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parachutingkitten · 5 months

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Why is Pixane So Queer?

Some thoughts on Asexual Romance.

[warning, long post below the cut]

The Ninjago fandom had a very potent reaction to The Quest for the Lost Powers repeatedly describing Pixal and Zane as being 'very close friends'. This seemed quite contradictory to many who assumed the confession of undying love at the end of the last season might have been a small hint at a romantic relationship of some kind. However, after closer examination, it turns out Pixal and Zane don’t ever actually refer to themselves as a couple, and the show has never once referred to them being in an active relationship.

But there’s something here, right? Sure, it’s not explicitly stated, but you are lying to yourself if you can watch them and tell me there is zero romantic subtext going on here. A lot of people got very defensive that the children’s book stated they were friends, especially when it also seemingly confirmed that the much straighter straight boy ship, Kailor, was apparently canon, despite being only implied as a possible future for ages now. But I find this backlash to be a bit strange. Sure, Zane and Pix aren’t exactly ‘just friends’ but, what do you want them to say? That they’re boyfriend and girlfriend? You want these two to say they’re ‘going out’ with each other? You think these two robots are ‘dating’ each other, like they’re just susin’ out the partner pool. Are those the words that fit this relationship to you?

I found myself feeling weirdly offended at everyone, and I think the reason was that these two love-droids haven’t chosen to define their relationship in traditional terms, and so everyone’s insistence that they should be boxed into some sort of traditional term seems inherently strange. It’s like when two elderly people are dating, it feels weird when they say “this is my girlfriend” because despite it being factually true, there’s so much baggage that comes with the word, part of that implication being youth, which is directly at odds with the immediate situation. It’s the correctness of the word paired with the incorrectness of the societal implications which forces you to assess if those societal implications should exist. And that- that is what makes this relationship feel queer. That’s why there’s this undeniably different kinda energy radiating off of it. It’s that rejection of the traditional labels, the refusal to be put into a box, which forces it to be a-typical. But, why? Why does Pixane have this rejection of labels radiating off of it? Their ages, while being literally whack, are presented as being your typical teenage to young adult age romance. Their genders present as a typical hetero pairing. And it’s not like they don’t follow your typical cliche love at first sight plot. I mean, Pixal was pretty explicitly created as a generic love interest character. So, what is it? Why is this queer? Spoiler alert: It’s because they’re asexual.

So, what is asexuality? Strictly defined, it is a community of people who experience little to no sexual attraction to anyone. This is distinct from aromanticism, which is a lack of romantic attraction, and sexual engagement or urges which are their own separate boat, but often have overlap with asexuality. However, for our purposes, we are focused on just the sexual attraction part. You can think of it as the difference between finding someone hot and finding someone cute. That’s the distinction that made it click for me anyway.

Now, as a disclaimer, I am not going to be considering other queer interpretations of this relationship. Not to invalidate them, because of course they’re valid, but specifically because I feel there isn’t precedent for them in the text, and I feel there is for asexuality. This deep dive is particularly about validating asexuality as being queer, and so to do that we have to eliminate any other outstanding factors. People are extremely quick to pin asexual queerness to something else, and that in itself can feel invalidating, even if it’s only attempting to validate other communities as well. Asexual romance is so easily read as straight romance, that any queer undertones have to have an alternate explanation, because asexuality doesn’t seem like enough to cross the barrier. Yes, enby interpretations of Pixane are great, and fantastic, and I would die for your right to follow those headcanons, but to pin the in text queer vibes on the fact that they technically don’t have biological gender, despite having very clear presenting and unwavering genders in text seems like a real easy way to dismiss the asexual coding which is staring me in the face. While things like non-binary or aromantic readings validate communities who have immense oppression and are continually called fake or confused, which is insanely important, asexuality, especially as it stands apart from aromanticism, is often confused as not being a difference at all. You’re just pure! You’re just wholesome! You’re just so sweet and innocent! And yes… yes, I am, but also, it’s more than that. It’s fundamentally something different about the way my brain is wired, and I feel a need to defend the fact that it, specifically, is queer. And in no way am I trying to say that the aces are the most oppressed actually, I don’t want to start the oppression Olympics here, and if we were to, I would probably argue quite the opposite, but I am saying that there is oppression, and it comes from outside and inside of the community, and it is a thing. It’s a different flavor of thing that’s maybe not as severe, but also sits differently. Maybe it’s not as much a pressing thing as other things, but… it’s my thing. It’s what I feel. It’s something I can speak on. So, I’m going to speak on it.

Perhaps one of the largest factors asexuality has to offer is the necessary separation of romance and sex. The packaging of sexual attraction and romantic attraction is so ubiquitous that the term ace is often assumed to be referring to aro/ace people, despite there being a term for that… aro/ace! Asexuality is not an easy queerness to explain, precisely because of this deeply held integration. It’s not a difference of experience necessarily, it’s a lack of a certain experience. I’m not saying this is something you can’t understand, because, unless you’re aromantic, I know you understand it! You are going to be able to like and relate to and feel seen by asexual romances, because the main component it requires is that you have romantic attraction- which is most people. And so many people get confused when you point to an asexual thing and go “I get that! This! This is me!” Because they just respond with “You’re not special, I get that too. Is this supposed to be different?” And, yes, it is, primarily because everything else includes this giant other thing as well, which is sexuality.

When vegans get excited about finding a meal which is especially delicious and also meets their food restrictions, they get particularly excited. That doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy that same vegan meal- no doubt it probably tastes incredibly delicious to you as well. But you likely won’t get that same feeling of excitement, because you don’t live under the same restrictions as vegans do. That’s the same thing I feel when I see an asexually coded romance. I can enjoy the full meal without having to pick things out or ignore vital parts. I have no doubt that others can thoroughly enjoy asexual romances, but you’re going to have to look at it in context of all the dominant romance stories in the world to understand why it’s so different and special to me.

Now, have I cracked the code on asexual romance in media? No. I only have my own experience with asexuality to lean on, and the very limited discourse on the topic I’ve come across while discovering my identity. All of this is simply a theory based on my own thoughts and observations, but these are some explanations as to what might possibly be included in a framework for an asexually coded romance, at least to me.

So, what makes romance asexual? It’s not simply a lack of sexual suggestiveness. Any number of romances aren’t sexually suggestive, but still glaringly heteronormative- especially in children’s television. And it’s also not a lack of initial attraction, as that would throw Pixane out of the running for sure. Well, I have a few things which I feel may contribute to asexual coding of a romantic relationship, and wouldn’t you know, Pixane is a great example of all of them.

Asexual romance may, as many have remarked, come off as more innocent. When you shove all of the focus of characters onto the romantic, emotional connection, rather than any underlying sexual tension, things end up feeling extremely innocent to the layperson. You get the sort of old married couple effect. Two people deeply in love, who just sort of stare at each other in awe, and that others can comment on how cute they are. Again, asexuals don’t necessarily find anything hot. Cuteness is the main operative factor motivating their attraction, so it follows that their interactions would radiate that factor back at observers. The characters might in fact be very touchy, have sex, enjoy that physical touch, but that’s not at the forefront of anyone’s mind in the story. This is an aspect of Pixane that can be read very clearly. Their romance is quite easily described as pure and wholesome by all who have the pleasure of observing them. The way they interact with each other is extremely gentle and supportive, and their level of old married couple vibes is by far the highest of any pairings in the show (aside from perhaps the actual old married couple of Ed and Edna).

