#and may i just say: yeah it's actually very frustrating isn't it. you can sort of see why i was pissy about it previously.

[unopenablebox]

look. most people on tumblr, like most people everywhere, are just kind of innumerate, at least in slightly unexpected cases theyre asked to discuss on polls. they can't demonstrate an understanding of probability and they also don't understand compound interest. this is bad, but we can't fix it by explaining on the polls at length why they are wrong, because people on tumblr, in a specific manner but also still pretty much like people everywhere, think you are a fun-ruining evil stemlord who automatically loses the argument and should be put to death as the oppressor if you try to explain math to them

[tomwambsmilk]

"[Shiv's pregnancy] was always something that Jesse had discussed in the writers' room, and so once we decided to bring it into the narrative it added a completely different take, I guess, on some of the scenes... I think Shiv's got some pretty complicated feelings about becoming a mother. She's, in some ways, feigning indifference because, again, it's one of those things that's almost too hard to face and Shiv doesn't like dealing with emotions. It's easier to repress things. I think there's a competitiveness in there against her feelings with her own mother and her desire to better her own mother's maternal qualities - but a fear that she probably won't be able to do that. [And] a fear and a frustration that all the things that she's been working towards and aiming towards she may not now be able to achieve because she will be a mother as well as a businesswoman, and how do these two things coalesce in her life? I think that she hasn't really considered that as a path for her life, and so it's quite a shock....

Especially with the conversation about the viability of the pregnancy, I think for her, in a way, it would have been easier if there was something wrong so that she could have a reason to terminate and not feel guilt. But, with nothing wrong, there's no reason to not continue. So it's a complex - hoping for the worst in a strange sort of unfazed way.... [She doesn't tell Tom because] it's too complicated, I think. It changes too much, there's too much going on - her father just died, there's so many business machinations happening, that to then bring Tom into it in a familial sense would confuse it again. She doesn't know how she feels about it herself. In a way she, I think, would prefer to decide what her own feelings were about this before she has Tom's feelings muddying the waters...

Shiv as a parent - I can't really imagine her with a little baby at all! And in some ways - she probably won't have it with her a lot. She would have nannies and she would - the premise of Shiv becoming a mother is fascinating to me... Definitely what Shiv would be contemplating is 'in what ways is this going to hold me back, not propel me forward'. Which is pretty - like, as a standard of society, that's the thought we go to first, and presume is what she would be thinking. Yes, that's right for the character, for Shiv, but also - a human being growing another human being entirely from scratch is an extraordinary feat no matter what. That's the powerful one! That's the strong one! That's the one that manages to get it out of their body and manages to then feed it from the things they make in their own body. Women are extraordinary! And yet those are the very things that we use to... yeah! Yeah! To hold them back! It's wild!" - Sarah Snook on HBO's Succession Podcast: "Honeymoon States"

"We wanted to slowly reveal [Shiv's pregnancy] because we're not one of those shows (as I'm sure you can tell) that wants to immediately just, like, stuff all the drama and immediately grab you by the lapels and go, "Keep watching! Keep watching!" We kind of like to move more slowly than that. And there's obviously so much going on in these first three episodes - particularly the third - and we thought it was a rather nice reveal, actually, for her to have this phone call with the doctor at the top of Four, I'll say because I think Shiv has been a bit in denial about it up until this point as well. She's broken up from her husband essentially, they've separated, and she's discovered that she's pregnant, and I think she's had mixed feelings about that... The way I always think of it is - it wasn't bad news, exactly, but it was the worst possible time. What I love about that performance as well as the writing is - it's not something you see very often, and I think it's very truthful, which is: this is a very complicated situation for her, where it's the fact that she's pregnant with her husband who she's separated from the child, and she isn't even particularly sure that she 100% wants to go through that. It's now all on her. And I think that's a big part of what she's feeling which is - 'oh, I guess that's good news, but in a way, as awful as it is to say, it would have been easier to hear the other'." - Lucy Prebble on HBO's Succession Podcast: "Honeymoon States"

[a-couple-of-notes]

I love the idea of jealous Imogen a lot, especially since she has been shown to be petty and abrasive in many ways. But when it comes to my personal read on Imogen and her relationship with Laudna, I can never fully get behind the end result that people seem to be hoping for when they talk about jealous Imogen, which is that Imogen gets so fed-up and possessive over Laudna that she breaks and ends up confessing/turning on the offending party member*.

