#its only acceptable when its good...

[s0fter-sin]

i need ghoap frantically making out against a door finally taking the leap on their feelings. need ghost grinding against soap, expecting to find him just as hard as him, only to feel nothing

and in all his wisdom and experience, he concludes soap was tortured and never told him

he’s trying to think of a delicate way to say he understands, that he’s been through it and it doesn’t change anything about how he feels (and who the fuck touched him so he can hunt them down and rend them limb from limb)

meanwhile trans!soap’s just trying to find the best angle to grind his cunt on ghost’s thigh

just it never even entering ghost’s head bc he’s never known a trans person but he has met plenty of people who’ve been tortured - himself included - so of course that’s his logical leap

soap takes off his shirt and he sees his top surgery scars and ghost asks if he wants him to kill the one who did it and soap just hums like, “actually, man did pretty good, they healed real well,” and ghost’s just teary-eyes with awe at how well he’s coping, “looking on the bright side, that’s my johnny.”

imagine he thinks johnny was fully castrated but sees he’s determined to still have a sex life with him so he buys packers and straps to help him bc hell yeah healing and soap’s just like, “holy shit i’ve never had such a thoughtful partner before, such a sweet man, lt.”

#he a little confused but he got the spirit #its so good bc it can be super angsty of ghost really dreading whats been done to his sergeant and trying to make it right #or just go full crack treated seriously and have fun with it #i love just completely oblivious ghost #in any military context hes the smartest guy in the room #he always knows the play and has more experience than anyone #but stick him in the normal world? man is Lost #ghost just thinks hes had some kind of reconstruction surgery after being tortured and accepts thats what johnny looks like #bc hes never seen a pussy before #it takes years for soap to actually come out to him bc he just never thought to #hes seen him naked theyve literally slept together what else is there for him to say #then he shows him like a family album or something and ghosts just like ‘why arent you in any of these i only see girls’ #and he just goes ‘hang on a second’ #soap gets one of his sporadic periods one night and panics a little thinking it would weird ghost out or remind him that hes not cis #but ghost just thinks its a normal part of such a thorough reconstruction that hed bleed sometimes #and doesnt question it when soap grabs a pad out of his drawer bc ‘thats such a good way of handling the discharge my johnnys so smart’ #just really supportive ghost for the wrong reasons #coming out of my cage and ive been doing just fine.txt #we’re a team. ghost team #soapghost #ghostsoap #simon ghost riley #ghost cod #john soap mactavish #soap cod

[anti-terf-posts]

hot take but plus size/fat people shouldn't have to sexualize themselves for you to be accepting of them.

#enough of “all bodies are beautiful!! but only when theyre wearing miniskirts and thigh high tights” #all bodies are beautiful. full stop. end of discussion. #ive seen too many videos of fat women throwing on their sexiest outfits to “prove” that fat women are beautiful. #its one thing if she's doing that to feel good about herself #but a whole other thing if she's doing it to convince other people that her body is beautiful #i dont blame her i just think that fat women shouldn't have to do that #if what it takes to accept fat people is fetishizing them maybe you're not actually an ally to fat people #just a thought #body acceptance #body positive #feminism #anti terf #anti gender critical #anti radfem #terfs dni #radfems dni #intersectionalfeminist

[mewtwo24]

I finally finished reading the fourth volume of svsss in full, and thing is--the first time through I only read the bingqiu content because I was ravenous for more of their happy ending.

Turns out that was a perilous mistake.

Because I started reading the airplane extras. And I swear to god. MXTX is trying to kill me

What do you MEAN demon lord Binghe was sitting on his big fucking throne. All stoic and forbidding. Surrounded by his demon generals who don't know shit about human courtship. Asking them what he should do, fully demoralized by constant rejections from sqq, only to have airplane tell him to act more pathetic and needy. Which is already hysterically funny and insane, UNTIL LBH'S RESPONSE IS THIS, KILLING ME INSTANTLY:

LUO BINGHE. WHY DOES HE SAY IT LIKE: "I already tried that, didn't work--nothing works :/ not mean, not maidenly, not housewife, not spicy, not capable disciple. Is doubling down on clingy really all it will take? What's a born hater with only one love in his life to do????"

The dichotomy of him sitting there like 'how can I reach the unfathomable depths of shizun's heart?' A HEART HE'S ALREADY WON OVER, MIND and then in the Holy Mausoleum solving the puzzle without blinking and being like 'oh yeah you just have to hit the acupoints, no sweat.' Literally the comedy writes itself I'm so--

How am I supposed to be normal about this. MXTX understands the juicy quintessential queer joy of a person with the world's power at their fingertips wishing only for love. Willing to do anything to earn that love, when unbeknownst to them it's already been freely given. Totally not screaming and yelling and clawing at the walls

And that's not even touching airplane's uproarious account of events. The way he's like 'lol what's next, lbh and sqq are best friends now? smfh' only to see lbh TACKLE SQQ LOVINGLY. FOR SQQ TO BE BASHFUL ABOUT IT BUT SO SO FOND OF THE LITTLE SCAMP. This when we've been experiencing sqq's constant inner monologue of 'I'm so cool and so dignified about my role, truly the epitome of propriety and poser-level fortitude.' Meanwhile, in their universe:

Airplane constantly flaming???? Sqq and lbh in his observations????? His absolute bewilderment and confusion????? Legendary. No notes every single second of this shit was hilarious.

