#That's like Minimum punishment imo

[cattatoir]

I think I have unpopular Sandman takes bc I'm usually on his side

[scarletspider2the2ndpower]

“Minimum Carnage, Part Six,” Minimum Carnage Omega (Vol. 1/2012), #1.

Writers: Christopher Yost and Cullen Bunn; Pencilers: Lan Medina, Declan Shalvey, and Khoi Pham; Inkers: Karl Kesel, Walden Wong, and Jaime Mendoza; Colorist: Sotocolor; Letterer: Joe Caramagna

[mariacrow]

TFP Decepticons x reader

✶ relationship headcanons ✶

I know no one asked for this and that there are requests in my inbox but rewatching TFP got my inspiration and ideas all over the place :’)

THIS ONE IS LONG 💀 (that’s what she said-)

2nd person

female reader

how you’d get together, confession

how you’d function together, PDA

intimacy, preferences (NSFW)

how long would it last

MEGATRON

OOF.

As your lord he would treat you as one of his servants, nothing less, nothing more

Knowing he’s intrigued by you and not denying it, he would give you more difficult tasks (mostly in the lab because you’re SM0LL)

All you’d get from him is bare minimum praising but oh how you’d blush and melt nevertheless would make him smirk and snicker

He’d definitely be bossier when it comes to you just because he wants to dominate you in any possible way

As time would pass he would get more intimate with you in private, perhaps a little touchy

It would all start with rough sex, him pounding you into the control panel, make you stain it with your bitter sweet juices as he’d make you scream his name- okishouldstop-

Anywho, that would be the “confession”. More like making you moan out YOUR confession

As your relationship would develop, he’d make you seem as his personal pet, he’d even call you pet names

He’s very possessive and protective, hence PDA in this case would be making you follow him around the warship all the time, carry you and be a little touchy at times just to make sure you’re still his. He’d protect you at all costs and maybe even panic when you’re in danger

When he wants to do it, you will do it, be that the control room, the lab, in the hallway against the wall, on the floor, it doesn’t matter. You will take him when he wants it the way he wants it

He’s into dirty talk, also loves when you beg and scream his name or call him lord or master

He doesn’t like making a mess so he’d always scold you when you’d make one or when he’d fill you up to the brim and make a puddle underneath, always blaming it on you

Actually loves when you’re a playful brat and disobey him so he can punish you

At times you feel like his sex toy but he’d prove to you that you’re much more

It’s just the way he functions, he’s evil after all but definitely loyal to the core

You’re either his forever or you shall perish

🩶

STARSCREAM

EW.

He’d pretend he’s annoyed by you all the time, pretend he hates you the most as if you’re his blood enemy

In fact he’s very jealous when he sees you looking at anyone else or God forbid TALK WITH THEM

Once he wouldn’t be able to take it anymore, he’d angrily drag you somewhere where you’re alone. First he’d take a deep breath and almost cry as he’d confess to you

He’d beg you to be his, he’d kneel in front of you and kiss your hands and cry his feelings out as well as apologize for treating you like scrap

In the relationship he’d be into that master and kitten stuff, he’d even call you kitten (cringe imo)

He is into PDA just so he could brag how you’re finally his

He’d act all dominant and make you refer to him as master, as well as during the freaky time but if you’re a switch or a dom, he can easily become a sub and squirm and whimper

After he’d totally embarrass himself with begging you to let him cum, he’d deny it and pretend nothing happened

When he’s dom, he can be very nasty and sloppy. Definitely a dirty talker, also likes to hear you beg

He’s very easily offended BY ANYTHING so he’d always be the one breaking up with you every week and then coming back to you on his knees just a day or even a few hours later

He’s just one pathetic lover

🩶

KNOCKOUT

Oh he’s one hunk of a mech

He’d very visibly expresses his burning feelings for you

He’d flirt with you all the time, give you seductive gazes, smirks, winks etc.

He’s a mech that notices every little detail so he’d shower you with compliments any time he gets a chance, making sure he doesn’t repeat any of them

He’d always ask you to help him fix his paint job whenever it would get ruined or simply give him a buff session

That would be your beginning love language, that’s when you’d be alone and when he’d take his sweet time making you all flustered

He’d love taking you on long relaxing rides, he’s a romantic soul after all

That’s when he’d take advantage of the perfect moment and kiss you, tell you how the long foreplay should finally turn into something serious

He’s an amazing lover, he’d treat you like a princess, pamper you, spoil you, get you everything you need to take care of your beauty

He’s definitely a tease too so you’d enjoy his little suggestive sentences until your passions finally collide and drag you to bed with him

He’s sensual, he likes to take it slow and hot and definitely a mech to get turned on by the pleasure he’s making you feel

Definitely into oral, loves eating you out until you reach your limit

He DOES NOT shut his mouth, he might as well give you an eargasm before and orgasm

He knows what he’s doing, he knows how to find all of your soft spots and overstimulate you and occasionally make you beg, he doesn’t mind, he loves all the sounds you’re making

In conclusion, he’s definitely a mech who read that “She comes first” book

He isn’t perfect though, he can be a burden and difficult to handle, especially his perfectionism which can be REALLY annoying

That’s why you might go through some difficult times with him, take a break and then come back to each other after a month or two

Even when you’d “officially” break up, you would get back together nonetheless

🩶

BREAKDOWN

MY 2ND FAV!!! 🥰 he so goofy I love him

He definitely lacks a couple of braincells so he isn’t the best at making you intrigued

He would flirt with you all the time in his own… Breakdown way-

He’s trying to cover up the fact he’s VERY afraid of hurting you, mostly physically because he’s so huge

He doesn’t have a sense of his surroundings hence he can be too rough at times and he’s aware of that. Just another reason to be scared to break the ice with you and take it further

He has proved to you a couple of times that he isn’t just a pile of steal and a hammer. Deep inside, behind that thick armor he has a big warm spark waiting for you

His confession would be perfectly timed, even though he hasn’t planned it a bit, just when you’d feel he’s playing with you all along

