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imhavingdifficulties · 2 years

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thoughts. abt death note and intelligence

d=eathnote doesnt portray intelligence the capitalistic way i initially thought it did.

Light's backstory is that he is the top student in all of Japan/L is the smartest detective in the world. We start off with an impression that inelligence is the most important value to show. (But there's nuance!!)

We have the ranking system at Wammy's, which is used to test genii little kids (I don't have a ton of confidence in this type of thing from my experience with testing and my understanding of bias in IQ Testing) ...we don't know how exactly the test works, but is used to test kids for skill equivalent to L's.

Having a ranking system for kid's intelligence is such an awful idea to begin with. Especially if they are aware of the rank. Its inhumane and leads them to beleive their worth is based on their intelligence output. (NOT UNLIKE THE MFKING AMERRICAN EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM) but anyways...

So already the show is centering reasoning ability/intelligence as a value for these kids. (And I think it's fair to say that as a result, other values are deprioritized, like social/emotional intelligence (for example L talks about being childish and wanting to win))

And we see that intelligence increased a characters audience perceived standing on a surface level basis, since on first look, intelligence is what moves the plot.....!

But! While reasoning ability DOES impact a characters importance/value to the show, social intelligence/ a lack of reasoning ability DOES NOT.

Which is fucking WEIRD, but if we go back to L for a second, he has. no social intelligence. Like. My man doesn't wear shoes. He wiggles his toes around and in general is a weird ass dude. But he's essential to the show, and his lack of social skills/presentation is overlooked by fellow characters and the audience, in favor of his smart lil brain.

There's also Misa, who has high social intelligence but low reasoning skills (i personally think she has average intelligence, im just comparing her relatively, and on their weird-and-makes-no-sense intelligence scale). She is loved as an idol, but treated as a dumbass by the detectives. For her, whatt i have seen is that her high social intelligence is overlooked by her lack of intellectual (?) intelligence... And yet Misa makes huuuuge contributions to the plot, and in general is a very important character.

the only time i felt there was real depth of conversation was towards the end when L was about to die and it was raining, where light and L talk more metaphoircally and abstractly with each other, and we see social intelligence. this was a key moment where we saw characterr to character interaction not based around reasoning, but as a casual setting.

since these ttypes of conceptual, abstract scenes are the minority in this show, its clear that the back and forth of l/lights tthought process is really the central value. idk. i think its kinda stupid and they coul dhave added much more depth to the characters.

I think that the decision to highlight intelligence is definetley what makes it deathnote. so yk. it is what it is. but also, they could have handled the treeatment of "less smart" characters with more care. they could have gone deeper into the emotional effect of these decisions.

not to mention the social interactions between characters... the ahllucinations that L experienced beofre deatth were just. so well done. and because of the staunchness of the est of thte show. those moments were sort of coveted and craved. idk. maybe thats a goood thing? who knows.

im also not going to discount the small funny moments in the show. like where L is beig especially awkward or creepy, i think those scenes give LIFE.

But I wish they had more respect for misa and didnt fuckiung rruin her towards the end.

I don know if this makes any fuckin sense. If anyone has additional thoughts realted to this let me know!!

#really not sure if i wanna tag this but fuck it #death note #light yagami #l death note #l lawlight #misa amane

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calangkoh · 3 years

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What do you think is the difference in Al’s characterization/development in 03 vs. BH? Which Al do you prefer?

i could be totally wrong about everything im about to say. this is all my takeaway, and its going to differ from other people’s.

i think the main difference is in 03 al is the deuteragonist and in bh al is just a few steps above side character. In 03 al is as important as ed and has a lot more say on things. he acts more like an actual brother by butting heads with ed and speaking up more. bh al most of the time comes across as a sidekick. bh al’s character development isnt a big thing because theres not much TO develop when he’s more of a supporting role vs in 03 where he has many established flaws to be expanded on.

i am not criticizing bh here, and its not something im mad about in the slightest. but it is why i prefer 03, because the appeal of fma for me was always the brothers, and 03 focuses way more on the brothers (their growth, their struggles, their relationship, etc), ironically, more than brotherhood which has a wider cast and world it divides its attention on (and i like a wide cast and big world as much as an intimate character study, it just so happens in fma’s case it was always the brothers that captivated me over the world, so naturally the show that zeroes in on the brothers as opposed to zooming away from them more and more is the one i prefer).

03 al is rougher around the edges, has more obvious flaws, and his development seems to be about becoming more decisive and proactive and less passive, with a heavy emphasis on survivors guilt and the effects the armor has on his psyche. it spends more time giving al the attention his horrific situation deserves.

in bh, al is a sweet and supportive brother who serves to motivate ed and be useful to the plot when he can with his body. his development seems to center around accepting how useful his body is? which good for him, but illustrates my point of bh having its characters be more like set pieces. al only gets development in scenes where he can move the plot forward.

i love both als. bh al is easier to love because he’s very “nonoffensive” and “unobstrusive.” hes sweet and kind and has funny moments and is just an endearing boy. its impossible not to love al. 03 has the same qualities but with more of a challenge because 03 actually gives him substantial flaws to overcome. 03 al can be harder to love sometimes because of his flaws, because he makes mistakes and acts like an idiot and gets angry and is wrong sometimes. but he’s a much more deeply-written, well rounded, dimensional character for it.

but yknow sometimes a simpler and more clean cut character like bh al is what a story needs, and what the audience needs. a black and white wholly Good character who inspires us and simplifies things for us in impactful ways is just as valuable as a flawed and complicated one that makes us question ourselves. i love both als, i think they are both fantastic. obviously i prefer 03, though.

i think in terms of personality differences, and this is just my interpreation of their characters (and my interpretion of bh al could always be way off since i dont remember details of bh as well as 03), if they met youd be able to quickly see that 03 al is more outspoken. Even if 03 al is still the rational calm and observant one to eds impulsivity, he still has opinions and is attempting to broaden them. hes more inclined to question things, offer new possibilities, reach out to other people for connections, all for the purpose of understanding things, in my interpretation. Bh al is more strictly an observer. both are introverts, but 03 al comes across more extraverted because he reaches out more to find answers and will also actively converse and discuss with people, while bh al is almost all quietly thinking to himself.

03 al at the end of his journey is also noticibly rougher. bh al is still the big idealist and softie. hes smily, always beaming, always excited to indulge in life. 03 al is like that too but more often feels fake, because it partially is. theres more sadness behind the same smile thats on bh al’s face. bh al’s smile is bright and happy and cheerful but 03’s masks longing and regret. bh al is much less confrontational but he is much more sassy and snarky, now confident enough to embrace that inner snark and “dam im real done with ppls bullshit but im still a nice person so im not afraid to throw some shade.” 03 al is actually confrontational. he actually is able to get up in your face and tell you off (or if youre someone he cares about, lecture you to take better care of yourself because dammit life is too fragile and he wont stand idly by letting shit happen in front of him any more—hes very much like winry in this sense). hes snarky, yes, but his snark is more strictly for joking and when it comes to conflict he’s straightforward and direct.

Edit: not to say 03 al IS confrontational—hes still a sweet boy who will avoid it, but just by comparison to bh al he’s less afraid of conflict when its necessary. like “i hate conflict and will avoid it because i dont like to hurt other people but i WILL confront people if its necessary, even if i dont like doing it” while bh al is “i will avoid conflict at all costs but you WILL endure my snarky tongue if youre getting on my nerves, but if it actually bothers you and could potentially start a legit fight ill obviously keep my sassy comments to myself.” important to note they both still give everyone the benefit of the doubt and trust everyone is good at heart and no one wants to do any harm, and always have that assumption in their interactions. altho again, 03 al is more inclined to be paranoid “yes i will give everyone the benefit of the doubt but doesnt mean im not watching my back cause i dont trust so easily anymore and i dont want to be manipulated or taken advantage of ever again”

#ask

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pigeonxp · 3 years

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YGCMA songs and how they relate to c!Wilbur based off of yesterday’s lore (in my biased opinion)

This is so dumb and i literally don’t care. I can’t think about anything else other than doing this synopsis even tho like 28480329204 other people are going to do it. idc.

(I listened to the songs earlier, and i’m also listening to them as i write the opinions. these are basically just my thoughts while listening tbh. im also not doing the full song, just some things i feel relate within each song)

- Jubilee Line

the lines at the beginning of the song, “hate to see you leaving / a fate worse than dying” could relate to how wilbur feels after tommy gets pulled back into the overworld. or, he could be referencing L’Manburg and how he hates to see his country leaving him (ouch).

then we have the lines “your city gave me asthma / so thats why im fucking leaving / and your water gave me cancer / and the pavements hurt my feelings”. This could be in relation to L’Manburg as a whole. He put everything he had into L’Manburg and it only ended up hurting him in the end. yikes.

now we have “shout at the wall / ‘cause the walls dont fucking love you” repeated. This could be in reference to when he said he was fucking kicking and screaming to get out of the train station. hes screaming and he doesnt care because it doesnt matter to him. it doesnt love him just like how the people of L’Manburg didnt love him. wilbur get therapy challenge.

so based on the lore from yesterday, we know that c!wilbur’s limbo was a train station (props to fanartists. i love you.), presumably the YCGMA album cover type deal. when he sings “Theres a reason / that London puts barriers on the tube line / theres a reason / that London puts barriers on the rails” repeated. if the train station looks like how they do on the album cover, there could be barriers where he is. maybe hes trying his best to just kill himself over again by jumping onto the tracks. just in an attempt to escape. jfc

“theres a reason they fail”. he was still in the train station, wasnt he?

- Saline Solution

for this one, i feel like hes pretty far into the void and regretting his decision to have phil kill him. hes tired of being in a fucking train station for years on end.

“i think this time im dying / im not melodramatic / im just pragmatic beyond any / reasoning for thinking ive got / fuckin rabies or something.” hes so fucking sick of being in this goddamn train station and he thinks hes dying. hes so pent up and sick of being there, maybe hes just in so much pain that he feels like hes dying. if hes been there for a while, hes probably bound to go crazy at some point, hence the “pragmatic beyond any reasoning.”

“I think ive lost my mind / blurring the fact and the fictions” this feels like he really does believe hes going crazy and is mixing up the things he really knows and the things his mind is creating for him. maybe this is when tommy first arrived and he cant tell if he real or not (thats a stretch but i figured id share it anyway.)

“I think ive made my choice / im a deceased playing victim / slip the face, slip the victory” he quite literally says that hes a deceased playing victim. hes literally saying hes dead HAHHAHAH anyway. maybe hes blaming himself again, because us c!wilbur apologists all know that hes very good at doing that.

“Sit secluded in hatred /.../” hes sitting in a fucking train station for god knows how long beating himself up over and over again and just hating himself. hes all alone. with himself. someone he fucking loathes.

this is honestly all i have for Saline Solution, but i will definitely add more later if i get different theories.

- Since I Saw Vienna

This is my favorite song on the album and my comfort song so that could factor into this bit ahaha

im going to skip through this one a little bit and go to the line “The roads are my home, horizons my target / if i keep on moving, never lose sight of it / treating my memory of you like a fire, let it / burn out, don’t fight it, try to move on” this sounds like hes reminiscing on his home in L’Manburg and his presidency was something he relied on and he would fight to get it back, but now that hes dead and said that it should remain that way that he should just let it go. trying to move on from his symphony, forever unfinished.

“its been sixty weeks since i saw vienna / a bandage and a wide smile slapped across my face / ill pick up my hiking boots when i am ready / and ill put down my roots when im dead.” THESE LINES FUCK ME UP IN GENERAL BUT HOW THEY RELATE TO C!WILBUR RN IS JUST SUIBHYSBUSHDXNSKJDNHBD YK???? in the context that vienna is L’Manburg and he died, its saying that its been a long ass time since hes seen it and hes faking being okay about his death. he misses it but doesnt want to admit it. the picking up the hiking boots when hes ready is him moving on from his L’Manburg, and putting his roots down when hes dead is finally being okay with not living there/being an important part of it. he believed his death was the best for the people in L’Manburg and L’Manburg itself. it seems like hes still trying to convince himself.

“Ill be gone then, for when you must be alone.” hes gone. hes dead. hes in the train station. he left the L’Manburgians alone and hes alone in his limbo. man.

- Losing Face

this song is angry. hes so fucking angry. my thoughts are that this is about the following presidents after him. he feels like the L’Manburgians were happier without him and im pretty sure he believed that even when Schlatt was president. this is so evident in the lyric “Is he better than me?” Hes literally asking if the other presidents were better than he was. he doesnt believe he did everything he could to be the best president, even though we all know that he gave everything that he was into that country and then some. he broke himself for the L’Manburg but he doesnt believe hes enough. sheesh.

“Ive seen him / ive been him / ive felt the same way” even though he cant see the new presidents being president, he knows what its like. he knows that they might break under the pressure. hes been there. he knows how if feels. yikes.

“Ive lost all meaning / ive lost my sense of hope” this feels like when he was nearing the end of L’Manburg when he blew it up, and that he feels like trying to win it back is pointless. he has no hope for it anymore, so why not give up? his mental state is already shit yk so i cant really blame him for feeling that way.

“i dont care / i want you here / as long as youre happy, i dont care” this line. this fucking line. hes lost hope in being president, but he doesnt care. he just wants the L’Manburgians to be happy. that was his whole thought process while he was president. he didnt matter to himself, he just wanted them to be happy. he sacrificed his mental state for them. cries in wilbur apologist.