Airplane's comment that sqq + older adolescent lbh traveling together was just watching a couple in their honeymoon phase. OR the fact that lbh is exceedingly petty and refuses to share their food in the wake of airplane's interruption of their time together, until sqq relents sheepishly and insists airplane eat what's left (ONLY AFTER PLACATING LBH WITH MORE FOOD FROM HIS PLATE, SOBBING)

Watching airplane salivate over Mobei-Jun and acting like that's totally normal behavior. Finding out mbj and airplane got together first. Finding out sqq encouraged airplane. LIKE THIS. WHILE HE IS STILL IN DENIAL ABOUT HIS OWN FEELINGS:

Mobei-jun clearly thinking their arrangement is a forever thing, heartbroken his human abandoned him with all the hapless fury of a scorned wife swept away by false promises of fidelity. Airplane writing demons to be the type to beat up their crush lovingly and still unable to connect the dots about mbj's feelings. Mbj letting him go and respecting his wishes, only relenting when there's indication airplane was poorly processing his own feelings and didn't actually want to leave. Mbj caring for him and listening to him as soon as airplane voices what he needs directly and with clarity. None of these gays are functional and it's everything to me

Unrelated, but I physically can't hold this information in anymore:

I'm still reeling from younger lbh having his sexual awakening from the image of sqq wrapped in the immortal binding cables. Condemn me as you like he was so, so real for that.

And no I will not be taking any comments about how luo bingge couldn't bear to see luo binghe cherished in ways he never got to have and all the haunting implications of that. I will also not be taking any comments about luo binghe's instinct to look for sqq in that alternate universe, only to be shaken to the very core to be unable to find his shizun anywhere. The unspeakable and latent horror of his relentless mind likely piecing together what happened, but unable to say it; to suspect what is true, and live with the harrowing confusion of his double's actions. To blame himself, to assume that he had let his anger get the better of him in that world and result in unspeakable folly...

I also refuse to talk about how heartrending it is to hear Tianlang-jun weakly say "In the end, I really can't bring myself to hate humans." The implication that the foolishness of that hope and bright-eyed fondness--the very thing that put him through such unspeakable agony--couldn't be beaten out of him entirely. To discover that his faith in Su Xiyan hadn't been misplaced, to the contrary: his beloved hadn't scorned him at all, but rather fought to the miserable end to protect the fruition of their genuine feelings of love when she couldn't protect tlj or herself.

How MXTX has sqq deliberately draw parallels between their situation and that of ygy+sj and tlj+sx; desperately wishing it might not be too late for them. The concept of breaking cycles of abuse and harm pervasive throughout the newly devised story, how it evolves for the better only when love takes the place of power, pride, and domination. How the moment sqq chooses vulnerability instead of saving face, the genre shifts to the so-called "cringe" girly genre where most if not every character is more fulfilled, more true to themselves. How the "male-oriented" former genre was aimlessly sensationalized and sexualized, how it was a sustained performance of aspirational toxic masculinity. How men objectify other men without end. All of the unspoken gendered implications that come with that.

Anyways. Going to go put my head in a sandbox and try to process everything I just witnessed because even a second reading is not enough to find a modicum of closure.

