#when the people who supposedly represent the rest of us

[nabaath-areng]

Fuck Sweden as a nation for turning the woobification of our history and culture into one of our greatest exports, pretending to be wholesome and peaceful while profiting from conflicts elsewhere. For never having the fucking spine to take any stance ever and acting high and mighty for being "neutral", all while frothing at the mouth to get a piece of that colonial cake from the cool kids table where the superpowers are seated. For recognizing Palestine's sovereignty only to then consider a withdrawal of said recognition in response to the current genocide. For allowing islamophobia to get to the point it is now and then pointing fingers at jews as a whole. For giving less of a flying fuck about swedish jews during WW2 and until now, yet patting ourselves on the back and taking credit for heroic deeds done primarily by individuals.

I wish nothing but absolute hell and misery for Ulf Kristersson, who is even more spineless about his inaction than I thought possible. Who had nothing to say about the burnings of the torah and quran, only to claim that he stands for fighting antisemitism. Who puffed up his chest and was acting so tough about the things he would do once he became prime minister, only to hold up on none of his lofty promises in true conservative fashion. Both he and his lackeys (as well as their fanclubs of raging screaming bigots) deserve nothing but hurt and hell for continuing to destroy the lives of all marginalized groups in Sweden, all while shamelessly increasing their own salaries blatantly in the open, to then have the sheer and utter gut to declare that actively supporting genocide is within our best interests.

This country's audacity is one that only became possible because we sacrificed our neighbours safety for the sake of maintaining our own, because when your most recent war was in 1809 it's apparently not possible to even try and comprehend the horrors of modern warfare. That is, besides producing the tools for it to happen elsewhere.

#the complete disdain for compassion and humanity is abhorrent #not to mention incomprehensable #im sorry im all over the place bedridden cause bad pain day which makes me even more angry #because i want to strangle everyone in riksdagen with my bare hands #and like im sorry not to be a state hater or anything (sike) but how #and i mean HOW. can one claim that we know democracy #when the people who supposedly represent the rest of us #can just go ahead and do these types of things willy nilly as they please #how can we claim to have free will when the burdens of having to earn the right to life #by working to death and being left to die if we cant adapt to the system #and being actively drained too dry to dare take risks standing up #how can that ever be freedom? #seeing everything coming out of gaza in video audio images all of it #and feeling hopeless? powerless to do anything? #how is that NOT suppression? to break people down to the point they cant find the spirit to fight? #to cast other regular people as villains so that all energy is spent falling into bigotry? #social media is hell but its also one of our greatest tools now #its like being able to zoom out and see the greater overview of the stranglehold capitalism and colonialism has on the world #im not coherent at all and my thumbs are dying now i just #but sooner or later somethings gotta give re: the way our society is built as a whole globally

[meanbossart]

do you have any thoughts on cazador as a character? personally i really loved the parallels between him and astarion & the way that the master/spawn relationship is used as an allegory for cyclical abuse. the scene with cazador’s master’s skull where you find out that he was once victimized in the exact same way that he later victimized astarion was really a lightbulb moment for me re: what vampirism represents in this game.

BOY DO I, i don't think much of it hasn't already been said, though. He's a tragic character in his own right of course, not that that takes away from the awful man he is.

Me and my boyfriend make fun of him a lot, we call him "the best BG3 character" as a little inside joke between us and come up with ridiculous scenarios of things that might have occurred throughout those 200 miserable years the spawn had under his command lol. Maybe he had a month where he was really specific about the shoes everyone wore, maybe once every other decade he had a weird week where he tried to be "nice" only to become frustrated when his efforts weren't immediately met in kind by the rightfully-terrified spawn, maybe between all the torture and horrific-ness he just did some plain weird shit like making someone crouch by in his fainting couch and wait by open-handed for grapes that he dramatically chewed on and then spat right out since he can't actually eat them lmao

And that's hysterical but I think we also started doing that because when you meet Cazador, when you first hear his voice and see his demeanor in person your immediate reaction is probably somewhere along the lines of "THIS is the clown you were so scared of, Astarion?"

And the answer is, of course, yes. This embarrassing little man stuck in a cage of his making instills fear beyond comprehension in Astarion and all his siblings. This man who undoubtedly showed all these spawn, inadvertently, the strangest, most arguably "human" aspects of himself at some point or another during these two centuries they had together is also an absolute monster. And i really like that! I think its far more effective and fitting for his story than if he was, lets say, a Ketheric type.

(this got very long so, more under the cut)

Look at Ascended Astarion in the epilogue now, for example. Everyone agrees that he's an absolute fucking dork - and I think we all also agree that he will go on to destroy the lives of many people beyond repair, especially his own, until the day he is killed.

In the topic of vampirism as an allegory for abuse, I both agree and also don't, at least not exactly - i just think it's deeper than that. I've spoken about this in another post but i find it incredibly refreshing how, to me, it seems like Baldur's Gate 3 has no interest in painting vampirism as sexy or fun past a surface level. It's a curse that nobody asks for unless put in a situation where they feel as if they have no other way out, and it shapes and haunts you for the rest of your undead existence.

Even if you enjoy its benefits at first, that has a time limit. You will see your family and loved ones die, you will see culture evolve while you stay perpetually the same. You will experience so much hurt and pain because the only thing that makes life truly sweet is knowing that it is finite, and eventually it will wear down all of your humanity. And since you can't die unless you are scorched by the sun, staked, or dismembered, you must live with the knowledge that you will never have a peaceful death - and since you won't have a peaceful death, you better not die - and if you don't want to die, you better not be weak - and if you don't want to be weak, you must seek out power at all cost and slash things like love and friendship out of your life.

And what is funny, is that in his attempt to be more like a mortal - to eat, drink, walk the sun, such incredibly simple desires - Cazador (and Astarion, if he ascends) is accidentally only drawing further away from the person he supposedly once was, because that fear of weakness has already utterly corrupted his soul.

That's quite a grim way to look at it, of course. But I genuinely think that it is the natural conclusion of something like immortality.

That's why I quite like that, even after Astarion has found happiness, even after he finds his peace, he still doesn't exactly embrace being a vampire - because It's not something he should be expected to embrace. I think it's a very unique take on the trope.

I also want to leave here this message written by his character writer, which really got me thinking about him on a deeper level since i saw it months ago. It is specifically about the sexual aspect, but I think it branches beyond it too, when you think about it.

#bg3 #baldurs gate 3 #astarion #text #ask #cazador szarr

[ewingstan]

I certainly didn’t appreciate it on the first read-through, but one of the biggest background characterizations of Alec is among first things we learned about him: that he painted the Undersider’s symbols onto the doors of their hideout.

The loft reads as almost ridiculous when you first read about it. Whatever you’re expecting the hideout of a bunch of hardened criminals to look like, your not expecting “the rich kid’s house with all the best video games.” It almost took me out of it; it felt like such a teen wish fulfillment of a supervillain base that I thought Wildbow must be pretty young—and didn’t really take in what it was telling the reader about the Undersider’s mindset. Because it is a teen wish fulfillment, filtered through the practicality of what cost, secrecy, and Brian would allow for. Its the derelict old building you dare your friends to go into to find some rumored amazing or horrible secret—but this building does have a secret, and its a pizza party with a sweet flatscreen setup.

