#standards of performance

[ckret2]

Extremelly funny if aku discovered she was a woman due to the Jill incident

I think it should just keep on happening!

doing drag for the bit* until you realize it isn't a bit anymore

*vexing and plaguing the accursed samurai

cute humansonas aside, if aku decided to be female i don't think she'd change anything about her default demon appearance. like, what's feminine to a tree made out of evil sludge that may or may not contain the imprisoned souls of countless helpless mortals?

maybe she'd lose the beard. but otherwise she's already a flawlessly beautiful specimen of eternal evil, what could possibly be improved??

so it might end up being just,

[diazmaximoff]

I adore Joel/Pedro so much but it’s always fascinating how differently people treat male and female characters when it comes to trauma and emotional expression. Joel can make so many morally questionable choices and a lot of fans are quick to defend or empathize with him because of his painful past. But when Ellie makes decisions based on her own trauma or breaks down emotionally, she’s often labeled as unlikeable or “too much".

This double standard seems to show up in how performances are judged too. Pedro Pascal can cry on screen and be praised for being tender and vulnerable (I mean, who can say no to that puppy face, right?). Meanwhile, Bella Ramsey shows the same raw emotion but gets mocked for their appearance or accused of bad acting, when their emotional scenes were just as powerful and honest as Pedro’s, evoking just as much pain.

Throughout episode 6, it’s shown time and time again how Ellie is dealing with survivor’s guilt and has a bit of suicidal idealization after her experiences last season. She saw all the people close to her die or abandon her, was almost s*xually abused by a creep, and had two adults she trusted basically decide things for her without having the balls to ask her how she feels. All of this comes through when she says, "Then I was supposed to die! That was my purpose. My life would've fucking mattered but you took that from me." She was even willing to try to forgive Joel for keeping her in the dark about the Fireflies for so many years but she still doesn’t get nearly as much love as he does. Why? Because she’s not tender enough about her feelings and is 'such a crybaby'. But like realistically, who wouldn't be a crybaby in her place!??

This pattern makes it harder for complex female characters to be accepted in mainstream media because audiences continue to dismiss their emotions as dramatics. It’s a bias that really needs to be examined more closely in my opinion.

[nostalgebraist]

I was going through some old papers at my dad's house today and found this shitpost of a school assignment I was apparently given in 4th grade

[littlebittyhollowbugs]

Really love how the fandom decided that post-canon Hollow is skilled at and enjoys cooking/baking

I see this hc all over the place (I've adopted it myself!) And It's honestly adorable

[larkwinged]

𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐄𝐌𝐈𝐒 𝐅. 、𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐃𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐖𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐊𝐍𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓

PROFILE. a self-righteous knight who is too willing to throw their life away, and too eager to charge into battle. underneath their stubborn exterior, they are riddled with the pressure of upholding a family title that has long been lost to time.

FULL NAME. artemis elise fröhlich

PRONOUNS. they / them

GENDER. fem-presenting non-binary

AGE. early twenties

HEIGHT. 5”1

BIRTHDAY. november 12th

OCCUPATION. knight

AFFILIATION. knights of favonius

ELEMENT. pyro

CONSTELLATION. columba bellicosi

WEAPON TYPE. sword — “herald of the dawn”

Now stripped of its original purpose as a vessel to store all the memories of an ancient god king, this sword has been passed down in the Fröhlich family since the dawn of time.

Once wielded by the god of memories herself, this sword was blessed by the winds and presented as a gift to her youngest child upon the morn of their knighting ceremony.

“You, who represent the grace and bravery of humanity,” said the Queen, “take this and go. Become a pillar of hope to those wallowing in the darkness, and guide the lost onto a chivalrous path. You, the Dovewing Knight.”

And so, the first Dovewing Knight set out, protecting the people of Cairnfelle and standing tall as a beacon of hope, just as they were requested.

At the edge of the world, when the brilliance of Cairnfelle collapsed and the mountains crumbled, the sword found its way tumbling back into the hands of its previous owner to defend her honor, and upkeep her legacy until the final trumpet sang … announcing her defeat.

