#deeply problematic.

[artbyblastweave]

Funniest thing I've seen recently, and not funny in a ha-ha way, more funny in a "the endless entropic void gnawing at my will to live" way, was somebody asking around for alternatives to Neil Gaiman, in the light of Neil Gaiman's ongoing fall from grace. As though what we're currently sitting through isn't the collapse of the carefully curated "Good Guy Neil" image that caused people to parade Gaiman as the same kind of preferred progressive alternative to, say, Rowling. As though we won't be in the same goddamn situation in a few years or months, with some number of the new progressive sci-fi/fantasy darlings- not all of them, to be clear, but at least some of them- when their impeccably-curated marketing implodes in on itself and they're revealed to be the same kind of sex pest or abuser. Can you not see the wheel to which you are strapped. The game of human pinball you are condemning yourself to with this mindset. Maybe you do see, and you're just resigned to taking it one soul-crushing disappointment at a time, one "I never would have guessed" after another. I mean I think we all need to get resigned to that one way or another, sun's gonna go out before it stops happening

[carlitosalcaritos]

your fave is problematic - Jannik Sinner edition

- resting bitch face

- ends interviews when he wants (‘that’s it’)

- broke the Rod Laver Arena with a serve

- has beef with his white blood cells (sickly Victorian child)

- can’t decide between Carlos Alcaraz and Jack Draper

- fake Italian accusations (ginger)

- can’t hit a drop shot to save his life

- living in Nick Kyrgios’s head rent free (unbothered, moisturised, in his own lane)

- can’t open champagne bottles

- biggest weakness is the sun (ginger)

- has a personal vendetta against Alex de Minaur (9-0 H2H)

[lokijiro]

It kind of gets me that when Loki tells him that Frigga has forbidden his return, Thor instantly believes it, and Loki knew that he'd believe it. (And Thor is so quick to tell Loki "Why don't you tell her how you tried to kill me and my friends?" after he rushes back to Asgard. It screams "Look what your precious baby has been up to, Mother.")

In contrast, Loki shows zero surprise when Frigga finds him and reaches to him via astral projection in the prelude comic, and the fact that she keeps doting on him after his return seems to be taken for granted. (And Thor is annoyed by that, but not surprised.)

There's no way in hell that Frigga would have ever forbidden Thor to return to Asgard. But there are issues if Thor can so easily believe that she would forsake him if he made a mistake (whereas the thought of being abandoned by his mother never even crosses Loki's mind). He believes that Loki is the one who has their mother's unconditional love while he has her "trust".

Those would have been such interesting issues to explore. Instead, they decided to just kill Frigga.

[bruhstation]

can you people be fucking normal when talking about skarloey123

[istadris]

Yes Enemies to Lovers.

Yes "Enemies" as in "I would destroy you and everything you hold dear in a way viciously intimate".

Yes "To" as in "I hate you and love you, and yet once it was worse because I didn't know you"

Yes "Lovers" as in "any sane person in such a relationship should and would run away".

Yes Ennemies as the essential component, because else it's just a normal romance.

Yes Lovers as the essential component, because else it's just someone trying to kill a random person.

Yes Enemies AND Lovers at the same time. Kiss with a fist energy. Biting you with the intent to draw blood then gently licking it clean. Holding you tight in my arms then mauling you by kicking like a cat.

Yes ENNEMIES TO lovers. Somewhere along the way I've grown addicted to your violence and we keep coming back to each other because no one else knows me as well as you do.

Yes ennemies TO LOVERS. There's such an ugly history between us, it taints our sweet moments with a bitter taste, and yet somehow fondness has grown over our hatred, like moss and flowers over wasteland.

Yes Ennemies to Lovers with a happy ending, but half of the world thinks we're insane for turning our back to our principles.

Yes Ennemies to Lovers with a sad ending. I gave up all my life's work, my ethics, my dignity, my life, just for a chance at happiness with you.

Yes Ennemies to Lovers. I am your Hero's heinous sin and triumph, I am your Villain's shameful weakness and redemption.

Yes Ennemies to Lovers. The sex is amazing, thanks for asking.

[pip3dream]

oh what i’d give to be a Fox.

[indeliblemarking]

jackie could be self centered and she was possessive and unaware of how certain things she said could be hurtful, even if unintentional. However, i think people take shauna’s rant in their fight before her death and apply that to scenes she has with shauna where it’s not applicable? jackie wasn’t perfect but she ultimately was kind and cared deeply about shauna. writing her actions off as simply being a shitty friend isn’t nuanced either she was just a teenager in a codependent friendship. and so was shauna for the most part.

things would blow up regardless because that’s not Healthy but the way jackie and shauna treated one another in the end wasn’t on the same level. shauna was self-destructive and even in the wilderness refused to communicate when jackie gave her every chance. she instead chose to (pre crash) sleep with jeff and then blame shift and insult jackie. and they were kids in an awful situation don’t get me wrong but i think sometimes jackieshauna shippers talk around it or act like they were on the same level when they weren’t. it doesn’t mean shauna was irredeemable in that moment or that she’d never deserve jackie’s forgiveness but it’s the truth and that’s part of the tragedy. it’s also part of the thematic “death is the kindest way to lose someone”.

[grumpchump]

when he doesn't immediately fall in love with you after you're really mean to him and constantly antagonize him and make his life harder in every way you conceivably can

[my-name-is-apollo]

I know Ares being Zeus' least favorite child is a popular interpretation, but I think it's interesting that Callimachus' hymn says otherwise:

And thou didst not tremble before the anger of Hera, who murmured terribly against all child-bearing women that bare children to Zeus, but especially against Leto, for that she only was to bear to Zeus a son dearer even than Ares.