He would spill his spark for you and tell you he loves you

It would be a start of a wholesome relationship with a perverse size difference which would actually start turning him on

He’s quite of a sloppy kisser (kinda hot ngl)

In bed he’s like a dog in heat, his favorite position is doggy style even, he loves giving you spine breaking back shots and watch your ass jiggle and smack on his thick hips and thighs as you scream for more

He also loves using you as a pocket pussy, just squeeze you in his servo and bounce you up and down on his spike

He doesn’t know what a slow gentle pace is but if you ask him nicely, he will try, for you, his beloved

He’s quite vocal so you two will definitely echo around the warship

He doesn’t give a single damn what others think, hence he’s totally fine with PDA

Quickies are also his thing, he’s a risk taker, it turns him on

Sometimes he’s taking it too far while others are around:

Breakdown: *gets all touchy in the middle of the lab* I want to stick it deep inside of you so bad rn-

Y/N: Not the time-

Breakdown: ok-

He can be so dumb sometimes, no one can make you mad like he can, make you cry even and that’s why the relationship would be unstable at times

But he doesn’t want to lose you because you really make him happy and he wants to build something serious and everlasting for the first time in his life

That’s why you’d always get an honest apology from him and you’d move on together like a healthy couple (until the next stupid thing he does-)

🩶

DREADWING

MY NUMBER ONE!!! 🥰

He’s definitely a mech to hide his feelings for you and deny it

He’d treat you roughly and avoid you at first, trying to erase every special feeling in his spark he has for you

At some point he wouldn’t be able to do it anymore and he’d let himself sink into your beautiful eyes, admire your smile and small, soft figure, let himself enjoy every moment of your beautiful voice tickling his audio receptors

As you’d grow on him, he wouldn’t leave your side and tend to stare at you without even blinking (he can be a creep-)

His confession would be spontaneous, your lips and his dermas would meet one evening in the lab and he’d tell you how much he’s been thinking of you. It would seem like a proposal because when he gets attached it’s over, you’re his one and only

As your relationship would grow stronger and more serious, you’d see he indeed has a soft side but ONLY for you

Hence he isn’t really into PDA but he isn’t ashamed to say you’re his partner, though he tends to avoid it

He would make sure you don’t think he’s ashamed of being with you, explaining how it’s all because of his duty

When it comes to intimacy, he’s a mech that prefers it slow and gentle at first but then he wouldn’t be able to contain his urge and strength and go rough on you (size kiiiink)

He dirty talks here and there but he’s more of a groaning type that uses his hands to express himself (grab your hair, scratch you, mark you in any way)

He’s into sounding though so he’d make sure you make sweet juicy noise that would only make him into a wider animal that will fill you up to the brim

Perhaps a tiny punishment kink-

Afterwards he’d ask you if he was too rough and if he hurt you to which you’d only boost his ego with saying how it was perfect

He’s not playing around, if you’re his partner, he will cherish you and protect you forever

After losing his brother, he can’t lose you too…

🩶

SOUNDWAVE

The moment he lay his optics-… visor? Sensors? Anyway- the moment he SAW you, he knew you’re THE ONE.

He must have you at all costs

He would secretly display a smiley face for you from time to time which would lead to him doing it whenever he’d see you on the ship

When you’re alone, he’d quietly approach you and stand or sit very VERY close to you

He would express his intrigue by being willing to help you, displaying sentences such as:

“Soundwave: willing to help.”

As you two would get closer to each other, sentences such as these would show on his visor:

“Soundwave: finding Y/N prepossessing.”

“Soundwave: relishes moments with Y/N.”

He would start displaying a heart the moment he’d feel as if you two finally clicked

When he’d want you to give him a kiss, he’d simply lean closer to you and wait for a sweet smooch on his display

This is ONLY when you two are alone, PDA is a big nono due to his job, he must stay focused at all times

In bed all he cares about is pleasing you. Tell him what you like and how you like it and he will more than just exceed your expectations

If you’re a fan of tentacles, well… you know~

Sometimes it seems as if he doesn’t even need to get intimate, as if he’s just your pleasure robot but at times he can get overstimulated by the sight of your pleasure so he gets the urge to take over

He doesn’t make sounds at all

He definitely videotapes every single freaky time you two have (kinkyyyy)

If you ask him about his voice, he will reveal it only for you but afterwards he will still prefer not using it often

If you’re his, you’re his forever, no doubt

🩶

SHOCKWAVE

HE SO THICC

It is ILLOGICAL for him to fall in love

But here we are, lab boy is all over you

He would rather die than express it, hence you always thought you had no chance with him

Though as time would pass, he would invite you to the lab more and more often so you would help him

He would admire your tiny hands at work, just stand there and watch you do whatever he asked you to

He needs a little lab assistant to help with him with stuff of smaller size

And that’s indeed how you became his little lab assistant!

You would get mixed signals from him whenever he’d pet your head and tell you you did a good job

Until one day he would just lean closer to you and say:

Shockwave: I request a kiss.

To which you’d kiss his LAMP.

He’d only treat you as a partner when you’re alone, mostly in the lab or his berthroom, explaining to you his position is too serious to show any kind of weakness

He would keep his formality of speech all the time which is kinda hot at times

Getting intimate with him is not easy considering his sex drive isn’t big but once you do, it’s heaven

He always takes it his way and it’s mostly in the lab. He has a weird sex in the lab kink (kinda hot)

He prefers missionary as he loves seeing a pure mess he’s pounding into

He’s mostly quiet but he would throw his helm back or/and groan in pleasure because you’re too tight for his girthy spike

Getting caught is not something that worries him. Even if someone does walk in on you, he would just assert dominance that way - stare at whoever entered the lab as he keeps pounding you

He isn’t the best at aftercare but he’d praise you and clean you, carry you to bed or just let you rest on his shoulder as he continues working

He’s VERY possessive which means there’s no running away from Shocky~

You’re lamp boy’s eternal love

Some stuff is from the roleplays with my bestie @k----a27s

Dividers belong to @kiwicidios , @firefly-graphics and @kimjiho1 💜

[soulmatesinc-if]

Going around asking all my favourite IFs this-

My friend (who has written one and a half IFs so far) told me that she balances all the routes very carefully. If one choice reduces one stat and increases two others, then the other choice also does the same, though it might not be the same stats. She does this for most choices. She believes it's the only way to not have a route that's perfect or seems like the canon path.