With no definite home, the sword lay in the ruins of its kin, preserved well by the Anemo Archon and his will — until the day it found its way into the waiting hands of the inheritor of an ancient title.

• demo music concepts. one two three

• ENG voice claim : keath ósk as cole seymour from yaelokre’s “meadowlark” project

• JP voice claim : marina inoue as armin arlert from attack on titan

CHARACTER STORY 1: eastward of eden

It is true that Artemis has long held resentment towards their older sister and past caretaker, Lilith. As a child, Artemis was refused of many things — including choosing their own clothes, partaking in certain activities, and having their own privacy. There wasn’t much they were allowed to do, and even the hobbies they enjoyed ended up ruined by Lilith’s excitement and pushy nature.

To this day, Lilith is unaware of the mental anguish she caused her siblings over the course of their entire childhood. However, in her own eyes, she has done no such thing, and has succeeded at being a “mother.”

Many citizens have told her, “My, you exercise much control over them,” and yet, she has failed to see the error in her ways. It is not entirely her fault, as she was forced into the role of a mother when she wasn’t ready for such a task. Even though she failed in many aspects of her parenting skills, there was one thing she has always truly succeeded at: caring deeply for her family.

However, no amount of love could undo the years of fighting and hurtful words thrown around between the siblings.

CHARACTER STORY 2: legacy

Long ago, in the days of yore, the archaic land of Mondstadt had been ruled by a monarch older than Decarabian. Her rule was rumored to last longer than his, and her birth is now nothing but scattered fragments along the wind.

When the Queen of the North Wind descended and claimed Mondstadt as her home, a mighty kingdom formed under her feet. Small huts grew to larger, firmer homes, and gargantuan cathedrals made of marble were erected in her honor. Trumpets blew, the wind howled, snow fell, and mountains as high as the heavens towered above humanity.

In later years, the prospering kingdom of Cairnfelle was officially born. Serving as a haven for travelers and poets alike, the kingdom sang with energy as it thrived under Queen Catalina’s guiding hand. The god of memories was exceptionally gentle, with a kind and compassionate heart that moved even the most stoic-faced men to tears. Her words were wise, her complexion glowing, and her promises true.

Cairnfelle, as much as it prospered, gained an enemy from a distant land. With no choice but to face the beast she prodded, the Queen set out to befriend the raging phoenix that had enough of her games. Ever the charming soul, the Queen did not have to do much to make the phoenix bow to her every whim, and before the citizens of Cairnfelle had the chance to acclimate to the visitor, the two were to be wed.

There is not much to say for the years in between the joining of two god kings and the fall of Cairnfelle, but this: Four inexplicably brave and virtuous souls were born from the two gods — four demigod knights who carved the way for the future of Mondstadt: The Four Archangels.

The Blair Family — the origin of the Fröhlichs, is no longer the raging flame of life it had once been, but a snuffed out ember of its former glory.

Only in passing on the titles of the Four Archangel Knights can the present day Fröhlich family hold tight to what was once a name feared and adored by all.

CHARACTER STORY 3: composition

Many questions have arisen over the years; all pertaining to a certain facet of Artemis’ composition.

“Is it a curse?” They’ve inquired, only to wind up receiving a simple, “I’m not even sure myself!”

However, that it is a small white lie they’ve grown to tell. In fact, Artemis is very much aware of the reason why they consistently find themselves on the brink of death and luckily make it out alive. It is because of the unique composition their ancestor, Lowen, was made of: pure and unbridled wrath.

The story goes as such: In the days of yore, when gods and monsters still yet walked the earth, a beast born of flame and rage took flight. They seared their enemies and allies alike, and roused the hearts of warriors all across Natlan. They utterly refused to lay their past life to rest. In doing so, they made a promise to their newfound family. The wrath that lived inside them was nothing but a blessing, and deserved to be passed on through their children, and future generations. And so, the endless wrath that boiled in their veins was passed on — consuming the lives of their children, and overtaking the brilliant flames that became their descendants.