For the most part, it is an especially cool hangout spot that would appeal to your average teen—and not necessarily your average villain. Taylor gets told to use the other’s civilian names while hanging out here. They wear street clothes instead of their costumes. Its built to be appealing to the non-cape side of your life, a welcome reprieve from that world. For the Undersiders who don’t have much of a real life outside of capedom, its something like a place to play make-believe. That’s part of why its so effective as an initial pitch to Taylor when she’s looking for friends and doesn’t want to be a villain, why its important for ingratiating her to the rest of them and making her backstabbing plan that much harder to follow through on. Its part of why getting her own lair, built for the specifications of Skitter the Warlord instead of Taylor the kid, represents such a big change in how Taylor sees herself and her goals. Its why there’s presumably dozens of Undersider fics of them just casually hanging out in the loft, away from any major cape shenanigans. Its why Rachel's first full appearance is her coming up into the room and breaking the bubble—ruining Brian’s pitch of sweet teen digs by bringing the violence inherent to cape life into the supposedly separate space. Because the loft is supposed to be for the Undersiders to be themselves as civilians, instead of capes.

But at the same time, everyone’s personal room has their symbol painted on their door. And the first real thing we learn about Regent is that he’s the one who painted them.

Regent did not get to have a double life. His cape stuff and his family stuff were inherently intertwined, and it was all bad. He’s arguably the only undersider to have a secret identity in a traditional, important sense: not just “you have a civilian life, and everyone’s gonna respect that its separate and not go after anything related to it,” like @artbyblastweave​ outlined here, but “your specific other identity is important, in a sense outside of just being something to target” way. People finding out who Skitter is means they know there’s an identity there to exploit—her enemies can trace her to her school, she can’t continue to go back to her old house, etc. You’d be able to get the same advantage by finding out the civilian identity of pretty much any cape. But not with Alec. People finding out who Alec is means they go “oh fuck, its Heartbreaker’s kid—” the effect is much more like finding out Taylor is Skitter, rather than vice versa.

And that’s important, because the persona of Regent is, to a large extent, his chance to live out the life he wants. Brian and Lisa both have circumstances that don’t allow them a typical childhood, and so they construct spaces to go through the motions of one. To roughhouse and play video games with friends, to plan shopping trips and visits to Fugly Bobs. They’re looking for a respite from their normal state, and that respite to them looks like civilian life. Alec is looking for a respite from his awful childhood, and that respite has a lot of the same things, but it also has the symbols and aspects of his cape persona. He draws his crown on his door, he uses his powers casually on Brian—he’s using the space to let him be Regent, in the same way Brian is pitching it to Skitter as a place where she can just be Taylor, where Tattletale can just be Lisa. This is pretty huge for understanding Regent early-on: Taylor obviously has a pretty expansive double life, as does Brian, and Lisa clearly wants to get into some non-cape-related shenanigans. We’re introduced with a clear divide between cape and civilian identities being the norm. Rachel is presented as bucking a trend, her lack of second identity making her an outlier. But if you read into Regent’s decorating choices, you realize pretty early that you can’t separate his cape identity and his current civilian idenitiy, because their both effectively the same thing: a persona where he can be something other than a Vasil.

Sheesh, now that I’m thinking about it there’s a lot to be drawn from each of the undersider’s lairs. I already talked a bit about how Skitter having her new base be a proper “villain lair” instead of “hang spot” represented a shift in perspective, and how Rachel being unable to behave the way your “supposed” to in the loft shows that she both can’t live a double life and has no interest in doing so (unlike Alec, who is very clearly interested in making a “new” life for himself with the Undersiders as Regent). But how about how Brian won’t take a room in the loft and insists on sleeping in a separate apartment he’s planning on shairing with Aisha? He obviously wants to be able to draw an especially clear line between his cape and civilian life, and doesn’t want Aisha to get involved at all. How about how Lisa’s eventual separate Coil-provided villain lair is a disguised community center she was pretending to work in, showing both that she has some interest in a life outside of capedom and that she’s inherently drawn to working with/having control over civilian culture? She doesn’t just want to hold territory, she wants to be an institution—not just someone the other capes have to play ball with, but who the mayor and civilian agencies have to go through. She separates capedom and civilianhood to an extent, but not to the same extent as Brian, and her goals are much more “civilian-oriented” than most.

I forget the specifics of Alec’s eventual Coil-base, but I know that it was a group of buildings (a campus, maybe?) with few people in the surrounding area outside of puppets—presumably not so different from the compound he grew up. But I do remember that one of the last times we see it is near when Taylor says something about his connection to Heartbreaker, and him getting upset by it. I wonder if it changes in the intervening two years, especially with Imp’s influence. I’m kinda sad we never get a chance to see it.

#worm #wildbow #parahumans #alec vasil #regent #leo says #leo reads worm

[outrunningthedark]

There's literally zero suggestion that Ryan is uncomfortable portraying a queer character compared to Oliver. IDK what your anon is talking about. Like you said he acknowledged the difficulty of getting a storyline like that out to the GA due to toxic masculinity and homophobia but those are just the facts on the ground not an indication that he's personally opposed. Oliver's good at giving diplomatic soundbites to the fandom and cultivating a persona online, Ryan's more blunt and he answered honestly that's the key difference here. Their chemistry has never been denied, Oliver didn't say anything particularly revolutionary, the question is whether there's a serious intent to act on that to create a romantic storyline and I would have to say I agree with Ryan I don't see it happening. There's really no need to be like oh we know Oliver's cool but who knows about Ryan because it's like based on what exactly? Him stating facts that none of this was planned and it's unlikely the writers/creators will pivot?

Honestly I get a little uncomfortable with the way some people ascribe certain views and attitudes to Ryan while simultaneously blowing smoke up Oliver's supposedly enlightened ass, it feels a little prejudiced and in bad faith.

(This isn't aimed at you, I think you're very fair and I agree with you almost all the time. It's just a comment at the language I see used and the implications when this is brought up)

Just want to thank you for reiterating my point because it's something I think is going to have to be repeated over time as each season passes without Eddie being Repressed or Buddie going canon. We don't know how Ryan feels about the Buddie as a legit ship, whether he wants the show to go for it or not, because he doesn't approach the subject the way the fandom wishes he would. He's matter-of-fact. He's realistic. He's seen enough within the industry and in his own life (upbringing and friends he may have made along the way) to understand the tough spot the show put itself in by making neither Buck nor Eddie queer from the start. TBH, R "vs." O is not unlike the way older members of our fandom try to interact with/educate the younger ones. So many here have grown up in a time when queer representation is becoming "the standard" even if TV shows aren't making it past the second season. But those of us who remember the *really* dark days aren't scared to talk about the ages of the folks running these networks or the demographic they're making the shows for impacting how they envision a story line and ensure it plays out. Oliver represents the younger fandom. He understands why fans he's interacted with love the ship and would say yes in a second. Ryan is the rest of us going "Do you hear yourself right now? Do you really think Buddie is as popular IRL as it is online?" There is value in Oliver publicly supporting Buddie, absolutely. But there is also value in having someone speak in a way that aims to prevent fans from getting their hopes up over a story line that may never come true. Ryan is not trying to discourage you. He's trying to protect you and your feelings.