#svsss #bingqiu #moshang #i swear to god this series is just 'gay man who doesn't know shit inflicting his delusional reality on everyone else and inciting chaos' #and literally it's slapstick levels of hilarious every single time; mxtx never change #also i fully agree that we did not get NEARLY enough mobei-jun and sqh/airplane content #the amount of mental illness to mental illness communication going on there was astonishing #mobei-jun being afraid of his uncle and bringing sqh because that's the only person he trusts fully (WAILING NOISES) #sqh having a tantrum but running away because for the first time he was honest about his needs + his dissatisfaction with catering to other #how that reflects his narrative compulsions and how he felt forced to warp more creative story paths for the sake of survival as a writer #how sqq's restoration of much of his original intent--as well as mobei-jun's acceptance of his needs--helps airplane begin to heal #how his happiness begins; how just like sqq he wanders in such confusion and denial before he's forced to realize what truly matters to him #SHREK VOICE: STORIES HAVE. L A Y E R S #it feels like modern day shakespeare and when i say that i don't mean it in a hollow elevating sense i mean it more like #mxtx just hits that perfect balance of poignance but also hilarious concentric circles of botched communication and brainworms #okay but real talk for a minute? .........;-; #the way lbh constantly struggles with such a crushing feeling that he'll be abandoned over any little mishap/thing/problem #really hit me where it hurts??? if only because its so clearly an anxiety that stems from original goods' upbringing #the way it becomes even more heartrending when you think back to all the sect leaders clamoring that he should have been killed as an infan #that he should have been aborted as a fetus--insisting right in front of him that his birth was a mistake and a disgrace #over having demon blood in his veins. like my god that scene is so viscerally upsetting i struggle to read it #the way its so easy to see the demons as a manifestation of otherness in precipitated form #how both sqq and sqh are influenced by human rhetoric without evening meaning to--assuming the worst against their better judgment #how both sqq and sqh both struggle with their own otherness in different ways and only find solace when they begin to accept who they are #how their lovers (lbh and mbj respectively) both are willing to navigate those confusing waters with them #how both demons love them as they are--accept them as they are despite how difficult forgiveness of perceived betrayal is for them #ty mxtx for changing my brain chemistry #as i get older i have such a fondness for the messiness of thematic queer self-discovery and growth into self-acceptance #that and how youth can so easily be defined by perfectionistic self-harm and the violence of repression

[comradekatara]

zukka fans boil your rocks

#id in alt text #avatar the last airbender #atla #sokka #zuko #sokkaxzuko #sorry guys i had a dream that i made this and i have an obligation to follow my dreams so. #zukka shippers annoyed me so much that i had to like. swear off them entirely #like when ur eating smth that u love but then it gives u food poisoning so u can never eat it again #but then slowly u work ur way into accepting into ur diet again #like. their dynamic is so funny #just objectively hilarious #sokka is the only person in the world who is like 'aww zuko is so nice and earnest and well-meaning and submissive' #unaware that its bc he effortlessly domesticated zuko by being hot and cool #meanwhile zuko is feral w literally everyone else just gnashing his teeth and snarling and growling and biting #katara is like the only other person who comes close to domesticating him #like he'll yell at her but he'll hug her #notice how he only cares abt winning her over AFTER he befriends sokka tho #he's like 'oh no that's sokka's sister better make sure i'm on her good side' #he doesnt even care that he & katara are themtically fated narrative foils for him it's all abt impressing his crush's family #fucking idiot.

[ride-a-dromedary]

Astarion and Shadowheart: *collars undone, thoroughly debauched* Sorry we're late! We were doing stuff. Halsin: *a step and a half behind them* I am stuff.

#these elves are poly (for each other) GOOD for them #BG3 Musing #i don't have a ship name for them so i'll just tag #bloody heart and a bear #i am an astarion/shadowheart/halsin truther with sometimes karlach thrown in there if she's comfy because they all love her too #thinking about how shadowheart in EA was willing to join in with astarion's romance when he was ready #how halsin flirts with the two of them and accept their teasing good naturedly #and how the two of them are the only ones fully on board with bringing halsin into the fray (i know people read star's agreement as being #not into it but let's not take his right to consent to things and be believed away from him and devoid him of agency okay) #like how can you hear 'nature used all of its powers when it sculpted you astarion' and 'to watch a woman flush with pleasure #is one of nature's sweetest gifts...though perhaps you will prove even sweeter shadowheart' and not swoon and go WELL OKAY #halsin: i can make them better :3 astarion/shadowheart: we can make him worse! >:3 #this is an unserious post but one about a throuple i am serious about - i have a serious post about them earlier on my blog somewhere #i am so sorry minty this could also be you but larian playing #when your half elf girlfriend is the only one of you who has to sleep so you both let her sleep on you preferably at the same time

[nyxofdemons]

this was going to be like a mile long essay but i just realized the most concise way to say it is that "it feels like a retcon that blitz has been so resentful and hostile towards fizz all this time since he was supposed to feel guilty" is simply not a good criticism when we have been shown, time and time again, that blitz's number one defense mechanism when he feels guilty or judged or attacked is to lash out, to deflect and ignore all his responsibility, and to shift the blame to someone else. that's like. his defining character flaw

#- and that's WHY it was such a major THING for his arc!! that he apologized to fizz and accepted responsibility for what he did!!! #like. the fact that he said; EXPLICITLY; the words 'you're right; it was all my fault; i should have done better; i am so sorry' IS #SO BIG!!!! LIKE THAT IS SUCH A HUGE THING FOR HIM!!!!! #mine #helluva boss #blitzo helluva boss #helluva boss blitzo #blitz #e: oops #analysis #also its entirely reasonable that blitz would have gone spiraling down the thought process that maybe fizz always hated him if he could #blame him so easily when fizz was probably the one blitz was MOST counting on to hear him out #and the fact that fizz went on and got SUPER famous and successful after he was no longer performing with blitz - who i'm SURE had #only been given more and more shit for not being as good as fizz as they got older (by his dad and by himself) - he probably assumed fizz #blamed him for that too - holding fizz back with his own poor performance #which is why his insults towards fizz had always been 'overrated sellout' and insisting he slept his way to the top with ozzie. #he'd tear down fizz's quality as a performer because BLITZ feels insecure about his OWN quality as a performer #these tags have gotten so fucking long but that's the gist of the essay i was gonna write about this fjfdjjfghf #MEDIA ANALYSIS IS MY PASSION