- Your Sister Was Right

this is my second favorite song on the album i think HAHAHAH

anyway

“I use everyone i ever meet / i cant find the perfect match / abuse those i love / while i ostracize the ones who love me / back.” wowie wow wow fucking ouchie. He feels like he uses his friends. this whole thing is a projection of his shit ass mental state rn fucking hell. he feels like hes abusive. thats what everyones been telling him. they tell him he was awful and a shit president and all that jazz even though hes been killing himself trying to be the best for them but its still not enough (pigeon projecting? more likely than you think)

“every time that i miss you / i feel the way you hurt / and i dont deserve you / you deserve the world / though it feels like we were built / from the same dirt.” man. hes dead lol. he misses the L’Manburgians. not only were they his supporters, but they were all his friends too. every time he misses his friends he feels their pain of when he first blew up L’Manburg. he feels like because he caused them all pain that they dont like him and that they never liked him and that he is undeserving of their friendship. he still wants to be friends with them. he still loves them. he still wants the best for them. he thinks theyre so much better than him even though they all created L’Manburg together. in reality they are all the same, but their actions impact each other and he feels that his actions make him worse than them or less than. fuckisonmdfnpbhife

“and i hate to say it / but your sister was right / dont trust english boys / with far too much free time” sister is dream mayhaps. fuckngeionsfjg that hurt sorry uhhh anyway yeah sister is dream?? he did say that wilbur would be a shit president and he believes that hes a shit president so he thinks they were all right about him being a shit president fbhjebinfnejg. maybe sister is just everyone who didnt believe in wilbur. man....

“a fucking waste of time” do i even need to explain this one? he fr doesnt belive hes worth it anymore and that hes literally a waste of time. hjkfbhnfve

- La Jolla

this one feels pretty far into train station limbo to me as well. namely from “and im lonely / there i said it” this could either be him being lonely as president and feeling like he doesnt have anyone to talk to really because hes too busy trying to hold himself together for everyone. either that or hes lonely in the station and didnt want to admit it because this is what he wanted. he wanted to die. he wanted to be dead because he believed thats what everyone else wanted and he just wanted the best for them.

“i could go away / i could pack my things and be gone before you wake” he could leave if they asked him to. he would do anything for them.

“you know ive tried hard to love me too / it always seems to fall in, through” this line already physically pained me but now it hurts even more having to relate it to a character i love. we already know that his mental state was declining as his presidency continued, but this would confirm that hes just trying to love himself even though he can never seem to get it right.

“my own personal sunset” this is just the ‘this is my sunrise’ line but different. my man misses the sun. fuck.

- I’m Sorry Boris

this song is almost definitely from a long ass time in the limbo.

“and im sorry / but, boris / im leaving / im not good for anyone here” boris represents L’Manburgians!! hes talking about how hes leaving the world by planning on killing himself. fuck.

“we reached the end of a decade” mans been dead for a decade. sheesh.

he then goes on to say that he cant believe hes leaving, he doesnt think he wants to leave them, but he thinks its whats best for them.

he talks about how they do all of these bullshit things before helping you and i know its in reference to london but for the sake of my sanity its about the presidency role and how it will fuck you up before bothering to help you not want to kill yourself.

should i do a separate post about how i visualized it/about how i thought about the song in paragraph form like a lowkey explanation? idk how to explain it but in this one i wanted to just cover some of the lyrics of the songs and my thoughts on them. i think c!wilbur wrote these in the limbo after he died. i know this is also shit and Not Good, but i really just needed to get my thoughts out before it killed me. i also didnt reread this. its probably repetitive and shit yk. i do Not Care. id also love to hear thoughts on this if yall want to. if you made it this far i love you please hydrate and eat today and youre so sexy ahaha

“and even though im finished / im not quite done with it” even though hes finishing his symphony by blowing it up, hes now realizing he wished he hadnt blown it up and that he hadnt killed himself. man.

#tw death #tw suicide #wilbur soot #ycgma #dream smp #tommyinnit #dream #c!wilbur #fuck i love this album

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luque-moreau · 4 years

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y'know i think its about time ive refurbished my psychonauts headcanons/theories

what??? me??? rewriting my psychonauts headcanons in a more comprehensible and informed way???

alright, i think everyone knows what im talking about, by headcanons i mean headcanon as in singular, and as singular, i mean my "raz is somewhere on the spectrum of adhd".

so lets just get into it:

what is adhd actually?

adhd by definition stands for attention deficit hyperactive/hyperfocus disorder (yes, let me get into the details in just a sec). it is a nerodevelopmental disorder that is almost completely reliant on genetic factors, however conditions during pregnancy can sometimes contribute to certain aspects of how adhd manifests itself.

long story short, people with adhd have a smaller frontal lobe, and therefore less dopamine in general (even though yes, it is more complicated than that).

theres also a little bit of "chicken or the egg first" goin on here, certain behaviors or personality tendencies can also affect how adhd is presented in one individual to the next, however its still not clear if that is because it is an accommodating for a certain thought process or if someones experiences and personality shape their symptoms of adhd entirely. its a very blurry line, and the answer is different for everybody.

hyperactive type

hyperactive type is probably the closest to most stereotypical depictions of adhd, think the 5 year old whos parents brush off their child’s hyperactivity as something that will “go with age”. however, this isn’t only present in children, adults with adhd have to deal with a constant need for stimuli to make up for the lack of dopamine their current activity is providing them. this results in someone fidgeting frequently in repetitive or predictable motions, unable to hold attention to a specific task for long periods of time, or many other of the symptoms associated with adhd.(i sadly cannot provide more information in this area, i am not knowledgeable enough to...)

hyperfocus type

hyperfocus type is a tricky one, it can look like the complete opposite of adhd in theory. hyperfocus can look similar to special interests or hyperfixation, a great deal of time and knowledge dedicated to a very particular thing (although it is important to note that even though hyperfixations and special interests are incredibly similar, special interests is a term more typically used within autistic-circles, and isnt really the best word to use if you happen to be neurotypical). Think of maybe that kid who knows all the cool animal facts and won’t shut up about them. Its because certain trains of thought or activities might release more dopamine then others, so to get more of that dopamine, someone of hyperfocus type will be mentally unable to stop thinking or doing a very specific task or topic. this results in someone seemingly always spacing out, unable to change subjects or changing subjects too fast or with little to no correlation, or being completely unable to have enough motivation to do simple things.

personally i tend to fall under the category of hyperfocus myself rather than hyperactive, however the two are not mutually exclusive, its more common to find people with both types rather than just one. even myself, i might exhibit more tendencies to place me under the label of hyperfocus, but that doesn’t mean i don’t have any symptoms of the hyperactive type. its my personality that affects my mannerisms, which then makes certain aspects of my symptoms more or less apparent. Thats because im an INTP-T, i just tend to be more to myself and constantly in a state of thinking abstractly. I have trouble communicating and even sometimes recognizing my needs, and get to a point where im unable to do the simplest of things without feeling emotionally drained. Thats just my experience though, everybodys different.

so what the fuck does this have to do with raz then?

well lets think about it, rather than have it just be me projecting myself onto a comfort character:

raz finds issue with connecting to kids his age

lets be honest. none of the campers really like raz that much. or at least some do the bare minimum to be try and be polite. it doesn’t seem like any of the other campers besides dogen, whos also socially outcasted, are really fond of raz. lili might like him, but that can definitely be interpreted as curiosity in someone new and different from the norm. It might not be that the kids despise him, but nobodys opinionated enough to care whether he is around or not.

social isolation is one of the most damning things i had to experience from an early age and still feel even today. there is a sense of feeling that you are different among your peers, whether that is a good thing or bad thing. it feels difficult to interact with other people you are not familiar with, and can really stunt you emotionally and socially. from a really early age, theres somethin in you that knows something is very different between the experiences of your peers compared to your own, and it can feel incredibly isolating.

raz and his borderline stupidity

time to get real again. raz is a fucking idiot. at least in the sense that sometimes his decisions seem incredibly spontaneous and not really thought through. he runs from home to attend a summer camp, not really thinking about the logistics of how he will get there, how the staff will react, how long its gonna take for his parent to find him, and so on. it doesn’t seem like he over or underestimates his abilities, he just goes for it without considering. that doesnt seem like the smartest thing to do, even though we know hes incredibly intelligent when it comes to larger, abstract situations. its the little details that he misses, small minuet things that seem unimportant that he overlooks, which can sometimes make things harder for him in the end.

i think its obvious that impulsivity is one symptom of adhd. however i cannot stress how difficult it is to think at supersonic speed and still feel incredibly stupid. i mean, thinking faster doesn’t inherently mean you will have better ideas, you can always be stupider faster, but being able to realize stupid mistakes or inconsistencies in your own thought process is annoying as hell. it feels like every time you try to recognize the issue, fix it, and move forward, you only end up not paying attention to another issue that gets bigger and more annoying than the first. Its always two steps forward, one step back, constantly making the same mistakes even though you try everything in your power to avoid them or grow as a person. The simplest of facts, ideas, or just things to remember end up being forgotten, and once youre reminded of them you remember them and feel like an idiot. however, arbitrary things and complex issues are much easier to digest and remember for me, things like history and the whole blame game charade of it all, biology and how every minuet thing has a greater impact on others and intertwines with every single factor of its environment, philosophy and theorizing why we think the way we do and what can be changed. but oh shit, im a dumbass i forgot to do my laundry. shit. god fuckin dammit.

empathy over sympathy

one of the basic themes of psychonauts is empathy. simple as that. raz goes around into other peoples brains, and tries to help them as much as he can, even if his efforts are not always successful in the way he intended. he never demonizes anyone to the point of unredeemability, and can empathize and understand other peoples perspectives. hes open to new ideas and

although some studies out there theorize that empathy is impaired due to adhd, from my perspective i feel like that is simply not true. if anything, i would say the sensitivity that comes with adhd (hypersensitivity) only enhances that empathy. i could definitely see social disconnection being one of the reasons it might appear that someone with adhd is less empathetic, however i would doubt that adhd would impair a persons empathy. adhd tends to also entail heightened emotions, this doesn’t necessarily mean a more outwardly emotional person, however it definitely shifts a persons perspective of their own emotions as well as others. the concept of hypersensitivity also completely contradicts the idea of people with adhd be less empathetic.

miscommunication and disconnect

sigh, the dad thing. yup. raz has that very iffy relationship with his dad at the beginning of the game which is eventually resolved. very abruptly, might i add. but thats not what this is about, thats a topic for another day. miscommunication seemed to be the root of the issue, however we only get razs side of the story. not to mention the severity of his claims and willingness to seemingly drop everything afterwards. kinda sus, ngl.

alright this ones a doosey. this, i feel, cements my theory pretty well. like i mentioned before, social disconnect and hypersensitivity are side effects of the symptoms of adhd. this means people with adhd are highly more likely to either misinterpret someones words or actions if those in question are not completely transparent, its because they tend to overthink and interpenetrate responses with too much thinkin n such. the social disconnect makes a whole lot of it worse, it can just pile on top of already established feelings of inadequacy and isolation. and oversharing as a poor coping mechanism isnt an exclusively adhd related thing, it tends to be shared within similar neruodevelopmental disorders such as autism or even ptsd. i find it incredibly easy to disconnect myself from my own emotions at times and think critically at what i feel and how it affects me. which is a bad thing. if i dont acknowledge my emotions like they are my own for too long, everything falls apart. its not fun. but, that disconnect can make talking about certain more traumatic experiences or instances that had deep personal effects on my life and development as a person much easier to just share. and not always in an appropriate manner, comedic opportunity can be v e r y enticing. this also explains why raz might have been able to drop everything about his dad after he apologized. he didn’t really, he probably still suffers just as much afterwards as he did before. but he probably wont realize that for awhile, since logically, the issue has been resolved. long story short, he has not had the time to cope, and to put that off he detaches himself from those feelings. w a c k

of course i have other reasons why i feel like raz could potentially have adhd, or at least be accurately represented in headcanon with adhd, some minor mentions being:

he uses his camp map as a journal to track his in-game progress, list of goals, and notes/snip-its of information. writing down information on some form of notepad or book is a common tool used by kids and even adults with adhd to help them keep track of minuet, individual tasks. its just using a planner, but with a bit more information.

just from my personal perspective, the lengths raz goes to pursue his dream of being a psychonaut feel more like a special interest/hyper fixation sort of thing. he can jump between having genuine conversations with his fellow campers and just exploring the campground, to investing himself entirely in obtaining his goal, even when it seems almost impossible. thats some serious dedication to one very specific thing, y’know?

this one isnt as solid as the other but: m̶̖̰̯̫̍͝o̵̦͖̟͈̹̤̥̝͐̿̄̀̀̎̓ņ̶̛̭̠̐̊̆̍͝ķ̸̝͈̺̙̰̊e̶͉͚̼̅̔͗̂͐̍̕͝͝y̶̦̖̼͖̪͎̝̖̠̐̑͋̾̔̑́͐͘ ̵̢̲̘͎͉̔̀͒̄͌͊̀͌̀m̴̲̫̮̪̖̍̐͆̕͜͝ͅả̶͙͚͗n̶̗̳̩̙̘̼̦̦͇͝ ̷̡̨̡͔̗͕̘͍̥̑͒̎̐̃g̴͔̔̈̅̐̏́̌̔̈́́o̶̥̱̽̆̂͌̀͗ ̶̝̩͙͕͛́s̴̛͓̥̲̜͓͚̣̠̆̓̌͌p̶̜̹̯̦̫̯̣̎͐̽̉̾ḙ̴͇̬͑̈́̐̈́͘͠ͅȅ̶̡̗̞̩͔̫̪͈͑̓͗d̵̠͇͎̜͔͇͒̈́́̀̅̈́̒͘y̸̡̦̠̻̖̥̿ͅ. yeah, its the most generalizing reason but look, hes moving nonstop the entire game, climbing and running around the entire goddamn place wrecking havoc. a bit of imp can be found in most people with adhd if you look hard enough.

so thanks for reading this far i guess? im oversharing even right now with this, like an i d i o t but yknow what i dont want to read the great gatsby rn, so ive got nothin better to do. who knows, maybe the second game will give us more info to either support/discredit this theory? gotta wait for pn2 i guess

:^)

#psychonauts #psychonauts 2 #theory #headcanon #razputin aquato #this is real biased #isnt it

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frankendykes-monster · 3 years

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So probably the best way to start this is to mention the obvious and say that Joker (2019) has pretty much all of nothing to do with...The Joker. I had mention to someone else a week or two back, but for as much as The Joker can work in a wide variety of stories, the character is inherently limited, my go-to phrase being “one dimensional.” The Joker’s ongoing motivation is that he wants to defeat Batman, nothing more, nothing less. “Killing Batman” is only a single part of it, “it” being proving that Batman is fallible and has some weakness. There are characters like The Riddler that zero in on a single aspect of that such as, surely there are some problems that can be created that even The World’s Greatest Detective cannot solve, but The Joker is a convenient character in that he can be applied to any aspect of Batman’s character, which is why you get stories like Batman and The Joker getting into a surfing contest, because it all goes back to that theme of if there’s something that Batman is not the best at, Batman is ultimately doomed to fail (with regards to suspension of disbelief that is needed for superheroes to work, both creators and the audience have to commit to the concept that superheroes existing 100% makes the world around them a better place, and a major incoming failure on Batman’s part makes for greatest suspense in that it threatens that concept.)