Asexual romance, I find to often be less conflict driven. Take the classic enemies to lovers plotline- it’s built on a tension between an innate irrational attraction, and a perceived logical personality conflict. While romantic attraction is certainly not always rational, from my understanding, sexual attraction is often rooted in factors that aren’t at all related to logical compatibility or personality. This means the enemies to lovers plot is primed to work much better when sexually charged, because it presents a clear path to create the hate/love conflict. Not to say that asexual enemies to lovers is impossible, or that asexual partners don’t have conflict between them, but that it is less of an obvious threat to incorporate into asexual romance. Because there are less factors and layers of attraction to get involved in, there’s less room for conflict and contradiction between them. It is much easier to get tangled up in a situation with more strings. Pixane is a relationship which certainly doesn’t hold much internal conflict. The one disagreement they did have is solved quite neatly with basic communication skills in the middle of season 8. Most of their conflict comes from external factors which separate them or cause misunderstanding, rather than conflict from within the characters themselves.

Asexual romance also has the obvious potential to challenge traditional dating norms. Because there is no impulse to escalate things physically, it makes sense that the progression of an asexual romance would differ from traditional relationships where that escalation is expected. Your asexual romance is bound to get emotionally intense with each other quicker, or at least have it be the focus of their story, because there is no other facet to deal with. Asexuals don’t commonly have sexual fantasies for themselves, but rather romantic fantasies. Not to say that most people don’t have romantic fantasies, but… that’s all we’ve got. And when your impulse is ‘let’s get married, and then maybe I guess we can kiss’, it might seem like things are progressing out of order to the average person. While asexuals don't all hate physical contact or even sexual connection, it isn't an attractive or motivating factor in the same way it is in most romances, so even on a base level, the level of physical contact is likely going to be less than average. Pixane progresses ridiculously out of order. Zane is willing to split his soul for her- it’s only at this point that they romantically hold hands for the first time. It’s the emotional connection between the two that comes first, and all classic tangible symbols of affection and romance that are secondary. The most pronounced physical contact we’ve seen is a cheek kiss, and their most common type of physical contact is enthusiastic hugging (which I’ll dive more into later).

Additionally, because physical affection is more of an afterthought, it would also make sense for labels to come slowly. If you have an incredibly close personal, soulful connection, but you haven’t kissed yet, it makes sense for people around you to assume you’re just really close friends, or perhaps just crushing on each other still. Terms like “girlfriend” and “boyfriend” invoke rather physical tactile images, and so to attempt to apply them to an asexual romance isn’t necessarily wrong but may feel a bit off putting because of this dissonance. Again, it’s this dissonance between the romantic meaning of the word, and the sexual undertones which forces discomfort onto the viewer. Pixal and Zane have yet to kiss each other after years of dancing around each other’s obvious romantic feelings. It remains unclear if they even are in an active romantic relationship at all, or are still mutually pinning, as no labels have been given to their relationship in show. I have no doubt part of this is the lack of planned dates or physical affection which are common outward signals of a traditional established relationship.

A lot of the saucy flirting which accompanies many classic heteronormative romances can seem rather pointless to asexuals. I would venture to say that asexuals are likely more direct and up front with their emotional vulnerability and feelings, because that’s the connection which they are seeking to make. To dance around it with innuendo and mind games is rather unproductive in achieving the end goal. There is less of a pressure to “perform” romance, and instead just be honestly romantic, because the romance isn’t a prelude to sex, or physical affection, it’s the end goal in and of itself. To only pretend to do it is entirely pointless. All of this is likely going to result in a romance which puts less focus on the “game of dating”. I mean, can you imagine Pixane ending up in a Jaya style love triangle? It’s almost an absurd pitch to make, right? There is no performativity to the Pixane relationship, it is exactly as it appears at first glance. And when Zane attempts more traditional, cheesy flirting tactics like in Ninjago Confidential, Pixal is nothing but confused and annoyed by his attempts.

The most prominent example which I feel exemplifies the inherently asexual coding of Pixane applies to many robotic romances- and it’s the characters’ relationship with skin. A lot of sexual suggestion and tension is based on skin. The revealing nature of skin exposure, the feeling of skin on skin being a sexual touchpoint, skin is essential to the sexual experience in most instances. This is part of the reason I love writing romance but have yet to write a kiss between anyone. The sexuality of a kiss is inherently uncomfortable to write for me because you’re encouraged to lean into the physical feeling of the touch of skin. Robots bring to the forefront the idea of this physical contact because their skin is often not exactly skin, and that in itself gives a sort of de facto distance from sexuality. There’s a moment which happens repeatedly with Pixane, and shows up in other robotic romances, like Wall-E and Eve, which I feel highlights this essential separation from the skin of sexuality. Pixane and Wall-Eve both have the ‘clink’ moment, in which intimate physical contact is made, (in Pixane’s case, all of their many hugs) and accentuated by the sound of their metal skin meeting with a loud clink. This sound not only highlights their lack of skin but serves to suck any sexual energy out of the interaction immediately and leaves it purely with the romance intended by the action. It’s not uncommon for people to find the sound humorous, precisely because of how desexualizing it is. It highlights the couples’ incapability of indulging in sexual skin on skin contact, and instead the closeness and companionship the act of touching provides.

And this is why I feel robots are in fact a decent candidate for asexual characters if done properly. Robots being coded as asexual can be a very negative stereotype, particularly when their asexuality is explicitly linked to their lack of emotion and feeling- but media about robots has been trending more positively recently. In fact, robots, if used correctly, may actually validate asexuality explicitly. Robotic characters are often used to explore the idea of what makes humanity human. If we give these robots human-like enough traits, when do they become human? Are they perhaps the most human? And it seems like fictional consensus agrees that sexuality is not required to achieve human status. Stripping away the excess human emotions may be part of what makes robots asexual (or aromatic, if your robot is also incapable of romantic love). The medium of robot literalizes the disconnect that asexuals have with their physical bodies, most notably their skin, and serves to put additional distance between the character and sexual contact, at least in the traditional sense. I mean, think about it, if you want your robot to be sexual, you need to go out of your way to establish that it has sexual capability, because no one is going to simply assume that your fictional robot was designed with that capability in mind. Why would it be, unless that was its explicit purpose? In a way, robots are sort of de facto asexual.

Pixane is queer because it’s asexual, and it’s asexual because they distill down only the purely romantic parts of a romantic relationship. They’re able to do this, in part because of their individual characterization, but also because of their robotic bodies, which make the separation between romance and sexuality just that much easier. They highlight the necessity to separate romance from all of the convoluted sexual layers which often accompany it, and so come out feeling distinctly untraditional and subversive.

That's the theory, again, all hyper based on my own personal experience with asexuality, which is of course not all encompassing. I'd love to hear your thoughts :)

#ninjago #pixane #pixal borg #zane julien #pixal ninjago #zane ninjago #asexuality #long one #parachuterants

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shkika · 9 months

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i've been curious about how iterators in your interpretation ascend exactly, since they seem to be unable to get off the string!

is the process more metaphorical/spiritual in nature? or is it entirely physical?

also!! i really really love your art and interpretations tee hee pleading face emoji

This is a pretty good prompt to talk about how I think ascension works! I'm gonna try to be thorough even if some information may seem basic! To me ascension feels like it's meant to be spiritual.

DETAILED EXPLANATION OF UH...

1. Ancients and ascension throughout time.

2 . Iterators and ascension

3. What Saint is and how he works.

I think some people may not realize the concept of leaving the world behind was a thing before the void fluid revolution, before our ancients discovered the ruins of the race that came before them that led to the void sea. Those were the times of those gravel eating monks.

I think ascension is supposed to be a process experienced by old creatures. It works by abandoning all your earthly desires after having been through the cycles again and again. So as you detach yourself from the world eventually.. leaving it behind and ending the samsara.

It became something worth working towards. If you didn't guide your soul to spiritual relief... you'd get stuck in the cycles. Which was painful and scary.