[puppyeared]

bestieesssss /platonic

(Xīn Yá belongs to me, Sailor belongs to @crow-cap)

#some of these are kind of out of context so I’ll explain a bit djshdhshs #Xīn Yá’s fruit are ‘oranges’ but this could also mean fruits like tangerines and clementines #their taste also changes depending on Xīn’s mood. it does taste like orange but it could be sweeter or sour. if you get them really mad it #could be spicy somehow.. however the fruits healing powers and taste only work if you’re within a certain range of Xīn Yá. if u try to leave #the island with a shit ton of her fruit you just have a bunch of regular oranges. so you can’t just grab a bunch and save em for later exp #expecting it to work. although crow told me Sailor would take some oranges with him fully knowing they would end up being regular oranges #once he leaves. the idea of him taking them as souvenirs makes me cry EVERYTIME #LIKE CMON.. XĪN IS SO USED TO BEING USED AS A TOOL TO HEAL PPL OR SERVE OTHERS SO JUST. ACCEPTING EVEN READILY TAKING THEM #WITH YOU KNOWING ITS NOT GONNA DO SHIT IT JUST REMINDS YOU OF HER.. OUGGHHFFFFHHHH #on that note since sailor is their first friend it’s very fun watching their interactions dhfhsh. Sailor has actually been around and #might even have a social life so Xīn is learning a lot of new things sjfjfs #bc of that Xīn is probably possessive of him and hates it when he leaves. sailor asking them to come with him would also be a good chance to #show them how to ride and sail a boat so they can come with him but their reclusiveness outweighs that. sorry sailor shfhfsg #I lov themb #myart #my art #doodles #Lego Monkie kid #lmk #Monkie kid #lmk ocs #lmk oc #Xīn Yá #Xin Ya #little sailor #friend oc #my oc

[friendrat]

The problem with the church today is that so many "Christians" do not actually believe in redemption.

#unironically christian #i say this because of all the people who make comments about people's testimony #like saying they don't believe that only fans girl who was saved and baptized was really saved #like... reading through the comments it becomes clear that the “Christians” don't actually accept her #like... my brother in Christ... your good deeds are as worthy as my used pad #that is straight up in the bible #you are not better than her and you do not deserve redemption more than her #her salvation is between her and God #and yes... you say that time will reveal her fruit and you are correct #but guess what #ananias was called to extend a hand to paul *before* his fruit showed #and he was a frigging serial killer who was out for ananias's blood the week before #you do not get to pick and choose which converts you get to except #you are not God and thank heavens for it because if you were we would all be doomed #*deep breath* #i am just so sick of this... farse... that Christianity has become #Christians need a wake up call #oh! and and when you act like its impossible to accept that she could be saved you belittle God's power #you call into question Jesus's blood and it's ability to cleanse and if that is false your salvation is worthless! #also also you go against the things clearly written in the Bible while wearing the title of Christian #which means you are misrepresenting God's nature and intentions which means you are breaking the command to not take the lord's name in vain #wow... i thought i was done at the deep breath... guess not😅 #rat rants

[lycanr0t]

i feel very frustrated about the trend of giving chil body hair bc if it was any other anime twink i would be thrilled its just that it seems to only be because people are SO afraid of him looking young they have to make him hairy to justify liking him in ships.

meanwhile it does directly go against canon (he literally is supposed to look like a child. this is integral to both his character and his race's lore as a whole and it makes no damn sense that he would be mistaken for a child if he has body hair i mean. cmon.)

and it's like. some men are hairless. some men look young. when youre a trans man in your 20s-30s its especially common to be mistaken for a teenager, even more so if you're not on t. and short. these traits do not make you less of a man or an adult. :/