But then, there lies the issue. Joker does not actually have any driving motivation for WHY he wants to defeat Batman, he simply is. It’s my theory on why no origin story has ever permanently stuck, because you can’t ever really make sense of that. This compounds itself into Batman and Joker’s relationship and can never really evolve, it’ll play out in the same way every time just with new set dressing. What you can do is raise the stakes, but with the back to back publishing of “The Killing Joke” and “A Death in The Family” in 1988, raising the stakes meant making The Joker a sadistic serial killer at the cost of everything else about the character, creating a Joker where everyone questions why he deserves to be alive to appear in another comic three to six months down the pipeline. There have been some instances of trying to make The Joker more nuanced, like Grant Morrison introducing the concept of “super sanity” in their Batman work and addressing how The Joker reinvents his personality on the fly, but it’s ultimately set dressing that doesn’t alter anything.

So, that begs the question of why Joker, the film, calls itself “Joker” in the first place or why it takes place in Gotham instead of New York and blah blah blah the short answer is if they didn’t, Warner Bros wouldn’t have been able to rake in a billion dollars. It’s on par with Sony deciding to make Venom (2018) and never addressing why Venom has those large white eye covers if his design isn’t based on Spider-Man, I’ll give Joker (2019) the compliment that it’s more interesting than that film at least. I really did not want to bring up all this Batman shit while watching this but then they started addressing Thomas Wayne and I began mentally groaning. I don’t want to dive into the concept of how or if the Batman mythos is impacted if you make Thomas (and Martha Wayne, who like in most Batman stories is more of a cameo than an actual character here) a shitty person, but then again I wouldn’t have to bring that up if the film didn’t cram it in in the first place. I am...SO...SO THANKFUL I did not see any memes or theories or head canons surrounding “B-B_BUH JOCKER IS BEETMANS HALF BROTHER?????/???” which...whatever. Come to think I didn't see anyone bitch that he doesnt become The Joker until 90 minutes in either. I think the majority of my goodwill (what turned it from, oh you know the good outweighs the bad enough for me to be able to tell someone this is watchable, to, oh you can skip this) was destroyed at the Waynes getting shot scene with, WHOOPS, The Joker was responsible (indirectly!) That gave me BAD Batman (1989) flashbacks, and when you remind me of Batman (1989), you kind of do get on my bad side. Fuck that movie.

SO. In the midst of ALLL of this. Let’s talk about the “““real source material”““ for Joker (2019): Taxi Driver (1976) and The King of Comedy (1982).

I don’t think I’m ruffling any feathers by saying that that is the case and that both of those films are wayyy better than Joker (2019). I mean, there’s a reason why Robert De Niro was not only cast in this film, but he’s second billed right under Joaquin Phoenix. Those are two fairly different films but they’re, at their core, stories of men who are ticking time bombs of violence ready for someone to light the fuse. It’s another point against Joker (2019), not only for reminding me of much better films, but forcing me to ask why another pastiche of this story needed to be told. Martin Scorsese kind of made his career with a monopoly on men losing their shit and everyone around them being caught in the tornado. Joker (2019) admittedly plays the material much differently, in that all the way through we are supposed to sympathize with Arthur Fleck and stand alongside him every step of this of his downward spiral, and even with where he ends up, I’ll admit I don’t have an issue with that, but the film struggles with making me care half the time. Like, yes, when Arthur is alone at home trying not to go awol, yeah, I get that, but at other times there’s stuff like how Arthur’s relationship with Sophie is never developed in any meaningful capacity, like why is enamored with him, why is she not as disturbed by him as most other people seem to be? When we discover she’s not real, that explains it from a logical perspective I guess, but it isn’t a shock or a gut punch.

Can I be real for a second? There are a lot of moments in this film where it made me embarrased as a neurodivergent person. The number of people who definitely saw this, because, once again, it made a billion dollars, and came away thinking oh so that’s what mentally ill people are like, even if they’re sympathetic about it, it makes me sigh.

Even though the crux of this film is Arthur’s descent, it desperately wants to be important. I know I’m not the first person to make this observation, but it does read like, oh, what’s popular now? Incels? Better make part of Arthur’s character arc that he can’t hit up any actual real women so he has to entertain himself with fantasies. Antifa? Better make it so Arthur accidentally inspires a movement of nebulous anti-rich people who all wear masks. And so on and so on with no actual commentary while simultaneously it’s not really world-building either because it’s so front and center to the plot. I gotta say, if the film is about people in general not putting up with things anymore after being shat on nonstop, why oh why is there a joke aimed at a little person pretty early on, even through some meta lense where “oh the person telling the joke is an asshat who dies later so it’s cool”?

Now I’m not sure what to say next about the film itself so I guess now would be a good time to discuss the film’s ~impact~ as it were. If it weren’t for Parasite (2019) I’d have no problem saying this was the biggest film of 2019 in the grand scheme of things, like EVERYONE came in with every possible perspective on this thing long before it came out. I remember how back in like, late-2017/early-2018? A bunch of people were shitting on the announcement of this film and Warner Bros had to do damage control by releasing some on-set photos of the second subway scene two days later. It’s surreal more than anything actually watching this film now and seeing, wait, this is what everyone was memeing about nonstop? This is a mainstream film? With the directions it goes in? With the topics it brings up? Well I’ll be damned. This is probably the first time since Les Miserables (2013) and Man of Steel (2013) where a movie comes out and no two people have the exact same opinion on it, so I’m curious as to how Joker is going to age in like, a decade. So fucking weird that this is called a “superhero film” in retrospect just because it shares a name with a comic book character owned by the same company that developed and distributed this.

I wouldn’t be talking about this film if it wasn’t called “Joker” but then again hey nobody else would either. I don’t hate this film despite how I’ve said nothing positive about and I was pretty prepared to call it “barely good” before the finale, so I don’t regret watching it, I don’t know what the fuck to say anymore. Gang Weed memes are pretty funny if you haven’t actually seen any in the wild. 1940: “Let’s throw him into chemicals.” 2019: “Let’s throw him into society.”

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iridescentides · 3 years

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hi again dia! happy first day of december ❤️💚 i wanted to ask you what, in your opinion, are the 5 most underrated dcoms? i remember you saying before that you've watched all of them so i'd love to hear your opinions 😊 - 🎅🎁🎄

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH secret santa you are so good! asking me all the best questions 💜

okay so i literally had to make a list of all the dcoms i consider underrated and then narrow down a top 5. theres lots of dcoms that i love, but that i think got the right amount of attention and care (like lemonade mouth and the teen beach movies, for example), so this list just focuses on ones that deserved more hype for their quality level.

5. The Cheetah Girls: One World (2008)

okay so even as i type this i feel like a hypocrite. i have only watched this movie one time. BUT i can acknowledge that its one of the most criminally underrated dcoms ever, tons of people didnt watch it simply because raven wasnt in it. thats why i avoided it as a child, and i didnt get around to watching it until i did my big dcom binge in 2016. and it was so good. theres a really long post floating somewhere around tumblr full of specifics on why its actually the best cheetah girls movie (my favorite is the second one purely out of nostalgia), so to paraphrase some points from that post:

its a solid example of cultural appreciation, rather than appropriation, as the girls go and learn about bollywood and indian culture together

the indian characters arent treated like props or unimportant sides, they get their own agency and storylines that are important

the songs are good!!!

basically this movie was overlooked and slept on even though in terms of role modeling and social value, and just like the first two cheetah girls movies it was important and impactful.

4. Sharpay’s Fabulous Adventure (2011)

okay so as someone whos very neutral and occasionally negative-leaning towards the hsm franchise (mostly bc its overhyped and not really representative of all dcoms), i was pleasantly surprised by sharpays fabulous adventure. this is another one that i know lots of people skipped right over and dont hold with as much esteem as the main hsm franchise, and that doesnt sit right with me.

i do not agree with the “uwu sharpay was the real victim in hsm” arguments bc in their efforts to look galaxy brained the people who say that overlook the fact that she was a rich white woman who used her power and status to exercise control over opportunities that should have been fairly and freely available for all; they were not “making a mockery of her theater” in the first movie, they were literally just kids who wanted to try out a new school activity that everyone was supposed to be allowed to participate in; and despite allegedly learning her lesson and singing we’re all in this together with everyone at the end of the first movie, she literally showed no growth in the second movie as she fostered an openly hostile environment and favored troy so heavily that it literally cost him his friends, all as part of yet another jealous plan to take things away from people who already have less than her. she was NOT the victim in the main franchise, and she did not seem to exhibit any growth or introspection either.

and that!!! is why sharpays fabulous adventure was so important. in focusing on sharpay as the main character, they finally had to make her likeable. they did this by showing actual real growth and putting her outside of her sphere of influence and control. we saw true vulnerability from her, instead of the basic ass “mean girl is sad bc shes actually just super insecure” trope (cough cough radio rebel), and this opened us up to finally learn about and care about her character. throughout the movie we see her learn, from her love interests example, how to care for others and be considerate. she faces actual adversity and works through it, asking herself what she truly wants and what shes capable of. and in the end, when she finally has her big moment, we’re happy for her bc she worked hard to get there. she becomes a star through her own merit and determination, rather than through money and connections. this movie is not perfect by any means, but it is severely underrated for the amount of substance it adds to sharpays character.

3. The Swap (2016)

okay i know im gonna get shit for this but thats why its on this list!!! just like sharpays fabulous adventure, its not perfect and definitely misses the mark sometimes, but it deserves more attention and love for all the things it did get right!

the swap follows two kids who accidentally switch bodies because of their emotional attachment to their dead/absent parents’ phones. and while i normally HATE the tv/movie trope of a dead parent being the only thing that builds quick sympathy for a young character, they definitely expanded well enough to where we could root for these kids even without the tragedy aspect. we see them go through their daily struggles and get a feel for their motivations as characters pretty well. as a body switching movie, we expect it to be all goofy and wacky and lighthearted, but it moves beyond that in unexpected ways.

the reason the swap is on this list is for its surprisingly thoughtful commentary on gender roles. its by no means a feminist masterpiece, and its not going to radicalize kids who watch it, but it conveys a subtle, heartfelt message that deserves more appreciation. the characters struggle with the concept of gender in a very accurate way for their age, making off-base comments and feeling trapped by the weight of expectations they cant quite put their finger on. we watch them feel both at odds with and relieved by the gender roles they are expected and allowed to perform in each others bodies, and one of the most interesting parts of the movie to me is their interactions with the other kids around them. as a result of their feeling out of place in each others environments, the kids inadvertently change each others friendships for the better by introducing new communication styles and brave authenticity.

the value of this movie is the subtle, but genuine way it shows the characters growing through being given the space to act in conflicting ways to their expected norms. ellie realizes that relationships dont have to be complex, confusing, and painful, and that its okay to not live up to appearances and images. jack learns that emotional expression is good, healthy, and especially essential to the grieving process. one of the most powerful scenes in the movie comes at the end where, after ellie confronts jacks dad in his body, jack returns as himself to a very heartfelt apology from his father for being too hard on him; the explicit message (”boys can cry”) is paired with an open expression of love and appreciation for his kids that he didnt feel comfortable displaying until his son set an example through honest communication. this is such an empowering scene and overall an empowering movie for kids who may feel stuck in their expected roles, as it sets a positive example for having the courage to break the restrictive societal mold. for its overall message of the importance of introspection and emotional intelligence, the swap is extremely underrated.

2. Freaky Friday (2018)

this is my favorite dcom, and probably my favorite movie at this point. ive always assigned a lot of personal value to this movie (and i love every freaky friday in general), for the message of selfless familial love and understanding. i know i can get carried away talking about this topic; i got an anon ask MONTHS ago asking me about the freaky friday movies and i wrote a super super long detailed response that i never posted bc i didnt quite finish talking about the 2018 movie. and thats bc on a personal level, i cant adequately convey all the love i have for this movie. so i will try to keep this short.

first lets state the obvious: the reason people dont like this movie is bc its not the lindsay lohan version. and i get that, to an extent, bc i also love the 2003 version and its one of my ultimate comfort movies, and grew up watching it and ive seen it a billion times. i even watched it a couple days ago. but the nostalgia goggles that people have on from the early 2000s severely clouds their judgement of the wonderful 2018 remake.

yes, the 2018 version is dorky, overly simplistic plot wise, a bit stiff at times, and super cheesy like any dcom. the writing isnt 100% all the time. the narrative takes a couple confusing turns. the song biology probably shouldnt have been included. i understand this. but at the heart of it all, this movies value is love. and its edge over all the other freaky friday movies is the songs.

on a personal level, the movie speaks heavily to me. i cried very early into my first viewing of the movie bc i got to see dara renee, a dark-skinned, non-skinny actress, playing the mean popular girl on disney channel. that has never happened before. growing up, i saw the sharpays and all the other super thin white women get to be the “popular” girls on tv, and ultimately they were taken down in the end for being mean, but that doesnt change the fact that they were given power and status in the first place for being conventionally beautiful. so, watching dara renee strut around confidently and sing about being the queen bee at this high school got to me immediately. and in general, the supporting cast members of color really mean a lot to me in this movie. we get to see adam, an asian male love interest for the main character. we have a second interracial relationship in the movie with katherines marriage to mike. ellies best friend karl is hispanic. and we see these characters have depth and plot significance, we see them show love, care, and passion for the things they value. the brown faces in this movie are comforting to me personally. additionally, the loving, blended family dynamic is important to me as someone in a close-knit, affectionate step-family.

but on a more general level, this movie is underrated for its skillful musical storytelling and the way it conveys all kinds of love and appreciation. in true freaky friday fashion, we watch ellie and katherine stumble and misstep in their attempts to act like each other. its goofy and fun. but through it all, the music always captures the characters’ intimate thoughts and feelings. the opening song gives us a meaningful view into ellie and katherines relationship and the fundamental misunderstandings that play a role in straining their connection. ellie sings about how she thinks her mom wants her to be perfect, and her katherine sings about all the wonderful traits she sees in her daughter and how she wants her to be more open and self assured. this is meaningful bc even as theyre mad at each other, the love comes through. the songs continue to bring on the emotional weight of the story, as ellie sings to her little brother about her feelings of hurt and abandonment in her fathers absence. the song “go” and its accompanying hunt scene always make me cry bc of the childlike wonder and sense of adventure that it brings. for the kids, its a coming of age, introspective song. for katherine who gets to participate in ellies body, its a reminder of youth and the rich, full life her daughter has ahead of her. she is overcome with excitement, both from getting to be a teenager again for a day, and from the realization that her daughter has a support network and passions that are all her own. today and ev’ry day, the second to last song, is the culmination of the lessons learned throughout the movie, a mother and daughters tearful commitment to each other to love, protect, and understand one another. the line “if today is every day, i will hold you and protect you, i wont let this thing affect you” gets to me every time. even when things are hard and dont go according to plan, they still agree, in this moment, to be there for each other. and thats what all freaky friday stories are ultimately about.

freaky friday 2018 is a beautiful, inclusive, subversive display of familial love, sacrifice, and selflessness, and it is underrated and overlooked because of its more popular predecessor.

