework of "wow bullying is so bad in east asian countries" is engaging in a convo that has the purpose of ideological formation to reinforce colonial practices!

basically one of the foundational ideas of settler colonialism is from the enlightenment age scientific idea that with white science, u can understand the whole world. that u can map the whole world and know the whole world and decide which categories everything in the world goes into. and that the pursuit of knowledge means that white ppl deserve to be knowing about everything in the whole world.

and orientalism is when white people/dominant western society applies this to asia. they literally can't and don't want to actually know what's going on in these countries. "east asia" isn't even a real thing, skorea didn't join this category until the late 2000s as a direct result of neocolonial economic development. china japan and south korea are 3 vastly different nations that are in constantly shifting relationships with each other for like 5000 years. and people on the internet think they just Understand these countries from the very limited and filtered information they get from white sources.

orientalism operates by flattening vast regions and cultures of the world into a version that white people and whoever talks in their language can understand by fitting them into preexisting white narratives.

so people talking about bullying in east asia are not talking about the actual lives of students in these places they're just talking about their perception of these places and issues from media and discourse and making sweeping generalizations about it for their own enjoyment. "east asian countries" isn't even a real category let alone something u can quantifiably judge stuff by. completely pointless conversation, these ppl don't actually care about the people affected and can't help at all!

and what does this convo do! it establishes western countries as more civilized, more progressive, more caring of its children, less barbaric, etc. so this encourages US projects of having economic control over korea, solidifies japanism as a tangible myth, and supports the huge sinophobic cultural campaigns the US has been launching. as i said yesterday, skorean school violence is very much an extension of the neocolonial hypercapitalist state of the country and society. it is literally the US's fault.

i literally think the US is worse for violence among children especially along racial lines it's just not registered as a problem because poc are not considered fully human so it's not arbitrary bullying between equal students it's just another hate crime that is not punished. also black and brown children especially are not seen as children so violence by and against them are seen as extensions of adult violence. which is true tbh all violence witnessed and perpetrated by children is because of the violent conditions they live in, white violence against poc has the same source and effects as adult white supremacist violence.

#asks #kmedia

[secularprolifeconspectus]

Why did Randall Terry kick his daughter out of the house after she became pregnant 2x before the age of 18? He also called Muslims terrorists. Tried reading about him since he started Operation Rescue, but he doesn't seem like a great leader or example

You should just tweet at him and ask him yourself— @randallterry. He's literally just a person, and he's very open about how he reconciled with his children, as well as about any other question you may have. He will talk to you!! Don't believe what the pro-abortion media has said about him; obviously they lie to spin a narrative, and I know they misquote him regarding his condemnation of violence all the time.

Let's be real: Randall is a christofascist, and a bigot. He is a product of the puritanical protestants of his time. And he's also fighting to deprogram himself over time. He's softened on so many of his rigid stances. I told him my intersex friend is going to be his protégé. He grimmaced at first but then shook his head, laughed and said, "I'd love to talk to them." And he did! He listened to them explain their biology and everything!!

I respect Randall because he respects me. That's the thing about fundamentalists: they practice true tolerance because they also know how to be intolerant. If he looks you in the eye and says "I disagree with you", he means he sees you as an equal worth disagreeing with. He's not going to infantilize you with some relativist bullshit. He tells me I'm wrong and still works with me because he respects me. So I do the same: I call him out, I tell him he's an asshole, then we laugh and get back to our mission of saving preborn people.

You know that thing that happens where you become so radicalized on the left that you come full circle and end up agreeing with the radical right? Like how both the rad left and rad right are like fuck voting, but for completely opposite reasons. Randall and I come at pro-life issues from seemingly incompatible foundations and with polar reasoning, but we agree that direct action is the way forward. He's a street preacher and I'm antifa, we are both radical idealists at the end of the day, each in our own way.

The reason no other progressive pro-life group has made it as far as PAAU is because we ally with people we disagree with over the controversy we agree on: the preborn are people and we need to act like it.

Ultimately Randall isn't advocating for or doing violence against other people. His words can be harmful, but I have firm boundaries and I practice detachment. I am not aligned with him, but I tolerate him and I am his friend. Friendship changes people and opens their eyes to care for people unlike themselves. Everyone should determine their own boundaries with Randall depending on their own windows of tolerance.

Randall took care of Terrisa and Lauren when they developed PTSD from discovering the DC Five. He lead the Jfor5 press conference because he has decades of experience dealing with the media, especially when the media is actively lying about you. He inspired and mobilized thousands and thousands of people, so we take pages from his book and leave behind what does not serve us (i.e. the bigotry).

Randall will often say to us "I don't understand why I'm friends with any of you" and smile. He is kind. He is feisty. He loves unconditionally. I believe we are in his life for a reason, and he in ours. If we truly believe in restorative justice, then we must accept that people can change and grant them mercy. Randall is changing by knowing us and loving us; I can see it in him.

Also, you should check out his album, it's hilarious.

Ps. To whomstever compared Ted Cruz to Hitler in my DMs: first, omfg, get over yourself. Second, he's the zodiac killer, not Hitler, get your references straight. Third, he offered to help us because he actually gives a damn about the babies. Fourth, we are not aligned with him, we are allied with him on this issue because it is pragmatic. If you're comfortable in your coalition, then it's too small. Just as hunters and animal rights activists must come together to save the forests, we must work with people with whom we have fundamental differences in worldview to end legal baby murder.

Fifth and final, if this anon is who I think it is, I have a message for you: you've abandoned and betrayed the babies. Get off my DICK. Get your ideological and moral puritanism out of my DMs. You're just as much of a fundamentalist as Randall and you can't even SEE it, which makes you a hypocrite too.

#answers and submissions #hide