#rot posts #listen its like. i just wish ppl werent doing it for the reasons they seem to be #you NEVER see tiny little men get body hair in fanart i should know ive been in multiple fandoms where i was the only 1 givin bitches hair #but it also sucks when its like. clearly from a place of discomfort and not wanting him to seem young #rather than actually loving body hair #for example where is laios with body hair. wheres kabru. mithrun. literally any other character #(senshi us a slight exception on account of semi canonically having hair) #it just feels like a performance for no one. ok yeah good job you made chil look like a hairy 30 year old #did you pay attention to how that totally disregards his story and how he canonically looks like a child and that IS an important aspect #half foots face infantilism to an extreme and his appearance is a part of this. the discrimination he faces is partially BECAUSE of looks! #so changing him to erase such a HUGE important aspect of his race's lore just bc ppl seem uncomfortable with him being young looking feels #idk the feeling. its frustrating to me #i just wish there was some self reflection here. i guess. some actual acknowledgement of his canon struggles #do you even like chil if you cant accept one of his core canonical traits... #whew anyways this is HUGELY a limited edition post bc im deleting it as soon as my husband reads it ❤️ #i hate drama i hate discourse so like always if you try to start shit i will ignore + block you soo fast dont try me

[kaseyskat]

hi it's nyx here once again to talk about lark vs henry and what that meant for sparrow because i swear every episode that shows even a Little bit of sparrow's actual personality is controversial.

"nyx what do you mean by this" well it's a very blatant fact that sparrow does not get much nuance in the fandom: this is especially prevalent when examining hero's conversation with normal where she explicitly calls out lark and rebecca alongside sparrow and yet sparrow is solely blamed. because of this, every time we do see sparrow be his genuine self in the show - from talking to scary and shielding her from violence to taking charge of grant and lark and wanting to help the teens to the most recent episode's case of him not believing in animal captivity - i've noticed people quickly jumping on him for being hypocritical but nobody asking why he would be hypocritical, or why he's made choices that clearly do not reflect his actual beliefs.

so let's talk about that, shall we?

i know i've talked about this before but it bears repeating: sparrow is complacent. he has consistently made decisions that go against his own beliefs, bottling up his actual thoughts on the matter in order to "keep the peace". we know this, this is a canon fact, he said as much about lark and rebecca's affair!

why does he do this? well to me, what makes the most logical sense is that this stems all the way to lark and henry's conflict. if the rogue card is only predicting anger and not enforcing it, that means there is more to lark's anger than just what happened with walter. part of that is his fear of being unable to protect the people he cares about, being helpless in situations where he could've done something, yes, but i do believe there's another root cause to his anger, one that would fuel him for decades: sparrow.

...well, more specifically, how henry changed sparrow.

we know that lark wasn't the happiest about the lovewolf split. after the lord of chaos arc, sparrow starts very slowly developing a separate personality, enough so that he and lark aren't necessarily the same kid, one unit, the same person twice. sparrow tried to teach lark his new philosophy, it was ultimately rejected. lark doesn't understand it! but he loves sparrow regardless. that disappointment, that resentment of how sparrow had changed... it goes back to henry, to henry giving sparrow that speech and reinforcing those beliefs!

we also know that originally, sparrow didn't want to pick a side. he wanted them both to get along! to reconcile! and we know that lark didn't tell him about what he saw on the throne, which has me believing that there were, perhaps, other things that lark didn't tell sparrow in crucial moments: such as his decision to release the doodler, since we really don't know if sparrow knew. sparrow would've been happy to reconcile the two, and it makes sense if this was something he didn't know but something that shakes his perspective: aka, what happens if lark doesn't confide in him. to get lark back on his side, he has to be on lark's side irrevocably, which means abandoning his peacekeeping and mediation to choose lark wholeheartedly.

so by the time the ep23 flashback happens... sparrow has lost that bit of personality he had started to form in s1. he's lark's other half again, helping him with plans, sharing his ideas. he has... you could say, lost his confidence in being a lovewolf, because despite his best efforts, it only brought more strife to his family and he doesn't want to lose lark. we know this! he doesn't want to lose lark!

and then, they find out the prophecy, that one of the twins will have a kid who will save the world. think about everything we know about lark, how stubbornly persistent he was on fixing things Himself since he puts the weight of the world on his shoulders alone. lark doesn't blame sparrow or henry, he only blames himself. would he jump at having a family to fix his mistakes? no.

but sparrow would.

so sparrow takes that burden from him. sparrow has hero when he is twenty, and lark gets to be the cool uncle who helps around the house and hero blames both twins equally so we know they did this together. sparrow doesn't want to lose lark again, he doesn't want to be himself, he adapts to rebecca's views because it's easier than admitting that maybe he shares some of the same- definitely makes him marrying a vegan centrist make sense, right? he can use rebecca as a scapegoat and it Works. his own personality gets shafted in favor of being the same man twice with lark, he bottles everything up, he disapproves but never says as much.

