#Me: Do you mean a realistic explanation for multiple character traits?

[cryingyetcourageous]

Headcanon: Essential Tremor

One of my favorite ways to make headcanons is to overanalyze canon and keep extending it to realistic conclusions. Like, Raivis shakes a lot. He's the only one I'm aware of where, rather than it being for a quick bit joke, it carries on and is seen in many interactions, even being acknowledged by other characters. It could easily be dismissed as "lol, lil scared guy is shaky, haha, he's so nervous" but guys-

He has also, canonically, had his spine crushed so severely that it's stunted his growth. Dude has nerve damage. Can you imagine what being pushed down on for centuries to the point of reducing someone's height by no less than 10 cm would do to the central nervous system? He's not scared all the time: he's got an injury-induced disability (not that shaking solely due to mental illness would be any less valid; Anxiety is a diagnosis, not a moral failure).

So, I carry that further-

In a situation like that, it makes sense that heightened emotions would worsen symptoms, but it probably wouldn't be limited to anxiety: being excited/happy or angry would exacerbate it, too. Any swing of the pendulum away from "neutral/calm" would excite his nervous system and make the shakiness more noticeable, as would physical activity. He's just as likely to shake when he's excited to see an old friend again as he is when an asshole driver nearly hits him as he's crossing the street. Positive emotions can be just as strong and, technically, just as disruptive.

But he's also found ways to manage, some healthy, some less so. At home, he probably uses a lot of wooden, metal, or plastic dishware. Personally, I lean towards him preferring wooden for bowls/plates and reusable plastic for cups... but he still has ceramic mugs. He will risk them shattering because it feels wrong to drink tea in anything else, and besides, he gets free mugs from events all the time.

He writes a bit more slowly than some people, and rather than fighting himself on trying to make smooth, coherent lines/curves, he instead "sketches" his letters. Multiple short strokes. He's tried typing instead, but for him personally, that's slower. For particularly long meetings, he does his best, but usually gets copies of notes from Liet or Eesti. (He used to make audio recordings, but between the background noise of people speaking over the presentations and the security risk, that's not a great option.)

For hobbies, he's found work-arounds. Playing the kokle is the one that took the longest to adjust to since it relies so heavily on fine motor skills, but because his tremor is usually rhythmic/consistent, he's learned to work with it so long as he doesn't play for too long, which tends to make it more exaggerated and less predictable. Crochet and knitting are much the same - short sessions with breaks. Singing isn't too affected as long as, again, he doesn't overdo it. Other hobbies aren't really impacted much.

I usually write him with a stutter, which is less because of nerves themselves and more because his voice wavers and, when it does so, he has a habit of trying to say the word/syllable again. Some sounds are more difficult than others, like "y". I don't know how to explain it except that y moves from one part of the mouth to another, and that "movement" gives a lot of room to extend too far. It also tends to be worse at the beginnings of sentences or directly after pauses. When he's really deep in thought and sort of thinking outloud, he stutters less because he's too distracted to notice his voice wavering. When he's more excited, positively or negatively, it often worsens because he's trying to get this thought/idea/feeling across and is more aware of every little "slip up" in his delivery, more likely to stumble over himself.

He's noted to have an alcohol tolerance that should be physically impossible for someone his size (40 "glasses" of alcohol. It doesn't specify kind, but regardless, that would give someone his size a BAC of 1.74 [beer] to 13.95 [spirits]). It's not a stretch to think of it as self-medicating, both in response to mental health because he has put up with so much shit jfc give him a break and also because alcohol is... a depressant! Alcohol is proven to reduce essential tremors. However, this is a very shitty fix because alcohol withdrawals significantly exacerbate them, so it's not great.

Anyways thanks for coming to my TEDtalk

[starlightandetherealshadows]

Hello! Feel free to ignore this, but I wanted to give my two cents about the MC's initial personality while playing. Now, this may be blunt, but at first, I was incredibly disappointed. Usually, I tend to play stoic/quiet MCs who don't lash or speak out, and it seemed to be quite the opposite to the distrusting and stoic mc in the game. However, I was thinking extremely hard about this, and I actually get why the MC was so outspoken, especially when V literally pointed a gun at them. Stoic and stubborn MC, from what I saw in the prologue, could easily be more nonchalant *before* the alien invasion, but that, obviously, changed. When C found them and brought them to the hideout, I didn't take into account that MC was in a vulnerable position, and I only focused on the part that MC hadn't interacted with another person in years. So, yeah, of course, MC may be overwhelmed, but their not gonna let people (V *cough*) walk all over them. I guess the thing was that I was so used to stoic MCs in IFs just standing on the sidelines and observing, but that is obviously not that kind of IF. The thing that had gotten to me the most, however, was the second-hand embarrassment of MC actually talking back to V after he blatantly insults them because I could never😭 I guess what I am trying to say is that even though I was seriously taken aback, none of the characters (including MC) are not gonna be 2-dimensional (as you have stated multiple times), and it has definitely grown on me, even if the MC was a little more of a fire-cracker than I expected. I am really looking forward to seeing where you take this story, and I will absolutely be eating it up because even if I might have to be tossing my phone across the room occasionally (bc my second-hand embarrassment is so easily triggered😭😭), I cannot get enough of your writing and characters!! I hope this made sense because I was just rambling about my take on if you are willing to make the MC a little more stoic or have some mute choices, which I am not against, but at the end of the day, I will still be reading the fuck out of Memento Mori! Have a good day/night!!! MWAH💋

Hi sunshine!

I appreciate your super-thorough analysis of both MC's personality and also your initial/developing reaction to it!

Just wanna offer some perspective on why I'm writing MC the way I am (you've already nailed a lot of the points but this is gonna be a succinct explanation from my head hehe)

MC is ultimately a fully fledged character in Memento Mori. While writing, I have about six different MC's in my head, each with distinct personalities, motives, and reactions to events. As I'm writing Ch. 2 in particular, I'm using these characters to influence the choices available and the stat checks necessary for certain actions. MC was never going to be a self insert. I love a good self insert sometimes, but it doesn't work with this if!

What makes characters feel realistic and multi-dimensional to me is their ability to break out of their different archetypes. We all know the ones like The Mean Girl or the Shy Kid or the Comic Relief. We can use your Stoic!MC example. Do we as humans act the same exact way every single day with every single event and interaction? No, we don't. Because we are complex, muli-faceted individuals that can have conflicting thought and actions, or opinions. What makes a character feel flat is when they are only given like 3 personality traits and stick to those regardless of what happens around them in the story.

So in Memento Mori, your Stoic!MC will have moments where they're outspoken and opinionated. The Charming!MC will lose their cool and lash out rather than smooth talk. The Friendly!MC will snap at someone without thinking. We aren't perfect, neither is MC, and I think that adds dimension to what can easily be a very blank slate kind of character. This isn't exclusive to MC, either! Veronica/Vincent will be nice to you sometimes for seemingly no reason. Zero will have moments where he is not okay and rejects your comfort when he reads it as pity. Cecelia/Chase will not always be the bouncy comic relief that uses humor to make everyone smile.

To add insult to MC's injury, like you mentioned in your ask, they are suffering from extreme amounts of PTSD and trauma. They have lost everyone and everything, they're a young adult living in complete isolation for two years. They're starving, they're injured, they hate themselves and being alive. It's going to take them a while to feel like themselves. In the span of one day, they've been nearly killed by a monster, then they're covered in blood guts and sweat when they meet C, then C brings them to meet 6 other people (including two aliens) and now they're going on this extensive journey with complete strangers, while that very morning they were contemplating ending it all. it's a lot.

By the time MC meets V, they are already at their limit of dealing with bullshit so V pointing a gun at them was never going to fly. V insulting them was a no-go either. Now, in the future, MC can ignore V more often because they'll be less on edge than when they were all first introduced. Once they have time to process, then they can react what is most familiar and comfortable for them. It will take time.