I'm just starting writing an IF, but this does not seem to be working for me. Maybe I just need to add more stats?

Either way, do you agree with this? How do you balance your routes within the game?

First of all, congratulations on starting! Writing an IF is so much fun, although a bit strenuous at times 😅 I'd break down your question(s) into sub-topics and share my thoughts on the matter. This is just my personal take on the peculiarities of this media though!

The number of stats. There is no set amount of stats to track, there is no minimum and no maximum, and your game can play just as well with 3 as it does with 10. Some IF games track more than others. In some games, the personality of MC is defined through numerous characteristics, in others, it is whatever powers they have. Or a mixture of both. Finding what works for you is essential. Less is more, imo, especially if you're just starting off and even more especially if you feel like they're starting to drag you down. Be mindful of which parameters you decide to track and why. Are you adding it because the players expect their X to be tracked, or do you know what this stat will be doing in your game, what outcomes it will affect? When you plan, try to see if there is overlap in what your stats signify and merge them if it's possible. Notice if perhaps it's always all the same one/two stats that are giving you trouble.

Best/canon route. An IF game is about player choice, so care should absolutely be taken about what these choices mean. In my opinion, the devil is in the game design. You can set broad thresholds for achieving certain actions and missed stat increase opportunities would seem less punishing. Or you can insert opportunities into the failure outcomes: have an extra scene that improves a relationship, reveals a plot point, or allows MC an emotional moment of introspection. This, of course, assumes that no path explicitly punishes the reader for picking a certain choice you, as a writer, have put in there: no hardcore railroading, no breaking the fourth wall to tell them it was unreasonable to pick that, etc. Having a clear path from the beginning of your story to the end is good, but there need to be sides to it that can be revealed if you step off it. I believe this will reduce the pressure on the player to follow a specific path, chasing those perceived "best" stats. E.g. you don't have to be the fastest runner if being some kind of runner will give you an engaging and fun/emotional playthrough.

Stat balancing. You have mentioned that careful control of the stat changes while writing doesn't seem to be working for you. I can share what I found works best for me, and that is to accept it will change. The game is in the WIP stage, so I simply take it for granted that the values and stats I am adjusting now are probably fairly coarse, and sometimes I later rethink the relationship between the option and which stats it should modify and by how much. As I write along, things will adapt and fine-comb editing will take place. I also don't think every single choice should change some stat, sometimes it's just about letting the player connect with their MC and the game, and that is just fine.

Just a few words to how I approach balancing it in Soulmates Inc.: I prefer the path of content. You may have noticed that your MC doesn't have to rely on the soul-link powers. And while using them may be fun, your MC's refusal to use them (a clear penalty to the value of the corresponding stats) may either be a stance on free will, their love for a challenge, a creative approach to their work, or even an uneasy feeling about the whole soul-matching enterprise. This will show up in the game at times as options and conversations exclusive to that path.

I hope this helps you a bit, even if merely to give you a perspective. Always remember to have fun with the project, and I wish you that smooth creative sailing, anon!

[cock-holliday]

"Does the parody of this gender make me NOT this gender?"

but... all gender IS a parody. that's why the patriarchy invented it. and why gender doesn't exist in any form outside of human society. gender is stereotypes and parody and an axis of oppression. everyone on earth should be genderqueer/nonbinary. socialisation is the thing that stops this. the end goal of gender rights is the complete abolition of gender, not whatever you're doing in that post. you seem like you're really rightwing and trying to hide it by mis-using leftwing terminology...

You sound like a deeply unpleasant person.

"everyone on earth should be genderqueer/nonbinary" As a genderqueer person...no they should not. People should be free to identify how they want, not have labels forced on them, and not have to be punished for falling into any particular category. The problem is not the existence of gender and identity labels but rather the power other axes of oppression have to influence it---namely white supremacy and colonial standards.

Gender is not uniform across different societies. It is wholeheartedly made up, sure, as is any other form of categorization! And like any other form of categorization there is shared history and community and the ability to shape it into what you want just as much as the ability to form a sense of nationalism tied to it. And what makes up men, women, and other is different across time and location. The problem is assigning roles and status along a hierarchy, not in putting labels on yourself.

"the end goal of gender rights is the complete abolition of gender, not whatever you're doing in that post" hmmmm can't tell if you're misinformed or gender crit, either way, what a presumptuous take. There are plenty who reject gender abolition in favor of gender liberation.

There needs to be an end to oppression based on gender, on restrictive pressures placed on various genders, on hierarchies (based in gender and others) and an end to the gender binary, but gender abolition is a pretty shit path, imo

Anarcha-genderism only requires, at minimum, non-participation in the legal and social enforcement of unjust hierarchies which revolve around the gender binary.

Gender should be a choice--yours and yours alone. And it should mean what you want it to mean. Forcing a new metric for gender and forbidding use of terms is just as reductive under an """abolitionist""' lol perspective as it is under patriarchy.

I'll give you some credit if you're coming from a nihilist perspective on gender abolition--their critiques of liberal feminism are super correct, but I think their conclusion is flawed, namely in thinking there is no value to identity words.

Abolition is for systems, not ways people describe themselves.