#anonymous #tina speaks

[gatheringbones]

[“When my daughter received her diagnosis, my unspeakable fear was that this would just connect me to a long, depressing history of female caregivers. Self-effacing, with no identity besides caring for their child, these women were then hated by their other children—and sometimes by the cared-for child themselves.

I had struggled my entire life to redefine gender roles. To live a life free of the heteronormative and sexist expectations that define and limit women. That relegate women to supporting, care-giving roles while the men get to be independent, swashbuckling achievers. To be carefree. I chose to have only one child, late in life, in order to minimize the impact of care on my independent, feminist life. And I chose a gender-nonconforming female partner who would be an equal caregiver, ensuring that despite my being the birth mother, we would share the minimal burdens of our needs-free child. Like Washington, I naively thought that I could individually solve the systemic problems of care by having an egalitarian marriage—queer gender-nonconforming edition. All that was missing in this needs-free fantasy was the diamond poop.

I had no models, no lineages of caregiving that demonstrated the value of giving care to a disabled person in a nonsexist fashion. I had no lineages of caregiving at all.

“Behind every successful disabled kid is a bedraggled mother,” quipped one cishet “autism mom” friend. We met in the parent group I dutifully attended for the parents of kids with disabilities when my daughter was first diagnosed. “Parents,” it turned out, meant moms; my partner and I were the only couple to attend, and there was not a single dad in sight. Nor were there any single-parent families represented. Most of us were middle to upper-middle class, and three-fourths were white, with the rest being mostly Asian and South Asian, despite living in a county where 15 percent of the population are African American and 12 percent are Latinx.

We certainly were a bedraggled lot. Sacrifice seemed to be the theme. Accepting your child’s limitations. Submerging yourself to your child’s “special” needs. A kind of hyperfeminine Christian martyrdom was valorized. Oy veh! My queer, Jewish self wondered how she got here.

I wanted to escape: not from my daughter and her disability but from the system that seemed intent on denying the reality and ubiquity of ableism, instead sequestering disabled lives away in a privatized system of racist, sexist care. I found enormous value in the unique experience of caring for my daughter—and in forcing the system, from my position of extreme privilege as a white, tenured professor of English at an elite university, to adapt to my caretaking needs rather than deprofessionalize me.

My Asian American partner and I balked at entering the racist care system where BIPOC women were delegated the hardest, supposedly low-skilled, lowest-paid care work while a bevy of white female professionals handled the speech, occupational, and other high-skilled therapies. We were able instead to share the care work in an ungendered way, due to the flexibility of our white-collar jobs and our shared socialization as women. But we struggled to find a way to engage paid care-work systems that didn’t feel like a perpetuation of racism intersecting with sexism. We still struggle to find parent groups that don’t perpetuate sexism and heterosexism.

While our peers were baffled by our seeming embrace of lowly care work, and praised our DIY indie spirit and apparent adoption of maternal self-sacrifice, we didn’t recognize ourselves. Our own positionality felt unprecedented and unrecognizable. Where were we in this deeply racist, misogynist, and heterosexist story? Utterly cut off from our lineage as caregivers, which is as inherent a part of the story of disability as disabled people themselves.”]

jennifer natalya fink, from all our families: disability lineage and the future of kinship, 2022

#jennifer natalya fink #currently reading #lesbian literature

[lhostgil]

Just a little food for thought...

[I know I've been away from here for a while, but it's a bit because I've been all over the place with work and life, as well as not feeling much for posting anything in here. Nonetheless, here I am with a little...post. Featuring a conversation topic I've had with a close friend or two re the recent and ongoing trajectory of the X-Men comic writing.]

Perhaps it's just my personal upset, but the way the writers are handling things feels inconceivable to me because it's not the kind of stuff I am used to. In very general terms--this is somewhat related to Asian vs Western writing when it comes to takes on gods/god-like beings. In Western writing, everyone and their grandma seems to want to become god (or god-like), or to enforce the worship/reverence of a god. [See also most of the motivations of the leading mutants of the Krakoa era, as well as those who are already considered to be of a level that puts them as good as 'godlike']

And really, I don't get it. Because as a non-western reader, from my perspective and cultural background; just speaking very generally from the position of someone who grew up with predominantly Asian writing and media:

In Asian writing, everyone and their grandma can become a god...but just as gods can ascend, so can they fall. To that, what everyone and their grandma wants more than to become a god--more than becoming a supreme being--

Is to slaughter the gods.

//I'm sure most people would be familiar with such a trope especially in Asian media--books, shows, games--somewhere along the line you will definitely fight god(s) and kill them. JRPGs are notorious in the implementation of this trope.

And the reason isn't anything complex: it's just very simply that gods are allegory in Asian writing as representative of oppression and oppressive ideals--especially in the context of failed social systems.

Slaying a god is the equivalent of freeing yourself from their oppression; overthrowing their authority and saying "on what grounds do I have to subject myself to the whims of another? Just because someone is supposedly better, stronger, more powerful...then it is only right that the rest have to lie down and take their abuse? Suffer the consequences of their shitty acts and choices?"

Which leads to the natural progression that is: if you want a world that is supposedly built, created and as close as were everyone is equal --a human-made paradise where everyone grasps their own fate and destiny-- the first thing to do is to start at level one; to rebel and to kill the gods. That's how anyone can begin to move away from the past and walk towards a future that truly belongs to them.

[Admittedly, I do somewhat see this as part of the reason why I was fairly confused by people being upset with Kurt's arc in Krakoa; in a world where they are trying to establish themselves as free from the past, what he did actually makes the most sense in comparison from to the rest of his compatriots.]

Though I suppose, I also can't ignore that there is cultural difference when it comes to viewing the idea of defying a supposedly supreme divine being. As well as the concept of divine/god(s).

#x men comics #x-men #kurt wagner #nightcrawler

[argumate]

(spoilers for Glass Onion)

the first Knives Out told the tragic story of a fucked up family, and family is always a convenient justification for a bunch of messed up people to be hanging out together and one that most of us are all too familiar with in real life.

