#A fear of making the wrong decision

[billa-billa007]

How To Get Over Your Analysis Paralysis

Analysis paralysis is a term used to describe a situation in which an individual or group overthinks or overanalyzes a decision or problem to the point that no decision or action is taken. This state of indecision can result from having too much information, conflicting information, fear of making the wrong choice, or simply getting stuck in a cycle of analysis without reaching a conclusion.

[ovaryacted]

I’ve been laughing about this whole topic since yesterday not because it’s funny, it’s absolutely not, but because it’s fucking ridiculous that we are giving history lessons on racism and the people who have been calling this shit out for months are right and have been right despite the constant gaslighting.

Do you know how crazy it is to be a non-American 40 year old conscious human being and intentionally use racist & violent American imagery in a fic for an incredibly minuscule character played by a Latino man of color who’s the child of political refugees? Do you know how crazy it is to also have a reader-insert acknowledge the confederate flag, and still fuck the person that hangs it in their space? Like do y’all see how fucking crazy that shit is? It’s insane just typing that out. When I said y’all move like the feds in this fandom preaching about inclusion & community in one breath while doing the very thing that jeopardizes and harms those that are excluded from said “community”, I meant that shit, and I was right.

As much as we like to deny it, writers have their own motivations and intentions for creating and sharing the projects that they do. If you as a writer actively choose to add racist themes in your writing to intentionally make a character problematic, it’s a reflection of who you are, because you didn’t need to do that and yet you still decided to do it anyway. Would you as black American want to read a fic where the reader insert fucks a racist? No. Then why do you as a white person, especially a non-American, think it’s okay to do the same? Would you fuck a racist? By the way some of y’all keep dismissing the intentions, that’s up for debate because a lot of y’all would rather fetishize the shit out of that man than have a lick of common sense.

If you really are a “brilliant” writer and person, you’d practice what you fucking preached and wouldn’t need to add racism in your fics when we have enough of that shit in real life. Instead, all you are is a coward, a hypocrite, and a loser and that’s all there is to it. This goes beyond fandom and community, this is real life. And if you have a problem with BIPOC individuals in particular talking about this and setting y’all straight, I suggest shutting the fuck up and opening your ears since you’re not gonna fix your mouths to be the allies and advocates y’all say you are. 🤷‍♀️

[wolfsong-the-bloody-beast]

After trying both options, I've got to disagree with the notion that Emmrich never faces his fear of mortality if he becomes a lich.

Emmrich... has Vorgoth kill him, gut him, and peel all his skin and flesh from his bones in order to become a lich, fully aware that there is a chance he might not be able to come back. I'd say he faces his fear of death just fine.

[lokijiro]

Sherlock thinks that the fact that Mycroft, who puts looking after himself nearly at the bottom of his priorities (Sherlock is only rather unconsciously aware of this, but he's too familiar with and conscious of Mycroft to be completely unaware), is keeping his dental appointment in TGG is a sure sign that he only brought him the missile plans case as a way to babysit him, and not because he needs him or thinks there's an extreme urgency.

He's probably not quite wrong. Mycroft is already almost certain of what happened to Andrew West, and while this definitely needs to be taken care of, he could easily share his conjectures with one of his agents and send them on the right track, which would save time, but he considers that the plans are quite safe where they are for the moment.

Sherlock also thinks that Mycroft not being able to leave the office is a lie; his brother would not take the time to look after himself and go to a dentist if there was anything he judged to be so important going on.

When Mycroft keeps texting, Sherlock realises that Mycroft had been stoic when he saw him but was in more pain than his slight winces suggested, and that he kept his dental appointment precisely because it was the only way to keep doing his job (manipulating the Korean elections or whatever). This was probably the moment when it really hit home for Sherlock that it really was a very busy time at the office for Mycroft, and that he had still chosen to spend time at his flat after the explosion to make sure that he was all right, despite the intentionally petty part of his brain which had tried to tell itself that Mycroft had showed up to control him, berate him and flaunt his superior mind.

Sherlock has felt a secret jealousy towards Mycroft's work for a long time. His clever brother has a job that he considers to be far more important than his stupid little brother who is ever a disappointment to him. (Mycroft actually says "Never mind your usual trivia, this is of national importance," during that meeting, and this visibly affects Sherlock. He reacts again when John says "national importance".) But Sherlock cannot fully make himself believe that, because Mycroft's actions keep showing that his priority is Sherlock.