When the void revolution came and a much easier and faster solution was found, of course they took it. It was an answer to getting stuck, finally they would have a guaranteed method of escaping the cycles.

Turns out you can't cheat yourself out of the cycle.. if you are attached to the world too strongly, you become an echo. Which made rumors spread.

So we need another solution. Another effortless way to escape. And so iterators were made! They were designed with a few things in mind . They would be a constant in any cycle, they can't escape.. they can't ascend.. they can't die. Their taboos would make sure they don't try anything themselves and they tough bodies keep them from completely losing function.

This way they could work basically forever on the great problem.

Alright here we go!! The question! How do iterators ascend then. They shouldn't be able to, they weren't meant to do that on their own, but one allegedly managed.

Well a GOOD hint imo is Moon's dialogue in the Saint campaign.

By this we can guess there is a solution. But it is one right answer among infinite faulty ones. And it's completely indistinguishable or was there a way to safely test it.

Once you discover it and you execute it. You're a goner.

Kind of.. how it happened with Sliver of Straw..

Kind of how Saint's ascension works too.

Sliver basically was the only iterator EVER who accidentally stumbled on it and executed the task. And ascended herself before she could do anything more than send the triple affirmative signal.

And that was it. It probably happened completely out of nowhere in a flash. And she was gone.

This is also a reason why I think she is saint. The way Saint ascends creatures is... by just giving them the solution she discovered. The moment they know it, they end up in the void.

Saint is the only one who can do this. The only one that came back.

OH also quick note.. I love how Pebbles and Moon do not understand what Saint is, unless they discuss him together. Very underrated part of the game's writing. Anyway.

Saint's purpose is to continue their endless cycle to save others. Pebbles says that by definition no one who knows the answer can venture outside.. except Saint. It's why Moon tells him to wake up.

He's the only one that can.

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gooeygoldies · 15 days

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Y'know what surprise post it's Otacon time he's on my mind rn (I have had some of the songs I've assigned to him on repeat lately) pokemon au is back!! Og mgs, mgs2 and mgs4

BUT YEAH!! POKEMON!!! he's one of my -if not the- most developed character au-wise in regards to pokemon and teams and things so yuh yuh under cut my insane person rambles

Okay SO we are going by game.

Mgs

- Porygon and Magnemite: Very straightforward the hacker/engineer pokemon duo!! He got them in college. His buddies his pals

- Sobble: actual plot here! It was a gift by Sniper wolf, who had Intelleon as her main pokemon. It is very much like him in the first game (cries and can turn invisible, in this au he got the camo gear idea from Sobble!!) and is perked upon his shoulder always. Also the water type is a sad little connection to the.pool. yeah. Anyways, he leaves it behind after leaving shadow Moses cuz he isn't a crybaby anymore!! Character growth!! The Sobble is okay don't worry about it

- Venonat: in au-lore. Originally assigned cuz I felt they looked alike, also a nocturnal pokemon to accompany him! But it was a pokemon he saved from being attacked by wolf's mightyenas (stand-in for wolves) it helps him sneak around shadow Moses thanks to its enhanced sight!

Mgs2 (now we get more into my own lore)

- Porygon2 and Magneton: Evolved!! Thanks to philanthropy that is, now they battle alongside snake and Otacon and are key helpers in all things electricity. Magneton is especially key in destabilizing electrical power sources

- Patrat (Shiny): Shiny bcs the color scheme felt cuter, but aside from that its here to match the 'eyes in the sky' role Otacon has now. A little sentinel! It keeps guard if accompanying snake or Otacon in missions.

- Swadloon: its all cozy and cooped up like. Like a nerd. But beside that, and it's role in the future (aka MGS4) it's main function is to sew up any torn garments, and helped Otacon make the new sneaking suit.

- Joltik: you know the bug things set to record conversations in spy movies? Make it an actual bug. Also it eats electricity so its a rlly good pal to have on the computer.

- Helioptile: It's actually a power generator!! Solar powered friend and I'd feel it would've been caught while moving around for philanthropy

* Venonat: He's still there!

Mgs4

Porygon2 & Magneton: Same ol' guys

Galvantula, Watchog, Heliolisk, Venomoth: They all evolved! Even if they spend most of their time in the nomad, Otacon took the time to train all of them after Snake's health started deteriorating just in case they needed to protect Sunny.

Leavanny: Honorable and separate mention! The nanny pokemon and it evolves by friendship. Evolved not long after Sunny arrived into his life, as the pokemon category implies, it takes care of Sunny as well!! Main caretaker whenever Snake and Otacon need some backup in that regard

Rotom: you know Rotom dex? Think metal gear Rotom... Rotom gear. But it's the mk.II instead. Rotom powered! The little dude also helps with every day appliances with it's usual forms

Beheeyem: It matches his sleeker, cooler look. That concept art with the coat? It's the cooler nerd pokemon

Porygon-Z: Used to be Emma's, and it ends up being the last puzzle piece in FOXALIVE in this au. She gave it to him before, y'know, spoilers but dying and all dat!

Well that's it!! I love Otacon he's so me I'm so him. Nerds with big glasses... Hopefully if I get the energy I'll do more deep dives like these but tbh for Snake his team is p static. Whatever !!! Ty guys for listening gn !!

#long one #mgs #pokemon #pokemon au #metal gear solid #metal gear pokemon #otacon

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entomolog-t · 3 months

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Idk if you’re still doing this psychoanalysis stuff but-

Still kinda new to the gt stuff but I noticed something that others haven’t brought up much that I absolutely adore. Size shifters! With size shifters dynamics between characters can fluctuate depending on if they go tiny or giant which is perfect for me since I’m indecisive lol. One of the things that appeals to me specifically is if the size shifter may not have a full handle on their ability or if it’s new to them, panicking as they look around for someone who could help, someplace to hide, etc. maybe causing a little collateral damage in the process. Maybe they try to keep it secret, seeing the ability as something dangerous or unnatural.

Then when throwing other people into the mix-

Someone the shifter trusts or someone they don’t know who they inadvertently they bond with from the encounter finds them in such a state. The person tries to play it cool for the shifters sake as their mind is going a mile a minute, trying to think of a way that the shifter can return to a normal size or at least calm down.

I got size shifters on the brain too anon 💕

Time to analyze this further-

Size shifters as an archetype have a clear tie to change. Shifting perspectives and dynamics, as well as power and control.

It can show indecisiveness sure, but depending on how its portrayed it can show a wide range of interesting topics- strong emotions, internal balance, high energy/excitability, uncertainty etc..

With size shifters in particular I think the context is crucial to getting a clear overall sense of your internal environment.

For example, a highly controlled size shifter that changes their size dynamically, for convenience and self expression, would likely imply a large personality and a desire for excitement and self expression. Comfortability in either side of the spectrum nods to self assuredness and confidence.

Now if you took that same person and made them shift emotionally, that changes the perspective drastically, nodding to feelings of a lack of control over emotions, perhaps a desire for those emotions to be seen and acknowledged. Rather than confidence, this nods to a lack of feeling in control of ones self, uncertainty, and personal disjointedness.

And even within the levels of control and emotional shifting there are key differences. An emotional shifter may typically never shrink, and is always in control of their emotions, so when they do shrink those feelings are poignant, and rather than a lack of control, they may signify a need for their emotions to be seen.

Its also important to analyze what drives the growth or shrinking. Shrinking is typically associated with feelings of vulnerability- which often times is portrayed alongside negative emotions. However there are various portrayals where shrinking may be more positively associated (the vulnerability we feel when we are flustered, comfortable, in love, and safe. Shrinking because ones needs are met and there is no need to have to feel big). Growth can also be negative- the feeling of being monstrous, being seen by many, being dangerous/out of control etc. How one associates the emotions to the sizes can be extremely telling of ones own internal environment.