Glass Onion told the story of a bunch of college (?) friends who hung out together at a particular bar, when one of them brought in a smooth talking idiot loser who must have had superpowers of some kind as he hooked the rest up with successful careers before becoming a billionaire himself based on her work and then betrayed her with the support of the others who defended him in court.

that's already a little weird! "a reclusive rich guy invites a group of people to his private island for a dinner during which someone will be murdered" is a classic premise but having the people all be college friends from way back doesn't add anything when they're already tied together by the fact that they committed perjury to defend the rich guy in exchange for his support!

business partners falling out is a solid premise (The Social Network) and if they were lovers (were they? I'm actually not sure) then that adds even more drama, but having this quite disparate bunch of characters be college friends only matters if you delve into their relationships and group dynamic, which the movie has little interest in doing.

and it's such a wordcel movie, oh my god, it could not be less interested in how a billionaire becomes a billionaire or what distinguishes a good idea from a bad one, it doesn't try to take its own premise seriously at all, unlike the first movie which was at least about a writer who writes books, solid wordcel territory.

look at the characters:

a fashion model / designer who tweets ethnic slurs, except of course she's not racist, she doesn't realise that they're slurs, that's a much worse crime: she's ignorant! she thinks that "sweatshop" is where they make "sweatpants"! classic bluecheck attitude where actual racism doesn't exist and economic exploitation is accidental and the worst crime someone could commit is being unaware of the proper shibboleths.

a Joe Rogan / Alex Jones MRA type ("sorry feminists") who of course is a manbaby pushed around by his mother; obviously he has to die.

the Elon Musk / Adam Neumann billionaire CEO who is both genius opportunist and shambling moron who can barely speak; unclear whether his garbled explanation of "disruption" represents the intellectual bankruptcy of actual disruptors or the writer's lack of comprehension of the term.

a black scientist who is very smart and plays basically no role in the movie; it's unclear why he would commit perjury given that he's the smartest character and could just go work somewhere else, hopefully not the implication that structural racism prevents him from doing so and the bad guy is the only person who will give him a job (???).

a female politician who commits to a (dangerous?) powerplant design in exchange for campaign funding, the closest time the movie comes to actually touching on a meaningful issue before quickly skittering away.

technology is writing "AI" on a napkin and having that be worth billions of dollars, while knowing the right words to say and how to say them is a Prized Skill that is actually Important.

(it's notable that the woman who is supposedly going to start the next Google ("Alpha") moves to the well-known tech hub of New York after finishing high school, not San Francisco!)

now these may seem like silly points to harp on for what is a silly murder mystery movie but the lack of sincere commitment to the premise undermines the emotional arc of the characters: it could be a comedy about them finally breaking free of the self-interest that has kept them loyal to the bad guy, or a tragedy about the ramifications of failing to break free and continuing their descent into hatred for each other and themselves, but both of those possibilities fall flat if the writers don't really care as why should we.

the hero and protagonist of the story ends up being the victim's sister, but the victim herself is barely given the chance to speak, let alone to explain what she saw in the bad guy, why she made that deal with the devil, and what other compromises she made to create a giant AI tech empire (!).

there are better stories here waiting to be told.

[thatludicrousdisplay]

okay okay okay okay okay i've been rewatching it crowd this week and rn i'm watching s2ep1 again. this must be my 20th rewatch at *least* by now, but this time i was struck by how much the conversation between moss and phillip could be seen as a metaphor for moss being gay coded (save all the other parts of the episode, of course)

moss: phillip, who are you talking to? me or Jen?

is there history between moss and phillip? do they know each other outside of their obvious connection through jen? if they do, i would not be surprised at *all* if moss was looking for an in. don't get me wrong, he doesn't pick up on social cues very well (very much due to him being likely canonically autistic), but i think he definitely knew that phillip was talking about a date.

phillip: do you like the theatre?

moss: never been

i think phillip picks up on moss' vibes here, and decides to use the theatre as a metaphor as he tries to figure out if moss is gay or cockblocking him with jen. his body language in this scene is quite important: if you watch closely you can see he angles his body more towards moss, gestures towards him and makes clear eye contact, whereas before he was angled towards jen and only kept glancing towards moss when talking. and again, moss' response suggests that he's never really been in a gay relationship, which, let's be real, isn't that much of a surprise. i've always personally thought of moss as someone who be confused as to his identity not through repression necessarily, but through sheer not knowing

moss: but I've, uh... I've always liked the idea of the theatre - the smell of the grease, the roar of the paint

it's men. he likes men guys.

moss: I've often thought if I hadn't ended up in computers, I would have gone into the theatre.

this line stumps me a little btw. maybe something about the nature of their (meaning moss and roy's) job separating them from the rest of the building and therefore the reynholm industries dating pool? or it could be him saying "yeah i could've been a little whore but i like computers so eh". if you have any thoughts please god let me know

phillip: but you've never been to see a play?

moss: no

phillip: why not?

is it just me, but does phillip sound almost disappointed when moss says he's never been to see a play. this could easily be misconstrued as a theatre lover's pity, but i think it goes deeper than this. i feel like 'play' is being used as a metaphor to represent being with a man in the (non)biblical sense. and notice how moss takes a moment before answering, almost as if he's considering what he's going to say. if someone asks you if you've ever been to see a play, you don't take that second or two, you probably know right away. once again, phillip is talking directly to moss. when roy interrupts a few moments after this small interaction he looks up and seems almost surprised to find other people in the room, including the woman he's supposedly wooing.

moss: never had the interest

moss could definitely be asexual or demisexual. he takes a small moment again, but seems confident in his answer. i don't think he's lying to phillip to try and make himself seem aloof or holier-than-thou, but i think he's being honest with a man with whom he is experiencing a level of attraction (whether that be romantic or sexual). of course i do personally think there is a long-standing will-they-won't-they situation with moss and roy, but i do think he's being truthful. maybe he's trying to be a little bit flirty. i could see him trying to do that, trying something he's seen on tv perhaps? idk i just love him okay <<<3

seriously tho i love this idiot little man so much and i just want him to be happy and comfortable in his sexuality

#it crowd #the it crowd #moss #maurice moss #moss is gay #this is the hill i will fucking die on #moss is mlm and if you wanna argue we bloody well can #i have textual evidence my dudes #i have watched this show so many damn times its genuinely concerning

[anti-katsuki-lounge]

Decided to type a Q&A for any questions Katsuki and BkDk Stans might try coming at me with. Instead of constantly repeating myself, I thought I’d save myself the hassle and just link this each time they try to come at me. Easier this way and they’re one trick ponies anyways so this should cover things. If any other person who doesn’t like Katsuki wants to use this for whenever a stan tries bothering them, be my guest. This also applies to my other blog, which you can find here:

Q: Have you read the manga? Are you still stuck on chapter one?

A: Yes. Numerous times. I’ve analyzed it, went back to stuff to re-analyze it, and have come to the conclusions I have. There are a lot of issues regarding his character that Katsuki stans never address, only pointing to the same one or two instances where he supposedly shows development. Him suicide baiting Izuku wasn’t when I began to hate him since I thought that was to set up his growth. The battle trial was when I started hating him when he got a slap on the wrist after nearly killing someone. Hori’s BakuBoner would then shield him from consequences throughout the rest of the series. Also, people are allowed to dislike a character for whatever reason they want. If they hate Katsuki for suicide baiting, that’s perfectly fine and you can’t say otherwise.