To be a god’s descendant has always been an honor in the Fröhlich family line… Yet, Artemis — like the direct children of the god of wrath — see it as naught but a curse; For what blessing could bring about destruction and the devastation of any living being in one’s wake.

VISION STORY:

The blistering pyro vision attached to Artemis’ belt was said to be a gift from the gods, and maybe even a gift from the long gone god of wrath themselves.

What else are visions besides gifts from the gods? A tool to wield, and yet another curse Artemis must deal with.

At the young age of eleven, Artemis was sent out on their first escorting mission. It was their first mission given to them by Grand Master Varka, who was elated to test their strength and endurance. Not many were willing to accept an escort from a child — as was the case with the Fontainian aristocrat Artemis was talking their ear off to. However, the man said nothing, as the child’s directional skills were second to none. It was only when they hit a bump in the road that the man questioned Artemis’ capabilities as a knight.

“I should’ve known better than to trust a child!” He yelled, waving his fist in the air as he pushed them aside and ran off ahead by himself in the rain, leaving the young Artemis to fend for themselves amidst a hoard of abyssal monsters.

Although panic was steadily rising throughout their body, they forced themself forward — slashing at every monster with a shaky grip on their sword. The rain poured, sagging their clothes, and dragging their arms down to the dirt. The grip on their sword slipped, as did their footing, and they tumbled to the hard ground with a rough clash.

Their shoulder-piece scratched the bridge of their nose on the way down, and a thick line of blood began to spill from the open wound. A rifthound drew closer, baring its teeth and snapping its jaw as its claws outstretched, striking Artemis across the head. A clap of thunder sounded, and amidst the ringing in their ears, Artemis felt the weight of ten large wooden planks collapse on their back.

Even so, they shakily grabbed their sword, their nails digging into the wet earth, and began to stand. Their blood boiled as a wrath they were only warned about once crept up to the surface, prickling along their skin until it caved inwards, tugging at their ribcage and burning against their racing heart.

In a flash of white and gold, the hoard of rifthounds lay motionless on the grass, their bodies turning to dust as Artemis panted heavily. The wrath inside their veins bubbled, and their vision turned red. It was all consuming. It was destructive, and it was total annihilation. They struck down every monster seeping from an abyssal pylon until finally, they tore the pylon in half with nothing but their blade and their bare hands.

The rain continued to fall as they dropped their sword and collapsed to the ground in a heap of sore limbs and bloodied grass. Their eyes fell close for a moment — at least, what felt like a moment — and when they opened, a shining vision sat amongst the pool of blood left behind by their foes.

Indeed. The god of wrath, whose curse ran rampant in their veins, rewarded them with yet another “gift.”

𝐕𝐎𝐈𝐂𝐄𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐄𝐒

𝐓𝐑𝐈𝐕𝐈𝐀

• hobbies: When they are home in Dornman Port enjoying their days off, they like to wind down by practicing the art of crochet. Not only is it soothing to sit by a windowsill while the afternoon breeze filters into their bedroom, it is also a hobby their late mother held dear. By partaking in this hobby, they feel closer to their mother, and can preserve her memory longer. Another hobby is sports. Artemis can often be found playing with the kids in the port during vacations.

• beliefs: The Fröhlich family have always dedicated their lives to the protection of Mondstadt, and hold a firm worship to a god king who has long been dead. Although they have accepted Barbatos as their new savior, they still hold their original god close to their hearts. Artemis has naturally followed this belief and considers their worship of the god of memories their religion. During rough times, they find solace in a temple far north and meditate there for as long as they deem necessary. Once a month, they offer up a few of their most important memories— a ritual that has been passed down in the Fröhlich family for over 3000 years.

(This act of offering up memories is akin to the way some worshippers will offer animal sacrifices to the god they serve.)

