#and idk maybe i'm completely wrong

[msmargaretmurry]

I'm not a Caps follower but I tend to keep a closer eye on the guys who have struggled with their health (mental and physical), and I have the utmost respect for Kuzy, with how open he has been about his struggles and what he's needed to do to cope, especially in this shitty, shitty culture (SO many of the problems these guys face go right back to the culture and its expected/encouraged behaviors.) It's sad to see the Caps drop him like that, but I'm telling myself that if this is how they're treating him, they likely aren't going to be the right team to give him the support he needs, and maybe the next team that picks him up will. I'm rooting for him.

i mean, i don't think the caps are just "dropping him like that." and i'm not just saying that because i'm a caps fan — i definitely think they, like all teams, have had times when they've handled their players poorly — but this is a different kind of situation. i think you're right that the caps aren't the team for kuzy right now, not because they're unwilling to support him, but because he has said, multiple times, that he wants and needs a change of scenery and a fresh start. it would be cruel of the capitals not to give him that at this point. we can quibble over whether this is the best way to go about that (i certainly have mixed feelings about it) but i do think that it's a more complicated situation than just dropping him.

kuzy has been saying for a while now that he wants a change of scenery and a second chance somewhere else. he has reportedly been asking for a trade for a couple of seasons now — i say reportedly because the source is a bit iffy, but it seems at least somewhat true — and the caps have been trying to find a deal that works for both him and them since at least last summer. when he came back from the assistance program, the caps gm spoke with kuzy and his representatives, and what it sounds like to me is that kuzy really wanted that change of scenery as soon as possible. putting him on waivers is the fastest way to make that happen.

trades can take time to put together, especially if they've been shopping him for a while and nothing has worked out. waivers mean another team can claim him while giving up nothing, or if no one claims him, there's a spot for him in hershey. (and if he doesn't want to go to hershey — which is ftr one of the bests spot to be in the ahl. their facilities are better than some nhl teams' facilities — he has the option not to report, which would probably mean suspending his contract, which could get messy, but the caps could also agree to loan him elsewhere.)

this is clearly not a move that the caps made lightly. they are, like all teams, imperfect at player management, but they also are, at the very least, pretty damn loyal to that remaining core of 2018 players. they know how caps fans feel about kuzy. maclellan has said they're willing to retain some of his salary as part of a deal to move him; he has said he can see a scenario where he comes back to the capitals once he gets himself sorted out. but kuzy has made it very clear that he does not feel like he is mentally or emotionally able to do that sorting out in washington. i don't think that necessarily is a knock against the caps. sometimes when you hit rock bottom you really do just need a change of scenery to be able to heal.

anyway. i'm sad about it, because it's sad, but i also feel complicated about it, because people are complicated, and it's a complicated situation. but above all i am rooting for kuzy, and i really hope this helps him find a place where he can get that fresh start.

[nonokoko13]

SPOILERS SXF CHAPTER 93 ❗❗❗

So, chapter 93. Starting with Anya scores...

THAT'S MY GIRL!!!! CONGRATULATIONS BABY!!! 🎉🎊🥳

(Let's take a moment to appreciate what a good and supportive friend Becky is too 💖)

As I expected Anya passed classical language (with a huge improvement!) but in the large, tedious walk on Hell that is school not everyone can get exceptional grades in every subject unless you're a Desmond apparently and Anya, as many people who preceded her and will come after her, failed math.

I have seen many people make theories about how certain older student who we shall discuss next could be her tutor. However, my theory is that she will receive help from Bill in the future

It makes more sense: both already know each other, Anya has more chances of Bill accepting or suggesting to help her than the-one-I-shall-name-later and overall Bill seems more communicative and better at socialising and explaining himself. Let's not forget he received a stella in math after all. So for me Bill seems like the most plausible option (maybe we will get jealous Damian with this friendship?)

Back at the Forgers residence the Authens pay a visit to congratulate Anya as well. When I read Sigmund's sentence about how rewarding is to have a payment for your hard work my mind automatically thought "But sometimes no matter how hard you try you don't get a reward. Sometimes the result is just not worth the effort" (I think many people has a canon event that reveals them that, specially when you're in highschool, middle school or college)

And right after thinking that he agreed with me lol. My mind really anticipates things before finishing a panel

Speaking of hard work and grades, I'm taking this chance to give my opinion: a system based on giving stars to those who have the highest grades while those who fail face the possibility of being expelled is awful. Not getting a star and comparing yourself to your peers already make horrors to your self esteem, imagine a child getting expelled for repeatedly fail a exam that may not be adapted to their needs (or getting many tonitrus for things your teachers disapprove of you but you didn't know it was wrong or for something about yourself you cannot control. For example a kid with ADHD unintentionally interrupting someone, disconnecting in the middle of a conversation or making noise with their leg when they stay still for too long. No need to go as far as talking about neurodivergent kids, look at that chapter where Anya got a tonitrus for not having a handkerchief. Who the fuck is punished for that when you're an adult anyway)

Enough of that, back to the chapter. Let's talk about what hyped me the most: Demetrius finally appearing on screen!