With that rather extensive preamble out of the way, lets analyze your particular example.

"the size shifter may not have a full handle on their ability or if it’s new to them, panicking as they look around for someone who could help, someplace to hide, etc. maybe causing a little collateral damage in the process. Maybe they try to keep it secret, seeing the ability as something dangerous or unnatural."

I've gone and highlighted some key things of note. Firstly, we see a lack of knowledge/skill in the shifter - ie feelings of lack of control. This lack of control is directed inward at oneself. Said lack of control is causing fear/stress/anxiety as seen in the need to hide, and looking for help. What I found particularly interesting is the "causing collateral damage" implying that this is a growth scenario. With a growth scenario and the need to hide there is a very clear image that comes to mind of being essentially stuck in the open- too large to hide oneself and fearing being seen- and if we circle back to the beginning of this analysis, we see that said fear is linked to a lack of control.

So one could interpret this as symbolism for fearing that others will see you lose control.

This does not directly imply emotionally - loss of control can mean failure (losing control of the situation, not being able to manage one's responsibilities, being seen when we are vulnerable etc...). This draws me back once again to Collateral Damage.

Theres nothing in the scenario that suggests it was done out of anger, frustration etc... and I would go out on a limb to assume its accidental damage- making a mistake.

Our previous analysis then becomes- Fear of others seeing you mess up.

This is further exemplified by the wanting help, needing to hide, wanting to keep it a secret- all pushing the theme that one is afraid of others seeing them make mistakes.

The language of dangerous and unnatural may even hint at these mistakes being tied to social mistakes- with unnatural in particular hinting at the idea of not adhering to the status quo. Though this is more so grasping given that it could just as easily be a normal reaction to seeing size change and is just a stand in for other negative perceptions.

The later half of this trope/fantasy is very intriguing.

"Someone the shifter trusts or someone they don’t know who they inadvertently they bond with from the encounter finds them in such a state. The person tries to play it cool for the shifters sake as their mind is going a mile a minute, trying to think of a way that the shifter can return to a normal size or at least calm down."

Note how the language chosen was not someone who trusts the shifter, but someone the shifter trusts. The shifter themselves is scared, and it is them who has a need to feel safe- be it from someone they already trust or someone they have bonded with. The stranger who they bond with is worthwhile making note of. Bonding during an encounter suggests this person is open and accepting to a degree, or that the shifter themselves is charismatic enough to make someone understand them.

The first option likely suggests a desire to be accepted and understood as one is, though the second may imply a hope that one's values/personality/character shines through their mistakes, and that their own nature is good, but misunderstood.

Playing it cool for the shifters sake is quite interesting language as well. They aren't playing it cool for their ego (their own sake) but instead for the shifter. This seems to suggest that the situation is serious/important but they are willing to let their own feelings (implied with heart racing/fear) take a bake seat in order to prioritize those of the shifter (looking for a solution).

All in all this fantasy seems to be symbolic of a fear of others seeing one mess up and the subconscious seems to have projected a desire for those one cares about to be understanding and caring born out of genuine care/affection for the individual, as well as a longing for help from others.

Further analysis of the individual helping the shifter could have subconscious projection of either who the mind may associate with wanting help from, or the traits you may associate with being in control.

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I quite enjoyed our session today. Please feel free to book another session with the secretary at your earliest convenience.

Until next time.

#WHEWWW #LONG ONE #but theres been some posts on shifters lately and I though now would be a lovely time to share this #g/t #giant/tiny #g/t community #g/t prompts #g/t shitpost #G/t tropes #G/t trope psychology #sizeshifter #sizeshifters #growth #AskEnto

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froot-batty · 6 months

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Hello! I am in love with your AU, it tickles my brain just right and I adore everything about it. So I just have a couple questions:

1. Why is Jervis so eepy all the time? Does she have narcolepsy? Is it a side effect of his brain damage? Or is she just like that?

2. So this Jon is aspec, right? Who does he love/care about, and how does he show his love and affection to him? (Also bonus: does Jon go by "it" exclusively when Scarecrow?)

Thank you!!!! And have a lovely day ^^

Thank you very much !! I'm always glad to know my AU is infecting people like a little brain parasite

Jervis is permanently eepy mostly because of the brain damage, yeah! She liked to sleep before the bump to the head (it was a kind of coping mechanism - to sleep through her problems - and it has been ever since she was a kid), but it only got worse as a result of that

One of the symptoms he experiences is a whole ton of fatigue. Chronic migraines paired with muscle weakness make a lot of activities physically exhausting for him, so sleep is one of the ways he recharges or escapes from particularly painful days

Also, sometimes it's just a good excuse to cuddle up with your friends :]

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Jon is both Demiromantic and Demisexual :]. As of right now he doesn't have a partner, and he's quite content with that, but he's got lots of people he loves - even if his emotionally stunted ass won't admit it

His closest friends are Ed, Jervis as of right now, and Waylon! He also has a soft spot for Harley, as they were former coworkers! How he shows his affection differs depending on the person:

With Ed, they're both really emotionally distant guys, and neither of them seek physical touch (with Ed disliking it), so he's all about actions with them. Busting them out of Arkham, reluctantly answering riddles or testing out their puzzles, things like that. Ed is much the same way. They are a very snarky pair of guys.

Jervis' main love language is obviously physical touch, so the easiest way for Jon to show his affection is by letting Jervis cuddle up with him or hold his hand. He also will NEVER admit it, but he worries about her physical condition. When she gets tired, he'll let her sit on his shoulders (He also does tend to consider Jervis weak and in need of protection, and often underestimates him)

Waylon and him are SOUTHERN BUDS. Jon likes being around Waylon because he's just a genuinely nice guy. They have nice chats and look out/do favors for each other! Another example of Jon's love language being "busting your pals out of an insane asylum" though

When he worked with Harley, he thought of her as an overconfident, naïve, but well-meaning little sister. They're still friendly after Harley turned over to the dark side, but there's a part of Jon that resents how the Joker stole that glimmer of real promise that Harley had. Jon shows his affection for her by not injecting that annoying clown with a lethal dose of fear toxin

And to answer your bonus, yes! It came from the news articles written about the Scarecrow when Jon first started out, which used it/its for it because nobody really knew what the Scarecrow was. Jon liked it so much he adopted it into the Scarecrow persona (he probably wouldn't mind being called it/its in his normal life, but he ain't opening that can of worms, no sir)

Thank you for your questions !! I hope this satisfied >;}

#LONG ONE #frootverse #jervis tetch #the mad hatter #jonathan crane #the scarecrow #too lazy to tag the others #doodles

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breohare · 19 days

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Trouser (ball python)

#ball python #python #snake #Trouser #Trouse #Trous #little dude #long one #main squeeze #generous stretch of scales

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meteors-lotr · 1 year

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[Frodo, Merry and Pippin in a car. Merry is driving, and Frodo is in the backseat]

Frodo: Drive faster Merry, the bleeding is getting worse!

Merry: I’m trying okay, I get nervous when people yell at me when I’m driving

Frodo: Oh my fault, I’ll just die in silence shall I?!

Merry: Ugh Fro, you’re always so dramatic!

Pippin: Yeah calm down Frodo you’re not dying

Pippin: You’re just loosing large amounts of blood

Frodo: Yeah that happens to be a leading cause of death!

Merry: No you’re thinking of cancer

Pippin: I thought heart disease was the number one cause of death…

Frodo: Yes but without blood my heart will have nothing to pump, and will therefor get bored and die

Merry: Ugh, please try to not get your blood on the seat

Pippin: Hey are you sure this is the right way to the hospital

Merry: Pretty sure…

Frodo: What do you mean you’re pretty sure?!