1. Let It Shine (2012)

this is another one of my favorite dcoms and movies in the whole world. unlike the other movies on this list, it is not the viewers themselves that contribute to the underrated-ness of this movie. disney severely under-promoted and under-hyped this movie in comparison to its other big musical franchises, and i will give you five guesses as to why, but youll only need one!

let it shine is the most beautifully, unapologetically black dcom in the whole collection. (i would put jump in! at a notable second in this category, but that one wasnt underrated). this movie was clearly crafted with care and consideration. little black kids got to see an entire dcom cast that represented them. the vernacular used in the script is still tailored mostly to white-favoring audiences, but with some relevant slang thrown in there. in short, the writers got away with the most blackness they were allowed to inject into a disney channel project.

the story centers on rap music and its underground community in atlanta, georgia. it portrays misconceptions surrounding rap, using a church setting as a catalyst for a very real debate surrounding a generational, mutlicultural conflict. this was not a “safe” movie for disney, given its emphasis on religious clashes with contemporary values. it lightly touches on issues of image policing within the black community (cyrus’s father talking about how “our boys” are running around with sagging pants and “our girls” are straying away from god), which is a very real and pressing problem for black kids who feel the pressure (from all sides) of representing their whole race with their actions. its a fun, adorable story about being yourself and staying true to your art, but also a skillful representation of struggles unique to black and brown kids and children from religious backgrounds.

on top of crafting a fun, wholesome, thoughtful narrative and likeable protagonists, let it shine brought us what is in my opinion the BEST dcom soundtrack of all time. every single song is a bop. theyre fast, fun, and lyrically engaging. “me and you” is my favorite disney channel song of all time due to its narrative significance; i will never forget my first time watching the movie and seeing that big reveal unfold onstage, as a conversation and a plot summary all wrapped into a song. the amount of thought and care that went into the music of this movie should have been rewarded with a level of attention on par with that of other musical dcoms.

if disney channel had simply cared about let it shine more, it couldve spanned franchises and sold songs the way that other musical dcoms have drawn in success. i would have loved for a sequel that explored and fleshed out cyrus’s neighborhood a little bit more, and maybe dipped into that underground scene they caught a glimpse of. i wanted a follow up on the changed church community once cyrus’s father started supporting his sons vision. i want so much more for these characters and this world than disney gave them in just one movie.

for its bold, unabashed representation of blackness and religion, subtle, nuanced presentation of race-specific issues, strong, likeable characters, and complex, thoughtful songs, let it shine is the most underrated dcom.

and because i made a full list before i started writing this post, here are some honorable mentions:

going to the mat (2004)

gotta kick it up! (2002)

tru confessions (2002)

dont look under the bed (1999)

invisible sister (2015)

#this took me embarassingly long to write #i cant help myself i literally think about this all the time #youre doing a great job with these questions secret santa!#dcoms #disney channel #answered asks #anons #gcwca secret santa #Anonymous

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littlebabycrybtch · 3 years

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bro..... im sooo tired of ppl being whiny freaks about ppl liking fictional shit ‘~too much~’. like bitches are literally fully convinced if you prefer acting out certain ideas in fiction but not irl, thats not your normal preferential boundaries but rather your brain is a mental illness BOMB and you need to be fucking hospitalized for being imaginative and having autonomy. like yall if its not taboo or smth shut uuuuhp man you’re not ‘concerned for their health’ or w/e you’re fully just tryna get away with being a nihilistic asshole who lacks sympathetic reasoning skills. listen to me. fiction is valuable. the thoughts we have on it are important. the personal lack of value you happen to put on a media is next to worthless. its not a fuckin waste of time dude, creators are people, who live in the real world, they experience it and have ideas through it and about it, they form and tweak their ideas while still definitely existing in the real world, and then put that back into the world with a new angle and new perspective, to share with other people definitely encountering it in , you guessed it , the real world. thats not disconnected. its not nothing. these things do not magically appear from fairytale land, they are created. stories mean smth, people tell them for a reason, its ok to feel smth for any story, why would we even tell them if not with the intention to impact others emotionally somehow i mean??? fiction does not Just affect reality, it is valuable to real life society, it is a functioning thriving part OF reality.

humans have told stories since the dawn of our existence. it is literally all but an inherent species trait for us to imagine things, its tied to each and every one of us, and to reject ‘fantasy’ as smth worthless to human life is frankly just fuckin wrong and weird of you. bitch we are Supposed to get outside the box, the fandom ppl you cringe your pants over arent thinking abt fake shit too much, you guys very often just arent exercising abstract thought and imagination enough, which actually hurts your ability to engage with it critically in all the ways its meant to be. if you dont see the value in fiction its because you put in no effort to form the analysis skills. in other words, you idiots dont get the hype bc you’re too stupid to get how you're supposed to compare a book to the real world it came from. ‘uu but cmon not everythings valuable what about [tumblr designated cringe media]-’ 1. ok! somehow you havent come to this conclusion yourself yet but thats not real, whatever ppl get to enjoy is not all abt you, your bias means less than dirt to others outside of hivemind social medias, you can keep it to yourself, ppl shouldnt care about it bc it means nothing outside of ur own space, its literally funny to me that you’re so elitist you want me to cater my interests to you, Your Standard Of Quality Isnt Universal, 2. ranking the values of fiction is the waste of time here, if you compare mlp to pride and prejudice ill dissect your teeth, different emotional impacts from tragic to funny to Just A Vibe are all able to be assessed as ‘valuable to somebody else so leave well enough alone’ if you dont have 2010+ funnyman brainrot disease that makes you incapable of reflecting on anything you can find a way to joke abt first.

i mean seriously like. whenever randos start engaging with medias you ppl dont like or in ways you dont get, the strawmans yall make up to get to be cringe culture vultures abt such benign shit, and almost Always at the expense of neurodivergent people with a deeply rooted undertone of extreme ableism might i add..... its just so selfish. u have a brain ok, you’re manipulative but we both know you dont Actually think ppl automatically default to being a waifu obsessed incel rotting away at their basement computer, stagnating their social skills and straying further and further from reality with each passing day, a poor disturbed wretch that you just HAVE to save from themselves, all bc they say they. prefer fictional porn or w/e to having sex irl. buddy thats not a big deal, theyre normal, just different from you. theyre fine, you’re just uncomfortable. as a functioning adult you’re gonna have to try and recognize that sometimes that feelings gonna be 100% on you, and you cant always just lie abt the validity of it to make ppl feel obligated into agreeing with you. this is gonna be one fragment of their personhood and your self obsessed brain imploding over how unrelatable that is doesnt fucking matter, grow up bitch like. how detached do you have to be to think thats so unstable or morally wrong.... its just a completely inconsequential preferential decision that only affects them and isnt a wrong choice at all cuz nobody has to get their dick wet if they dont wanna for any reason ever and thats gotta be that tbh.... and it kills me cuz they still inherently experience the real world and are capable of thinking abt it critically,,, even tho they... masturbate to drawings or w/e the fuck ppl think is unhealthy ???? like? imagination is just fun we dont need to moderate it anymore than we moderate other fun activities i mean lol ksdjfsd this is the DEFINITION of ‘just vibing’ no one FUCKING cares and it deosnt fucking matter the way you desperately try to make ppl think it does just so u get to be loud abt ur shortcomings as a decent understanding person.

‘uuuuuu im sorry but thats unhealthy :///’ you sound like a goddamn maniac dude stories are not unhealthy having feelings abt them is not unhealthy thinking some anime bitch that was DRAWN TO BE HOT , IS HOT, is not UNHEALTHY and you clowns arent convincing anybody you ‘care’ abt that concept anyways !! im losign my mind here skdlsdfsd medias are literally DESIGNED TO DO THIS TO PEOPLE... WE’RE SUPPOSED TO FEEL THINGS FOR IT.... IT IS WHAT MAKES THE ART WE’VE TAKEN PART IN FOR CENTURIES, “ART”.... ITS JUST... HAVING IDEAS AND EXPERIENCING IMAGINATION..... whats wildly unhealthy actually is yalls toxic obsession with ‘harsh truth’ and validating your stupid ass cwinge feewings to the point where everything that gives your underdeveloped selfish ass hives has to be a matter of health and morals and whats ‘best’ for everyone. u dont know that shit!!!! ur a petty brat and im not ur mommy ok i wont baby you so u dont feel like the shitty whiny person you are, you need to grow and do better and think outside urself already, dont put the responsibility of making u feel right for judging somebodies benign hobbies on me. i wont bc its wrong and unnecessary. you’re not a savior no ones falling for that lmao you’re just a bitch girl xoxo get over it shit truly does not matter. let them write nsfw self insert fics instead of banging !!

to make it real do yall really not Get that basic consent kinda doesnt just mean ‘no when im not in the mood at the time’ but it means ‘no if i just dont fuckin feel like having sex ever for literally any reason at all bc i choose what i do’ and pressuring them, even with what your warped brain translates as the best of intentions, is inherently disgusting? especially with the ‘i know how to help you’ attitude like......... ohhh die soonly ew lmao! lay off this nasty shit already please it doesnt matter! stop trying to make it matter!! its not hurting you or them you stupid tumblr phd ass!! and like again yeah some media shits just truly gross but tbr now its like even That kind of shit, the Real social issues caused by Actually problematic media that ppl should discuss Genuinely without ulterior motives, is being used more and more rampantly as just a stepping stone to get to the needless mockery of other harmless things in the media they want an excuse to bag on.......... like a bitch cant just be grown and talk about problems at face value without getting a bully jab in. smhhhhh you all fuckin suck please just stop talking already. so anyways yeah being attracted to fictional characters instead of real people or w/e IS funny, funny how many boyfriends they have when u have none xoxo theyre having fun and you can die sad abt it they get to die 5 times in an angsty fantasy fic and be brought back with mouth to mouth by fuckin kakashi every time and then they go get lunch irl while ur updating tinder bitch ... different fucking strokes ig !

#long post//#i would like one free ticket to pop off please. thank you #can i cash it in immediately if you dont mind

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ibitchytimemachine · 5 years

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Chapters: 53/? Fandom: Dragon Ball Rating: Explicit Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con Summary:

With Earth destroyed, Bulma and the Z gang find themselves in an outer space guerilla war against a tyrant. The mysterious Vengeance seems to be the only hope to win the war against Frieza, but teaming up with him brings its own set of problems.

AU, ensemble cast but with focus on BV. Several other pairings (m/F and m/m) and non-romantic relationships get significant screen time.

While Vengeance often appears to be a light-hearted, funny story, there are darker elements running through several storylines. Warnings of non-con are for isolated incidents and don't reflect the story as a whole, but explicit descriptions of sex, violence, and general depravity are contained within these chapters.

Of all the Vegebul fics I have read, this one is easily my favorite. It has nuance, gives (almost) every character full and rich motivations and story lines. You find yourself rooting for the oddest pairs and weirdest people. I can not recommend this story enough, and if you wanna read my thoughts on it, lets dive into spoilers below the cut!

So this story has something for everyone. You want thick well thought out and executed plot? DONE! Humor? DONE! Large cast of characters, both canon and OC who are all pretty well flushed out? DONE! Smut? Name your poison, chances are, its in here. There is so much about this story that I love that I am struggling with exactly the best way to organize my thoughts. So instead of agonizing over it, instead I am just gonna throw away all my careful notes that I have taken during my read and just freaking ramble!

I think the first thing that people are a little put off on is the rare pair of RaditzXPuar. I will tell you that I 5,000 percent ship these two and it is all because of reading this fic. I love it so much that I MAY have even taken some time to draw my own fan art for the pair, but lets just leave THAT in the vaults xD When Raditz first encounters Puar, he is NOT a cat. Puar is in a Human form and is shifted to be Bulma. Raditz immediately is attracted to Puar’s scent and when they later encounter each other in a bar and end up ( ͡ᵔ ͜ʖ ͡ᵔ ) Ray is still just enamored by Puar’s scent. Whenever we see Rays POV in-between the time that Ray has fucked Human Puar, and the time that Puar is discovered, Ray keeps catching scents of the cat. And it drives him fucking wild. He later says that he is so crazy for Puar that he was about to fuck a houseplant cause it reminded him of Puar. Beyond that we get the backstory on Bonding and that basically Saiyans bond to a mate kinda at random so Ray has basically taken Puar as his husband. Raditz is really a great lover, there is a relationship imbalance between the two, but Ray doesnt take advantage of it. Its really a pretty healthy relationship. Puar gets jealous of some stuff, Ray gets WAY jealous of stuff but they always seem to talk it over. Shit at one point Ray dreams of having kids with Puar, and he is swiftly reminded that Puar is a MAN and will never be and never wants to be a WOMAN.