I laughed when you called MC a firecracker! I'd say they're more...unpredictable as a character when they're under high stress. As time goes on, they'll adjust and mellow out in some ways, but right now? MC has had ENOUGH with feeling like shit all the time.

I'm really glad you were a bit embarrassed by MC talking back to V because that was my goal AHDSEWLKMFRLK it's supposed to feel a bit uncomfortable. It's MC trying to clap back on someone when they have lost most of their social skills. It made ME cringe while writing it. Like oof MC, just ignore them???!!!

I'll definitely be adding some more options to be a bit more stoic or selectively mute in chapter 2, and as for chapter 1, I think more options to stay silent while talking to Cecelia/Chase or when they're speaking with Delphine/V could be good too. I'll see how it flows!

You'll see at the beginning of Ch.2 that MC already feels a tiny bit better. Nothing much but at least they aren't alone anymore, and they have a hot shower and some real food. So small wins for MC!

I think that's all I wanted to say for now!!! Thank you again for your message, my friend!!! I'm glad you're liking my writing and my characters, it does mean a lot to have your support!! <3

[esther-dot]

After watching Shadow and Bone, Malina got me sooo hyped! They were really cute, even had some Jonsa parallels, I loved them!...and then I found out about book Mal.

In the books, he’s a f*ckboy that goes breaking hearts left and right, while kind of slut-shaming Alina for being attracted to the Darkling and Nikolai, resents Alina for her powers and is bitter about her being Grisha for a very long time, guilt trips her for having enjoyed life at the Little Palace, is jealous about her importance, so much so that he’s happy when she’s repressing her powers (something that deteriorates her health), gets mad because she cares about saving the world, therefore she doesn’t pay enough attention to him. He’s kinda the embodiment of toxic masculinity, and Alina’s codependency certainly isn’t so great either. Her main trait is being almost obsessed with Mal.

God, can we just pretend that only show Malina exists? I liked them in the show😭

Well, I haven't read the books, so to me, show Malina is the only one that exists!

Even without being involved in the book fandom, because everyone I follow likes the Darkling and ships Darklina, I've seen each of these complaints about Mal before, so you aren't alone in your reaction by any means.

But, I scrolled through the Mal and Malina tag, and it appears to me that we have a POV problem. As in, the author gave you the story filtered through Alina's desires, fears, insecurities, and Mal's characterization suffered because we don't get his POV. As in, Alina may feel judged, but is her interpretation of Mal entirely accurate? In the show, Mal tells her she doesn't owe him an explanation for what happened while she was gone, which is a shortened quote from the books in which he says she could have danced naked with the Darkling, but she doesn't owe him an explanation. I don't see how that's slut shaming. In fact, for a teenager, that sounds rather mature.

And, it is odd to me that I almost always see that accusation paired with calling Mal a fuckboi...which, typically means someone who doesn't have much to offer other than sex. Since Mal is dedicated to reuniting with Alina and then protecting her after, and *spoiler* ultimately not only allows Alina to kill him but helps her do it to save the world...*end spoiler* fuckboi feels more like objecting to him having multiple sexual partners rather than an accurate summation of his character. I know as a romantic, I frequently don't want to read about my main couple being with other people, but realistically, most people have, and it doesn't say anything bad about who they are that that is the case. 

Also, there are tropes that once were very common in romance novels that we have largely progressed beyond, but they still do influence (to some degree) how romance is written. For a long time people wrote more sexually experienced male leads paired with virginal women. That goes back to a much older, more problematic trope, but I'm guessing why YA authors perpetuate a watered down version is simple wish fulfillment. The idea of a more popular, more experienced, hot guy wanting the overlooked girl is likely meant to make the girl feel more wanted, more special.

As for Mal resenting her powers, I think he is meant to be afraid of her following in the Darkling's path. The powers are meant to affect the characters, and he is afraid of her losing herself. I understand that it makes Grisha ill to not use their powers, but from what I've seen, it sounds like he had genuine concern for her well-being if she continued. And also, let's circle back to *spoiler* the fact that in the end, he sacrificed himself to allow her to have the power to save the world, *end spoiler* so perhaps he struggles at times (idk cuz I haven't read it), but in the end, he has as much faith as you can have in another person, and made the greatest sacrifice one can. What more can anyone ask of him?

Writers are told to make their characters flawed to allow character progression. If we as readers get stuck on a specific moment, insist that a character is only the worst of themselves, I don't see how we will ever be able to enjoy anything but the most saintly of characters. I imagine that moments the author felt important to Mal's development have hit readers much more forcefully than she intended and that the evolution of him/his relationship with Alina isn’t fully accepted because of it. Also, I've seen fans and some members of production say that show Mal is book Mal, we simply get to see his side of things now. Here is a post talking about that (link).

You don't need to agree, and since I haven't read the books, I can't argue it, but I'm guessing there were weaknesses in the writing that led to a misinterpretation of what the author was hoping to accomplish. I have seen some comments from her about her own experiences in an abusive relationship, and far from making her main romance codependent or toxic, I believe she was trying to convey how a bad relationship involves someone trying to take ownership of you, while love will free you. I understand that the author may have failed in her efforts, but I suspect the fandom is judging Mal too harshly for all the above reasons.

Regardless, I'm sorry that your enjoyment of show Malina was tainted by the books! <3

[dawnblxde]

A very important PSA!

Under the cut! For new and old followers! For those who know of my muse and for those who do not! :) WARNING. I AM IN DEPTH WITH EVERYTHING. 

I didn’t think that I would have to make this post, but it seems I do. To try and prevent a very recent situation that was throwing me off writing. I recently had to part with a mutual for breaking my rules repeatedly, trying to force me to write something I don’t want to write, claiming they needed to play XV to understand my muse and seemingly failed to grasp the simple version of this explanation. You’ll notice that the main description of my blog says Noctis from Versus XV. That’s because Versus was Nomura’s hard work. Who created Noctis. The XV is left there to leave it as it’s own thing. But I’m going to explain what it means when both my about page and rules page say I do not write XV. Usually this is grasped simply, but after a few times it wasn’t. This is just in case. This Noctis does not exist in the world, lore or story of XV. He exists in a completely different universe. The original prime universe planned for a remake. Nomura’s work. This is because Noctis is Nomura’s creator. Nomura created and put more work into him out of everyone. So I find the most respectful thing to do is follow his vision. I do the same with my Spider-Man muse. I write him how Steve Dikito wanted him to be. His creator, not bad comic writers. Not the terrible Disney way. What wasn’t understood was the fact that Nomura!Noctis is not Tabata!Noctis! They are two completely different version’s of one character. One is complete while the other has a personality shit and a lot of stuff from the other Noctis taken away from him! This is like Spider-Verse. A crossover comic with multiple version’s of Spider-Man, all from their own worlds and didn’t know each other’s history. It’s like how 616 Spider-Man that I write, the one from the comics. Is not the same one as the unfaithful one MCU movies currently uses. 616!Spider-Man doesn’t like Tony Stark. MCU!Spider-Man is his number one fan boy. Two different people! Comics!Batman is different from the DCEU (DC EXTENDED UNIVERSE) Batman. The main comic Batman doesn’t kill people, but DCEU Batman does. Two different people. Finally, there’s Archie!Sonic (his original comic book self) and Game!Sonic. Sally Acorn only exists in the Sonic comics, what does this mean? Game Sonic doesn’t know her! Two different people! These examples were given to make it clear. Nomura’s Noctis, which I write. Has nothing to do with the story of the incomplete XV video game, it’s lore or it’s world. He won’t get any references and will have no idea what you’re talking about if you make a reference from it. He is only aware of my about page and anything his creator wanted for him! What does this mean? (This is where from my simple explaining, someone got confused.) If you have played XV, you gotta not think about it or it’s Noctis, when writing with mine. It’s not going to help you or be relevant. If you haven’t played XV/don’t want to/intend to/can’t for some reason - this is important to remember - you do not need XV to understand or grasp the Noctis I’m writing. Why would you? When he’s the original prime version of the character and an entirely different version in general? To some of you this may seem a pointless PSA. I didn’t think I’d have to make this in depth. But I do. But yes, you don’t need XV in order to interact/write with my Noctis and PLEASE do not think about anything XV or that Noctis when writing with me if you have played it, or you do end up doing so. If it feels like you’re trying to switch me from Nomura’s hard work, over to the unfinished thing - it’s going to upset me. Same if it feels like you’re thinking/visualising anything that’s XV relevant - but not relevant to a Nomura interaction. Unless your muse is from XV and we’re working them into the better lore of the creator. I’m sorry for the load! I hope things are clearer for you all now. One more reminder coming up! For now like other things, this will remain a PSA for now! If this becomes more of an issue like some things have. It will get added into my rules! Same if things not worthy of PSA’s right now, will become PSA’s if need be. I’m sorry to the mass that probably didn’t need this, but this felt like a massive need be for those who do need it! Due to recent events!