Also please for the love of god read Judith Butler, even the nihilists do

[lemonhemlock]

The thing I have also noticed about targies is that they not only refuse to engage with the historical precedents of a pseudo medieval world, but they admit that for them the magic is the main appeal for of HOTD/ASOIAF.....which is incredibly bizarre to me because Martin, whether intentionally or not, has thrown the more magical elements of the story to the wayside, in order to focus on the human socio-political drama in both ASOIAF and Fire and Blood. ASOIAF, in general, is very 'low fantasy' there is very little magic, the magic that is there is not thoroughly explained, and the Others, the big bad of the series, has been mentioned approximately three times over five books and 25 years. The magic is essentially a plot device and not even a device that Martin particularly likes to use lmaoo.

Anyway this hyper focus on magic and the inability to see what GRRM is doing with magic - it's not the solution it's the problem - is a big reason the fandom is so....off in their predictions. Like, the dragons are not saviors, there is no prophesied savior, etc.

This is why targies are always harping on how there is no way for Sansa to be QITN or even go back to Winterfell because she lost her 'MaGIcAL ConNeCTioN' when Lady was offed - as if I'm supposed to give a fuck about direwolves or what the fuck 'warging' is lmaooo when there are vastly more interesting human dramas and political plots playing out in the series.

Conversely, this is why King Bran as Martin's endgame is so stupid imo lmao. He's giving a magical solution for a political human drama that he's been setting up for five books and has not done enough to build up the importance of magic in the series. Like, I'm sorry but a seven year old all seeing Tree Wizard Warlock as King of the 7K is an absolutely hilarious endgame and makes all the philosophical discussions about good rulers and leadership a joke.

Bullseye. 🎯

The only caveat I have is that, while I agree with your assertion that ASOIAF is low-fantasy, the magical element does slowly gain in importance and it's fair to say that the characters who ignore the magical threats (the Others, dragons) are categorically in the wrong and will end up paying for it. But it is very, very likely that the end of the series will see Westeros returning to a normal climate and the disappearance of magic once and for all. The man himself is on record saying magic can be a hindrance and part of the problem!

This is my personal theory as to why he is taking so much time to publish The Winds of Winter, not just because he wrote himself into a corner with the Meereenese knot, making it very difficult to get Dany to Westeros in one book. But it's also that the King Bran ending doesn't make any sense. Perhaps that was indeed his original planned ending, perhaps that was indeed what he told D&D all those years ago, but as he likes to consider himself a gardener-type of writer, the garden he tended started to grow beyond his control and now having a CCTV Tree in charge of Westeros at the end of the series directly contradicts the themes he developed for nearly 30 years.

No hate to Bran, who is an OK kid, but everyone else in the series who's become entangled with the magic to that extent has paid dearly for it. We have Beric Dondarrion on page telling us exactly how it takes its toll and he feels himself becoming less human. Bran also commits several other transgressions that would normally have other characters cursed or punished via deus-ex-machina like warging into Hodor and eating jojenpaste (the last is theoretically unconfirmed, but come on).

At the end of the day, he is an immature child who's being used as a pawn by Bloodraven, with little formal training in the ways of being a lord (the bare minimum), no practical experience with leadership, no social skills and no charisma. These are all consequences imposed on him given his status as a fugitive and not his fault by any means or reflective of a lack of inclination, but they are practical realities nonetheless. GRRM has spent so many pages already criticising poor leadership skills and has always punished bad, immoral, incompetent OR naive people in positions of power - how is he going to make an exception out of Bran without negating literally every other POV he's chosen to write? This is a serious problem in the construction of the story.

He's also already been caught with his pants down by the show and saw for himself how nearly everyone either hated or mocked the King Bran endgame. I'm really very curious what was his opinion on that and whether it made him reflect in any way. D&D did indeed make a hodgepodge of the final season, but it's still got to sting to see how the majority of viewers thought it was a completely random choice and a joke ending.

[intertexts-moving]

still thinking abt what happens next. its such a good dissection of blame + morality+ perpetuation of cruel cycles. however i have to admit i don't particularly subscribe to the main body of commentators ' "everyone is scheming and has awful intention" take. i mean. hanlon's razor.-- milo obviously dismembered a dead body. which frankly in no world sounds better than saying he killed her. like, he is obviously culpable of that + incapable of processing that culpability but it's jarring to see everyone immediately locking onto gage as some kind of evil and actively manipulating from the start mastermind. they seem pretty obviously to me to be a preexisting Type Of Guy: isolated, miserable, (obsessive) parasocial relationship w/ people who Do, in fact, Exist, and aren't fake characters in a story (haha). his treatment of milo seems way more in line w/ that kind of "genuinely ignorant of how normal friendships and relationships work" than "secretly plotting your demise "-- the weed & crossbow thing read as familiar to me. pressuring, yes, but not actively so. thats just like... the way people are? the way u act when you're kind of awkwardly acquaintances/frienfs w someone and u invite them 2 partake in ur hobbies. just sucks that gage's hobbies are literally only stalking murderers + getting high w the nastiest bong u havr ever seen + shooting white monster cans in the woods with a crossbow. the effect is negative, obviously, because milo is a fucking basket case on a ton of medications with a criminal record for sawing off a girl's arms and the looming threat of inpatient if he doesnt behave over his head. not downplaying the other thing btw that's in a different category imo & while the kiss itself wasnt inherently a Bad Thing to Do imo their reaction & justification absolutely was.. still kind of weird 2 me that it appears like there's a bigger sympathy for claire (dealt with the trauma by becoming a transphobic turning point usa girlie who uses her sister's notoriety to advocate for punishing minors in the justice system even worse & treating her gf like shit) than gage (obviously fucked in the head minimum wage worker with no bar for what a normal interaction or relationship looks like at all.) OR vikki (trans woman of color whos career! is to stir up shit! even if she was kind of a cunt!) anyway the milo / claire parallels are baller i love when people fucking hate each other but are so similar... girl its been nine years stop sticking your fingers in your own bloody wounds stop it stop it stop it! when will u stop reliving the trauma ever day for its own sake. (claire's self harming actions here are obviously infinitely worse because she is like,,, Actively Hurting So Many People. and for what! so she can wear awful dresses and get hit on by oily white senators and drag the bleeding dead weight of her sisters body around everywhere she goes?) ahhh what ever. good book i have to pack now.