Merry: I think it’s by that place that we ate at the other day

Merry: What was it?

Pippin: Oh those fries were delicious!

Merry: Oh my god seriously they were so good, I-

Frodo, yelling, holding out his arm that it detached from his body: THIS IS MY ARM!!!!

Frodo: NOTICE HOW I’M ABLE TO HOLD IT AN ENTIRE ARMS LENGTH AWAY FROM MY BODY!!!

Frodo: THIS IS AN UNDESIRABLE QUALITY!!

Frodo: I insist that you focus on finding me medical care!!!!!!!

Frodo: What are you doing?

Merry, who’s looking into the rear view mirror while applying mascara: I have a date after this!

Merry: Actually, can one of you grab the wheel?

Pippin: [Looking at the window while playing with his hand in the wind]

Frodo, looking annoyedly at both of them: [Uses his detached arm to hold the wheel steady]

Merry: Thanks [Puts away the mascara into his bag]

Pippin: Hey how come we’re slowing down?

Merry: Some ducks are crossing the road!

Frodo:

Merry: We’ll what else am I supposed to do?

Frodo: KILL THEM!!!!

Merry: That’s terrible!

Frodo, shaking his detached arm: No, this is terrible!

Merry: I’m not killing those ducks Fro

Pippin: Yeah, they are adorable

Frodo: GET ME TO A HOSPITAL

Pippin, shying away from his flailing arm: Ew Frod, your arm is really cold!

Frodo: Is it Pip? I’m no doctor, but I would venture to guess that’s probably indicative of some kind of severe TRAUMA!!

Pippin: I dunno, some people just have cold hands all the time

Merry: Oh should I turn the heater on?

Pippin: Oh yeah

Frodo: Guys, if I don’t make it, I just want you both to know

Frodo: That I hate you

Pippin, while Frodo is slumping over in the backseat, dead: Fro quit being so dramatic

Pippin: Look the ducks are crossing the road!

Merry: And nothing had to die

Frodo:

Merry: Oh look the place with the fries, you think we have time?

Pippin: Yes!

Merry: Nice

#incorrect quotes #incorrect lotr quotes #incorrect hobbit quotes #lotr #lord of the rings #the hobbit #frodo baggins #merry brandybuck #pippin took #source: studio c #Long one #tw death

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scythesms · 1 year

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previous ➺ next

Josephine sensed Elijah’s uneasiness the moment he returned home. His fixation on being alone and away from the rest of their family furthered her worries. After an aggravating number of evasions, she finally caught up to her brother and all but forced him to talk. Elijah’s fight lasted seconds before giving in.

He recounted his excitement for touring his upcoming school, but she already knew that. Elijah had never left Windenburg before. His bag for the trip had been packed for days and he constantly talked about attending the classroom their father taught once again. He spoke of how the train ride excited him - how he just knew this visit would show him nothing he’s ever seen before. In the end, it did. It showed him more than he bargained for.

The world out there was a lot bigger than they were, and Elijah only got a glimpse of it.

“They get different newspapers out there,” he told Josephine. Windenburg’s newspapers were only about Windenburg. Residents didn’t know of the outside world unless they sought it out. Isaiah told him that that was the initial plan for the town when it was built – for them to be shielded from the outside’s cruelty. B. Chester’s papers highlighted happenings that existed everywhere else. Elijah couldn’t believe it, and he didn’t at first. The Ambroise children were taught what discrimination was in school. However, they’d never experienced anything of the sort, nor did they hear stories of their friends and neighbors encountering such behavior.

Elijah believed it all an exaggeration before the fact in the matter settled. First, he was sad, then ill, then upset, and then angry. How could his parents keep this from him? How could their townspeople speak nothing of it? As Elijah’s confusion and resentment grew, Isaiah tried to reason with him. Many, if not all, of their neighbors and family friends were once victimized before finding solace in their town. The town was built for them for that reason - a way to escape the past and start anew. The residents of Windenburg haven’t lived there for long, and the town was still growing around them. Isaiah and Elyse didn’t know how to explain to their children, as it was never thoroughly taught to them. Elyse grew up in a home and a town similar to theirs, where funds fixed every and anything. Her first brush with discrimination was when her parents were turned down by renowned doctors because of their color. They knew their children would come to know the truth one day, but prayed they’d stay out of its reach.

Elijah watched his sister digest the news, her expression mirroring his despair. While there was relief from the newfound awareness, they wished they’d been as oblivious as they had been.

#long one #Ambroise Legacy #1890s #sims 4 decades challenge #sims 4 decades legacy #sims 4 historical #ts4 historical #ts4 challenge #ts4 decades challenge #sims stories #AL #Elijah Ambroise #Josephine Ambroise

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rwby-confess · 5 days

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Vol 9 was unironically the worst volume writing wise, and inferior to 6. Ever after has no rules so its hard to be invested in the stakes.

Bees get a confession bridge (good for them I suppose) but Ruby can't get a you can't leave until you talk about your feelings camp? Why? Cuz screw you I guess.

Weiss gets no arc, and backslides (she leaves because of nose hairs, really?), none of them bother to help their clearly suffering leader, ditch her when they know Neo is trying to kill her, and they gloss over the Ruby breakdown in about 2 minutes to go help Jaune again.

The only reason it had to be set in ever after was so Ruby could 'remove herself from the census' and it not take or else you could have just done character building in Vacuo.

If you remove Bees pining, Jaune being sad, and the tiny amount of god lore you're left with just about nothing that advances the story in any meaningful way, and Ruby was once again shortchanged on development for the sake of Bees.

Giving her a new song and making her believe in herself doesn't help them with Salem because I'm sure Summer believed in herself too. Didn't seem to help.

Music, and animation were great as were the VA performances, but this was the weakest volume by far and the only reason people like it is because the bees finally got together, which again good for them, but it just showed cased the worse of their relationship to me, ie Yang is perfectly content to let Ruby yell at Weiss, but the very second she yells at Blake Yang gets mad and step in, which just shows Ruby exactly where she rates in Yang's eyes.

Also not a single one of them has anything to say to Neo about trying to kill Ruby, and killing Little. They just let her go with a hat doff because she's popular with the fans. Like she killed a cat that wasn't a threat that's not even the start of redemption. At least Emerald is risking something by joining their team.

Confession #44

#rwby #volume 9 #bees confession #criticism #writing #Ruby cant get a break bc fuck them kids #no I keep forgetting that shes younger so like girlypop is trying to save the world while going through the teenage weirdness #long one #the weakest volume #powertaco

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tricitymonsters · 11 months

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put all of the ro's in lingerie >:3c it's only fair 😎

WELP ITS A LONG POST

Mori (whose thong is this?? a mystery)

Amir

Zero underwear, he's not holding that shut, and he's wearing enough jewels to be collateral for a loan big enough to build a skyscraper with. Also for your sake i hope you told him lingerie time was for at home cause he will wear this out.

Akello

the shortest side split silk shorts known to man

His dumptruck ass is going to murder these poor things and I'm not even gonna start on what the front's doing.

Raath

slinky, sexy, black, and skintight. He might also be bloody. Dont ask.

Kazu

Gotta be leather, stompy boots, and a collar. We're getting further from lingerie ig but I'm a rebel like that.

Marcel

i'm calling it "slutty football costume"

#thank you for asking!!!#amir #mori #akello #raath #marcel #LONG ONE

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inkyquince · 2 years

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Would love to know more about your Arcana/DoL thoughts when the mood strikes, by the way! (Also, I think I had a dream where Julian was isekai’d into Wren and the PC looked and acted exactly like the Arcana MC, but had no memory of the world of Arcana? Like Julian warped into Wren when he was hanged and had all his memories up til that point? But then he wakes up working for Remy and his MC is being treated like livestock? Something like that. I have a migraine so details are fuzzy)

real quick, that last bit? Sad Julian, very sad, he'd be so distraught.