Q: Why focus your time on something that you hate? You must be pretty obsessed with Katsuki if you literally made a blog about him.

A: It’s called venting, something people are free to do. Katsuki ruins an otherwise enjoyable series to me and represents how NOT to make a character so I’m going to talk about it. Tumblr’s whole thing is “express yourself” and that’s what I’m doing. I’m not hurting anyone by doing so. Also, I have a life outside of this blog. I disappear for nearly a week sometimes. I’m only on when I have nothing else to do and want to kill time. Finally, if people are allowed to make blogs focusing on their obsession of a fictional character, people can make a blog to criticize said character and if you think otherwise you’re a hypocrite. Especially when the former evolves into the likes of Dekkachan (a 27 year old hivemind leader that bullies other people for not liking BkDk and will even target other BkDks who don’t agree with her) while my blog just occupies the anti Katsuki and MHA critical tags.

Q: Why are you still watching MHA when all you’re doing is criticizing it?

A: Criticism is how one learns how to write and get better. By analyzing a series, you learn what to do and what not to do. Now, there’s a difference between empty criticism/flaming and constructive criticism, but I’m doing the latter as I often explain what works and doesn’t work. Plus, you’re allowed to criticize something you otherwise enjoy.

Q: Are you against Katsuki fans?

A: Nope. I’m fine with fans but not stans. To summarize the differences, fans are people who like something while also accepting that someone might not like what they do. Stans can’t accept opinions, will harass/bully/suicide bait, and do other things when faced with someone who has a different opinion. I have nothing against fans. They do their thing and I do mine. I hate Katsuki and BkDk, but I’m not going to rag on someone if they like it. Stans are the ones I make fun of here.

#anti katsuki bakugou #anti bakugo katsuki #anti bakugo #anti bakugou #mha critical

[godtier]

hi guys, i been busy but i needed to rant about the trashfire that is FFXVI. so an obvious warning: this is spoilers for FFXVI, proceed with caution, read at your own risk, etc

so i am at the point in the game where dion is in bed and joshua is awake from his injuries. he has a conversation with clive and jill, discussing ultima and his plans.

clive, being the dumb slut he is, is like “BUT WHY ME” wrt to being ultima’s target vessel (as if ultima didn’t talk to him about it directly back when cid got murked but idk i guess i can forgive him for not remembering since his bf had just gotten filled with holes) and joshua has to explain the fucking obvious to him by saying that dominants are beholden to their eikon’s elemental affinity. meaning, joshua can only cast fire magicks, jill can only do ice, etc. clive is different for this reason, since he currently shares a headspace with now five eikons and can use their powers at will (concurrently with his blessing of the phoenix, which i still get confused about that. maybe i forgot or missed an explanation but it’s just weird to me idk)

that’s all well and good, because it’s what i had assumed from the start. eikons represent a specific element. if you’re basically the vessel for that eikon, it makes completes sense that you only have access to their elemental prowess. 

HOWEVER

this creates a hole. a minor hole (unlike the ones that were put in cid lol), but a hole nonetheless. an oversight that, while minor at a glance, kinda throws off the lore and logic the game has established up to this point.

what, exactly, does this information contradict? well, i’m talking about this scene in particular (clipped to the correct timestamp): 

if the video doesn’t load for whatever reason, the scene i’m talking about is when benedikta is talking to that group of magistrates or whatever and then decides to light her pipe with her finger, using magicks.

the issue? benedikta’s eikon was garuda. garuda is the eikon of wind. 

HOW THE FUCK

DO YOU LIGHT A PIPE

WITH WIND

well you don’t, silly

because it’s very clear in the scene that she wasn’t using wind, she was using fire.

which begs the question: HOW.

HOW did she use fire if she supposedly is beholden to garuda’s element of wind? if what joshua was saying was true (which admittedly, it makes sense given the rest of the framing of how magick seems to work in the world) then why wasn’t this seen as a bizarre quirk she was able to do? 

i’ll tell you why

it was a lazy oversight. and though it was a minor scene, it was one that was framed in a way that drew direct attention to the action itself and used to clearly define the differences between people in this world. 

right before she lights the pipe, a man was using a crystal in the foreground to fill a cup with water. the scene was meant to illustrate the disparity between those who are not magick users (thereby forced to use crystals for simple magick tasks, or bearers if they can afford them) and those who are magick users. it was framed to show that benedikta wasn’t beholden to the limitations of using crystals for magicks. she could do it herself. 

but she shouldn’t have been able to.

the problem therein is that you used a character who, by the self-proclaimed logic of the game, would have no way to use fire like that naturally. though the scene itself was very effective and framed well, imo, it ultimately breaks apart the rules of the world building they’ve established (or at least come to fully establish by the point i’m in; it was pretty much implied if you ask me).

from the start, i had figured that eikons were only able to use their assigned element. when i saw benedikta do that, i had thought “oh... maybe there are some exceptions? it was a pretty small flame, maybe they can only do minor magicks that aren’t associated with their eikon?”

but then i thought about it more. if their power comes directly from eikons and not the crystals (which to my understanding is how bearers are able to cast magicks) how would garuda bestow even a slight ability to produce a flame? garuda is entirely wind. there are no powers she has that hint at being fire-adjacent (such as in some games classifying water and ice magic as the same “family,” is what i’m getting at). there was nothing to indicate any cross-contamination, of sorts. their powers are from the eikons and the eikons alone, not the crystals directly.

so while this is a scene that many may forget about or brush off, i think it honestly creates a larger hole in the logic than most might first think. it totally contradicts everything joshua had said, it also makes clive not that special if benedikta was able to use fire as well.

ultimately, i think that it was a very lazy oversight. they wanted to show the disparity between regular people and bearers/dominants. but they thought about it for a min, and went “well the only other dominants that can use fire wouldn’t be in this scene. we can’t use them to illustrate this. and we can’t exactly have benedikta use her wind powers to make a mundane action more convenient... so let’s just have her light it with her finger and move on.”

OR 

the game was so disjointed in its logic/world building that they just straight-up forgot that they had benedikta do that at the start of the game by the time they got to writing out the rest of the story. i think this one is the more likely option; they just were so bad at keeping a lore bible or referencing it at all that they stupidly forgot that they had benedikta do something she should not have been able to do by their own established rules. or the rules weren’t even established at all until the point joshua talks about it! who knows!

to get an idea of my immediate reaction to joshua’s lines, please witness this conversation between myself and @sapphire-weapon​

anyway, i’m not ready for how bad the game apparently gets as it goes on. it’s such a shame because overall? i do like this game. it’s fun to play. i like the characters a lot. but my god the story... the backbone of any game, imo, is the story. it could play like shit but have a banger story, i’d suffer through it. but it’s so much worse to me to have a game that has really fun gameplay and characters, but an abysmal story. 

don’t get me wrong, i like the overall idea of the story. i like the overall framing. it’s the details that pile up, the weird choices in narrative movement (like clive’s coming to terms with “killing” joshua??? makes no sense at the point i’m at anymore!) that are really wrecking it for me.

anyway thanks for comin to my rant. enjoy ur day pls.