We already had crumbs of him before. Given Damian inferiority complex when comparing himself to him when he had talked about school and Twilight noticing his exams barely had any mistakes back in the chapter where Daybreak was welcomed to this world, him being a exceptional student when it comes to academics isn't surprising in the least.

Many say he's ugly and exactly like his father but I disagree. Donovan looks like a goddamn Frankenstein if Frankenstein was ugly, Demetrius take after his dead eyes look but he's pretty like Melinda. Not conventionally pretty like Damian or Melinda but kinda pretty. Like a zombie with sleep deprivation but in an endearing way. It's not his fault he's built like a Tim Burton or Don't Starve Together character... anyway I'm sure his appearance can grow up on you, hopefully (;´ ▾ `)

About the theories regarding this panel

It may be true something's going on, maybe he was really experimented on... But I can't stop thinking he was in that very moment "No thoughts, head empty" mode

I mean, he looks like a walking corpse in dire need of a proper nap, can you blame him if his thoughts are mainly focused on studies when Donovan probably spent time with him only for the sake of producing a good grades, not independent thinking machine as his heir? "He watch him study all the time."

I don't think it was necessary for a tragic incident to change Donovan and made him distant from his family. I suspect he has always been like that, perhaps even before having Demetrius, so it was less a traumatic big event and more the exhausting everyday life Demetrius has been having as far as he remembers of being supervised by his father in order to be the best at school and everything that turned him into the probably burnt out teenager he is.

Same with Melinda, being married to somebody you might not have even loved when you first got together, a man who doesn't try to understand others or seem capable of caring for anyone, a man who is not precisely publicly known for his kindness (remember Millie and Yor's boss when Donovan was brought up?)... Being married to that kind of person for years and then having kids with that person and have to keep being related to them for at least until your kids graduate sound like a miserable life indeed

The Desmond have a common theme going around that is understanding the world around them, or rather the lack of it. I can say for sure that Demetrius feeling overwhelmed simply with a bunch of kids and thinking he can't understand people have its roots in Donovan

• For Donovan is his narrow minded belief that nobody can't understand — therefore neither trust — each other because people is different; and as long as that phrase of "two people can't think the same" lives to the reality it finds itself in reaching a common ground is impossible.

• Donovan influenced Demetrius. Perhaps Demetrius doesn't share his father belief and that's not why he can't understand others, maybe it is because he was possibly deprived of a normal childhood where he could socialise with others of his age without his father expectations onto him.

Many academic gifted children reach a part of their lives where their habit is to think inside the box of "Good grades is all I'm good at or all I should care about; good grades = doing fine; it's all about what you can prove to those who expect something from you, not what you can prove to yourself to make you feel satisfied and happy".

When people who raised you condition you to act, live and think the way they wanted you to do is difficult to break and separate yourself from that. Plus he's going through the middle school phase, from personal experience that makes you x10 times angsty and complicated to understand yourself, much less everyone else.

• With Damian it is less discussed and pointed out because he's been able to have a relatively normal —if anything very neglected — childhood up to this point. He has friends, he acts like a kid of his age, his life doesn't revolve around his grades all the time... But that's the bare minimum of what a good childhood should be like.

It may be because of his age, but he doesn't see the bigger picture of his family. He can't see what is wrong with them (yet) because in his eyes nothing is wrong. Sure, he feels lonely and works hard for his dad to notice him, but that happens in many families right? He's not even in denial, he doesn't phantom the idea that what his family is, how they behave towards each other or towards him, isn't normal.

Don't make me start with how his future plans is following Donovan's footsteps in politics because he's trying that hard to approach him. He works hard at school because in his mind being like Demetrius or how he believes Donovan wants him to be would bring them closer, receive an understanding relationship from his dad when we know there might not be genuine affection between them from Donovan's side to start with.