[margle]

I dont have any interesting thoughts on the episode because im so tired and I watched it with ads and buffering.

but all in all great ep. probably one of the best of the season. balanced the satire and comedy well. the dee vs frank ableism debate was good because it satirised how people like dee will be extremely ableist in their actions but claim superiority just because they dont say a slur. basically only doing the minimum so they dont appear prejudiced, but never going beyond that.

imo it felt like dee was a main character again in this episode because she actually had complexities to her character beyond just humour. I like how they are comparing frank and dee against each other to demonstrate the superficial changes across generations. where the culture gets less openly prejudiced in some areas, but the underlying issues never leave.

idk if ill think this after my rewatch but I thought the kid mac was hanging out with seemed to represent a younger version of himself. or maybe what he could have been if he hadnt grown up in a highly religious environment. like the kid wants the same thing as mac: to just have fun. but he is ready to go out into risk.e.rat's after the 'punishment' and continue having fun. whereas mac cant get over the fact that shame and punishment are interlinked for him. the world has changed but he cant because the idea that he must feel constant shame is so imbedded in who he is. maybe the kid represented a version of mac without his burden of shame?

also the opening! I was just thinking the other day that I missed when the gang sang together. im really glad they brought that back. they are all friends <3

these last 3 episodes have had strong endings, which is good because I kinda hated all the endings in the first 3 episodes. but the ending of this one was really funny and just felt like good sunny.

[ppg-villains-defense-lawyer]

What are your opinions on each Gangreen Gang episode (Buttercrush, Telephonies, Schoolhouse Rocked, Slave the Day, Power Lunch, Bang For Your Buck, Aspirations)?

Honestly, I enjoyed all of them! There's not a single bad Gangreen Gang episode. But to break it down further:

Buttercrush: Ah yes, the episode that basically created the Ace X Buttercup ship (and led to many childhood crushes on our favorite green gangster).

A good episode overall. It really shows off Ace's manipulative side, perceptiveness, and charisma. Yes there are Unfortunate Implications TM if you want to read into it, but I always just saw it as Ace seeing an opportunity to both get the PPG to stop beating up him and his friends, and seeing a chance to have a superhuman on his side. Though I could see a future where he and Buttercup could genuinely get along and become friends, when they're both adults and he's not actively committing crimes.

Telephonies: Peak "boys will be boys" behavior in a good way... or a funny way, at least. I mean, who else would be stupid enough to prank both Mojo Jojo and HIM but smart enough to actually make it work? I honestly can't think of another villain that could and would pull off those kinds of shenanigans (Also the scene with the Professor... someone please sit this man down and warn him about phone and internet scams. He's the type of guy who would receive an email from a "Nigerian prince" asking for money and believe it. Bless him)

Schoolhouse Rocked: Another hilarious episode that also raises some important questions. Like, before Jack Wednesday, did nobody notice that the Gang didn't go to school? Or, did they just not care? And why were a bunch of teenagers put in a kindergarten class? Was it because they genuinely never been to school before and Jack was making them start at the very beginning, or because Pokey Oaks Kindergarten is the only school in Townsville? And if that's true, then where do all the older kids go who are just regular citizens-

Okay, I'm getting off topic. But yes, it's ridiculous and fun and even a little sad when you read into everything. We get to hear some of Arturo's backstory, we get to see the gang be massive trolls and menaces to everyone around them, it's great.

Slave the Day: Rewatching this episode makes me feel a bit sorry for Big Billy. As funny as the "we thought you were dead" meme is, it's clear that Billy doesn't feel loved or cared about, even within the gang. And... he really isn't, aside from maybe Grubber. He comforted him at least. Like, he was so shocked that the girls did the bare minimum of being superheroes and saved his life that he was ready to leave all his friends behind for good and dedicate his life to serving them.

Though I will say I don't think Ace and the others ever genuinely believed Billy was dead. I don't think they're that careless. Imo it was more of a joke and they just assumed he got scared and ran off or the girls caught him and threw him in jail. But either way, it's clear they weren't that worried and if he ever did get separated from the gang he'd pretty much be on his own.

Also, the girls were definitely in the wrong for beating up Billy at the end of the episode for turning on them. He admitted what he did was wrong, he was sorry, and he changed his mind at the end anyway and saved them. Idk, that part never sat right with me and really shows that the girls have a very rigid view on their roles as crime fighters, seeing violence not simply as a method to defend themselves and others but as a just punishment in of itself. And to a point you can't really blame them; they're only five and encouraged to use violence by pretty much everyone around them, even when it's unnecessary. I hope they gain more of a nuanced perspective as they get older and realize that's not a good way to be a hero.

Power Lunch: I enjoyed seeing which powers each of the gang got! I know it's officially tied to whatever food they were eating when they got hit with the girls' laser vision, but if you want to analyze it as revealing a part of who they are I think you could.

You could say Ace gets ice powers because he tends to act cold and mean, even to those closest to him. Snake gets super elasticity both because he's naturally flexible but also because he's often forced to bend to the will of others, especially Ace. Arturo gets super speed because he's spent years learning to be the fastest as a way to make up for being the smallest, Big Billy is a rock because he's, well, big, but also because he can be quite stubborn when he wants to be (ex. him insisting to "help" constantly in Slave the Day). Grubber gets super sonic burps because he often finds other ways to make his presence be felt and felt loudly despite being mostly voiceless; whether it's through his grossness, his talents with poker and music, even his voice acting skills, etc.

Bang For Your Buck: This is probably the one I rewatch the least, but there's still a lot of great comedy in there. I enjoyed seeing the juxtaposition of the girls trying to find genuine ways to earn the money next to the gang doing what the gang does best (aka robbing little kids and old ladies). The running gag of Ace being oblivious to obvious solutions felt slightly out of character, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. Especially watching the rest of the gang notice what he wasn't and being too scared to point it out.