• about — fate: Artemis is a firm believer that fate will guide the worthy and ultimately lead everyone onto the path they are destined to walk. However, they do not include the meddling of gods and higher beings into this equation. They believe that fate is its own entity and not dictated by the Archons nor Celestia. It acts of its own accord, and the gods are mere victims of fate, as well. Not even Celestia will be spared.

• about — death: Artemis believes that death is a stepping stone to a greater afterlife. Akin to their many family members, they believe that life is temporary, and death is eternal. When one dies, they are not truly dead; for they are shedding their mortal shell and accepting their true form, which is the soul. The soul will live on forever in the afterlife, while the physical body is nothing more than a temporary shell to house said soul. With this belief, the Fröhlich family does not fear death, but welcomes it with open arms— greeting it like an old friend.

[ef-1]

If I think about the double standard and the disparity with which the media handled Daniel in comparison to everyone else I may lose my mind.

[luv-killian]

can't sleep and i'm really thinking of kendrick lamar's half time performance. absolutely amazing, first. second, if u didn't like it, that's bc it was actually aimed at you🙃 now onto me yapping about it:)

as someone that wanted to major in fashion design, let me say this: the outfits were so so good. simple, but they proved a point. also, there was so much symbolism and political commentary that the outfits did not need to be all that (also lots of talent there but that's a discussion for another time). the colors, the fact that everyone had a different styling of their outfit but it was all still cohesive, kendrick's outfit, sza's outfit, samuel l jackson's outfit. it all ate. honestly, not much to say about the outfits outside of that and that i loved it bc most of my thoughts are centered around the performance itself

as a musician and wannabe artist: the whole thing was so thought through. you could tell kendrick was doing it to get a point across but it wasn't like 'oh he's just trying to prove a point' yk. the stage, the outfits, the choreography and formations, samuel l jackson as uncle sam and his commentary throughout. like, there was so much going on (not like chaotic or bad though) that all had a reason to be there and was all cohesive. and the sza feature omg wonderful. she's so beautiful and her voice just scratches such an itch in my brain. serena williams crip walking. kendrick's absolutely giddy smile when going "say drake." the censorship (which i was honestly expecting for the most part)

i could go on about this single performance actually and i hope we discuss it in my class that's about music as a political device :3. i wish i could yap more but i wanna watch it again so i can analyze it more and i should be asleep rn so the words aren't wording in my brain. but i'm hoping to get a chance soon to yap about it more:)

tldr: absolutely amazing everything about that performance, and as someone that was bored during usher's performance, was absolutely blown away/pos during this one

[fur-bee]

It is endlessly interesting to me that while Augustine is mostly placed into the role of a son and a friend by John, Mercymorn, despite being of the exact same relation to John as Augustine, seems to play not only the role of a daughter, but also that of a mother in the Mithraeum pseudo nuclear family.

[ghost-bxrd]

road trip au dick realising Jason’s “kidnapper” is also yhe Calvin rose he knew from the circus…. Akksdvksmsbdm

Yessssssss

Just— exquisite angst all around. Dick is torn between reconciling the sweet boy who wanted to be an escape artist with the cold eyed man that threatened his little brother at knife point. 🥺

[vigilskeep]

fascinated by beraht’s quick list of rica’s desirable, noble-attracting qualities in the first conversation of the brosca origin because it’s always a delight to have someone lay out the beauty standards in a fantasy culture like that. the fact that she’s expected to know elven poetry is fascinating—there’s a couple of dialogues in orzammar like this that imply elven imports are highly valued there in a way they never are on the surface—and there’s great visual details too that we just can’t get from those dao visuals, like long braids and “gold-capped teeth”

[thebroccolination]

PAIR THEM TOGETHER FOR ONE (1) SERIES YOU COWARDS

[tsuki-in-faerun]

i don’t care about ship wars, i care about double standards.

there’s a double standard when it comes to evan’s behavior vs k’s

there’s a double standard when it comes to other d20 characters vs k tanaka (i’m thinking of fig faeth specifically)

there’s a double standard when it comes to characters in TTRPG in general vs k tanaka

and most particularly, the attitude that people have where they act like they are being supportive of erika by saying xie is doing such a good job of playing such a flawed, complex, realistic portrayal of someone the audience fucking hates is a nasty double standard for their own behavior. you are not better than the reddit trolls and you’re harder to block.