A huge part of me feels like this Puarditz pairing is commentary on identity, self acceptance and love. Ray is constantly telling Puar that he doesnt care what his body looks like (except that he is excited to see Puar has a tail), only that it is Puar that he is in love with. It is only Puar Ray wants, no matter if he is a human, cat, plant, screwdriver or anything else. Puar talks about how he feels weird in his cat body, but it is his natural form and he wants to change and be bigger, more menacing, or just different. And I think we can all appreciate that sentiment at some point in our lives, but I can also see this as a low key message about trans acceptance and its fucking beautiful. Hell even Bulma tells Puar that he should take whatever form he is most comfortable in and basically fuck everyone who disagrees. I love that message and I love this pair - fight me.

I really want to talk about another pretty complex character in this fic, Zarbon. He struggles with so much shame and negativity in this story. He hides behind his good looks and his hair, and when that shit gets cut off, Zarbon is a completely different man, it is shedding his old evil skin and literally growing into his own as a new man, a better person, and you start to care about him. His time with Frieza has basically ruined his ability to have any sort of healthy relationship - friend or other, because he resorts to sex for just about any close relationship he has. The FIRST person he meets after being rescued from Frieza, he starts bedding. Hell he promises a pity fuck to Burter for rescuing him, and come on.. I have never wanted a Burger sex scene more than when I was reading this fic. No really... Catgirl has a way of making you root for just about everyone... I think that besides the slavers, the only character I HATE is Frieza, and thats pretty cool. AND Speaking of Frieza, shit hes a bad dude in this story. There aren't many POVs of him, and we see a lot of Frieza through Zarbon, Vegeta and Burter, but the POVs after Zarbon escapes and Frieza is trying to replace him is she fucked up shit. You really see his madness when he is sitting in the bloody tub stroking the hair of the dead attendant wishing it was Zarbons. He repeatedly states how much he gave to Zarbon, and how he basically loved him, but then you see him torture the poor man, sexually assault him, and generally just be a complete tyrannical asshole to him.

The way the Nameks are handled is really cool. I love the nod to canon with them living with the Briefs on Red Station, I love watching Dende figure out how to lead, and struggle with his followers. I love how he makes the decision to room with Gohan as a way of bridging the gap between the Namekians and the Saiyans. The decisions Dende makes shows that he is dedicated to moving forward and not being stuck in the past. But you see him still struggling with things in the past, Zarbon for example. it is hella tense for a while when he first comes aboard because Dende feels Zarbon is responsible for the demise of his people, and Dende seeks out others help and advice on how to manage his feelings. He gets several peoples views and chooses what he thinks is the best, just like a good leader would. He even attempts to make Piccolo feel more welcome in the Namekian contingent of beings on Red Station.

Nappa is a super important character for the beginning of the story. He is the voice of Saiyan past and he advises Vegeta, wether he takes the advice or not. Overall he is the Father figure Vegeta needs (a common role for him) but he tells Vegeta and Raditz about bonding and Gohan comments that it sounds like LOVE. Nappa has some really shitty moments with Bulma, but overall I really like the sweet peeks into his head, when he thinks about his dead wife and babies, or when he tears up about the thought of Bulma and Vegeta having “little princes” of their own, is just heartwarming. And the attraction to Momma Briefs is cute and funny and provides so much ammunition for Bulma to hate Nappa (and boy do they hate each other)

I kinda hate how K18 gets treated in this story, and part of that is how long it takes for 18 to come about, and another part of that is the fact that the story isn't finished. I feel like 18′s android qualities are REALLY played up, which isn't a bad thing - great characterization in fact... but poor Krillin deserves so much better than being mounted with no foreplay and then immediately being engaged... Now I will say that I really like both of these characters in this fic, just wish things were finished cause their relationship has so much more to explore.

I have both love and hate the Vegebul relationship dynamics in this story. They obviously care for one another, but the relationship seems super unhealthy... there is really no talking, relationship building going on in story. a LOT of fucking sure, but it almost feels like these two banter, fuck but don't really know one another.. and thats kinda sad.. I like that part of a Vegebul fic. Bulma is legit scared of Vegeta on multiple occasions and even in the last published chapter Vegeta looks at her and thinks that she is a monster just like him. And hell with her improvements to the Ki Circlet, she probably is. I will say that their smut is A++ fantastic, it is real, sometimes it is awkward (when they fuck in her lab it is both hot and funny) and there is always a mention of safe sex.

With all the time spent on, pretty much everyone, including 2 OCs, it is sad that 17, Dr. Briefs and Tien don't get a little more love. They have very very brief scenes peppered throughout the story, and they just seem like after thoughts.. Shit Roshi and Oolong have more impact on the story than any of these three do and thats just a bummer. I am gonna say that maybe they have parts in the unwritten bots of the fic, but who knows if it will ever be updated, much less finished at this point.

This story is fantastic. I can not recommend it enough. The relationship dynamics alone are fantastic, never mind the fact that Catgirl is FUCKING FANTASTIC at showing not telling, but even when she tells it is impactful. She has a wonderful grasp of character voice and each POV feels like it is actually that characters POV, told through them, not through the lens of a narrator. There are some amazing quotes in this story, some are just funny,

Others.. Not so much....

These are a bunch of misfits thrown together, fighting to survive, and ultimately building a home. Hell Zarbon sees it and is shocked by it.. He says he is amazed by Vegeta “Floating around this country cottage of a ship, lord and master of an assortment of weaklings.” And Zarbon is right. Vegeta is the lord and master of this rag tag crew, and Bulma is their Queen. Their relationship is the glue that holds this little family together. This story is a tale of their struggle to defeat Frieza, but thats not what this story is ABOUT. This story is about, family, friends, love, home and ultimately all the wholesome things humanity has to offer. Sometimes we fuck up, and fight and create drama, but we persevere through those trials and (hopefully) become stronger, more well rounded and more human. And that is a really nice message.

As a bonus, @rutbisbe drew this amazing Puar/Raditz fan art for this fic and I love it (AND I LOVE THEM SO MUCH)

If you liked this review, after you check this fic out, head over to my A03 and read some of my stuff!

#BTM Fic Review #vengeance #Vegeta x Bulma #go read this freaking fic #its my absolute favorite #I really need an update #PLZ catgirl

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leerings · 5 years

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tips on making through debilitating depressive episodes when you got EXECUTIVE DYSFUNCTION!

i know a lot of people have made these but i just want to make one (mostly for myself? but hopefully it helps others?) idk its cathartic and im going through it so let me live!!!! also some of these are just general depression tips because um... executive dysfuntion doesnt impact everything! also my experiences are specifically with ADHD but im assuming theyll apply to others.

1) Keep up with hygiene: this is probably the most important thing to do in my opinion. its nearly impossible to want to do anything if you havent taken care of the basics. if showering is too hard, brush your teeth, wash your face, and use dry shampoo... but honestly, even if its the only thing you do and you end up doing it at 9pm, try to take a shower. it will help.

2) Keep the sad song playlist at bay: its sooo easy to stare at your ceiling and wallow as you listen to mitski for hours on end, but ive noticed that, for me, it just keeps my mood stagnant -- never better. usually when im Going Through It i cant bear to listen to anything up beat or happy, but an easy solution for that is listening to relaxing classical, folk, r&b, etc music. honestly as long as it doesnt remind you that you feel like shit it will be better.

3) Try to talk with your friends: yeah, yeah, adhd makes social media and texting really difficult. for me, when im in a mood, i literally can not text back, make posts, or do anything social. (even though i scroll through social media endlessly, without interacting?) but often this is simultaneously a contributing factor to why you feel bad -- humans are social creatures, we need interaction whether we want it or not lol. try to strike up a text conversation, it can be short, just remind yourself that there are people who care about you and like talking to you. and hey, if you can manage, maybe try to get a quick 30 minute meal with someone. theres less talking, social interaction, and food! which gets me too...

4) Eat as best as you can: i know some people binge eat when their depressed, but im the other side of the coin -- i never eat, i cant muster up the energy to leave bed to find food, mostly because nothing is appetizing in the first place. especially when im on my medication, eating feels nearly impossible. i try to see food as a fuel source when i cant find any joy in it -- even though the experience is unpleasant, my body is loving it. pro tip: leave dried fruits, crackers, your favorite bag of chips, etc under your bed if you’re like me! it makes the whole process a lot easier, and theres less of a hassle in getting food so you might as well eat what you stashed. :p.

5) Clean: after a few days of not doing anything, youre room is gonna start looking like shit. its just an accumulation of your depression and disorganization from adhd, and for me, it makes me feel worse and worse as my room gets dirtier and dirtier. the most important thing ive learned is to tackle one task at a time -- clean the top of your desk, shove all the clothes on your floor into your closet, make your bed... you dont have to do everything in one day. sometimes hiding the mess is a good alternative, and lets you deal with it at a later date while you still have the benefit of a seemingly decluttered room.

6) Try to do something productive: imma be real with you this is one i never follow, but its also really important, especially when youre feeling depressed at a busy time in your life. aim for 5 or 10 minutes of doing an assignment, see how you feel and if you can continue. if not -- thats ok, youve already made a dent, and you can try again later in the day! taking it in 5 to 10 minute increments makes it more manageable, and less of a commitment.

7) Vary what you do: again, so easy to get into hyperfocus and watch 8 hours of sims architecture videos on youtube. try not to let yourself fall into a hole like that. of course, video watching is great, but try to throw in some other of your interests that are more stimulating and interactive. i find myself mindlessly watching videos without even thinking about or absorbing what im watching. its important to branch out -- whether that be video games, drawing, singing... whateva!

im sure there’s more things you can do, and im also aware that these dont apply to everyone. i just think its important to have a realistic baseline of tasks when you feel like you cant do anything. obviously, you shouldnt live like that every day, and you should try to branch out more, but if you ever get stuck please try to take care of yourself! and if this helps im really glad! it helps me! oh and finally -- if youre feeling like this and you havent already, please reach out for support because you literally need it. talking to myself because im still not in therapy but im forcing myself to start this summer because c’mon man this is ridiculous. kbye<3!

#ref #literally just wrote this for myself because i havent left bed in days #long post #sorry if this is annoying djfkdjfdlj

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sozotohakai · 5 years

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meet the mun

Repost do not reblog !!

Tagged by: @weiwuxiian (thank you!) Tagging: @xueyaang @shensheng-aoman @ask-cross-marian @avellaturortem @crowleiii @manadcampbellrpblog @crystallizecrimsonbutterfly @illusiive if you want to, and anyone else who wants to!

LAYER ONE: THE OUTSIDE - Name: Chris - Eye Color: Brown - Hair Style/color: Varies, I tend to prefer mid-length hair, with layered cut style, and they’re naturally dark brown, I’ve dyed them with strands of copper or strands of auburn in the past, I’ve felt like letting them be just their natural colour but I’m pretty sure it’s possible I’ll dye them in one of those again in the future. - Height: 5′7 (170 cm) - Clothing style: Uh. That is a good question :’) Casual I guess, I love most jeans/tight pants that are either blue or black, I love my tops to be fitting though not too tight but I have various kind of tops I like (from tank top to short sleeved shirt to long sleeve ones), I do have a weakness for button up shirts though. Boots are also my faves kind of shoes. - Best physical feature: I guess, my overall figure?

LAYER TWO: THE INSIDE - Your fears: I think my overall, big fear is the fear of physical pain, but it’s translate most in fear of drowning, of sharp objects pointed at me or near me in someone else’s hand, fear of heights, and fear of stingy insects. I think I do have a phobia of wasps and bees and the likes though, like, I used to be deathly afraid of every insects, even butterfly. I’m still a bit uneasy when anything insects gets close to me, but I only really fear afraid when I know it can sting (or if I don’t know if they can, like if I’m surprised by buzzing but can’t see it, or if I don’t know the insects). I tolerate bees? By that I mean I just freeze and repeat like a mantra it’ll die if it strings it won’t easily sting you. But wasps? Nah man, I’ll hide behind anyone I know or I flee. If you ever see me make a sudden, wide off-way from a straight line, you know I heard or saw a wasps or something insect-y. Like. At least you know i’m the best radar for them. At least, it is the fear of being stung by then, rather than of the insects themselves, so I’m okay with just seeing them and/or hearing them if they can’t access me. Although the sounds make me tense like BUZZING-oh its okay XD - Your guilty pleasure: I see a cat, I hope I can pet the cat, I won’t bother the cat but if there’s cat and cat willing, I’ll pet cat. Same with dogs, though cats feel calmer so easier to be around. Also tbh food? I’m weak to good food, or just anything tasy enough for me, which is pretty much anything (that isnt overcooked or the very few tastes I wont like). - Ambitions for the future: In all honesty, being able to continue with the life i’ve created. Take care of mom, visit&see my brother every weekend, spend my way between writing and working on little things and my hobbies. I do wish to be able eventually to travel and meet my online friends (and/or welcome them here). And tbh I have zero wish to get known, if I get some fanbase and just enough to contribute at home, i’ll be the happiest. The only real dream for future I have is a shared one, mom and my bro (and I) kind of hope we’ll one day be able to live in a house together, either those houses that can be split in smaller houses (like three small flats making up a bigger house), or simply that it has enough rooms for each of us to have a personal space.

LAYER THREE: THOUGHTS - Your first thoughts waking up: Vary, half the time it can be some leftover dreams so it’s like, finishing a thought from a dream (including at times literally thinking oh i’m dreaming ohhhh i’m waking up), sometimes it’ll be the slow realization of a sound, most often there’s also hearing if mom is awake (or not). Then I can daydream a bit. - What you think about before bed: Most often, daydreaming to sleep.