He's teaching himself that love is conditioned by your "worth" or by whether you get to the expectations your loved ones have. That reminds me of what Sigmund told Anya because it sounds like a foretelling of Damian's life: [...] And one day you'll experience the frustration of realizing that hard work is not always rewarded. He doesn't many things and his age may explain it but it doesn't justify, if he continues thinking like that he'll have his hopes crushed and may turn out like Demetrius.

• As for Melinda, is difficult to talk about the point she stands in the understanding theme. Unlike her family she does seem able to understand people, perhaps because she wasn't raised like her kids have been. She's aware that her husband party made a lot of damage to their country, she seems aware and attentive to what surrounds her.

I don't think she cannot be understanding or perceptive, I think it's the other way around: the people she's surrounded by cannot understand her. Neither Yor, Anya, Damian, surely Demetrius and Donovan neither, her "friends" of the association she's in... Not even us can't understand the reason why she's so conflictive about Damian yet.

In just one appearance Donovan made his belief clear, thus giving us an idea of what type of feelings he has towards Damian. We can get so much of his character as a person with one chapter, but Melinda has appeared more than him and her true self is unknown. Donovan is reserved in a physical way, he isolates himself by not going outside and socialising, but he's not against the idea of explaining a stranger his stance in life. Melinda surrounds herself of people and listens to them but she keeps to herself.

Anyway, I'm looking forward to see more of Demetrius and the Desmonds. Hope we get more screen time of them, unless Endo has decided to drop such episode only to give us a one-shot chapter next and not elaborate further before introducing a complete different arc 💦

Although with what we have I'm already bought and entertained enough. Our favorite family is great but hooray for secondary characters being given depth and spotlight in this manga 🥳

See you next chapter reaction! If I made another one after other 25 full moons. I'm probably forgetting to talk about something...Oh well

[ganondorf--apologist]

I was running through Godhome again and something that I've been wanting to ramble about for a while is the differences in the lead up to the Dream No More ending vs the Godhome endings.

Throughout the Dream No More run, Ghost's journey is almost defined by having allies, by not being alone. Quirrel is there to help with Uumuu, Cloth is (sometimes) there to help with Traitor Lord, and Hornet is there to save Ghost from the collapsing Cast Off Shell and later to restrain THK for them to dreamnail. This builds up to the events of the final fight with Radiance, where as Ghost progresses towards the end their siblings start appearing in the background and the music swells as they ascend to the top to land one last hit on Radi before THK themself appears to help Ghost out one last time. Ghost's victory secured because of all of the help they've received, because they were not alone.

The Godhome endings seemingly exist in complete contrast to this. The absence of allies is prevalent throughout Ghost's Godhome run. Fights where Ghost once had allies are now done without even the slightest inkling of that same external help in sight—made even more prevalent when you remember that Oro was able to call in Mato halfway through the fight and all three sisters of battle were allowed to step in to try and curb stomp Ghost. Everyone else gets to call in allies, Ghost does not. Ghost has to do all of these fights alone, twice. Once for the first four pantheons and then again all at once in P5. While running through P5, Ghost is stopped by intermittent chats with Godseeker about all of the other gods in the game, but none of the gods are ever discussed together. Each one is placed on a pedestal, all alone. The entire journey through Godhome even started by finding Godseeker in the Junk Pit by herself, and while going through each of the pantheons, despite being surrounded by other godseekers, each time Godseeker talks to Ghost she does so entirely alone. And after all that, finally, Ghost makes it to Absolute Radiance, and for the first two parts of the fight it's identical to Dream No More Radiance. However, once that ending part rolls around, it changes. Ghost's siblings are no longer in the background, it's just Ghost now, and as they ascend the music gets quieter and quieter until it's entirely gone, replaced by the loud ringing of Godhome. They get to the top and it's no longer just one last hit, no, Hollow isn't there to help them anymore, no one is. They have to keep hitting Radiance on their own until the fight is finally over and Ghost can finally become The Lord of Shades.

At that point Ghost has done it, they've ascended, become powerful—more powerful than anyone.

They've won...

... but they're all alone.

[kittehbiscuits]

I have a theory guys

The woman that he died over is the wife in the sequel, and also the owner of the finger with a wedding ring he pulled out of his pocket, so I guess that makes her his ex wife so I could be wrong but maybe they just didn't add ex when they revealed casting for whatever reason.

[forestgreenlesbian]

.

[actual-corpse]

Saw a YT vid with the title, "Fandom Can't Handle Asexuality"

You're right, they can't... Because it doesn't fucking exist to them.