[violent138]

Like father, like son.

[jellogram]

It's so weird to me when straight guys act like it's impossible to hit on women "these days" because women will complain about them. Like no the fuck it's not. I've been hit on plenty of times, and several of those times, I thought the guy was really sweet even if I wasn't interested. I think there's a few keys to it:

Only do it in a situation where she has an escape (so she's not at work, waiting in a line, or otherwise stuck next to you)

Don't try to disguise what you're doing (she knows why you're talking to her, stop wasting her time and just get to the point)

Give her a compliment/explanation why you're asking her out, but don't be creepy ("I love your purple hair" or even just "I think you're really cute" is probably fine, but "God girl you've got awesome tits" is not)

Leave the ball in her court and then walk away (I'm a big fan of the "Here, I wrote down my number, text me if you want to hang out" approach rather than being pestered to give out my own info)

Like is that so hard??? There were freshman boys at my university who managed to figure this out. How are you 37 and acting like women are impossible to flirt with. Just don't be aggressive or sexual, make sure she's not trapped, and talk to her like a human being.

[fumifooms]

I should have touched on dark elves in my beauty standards post... Let me just slap this on here real quick. So as we went into there, beauty standards can show political dynamics and sort of reflects the politics of who get to be seen as human, who get to be seen as desirable and promoted within a society. So like, beauty is power right, in the sense that beauty standards are highly influenced by the ones in power, the ones who have the time & resources to look a certain way and the power to present that look as desirable to large groups. It’s complex and diverse but generally beauty standards are upheld by the elite, the influential.

By the former 'time & resources' thing I mean stuff like clothes, health, makeup or even cosmetic surgeries, or even simply the freedom to only go out in public when you look your best— Meanwhile the latter, the power to present that look as desirable to large groups, usually applies more to situations where it’s about a whole category of people like an ethnicity that was uplifted as the ideal. Not just in a political or economic dynamic, but discrimination on a systematic level without regard for individual appearance or action.

For example in the former, not all people who wear makeup are rich, and while makeup did historically help signal status, if you’re poor and wear nice makeup you can still touch some of that beneficial association with the beauty standards that makeup helps you attain. In the latter……. Well you get, "no, all elves are good! So the elves who do bad things must be something else!". Where, in trying to have uniform standards for a whole group, you kinda just get erased or othered if you don’t conform to expectations. The elves especially put effort into giving off this air of perfection, which they've successfully made tallmen populations believe. So, for those people, the answer that "But elves are inherently good and beautiful and perfect?" asks, isn't "well elves mustn't be inherently perfect", but instead is "there must be bad ones too, innately too." A similar phenomenon happens with the reverse too, where people will say there are "the good ones" within a group that's seen negatively.

"But Fumi, in this case the difference is purely linguistic and perceived, there’s no visual difference!" Yeah, and there being little visual distinction between two groups has never stopped people from being discriminated tbh. Different types of christians seeing each other as heathwbs for example, or the deep british vs irish hatred that has existed. A tidbit of history I find fascinating was the infamous use of "speak white" from english-speaking canadians against french-speaking canadians especially, because complicated history aside, last century as the business owners the anglophones had the power over the majoritarily francophone working class and a lot of political sway even though they were the minority in the Québec region. There’s a different cultural and ethnic identity there, and language was the most important difference between the two groups- and I suppose the most noticeable one.

The way we as social creatures and social groups categorize people and the groups they form is complex, interesting and very important to our society and the way we approach both the world and social interactions, and that's what leads to discrimination. We decide what’s important and then we decide it’s what people should be judged and distinguished by. Belonging to a group is a show of status, and can be a weaponized both ways, for and against. If you’re not worthy to be an elf, a "good" elf, then you’re not.