Anyway.

Asra!

Rents a room in Gwylan's shop to sell... Mysterious lil bottles of who knows what and gives you tarot readings! Gwylan likes him to an extend, they're basically roommates and Asra forgets rent and to do the dishes at times.

Later down the line, if you've endeared yourself enough, then Asra will hire you just to clean up after him.

He has a special meter, which is Care. How much he cares for you reflects in your tarot readings, how much he pays you, and the extra speech lines you get. Low Care, Low Love, kinda ignores you. If he sees the Ivory Wraith in your cards, he keeps it to himself how bad it will get. High Care and Low Love, its more that he takes pity on you as a helpless orphan. Pays you more, tries to cheer you up with good cards of the future and makes gives you a freebie. Low Care and High love? You're an independent little thing, aren't you? Worries about you far less, pays you depending on how much you got done instead of the flat rate he would have kept for high care. High Care, High Love, wants to look after you. Worried about ya man.

His cards are impacted by your stats and which events you've done/ coming up. High trauma, always the tower and the hanged man on the horizon, maybe the 10 of swords when a dismissal event is lined up. When you're awareness is low/ you have innocence, its always more perky cards. It does all depend.

Nadia

Well, Quinn has an enemy in office, and its everyone's favourite Nadia!

Well.

She married Lucio, who just kinda suddenly popped up as the most important and rich guy in town, and ran for mayor, for shits and giggles at this point. Thing is, he's hot. Rich. Rich people like him. So he and Quinn have been battling it out for a while. Then... Lucio died? And Nadia felt like she was pressured into finishing his last campaign. Except she won. She doesn't want this fucking job. But goddammit she's so beloved. The time the game takes place, Quinn is running for mayor once more and she's trying to inch out of the picture but its pretty hard.

She is not aware of the dark side of the town at all and its up to the player to let her know, except if she makes changes to the town then her popularity drops and Quinn gets the job. Like, she would have been happy earlier in her life but now she's aware that shits bad, so she tries to do charity drives and shit but it never seems to make a dent.

Her meter is respect. Its different for everyone. For example, she has low respect for Quinn and Valerius (surprise, local wine bitch is in this because I love his shady ass). Also for Lucio.

The more competent you prove, the higher her respect for you is and she doesn't treat you with an icy outer façade like she does for her court council. She becomes warmer and more loving and basically becomes Avery, minus the rage. Likes to gift you stuff and inviting you to stay around hers. The only way to raise her respect is to be thorough in whatever evidence of the perverted side of the town you bring her. Anything faulty or missing, she's either suspicious or thinks you're an idiot. For example, if you want to keep your good relationship with Landry, you have to leave their name out of your findings about the criminal underworld, but she'll be able to tell that somethings missing, and her respect drops. She lives on Danube streets, in the largest house, so another way to meet her outside of bringing your concerns to her in office hours, is to break in. Unless you have high skullduggery, you will be caught and unless you have high English and seduction ahem mommy then she will keep you in the basement till the morning and hand you over to the police to be put in the pillory and trying to raise you respect from that point will be incredibly hard.

Muriel

So this was hard. Because there's already two big bitches out in that forest. A third bitch = overcrowding and it fucks with the ecosystem. C'mon guys.

So...

Muriel is stuck in prison :D

When Lucio's shady dealings make their way to the public, one of the people he used to shut up his detractors was Muriel. So, Lucio decided to dump a huge amount of his misdeeds on the poor lad and Muriel was sent straight to prison.

He doesn't ever want to talk about it. His main meter is safety. How safe he feels with you. Its extremely slow to build, and you have to gift him things like items to use to escape, food, maybe get Wren to smuggle in a small wolf sculpture or something for him to smile at. The safer he feels with you, the safer you will be in prison. He sticks to himself and weirdly the guards never ever bother him, in fact they avoid him and seem to forget about him in general.

You get far more interactions with him outside of the prison. If you escape with Wren, then you have to take him with you or the meter will fall to zero. Won't forget you left him behind.

If you get out by just waiting out your sentence, you can actually arrange visits at the prison for you to talk through the glass and that will maintain your relationship, the fact you don't forget him. To get him out with that is to go to Asra and ask him to insist on Muriel's character to Nadia and that will get him a faster release.

Then, when he enters the rest of the world, he hides out on the edges of the Wood, closer to the lake that Eden but also closer to the wolves. The wolves who love him and he plays with them like they're all puppies.

Lucio

Renowned dead husband of Nadia. What ever happened to him?

Well, hope you aren't trotting along on a dark night, because a figure might catch your eye. Large, hulking, pure white fur with his beady eyes staring straight at you. Yeah, you guessed it. You're getting kidnapped by the Goatman.

It's somewhat easy to kick him and get away but it doesn't mean he'll give up and one of these tries will finally have you carried off.

Of course, this only happens after you've done some of the Asra and Nadia events.

Now you expect the worst, because of course, its this town but he mainly starts bleating at you to use your contacts to fucking FIX HIM, right this second! His main meter is... uh... Love/ Lust.

You have a chance to fix this man. On the quest to restore him, which includes getting Gwylan, reading up on History in the library and trudging out to the Moors, you can raise his love and his lust. Only through his Love being high, will he not return to Nadia and insists on reentering the marriage and returning as Mayor. The town will get much worse, Nadia will not forgive you and Quinn shall have it out for you but on the bright side, there's a handsome New-Jersey accented hottie who likes you and owes you one.

With a high love stat, he moves back into his old house but just kinda hangs out and bugs Nadia but doesn't go back into the marriage. In fact, he's mainly mooning over you, saying terrible one liners and kicking his feet.

His lust mainly impacts on how many times you're getting railed by the goat man/ human goat man.

The Rest are either minor characters or romances that I didn't really wanna play though:

Portia: Depends on if Nadia is in office or not. Either she's her lil personal assistant or a barmaid. She always gets Landry for you or is snarking back and forth with Julian.

Valerius: Bitchy Wine Guy. Comes into the Spa almost every week, and unless you've got a High Hand Skill, then he pays the £10 every time. Later can be seen ragging on Nadia and sitting with Lucio as they drink. Yes, you can suck him off, but he has to like you a WHOLE bunch.

Valdemar: The Night Nurse. Don't go into the hospital at night. She won't help with any affliction and will instead stick things into you.

Morga: Yes, you can go fuck Lucio's mom if you two don't get along. He will scream and kick his feet and throw a tantrum and Morga will be idly rubbing your tongue with her fingers while you perch on her thigh.

#HOO #long one #FINALLY DID IT THOUGH #THIS WAS FUN #also i legit never got around to playing portia's route i was so burned out by the arcana by the time i got to her #AND I LOVE HER SO MUCH IM SO SORRY #dol #quincewrites #the arcana #julian devorak #the arcana asra #the arcana nadia #muriel the arcana #lucio montag #consul valerius #quaestor valdemar #morga the arcana #portia devorak #degrees of lewdity

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bethanydelleman · 2 years

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Mary and Henry Crawford’s Flawed Moral Codes

I believe that in general, people who do bad things justify it to themselves and find a way to feel like what they are doing is normal. People don’t want to be evil, they want to convince themselves that they are good/normal. An Austen villain like Wickham’s moral code is probably pretty simple, something like, “I deserve it so I should have it.” But with the Crawfords it’s far more complex, which is part of the reason why they are such interesting characters and why I get so angry when people think Henry is just a cheating cheater who cheats (his flaw is vanity not lust!).

As a preface, I am not excusing Henry or Mary’s behaviour, I am trying to understand the psychology of their characters.