I will say that I think it would've been better if at the end, the gang was able to buy the Destructo-Ray, got all geared up to use it to take over Townsville (or more likely, just blow up random shit for fun) only for them to find out that it was actually a snow cone machine when they tried to use it and they basically wasted all their money. Idk, the ending with the mayor felt a bit random and pointless.

Aspirations: Controversial but this is probably my favorite Gangreen Gang episode if I had to pick. We get to see the boys be both competent thieves and badasses and we get to see a softer, more vulnerable side to them through Sedusa, even if that vulnerable side is only revealed through manipulation. We see that they are capable of being scarily competent under the right conditions, and are desperate for love and basically anyone telling them they aren't worthless. I also headcanon that this was a huge turning point for them and made them decide to turn their lives around, but also fractured their ability to trust any outsiders for years onward, Ace especially.

I also really like the references to Buttercrush because yeah, what Sedusa is doing to the gang isn't that much different from what Ace did to Buttercup. You could argue that Ace's reasons were more defensive while Sedusa was actively seeking out the gang to use and I think there's some truth to that. But the nitty gritty of it is the same: manipulating someone younger and less experienced for the sake of power and personal safety.

[bohemian-nights]

Viserys saying “my only child” in reference to Rhaenyra when he has four other children (Aegon, Helaena, Aemond and Daeron) in my opinion is one of the main reasons why the Dance happened. Because it stems from the fact that Viserys doesn’t view Alicent or his children with Alicent as his family i.e. "he is your son viserys. your blood."

Yep. Viserys really is the main cause of why the Dance happens. While he does appear to show affection to Helaena in the books he's still a pretty crappy neglectful father to Aegon and Aemond(someone should've gotten punished for the eye incident and things should've been made clear that what happened wasn't okay).

With the way he acted, he honestly should've never remarried and only kept a mistress because he did the bare minimum for his second set of children.

He doesn’t really love Rhaenyra either IMO cause no father who actually cared about their child would let their child do whatever(and how he treated Aemma like a breeding horse 🙃), but he does send the message to Alicent and his other kids that they don’t hold a candle to his first family.

[instantartific]

Saw your post about how they got off easy and honestly, yeah. B2J sure did get off easy for just how much damage they caused, at MINIMUM directly if not having some amount of indirect damage tied back to them. Kliff certainly threatened worse (The injury of less than 10 or so people and upheaval of the political/electrical system is bad but imo not as bad as actively attempting to do something that could kill hundreds or even more depending on the city's population- and only failing because the building you were attacking happens to be able to turn into a mech) and I imagine Kliff is in jail about it, but I somewhat headcanon B2J didn't end more punished because of a mix of "They were being pretty manipulated by Kliff" and "logistically/publicly it would have been a nightmare to deal with on NSR's end"

Oh no absolutely.

I can imagine NSR only "forgave" them so easily for the whole publicity aspect of it, as trying to press charges and make it all legal could ruin their image even more than B2J running it into the ground.

As for the "Kliff manipulating them" thing:

Zuke is a wholeass 27 year old, which makes that harder to believe he'd be swayed though still plausible—

If not for the fact that they attacked Nova BEFORE Kliff was in the picture.

They can't use Kliff to defend themselves because they started this without him, he just encouraged them to keep going. Like they would have did that without him. If anything it would've been better if they did cause then there wouldn't be aN ACTUAL SATELLITE CRASHING INTO THE CITY TRYING TO KILL PEOPLE.

ON A SIDE NOTE, KLIFF WAS EITHER SO BLIND HE DIDN'T CONSIDER WHAT WOULD HAPPEN OR HE WENT "YES, I AM GOING TO KILL ALL OF THESE INNOCENT PEOPLE BECAUSE YOU DON'T LIKE ME"

LIKE. THAT FELT... PRETTY GLOSSED OVER I'M NGL.

but yeah, b2j. should've gotten like. at least a slap on the wrist.

[maeinthekinning]

Random reminder, the u.s. still has an exception in the 13th amendment (slavery) that allows slavery and involuntary servitude if you have been convicted of any crime, including petty crimes, including innocent but convicted.

That exception was exploited by many to keep their slaves.

And when you get out, you can't vote to rectify that.

Recently some states (a small minority) have gotten rid of slavery in those states, some like Colorado taking multiple tries to succeed in outlawing slavery.

Even where slavery is not being used, the wages are much lower then minimal wage for where work and the cost of even a phone call or reading a free book can be immense.

Prisons optimally imo should be focused on rehabilitation, instead of punishment. This would help lower recidivism and lower homelessness.

And there shouldn't be lower then minimum wage work or fees for reading free books or pricy phone calls.

[lunarsilkscreen]

FFXIII - and Lightning

I've been asked; if FXIII-Lightning Returns is your favorite *ever* Final Fantasy game; why don't you write more about it? Like your other multi-volume sagas on the other franchises you go on fanpages about?

Because most of what I would have to say about the 13 series as a whole would be critical in nature. FFXIII is the first game in the FF series that feels Rushed, Forced, and suffers from the the dreaded [hallway effect].

The hallway effect is what happens when you try to extend a Retro-Style side-scrolling game like [Ghosts and Goblins] or [Battletoads] into a 60 hour (minimum) endeavour.

And by 60 hour minimum; I mean regardless of skill level, replays, or skipping side-content you're sinking approximately 60 hours in from front to back. You can get it down to about 40 hours if you're really focused, but it is a slog.

And this is the first in the FF13 series. So it's hard to say "Wow, I love this game and you should too" when it feels more like a trap where you'd love to finish the game; but it feels less like a game and more like work.

That's not to say you shouldn't like the game. I'm hyper critical, despite thoroughly enjoying the story. Although... The [Day-time Soap Opera] feel if the game may lead other players to outright avoid it in it's entirety.

The world of FF13 is set in Gran Pulse's moon; Cocoon. And society has set up a safe haven because monsters have taken over the planet's surface. The government has created a sort of legal system that forces [Criminals] suspected of [Crimes] to face punishment or flee to the planet's surface (which is not an easy thing to do). The planet's surface is basically Australia.