and he fucked up with hero. clearly, he knows that. hero has a regular life now at a private school with a job and an internship and she's a massive dweeb and i don't think any one of you could look me in the eye and say that lark approved that. it was sparrow's decision! and we know what lark thinks about sparrow's parenting: i need every one of yall who truly believes that lark would be a better father to normal to go and relisten to normal's introduction scene in ep1 and then to the end of ep24 again where lark explicitly tells normal that being the mascot is a waste of his time when he could be learning "actually useful" skills (like hunting and survival- and yall still think sparrow was the one having hero kill deer?) and that he's too soft-hearted and naive and that is sparrow's fault for being too nice. normal would not be the same kid if lark was raising him and that is NOT a good thing lmao

all of this to say. i am so tired of people understanding lark's nuance and understanding grant's nuance and understanding the s1 dads and their nuance and how their trauma fucked up their relationships with their kids and yet sparrow is the one yall bash every other week repeatedly without ever wondering like. huh. maybe it is strange that his actions now don't hold up against his actions in the past. maybe there's something else going on that is consistent with literally every other aspect of his character. it is so tiring to go into his tag and see the same things over and over and over again repeated on loop every time we see sparrow's actual personality slip out beyond him perpetuating the "same man twice" persona. he's nuanced! they're all nuanced! and that's a good thing!

sparrow's biggest issues are his complacency, the way he upholds decisions that might not really be the best decisions because it's easier. his love for lark and his desire to fix things clouds his judgement and yeah, that means he goes against his own morals frequently; or at least, he did. so far in the season though, with how he's treated normal being in the line of fire and getting into his mess, he's definitely already realized this and is putting in the work to ensure that normal doesn't go through what hero did- something that lark is not doing. sparrow's also been the best towards the other teens consistently, the most willing to listen and change his perspective (as demonstrated again in ep24- really i just think people need to relisten to ep24!) and he's definitely not the best dad but that can be said not just about all the kiddads but also about literally every dad in this podcast, because that's what this podcast is about. thank you for reading and i hope i don't have to make this post again in a few weeks <3

#dndads #kasey rambles #dndads spoilers #sparrow oak garcia #i didn't even go in sparrow's tag this episode because i KNEW the vibes would be rancid #its actually genuinely frustrating to be unable to go into your favorite character's tag because people are being consistently shitty #i can pull out the receipts too don't fucking test me #sparrow's very easy to misconstrue because we only see him through normal and normal is VERY prone to overreaction #and we know this about normal because we see how he reacts to link and taylor All The Time #we can accept that normal's overreacting with link and taylor because we can see their viewpoint but sparrow's an npc #so we don't explicitly know whats going on inside his head #and i acknowledge that he's Not the best person lmao have the twins ever been good people? #but i still feel like lark gets CODDLED in comparison to how sparrow is treated #lark to me is like. he makes shitty decisions out of a desperation to be the one in control #and when they backfire it justifies his own self-loathing #sparrow only reinforces this which is. not healthy and why i keep calling for a twin divorce #but that doesn't mean sparrow's the one at fault for those shitty decisions lmao? #anyways. sorry for the rant and for how wordy this is im very fucking tired and grumpy

[la-cocotte-de-paris]

So this is my review of Die Kaiserin season 1:

#it is so historically inaccurate oml #i would like to see an actual accurate portrayal one day #but it's fine to watch when you know the aim wasn't to be accurate #and it was written in such a way that made you wanna keep going so that's nice #did laugh at the angry sex scene tho 💀 sir what was that #somehow i enjoyed the series despite its faults #and will i watch the second season if it comes out? absolutely lmao #this is the only period drama made recently that i can stand #also certain moments were ABSOLUTELY mirroring/lifted from Marie Antoinette 2006 #anyway yeah i am on the fence #it is bad but it is also good if you just accept it wasn't trying to be accurate at all #would like to see a version where she doesn't madly love franz tho bc the girl was not nearly that interested in him if at all irl #die kaiserin #the empress #2022 #period drama #costume drama

[thedreadvampy]

btw about Neil Gaiman I periodically agree with the 'Neil Gaiman is annoying' stuff bc I feel like both he and Amanda Palmer seem like people who I would go insane stuck in a room with bc we have very different ideas about art and suchlike. and I also do think that the career trajectory he's on lately is cynically redoing his greatest hits and pretending that was the dream all along when it clearly was not. which is at best meh.

having said which

as far as I can tell by far the most common complaint about Neil Gaiman is "Snow, Glass, Apples is problematic/gross/it's got incest and rape and frames the child as the aggressor"

which strikes me as a weird complaint to pull out of a 40 year body of work tbh when that short story is pretty clearly coming from a place of 'how far can I push this'. like you don't have to like the story. I don't really like the story. but it is. a horror story.

like and this is the thing with particularly 90s alt horror right? a lot of the interest is in transgression and sitting in the worst possible perspective and seeing what happens if you pull those strings. like I really like Clive Barker for example but there's a good chunk of his short stories that I'm like I'm not picking up what you're putting down Clive this seems Kinda Off. but that willingness to write some trite or Bad Message horror fiction that doesn't land is imo a side effect of being willing to try writing uncomfortable and unpleasant fiction at all. which is what horror is for, among other things, it's for creating discomfort as a form of catharsis or engagement.