#final fantasy xvi #final fantasy 16 #ff16 spoilers #ffxvi spoilers #ff16 #ffxvi #thank u for reading #video post

[rggtattoos]

Based on your research, do you have any headcanons for the unknown tattoos of important yakuza characters? Like Kazama/Kashiwagi/Arakawa/etc.

I am unsure whether a simple or full tattoo would be best for these characters, so I have given an idea for both the main subject and a flower/plant motif for each. Keep in mind these are just some ideas, some of which are unlikely, but I thought were fun. I would love to hear other peoples’ thoughts on tattoo possibilities.

Arakawa Masumi

Based on Ichiban and Jo's dragonfish tattoos, which the creators have said are in honor of Arakawa, I feel like a dragon is likely. However, something related to his history as an onnagata (male actor specializing in female roles) in his family's Taishu Engeki troupe is also a possibility.

Maybe the Dragon King Ryujin and one or more of his daughters? This would also play into Arakawa's role as a father to Ichiban and Masato, as well as the rest of the men in his family.

As for a plant, the woman Arakawa fell in love with was named “Akane,” which is the name for a plant (Rubia cordifolia- “Common/Indian Madder”) whose roots are used to make a deep red pigment used in paints and dyes (Alizarin crimson is a synthetic version of Akane red).  The plant itself is not an ornamental, so it would make for a unique addition.

Kashiwagi Osamu

I feel like something that reflects Kasiwagi's role as an advisor would be a good choice. Yatagarasu comes to mind- a gigantic 3-legged crow (yatagarasu means "8-span crow" 8 "span" = 144cm or about 4'8") sent by the sun goddess Amaterasu to guide the first emperor, Jimmu, to Japan. The 3 legs are said to represent heaven, earth, and humanity as well as wisdom, benevolence and valor.

Kashiwagi is one of the first characters to "rise from the dead" long after supposedly dying, so a little something to foreshadow that would be good. Wisteria, Chrysanthemums, and peach blossoms are all used to symbolize immortality, so one of those would be a good choice. I went with wisteria for the eyecatch image simply because I like it.

Kasama Shintaro

Kasama really gave me some hell choosing a main subject for a tattoo. He's a very important character to the Kiryu saga, who leaves a lasting impression on the series as a whole.

I settled on Jizo, a popular god in Japan who takes on dozens of forms to protect people against everything from childbirth to headaches. (There are several Jizo statues in the games, namely 5 and 6) He is most well-known as a protector of children, as he helps guide them to the afterlife, but he also takes on the wounds of warriors, watches over travelers. He also acts as defense when the dead are judged, and oversees the punishments in hell so as to ensure they are not too severe, taking on the pain of the sufferers. He is commonly portrayed as a portly, child-like figure, but can also be depicted as a man in monk's robes. Jizo is said to take on the wounds and suffering of others, and Kazama dies shielding Haruka from harm.

A sunflower motif would make sense, given the orphanage he created. Though originally from the Americas, sunflowers were introduced to Japan during the Edo period. Sunflowers symbolize adoration, loyalty, and longevity. They are also known for their unique ability to remove toxins like lead, arsenic, and uranium from soil.  The Sunflower Orphanage was built as penance for the murders Kasama has done as a yakuza assassin.

#askrggt #yakuza #ryu ga gotoku #yakuza games #tattoos #irezumi #rgg #yakuza 0 #yakuza 7 #yakuza 1 #yakuza 2 #osamu kashiwagi #yakuza 3 #arakawa masumi #kazama shintaro #head canon #like a dragon

[cosmicjoke]

Further Observation of the Core Contrast between Levi and Zeke

This two page spread from the end up Episode 102 of “Attack on Titan” I think perfectly thematically demonstrates the contrast between Levi and Zeke, and how the two of them are, in many ways, the most diametrically opposed two characters in AoT, each representing complete opposites in terms of values and philosophy.

Zeke tells his comrades, right before engaging in battle “Don’t let them escape.  Wipe them out.”, while Levi tells his comrades “Don’t you die.  You have to survive.”. 

These two lines from each of them shows us who, at their heart, they really are, and thematically, what they represent within the story.

The most important thing to Levi is that his comrades make it home alive.  That’s his priority, and that’s what he imparts to them right before they go into battle.  It’s indicative of Levi’s value for life, of how he holds the lives of his comrades above everything, of how he holds life and the continuation of life as precious and inherently meaningful.  He views his comrades as people he cares about, people he wants and needs to protect above all else, people who’s lives matter. 

The most important thing to Zeke, by contrast, is taking one step closer to realizing his personal goal of euthanization, and what he says to his comrades here, people he’s known and worked alongside and supposedly been a friend and mentor to for years, encapsulates how he really sees them, which is as tools and weapons that exist for the purpose of realizing his goal.  He sees them as a means to an end. 

Zeke’s message to his comrades before engaging in battle is one of death, telling them to not let any of the opposing side escape, and to “wipe them out”, while Levi’s message to his comrades is one of life, telling them to keep themselves alive, ordering them to survive. 

And even what they’re specifically each fighting for here encapsulates this vital contrast.

Levi is fighting for the survival of his people and the island of Paradis.

Zeke is fighting to wipe an entire race of people from existence through forced sterilization. 

Levi fights in support of life.  Zeke fights in support of death. 

Even when Levi kills, it’s always in support of life.  He kills to protect the lives of others.  To keep others alive.  To give others a future.  Levi understands the tragedy of death precisely because he holds so much value for life, because he understands its value.  He doesn’t try to justify his killing as right, or good, but simply states it for what it is, an action taken to ensure the survival of others.  He even calls his actions monstrous, and accepts them as such, never attempting to frame them as anything greater or good.  He simply knows he’s willing to act as and become a monster in the hope it will spare the rest of humanity from experiencing similar horrors.

Zeke kills to enable further killing.  He kills to bring about the extinction of a race.  He views killing, the taking of life, as a mercy, as an act of benevolence on his part.  He thinks by taking lives, he’s bestowing peace and relief on the people who’s lives he takes.  Zeke doesn’t at all understand the tragedy of death precisely because he holds no value for life, and doesn’t at all understand its value.  He convinces himself that his killing is an altruistic and heroic action, something he attempts to defend and excuse by redefining it as “saving” the people he kills, viewing himself as a savior, sparing the poor and ignorant masses from the suffering of life’s meaninglessness.

Again, this contrast between Levi and Zeke, Levi understanding and accepting the ugliness of killing, wishing to spare others from having to experience such extremes and brutality, Zeke thinking killing is an act of heroism and salvation, an act of mercy brought through his benevolence, really highlights the core and thematic differences in their characters.  How Levi, again, understands the tragedy of death so well through his understanding the value of life, and how Zeke views death as somehow preferable, as something positive though his failure to grasp life’s value at all.