LAYER FOUR: WHAT’S BETTER? - Single or group dates: Not sure tbh, I guess both depending on people and context? - To be loved or respected: Respect. You can love without respect; but respect is a form of love in itself. Like I’d honestly much prefer someone who respect me but doesn’t feel much of anything, that someone who “loves” me but doesn’t have respect. Of course, if I’m loved and respected, that’s the best. - Beauty or brains: Either one or both. I honestly see people as whole, so I can see “details”, but I also see the whole. Probably both is the most correct reply, though beauty has a bit less impact on me than brains, but beauty is subjective so. - Dogs or cats: Both, though I do have a preference for cats, cat-energy is like... calm. I mean they can be no calm at all, but their overall energy feel calmer than dogs. But I love both.

LAYER FIVE: DO YOU. - Lie: I myself tend to be truthful, although I can also simply omit truths if voicing them has no real impact or need, mostly it’s like, if something doesnt feel important to share, I wouldn’t really think of it, but if asked or if the subject comes to it, it might pop into my head. So basically I don’t lie (unless I’d have a pretty good reason life safety), I’d mind my words with hurtful truth (if they have to be voiced), and I don’t really care if i’m lied to, as long as it’s not malicious. - Believe in yourself: I think? I’m secure in myself now, so yeah I guess there’s this implicit confidence I know myself enough. Like I can have insecurities, but I guess I believe in myself to handle it so. - Believe in love: I do, I believe in all forms of love, including at first sight, though I also believe it needs work to remain love, and the loves that don’t have a real label (like, there’s romantic, platonic, queerplatonic, and then those loves you can’t really place as any of the three but could be any of the three). And I believe friendship love and family love are just as strong as others, but I kind of believe more in family of the heart than of blood? And that its basically luck when you have a heart’s family that’s also blood family. Like they are part of your heart family, and the fact you’re blood related is just a secondary detail. - Want someone: I do feel like it would be nice to have a partner (or partners, I’m neutral about exclusivity), but I’m going out of my way to look for one. That’s why I also feel like if I ever have someone, it’ll be a friend, someone I know and we think okay we could be partners too. I’m not ruling out meeting someone that gets me doki-doki but yeah, I’d still want to know them better first. I easily crush, but I don’t easily fall (and I easily friendship crush too and confused crush sooOOO).

LAYER SIX: EVER? - Been on stage: Not really? Presentation yes, but nothing else. I mean one time a presentation took the form of a small sketch but. Yeah no real stage. - Done drugs: No. - Changed who you were to fit in: I don’t think so? I adapt, but that’s part of myself. But I don’t change the other parts? Like I’m quiet naturally, I can become chatty about cetain things (especially if I feel comfortable, which is harder in person), and I’m not going to shut up nor am I going to speak up if I don’t want to. If I can see people aren’t listening, i’m also not going to bother trying. The same kind of logic is applied to anything, I can notice what works and doesn’t work in a given setting, but I only adjust if I want to and if it’s not going against who I am.

LAYER SEVEN: FAVORITES - Favorite color: Blue, green, silver, gold, white, black. - Favorite animal: Foxes, cats, felines&canines in general, horses. I also blame WWX and LWJ from making me coo harder at bunnies now. EDIT: Yo I’m an idiot whose brain didn’t work, but I actuall love wolves as much as foxes, they need to be properly mentioned and I dont know why I forgot :’D - Favorite movie: I can’t say I have faves in movies? There are movies I enjoyed, but none I consider faves, unlike animes/mangas or games. - Favorite game: Tales of Symphonia, Fire Emblem Path of Radiance, Skyrim, Tales of Vesperia, Breath of the WIld, Pokemon games (X/Y so far my favourite with weakness for FR/LG).

LAYER EIGHT: AGE - Day your next birthday will be: July, 2nd - How old will you be: 27 (I still mind-freeze because part of me still feel like I’m, what, 24? Not quite anymore at the 20/21 stage, but not really past my mid-twenties) - Does age matter: Not really, it’s people personality and their ability to handle the world, as well as how they interact with it. In a sense, its the age you feel like that matters more, but to yourself. Like yeah you can care about the number ages of people around you, but its how they are and feel and act that end up mattering more.

#outofhost

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extractingmystone · 2 years

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i think there's something to be said about some people being like "objectively ugly". like i identify as pretty "ugly". and that doesnt mean that i have any issues with how i look, i literally dont care and i couldnt picture myself with any other face, i think it suits me well, i like what i see in the mirror, i know my partner thinks i'm sexy etc. being "ugly" just means that i am aware of how most people perceive me and that it affects how they treat me. and if you would tell me, nooo youre so pretty, or "beauty is in the eye of the beholder" or w/e that to me is like telling a fat person they're actually skinny or that they shouldnt care, without acknowledging the broader context of massive systemic fatphobia.

and i just think that the same way we talk about fatness now or about being perceived as a certain gender i think it is also useful to talk about "ugliness" as a real social category/construct with real impact on the people that are being put into that category. the problem is obvsly that its such a vague and also exclusively negatively connotated term, but tbh i think that not all "ugliness" can be explained only through the lenses of fatness/age/disability/gender/race etc.: all of these things (intersectionally) play heavily into who is being categorized as "ugly" or not and by whom, but i think at the end of the day "ugliness" has to be its own analytic category bc otherwise loads of ppl are just being heavily stigmatized by society without being acknowledged as victims by anybody, bc they have nothing specific to point at which is the cause for them being perceived as "ugly", even though they know they are. like a certain bone structure or something like that.

of course in the end all ideas of "beauty" or "ugliness" have to be abolished all together, just like with gender/race/etc. but for now it's important to make the world less hostile towards "ugly" people and to look the issue in the eyes instead of gaslighting ppl into thinking its just all in their head, and that they just need to work on their self esteem.

tl;dr: ugly people of the world rise up.

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cantpulloffanything · 6 years

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I'm tired

Hi I'm a bisexual and I'm really sad about the Adam thing (wow surprise). Don't get me wrong I loved the season and I have a lot of respect for the creators and cast on the show, I just wanted to get that out there.

I don't know if other LGBT+ or minorities in general (I'm black) do this but when I here that my community is being represented in a piece of media that isn't a token that I find interesting then I'll try to get into that peice of media more. This wasn't me with VLD (I've been in this fandom since season 1 or 2) and hearing that tourtured space dad Shiro had a fiancé who was male was big for me. I love Shiro's character (even though most of his development is torture porn) and hearing that this role model to all the paladins of voltron and cool caring dude was gay was huge for me and I wanted more people to start watching because like "omg Shiro's gay!" A lot of straight people see it as "oh that seems a bit shallow getting into something just because there's a gay person." But a lot of them don't get how important it is for someone like me a LGBT+ young person to find good LGBT+ roll models in media that aren't a blatant stereo type or a joke people laugh at.

Even though Shiro's sexuality isn't played for laughs it also isn't really even there. If I honestly didn't see the tweet stating that we get to meet (I'll get more into the meet part) Shiro's fiancé in this season I probably would have thought nothing of Shiro's argument with Adam and been like oh they added a character that is close to Shiro to make his desision to go to kurburos harder (even though we know he went anyway).

The tweet said we'd get to meet Adam and most would think oh we meet other characters through our main characters in the PRESENT stoyline. Not in a flashback where we only got to see him fight with Shiro and in an attack DIE. I think VLD is great with introducing new characters example: Veronica. From her first scene we new that she doesnt take shiz from anybody and knows what she's doing. Adams introduction didn't tell us much so when he said "don't expect me to be here when you get back" I was like oh ok bye dude. cause I don't know enough about him to care if he left also because HE WAS NEVER MENTIONED BEFOREHAND IN THE SERIES SO I DONT KNOW WHY I SHOULD CARD ABOUT HIS AND SHIROS RELATIONSHIP IT DOESNT SEEM LIKE THAT BIG OF A SCENCE IF WE DIDNT KNOW ABOUT HIM PRIOR TO SEASON 7 LIKE YOUD THINK THEYD MENTION HIM BECAUSE HES SHIROS FIANCÉ AND SHOWED DIRECT DISTASTE FOR SHIRO WANTING TO LEAVE! Like we might not have know about lances parents or hunks parents because they left suddenly so their parents didn't even get a second say whether they leave or not AND they said they miss their family and Shiro's over here not even mentioning his fiancé (who he'd miss if he had enough love for him to either propose or accept a proposal) like this is your space family and you don't want tell them about the person you were going to MARRY!! Well I guess Keith knew... wait WHY ISNT KEITH SAD ABOUT ADAM EITHER!?

Keith knows who Adam is because when shiro says "nor does Adam" Keith isn't like "Who the heck is Adam" he doesn't even flinch and like you think you'd tell you brother about you fiancé. And you'd want your kid brother to get along and spend time with your fiancé

Ok last thing last thing I promise. They said they wanted this season to be about war and have the audience think that anyone could die, so they decided to kill of Adam a character we knew for like 2 minuets maybe 3. It didn't make me feel like anyone could die it made me feel like the creators we're scared of killing off a main character or a character who directly helped the paladins. Like Shiro did die but then they brought him back to life and the paladins weren't really affected because they thought the clone shiro was the real og space dad. If they wanted to give me the feeling that anyone could die they should've kill of Matt Holt. He directly helped the paladins, he's Pidges older brother who she and the audience had a close bond with and it would make the statement "hey anyone can die here and this is a war remember not just a silly show with a giant furry man that's made out of lions." Or they could've killed Veronica it would make less of an impact but lance would be knocked into reality that "oh shoot my family could die" and pidge, hunk and Keith would also have the thought "if lances sister could die my family could die too!"

I just thought Adam was handled poorly and that the creators didn't know how to handle a gay relationship they said dreamworks wanted Adam and shiro to just be roommates and they should've just listened to DreamWorks then the bury you gays trope would have to live on in our animation.

Because I don't want to have to google if my representation is real or not,

So future creators handle your LGBT+ characters with care because they can shape your audience and the future of representation in media

Thanks for reading if you did

Love, a fan of Voltron!

#voltron season 7 #vld adam #takashi shirogane #voltron legendary defender

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patriotsnet · 3 years

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Are There More Democrats Or Republicans

New Post has been published on https://www.patriotsnet.com/are-there-more-democrats-or-republicans/

Are There More Democrats Or Republicans

The Swing State Voting Patterns That Decided The Election

Democrats Vs Republicans | What is the difference between Democrats and Republicans?

Given the importance of the state outcomes in the Electoral College, it is useful to study turnout patterns in swing or near-swing states from the 2020 presidential election .

Three such states in the rapidly growth South and West regions are Georgia, Arizona, and Texas. The former two gave Biden a razor-thin win over Donald Trump; the latter, which Trump won, showed a smaller Republican margin than in recent elections.

In all three states, turnout was highest for white college graduates, and lowest for nonwhite voters. Yet in each case, 2016-to-2020 turnout increases were greater for non-college white voters than for white college graduates. Each state also exhibited sizeable gains in their nonwhite turnout rates, which countered the Republican-leaning impact of the non-college white turnout increase. This was especially the case for the large Latino or Hispanic populations in Arizona and Texas, and modestly for the Black population in Georgia.

It is the case that the white non-college bloc voted somewhat less Republican in each of these states in 2020 than in 2016. However, it appears that the rise in white non-college turnout helped to make the races in Georgia and Arizona close, and in Texas, kept the Republican margins from shrinking further.

Republicans Give More To Charity Than Democrats But Theres A Bigger Story Here

November 3, 2018; New York Times

The political differences between Republicans and Democrats dont play out solely at the ballot box; they also predict how likely people are to donate to charity. This finding from a newly published research project reflects a key difference, one tied to political affiliation, about how our nation should take on critical social issues like homelessness, poverty, and health care. The data also suggest that in times of political strife, both parties supporters pull back, making problem-solving harder.

Using voting and IRS data for the residents of 3,000 counties across the nation, the four-professor research team found, according to the New York Times, that counties which are overwhelmingly Republican report higher charitable contributions than Democratic-dominated counties, although giving in blue counties is often bolstered by a combination of charitable donations and higher taxes. But as red or blue counties become more politically competitive, charitable giving tends to fall. The full study was recently published in the Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly.

Importantly, the study did not find that in Republican counties, private funds replaced public funds so that social services were equally supported.

Are There More Republicans Or Democrats What We Discovered

Republicans and Democrats are the dominant political parties in the United States of America. Both parties share different ideologies and view themselves as rivals.

The United States election has been one of the most complicated in the history of democracy worldwide. Its such that candidates with the highest popular votes and lowest Electoral College votes could be denied the POTUS office.

But then, what contributes to a political partys success is the membership strength. Thats why politicians tend to show more concern for their members or states they have more members.

Now about party membership strength, heres a tricky question.

Are There More Republicans Or Democrats?

The number of people supporting republicans or democrats is not set in stone. An individual that supports Democrats in the last election may decide to support Republicans in the next election.

However, in 2018, the Democratic Party had the highest number of registered voters. Total membership strength was 60 million.

In 2020, a Gallup polling report showed that 25% of Americas supported Republicans, 31% are for Democrats, while 41% represented independent American citizens.

But then, dont be surprised to find Republicans membership strength increasing in the next election. In politics, you can never be so sure of anything.

This post is about the Republican and Democratic Party, the two major political parties that as always been rivals since the 80s. Keep reading for more revelation.

Also Check: Did Trump Call Republicans Stupid In 1998

Gallup: Democrats Now Outnumber Republicans By 9 Percentage Points Thanks To Independents

I think what we have to do as a party is battle the damage to the Democratic brand, Democratic National Committee Chairman Jamie Harrison said on The Daily Beasts . Gallup reported Wednesday that, at least relatively speaking, the Democratic brand is doing pretty good.

In the first quarter of 2021, 49 percent of U.S. adults identified as Democrats or independents with Democratic leanings, versus 40 percent for Republicans and GOP leaders, Gallup said. The 9-percentage-point Democratic advantage is the largest Gallup has measured since the fourth quarter of 2012. In recent years, Democratic advantages have typically been between 4 and 6 percentage points.

New Gallup polling finds that in the first quarter of 2021, an average of 49% of Americans identify with/lean toward the Democratic Party, versus 40 percent for Republicans.

Thats the largest gap since 2012:

Greg Sargent

Party identification, polled on every Gallup survey, is something that we think is important to track to give a sense to the relevant strength of the two parties at any one point in time and how party preferences are responding to events,Gallup senior editor Jeff Jones told USA Today.