You do not need to play XV in order to understand this Noctis as this is Nomura’s Noctis! A helpful end to this PSA, below other then my about page on Noctis itself for 70% Nomura’s ideal story and 30% inspired by me, here is what will help you know my Noctis 100%! Much quicker then playing something incomplete! 

http://dawnblxde.tumblr.com/post/183461820557/moonakarii-nomura-tetsuya-creator-father  [ Gif quotations! ]

‘Nomura did not want Noctis to have a personality like Squall Leonhart or Cloud Strife, the respective protagonists of Final Fantasy VIII and VII, defining their personality type as that of “a silent, gloomy little boy”. Instead, Nomura wanted to create a realistic character type not seen in the Final Fantasy series before. Because of this, he was wary about him as he was so new to the series that he might fall “out of bounds”. Whereas previous protagonists did not have strong personalities to avoid interfering with player empathy, Nomura wanted Noctis to have “an overabundance of idiosyncrasy”, which was one of the ways he would leave an impression on the player. Nomura also wanted the character to have traits and perform actions that bore both heroic and villainous traits, creating someone akin to an anti-hero. He thought that these qualities would match the game’s themes very well. While naturally shy, Noctis hides this under a cold exterior, though his close friends can see through this.’ [ Quote from Nomura’s representives, from his mind and words! ]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b6At_bb1PNU 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YiIx9VJWSl8 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IcUSXub_ypU  [ Clips and trailers! ]

[thelearningcatnaps]

Doctor Who with Moffet

I binge watched the first 6 seasons of Doctor Who over the course of a year and a half. This may not sound like binge watching, but considering my schedule at the time and the slowness of me watching hour long tv shows not propelled by my fiance (I am still only on season 9 of Supernatural after starting it sometime around 2009 and Battlestar Gallatica took me something like 5 years or more). It's not that I don't enjoy these shows, rather I have always lived a busy life and either I'm watching a show based on who is with me or I'm watching what I label as fluff- nondramatic, no-plot, comedic, and/or short. Cooking shows, sitcoms, hgtv, bridezilla style shows.

So the fact I found doctor who so enthralling to dedicate so much of my time to it speaks to my enjoyment.

However, around the sixth seasons beginning, I slowed down. All the potential of good ideas was there. I loved River Song and Rory. I loved a lot of episodes with the Eleventh doctor. I didn't care for Amy Pond, but I also hadn't cared for Martha, so that alone wouldn't have slowed me down. It was the plot holes and the rehashed dilemmas that bothered me. It was River Song's storyline supposed to be the exact opposite of the doctor's. The fact the first time she met the doctor should have been the last time the doctor met her. It was the love interest of Amy Pond going on much longer then it should, not to mention being creepy in the first place. It was her impossible constant superpowers. It was the lost opportunities on more episodes with Rory.

When I finally met Clara, I was disappointed in the end of Amy and Rory, but it was at least bittersweet. But it was Clara that made me go on hiatus. We met her multiple times. She was marvelous each of those times. Her beginning plot was fascinating. Then we met Clara, the companion Clara. Who was another Amy level pretty face (this bothers me alone in that each of the companions prior to Amy since 2005 were not traditional western beauties and I had so much appreciation for that) with impossibleness. She crushed on the doctor and lacked any of the spunk I loved her original characters.

I've read a lot on Moffat's writing of women, and I think if you look up that, it addresses a lot of my issues with these companions. Add in the plot holes and all the impossible feats, and you go from a show with character depth, variety, and well rounded plot lines to plots that begin and end within a couple episodes with no development in between.

Needless to say, this all comes to mind because I've finally revisited the series (the last season I watched a few years ago was the 8th season, because I wanted to give the 12th doctor a chance. I'm now almost all of the way through the 9th season, and I'm only reminded of my disdain for Moffet's writing (BBC Sherlock redeems him somewhat).

His best characters are wasted, and the plot lines are underwhelming and feel repetitive. The twelfth doctor feels hypocritical. If you want an apathetic, sociopathic grandpa, then do it. If you want the soft caring, passionate man, then do that. I feel like I get whiplash. I get that Clara is supposed to humanize him. But he constantly is doubting himself and it's getting old. He's constantly acting like he doesn't understand people then giving compassionate speeches as though he does. I don't feel the development has been enough to make sense of this back and forth character traits.

Meanwhile, Maisie Williams' character is brilliant. I admit some bias as I love her as an actress. Her character is undeveloped; I do realize that. But there's so much potential. She could have easily been another jack harknass or River Song repeating character used much long. This is likely due to her part in Game of Thrones, but that speaks to the fact they should have never had such a famous actress in that role if that is the case. Repeating characters don't happen nearly enough in a story about a time traveler. I love repeating characters because you bring in different relationships. It's okay to have complexity (see Game of Thrones, viewers are not stupid). One episode was not enough to develop the pain and trauma she underwent or the realization that her pain and trauma did not mean she actually didn't care. This was immortality the doctor created. This wasn't some river song tardis accident (still not really explained) or Rose Tyler God result. This was the doctor. Willingly giving this child eternal life and not waiting to explain the consequences. Their explanation for why he couldn't take her on the Tardis was actually decent, but it doesn't excuse leaving someone alone to deal with the consequences of his actions. They could've spent the whole season on developing that relationship alone. They could have kept her for multiple seasons as a reoccurring balance to the doctor. The one who helps the ones the doctor leaves behind. And no. She was a four episode character who was rushed through the woodwork.

I'm excited for Billy. I've heard some great things about her. I'm going to keep watching because all I've been telling people for years since my hiatus started was that I wanted a female doctor, and they've finally given it. Plus, I'm hoping some of the early brilliance returns with realistic characters, fully developed plotlines now that Moffat's reign of terror is coming to a close. A woman can dream right?

Rant over.

[knightofbalance-13]

Actually...

http://dudeblade.tumblr.com/post/165589953048/lets-be-real-and-agree-on-something

No we are not agreeing to this.

RVVBY is an amalgam of multiple tropes, cliches, and concepts from other media that did it much better.

As we will soon see: The examples are either way too general, RWBY does too differently for a comparison or RWBY actually does it BETTER.