For background, Henry and Mary are orphans who have been raised in a fairly broken home. Admiral Crawford and his wife hate each other and it seems fair to suppose by Admiral Crawford’s actions after his wife’s death, that he probably had a mistress/affairs and wasn’t even kind enough to be discreet. Mrs. Crawford, according to Mary, was miserable. The Crawford’s upbringing and the fact that they have mostly lived in London, are important to their characters according to the narrator.

Both siblings don’t seem to really think that love exists, which is the basis for their behaviour.

Mary is mercenary, she plans to marry high and she knows that she can with her beauty, education, and wealth. This is because she thinks love is either fake or fleeting, so you might as well just take the most wealth and put your faith in that instead. She tries for Tom first, but when she fails, she finds herself falling for Edmund. Mary finds a charm “in his sincerity, his steadiness, his integrity”. She spends the rest of the novel struggling against her inclinations (marry for wealth) and her growing understanding that Edmund is actually a good person and she would be happy married to him, wealth or not. This is because she knows Edmund would never do to his wife what Admiral Crawford did to her aunt. But as she can’t totally abandon her ideas of what her life should have been, she pushes him to change professions and conform to her idea of happiness.

Mary actually does give in and decide to marry Edmund, but he doesn’t propose before Tom gets sick and Henry and Maria elope. After that, their marriage is impossible. It does seem like Mary learns something from the experience, and determines not to marry until she finds a man as upright as Edmund. But she also wants a first son, so the lesson is only half learned.

As for Henry, we can assume from the other novels, and from Mary’s account of her friends, Mrs. Fraser and Lady Stornaway, that he’s been surrounded by mercenary fortune hunters for most of his life. He has watched women pretend to be in love with wealthy men just to marry them, which we see in P&P with Caroline Bingley. But he also isn’t handsome and he knows it, which may increase his perception that women are only interested because he’s rich. He likely sees his flirtations as fair game, if women use love as a weapon why can’t he make it a toy? We also know he doesn’t believe that he does lasting damage, he thinks Maria’s feelings should already be gone.

I can kind of see his point. Maria is engaged to a man she doesn’t even like. She hates Rushworth, but she goes through with it because he’s rich. It sounds like Mary’s friends have done the same thing, and that was what Mary was also planning to do. It makes sense that these women’s “love” would be fleeting because it is manufactured. Also, unlike some other Jane Austen characters, we have no evidence that Henry would actually sleep with/ruin an unmarried woman. He flirts with Maria because she is sexually unavailable, not in spite of it. He did take advantage of the play, but I really feel the Bertrams were never in real danger physically. As Mary said, they just were in danger of having their hearts broke. This is also probably part of Henry’s justification of himself and why he thinks he isn’t doing real or lasting damage.

All of this also explains why Mary defends Fanny from Henry but also gives in pretty easily. Mary knows that Fanny isn’t the sort of girl to pretend to be in love, she doesn’t “deserve” to be tricked. But, since neither of the Crawfords believe love is real or that flirtation does lasting damage, Mary is soon convinced that a little attention may do Fanny good. I think Henry is sincere when he regrets toying with Fanny later, because she is a type of woman he didn’t believe existed, one who isn’t in love with money and who has moral integrity.

Again, this is why Mansfield Park is a tragedy, because it’s just sad that Henry and Mary are this cynical. It’s sad that Mary is in love, but wishes that Tom will die because of her conviction that money (not a person who would never hurt her) is the best recipe for happiness. It’s sad that one of Henry’s many reasons for wanting to marry Fanny is that he could actually trust her. Has he really met so few people in his life that he finds worthy of trust?

Lastly, because I must address it at some point, would Henry have cheated on Fanny? I think it’s a complex question. Henry does not want to marry, probably because it would make flirting much harder (he calls marriage, “Heaven’s last best gift“ implying it will ruin all his fun). Maria thinks Henry will propose, which he literally can’t do once he’s married to Fanny. So what did he think marriage would look like? He might have carried on with his emotional affairs and just switched to married women. He might have a mistress or something like that (especially since sex and faithfulness are separate in his mind). However, he also has a saviour attitude towards Fanny. He wants to see her happy. I don’t think he’d openly do something to make her miserable and his flirting thing would make Fanny miserable.

I think Henry would probably find another outlet for his charming vanity game, such as going into politics. And yes, that is slightly terrifying given his morality, but remember that in Jane Austen’s world, both John Willoughby and Sir Walter Elliot have seats in parliament. JA’s England is already screwed.

To summarize, Henry doesn’t think he’s a bad person for flirting because love isn’t real and the women he messes with deserve it. Mary thinks men will treat her poorly no matter what, so she might as well be rich. Their worldviews and moral codes reflect their fake and cruel upbringing and the people they have associated with until coming to Mansfield.

#mansfield park #jane austen #henry crawford #mary crawford #long one #fanny price #vanity not lust #Rushworth is lust actually #Henry and Mary are fascinating characters #No matter what Henry's morality is I want to be read into a Shakespeare trance #Not justified but explained

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lil-melody-moon · 1 year

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Year summary #2

Soooo, I should write the second summary post. Let's babble about music! ouo *System of A Down's self-titled album plays in the background because it's amazing and it should be blasted at full volume*

I think I'll start with the music that came back to me this year and then go with the ones which appeared for the first time. Let's start with good old bands I listen to since forever:

Metallica - Those guys are with me since 2009 so it's already 13 years of listening to them - thanks dad! Oh God, I still remember the hype which was up and about when "Hardwired...To Self-Destruct" was about to come out. I didn't buy the CD - but I will! - downloaded the music instead, but you know... That didn't change the fact that it was on repeat for 6 months. I still wonder how the fuck did my mom survive it, but nevertheless, it might repeat when "72 Seasons" will come out in April. But I will buy the CD now. I am going to store first thing after lessons and buying it. I also convinced myself to "...And Justice For All" album. I love it so much that I got it on Christmas <3 Also Lars, my beloved, you are responsible for my love to drums - a shame I don't have money for them and a place in my flat ;; But you know...Guitar ain't that bad :3

Led Zeppelin - I only started listening to them two years ago I believe. When I was younger I didn't like them at all, but then I heard "Babe I'm Gonna Leave You" in my dad's car, searched for their music on YouTube and since then, they are one of my favorite bands. Jimmy Page, you absolute genius! It's because of his playing style that I started listening to Led Zeppelin and even thought that perhaps a guitar is a good instrument. But then again, I can't just prise him. Robert Plant's vocals are top notch, John Paul Jones, your bass in "Dazed and Confused" is fucking amazing and John Bonham? I love you for "Moby Dick" and for everything you did with the band in terms of music. Every album from "Led Zeppelin" to "Coda" is a masterpiece, my mind won't ever change.

Black Sabbath - If I came back to Metallica, I also came back to Black Sabbath. Second heavy metal band my dad showed to me. I don't like every song they made, but I certainly have my favorites and this is a very nostalgic band for me. I even bought "Paranoid" album for Christmas for my dad in this year. He was so happy to get it! We listened to it yesterday when we waited for mom. I will always connect this band with my dad and so, it'll be always nostalgic.

Iron Maiden - I certainly have favorite albums but they are not my favorite band - although I can kill if someone skips "Journeyman" if it's played, this is a beautiful song - but they are very good. If they are played, you bet your ass I will listen to the changes in tempo and how the song changes in general because of it. They are very unique and just impossible to ignore for me.

Linkin Park - the band which was with me during the shitty years. But they were also with me when life started becoming better. I do love their older albums, but "A Thousand Suns" is my beloved album and the one to just play when there's sadness around - "Iridescent", my beloved <3 - and it's also the album I connect with one cartoon from my childhood and movies based on it. It's a kind of nostalgic trip. Also, Linkin Park is the only band where I pay much more attention to lyrics than melody. Their lyrics are usually dark, but I love them.