[neptunym]

throws this at you as a sign that i'm alive and immediately runs away

[54625]

dude

[front-facing-pokemon]

[da-proti-toku-grem]

why can't anyone understand that everyone is different and not everyone likes the same things and that it's completely okay AND normal for someone not to like going out and preferring to stay at home :/

[rimeiii]

I feel like WHB getting delayed due to what I assume would be issues relating to explicit content for KR audiences is really just expected atp I'm ngl. It's a very explicit game for sure based on the teasers alone and they've been pushing the limits as to what can or cannot be accepted by the GP.

The sudden announcements are frustrating though, I agree. Especially since it has been delayed multiple times at this point - add to that the added wrinkle of the refunds for KR players this time due to being unable to release in the region.

Because like, here's the thing. Other games have received censorship for being not as explicit as WHB to release in other regions. You know Girls' Frontline? Yeah, that game was censored for release in CN and KR because some of the injured T-Doll art is quite suggestive. Prettybusy (PB) putting WHB for release in KR when the game isn't even rated 18+ in the Google Play Store is bound for it to be placed under scrutiny, imo.

Like. Think of it this way. I'm a Limbus Company enjoyer and that game discusses very heavy and dark topics. Limbus Company is rated 18+, for fuck's sake.

It was delayed from a December 2022 release to a February 2023 release because the devs, Project Moon (PM) wanted to refine it for a better experience. PM has a very small team the size of a high school class, which includes their merch team. It's a bloody, gory fest, with violence and an entire list of trigger warnings at the start. And while the game isn't perfect on launch by all means (in fact, mobile players got shafted hard because of optimization issues, and people joked playing on mobile is the true difficulty spike), people were satisfied enough with the game and plot to stick by it.

I get wanting to reach a wide audience by placing WHB's age rating at 16+ but at some point you'll have to realize some of your content just isn't fit for younger audiences. AFAIK there wasn't any sort of censorship controversy related to the release of LCB - or if there was it's not quite as significant - and it was safely released in KR as well. Gregor (CV: Choi Han) my beloved.

The main issue here with the delays for WHB is the fact that the explicit content is the game's main marketing point. Like, if a game that minors have access to where the focal point of it isn't the explicit content had to be censored (GFL), what about an explicitly sexual game that allows minors to access it? They were already pushing the limits with Love Unholyc from what I gather reading up on the situation, and that game isn't as explicit as what WHB is shaping up to be.

This just feels like an inevitability at this point.

Regardless, I hope PB works out the issues relatively smoothly, and keep being transparent with the issues they encounter while developing the game. All I'd ask for them is to communicate these developments as reasonably sooner as they can. I understand being scared this game won't release but with the amount of love and care they put into this game, I'd still have cautious optimism that there will no longer be delays.

[mustlovesteve]

i wanted to be done writing fanfiction for a while after LATBG, just leisurely working on the sequel miniseries, but now i have Ideas about a S3 St/eddie AU that doesn't take away much from any platonic St/obin scenes...

[vagueiish]

concept: astarion getting cocky after taking on that bear, a night or so later coming across a deer and thinking 'hah, this should be cake!'

...and then getting absolutely wrecked by a whole herd in an almost cartoonish display of violence because deer are vicious fucks and it's the prey animals you have to watch out for

[pttucker]

[Incarnation 'Yoo Joonghyuk's' Stigma is evolving.] Han Sooyoung looked back at the path she had run past and saw the tower's clock hands circling around. She could see the engraving of her own dumb-looking face on the diligently-moving second hand. What would happen if she got to run on that 'time' once more? If so, would she be able to run even better than before? Maybe, she might be able to – if she made a thorough preparation beforehand. And… if she got to work together with the companions she lived with in this world, too. She looked back, only to discover the regressor that had run on that very distance countless times staring right back at her. "I need your help, Han Sooyoung." [Stigma, 'Regression', has acquired the possibility of 'Group Regression'!]

REPEATING STORY! REPEATING STORY! REPEATING STORY!

Oh man oh man oh man

This wasn't what I was expecting when I said that ORV was a repeating tale but I'm so here for it.

GO SAVE YOUR KIM DOKJA!

[shivieroy]

can i say how fucking weird it is that loki s1 clearly presented the tva as a f4scist organization and s2 completely erased that with the whole "we can change this place" plot

[aguita-mineral]

Have you ever been afraid that a project quite similar to yours will come to light and gain relevance and popularity, making it difficult to want to continue your own project because of the possibility that people will later say that it is a copy, or simply because you feel that your project is no longer original or interesting?

Because I do, and now that fear has come true :')