Faunus as a stand-in for minorities. X-Men did it first, did it better, and has better justification for it. Some mutants are dangerous, and have abilities that could level a building with little effort. The Brotherhood of Evil Mutants are just a separate branch of mutants that humans use to justify their discrimination, and sentinels are extermination bots. There’s literally “Mutant Camps” In the Days of Future Past movie that are analogous to concentration camps. Whilst being a mutant has since evolved into an analogy for being part of the LGBT+ community, it started as an allegory for racism. And it was much MUCH better at it. Last I checked, Inhumans are now the new racism allegory, and even then, they’re still a better analogy than faunus. The reason why both of these are all more effective is because they don’t replace all racial minorities by being their stand-in. There are African Mutant (Storm), Native American Mutants (Moonstar), and even biracial Mutants (Darwin). So, Mutants are a multi-cultural fictional race that acts as a stand-in for a minority group in the Marvel Universe. See, this is what happens when you have good writers who are open to criticism.

Except the racism is UNDERSTANDABLE in X-Men since mutants ARE more dangerous than humans and some of the (like Rogue) can’t control their powers and thus are a danger no matter how you slice it whereas the Fanaus aren’t any dangerous than humans because they don’t significant enough advantages to overcome the human dominance so it’s just like racism here in our world: Stupid and irrational. So you’re basically saying it’s more rational to hate an innocent group of animal people that people who can control the weather, kill on touch or mindfuck everyone. COngrats, you have shown you have a bias against RWBY so your opinions mean jack shit.

Final Fantasy did the idea of dust better. It was called Materia, and it had a better explanation as to how it’s applied. Much like dust, it’s mined. Unlike dust, it’s explicitly stated to be magical in nature rather than the vague explanation we got for dust. dust is also weird in the sense that it’s kinda elemental. Materia also has a simpler categorization by just giving it five subcategories. Dust has to be classified under fire, ice, gravity, electric, stone, whatever Yang’s standard buckshots are, and so much more. It’s starting to get to the point that I wouldn’t be surprised if they started to be more direct in their rip-off and make Summon Dust. And it’s hard to even argue this because Monty Oum (God Rest His Soul) is a Final Fantasy fanboy (See: Dead Fantasy), so there’s no doubt that there would be some FF references every now and then. But the idea of Dust is too similar to be a coincidence. Even the claim of how similar the show is to Advent Children is rather hard to see any other way. Advent Children had very little plot to it, but had spectacular action scenes - sound familiar?

Yeah, of course it’s a rip off here! ...And in Storm Hawks...and Kingdom Hearts...And Pokémon-

Almost like this is a COMMON TROPE. Can’t really call it a rip off when everyone is doing it. Almost like you don’t know how tropes work.  Also, you don’t mention how Final Fantasy does it better: you just say they do. Probably because FInal Fanatsy=Not RWBy ergo better.

Legend of Korra did the whole “Girl Power” thing better. Considering that they also managed to portray PTSD in a much more realistic way, and didn’t romanticize it like RVVBY did. Korra had hallucinations, was clearly sleep-deprived, and struggled to keep up with even a few non-benders because of the trauma. Sure, LoK had its own issues (Like trying to keep up with its predecessor), but it still managed to hold its own. What does RVVBY do? - only ONE on-screen nightmare, and only ONE on-screen panic attack. The worst part is that we didn’t even NEED it to be on-screen. Just show Yang not wanting to sleep, or her waking up from nightmares. Even offhandedly mentioning that she’s having nightmares would have been better than nothing. But we get that nothing. Because making Yang get back to doing badass fighting moves is more important than giving her a good recovery arc.

OH Ho ho ho ho!

This is a fucking GOLD MINE!

A. RWBY was never touted as a Girl Power show: It just had female protagonists. Men were just as capable as women and it was clear from the first episode so this comparison doesn’t even count.

B. Oh korra. The one with a protagonist who was one trait away from being a full blown Mary Sue who disobeyed orders, stole food, caused property damaged, nearly committed murder, committed police assault and resisting arrest who gets off t6eh hook and is treated as in the right for doing all that. And that’s just the first episode, shall I go on to explain how Korra essentially harassed a guy and acting like an obsessive stalker despite him saying that he has a girlfriend and then kisses him despite this, hurting his innocent brother and gets rewarded for it, or how Korra barely practices Air bending (the ONE element she doesn’t aut know) but can magically airbend without using airbending techniques and having her bending TAKEN AWAY. Or how about Korra flipping outa t Mako, May Lin trying to arrest Tenzien’s wife and wrecking Airbending Island for getting dumped and that one Psycho girlfriend Waterbender is all treated as humerous and okay? Or that Asami was just basically eye candy in the first and second seasons? Or how the one main female villain seen as redeemable is the one who refused orders, forcibly recruited people, took advantage of the spirits, tried to kill her fiancé, sent people who didn’t agree with her to “reprogramming” camps, threatens the lives of her subordinates and tried to kill an entire city. It wasn't Amon who was implied to have severe hatred against benders due to his dad’s abuse. It couldn’t even be the fucking Red Lotus, the most human villians in the Avatar franchise since ZUKO: It was the female earthbender whose actions numerous times mirrored fucking Hitler.

Bottom Line: Even without TRYING to be a Girl Power show, RWBY is a BETTER Girl Power show than Korra.

C. The PTSD arc is the ONE thing Korra has above RWBY and it SHOULD be better because Korra has more time, more experience, more money, more people and in a medium that is more forgiving than RWBY’s. And even then, it’s BARELY better in terms of actual writing because it tries portraying Korra’s PTSD as an outside force, uses her Avatar State self as the representation when it makes no sense, she gets over it by herself despite her lesson being not to lock other people out, it came back with no indication, uses Zaheer out of nowhere and brings up smaller events that never eluded to extend the arc. It could have been fixed so easily by just having an imaginary Zaheer attacking her with kora being hesitant of airbending. I fucking fixed and I’m an inexperienced fanfic writer. All RWBY needs to do to be better is acknowledge it again: Something VERY likely due to RT’s history.

So far: We have one example that is out right wrong, one example that is too broad to do anything and doesn’t show jack shit and one example that is so wrong it helps ME absolutely.

SO what’s next?

And since it probably wouldn’t be me if I didn’t include this, here’s the one that some people are probably waiting for:

So you’re outright acknowledging bias against RWBY and for Storm Hawks because Nostalgia huh? Fine, I’ll cut you down HERE too.

Storm Hawks did the small amount of habitable land that needs to be protected by various teams of heroes first and better. Energy attacks have better justification for their appearance, and the fact that both Crystals and Dust are both gemstones with elemental properties that need to be mined and are integral to powering weapons and vehicles. Both shows have amazing transforming weapons, teams made up of various people with different skills, and incredible action scenes. They even had a spectacular superpower that manifested in one of their main characters after they were put in a tough situation. See my chart below for more detail.

Sky Knights : Huntsmen/Huntresses

Crystals : Dust

Squadrons : Huntsman Teams.

Atmos : Remnant

Talons/Raptors/Murk Raiders/Beasts : Grimm/WF

The Binding : Silver Eyes

... (points to the Final Fantasy point above)

So it’s perfectly okay for Storm Hawks to “rip off” Final Fanatsy but RWBY is bad for doing it?

Because these are all elements from Final Fantasy.

Not to mention since you DON’T explain why Storm Hawks does it better, all I have to do is point to the fact that Storm Hawks is canceled early and RWBY is a worldwide phenomon. Storm Hawks is at 7.2  whereas RWBY is at 8.3 , Storm Hawks had more time, more experience, more money, more people and the backing of Cartoon Network where RWBY doesn’t.

Dudeblade, this is why you go unnoticed by the writers, why all of you in RWDE tag go unnoticed: you do ANYTHING to tear down the show, whether or not it’s true. That and you suck so bad, I can do a better job than you.