[talentforlying]

interesting to think about how constantine isn't commonly read as being the most morally upright of characters, and that's generally a fair assessment. but at the same time he can still be a surprisingly ethical character, particularly in terms of the values he holds synonymous with being a good community member.

a couple examples of (what i think are) his most consistently held values throughout the hellblazer series:

constantine feels very strongly about things like defending people's bodily autonomy and showing kindness & compassion towards society's more vulnerable demographics, especially kids & unhoused people.

he frequently & sincerely upholds the basic principles of xenia (showing hospitality towards foreigners, guests, and anyone whose fate is in your hands), and possesses a deep, innate sense of justice that he is unafraid to uphold when he feels it necessary to do so.

he personally values survival above honor but still has a healthy appreciation for people that are committed to a code,

he respects integrity more than he'd respect a good liar (even if he fucking hates you, at least you're being true to yourself; can't help it if yourself is just a prick),

and he is CONSTANTLY PLAGUED by a deeply personal sense of social responsibility to try and nip potential threats to the world, to his city, or to his friends in the bud if he thinks it might be within his capabilities to do so.

of course, it's key to note that constantine's code of ethics was also founded primarily in accordance with the principles of '70s-'80s counterculture + still largely abides by the social beliefs of the same-era punk community, and thus also includes more subjectively-judged tenets such as challenging the establishment, defying the government, protecting individual liberties, taking direct action in support of your community, putting people above possessions at every turn, and actively addressing social issues wherever / whenever you encounter them. so he's not always viewed by other characters (particularly upper-class bootlicking ones) as being particularly ethical. doesn't change the fact that constantine still adamantly maintains certain major ethical principles in accordance with the social systems he inhabits and was raised in.

[blackknight-100]

I'm absolutely obsessed with how mythology portrays parent-child relationships, especially when at least one divine party is involved. I've talked about Karna and Arjuna's relationship with their fathers, and how it might tie up to their characters and situations, and the Mahabharata as a whole, but they're not the only ones! Speaking exclusively about father-son dynamics in this post, and we have a lot of them!

You have Yudhisthira, whose father Yama/Dharma shows up in his son's mortal life twice (iirc), gives him a 20 min quiz each time and then tells him that no son, we don't allow dogs in heaven (which, how dare, but we all have that one parent). This is so in line with Yudhisthira's arc, poor man that he is, having to spend his whole life finding answers to questions about righteousness and honour, losing his friends, brothers, wife and children in the process.

Rama-Dasharatha and Ganesha-Shiva are pretty straightforward - there's plenty of mutual love and respect despite the horrors ™️ , but then there is Rama and Luv-Kush. If you're counting the Uttar Kand, then these boys literally saw their mother die because there father could not stop questioning her honour. That has to mess with your head. There's no way it's a happily ever after story.

Another man who interests me greatly is Yayati. Like sir... what were you doing. Who grows old and thinks, "You know what would be great? Me borrowing my son's youth" and then curses them when they refuse? What were you thinking. What were your kids thinking. I need to take your heads apart with a scalpel, this is so incredibly insane. A father should give to his children - the only thing this man "gave" was to spare Puru from his curse.

You have Bhishma and Shantanu, another wild story. I understand that Bhishma chose to give up his birthright to make Shantanu happy, but can you actually tell me Shantanu wasn't at least somewhat interested in the plan? Shantanu is Bhishma's father, it's his job to stop him from doing things like this. I feel like pulling my hair out everytime I think of this. You can tell that Bhishma was afraid for his father's well-being when he made this decision, and that so... unfair.

On the other end of the spectrum are Krishna and Vasudeva, who are wholesome to the point of despair. Vasudeva giving up his everything just to get his boy out of prison?? Waiting years and years for him, but never lamenting or cursing Krishna for not coming fast enough??? That's peak fatherhood (Shantanu take lessons). And Krishna honours that sacrifice!! He comes from idyllic Vrindavan, slays the tormentor of his parents and rips the bars of their prison!!! And that old married couple trapped within those dank, dreary walls, with no one except the other for company, watches their godly son turn up to free them and show them the sky for the first time in more than a decade - the thought of it brings me to tears. Possibly the only part I like about the change from baby!Krishna to adult!Krishna is his reunion with Vasudeva and Devaki!

Oh, and last but not least, our favourite problematic pair: Jamadagni and sons. I'm slightly terrified by how Jamadagni was like "kill your mother for me she's sinful >:(" and when four sons refused, he actually killed them. HIS OWN SONS! Admittedly, in some versions he asks Parashuram to do the killing but like... those are his brothers. Who probably swaddled him and rocked him and fed him and played with him. And all this is presumably happening right in front of Renuka. And then Parashuram has to kill his mother as well, unless he wants to be a heap of ashes.