More stories from theweek.com

Congress: More Democrat Millionaires Than Republican And Here’s Why

American Politics, News | | Reader Friendly | | Email Us

In a report from AllGov.com, we learn that for the first time more than half of all members of Congress are millionaires. But whats really interesting about the story is that it tells us there are more Democrats than Republicans in Congress who are millionaires.

That is not surprising to some of us, but it might be to a lot of people who have bought the Democrat/lamestream media narrative that Republicans are the party of the rich.

Let me tell you why this really is.

First, lets understand there is nothing wrong with being a millionaire, or a billionaire for that matter. Contrary to what the rhetoric of the Democratic Party suggests, the vast majority of rich people have earned their fortunes by working hard and accomplishing things that have benefited others. That includes those who have made their money by investing, because they have put their capital at risk to help finance businesses that create jobs and produce goods and services people want and need.

Having said that, how can it be that there are more Democrat millionaires than Republican millionaires when everyone knows the conventional wisdom that Democrats are the party of the working man and Republicans are the party of the rich?

Because thats a load of crap, thats how.

Read Also: Donald Trump Says Republicans Are Dumb

Reality Check : The Democrats Legislative Fix Will Never Happenand Doesnt Even Touch The Real Threats

Its understandable why Democrats have ascribed a life-or-death quality to S. 1, the For the People bill that would impose a wide range of requirements on state voting procedures. The dozensor hundredsof provisions enacted by Republican state legislatures and governors represent a determination to ensure that the GOP thumb will be on the scale at every step of the voting process. The proposed law would roll that back on a national level by imposing a raft of requirements on statesno excuse absentee voting, more days and hours to votebut would also include public financing of campaigns, independent redistricting commissions and compulsory release of presidential candidates tax returns.

There are all sorts of Constitutional questions posed by these ideas. But theres a more fundamental issue here: The Constitutional clause on which the Democrats are relyingArticle I, Section 4, Clause 1gives Congress significant power over Congressional elections, but none over elections for state offices or the choosing of Presidential electors.

At Least 60 Afghans And 13 Us Service Members Killed By Suicide Bombers And Gunmen Outside Kabul Airport: Us Officials

Two suicide bombers and gunmen attacked crowds of Afghans flocking to Kabuls airport Thursday, transforming a scene of desperation into one of horror in the waning days of an airlift for those fleeing the Taliban takeover. At least 60 Afghans and 13 U.S. troops were killed, Afghan and U.S. officials said.

Read Also: Who Raises Taxes More Democrats Or Republicans

Don’t Miss: How Many States Are Controlled By Republicans

Americas Top 10 Richest Families

Walton;Republican; The family owns the Walmart corporation.;The Walton family fortune is estimated to be about $130 billion.

Koch;Republican; Businessmen, owners of Koch Industries, a manufacturing company.;Koch brothers have a net worth of about $41 billion each .

;Republican; Own the Mars candy company.;The three children of founder Forrest Mars are worth about $78 billion together.

Cargill-MacMillan;Republican; The Cargill-MacMillan family owns 90 percent of the largest privately-owned corporation in the U.S.;The family, as a whole, is worth about $49 billion.

Cox;Democrat; The Cox family owns a number of auto consumer sites and services . They have an estimated net worth of $41 billion.

Johnson ;Republican; The Johnson family is known for their cleaning products and hygiene products.;They are valued at $30 billion.

Pritzker;Both; Founders of Hyatt.;The family has a combined value of $29 billion in 2017.

Johnson ;Republican; Overseers at Fidelity, ensuring the cash of millions of Americans.;The family has a combined net worth of $28.5 billion.

Hearst;Republican; The Hearst family owns one of Americas largest media companies.;The family is valued at $28 billion.

Duncan;Republican; The Duncan family works mostly with oil and pipelines.;The family is valued at about $21.5 billion.

Why We Wrote This

More Republicans registered to vote than Democrats

For decades, Democrats feared being labeled as the party of tax and spend. But now, as calls grow for those at the top to pay a fair share, many believe there is a political opening to act.

GOP lawmakers argue that such tax hikes will disincentivize productivity and cut jobs, hurting average workers and the overall economy.

But polls show a majority of Americans have long agreed that corporations and the wealthy dont pay their fair share in taxes. According to;Gallup, 69% of those surveyed in 2019 believed that corporations pay too little the same number as in 2004. And many Democrats believe the pandemics exacerbation of economic inequality has given Mr. Biden an opening to press the argument.

Public opinion has been pretty consistent for the past 20 years, says Vanessa Williamson of the Brookings;Institution. What I think has changed is the willingness of Democratic leaders to put forward plans that are often really quite bold.

As President Joe Biden works to sell his massive infrastructure bill, hes making a big bet that tax hikes, which would pay for much of the plan, are no longer a political liability for Democrats.

Don’t Miss: Trump Republican Or Democrat

Gop Registration Drop After Capitol Attack Is Part Of Larger Trend

WASHINGTON In the weeks since the January riot at the Capitol, there has been a raft of stories about voters across the country leaving the Republican Party. Some of the numbers are eye-catching and suggest that the GOP may be shrinking before our eyes, but a closer look at the numbers over time shows that a larger change has been working its way through the party for some time.

In fact, when one takes into account shifts in the composition of the Democratic Party, the real story seems to be more about a deeper remaking of the nations two major political parties.

To be sure, the headlines from the last few weeks have been striking, with multiple states reporting large declines in Republican voter registrations.

In Pennsylvania, more than 12,000 Republicans dropped the “R” from their registrations in January. In North Carolina, the figure was close to 8,000. In Arizona the figure was about 9,200 through late-January. And in one county in California, San Diego, more than 4,700 Republicans left the party last month.

Those are sizable changes and they are much larger than the moves away from the Democrats in those places, but they come with some caveats. There are always some losses and gains in registrations for the Democrats and Republicans. Partisan identity can be fluid for a large chunk of the voters, and remember: just because a voter is registered with one party doesnt mean he or she always votes for its candidates.

The Income Tax Arrives

190119021904190619071908190919101913A hand from Washington will be stretched out and placed upon every mans business; the eye of the Federal inspector will be in every mans counting house . . . The law will of necessity have inquisitorial features, it will provide penalties, it will create complicated machinery. Under it men will be hailed into courts distant from their homes. Heavy fines imposed by distant and unfamiliar tribunals will constantly menace the tax payer. An army of Federal inspectors, spies and detectives will descend upon the state . . . Who of us who have had knowledge of the doings of the Federal officials in the Internal Revenue service can be blind to what will follow? I do not hesitate to say that the adoption of this amendment will be such a surrender to imperialism that has not been since the Northern states in their blindness forced the fourteenth and fifteenth amendments upon the entire sisterhood of the Commonwealth.1914-1915191619171918-1919Audio clip:McAdoo on the need for tax reduction, probably 1919.1920Audio clip: George White, on Republican tax promises1921Andrew Mellon19241926against19281929-1932whether

Read Also: When Did Republicans And Democrats Switch Platforms

Forty Percent Of Young Americans Expect Their Lives To Be Better As A Result Of The Biden Administration; Many More Feel A Part Of Bidens America Than Trumps

Whites: 30% better, 28% worse

Blacks: 54% better, 4% worse

Hispanics: 51% better, 10% worse

Forty-six percent of young Americans agreed that they feel included in Bidens America, 24% disagreed . With the exception of young people living in rural America, at least a plurality indicated they felt included. This stands in contrast to Trumps America. Forty-eight percent reported that they did not feel included in Trumps America, while 27% indicated that they felt included . The only major subgroup where a plurality or more felt included in Trumps America were rural Americans.;

39% of Whites feel included in Bidens America, 32% do not ; 35% of Whites feel included in Trumps America, 41% do not .

61% of Blacks feel included in Bidens America, 13% do not ; 16% of Blacks feel included in Trumps America, 60% do not .

51% of Hispanics feel included in Bidens America, 12% do not ; 17% of Hispanics feel included in Trumps America, 55% do not .

Poll Finds Startling Difference In Vaccinations Among Us Republicans And Democrats

A Washington Post-ABC News poll has found a startling difference between Democrats and Republicans as it relates to COVID-19;vaccination.;The poll found that while 86% of Democrats have received at least one COVID-19 vaccine shot, only 45% of Republicans;have.

In addition, the survey found;that while;only;6% of Democrats said they would;probably;decline;the vaccine, 47% of Republicans;said they;would;probably not;be inoculated.;

The poll also found that;60% of unvaccinated Americans believe the U.S. is;exaggerating;the dangers of;the;COVID-19;delta variant,;while;18% of the unvaccinated say the government is accurately describing the variants risks.

However, 64% of vaccinated Americans believe the government is accurately describing the dangers of the;delta variant.

Iran fighting COVID 5th wave The variant is having a;global impact.;Irans;President;Hassan Rouhani;has warned that the country is on the brink of a fifth wave of;a COVID-19 outbreak.;The;delta variant of the virus, first;identified;in India, is;largely;responsible;for the;rising number of hospitalizations and deaths in Iran, officials say.

All;non-essential businesses have been ordered;closed;in 275 cities, including Tehran, the capital.;Travel has also been restricted between cities that are;experiencing;high infection rates.

Reports say only about 5% of Iranians have been vaccinated.;

Recommended Reading: Donald Trump Saying Republicans Are Dumb

Democrats Think Many Republicans Sincere And Point To Policy

Democrats, however, were somewhat more generous in their answers.;;More than four in ten Democratic voters ; felt that most Republican voters had the countrys best interests at heart . ;And many tried their best to answer from the others perspective. A 45-year-old male voter from Ohio imagined that as a Republican, he was motivated by Republicans harsh stance on immigration; standing up for the 2nd Amendment; promised tax cuts.;;A 30-year-old woman from Colorado felt that Republican votes reflected the desires to stop abortion stop gay marriage from ruining our country and give us our coal jobs back.

Other Democrats felt that their opponents were mostly motivated by the GOPs opposition to Obamacare, lower taxes and to support a party that reduced unemployment.;

Recent Polling From Gallup Finds 50 Percent Of In Addition More Poll Respondents Than Ever Before62 Percentsay That Republicans And Democrats Do There Is No Room In The Us For A Third Party At The National/topdown/mass Level

Noted for expanding the federal government and battling big business, teddy roosevelt was a republican before forming the progressive party later in his career. Also has several smaller political parties known as third parties. Senators should not have term limits. There are more democrats than republicans in congress b. Executives of americas large public companies have long played a role in public policy by advising leaders of both parties but those corporate chieftains themselves are far more likely to be republicans than democrats, a new study shows. Most contentious issues in the united states and thats of abortion a liberal would view this as a the liberal point of view is yes we have a very unequal society theres a lot of discrimination race should be considered military and likewise you could find republicans who similarly have a mix of viewpoints. Even more than their republican counterparts, highly educated democrats tend to live in exclusively democratic enclaves. It said in a statement that once. It was, however, a divided party. The main purpose of this initial analysis will be. Conservative democrats, have more in common with republicans than liberal democrats. Start studying democrat vs republican. Weve heard it over and over:

Don’t Miss: Who Ran Against Trump For Republican

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yoonstanha · 7 years

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im just going to make this post right now and try to not say any more about this whole subject (we’ll see how that goes though yikes,,,)

just to clEAR THINGS UP: im not hating on riley. she apologised, cleared up the misunderstanding within her post, and explained herself. but i want to use this situation right now to highlight what i think our fandoms fault is, and this rEALLY REMINDS M E OF IT

we want everyone to think the same way, and some people (hi not gonna name names but im sure u could guess a couple) are practically force-feeding ideas to (especially new) aroha. if i were to put it into my own words: its brainwashing. we’re telling people that what they think is wrong. we’re telling people that “if you dont think this way (aka dont sexualise astro) then get out”. i completely understand that we want to keep this image of a fandom as being pure, unproblematic, but we’re having the opposite effect. anyone who has these thoughts is practically being forced to keep them to themselves because if they do say anything that they genuinely think and doesnt align with what some of the “”bigger blogs”” say, then they’ll be practically, in a sense, kicked out of the fandom. abandoned by people.

from my actual personal experience: i was spoon-fed this idea that NOTHING sexual abt astro AT ALL was to ever be said, and if u did say anything u werent a real aroha and u didnt love them :( it wasnt until this year that i realised this mentality is !!!! stupid !!!!! before becoming an aroha, i had absolutely no opinion on the matter. i didnt care about sexualising, i didnt care about shipping, i didnt care abt smut or anything of the like. if people wanted to enjoy that, that was their decision and not mine. when i did join aroha, i was practically told that “our fandom is so good because we dont sexualise members !! sexualising members is bad bad and shouldnt ever be done so we dont do it!”, but what i failed to recognise at the time is that there are people out there who dont believe in this at all. there were people out there who couldnt share their own thoughts and ideas, because they feared receiving hate.

rather than becoming a fandom who accepts anyone and everyone and what they believe in, we’ve become a fandom that supports a one-track mind, everyone believe in the same cause and having no different opinions from eachother. we’ve shunned people for having some kind of humanly trait, we’ve shunned people for being attracted (sexually !!) to someone, despite it being human !!!!!! we’re failing to realise the flaws in our thought process, we’re failing to recognise the aroha who can’t speak out, we’re failing to accept what comes with being on the internet.

this isnt something that has come to mind solely because of riley’s original post. this has been a long-standing issue within our community that many people have noticed (wow guys its not just me), and to be honest, i think its about time we opened up our minds.

im not saying this means u gotta go read up on some smut aaND GET DO WN N DIR TY. in fact this change doesnt have to affect you at all, and it never had to affect anyone in the first place. you had the choice to block whatever made you uncomfortable (um note: you isnt directed at anyone in particular im just trying to be impactful on you, the reader), you had the choice to ignore what made you uncomfortable. in some circumstances, it almost seems as though this “quest to protect astro because theyre all babies and need protecting from lots of girls most of whom are younger than them !!!!” has been some kind of gross competition to be the best aroha, to be the morally correct and protector(tm) aroha. its become less and less about genuinely caring about astro, and more “what can i do today to prove that im an ok person”.