The way I read Imogen, she turns her anger/emotion inward as much as outward. She's so consciously aware of both her inclination for violence and her influence over Laudna; actually breaking over jealousy would a) probably take longer than people think and b) cause a massive amount of self-loathing if it happened.

Even with the Dusk situation, I think a big part of her implosion over it is because of her rift with Laudna at the time, not just pure jealousy. And even with all of her suspicions, Imogen is very careful to be calming and supportive when Laudna talks about getting asked out. She asks, "Do you want to say yes?" She reaffirms to Laudna that "Dusk seems sweet." This indicates to me that, while Imogen may be snippy and have moments of obvious and hilarious frustration, when it comes down to it, Imogen will try her damndest to make sure that Laudna's choice isn't affected by her jealousy. She'll be warm and supportive and encouraging, and any other feelings will be repressed even further.

So as much as I like petty, angry Imogen, I don't think another jealousy arc would really move anything forward in her and Laudna's relationship. It might make it worse, which is its own kind of fun. But really, I think it would probably result in Imogen forcing distance again, letting Laudna have the space to explore herself while she struggles to get a grip on her emotions...

...which would serve my own "If Imogen and Laudna do move toward a romantic relationship, I'd like to see both of them date someone else first" agenda really well. So actually, yeah - go for it.

(*I know things like "Imogen v. Prism PVP out of jealousy" or "Imogen fries all the people hitting on Laudna with her brain" are just shitposts and I get it; but I do overthink things and am unreasonably interested in the implications for how the larger fandom is reading Imogen. Personally, I feel like this sort of "Imogen will get sooo jealous of anyone Laudna gets close to" read is part of a larger interpretation of Imogen as, like, one step away from unhinged, completely unable to function without Laudna, a weird cross between infantilizing Imogen and exaggerating her most flawed characteristics. And--again, personal read--I think that's a shame. It feels like we can acknowledge Laudna exploring other relationships--Yu, Ira, Ashton, Prism, Delilah--but Imogen's stuck twiddling her thumbs, waiting for Laudna to self-actualize.)

[irregularbillcipher]

regarding the birdie bad dad thing, idk if this is a situation you can logic your way out of by citing facts about the poor guy. unfortunately i think a lot of people think substance abuse = a terrible person regardless of when their addiction began or why, because theres a pretty persistent belief in our society that only bad people become addicted to drugs/alcohol in the first place lmfao. it conveniently makes people coping with mental and physical health crises that much easier to ignore!

yeah, i will say for the person i saw the other day, when someone corrected them and said "hey, birdie didn't have alcohol issues when he was a father, it couldn't have impacted his kids," they did recant. i don't wanna imply this guy stuck their head in the sand or anything, they admitted they were wrong. but it was such a weird take on the character, because all you have to do to see that literally isn't true is to read an eight word sentence at the end of his character bio

like i've seen him forgotten when listing decent parents in the lisa universe-- people pulled from fangames under the assumption there were no non-abusive parents in the base games which, like, isn't true-- and i do think that birdie's current state as a person with pretty obvious addiction issues does just sort of make people forget that he is the only parent in lisa who is never implied to be bad to his kids in any way

part of it is probably just that people don't seem to think about him more seriously-- despite being a party member with one of the most clearly defined backstories pre-definitive edition, he doesn't get a ton of in-depth fan content outside of random fanart, so people just sort of remember him as The Drunk Guy and then if they remember he had kids, might just go "yikes, that probably wasn't good," but i do think you're absolutely onto something about how people will just automatically demonize anyone with addiction issues, no matter what the circumstances are behind it. birdie has one of the most ""valid"" reasons to be struggling with addiction that anyone could dream up-- the man was a single father who lost his kids to a situation that seemed mostly, if not entirely, out of his control and he spiraled after that-- and even acts in a pretty "palatable" way, mostly being weepy or overly affectionate, and there have still been some people who have just automatically assumed he was abusive in some way. he's Bad because he's drunk and well we really don't have to think about him and his grief any further than that! he's just a Drunk Guy, so all the circumstances around it must be his own fault.