Levi views himself as “abnormal”, as someone “monstrous” through his willingness to commit violent acts, while Zeke views himself as a “savior”, as someone “heroic” through his willingness to commit violent acts.  And this itself highlights a great irony between them, as it is Levi who in truth is the hero, and Zeke the monster, as Levi understands and accepts his violence for what it is, and takes on the burden of it willingly to save the lives of others, a selfless act of true sacrifice, while Zeke attempts to redefine his violence as salvation, not to save lives, but for the self-serving purpose of soothing and boosting his own ego, a selfish act of true narcissism. 

#Levi Ackerman #Zeke Yeager #Attack on Titan #shingeki no kyojin

[hello-nichya-here]

If there’s one thing that I’ll never understand about some Zutara shippers is the need they have to show Zuko and Katara’s dynamic with each other, as well as their personalities, as literally anything except what it actually is.

They say shit like “Opposites attract” because of the whole Sun/Moon, Fire/Water thing, and completely ignore that Zuko and Katara are actually very similar when it comes to their personalities, temperament and regarding their emotiosn - both wear their hearts on their sleeves. “Symbolism” that completely disregards the characters that are supposedly being represented by it doesn’t actually symbolize anything.

There’s also stuff like acting like Katara was constantly forced by the rest of the Gaang to do everything by herself, never got thanked for it, and that kind, loving, Karl Zuko Marx showed up one day and helped her revolt, even though we see Katara fighting back whenever she feels disrespected in any way, Sokka literally has a schedule of the chores ALL OF THEM have, and the whole “Zuko is the only one who actually helps her” bullshit comes from the fact that he served everyone tea twice because he wanted to be nice to his friends and spent sometime having a job that he EXPLICITLY did not like and immediatelly dropped the second he had the chance to.

You also see people claiming they had such a strong connection even before Zuko joined the Gaang, and always secretly cared for each other, even though Katara was willing to leave him to die in the North Pole, explicitly told him that for a long time she saw his face as the face of the enemy, threatened him after she DID start seeing him as more than just the enemy only to immediately be betrayed by him, and  the only person in the Gaang that we see Zuko ever thinking about before his redemption is Aang (aka the actual first person to trust Zuko and give him a chance - the show fucked up big time by adding the ascended fanon of “Katara always knew there was good iin him”). They genuinely disliked each other and eventually developed a good friendship, which some people could want to see become more - why is that seen as less valid than “There was ALWAYS something there”?

We can also not forget how they tend to make Katara a typical doormat romantic lead that just lets the “sexy bad boy” get away with everything and is always trying to fix him, even though that is just not who she is at all - and as a bonus, that is also not at all the kind of girl Zuko is attracted to.

And finally we have the Southern Raiders. The episode that had Zuko’s entitlement rearing it’s ugly head, making him be frustrated and confused at the fact that Katara doesn’t like him despite having every reason to feel that way, using her trauma as a way to deal with that inconvenience only to then feel genuine empathy for her and even respect for her deceased mother, which leads to Katara forgiving him - while they both see that, while Aang was wrong to assume that she HAD to forgive her mother’s killer to be able to heal, he was right when he said violence wouldn’t fix things, even though the guy deserved it. This amazing, complicated, genuinely compelling episode centered around these two amazing characters, as well as the theme of struggling to process grieft, trauma, and the ugly side of it, get watered down to being about how heartless, selfish Aang didn’t care about Katara’s emotional needs, and how Zuko is totally the superior choice in this love triangle that is pure fanon that was only ever even sort of recognized (JOKINGLY) in canon because the non-canon ship ended up becoming super popular.

Somebody PLEASE tell me what is the point of claiming to ship Zutara when what these people actually ship are two OCs that have nearly nothing to do with the real Zuko and Katara?

#zutara critical #fandom fuckery #atla fandom problems #anti zutara #not really

[yunoteru4ever]

Platinum End is plenty different enough from Future Diary

So I've finally tried Platinum End, which I mentioned over 18 months ago as a PURPORTED Mirai Nikki-like. At first I was going to read the manga, but I shifted over to the anime adaption and just finished watching.

When Platinum End's manga first got going in late 2015, it had a lot of expectation surrounding it because it was Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata follow-up to their incredibly popular Death Note series. Those of us who were around and paying attention back then like also recall how Platinum End got a lot of flack during its early manga run for supposedly being a Mirai Nikki ripoff. I remember plenty of derisive comments pointing out "12 13 unstable people compete to be the next god? A depressed and weak-willed guy + his love interest team up to fight off the rest? One of their opponents is even a wannabe-sentai superhero???"

(Mind you, this was in the mid-2010s — back before the Internet Hive Mind largely decided that Mirai Nikki was always secretly shitty. :( *siiiiiigh*)

But nevermind all that: In actuality, Platinum End is very good at doing its own damn thing!

The male protagonist is deadass named "Mirai." Sadly, the girl's name is not "Nikki."

Major setup differences:

There is no Survival Game built into the contest for god. All candidates could just meet up and agree on a new god if they chose to do so. But of course, more than one of them decides that the best course of action is to kill all challengers, so survival definitely becomes a factor FAST. But in this story, unlike Mirai Nikki, there is no real reason NOT to team up with other candidates... provided they aren't planning to off you later.

The god candidates in Future Diary get to have Future Diaries. Obviously. But the god candidates in Platinum End instead get divine powers gifted by their guardian angels. Yes, once you're a candidate, you can see and interact with your guardian angel. Only other candidates can see your angel and your powers. Based on your angel's rank in heaven, you might be gifted either one or a combination of the following: (A) angel wings capable of lightspeed flight, (B) a "red arrow" that makes anyone hit by it instantly adore and love you, making them very susceptible to your wishes... but only for 33 days, and/or (C) a "white arrow" that kills a person instantly on contact.

Mirai's angel, Nasse, might secretly be the series' best character. She's a delight. She does get a lot less focus in the second half of the series, though.

What spawns from this setup is a story that maintains a largely serious tone while veering between very different styles of conflicts. The first half of the series is heavy on suspense and action — complete with the shonen-like tropes of multi-episode showdowns that feature characters standing in place while inner monologues go over their attack plans. :P The second half of the series, by contrast, is heavy on debates about existential concepts and personal morality.

If that sounds good to you, I can recommend 23 out of this series' 24 episodes! But the very last one is, IMO, best ignored/skipped. It's a shitty denouement that, for me, ruined a lot of what came before it while simultaneously failing to answer the questions it raises. However, ep. 23 has a very satisfying conclusion; you'll be good there.

FINALLY! I must warn y'all about this: If you're someone who thought Mirai Nikki's Yukiteru was too "whiny" or too averse to violence? You are not ready for how weak-willed and confrontation-averse the male protagonist of Platinum End is. Somebody took those traits and turned that dial up as HIGH AS POSSIBLE.

For example: For a LOOOONG time, Mirai can't even bring himself to use a "weapon" GUARANTEED TO NOT HURT HIS OPPONENT IN ANY WAY WHATSOEVER, even when said opponent is TRYING THEIR BEST TO MURDER HIM RIGHT FUCKING NOW. He just won't use his guaranteed-peaceful solution, because it still represents some form of "attack." The other person has a one-shot insta-kill attack, and Mirai is over here like "How could I live with myself if I hit this person with this ultra-plushie boxing glove?!" It's truly unbelievable.