Here, let me:

Harry Potter does the “school for special people” better because the school stays in focus for most of the show where we grow more and more attached to the setting and characters there and since the enemy is gradually shown more and more: he gain slightly more and more fear in a very smooth and natural way. And since the books take time with the enemies, we can keep track of the numerous characters easily. All unlike RWBy

Kill La Kill does the Girl Power aspect of the show better as the main cast is female, the show is driven by females and each character has their own unique set of strengths and weakness along with flaws they must overcome and deal with. It also tackles the idea of women being objectified and encourages women to take pride in who and what they are, ignoring how society sees them and think ofr themselves. Again, unlike RWBY would be.

Dragon Ball does the “Writing by the seat of your pants” style better than RWBY because Akira Toriyama was used to writing tis way and thus had more experience and even had a talent for writing this way which also made the series more suspenseful. Once more, unlike the CRWBY.

When I can do your job better and in less time: Might want to rethink what you are doing.

[gilgamemesh]

Heyo I found this old Umineko meme in my drafts and I think I typed these up in 2016 (so heads up some sentences are oddly phrased)? And it’s not all of them, but I figured I should upload at least the ones I had here. 

Day 01: Why did you start watching Umineko?

I remember seeing small bits and pieces when I was younger. Extremely well I remember the part where Chiesters kill everyone in the dinning room because after I saw that part I realized I really genuinely just love gore and that was actually how I became the disgusting gore fiend I am now. 

But yeah in general I got into Umineko because the OST was a real blast and I found the general aesthetic of the game really fascinating! And later when I learned it’s also a mystery story I REALLY wanted to start it because I really enjoy mystery genre even though I don’t consume it as much anymore as I used to at some point in life. I started the anime only after VN because I just wanted more seacats no matter the cost. 

Day 02: How did you start out with Umineko? Through the anime, the manga, or the VN?

I started with VN and then moved to manga, but in a way the OST was my first Umineko experience! 

Day 03: Do you read the VN, watch the anime, read the manga, or all three?

I’m done with VN and will finish mangas and the anime soon! 

Day 04: Which are your favourite battles between Beatrice and Battler?

Day 05: Which are your favourite scenes between the witches?

Day 06: Which are your favourite scenes in general? One from the VN, one from the anime and one from the manga.

I think my favourite scene from the VN is the love trial gun battle between Shannon and Kanon. I had already figured out the deeper meaning of the duel between them so I could already enjoy the emotional suffering of it. The music and scenes and overall just the combination of images, text and music was really impressive and I remember I got chills more than once. I also really, really love the Jessica vs. Ronove battle.

From manga I think it’s the confession chapters of episode 8 manga. They’re really impressive and strong chapters with so much raw emotion it left me with such a strong impression I consider it one of the most memorable chapters of any manga I have read. I also kinda cry every time I read it so there is that too. 

I really liked the scene where Shannon looked like she was flirting with Jessica 

Day 07: What do you like most about Umineko?

ALL? I honestly have hard time deciding because there are so many things in Umineko I really love. 

The way the women of this series are written is so good and the variety is amazing like we have women from age 6 to mid 90s here and the witches are in a category of their own! Someone once said that the way the women are written in a story actually determines the entire story’s worth and if that’s the case then this is a really good work (as it is).

The characters in general are honestly one of my favourite things because Ryukishi’s way of writing people of different ages and from different settings is really convincing and feels really realistic for me. Especially certain types of abuse shown are something I have seen and can relate to as I have seen and/or experienced similar in real life.

I also like the fantasy and mystery blending into one like sometimes (and I still do, actually) I feel like I’m reading multiple stories at the same time and in my head while I consider the Rokkenjima prime the truth of the human world but the witch side story is kind of a story on its own too. But those stories don’t exist in the same world, there is no room for more than one. For me, a reader, it’s multiple stories, but for the human characters... that’s another story. 

Day 08: What would you have changed about the anime/manga/VN if you had the ability to?

More Lion Ushiromiya please and thank you 

Day 09: What do you like about the Umineko fandom?

They reblog my art They are surprisingly active here on tumblr considering how long ago this series has already ended! I don’t do much with the fandom in general though so I can’t see much! I really appreciate all the essays and theories though

Day 10: What do you dislike about the Umineko fandom?

I feel like the opinions sometimes are really dramatically divided so that they’re either really offensive or too “shh shh you can’t talk about this it’s offending”? Like sometimes the middle ground with certain things and topics seems to be completely missing. You can talk about sensitive subjects without being TOO careful but also without being offending. It’s possible. Believe it or not. 

Day 11: Your favourite witch

I would be lying if I said it was someone other than Beatrice! Although I love and appreciate all the witches featured in the series, Beatrice has a special place in my heart for nostalgia reasons. As the most popular character of the series, she was one of the first characters I learned of and she kept popping up everywhere during a certain time in my life. I knew almost nothing about her honestly but for some reason I was really attracted to her design and the bits and pieces of little information I got of her personality and behavior. After playing the game I can tell I love her even more obviously, haha! 

Day 12: Your favourite Ushiromiya

ALL OF THEM but okay honestly if I really need to pick one I will just go with my pre-game-bias Lion! I actually used Lion as my ultimate motivation to start the game because they looked really fun + 15-year-old me apparently was interested in cosplaying Lion because we used to have a similar hair style, haha (as I’m typing this I’m already working on the cosplay btw). 

I also really love Battler and Jessica they’re both darlings and while I LOVE George and I’m always ready to defend him when he is being accused of things he didn’t do I just kinda like Battler and Jessica a little more (as Battler is really relatable and Jessica is the best girl(tm) )

Day 13: Your favourite couple

Eva and Hideyoshi honestly kill me but like, in a good way. I really, really liked their interactions and I was very positively surprised when I learned that despite an arranged marriage pretty much, the two of them seemed to very genuinely love and care about each other. And especially Eva often talked (along the lines of) how marriage is not just feelings but it’s something you and your partner work together on and make it grow as you bond and it kind of changed my view on marriage a little even though I was aware of this beforehand already. 

Day 14: Your favourite non-canon couple

*coughs at the general direction of Willion*

Their interactions are so fun I literally don’t care whether it’s romantic or platonic, I just enjoy seeing them together! 

Day 15: Your favourite character in general

Natsuhi / Lion / Jessica / all of Yasu is the way to go, I suppose? 

Day 16: Your least favourite witch

She is not my least favourite honestly I ADORE Featherine but I feel like her screen time was so small compared to the rest of the witches my brain prioritizes the other witches before her. But honestly she is so cool and I love her smug face so much and I wish there was more of her so I would learn to love her even more through canon interactions!! 

Day 17: Your least favourite Ushiromiya

Man idk Kinzo maybe? I understand he suffered on his own and had his own difficulties and probably (most likely) wasn’t mentally quite alright but I still have hard time dealing with what he did to the people around him. Kuwadorian Beatrice aside, he was still cruel to his other children too and I just can’t really deal with that. 

Day 18: Your least favourite couple

have you ever gone to pixiv and seen BattlerxNatsuhi and just quite frankly wanted to die 

Day 19: Your least favourite character in general

Day 20: Your most favourite song from Umineko (can be a vocal song, or a BGM)

BIRTH OF A NEW WITCH! I used to listen that song a LOT when I was younger and ironically suffering from many of the issues that were also more or less featured in Umineko. Whenever I listen to the song it makes me feel really powerful in a way haha but also sad because I remember listening it a lot while being extremely sad and lost with my life and myself. 

I also really love this version of Alive 

Day 21: A series that you feel is similiar to Umineko other than Higurashi and why

ACE ATTORNEY............. It’s the whole loose concept of arguments and murders and mysteries but also the sometimes incredible kind of humour and series of events that keep happening. That, and Phoenix Wright and Battler remind me of each other and it always makes me laugh. 

Day 22: Other 07th Expansion series that you like

Day 23: Post a picture of a Umineko cosplay you really like

Day 24: Explain the red truth, the golden truth and the blue truth in your own words.