idk like he is a side character at the end of the day, despite the interesting parallels that can be drawn between him and some of the most important characters in the game, and the general importance he may hold in a narrative about fatherhood, i don't wanna imply that Not Understanding this random party member is like, the most pressing issue in the lisa fandom. i just think it's a shame that he gets overlooked so easily, and it's sort of disconcerting that i've seen people forget that he was implied to be a decent dad more than once

anyway yeah i agree very much with this ask, and especially how addicts are just unfairly demonized no matter how they actually act as people. i do understand how, in a narrative about abuse and especially abusive fathers, someone might assume that birdie would have also been a shitty dad. like genuinely, i do, especially if they haven't reread the character bios in a while, or just heard secondhand that apparently birdie has kids who passed away. but the fact that people forgetting that the circumstances behind joey and jimmy's deaths seemed more like an issue of a lack of resources than deliberate abuse or neglect is a take i've seen more than once is just surprising, and birdie's current-day alcoholism being cited for why he must have been a bad dad is just sort of frustrating

[spinningbuster98]

Metroid II's structure is very unique among any other game in the series

People say this game is linear but actually it kind of isn't. In fact it's LESS linear than the likes of Fusion, Dread and Prime 3

Actually it can even be considered to be less linear than Super

It's linear in the sense that you go from one area to the other in a predetermined manner, true

However once you're IN an area....you have complete and total freedom on how to tackle it. In what order do you kill the Metroids? Will you find the power ups? In what order? With the exception of area 1, which forces you to find the Bombs and Spider Ball at least, you can do whatever you want in these areas so long as you kill all the Metroids in them. Everything you find is on YOU. The Varia Suit, the various beams, the space jump etc. The game gently nudges you in the directions of some of them but you'll almost never just find them on the way to your next objective, nor are most of them needed for progression, like half of the upgrades in Super

I'll get more into it when I get to Super but, unlike that game, Metroid II doesn't have a "sequence" to be followed or broken. This is more like a bite sized, limited open world game where you can go wherever you want for the most part with few restrictions

As far as level design goes on the one hand I do think this is a huge improvement over Metroid 1's: there's more variation, much more varied level structures, enemy placement is nowhere near as bullshit

....but I have various problems

So generally speaking Metroid II's level design can be split into 4 categories: the caverns, the domes, the buildings and the Metroid Nests

The caverns are boring but tbf you don't spend much time in them as their mostly used to link areas together, plus the feeling of gradually descending them is genuinely unique so kudos on that

The domes are....f-fine? They're certainly unique, having wide open spaces surrounding the more intricate buildings...but they're overly spacious with barely anything to do or find, mostly just serving as hub worlds of sorts between the various bits and pieces of building areas at best....or an excuse for the game to showcase its verticality at worst

Metroid II reaaaaally likes its vertical shafts and every time the game has you climb one or climb a vertical section of a dome just to reach a specific entrance or such it's usually a boring or potentially frustrating experience because you either use the Spider Ball and take 3 centuries to scale a wall or you use the Space Jump with its unruly timing and the fact that you get cancelled out of it if you get hit and....yeah no it's not really fun

The insides of the buildings are the best parts of the game and the most orthodox for a Metroid game, since you get some of that trademark, labyrinthine design.

And....on the one hand it's better than Metroid 1's for the reasons I previously mentioned....but on the other hand I'm not a fan of how Metroid II essentially seems to split these areas into tiny bits

You don't get a huge network of interconnected hallways and rooms like you'd expect from a usual Metroid game here, rather the game essentially splits a regular Metroid area and spreads the pieces across a dome Area. I suppose this was done to make it all easier to digest for a handheld game? But the end result makes these areas just feel smaller and less interesting to go through, I feel like I'm playing bits and pieces of a larger level that really should've been connected in a more organic way

Finally we have the Metroid nests

They suck!

They suck because not only are they mostly collections of boring and samey vertical shafts, but also because this is where the game's screencrunch starts rearing its ugly head

And I'm not just referring to you running into enemies while trying to either ascend or descend the shafts but especially to the fact that the screen doesn't allow you to see both walls of the shaft at the same time. This is an issue because you may very easily miss an entrance on either side as you're going along the shaft, meaning that you'll have to weave between both walls all the time to make sure you're not missing anything and if you do well then good luck fucker! 'Cause these places look the goddamn same and there's no map!