And now, coming to the music which appeared for the first time in this year:

System of A Down - my beloved band, can I say more about them than I already did? It helps me with growing up and finding self-confidence which I lacked for a long time. Their lyrics are also something different. It's usually like a poetry, which can be sang and it is, in the most wonderful way. Though I have to make a statement there, because I only mentioned it once on this page. Daron Malakian is the guy who actually convinced me that guitar is a wonderful instrument and a person who loves music and didn't attend music school can still learn to play it and create music. I love his style of playing. It's simple, not very difficult, but the way he puts the passion in it, let it be in System or in Scars on Broadway, you can hear that he loves the instrument. Also he's a very sweet guy <3 BUT everyone knows who is a total sweetheart and sunshine for me so, moving on~ (I will not talk about Scars on Broadway and Serj Tankian's solo carrier separately, I would have to copy paste half of what I already said)

Slayer - going chronologically, then there's this thrash metal band, which I like, but only have two favorite albums so far. "Reign in Blood" and "Diabolus in Musica". I didn't listen to all of their discography, but those two are my favorite. I love how heavy and quick their playing style is, how angry Tom Araya sounds. Slayer is definitely a band to go for me if I want to listen to something heavier, shut my neighbors up or scare the fuck out of others XD

Dio - if Black Sabbath came back, so did the album "Heaven and Hell" and so Dio came back as well. Lately, so yesterday, I heard one of the albums of "Rainbow" where he sang and daaaaaaamn. This guy is just pure gold with vocals and the way he sings. You can literally lose yourself in his songs, this is how good he is! If you don't know him, you gotta give a listen to either "Heaven and hell" or "Children of the Sea" - you won't regret it, believe me <3

Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow - the guitarist of "Deep Purple", having a band, where Dio is on vocals and after him another amazing vocalists? Dude, I couldn't say no to that! Especially that "Black Masquerade" stole me from the first note. "Stranger In Us All", the first album I heard from them and the one which convinced me to dug into Rainbow's discography. They have very catchy melodies, like really catchy XD

Korn - oh boy, I have a problem with this band! I always had one, because there are the amazing vocals by Jonathan Davis, but then there is this specific sound and dark as shit lyrics, which can make anyone depressed, really. I have a few songs that I like, but I don't imagine having any albums from them. I, of course, won't say that Korn is bad, not at all. It's just my hate-love relationship kind of band.

The Doors - the last one which appeared out of fucking nowhere at the end of the year. It was literally as if Jim Morrison heard me saying one day that, and I quote: "I'll probably won't find another band like System" on the other side and was like: "Hold my beer, dear". I only heard them once and it was the song "People Get Strange" and their music hit me like a train. They are so different, Morrison's voice is just so amazing, I can't get enough of it - the deepness in "End Of The Night" does things to me, not to mention the way their music is played. Either very slow or suddenly it becomes so weird, taking the fucking length of a song to limits - 22 minutes of their playing? It's nothing to them. The guitar is top notch, heck even the piano, or whatever the instrument is called. It just so fits together! I love them <3

And this is probably it. The only thing I can say at the very end is that, to my favorite bands, which almost always consisted of Metallica and Led Zeppelin, I had to add System of A Down and The Doors in this year. Do I regret discovering those two new for me bands? Heck no! They are amazing and I would be sad without their music. With that said, I will have to search for The Doors's CDs as well, and I think they will be as hard to find as Led Zeppelin's. But such is life, I'll be screaming here if I find any the next time I'll go to music store XD

#again #long one #but enjoy <3 #I'll talk about games tomorrow ouo #the nerd will come out of hiding XD #talking corner

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entomolog-t · 1 month

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Hey! I’ve been a fan of G/T content for quite a while, but I’ve mostly stuck to Deviantart&Wattpad. Pretty recently I decided to create a Tumblr account in an attempt to find more content, and I’ve been amazed by how interactive the community is here! However, I noticed something that I find pretty weird, and just wanted to get an opinion from someone who seems to be a pretty active member of the community, at least from what I’ve seen.

In all the posts I’ve seen, I’ve never seen VR mentioned even once. I might just not be looking in the right place, but I just found it weird. I’ve been an avid VRChat player for a while, and having spent a large amount of time there I noticed the potential it holds for genres like G/T. I was expecting to find at least a single mention of it somewhere here, but I never have. I see lots of posts from both sides of G/T that mention something like, “I really wish I could just hold/be held by someone, etc.” and, well, I’ve had experiences like that. I’ve fallen asleep and woken up in a friend’s hands before. I’ve had friends sitting/standing on my shoulder. They don’t even know this community exists, these interactions just happen naturally.

I just want to share some of the experiences I’ve had, and when I went looking, nobody here seemed to know it was even possible. So yeah, that’s what finally motivated me to interact directly with the community. To at least let someone know that it is possible, and far more accessible than most seem to realize.

I’ll also make a standard post, but considering the fact that I’m a very new account I don’t expect many to see it. Thus why I messaged directly. I know this was a bit of a ramble, I'm still a little nervous about finally interacting with something I've only passively watched for quite a long time. So thanks for taking the time to read through, and I’d love to hear your opinion on why it isn’t mentioned, or anything else you wanna say! Take care out there!

OH! This is quite the interesting ask!! I may not be the best person to answer as I am far from techie.

First off, that sounds incredibly fun! I've only ever tried VR with an escape room - which oddly enough had a silly sizey experience; There was an issue with the calibration or something on one of the headsets and a friend who's just a little over 5ft had their in game avatar show up ballpark around 7ft tall.

I love that g/t seems to happen naturally with your interactions too! I'd love to hear more!

Now for the meat of the question- why isn't this mentioned? Again, keep in mind, I'm no techie or avid gamer so this is really biased towards myself. In no particular order,

Age

Price point

Tech Difficulty

Privacy

Missing sensations

My first guest would be age. I myself am in my mid/late twenties, and just never really grew up with that kind of tech, so theres just a lack of knowledge and not more than a passing interest in it. I think with age there also comes issues with free time, though I'll speak on that more with privacy. I think in general there tends to be a perception that VR chat rooms have a lot of minors (whether this is true or not, I have no clue, but as an adult that is a concern).

My second guess would be price point. Now, again, I am not a tech wiz, so I really don't know too well what would be a good headset (if any ol' cheap one would work, or if the oculus is the way to go), but I know the well known headsets are not at all cheap, and do also require a something to run them on (from my understanding thats just a good enough gaming pc? I have no clue.) Basically, there is a monetary component at play.

Thirdly would be tech difficulty. Some people are just bad at technology, and don't want to learn a new form of it.

Now privacy is what I would think is a big factor- and not online privacy. Roommates, siblings, spouses, family- if someone lives with another person they may not be comfortable being seen interacting on VRchat (especially with how paranoid some of us get with g/t), and then finding alone time is just an absolute pain with work, school, clubs, responsibilities etc.

Lastly, I think some people are hesitant about the missing sensations. Essentially, "who cares if all I can do is see it, I want to feel it." I think for some people it may have the opposite effect, and the degree of realism mixed with the very obviously "not real" cues could be more upsetting- being so close to having something you fantasize about but being reminded its not actually real.

Those are just my thoughts- and I hope others will add some of their own! This is quite the interesting topic and I'd love to hear more about it! As I mentioned earlier, I have very limited experience with VR, but from what little experience I did have it was a ton of fun! I feel like VRchat could be something a lot of people in the community could enjoy if they knew more/had access to it.

#Whew #Long one #I have no clue if I'm accurate about this one #I am a hick who has very limited tech knowledge #I am a whiz with spreadsheets #Thats about it #g/t community

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