Day 25: Could you have solved any of the mysteries Beatrice posed, personally?

I DOUBT THAT because I’m really bad with locked room things these days?? I used to be pretty good as younger because I was disgustingly into detective stories and the like but now I have gotten older and forgotten even the basic settings of how to build a locked room :’’’) 

I did figure out other things on my own though and I could give a human side explanation to some of the magic featured but yeah. I couldn’t have done it better than Battler at all. 

Day 26: A character you hate and love at the same time.

ERIKA she is such a nasty person but I also love her so much and I find both her and her writing very interesting. I would absolutely never get along with a person like her (especially because we share a lot of negative traits) but she is so good as a character and worthy of my adoration < 3 

Day 27: A crossover with Umineko that you’d like to see? (No Higurashi, please.)

Umineko x Fate??? I can’t believe Kinzo Ushiromiya started the holy grail war and forced his relatives to take part. 

Okay but really I have no idea how it would work honestly but it would be exciting probably because both Fate and Umineko are my main fandoms and subjects of endless love and adoration xoxo

Day 28: Witches vs Humans, which side do you take?

OKAY LISTEN I was asked this question multiple of times before and during the game and at FIRST I picked the witch side. Because, like, it somehow feels more “right” to me in a way I can’t explain. But having gone through Umineko now, I don’t think I can choose a side. I think everything is more exciting if you can balance between the two sides instead of taking just one. 

Day 29: Do you believe that Yasu is the culprit? Why?

culprit [kuhl-prit] noun 1. a person or other agent guilty of or responsible for an offense or fault. 2. a person arraigned for an offense

Going with this definition yes, Yasu was the culprit. But Yasu was not the only culprit, and Yasu in Prime didn’t end up being the one who did the actual killing. As she said in the rules, if someone solves the riddle she will give up on her murder deed.  

Yasu is the culprit and the one who even ended up aiding Kyrie by placing the guns on the table and predicting what would happen, but she is not the one who actually killed the others. It was a decision from Kyrie’s part to carry on with the murder plan. Yasu would be punished too if put on a trial but Kyrie would most definitely, along with Rudolf, receive a bigger sentence than Yasu. 

Day 30: A phrase you find most memorable from the series (Anime, Manga or VN).

“And everyone was there. Everyone, everyone, everyone.”

When I read those words I legitimately started crying. I just suddenly started crying and kept going for like five minutes with my face absolutely covered in tears. I was smiling so hard but at the same time crying so much. Umineko was such an intense ride for me and I could see myself and my life situation in many of the events portrayed and finally coming to the end of the long journey made me feel like I had changed somehow and I had to let the old feelings out in order to have room for the new, better feelings.  

“I can hear us howling in pain”

Like I said earlier, the confession chapters in EP8 manga are one of my favourites due the emotional impact of them. We get to see Yasu’s inner struggle 

[segadores-y-soldados]

Thinking Globally: Chu’s presentation at GDC 2017

http://www.gdcvault.com/play/1024266/Thinking-Globally-Building-the-Optimistic @kerrigore pointed me in the direction of this and said that I should watch this presentation.  I must say, it was well-worth my time: it’s a little bit over an hour long, but Michael Chu goes into an interesting discussion on three main things:

Creating the world and background setting of Overwatch

Developing the characters and their personalities from their gameplay mechanics

Translating 1 and 2 into the game, comics, animations, and videos (”how we tied it all together in one crazy team-up story”)

I think I’m gonna end up making separate posts on the different parts that stick out the most to me but for some interesting sound bites:

Chu outlined the major “guiding principles” of the entire development team’s process: 1) make it “a future worth fighting for,” 2) “focus on heroes...lots of heroes,” 3) “context in game, story outside.”  Number 1 is focusing on an idealized sort of future that is both realistic (grounded in the real world) and sci-fi based (based on sci-fi technologies).  He said that the team wanted a vision of the Earth that was not “unobtainable” as many sci-fi stories are (aka set “two-thousan years in the future”), but they didn’t want the “gritty, dark” versions of present day Earth that many other video games present.  So they settled on something more halfway (”60 years in the future”).

“Trust your audience” - this one was interesting because Chu said this was the rationale behind why the team presents its story as they do.  He argues that “trusting your audience” to solve the mysteries is more rewarding and engaging than just handing out the lore when the game launches.  While I agree with the principle of the idea (trusting your audience to be smart and witty enough to put pieces together), I don’t fully agree with Blizzard’s current methods for releasing lore, especially the pace at which it is released.  There’s “trusting your audience” and then “leaving them hanging.”

Simplicity - split a complex (mechanics-wise) hero into multiple, simpler (mechanics) heroes.  This is pretty obvious given the fact that the original Reaper had Junkrat’s frag launcher in the Museum Heist short.

“Firm” Science Fiction - the world of Overwatch sits inbetween “soft sci-fi” and “hard sci-fi” with a psuedo-“firm sci-fi.”  This means giving things cool, but easy-to-understand names and mechanics, but not working out the technological details (aka, you’re never gonna get an explanation for how Hard Light works).

Diversity - Chu says that the team is committed to making a diverse cast of characters.  The team understands that “nationality alone is not the same thing as diversity” and that “each character is a combination of traits people identify with.”  

What Makes a Hero - Abilities, Personality, Backstory, Challenges/Goals, Nationality, Relationships, Voice.  IMO, the last one is very, VERY interesting, considering how influential some of the voice actors and actresses have become in the fandom.

Relationships - Chu specifically talks about the relationship between Fareeha and Ana, as well as Fareeha’s inspirations from “her world around her” (other heroes, in particular Reinhardt, her idealism, her sense of justice, etc).  He shows the picture of Fareeha at dinner with an older man from the Reflections comic, while saying that “I don’t just mean romantic relationships - you take a character like Pharah.  She’s defined by her relationships with her family (cuts to pictures of the Strike team + young Fareeha + young Angela + young Jesse, and picture from Reflections), particularly from her mother, Ana.”

7, continued: “She also has an awesome relationship with Reinhardt... She’s much better at ice-fishing than he is.”

HERE’S THE ONE MY FOLLOWERS WANT: (34 minutes) Cuts to a picture of the Old Soldiers - Gabriel, Jack, and Ana - the one that is dropped at the end of the Old Soldier comic and which Jack looks at in the Uprising comic.  “And then I’d like to talk about one of my favorite relationships in the Overwatch universe, which is the one between Gabriel Reyes - now Reaper - Jack Morrison - now Soldier: 76 - and Ana Amari.  Cause it’s a story about power, friendship, and how a changing world can bring people together and split them apart.  It’s a relationship that defines the story of Overwatch, and how Overwatch grew as an organization, and even now today, what they’re all now up to is important to driving forward the current story of the game.  And what I really like about it is that it’s a deep, complex relationship that’s not necessarily only driven by romance, and it highlights how different people can see and experience different events, which brings me to... (changes slide to Sombra with the caption of “Perspective”) Perspective.”

9, continued: alright.  So it’s not “a lot.”  But seriously.  Please watch the segment.  I might be nitpicking words and intentions here, but considering that: 1) Chu emphasizes Fareeha’s relationship with Ana and Reinhardt literally seconds before he switches to the Old Soldiers trio, 2) Chu has retweeted lowkey Anahardt content on his twitter, and 3) “it’s a deep, complex relationship that’s not necessarily only driven by romance” all seem to indicate, however subtly, that Ana is NOT the romantic interest of either Gabriel or Jack.  In any other “similar situation” (two male friends/rivals, one “strong, single female character”) the outcome would be a given - the female character would eventually “choose” a romantic partner and the rejected male character would...ostensibly “go bad.”  In fact, Old Soldiers almost seems to imply that’s what happens - Ana “takes Jack’s side” in the fight between Reaper and Soldier: 76, but the interesting thing is that Reaper is not mad about him losing her, but rather remains mad that “he did this to me.  They left me to become this thing.” (emphasis from comic itself).