like I am not a huge fan of the type of sex-horror that pops up in a lot of Gaiman's work and other contemporary horror writers - to me I don't find it upsetting or horny it just ends up feeling kind of edgy and tryhard - but I'm also a bit like. it does seem like a lot of people's beef with Neil Gaiman is that In The 90s He Was A Horror Writer

and this approach to Problematic Horror in Snow, Glass, Apples I find kind of microcosmic of how The Discourse often approaches art in this kind of 1:1 way. if you write a story which seems to line up with rape apologia it can only be because you agree with it. if you write a story about transphobia you're a transphobe. if you write a story that makes me genuinely uncomfortable you're attacking me.

but artwork, especially art like horror that's not necessarily trying to provoke enjoyment as its main response, is necessarily hit and miss. and if what you're shooting for is discomfort then whether it works, falls flat or goes too far incredibly depends on your audience. and making good art - as in art that makes its audience think, art that opens the audience up to discomfort and catharsis and sticks with them and changes them - requires the space to experiment and tbh the space to fuck up. like they aren't all going to be winners and they certainly aren't all going to work for you as a singular audience.

personally I don't see the appeal of Snow, Glass, Apples, less cause it's nasty and more cause it's hack. ooh an edgy monstrous version of a fairy tale where there's lots of rape and cannibalism? you're soooo original Neil. but like. that's fine. I don't really vibe with like 70% of Neil Gaiman stuff I've read but I still like Neil Gaiman because the stuff that works for me really works for me.

idk I think there's a lot of folk on this website who shouldn't interact with horror cause they clearly aren't interested in being horrified. that's not everyone who dislikes Snow, Glass, Apples, but it's a real undercurrent to a lot of the criticism and tbh this kinda vibe is shit for art. making standout art What Is Good also requires being ready to make art which stands out for the wrong reasons. sometimes they'll be the same art to different people.

#red said #not to Cancel Culture this but isabelle fall springs to mind in a lot of how folks talk about stuff like this #like she wrote a transgressive piece exploring her own negative feelings about transness and her anger around a transphobic trope #and she made something which i found really resonant and interesting #and she got torn apart for it because it Might From Some Angles Agree With Transphobia #and I'm not making a direct comparison. because i think attack helicopter is a really GOOD story and i think SGA is gratuitous and hack #but that's the thing right? transgression and discomfort and speaking about unpleasant things in an openended way are KEY #to making art that engages directly with your own pains and angers and discomforts #and that's hard to mediate tbh. but it's also very necessary. #i think as well thinking about Gaiman this is also a thought I've often had about Amanda Palmer #who over the years has written a lot of songs about things i find genuinely uncomfortable or offensive. #and i can engage with 'it's fucked up to tell your ex they transed their gender At You' or 'your partner's suicide is not about you' bc yeah #but #you can't celebrate someone for making confessional music then get mad because you don't like everything they confess #if you only take about your socially acceptable thoughts it's not really confessional is it? #if you only talk about discomforting things that people are comfortable hearing about its not really discomforting #and you can only really discern what's Good Transgressive and what's Damaging Transgressive through doing i think #so if you want challenging art you are going to have to get some art which challenges you and you go hmm no i still disagree #is what i think #so yeah you can hate the artwork but when an artist is specifically setting out to make challenging art it's weird to hate them #for making 50 pieces of art you like and 1 you hate

[worfianism]

Okay I've been thinking about James Tartt Sr. And how he was shown to be trying to do better and Jamie forgave him and. James Sr isn't being "redeemed" by them showing him going to rehab and cheering Jamie on. Its showing that we have to be prepared for the people that made our lives miserable and horrible to be different for other people and at different points in their lives. People are capable of change, even the worst of the worst sort of people are capable of change and you have to be ready to accept that without spiraling and without it fucking with your head. It's really hard to accept that from someone you were meant to trust but you have to be able to because You can't ask why weren't they like this for me? Because that eventually becomes why didn't they love me? And then Whats wrong with me??

Jamie reaching out and forgiving his father and letting go of his hurt at that time was perfect from the writers because if James Tartt does become a better man one day, Jamie will be able to face that without it destroying him

#it reminds me a bit of the good place when eleanor realised her mum was so much better towards her other kid #and instead of that anger getting retribution from her mum it just devastated eleanor #we have to be able to accept people changing. for good and bad #but i think its especially hard when they change for the better but it wasnt for you #and in the end not being able to accept that people get second chances and get better only ends up hurting you #ted lasso #tv #v makes a post

[carnivalcarriondiscarded]

Fellow Psych enjoyer!! Im watchin psych at this very moment lol, i know its a tough question bc i dont even have a definitive answer but like, what's your favorite episode?