So this reflects a lot of "penal colony" rhetoric from the [Colonial] days.

In between 13 and 13-2; the titular character [Final Fantasy XIII], I mean [Lightning] has gone missing. She just fell in a gap between dimensions and her friends and family have absolutely no idea where she went.

This leads to her sort of Adopted Son; Hope from the first game to set off on a frantic lifelong mission to find Lightning. Similar to the plot of Interstellar; but with more RPG elements. Hopes quest coincides with Noel's quest who, through Hopes dealings with the quantum space time [whatever's] and though the power of [Eidolons] (this installments version of the [Summon]) is forced from the future into the present world where Hope, the character, lives.

He informs Hope of the future; A world that has gone extinct. Not just Humans, the entire planet. And Noel, along with Caius who also disappeared between dimensions like Lightning did, are the last two humans on Gran Pulse. (Cocoon has since been evacuated so that humanity lives in Gran Pulse.)

Leading to an unending battle between Lightning and Caius until the events of FF13-LR.

FFXIII-2 has a more arcadey feel (despite the original game was designed to mimic an arcade experience) and IMO has the mechanics of what the original FFXIII should've had in the beginning.

I really feel that if FFXIII was originally released with a FFXIII-2's style, it would've had a bigger following. The original FFXIII, however, did something that I don't know if it was intentional; allowing freedom of movement on Gran Pulse when the player finally gets there (Gran Pulse feels like FFX's world where the calm lands are).

This makes the player think; Do I really want to go back to cocoon to finish this? Or just hang out here on Gran Pulse? At the part I arrived in this area, I wanted to do the side quests; but I was also so burned out on the game I just wanted to be done with the story. (And I didn't wanna watch a YouTube video.)

I HAVEN'T SINCE TOUCHED FFXIII or -2, despite having played LR 3 times. That's how much I enjoy LR; even now I would go back and play that and avoid xiii and -2 entirely.

Hope and crew put an immense effort into trying to contact Lightning; the only person they really feel like could save the planet from its eventually destruction; while simultaneously trying to defeat Caius and the dark Chaotic rifts that open up all over the planet; in the past, present, and future.

Serah, being a [Seer] Sees a vision of Lightning save the world at the end of XIII-2 before her ultimate death. [Seer Visions] being thought to eat a portion of the Seer's life is the documented reason why; but nobody knows for sure.

In Lighting Returns, [FFXIII]; I mean Lightning: appears as diety, working for the Christian God [Bhunivelze]. An all powerful entity who wishes to destroy Humanity, Gran Pulse, and reform it as whatever he thinks is a better version.

At first, Lightning is collecting Souls. She Operates in a similar facet to the Protagonist of Act Raiser; returning to a celestial [Home Point] in between each outing and trying to save as many people as she can; However; Bhunivelze, Hasn't told her about his true intentions, and keeps a Copy of [Hope] as she remembers him, a child from the first game. But Hope isn't really there; he's a construct controlled by Bhunivelze; an effort to control Lighting entirely.

It's at this point I stop to tell you may favorite connection between FF13 and the Lightning Saga to another lesser known game series on GameBoy: [Sa-Ga] or {Final Fantasy Legend} in the west. I'm sure there's many more references to the Romancing SaGa series as a whole, but it's the Gameboy games that I've played regularly.

The GameBoy games feature a lot of the same key story points (That I'm going to glaze over) such as time travel to save the world inside of a futuristic spaceship (Legends3), Fighting and taking the place of the divine being (Legend 1) and most notably (For me) Odin. Whom ressurects the Hero should they die, only for the main character to have to fight Him and take his place.

(The save/reload ability of the game can be interpreted as Odin's resurrection power in this case. Which is a detriment, because you can no longer be "reloaded" to right before you died.)

Odin in LR becomes Lightnings mighty Steed (Chocobo) who many players tend to rename to [d*face] prompting SquareEnix to remove the ability to rename your Chocobo in the PC ports.

While Lightning becomes Odin in this game, and has to make this decision; follow God's Will, OR; save the souls of humanity and ferry them to the new world like a modern Charron retelling.

Obviously; Lightning chooses to mimic Noah and save humanity (Possible after canonically failing her mission of 13 days in length several times. Due to needing to 100% the game basically in order to see the true ending.) and ferry's the souls of the damned to the new world; while Serah and Caius opt to stay in the [divine realm] in order to protect humanity from another would be Bhunivelze.

[sulietsexual]

Would you agree that Spike gets credit for doing the bare minimum. Like comforting Buffy over her mom's illness is what most halfway decent people would do and would not have intended to murder her at first. The entire "he got a soul for her" is literally patting him on the back for feeling guilty about attempted rape. Well him feeling guilty proves he knows better without a soul imo.

I mean, the "comforting Buffy" thing can be seen as OOC for vampires, given that they're not supposed to feel empathy or sympathy for humans. But I would say this is less a case of Spike being "good" and more a case of "Spike's obsessed with Buffy and therefore will act against his vampire nature because of it".

And I definitely don't give him any credit for getting his soul back because a) he did it solely to get back in Buffy's pants and to punish her "Bitch is gonna get what's coming to her" and b) because he doesn't really do anything with said soul once he gets it, aside from mope around and victim-blame Buffy.

[myjunkisyuzuruhanyu]

Seeing people getting angry about Shoma's lutz attempts... then seeing that Russian coach with Grassl at Euros...

Maybe I'm too cynical but something I've come to think the past several weeks is, if the Shoma haters had to choose between, "Shoma retires at the end of this season, but Russia is no longer banned from competing with no punishment," and, "Russia is banned until after the 2026 Olys, but Shoma competes in those Olys with a good chance at gold," almost all of them would rather the former happen.

Yeah...feels like you would be right. I dunno though if that scale should be comparable but the drama some make out of Shoma's 4Lz attempt...it seems comparable...