9, continued: also important is the idea that “different people can see and experience different events” and how that shapes their perspectives of the world.  Which like: http://segadores-y-soldados.tumblr.com/post/159512959195/alright-so-the-subject-of-ana-being-the-source-of   This particular post talks about.  More specifically, it talks about how these exact three characters can potentially have three extremely different interpretations of the exact same event (Ana’s “death”) and how this might have contributed to the fall out between Gabriel and Jack.

Immediately following the Old Soldiers discussion: “One of the things that we really like doing with Overwatch is playing with perspective.  We utilize perspective when we tell stories about what characters are thinking, what their goals are - and we have a lot of unreliable narrators.”  This is...a very big deal.  I think many of us in the fandom knew each character had a unique perspective on shared events, but this confirms that Blizzard is 100% aware of how they are conveying characters, the character’s motivations, their goals, their flaws, etc.  “We want people to pay careful attention to what characters think about in particular situations.”  Please, see Point 11 again.  “When [Sombra] is telling you something, she’s serving her own ends too.”  Soldier: 76 - “You can take a character like Soldier: 76 - like obviously, he has this mission that he’s on, that he believes is good (Chu’s emphasis), he seems to be willing to sometimes do things which are...maybe not super heroic, and so it makes him complicated.”

Junkrat and Roadhog: Chu has a great section on their two characters, and how they have been affected by their lives and perspectives.

Villains: “What’s important to us is that their motivations are not purely rooted in being evil, despite how they might seem on the surface.  As we reveal more about these characters, we want people to be able to empathize and understand their beliefs.  Because sometimes what makes a villain a villain is the extent to which they’re willing to go to reach their goals.  And one thing that we find most important (Chu’s emphasis) when we’re talking about our villain characters is that there is nothing (Chu’s emphasis) to say that a villain cannot be as charismatic or more (Chu’s emphasis) charismatic or as likeable as a hero character - because, like the old saying goes, ‘every villain is the hero of their own story.’” (Gee I wonder who this section was about)

Character dialogue spectrum: Chu shows a spectrum of characters while discussing their dialogue style.  Ranges from "exaggerate/silly” to “military/serious.”  From Exaggerated/silly over it goes: Junkrat, D.Va, Mei, Zenyatta (middle), Ana, Reaper, Pharah, Soldier: 76.

Timeline: Chu gives a (not detailed) rough timeline of the lore, including where the comics are placed.  

Tracer: the very last thing Chu talks about is Lena Oxton/Tracer.  And for my followers who are feeling concerned about the fact that Blizzard revealed Lena is lesbian/wlw but hasn’t done anything since, I would like to encourage you to watch the end of the presentation.  Chu talks about the team’s commitment to gender and sexuality diversity in the game’s cast, and how Lena represents their starting point for this - that she is a hero we can all aspire to be, and that she has a girlfriend at the same time.  On twitter, Chu has been very public about his support of Korra/Asami, and how excited he is for the next Avatar comic to come out.

Tracer, continued: “From early on, Overwatch has been committed to diversity of all sorts - not just nationality and gender and body type, but also sexuality.”  This, along with their repeated statements that more LGBT+ characters will be confirmed in due time, does give me some small hope that we will see 1) more of Emily (much like with Brigitte, I suspect Emily will show up, but it will take time to see her), and 2) more LGBT+ characters will be revealed or confirmed. 

“What we have always striven to do with the Overwatch universe is to make diversity seem like the fabric of the world, as it is in our world.”  Chu’s commitment to this statement can be found in the Uprising dialogue, both in the game and in the comic, in with Lena plays a major role.  In the comic, she helps convince Commander Morrison to “do the right thing” and send in the Strike Team to rescue the hostages, and in the game mode, she is the fun, cheerful, focused voice of optimism compared to the other more cautionary members.  

Again, I would highly encourage everyone to watch some or all of the presentation.  Super interesting, very thought-provoking.  While I don’t totally love Blizzard’s approach to handling and releasing the story of Overwatch, I do respect and appreciate the perspectives behind the building of it.  Many of Chu’s principles to world-building, character-development, and story-telling are similar to my own (and @kerrigore, who feels the same way about his approach to storytelling).  

[dragimal]

Your tags on that RWBY post fucking summarize all of my thoughts on RWBY Jesus Christ. I mean, I appreciate the show and the work that people put into it, but it's so flawed. It just drives me nuts when people blindly follow it because of its RT ties. I like RWBY but I will gladly point out what's wrong with it AND still find a way to like it. (Also, why the fuck are people bustin a nut for the figures, they're really ugly I think 🙈)

LMAO I’m glad someone else considers it more of a guilty pleasure show! it’s a fun show and I do love to learn more abt the RWBY world, but I just can’t find it in myself to get -super- invested in it b/c of those problems w/ plot, overused tropes, etc. like I honestly can’t even call it a ‘good’ show, all I can say w/ 100% truth is that it’s fun/entertaining. but is that entertainment from intense plotlines, gripping dialogue, or developed character arcs? not… rly..?… (in fact, I’ve cringed at character dialogue on a number of occasions lmao)

and it’s kinda sad b/c there ARE super interesting ideas there (the weapons, Grimm, and the like), but there are just so many other things that don’t have explanation (IE- faunus), or they don’t have any parameters (IE- semblance). and y’know these things COULD be forgivable in a different show w/ a better handle on plot development and all, but as it is they’re pretty distracting

even Grimm, an element of the world I find interesting, always seem so vague. it just feels like there’s a lost opportunity there for more interesting eldritch/psychological horror, or even ethical implications if Grimm do have some sort of sentience/awareness

I already slightly ranted abt how faunus are a boring excuse for a humanoid species, but I srsly just gotta get a lil’ more off my chest abt them b/c oh my god. it may be nit-picky of me to get into evolutionary feasibility here, but I’m a bio major w/ an interest in realistic creature design, so it’s kinda my thing. there are just no parameters for what nonhuman traits faunus have, they’ve got all KINDS of species and it’s just so frustrating b/c like? ram horns wouldn’t be useful on a human b/c the rest of our bodies aren’t built to handle skull/spine impact like ram bodies are? monkey tails (or paper-thin feather boas, in RWBY’s case) wouldn’t be useful b/c our spines/hips aren’t built to handle the force of hanging, nor are they structured to allow us easy crouching/climbing (our ancestors may have been arboreal, but we’re upright nowadays for a reason). why do ALL faunus have good night vision– not every animal is nocturnal and relies on good night vision. and, most importantly, what the FUCK is up with the ears? why are there two sets? are we expected to believe that there are two sets of ear canals, or are the nonhuman ears just for display? display for WHAT tho? nothing abt faunus makes sense if you think about the fact that nonhuman parts only work ON THE ANIMAL THEY EVOLVED FOR. I know the design team was prolly goin for the “cat girl trope” but with a twist, but the twist is even more convoluted than the original trope

and don’t even get me STARTED on how the “racial tension” was handled here. I’m not gonna get into the obvious parallels w/ human racism, b/c it’s not my place (tho I def think that angle could have been handled a lot better). let me just say as someone intensely interested in both animal rights and ethology, I don’t appreciate the whole, “we’re not animals!!” rhetoric. like…. we’re all animals… humans are animals… faunus are MULTIPLE animals… get tf over urselves and don’t put down other species just to build urselves up…

it’s also a big pet peeve of mine when magic/powers don’t have some sort of “quantifiable” explanation– some restrictions that let me know what the magic is, how it works, and what specific powers/properties are possible within those magical constraints. it’s part of the reason I’m usually not big on superhero stories b/c super powers could be literally anything without any restrictions (which is, ironically, pretty boring), and that’s what I get from RWBY’s semblance. I’m kinda behind on the show right now, so idk if this is delved into later on, but I super don’t get why Ruby’s time-freezing power is considered so novel when literally every other conceivable power also exists SOMEWHERE in the world. like, sure, it’s powerful, but I don’t see why it’s so ground-breaking, y’know?