And before anyone says that it's the point of Metroid to get lost: there's a difference between getting lost because I missed some environmental details or didn't look at the map carefully enough and getting lost because everywhere in an area looks the same, there's screencrunch and no map

Also no: this isn't excusable due to this being a gameboy game and thus screencrunch is "inevitable"

This game's screencrunch is mostly cause by the sprites, Samus' especially, being too big and taking up too much screen space. If they were smaller then the screen would be able to "zoom out" the image and let us see more ahead of us, but I guess that they really wanted to show off the spritework

Remember when I said that this game doesn't always work within the limitations of the gameboy, but against them? Yeah evidently having Gunpei Yokoi as director didn't mean much when it came to stuff like this I guess

[rollercoasterwords]

wanted to pop by just to say that

you may not know what sort of environment they were raised in or what access to education they had

is the most important thing i learned in dismantling my own classist behavior i didn’t even know i was taking part in when i got to uni.

like i used to get so frustrated with people in lectures for saying things/ sharing opinions about readings because i viewed them as perpetuating harmful stereotypes. and then i’d complain about the things i heard in class to friends.

now if i hear something that i think could be harmful, i bring it up directly to the person and 9 times out of 10 the person had no idea what they said could be interpreted in a negative way/ had no clue that certain words shouldn’t be said.

and it’s been huge for me because:

I get to have productive conversations with people from completely different backgrounds and learn about why it’s not always a good thing to assume intent over ignorance.

have been able to recognize some of my own hurtful thought patterns and work against them

People are generally very happy these things have been pointed out in private settings with a focus on learning rather than shame.

yeah it's just one of those things where like. it can be so exhausting + frustrating to hear harmful rhetoric echoed by people around u, and a lot of times the natural response is to get defensive + assume the worst + just like...get really angry + frustrated with them for perpetuating harmful shit. and like--that's a natural response, and it sucks bc they usually are perpetuating harmful shit, and it's just not always possible to sit down with someone who is saying something hurtful and talk it through. it's exhausting to have to explain to people over and over again why they should treat u like a human being.

but learning to differentiate between hate versus ignorance is important because being open to having these conversations (when we have the energy, the time, the safety to do so, etc) is really the only way to fight ignorance + misinformation. like, if a person is misinformed, the only solution to that problem is to inform them.

and honestly i've found this to be an important perspective shift in my own life as well. i think so often the most hateful voices are the ones that get blasted, and it's easy to forget that most regular people are just trying their best to navigate the world and want to treat others kindly if given the opportunity. and it can be really disheartening to feel like there are so many hateful people out there in the world, but if ur able to actually start talking to those in ur community + find that they're actually willing to learn and they don't intend or want to perpetuate harm, then it feels like--okay, so maybe this isn't entirely insurmountable, and i can actually make a difference in my own life + the lives of the people around me. and it also helps u understand where all the misinformation is coming from in the first place, which is important for then taking on larger structural issues.

[sennamybeloved]

3﹕date night.

☆ pairing: akali x seren (s/i)

☆ word count: 856

☆ note: third prompt for my price challenge!! this time featuring akali. my underrated baby.

[ reblogs always appreciated // prompt list can be found here! ]

The rain pours down outside, frigid winds whipping against the side of the apartment complex, rattling the panes in the windows. This sort of weather is very unusual for this time of year. Not so unusually in April, or maybe even May, but June?

The notable lack of warmth has Seren feeling agitated and lazy. Honestly, what's the point of going out at this time of year if you can't wear any of your fun summer clothes? This is lame.

She wears a t-shirt and shorts out of spite, lounging atop her couch with a Playstation controller clutched in her hands. She's half-focusing on the game she's playing—Hotline Miami, she started a new save recently—and half-focusing on what's to come; she's supposed to be going on a date with her girlfriend tonight, but, as guilty as this makes her feel, she really doesn't want to.

She's been frozen on the couch for an hour or two. She's not even dressed. She hasn't even thought about getting dressed. Akali is supposed to be over at 7 o'clock. Is that soon? She doesn't know. Does she even care? Only somewhat.

Over the sound of punchy gunshot sound effects and Crystals by M.O.O.N, Seren suddenly hears a knock on her door.

Oh shit, that's Akali.

Oh shit, the guilt is finally sinking in.