– Callimachus, Hymn to Delos (trans. A.W Mair)

Only Leto would bear a son who would be dearer to Zeus than Ares is. Which means that the sons that other women bore were not as dear to Zeus as Ares is, if I'm interpreting this correctly. It's honestly kinda fascinating.

[2stepadmiral]

Maybe sort of a hot take? Satine Kryze was a terrible leader and kind of a petty tyrant. Like, look at what she actually did and how she did it and what the consequences were:

She committed effective cultural genocide against her own people by eviscerating a millennia-old culture/creed/tradition/religion, removing the at least 80% of it that she didn’t like and demanded that everyone else adapt it

Those who refused to relinquish their ancestral ways were exiled from their homeworld and even robbed of their cultural identity when she claimed that anyone who still practiced the warrior ways were not true Mandalorians

By enforcing this ‘my way or the highway’ policy, she created the environment where Pre Vizsla could form Death Watch and recruit all the followers he had out of the disillusioned she had branded as outcasts

By enforcing her strict pacifism, she disarmed her people and even her security forces, leaving the planet defenseless against both Death Watch and the Shadow Collective (imagine if the Yuuzhan Vong had invaded during this period)

Publicly belittled and insulted a high profile General in the Grand Army of the Republic/ Master and Council member of the Jedi Order in front of a number of Senators and her courtiers because he dared to point out that the Separatists might not let her remain neutral

Publicly stated that she didn’t want Jedi security present when traveling with a retinue of Republic Senators in the midst of a terrorism crisis that she was the main target of, in front of a number of people who would have been put at risk had she gotten her way

When Obi Wan pointed out that the Senators and likely her courtiers had requested Jedi security due to concerns for their own safety that she had disregarded, rather than acknowledging her thoughtlessness, she again insulted Obi-Wan and provoked an argument that she aggravated into a bickering session while Obi Wan tried and gradually failed at keeping civil

She seceded her world from the Republic rather than allow the slightest impression that she endorsed the Clone War (never mind that Alderaan and Naboo were prominent members of the Senate that opposed war and actively worked to end it peacefully and quickly without seceding), which forfeited the government aid Mandalore needed to survive in its damaged state and led directly to Prime Minister Almec having to use the black market just to keep the people fed

And in the end, all she accomplished was a maybe fifteen-twenty year period of relative peace before civil war broke out again, Maul took charge, the Empire forced fifteen years of relative obedience, and ultimately the planet was bombed and the Mandalorian people were decimated. The role of a good ruler or leader is to do what is best for your people, even if it’s contrary to your own preferences or interests, and Satine consistently made her own beliefs the order of the day, enforced from the top down. Had she moderated her approach, maybe tried to redirect the warrior tendencies into galactic peacekeeping, or advocated for a warrior second, hardworking builder/farmer/pilot/tradesmen helping to rebuild Mandalore first (sort of what Boba Fett did as Mand’a’lor in the EU), despite her personal disdain for violence and warfare, she could have been one of the greatest Mandalorian leaders who affected real change. Instead, she allowed her personal priorities to be the priorities of her regime and the guiding principle of her tyranny.

[utilitycaster]

re that post about the warping of valid discussion into something really stupid from last night, obviously that's about real life but I think as with many things it's helpful to use the same analysis for fandom contexts. To use the same pattern:

"Misogyny is a huge problem IRL and in fandom" absolutely true

"If a character is a mother, people tend to judge her primarily on that basis and not as a complete person who exists outside of the context of motherhood" also extremely true

"it's misogynist to dislike a specific character who happens to be a mother" you have to provide some more analysis if you want to make an argument, otherwise you're just kind of like, the equivalent of a toddler putting their hands over their eyes and thinking people can't see you; also you better have a perfect track record of stanning characters who are mothers yourself if a single character can make or break this.

[someonehasstolenmybrain]

[carlitosalcaritos]

your fave is problematic - Carlos Alcaraz edition

- hasn’t won the career Grand Slam even though he’s basically a tour veteran at 21 years old (come on Carlos sort it out)

- regular abuser of the elderly (Wimbledon final 2024)

- in a bizarre love triangle with Jannik Sinner and Jack Draper

- randomly forgets he’s won four grand slams in the middle of matches and engages in a bit of mid-match fuckery

- made us all suffer through commentators trying to pronounce Botic van de Zandschulp (USO 2024)

- scared of insects (#BeeGate)

- still goes back to Victor Barber even though last time he had his hair cut the entire tennis community had a breakdown

- obsessed with this one Louis Vuitton polo shirt (fashion game weak)

- always smiling even if he’s giving fans heart attacks (have some compassion Carlos)

[loquarocoeur]

I NEEEEEEED YOUR LANDOSCAR FIC PLEASE MAKE SOMETHING....🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏

I can't write landoscar when they're winning all the time, something about it makes me lose all ability to see them as the losers they need to be in my fics, and that's a problem nobody can solve for me, the only option is perhaps to wait for the mclaren recession again

[crookshanks23]

Having a moment where I can't stop thinking about Steel. Brennan made some comments during the fireside chat that are making me think hard about what she does and does not know. And her role in the greater working of the Citadel.

Hmmm...

Off to go relisten to all of their interactions with her. Will report back when I can get my thoughts together.

[thefastestclockintheuniverse]

Oh they're exploring this "Dark Carnival"-esque place, how cute - oh haha a horse tornado merry-go-round, I bet Vriska doesn't vibe with that given her track record with horses - wait is that? Are you fucking serious??

Computer. *Deep sigh of exasperation* Enhance.

God damn it.