AND ONE MORE THING I’d REALLY SUPER APPRECIATE more practical clothes for the gals. like I know some of the guys have some impractical outfit choices too, but it’s just so much more for the girls. like are girls even allowed to wear pants in that universe or what? and I guess I could complain abt the same-face/same-body character models (at least guys vs. girls), but I’m not familiar w/ animation restrictions here so I’ll just leave that alone. still real boring and mildly irritating to see tho, esp when I just want to see some diversity (and less cisgender-stereotype bodies, but that’s already too much to ask from most big-time shows, much less internet-based shows so I can’t rly expect much here… I just WANT it……..)

LMAO SORRY I RANTED I JUST NEEDED TO VENT A LIL’. I rly do love the show, it’s just… it could be SO MUCH MORE y’know?

as for the figures, yeahhhhh they’ve never seemed quite right to me. the poseable Ruby at least looks nice, but the static figures are uh… a little off…

[datingadviceonreddit]

These are my own, subjective views as a 32 year old man who has dated a fair number of women that I met online and offline. I am not an expert. These are merely my own subjective and flawed thoughts. If I am lucky 20% of this will be correct and 80% will be bullshit. However, I am a realist, so it is likely that less than 20% will be correct.First and most important, men of Reddit, learn how to take rejection well. Taking rejection well means learn how to take rejection politely and graciously. It does not mean yelling or insulting the woman for saying she isn't interested in you, ghosting you, or if she stops talking. Relationships and conversations are a voluntary activity between 2 people. Either one has the right to end the conversation at any time for any reason whatsoever. The person you are speaking to doesn't owe you a reason why they won't talk to you, stopped talking to you, or are not longer interested.People are complicated and have multiple concerns and anxieties on their minds other than your conversation. Men, in the same way that you may complain if your significant other is constantly calling or texting at work so that you cannot get your work done, guess what? It is 2020 women have jobs, rent, mortgages, kids, pets, family, and their own friends to worry about. That says nothing of the fact that there is a literal plague going on. We all have a million problems and responsibilities to care for. And when the shit hits the fan, people have to care for their priorities first before getting to you. When there are Zombies at the door, your priority isn't your Tinder profile, it is brace the door, board up the windows and get everyone to a safe position, not why hasn't that girl texted me back? Women are dealing with the same problems as you and likely others you don't know about. Therefore, many times when a woman stops talking to you, it has nothing to do with you personally, assume she is just overwhelmed with her version of Zombies at her door and give her a break. She already has enough to deal with besides your fragile ego.Even if she sincerely isn't interested, be polite, shake hands, and move on. With the endless options on social media and dating apps, we all have plenty of people to talk to and date. Dating is a numbers game. There are roughly 3.5 billion women on the planet. Just because one particular girl doesn't find you attractive does not mean ALL WOMEN find you unattractive. You are wasting time yelling at or insulting a woman who isn't interested in you. She has a right not to like you. Move on and find someone who does. The ability to take rejection well says a lot about your character and will make you stand out.Both women and men, coffee isn't a marriage proposal. Another piece of what will seem like obvious advice. There is no "the One." There is merely the "One" right now.I have had 3 serious romantic relationships. One lasted 6 months, and 2 lasted 4 years each. With all three at one time I was convinced I would spend the rest of my life with them. It didn't work out. None of them were bad people. No one cheated. Our priorities changed. First one we broke up because she got a job after graduating college in another state and didn't want to do long distance. Second one, I got into graduate school in another state and tried to continue the relationship long distance. It died a slow death as our lives drifted apart. The third just ended. My most recent ex and I broke up because after getting paid minimum wage and taking shit for 5 years as a nurse's aid, taking the MCAT multiple times, volunteering for Americorps, and working for the Health Department, she finally got into medical school. My most recent ex girlfriend has wanted to be a doctor since she was 8 years old. I learned my lesson from graduate school. Relationships are very challenging to maintain in graduate, medical, or law school. I didn't want to stand in her way, so we agreed to break up before she starts classes this summer.There are no wasted experiences. I do not regret dating my ex girlfriends. Each one made me a better person in one way or another. This is why I find the "One" myth so problematic that there is a single perfect person for each of us. I had my three serious relationships from ages 22-32. At the time I dated each one of the 3, I thought she was the "One." All three women are entirely different in terms of values, ideals, lifestyle, interests, looks, and personality. Why is that? Because from 22-32 my personal values, goals, and beliefs changed. That is normal.Each relationship taught me something about myself and what truly mattered to me in a life partner. Each relationship taught me how to communicate better with a romantic partner and balance her needs with my own responsibilities. I became less stubborn and irritable and more patient aa I learned what things really mattered and which things it was ok to compromise or agree to disagree.I truly feel this is not valued enough in our world of endless options via dating apps and social media, the value of dating multiple kinds of people. The accessibility of the internet along with the idea that each person has a "one" who will meet all the needs in our heart of hearts gives us the illusion that all we have to do is fill out a dating profile of our likes and dislikes and wait for that perfect person to come along while eliminating those that don't fit all of our criteria.Here is what I have found. People are pretty awful at knowing what they want deciding what they need. First of all the odds of finding a person that perfectly fits your list of likes and dislikes is dismal. Second, just because you think you want those traits in a partner does not mean that if you find a person with those traits that you will actually be compatible. How many times has a friend or a family member talked you into trying a restaurant you thought you would hate or watch a movie or TV show you thought you would despise only for you to be surprised and realise that the thing you thought you would hate you actually love?In my experience, people tend to work the same way. More times than I can count, I have randomly met someone who if I saw them on Tinder I would have dismissed without a second thought only for them to turn out to be a great friend with benefits, life long friend, or a significant other. Everyone has their own values, and I do not advocate compromising your ethics, religion, morals, or safety for the sake of keeping an open mind. You need to stay true to yourself. However, the older I have gotten the more I have realised that it is often the people you would LEAST expect that become people who will support you or stick by you for your entire life and won't abandon you when things get hard. Likewise, oftentimes the people who seem fantastic on paper when I finally meet them, I cannot stand them.I can think of one person in particular, an anacquaintance, who shares all of my ideals, values, and interests. We hate each other.What is my point? I have watched my friends talk to multiple people on dating apps and social media for months or years and never go on a single date in person. When I ask them why they never go out with any of these people they tell me either that they don't meet all of their requirements or they are lousy at chatting online. Plenty of people prefer meeting someone in person or over Skype to endless text chats. Just because they don't like to text doesn't mean they are bad people. Also as I have said, we each have our personal likes and dislikes. Some are dealbreakers some are not. The only way to know which are dealbreakers is to meet people in real life. That is how you determine your true priorities in a romantic partner.Waiting around for the perfect person is self defeating since you will likely never find someone that checks every single one of your boxes. Therefore, you have to decide which are most important. You can only learn that by dating many many different types of people.What is the solution? Date more casually and don't take rejection personally. A date isn't a marriage proposal. Stop worrying about whether someone is your life partner based on their chat, text, or online dating profile. Go out there and meet all different kinds of people. You will never regret the experiences you have and the things you can learn if you out yourself out there. Each of those experiences will make you a more interesting' confident stronger and more compassionate romantic partner. If they meet your minimum requirements, take a chance and have coffee. It's just coffee. Not marriage. You can leave at any time. If it doesn't work out, be polite, say thank you, and you still learned something. All you lost was an hour of your time. via /r/dating_advice