#platinum end #anime review #mirai nikki #future diary #tsugumi ohba #Takeshi Obata #anime #mirai kakehashi #yuiteru amano

[jalebi-o-shir]

The Emergence of a Diasporic Singular Desi Culture

I have been observing this for a while on several social media platforms and I have a theory that a singular “Desi” culture is taking shape in North America, and perhaps other diasporas. Since I haven’t had much experience with other diasporas in several years, I will only focus on this phenomenon through a North American lense.

The reason for saying is that I increasingly see young South Asians, in particular, Gen Z, make tiktoks mentioning how “our” culture is beautiful, and then proceed to show off cultural dress, cuisine, art, architecture etc. playing to a remixed Bollywood song.

The issue here is not showing appreciation, but the issue is using the singular from of culture instead of the plural — cultures.

South Asia is not a monolith, nor does it have one culture, so which culture in particular are we here appreciating? Every country, whether it would be Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Nepal, (Southern) Tibet (controversial, I know) , The Maldives, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, and Diaspora countries like Suriname, Guyana, Belize, Trinidad & Tobago, Jamaica, Mauritius, Fiji etc. all have self-contained individual cultures that are inter-connected or unique to their own region.

These tiktoks, from my observation, show only Northern Indian cultural aspects with a heavy emphasis on Punjabi culture. Popular Tiktok dances feature Hindi and Punjabi, yet rarely any music from other states. Then again, it is called fyp for a reason. It may be the content I interact with, but then again I interact with a broad spectrum of self-stylized Desi creators on “brown tiktok”. From North to South.

Every now and then, there is legitimate criticism on limiting Desi tiktok to Hindi-Urdu and Punjabi songs where a number of videos have been circulating to test one’s “Desiness” whether you know these songs or not. Same goes for movies. If not, then you are white-washed. What about the rest, who don’t speak Hindi-Urdu or Punjabi? This is why being “Desi” is quite controversial because it means different things to different people.

Why do I think that there is singular North American Desi culture emerging? It is because Bollywood consumption plays a central role in it in making the younger generation believe that there is a such thing as one culture being portrayed in Bollywood while reality is something very different.

I as a Punjabi am used to seeing my culture being hyper-represented in Indo-Pak media. In fact, it is the culture that is used in Bollywood and Lollywood productions the most when we talk about cultural reprentation. Same for music, apart from Hindi, Punjabi is the only regional language that gets that much attention and gone worldwide – for good and bad reasons.

Home culture is very different. We all have our own home culture that we grew up in. We have our languages, our own foods, our own clothes, own histories, yet when these younger Desis present themselves to the outside world, it all dissipates and changed into this Bollywood-esque performance.

We suddenly ALL eat naan, biryani, samosein, jalebi, gulab jamun, roti and we ALL speak Hindi, wear saris, lehengas, shalwar kameezein and are ALL Indian, desi, and brown.

Yet, here I am, not knowing anything about other regional dishes other than my own which ironically is all of the above and more as a Punjabi-Pakistani. I have no idea what Gujuratis eat, no idea what Sindhis eat, I had no idea what Marathi sounded. I had no idea Bihari songs were popular. I have no idea what Assamese wear.

It disregards everything unique and hyper-focuses on Bollywood and Punjab as the source for this repackaged Desi culture. Bengali home culture, Punjabi home culture, Pashtun home culture, Tamizh home culture, Devehi home culture, Indo-Guyanese home culture, Indo-Surinamese home culture are all different environments, yet you won’t see that when you land on #browntok, instead you will see this generic brand where everyone supposedly can participate in disregarding that it leaves people out and alienizes anyone that doesn’t relate to “Desi culture”

I find it so odd that Patels are quite well represented, yet know nothing about Gujurati culture or their language other than “kemcho”. The reason why I bring this up is because the culture would be seen as foreign to the Desi-sphere and not recognizable as Desi because people views this “Desi culture” though a very narrow lense.

In a way this Desi culture is just repackaged Punjabi culture made palatable for the masses that are fixated on romanticized images of their home countries disregarding class differences, history, and culture. People don’t realize that only certain classe wore such ornamental dresses like the lehenga choli and thatvit was limited to a certain class or money and still is, yet is touted as something accessible to anyone.

Big “Indian” weddings are not the norm, they are the exception, yet still are juxtapositioned with White Weddings as being something extravagent. It only works if you or family have money.

Bottomline: this Desi singular culture does not exist outside of social media realistically because we all have our own cultural aspects that are unique. Bollywood is not an accurate and reliable cultural representation. You are not cultured by watching Bollywood movies, you are a good consumer. People need to show off their regional cultures more.

#pakistani #bangladesh #indian #southasian #brown #Desi #social media #tiktok #bhutan #sri lanka #nepal #the maldives #suriname #guyana #jamaica #indian food

[decadentrot]

What's up with spy agencies and eyes ?? I mean Melinda had illuminati eye , wise has that strange eye , SSS had eyes ...Just why are they obbessed?? They are everywhere, on clothes to items, rings , pins....on everything they own they got eyes ??

I mostly believe the eyes represent that everyone is keeping watch on everything but I also think it adds a touch of irony and subtle humor. Like everything and everyone is supposedly be watched and monitored however, we all know that seemingly every character is hiding a secret or their true self lmao And literally everything in sxf plays into that irony: Yor being the nicest sweetest most oblivious lady, but is secretly a killer assassin, Loid being this cold hearted intelligent spy, but is secretly an anxiety ridden family man, Damian being the spoilt mean rich kid, but is actually a hardworking sweet kid (whose still rich lmao), ect. ((I mean even the whole anime/manga is visually shown in this beautiful cute style full of memey expressions despite the story taking place on the verge of a war in a city full of economic discrimination and traumatized children.)) So anyways its kinda interesting to think that everyone thinks they know whats going on "behind the scenes" and that they are the ones who outsmarting the rest when in reality, they'll all in the same boat. And so thats why its so absolutely hilarious that the only people in the show who truly know everything is a peanut obsessed 5 year old and a literal dog.

Metaphorics aside, it would be interesting to think the eyes represent that another organization (such as the project apple people) are the people secretly controlling these spy agencies, illuminati, sss, ect. Or at the very least using them as a way to gather more information. After all, from what these experimenters are doing to Anya and Bond, it seems that all their projects leads to raising their intelligence to gather more information.

Or it could just be some subtle propaganda from these individual organizations that They. Are. Watching. in order to remind the characters into being even more paranoid that someone's gonna find out their secrets. Hell, its a reminder to the audience that hey, their secrets arent as hidden as they think and while it seems wholesome now, shit is gonna eventually hit the fan soon.

Whatever happens, I'm just happy to be here for the ride and see where they take it. (๑•̀ㅂ•́)و✧

#spy x family #sxf #just thoughts and opinions