hmmm well i did very much enjoy the episode where Lassiter & Henry bond over fishing... i also like the episode where Shawn gets kidnapped & ends up on top of a moving car <3

#ive seen some episodes out of order #since my friend used choice ones to get me interested lol (it very much worked!) #but i only started watching it all the way through yesterday #so im only on season 2 :/ #i also loved the one i just watched - the counterfeiting episode! twas funny #but really since im binging the show they're all kinda blending together lmao #And its mostly on as background so there are some where i have no idea what happened or what it was about #rambles from the bog #tbh a lot of the time watching it #i find myself sitting here and going: man. if it was made pretty much the exact same way just with today's climate #it wouldve been even fucking funnier #bc obviously the humor in the show is kinda Dated! there's a lot of times where im sitting here going 'oh that was bad taste' #or 'oh that would Not fly today' #but it is a really good show #easier to enjoy when you understand the era it was made in & accept that there's gonna be unsavory bits #honestly its interesting! im on s.2 which was released in 2007 i think #and i believe i was like... around five years old? i dont really remember Living the time period! #so its interesting to see! its a whole different range of slang and american culture & tech! #all i really remember is the phones... i remember the awe when someone at school turned up with a touchscreen #they were pretty fuckin new so they were expensive & my parents could afford one #so my first phone was your average flip phone. it served its purpose! i loved listening to the ringtones! that was my spotify <3 #anyway wait fuck what were we talking about #OH RIGHT PSYCH. um. yes🤝 #i dont like shawn's dad! lassiter is probably my favorite! i may have a crush on juliet! shawn is the most bishrekxual man i have ever seen #gus deserves better & more screen time! the whole show is just really good #*old man voice* they just dont make em like they used to.... #said both positively and negatively. some aspects are good they're gone. other aspects... sigh

[snepdragon]

"thought about Hypnos from the hit game Hades (2018) for a second too long" incident 58 dead 367 injured

#snep rambles #i could write an essay but it all bois down to im so sad #they only start accepting him when hes useful to them and does his job #they all see him as useless and a bother UNTIL HES USEFUL #and then suddenly they like him #he just wants to hang out with his family but his brother hates him and his mom ignores him #even zagreus is mean to him sometimes #can you tell hes important to me #and also he literally cant help dozing off its PART OF HIM #and they hate him for it #id love to replay hades but im gonna lose it if i have to see people being assholes to him gor no good reason #and thanatos only apologises to him when hes useful im going to bite my hand off #i cant remember if nyx ever apologises #but i do remember nyx not allowing hypnos to call her mom #nyx is a better mom to zagreus than she us to hypnos #dont me wrong flawed characters are good and i think shes a good character im just sad about hypnos ok #its almost 5 am

[blueberryblogger]

just saw someone recycling ye olde "X character doesn't read as Y identity to me, someone who doesn't & has never held that identity & thus am not as intimately familiar with mannerisms, tropes & characterizations that are typically associated with Y identity. There is no evidence for X being Y and you guys are acting insane."

like. do you understand that you are using the EXACT SAME excuse that other people are using to shit on YOUR headcanon that you're so attatched too because it has so much evidence?

did it ever cross your mind that it would probably be harder for you, person who isn't X, to pick up on subtler tropes & identifiers of X that you've never experienced because you aren't X?

like you get how it sounds like you're shitting on other wueer people?

#blocking another god damn fantasy high account that i really liked #because when people say 'theres no evidence for your headcanon' and theyre wrong its bad and tbeyre erasing underrepresented identities #but when YOU say 'theres no evidence for this' you are good and correct and the rest of us are just stupid weirdos #like oh my fucking god bro #if i see one more person who isnt fucking gay say 'erm actually fabian cant be gay he liked girls' im gonna lose it #gay men also experience comphet! #and it's not because he's 'effeminate' #because he really isn't THAT effeminate or flamboyant #he dances and he talks like a rich boy and those are the only two things i can think lf #that make him seem 'effeminate' #but like. dude rides a motorcycle from hell. he fights with a sword and plays football #he punched someone on the first day of school & routinely punches and gets punched by his friends #like. fabian is wildly more stereotypically masculine than he is feminine #most of us think Fabian is gay because up until he took interest in Mazey #he had exclusively expressed interest in girls that were unavailable or unobtainable #his 'type' was literally toxic and/or unavailable women #which SCREAMS comphet to anyone who has fucking experienced it before #'yeah i love women but only the ones i cant have amirite lads' #'classic completely heterosexual man behavior' #anyway #i think its incredibly rude to take people seeing their lived experiences in a character and say 'youre insane bc i dont see it' #especially when YOU YOURSELF have a headcanon that a huge chunk of people cannot understand fully but accept anyway because they get it #because they understand seeing yourself in a character and how important that can be #unlike you #vagueposting #me when i vague for the first time in like 3 years