Interesting especially because looking at the elf portraits page there seems to be many different cultures within the elf race, so yes "good elf" vs "dark elf" is considered something like a race rather than an ethnicity or culture presumably. There's definitely a "main" elven culture since it seems pretty uniform whenever it's brought up in the adventurer's bible and the story, though, wether the differenr cultures form different communities in different places or live together as one nation. But maybe more treated like a mental illness since it’s acquired, or sometimes slang? It's not completely clear wether it's thought of as fully innate or something learned, a chosen moral failure like sin is, but with how they speak about it they do sound very essentialists, even Chilchuck seems to get a chill considering Marcille could be one. Quoting Kui's lore comic, "There are two kinds of elves, nice holy elves and evil elves bewitched by darkness". It’s just considered like an innate thing that separates them from the concept of elves... 🤔 But this sort of category being vague is often a feature and not a bug, because then they can be a boogeyman to bring up just whenever is convenient, that can fit whoever, like calling a kid a "fairy's child" for whatever behavior in the olden days, because if you don't precise a lot what a dark elf is then it can apply to whoever you see fit, and it doesn't need to be coherent or consistent. The sort of discrimination headspace that leads to the classic fascist "the enemy is both strong and weak" type rethoric.

"Dark elves" is interesting within Dunmeshi because it's about people trying to fully separate elves from the concept of bad and untrustworthy people, even though they look the same. "Elf" isn’t just a beauty standard, it is The ultimate ideal of perfection both in appearance and morality, and if something threatens that perception and reputation it has to get rationalized and compartmentalized. Those are coping mechanisms to avoid having your whole world view challenged or shattered. To tallmen who practically worship elves, it’s a huge deal!! To them that makes it make sense! Some elves are born good and some elves are born evil, simple as! No world view re-examination needed!

So for Marcille for example... It’s interesting because she has an outside view of elven society despite being elven herself. She was raised amongst tallmen, aka the people who idolize elves to this intense degree. It had to have affected her dynamics with others— not unlike the academy students, mostly gnomes and tallmen, who looked up to her as some natural-born genius, even though she did do research and study to get her skills and grades. It also had to affect her relationship with having a role model growing up (having none around except for her mother who pretty much renounced her elven culture, a novel series that sensationalizes and glamorizes elves), her dynamic with being elven itself, because even though she doesn't feel like she fully fits into it she's interested in elven culture, and she herself enforces the beauty standards around elves and acts elitist about it- as seen when tallmen actors playing Daltian Clan opera, when men are very masculine rather than very androgynous like with Laios, having long hair, having no facial or body hair. With this angle, all of this behavior of hers is very "internalized high standards that were my bible to follow growing up and so others must follow them too and these high standards must be worth upholding".

Considering everything, elves being looked up to as a role model in appearance and behavior, plus them having the reputation of being great at magic, and Marcille having grown up amongst mostly tallmen, we start understanding that there was IMMENSE pressure on Marcille to conform to that idea of an elf. She has a lot of pressure and a very high beauty & behavior compass to conform to. She also has an idealist and rigid sense of justice and morals, like how Namari is a heartless traitor for leaving instead of coming along to save Falin, and she needs people to believe she has noooo facial or body hair. She probably WAS afraid of being seen as a dark elf, aka fundamentally evil, for her dark magic research. You don't want to be a letdown, do you? You don't want to be the ugliest elf, do you? You don't want to be a dark elf, do you? You don't want to be one of the bad ones.

Shave your facial hair and deny you have any body hair. Take care of elven traditions like hair-braiding and have pride. Be the kind, smartest model student. Do magic by the book. Never do dark magic. Ah shit-

And so she hid the domain of her research, and so she hid being a half-elf.

[coriolanusbutch]

obsessed with santiago addressing the audience as "offal and offalesses, and all those who flourish outside the divide" at the beginning of the trial. diversity win!! the evil vampire about to publicly burn you, your daughter and her girlfriend alive with the help of your shitty ex-husband recognises non binary identities