i think that as a community, we are smart and respectful enough towards astro to know where to draw the line. personally, anything on tumblr (unless its about a minor) is fine for me. the artists dont see it, and therefore dont know and dont care about it. where i personally draw the line though is places where they may often check - twitter (specifically in the astro tag and replies to their own tweets), youtube comments, fancafe, etc. tumblr just isnt a place where idols are going to see it. i’ll hold this view until any member of astro specifically states that such comments, jokes, and statements make them uncomfortable. just as we can’t assume what aroha are comfortable with, we cannot assume what astro are comfortable with, AND THIS IS IMPORTANT. it is not your duty as a fan to “protect” them. your duty is to support them and love them. gentle reminder that theyre NOT FIVE. if something bothers them, they are in fact old enough to speak out for themselves

please, aroha, i know we can be respectful for one another, even if our opinions and views differ. i would absolutely hate for such a trivial matter to split aroha into 2 groups, because in the end we’re all here to support and love astro.

thank u and good night

(ps yes i expect to get some backlash for this lol and im here to take other opinions and views into account though. i understand that different things will make different things uncomfortable. thats fine. ur human. how u react to it is important tho)

#just my opinion and observations after a year and a bit here #idec if u agree w/ anything within this post all i want people to take away is #respect for one another

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seotipsandtricks-me · 5 years

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One of the most overlooked ranking factors in Google is your bounce rate. That’s because bounce rate doesnt have a direct impact on SEO. BUT! It does have a huge impact on lots of metrics that DO have a direct impact on your rankings. In fact you are losing out on traffic every single day that you are ignoring your bounce rate. I will explain more about that later, but first let me tell you… What You Will Learn Why bounce rate is important for SEO What bounce rate really is (it’s not exit rate) How to increase traffic by lowering your bounce rate ways lower your bounce rate right now What Is Bounce Rate? Bounce rate is the percentage of visitors who come to your website and leave without viewing any other pages on your website. For example, if one of your pages has a bounce rate of %, it means that % of the people who come to that page leave after only viewing the page on which they entered. It doesn’t matter if they spend 0 seconds or 0 minutes; if they leave without visiting any other page on your site, it’s considered a bounced visit. If your site only has a limited amount of pages and few internal links, your bounce rate will naturally be high. Think about it. Where can people go? On the other hand, if your page has more than a dozen pages, and particularly if they have good content, good design, and good internal linking—you will have a lower bounce rate. To find your bounce rate, go to your Google Analytics account and on the left sidebar, click on Audience > Overview: There — you will see your average bounce rate. Note: This blogs bounce rate is .% This bounce rate isn’t representative of your real bounce rate because it includes the behavior of the new users and the returning ones. That’s why you need to segment it by audience to get a true look at things. In the left sidebar, click on Behavior > Site Content > All Pages. Then, in the top bar, click on the “+Add Segment” button. In the list of available segments, scroll down until you find the “New Users” segment and click on the “Apply” button. The “New User” segment will only show you the bounce rate of the people who have never visited your site before. In the All Pages report that you accessed before, you will be able to see how the bounce rate of your new visitors compares to the returning ones. Bounce Rate Isn’t The Same As Exit Rate Some people confuse bounce rate with exit rate. They may seem similar, but the truth is that they are different metrics. Exit rate is the percentage of visits who actively click away to a different site from a specific page, whereas bounce rate is the percentage of visits that were the only one of the session. In other words, the exit rate represents the visitors who exited on a specific page, after possibly having visited other pages on your site. Bounce rate, on the other hand, records when a user exits directly from the page they entered. Therefore, all bounces are exits, but not all exits are bounces. How Bounce Rate Affects Your Rankings Bounce rate has never been considered an important metric SEO-wise. Sure it was nice to improve the user experience and there are many reasons to do that, but it had no impact on the way a site ranked in the search engines. But all of that has changed. One way bounce rate can negatively impact your rankings is when a user visits your site, clicks back to the search results, and clicks on a competitor’s result. That’s called pogo sticking and is essentially a Bounce. When that happens, the user is saying your site isn’t as good as your competitor’s one – and Google is tracking that! A high bounce rate means you also likely have a high pogo sticking rate and that is casting negative votes against your rankings every day. Not only that but a high bounce rate is often a symptom of weakness in other SEO factors- Low engagement Slow speed Bad mobile optimization Bad keyword matching Bad design Bad internal linking Bad content If you improve each of these aspects of your site, you will make your website more relevant and therefore, better suited to rank while taking care of the pogo sticking issue at the same time. So let me show you just how easy it is to lower your bounce rate right now- How To Lower Your Bounce Rate (And Increase Your Rankings) If your site has many different pages, like blog posts, landing pages and an about us page — you can expect a wide range of bounce rates. That’s why you need to take a look at the bounce rate of each individual page to see which one has the highest bounce rate right now. You should focus on fixing the pages with the highest bounce rate and most traffic before anything else. Here’s how you do it. Step – Finding The Pages With The Highest Bounce Rate First off, go to Google Analytics, and click on Behavior > Site Content > All Pages. Here you will see the pages on your website that have received the most pageviews and their bounce rates. Sort the bounce rate by clicking on that column to see pages with the highest to lowest bounce rate at the top- One problem with this report is that you will get pages with little to no traffic. You want to ignore those pages with next to no traffic and focus on the ones that have at least a certain amount of traffic. To filter those low-traffic pages, click on “Advanced.” In the menu, click on the “Page” dimension, and scroll down to the “Site Usage” section. Then click on the “Pageviews” filter. Make sure the filter says “Greater than” and then define the minimum amount of pageviews you want to filter this report with. Click on “Apply” and you will get a list of all the pages with the highest bounce rate AND more than 00 pageviews- This report helps you see what pages you need to focus your efforts on. Step – Find The Parts That People Don’t Like Or Understand You may think your website is simple to understand, but your readers may disagree. Instead of guessing what people do on your site, you can use heatmaps to find the specific user behaviors that show you the parts people look at, scroll to, and click-through. With the information from heatmaps, you can determine the best layout & content placement for your site. For example, the following heatmap shows how the visitors of this site behave- With this heatmap, we can see the visitors scrolled in the article’s title, in the badges at the top, and in the menu bar, particularly the “Post Categories” section. Some others seem to click on the bottom right, probably to click on the scroll bar. With the information from this heatmap analysis, I could optimize my site by testing- A larger top menu bar Adding/removing calls to action on the menu bar Adding a link to the award images (or placing a call to action near them) Remove the about me box in the sidebar and replace it with a call to action (takes lots of space, gets zero attention) You can use a heatmap to find things like: The sections that people most look and most ignore, so you can make things more/less prominent The buttons people see but ignore Which page elements attract peoples attention You should use the data from the heatmaps to carry out A/B tests and improve your pages. A tool I recommend is Inspectlet, which not only gives you access to heatmaps, but also to session recordings, and form analytics, among other things. Here is a handy coupon for you. Step – Make Your Pages Match Your Desired Keyword Or Message The best way of lowering your bounce rate is by improving the engagement on your pages. One reason why your pages have low engagement may be due to the fact your visitors don’t get what they want—or expect to get—based on the information shown in the Google results. For example, if you’re running an ad on Google Adwords that leads to a page with high bounce rate (and low conversion rate as well), it may be that the ad promises something that the visitors don’t get. The same applies to someone who reaches your site through an organic search result, email or social media. It’s important that your content matches the intent of the keyword. In the example below, you can see the results for the keyword “how do you start a blog post” But none of the ads have anything to do with my search. They are all about starting a blog, not writing a blog post. I clicked on the third result, and here’s the landing page they offer: Weebly is one of the largest website builders, yet in this case, their ad is completely irrelevant to what I was looking for, which is blog post writing tips. How do you think this affects their bounce rate? Make sure your title tags and meta descriptions paint an honest picture of what your pages are about. As the saying goes, underpromise and overdeliver. Step – Improve Internal Linking I have already shown you how implementing the right internal linking strategy will improve rankings. But besides the direct SEO benefits, internal linking allows people to visit more pages on your site, thus lowering your bounce rate. The goal of your internal links should be to invite people to look further on your site. Your internal links can be contextual (i.e., those that show up in a sentence), or separated from your content, like the ones shown at the bottom of this article. For example, here’s one contextual link taken from the internal linking article: And here’s an example of three non-contextual internal links: If you have a blog or a niche site, you can add “Related articles” at the end of your content like I do on the blog using this plugin. When linking contextually, think about other pages that people could be interested in. If you have an e-commerce store, think about adding a “Related products” at the end of your product pages. Actually if you have an ecommerce store you should implement my day ecommerce SEO strategy. Look at how Asos uses three different types of related product recommendations- One for shopping the whole look (which adds more relevance to the recommendations) One that’s based on your preferences One based on recently viewed products If your design includes a sidebar, like the case of The Next Web, then include links that everyone should read. For example, if you have one article you know that has high engagement or a high conversion rate, make sure to add it. I do this with the Super Post plugin on the blog but you’ll notice my blog posts don’t have a sidebar – just my home page, archive pages and static pages do. Step – Optimize Your Site For Mobile As I showed you in my recent post about Googles new SEO starter guide, mobile organic traffic has accounted for 0.% of all web traffic generated worldwide. If someone visits your site from a phone and it’s not mobile optimized, they will have a horrible experience which will lead to a bounce or negative pogo stick signal. Most WordPress themes (including my Authority theme) are responsive and mobile-friendly. But I highly suggest you browse your site on both a smartphone and a tablet to see how it looks. A recent study by ConversionXL showed that when Bullymax optimized their site for mobile, they got a purchase conversion rate uplift of .%- What’s more, They also saw an increase in their search engine traffic after making their site mobile-friendly- So pull out your phone or tablet and check your mobile experience right now. You will be surprised at what gets through the cracks! Step – Make Your Content Easy To Read One of the biggest contributors to a high bounce rate is badly written content. But what is badly written content? It’s not really got anything to do with grammar or spelling mistakes but it’s more about how that content engages people. Does the content match the intent of the keyword? And if it does – does the content engage people enough for them to click through to other parts of your site? For that to happen you need to make sure your content is easy to read and draws people in. If you have read my content for some time, you know that all my paragraphs are short, easy to read, and clearly written. You can do that by doing things like- Adding sub headings Adding images Making text bold/italic/underlined Adding bullet pointed lists (like this one) Breaking your content down into smaller pieces And contrary to popular SEO advice: Once I finish writing an article, during the editing process I try to reduce the word count as much as possible while adding value at the same time. You can find an analysis of your writing by checking the results Yoast SEO gives you at bottom of your posts. You don’t need to achieve the perfect score here (I never do) but you wants to try and get a green light on the majority of points. While the plugin says there are two problems in my article, what matters isn’t to get a perfect score, but to get the majority of the points in green. You could also take advantage of some of these SEO copywriting techniques to help keep people hooked! Just take a look at how Steve Kamb of NerdFitness writes the intro in this article: It’s emotional, it’s appealing, and it creates suspense on how to achieve the same results as the subject of the article. There are more techniques you can use in your intros, including the Agree-Promise-Preview (APP) Model and The Bridge Model. Whatever technique you use, having a catchy intro is a great way of sucking people into your site. Step – Make Your Site Faster If your site is slow, people will bounce. Fact. Not only that but it’s costing you more money than you realise. Decreasing my site’s load speed time by . seconds allowed me to earn $0, in just hours. To increase your page speed, run your website through GTMetrix. GTMetrix will give you a breakdown of your page, its loading time, and the problems it encountered loading it. The best part is that if you click on each problem, you will get a specific analysis of the files it had problems loading. If you need help improving your site speed, first you should also use a plugin like W Total Cache, which allows you to optimise your site’s page speed in a few minutes without spending a penny. You can turbo charge that even further by using a Content Delivery Network like MaxCDN. And if you are really serious about increasing your site speed (you should be) then use a good host like WPXhosting or Kinsta (who host this blog), which will have a huge impact on your site speed. Step – Add Clear Call To Actions You can have a beautifully-designed page, but if it doesn’t have a clear call-to-action (CTA) you will be doing damage to your bounce rate. Every page on your site should have a specific goal in mind, for example- A homepage that leads to a sign up trial, a lead magnet download, or a piece of content A blog post that provides a lead magnet or content upgrade An about us page that leads to a page where you show case studies from other clients I visited the homepage of my favorite backlink checker on the planet, Ahrefs– Not only is the title and description fantastic but the CTA is above-the-fold, it contrasts with the rest of the page and offers a clear benefit at a low price. Obviously people are going to click through at a high rate because its both highly relevant and the most obvious thing to do on the page. Make sure all your pages and posts have at least one CTA, even if you find it hard to find one that’s relevant – adding something is better than nothing. It’s easy to imagine that a product page has a “Add to bag” button, like the case of Asos. Your “About us” page should lead to a contact form for your services, a popular and profitable piece of content or a category page with your most widely shopped products. Your blog posts should lead to your content upgrades or lead magnets backed up with an email marketing strategy All of these things will not only lower your bounce rate, but increase your conversions and profits as well. Wrapping It Up So now you know how to lower your bounce rate, what are you waiting for? Because you are literally losing traffic and profits every single day that you are not optimising your bounce rate. Here are quick ways you can get started today: Use Google Analytics to find which pages have the highest bounce rate that alsorecieve a large % of your sites traffic – focus on these pages first. Install Inspectlet to begin analyzing how your visitors interact with those pages. Based on the heatmap analysis, improve your site to make it easier to use. Run your site on GTMetrix and check for any problems that slow down your site. Install W Total Cache and use MaxCDN. You might want to change to a faster host like WPXhosting or Kinsta (who host this blog). Run your site through the Google Mobile-Friendly Test and fix any problems the tool finds. If you see your site isn’t responsive at all, it’s easier to change to a Worpdress theme that is. Once you have taken care of those foundation problems you can focus on adding call to actions, making your content easier to read and improving internal linking. But until then don’t forget: Every day you are ignoring your bounce rate, you are losing traffic. Which change has had the biggest impact on bounce rate for you? How Lowering Your Bounce Rate Can Help You Increase Your Rankings was originally published on Matthew Woodward

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