(In some versions, including the one I've always heard as a child, Parashuram is said to be "aware of" his father's immense power, which just seems to me a really polite way to say that Parashuram knew disobeying his father had consequences ™️ that weren't always right or rational)

Worse, after the killing is done, Jamadagni is so pleased he offers Parashuram a boon, presumably with the remains of the rest of his family still nearby, and when Parashuram asks for his mother and brother to be revived, Jamadagni is all like "ooh actually I got really angry, I think I'm going to renounce rage forever. Dw btw your brothers and mother forgot you killed them you're welcome <3"

Sir??? This is what you got out of the whole issue???? No wonder Parashuram killed a whole bunch of kings, this couldn't have been healthy.

[right-there-ride-on]

Dinopants (the unit) has so many parallels to Gyjo (the unit) but I’m disappointed bc so much of the dinopants I see in the wider fandom is ooc or a ‘pair the spares’ scenario that’s for me is just not compelling. I guess I’m just confused because there really is so much there to dig into, and for me it’s definitely the canon dinopants that’s the interesting one! Both HP and Diego as standalone characters parallel and bring into focus Gyro and Johnny’s characters and arc, and when teamed up contrast the Gyjo unit in a really interesting way. People have written some really good dinopants analysis on here and I’m grateful for that! I think I’ve just seen them mischaracterized so much that for awhile the ship lost its appeal, but seeing people who are passionate about dinopants and sharing their thoughts always makes me happy.

[swordmaid]

red and silver.

[alice-the-kittycat-yt]

[lockhartandlych]

tfw you're so used to the body you're in feeling foreign that you might look in the mirror one day and not even recognize your real self looking back

[wyn-n-tonic]

i hate how much i like this guy and always have liked this guy and i hate how admitting my feelings to both myself and him have basically given over the power to crush me. it was easier when i was the one making decisions for everybody else and was the reason i hurt. i don't like the notion that somebody else could make me hurt.

[sort-of-a-hero-that-way]

Thinking about Frank vs Russia again. And about the confirmation that the SINNED system was created at the same time as the DENNIS one. We know Dennis perfected his system for women but we haven't seen him ever date a man or keep a man. We have no confirmation of what he's done, and based on Dennis' eagerness in knowing if Dee and Mac got 2nd dates, I like to think he's never even tested it before. It was all based on observations. He kept it secret all these years and finally saw potential now to test it out through them. When's the second date? He's eager to know. Does it work.

And it does. Ofc it does. It was foolproof. He knew that.

Dennis isn't against a romance with Mac. The system exists since s6, Dennis clearly WANTS to keep a man. He just doesn't understand how that's already happened. Mac likes him? Wdym, he hasn't done the steps yet. Dennis just confirmed that the system works.

We know Dennis' outburst basically meant "You can't be in love with Johnny because he doesn't love you Mac, I don't love you. Move on."

But it also meant "You can't be in love with Johnny because Johnny is me! And you're not in love with me!"

Dennis is rejecting love on all grounds, in both directions. This isn't part of the plan, part of the scheme. This isn't his goal, not now. He's not ready and Mac isn't either.

The goal was simply to get Mac's attention back. To bring them back on equal footing. To be friends again. Dennis is fixing the friendship first, and Mac is being impatient and an idiot and jumping at romance and ruining the careful pacing Dennis is creating.

[there-will-be-a-way]

They'll discharge my future roommate next Thursday - and then we'll really share my one room apartment for a while 😅 Let's see how this'll go.

Also, my new friend from the smoking area painted me a picture in ergotherapy that's now on my bedroom wall. He was discharged too, today, and sat with me for an hour until my bus came. I gave him a pear, he offered me a cigarette. His phone was stolen so we exchanged email addresses. We watched ants and bugs together and he told me about his home country.

My former roommate got breakfast for me again. Life feels exciting and new, and scary. Because taking steps is always scarier than staying in a familiar place. But for the first time in a long while I feel like I'm living.

[azuremist]

I DESPERATELY needed someone to tell me this as I grew up in leftist online spaces. So now I am going to tell YOU:

If you

Check what you sent over and over to make sure you didn’t say a slur instead of “hello how are you”

Fear that someone will find you thinking not-leftist-enough thoughts and will call you out and ruin you

Feel you have to make your intentions clear and over-explain your actions

Find yourself consistently resisting the urge to engage in reassurance-seeking WRT being a good enough ally to marginalized people

Stay up late endlessly debating political ethics in your head

Have a set of actions that you take after discovering you made a morally wrong decision so that you can atone, which you rely on for reassurance that you are not a bad person

Would rather not make a decision at all than make a decision that is the lesser of two evils, but is not morally pure

then I am gently, but firmly, requesting that you look into moral scrupulosity OCD.

[delaneytalks-tostatues]

Oh no I'm frozen in fear at the thought of editing scripts podcast over sorry everyone

[marshadowstea]

okay word vomit to end the day :3

dont read it, this is mine >:[