Actually my problem with them is their blatant double standards...it's ok if it's anyone else but Shoma deserves no scores, no titles...

If other skaters have the same problems on their jumps BUT even include it in their programs (for example Kaori going for 3Lz in her SP and FS despite it not being a Lutz either (love you Kaori, it's just an example) they don't get as much sh*t. Shoma just posted a TRAINING video - is even trolling with 🤷‍♂️ caption - yet still ppl act as if he started a war and declared his jumps as picture perfect.

As for Grassl - I don't even know what more to say to that really - going to Russia atm is just not it and it's wrong on so many levels but imo it shows that Russian skating isn't really banned in thinking in this sport. I think the Russians assume they will return and everything will be like before and atm it looks like they are right...ISU should step in to ban Russian coaches and making clear that it's not welcomed to train with them or invite them, but the ISU doesn't do much just the bare minimum bc it's advised by IOC.

It's true many fans who rooted for Grassl, showed their disappointment and want him to flop now, even invite ppl to boo him at Euros...but still before any of that happened they rooted die hard for him to beat Shoma and other skaters with better technique and if one skater has questionable technique it's undeniable Grassl. So it's rather cynical of the same ppl to be worked up on Shoma's 4Lz attempt, but - before Grassl chose to cooperate with Team Tutberidze - root for him to win Euros with his technical problems on 4Lz, 4F and 4Lo. So are they concerned bc of incorrect technique being used? Guess not...just admit you hate Shoma and move on, it's not so hard.

[fiftytwotwentytwo]

Closing the Book on 52 Books

I saw a YouTube video not too long ago where a person talked about how they also read 52 books in one year and how it changed their life.

So, is my life changed?

No.

But I will say a weight has been lifted.

I initially started this challenge because I could not remember the last time I read a book (It had been at minimum 2 years since I read a book) and I wanted to fall in love with reading - I wanted to make it a lifelong habit.

Well - it certainly could have been my book choices but most of the time I felt like I was doing homework. I also thought by reading almost everyday that my reading speed and comprehension would increase - to be honest I never measured it AND don't know how to measure it, but I feel like I am about the same as I was.

What will happen after this?:

With my personality - I have recognized that I can drop things pretty easily without remorse. I could (and most likely) easily slide back into not reading books again.

A reverse addiction....

A Reverse Addiction is coy way of me saying that laziness is my real addiction.

Man-Oh-Man, I absolutely love doing nothing. I could do nothing for weeks if I could afford to or didn't have obligations (my internet persona is going from self appointed "Person Amongst Saints" (big JK right there) to a real Piece of Shit - no JKs there) AND I recognize that about myself.

And since laziness is an obvious realization for myself I started creating grand, yet arbitrary, goals for myself each year.

Back in college an acquaintance stated the "challenges" I set for myself were just punishements to keep me living in misery and I would have to disagree - yes - sometimes the goal I can set for myself can be tedious, exhausting, and eat away at my social engagements - but at the same time I like having something to look forward to - something to break me of my laziness - and it wouldn't be too far fetched to say that I don't at least least learn something new (either in knowledge or internalized retrospection).

Anywhosel, back to the books - Will I continue reading?

Well, I not going to worry about - I not going to set goals - so I do forsee I will probably not read much. In a perfect world What would be nice is if read about 1 to 1.5 books per month... 12-18 books per year... but no promises to myself.

.

.

If I do seek out some books - Here are some author's on my "booklist":

V.E. Schwab: I love their writing style - read two books already by Schwab. I have a third book of theirs already collecting dust that I am somewhat excited to read.

.

Taylor Jenkins Reid: Read two of her books - Thought they were good. Enjoyed a small discovery that her stories/characters live in the same universe - I wouldn't mind reading more of her stuff.

.

Stephen King: Only read one of his books, but I was thoroughly impressed and of course he has a reputation to stand up too.

.

Agatha Christie: I was a bit skeptical - but her mystery books are legit and I could use more mystery in my life.

.

Lee Child: This one I think I was most shocked by - Killing Floor (first installment to the Jack Reacher series) was sooo good. I think I wouldn't mind following Ol' Jack Reacher around.

.

Kurt Vonnegut: This dude has some effing style when it comes to his work - dark humor and a bit absurdist - kind of elevated punk.

.

.

And Now - Here is the list of books from my self described Worst Reads to my Favorites:

The Love Hypothesis (Wasted Potential - BS premise)

Ready Player Two (An absolute fall from grace - Made me Hate fictional versions of John Hughes and Prince which in turn made me non-fictional despise the author)

The Hating Game (IMO - Hot Garbage)

Interview with a Vampire (Depressing)

American Psycho (No Charm - Boring)

One Hundred Years of Solitude (Artful, Poetic, Repetitive, Dull)

Midnight Sun (An unreadable cash grab)

Brave New World

Last of the Breed

The Fuck-Up

Eat, Pray, Love

All About Me

The Midnight Library

Tuesdays with Morrie

Feed

Murder at the Vicarage

The Paris Apartment

Snow Crash

Carry On

Cinder

Leviathan Wakes

Grey

Crushing It

The Unhoneymooners

No Memes of Escape

Where The Crawdads Sing

Silver Screen Fiend

Yearbook

Mexican Gothic

Survivor

Invisible Monsters

Malibu Rising

Vengeful

Harry Potter and The Sorcerer's Stone

The Maidens

Breakfast of Champions

Coma

The Storyteller

The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle

Death on the Nile

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo

Verity

The 100 Year Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared

Circe

Song of Achilles

Jurassic Park

Pulp

11/22/63

Killing Floor

The Confederacy of Dunces

Slaughterhouse-Five

Vicious (Read Vicious in late January and I still think about to this day -Could not put it down - Fun, Exciting, Dark, Read like a Movie)

RED = Cannot Stand / Unbearable

BLUE = Highly Recommend / Keepers / Will Re-Read

GREEN = A New Favorite - Top 5 for Life