She doesn't say anything for a moment. A quick inventory makes her realize how bad this looks—she's laying on the couch, wearing filthy clothes, playing a video game, right as she's about to get picked up for a date. Wow.

Her throat is closing, but she manages to croak out, "Come in!"

She always leaves her apartment unlocked when Akali is supposed to be coming over. Maybe that'll get her killed one day, but certainly not today, because the person who walks through the door is distinctly not a serial killer but instead her girlfriend. Seren pauses her game, muffling the soundtrack, before sitting up and looking at her.

She's dressed in a half-presentable manner, demonstrating some sort of effort to clean herself up, even if it was a minor one. She's wearing one of her nice band shirts, tucked into a pair of clean mom jeans. Her hair is slicked back into her signature ponytail, except today it looks combed, which is a first. She has a shimmery eyeshadow smeared above her eyes. It looks purple, or blue, Seren can't really tell.

They look each other up and down, noting that one of them is ready and the other clearly isn't, before Akali breaks the silence and greets her, "Hey."

"Hey," Seren replies hoarsely.

"You're going out like that?" Akali asks her, cracking a sarcastic half-smile.

Seren scoffs. "You're one to talk."

Akali circles around the sofa to take a seat beside Seren, who pulls up her legs to give her some room. "I think I look very good tonight, thank you."

"Tonight, yeah." Seren huffs. Akali chuckles but says nothing else. They're cast into a strange, awkward silence, unusual for their relationship

"I can go get something better on," Seren says after a moment. "You just gotta give me a second."

"Yeah, that's fine." Akali hums. "If you let me take over." She nods toward the TV, which still displays Hotline Miami's pause menu, and holds out her hand, gesturing for Seren to pass the controller, which she still grips with one hand.

Seren obliges without question. This level sucks anyway, and she knows that Akali can get her through it.

Akali resumes the level and Seren watches her play for a moment, witnessing her muted frustration as she adjusts to the controls, listening to her curse under her breath every time she dies. She finds this more enjoyable than going to a sushi restaurant, she realizes.

"Do you actually wanna go out tonight?" Seren asks, turning toward Akali.

To her surprise and delight, Akali simply scoffs and says, "Hell no."

Seren laughs. "Holy shit, yeah, me neither."

Akali laughs too, loud and hearty. Her momentary distraction earns her one final death before she pauses the game again, turning toward Seren.

"Thank god. I was really, really hoping you'd say that." She says with a grin. "I'm so fucking lazy."

A wave of relief washes over Seren, easing the tension she's been harboring all day. She chuckles sweetly. "Same!"

Seren sits up fully and Akali scoots closer to her. They sit hip-to-hip, leaning into each other's shoulders. Seren reaches over and grabs Akali's hand, squeezing.

"If you want, I can go dig up my second controller. We can play..." she pauses to think. "Mortal Kombat."

"Mortal Kombat! Hell yeah." Akali exclaims. "You get that set up, I'm gonna go raid your kitchen."

She stands, rushing off to rob Seren of what little snack food she has in the house, and Seren can't help but stare at her fondly as she does. She loves the woman, for all her vulgarness and her messiness. She wouldn't want her any other way. She stands as well and begins searching for that second controller, hoping that it's not busted and, furthermore, has some charge left.

[likebranchesonatree]

why is harry talking slow a bad thing? can you explain?

Hi. I think you might've misunderstood me. Harry often talking at a slow pace is NOT a bad thing at all. It's just how he talks. What IS bad, however, is several things: 1) That 'talking slow' is seen as a sign of being dumb (You could say 'He's a little slow' if you wanted to rudely insinuate that somebody may have some sort of learning deficiency or sth). Also, as you can see in live videos, his pace when he talks at concerts, for example, is pretty regular and we don't know what he sounds like talking without a camera in his face. Him taking his time may as well just be so that he can think about what he wants to say (a GOOD thing). 2) That sometime back in the early 1D years, PR people realized that he sometimes talked slower that the other members and used this as a marketing strategy. 'Being slow' equalled 'Being adorable', equalled 'kind', equalled 'being the cute baby you could safely have a crush on'. This changed somewhat when he entered the frat boy era but the stigma of 'being slow' has stuck to this day. Now, this is bad because due to him being branded as slow, people did not take him seriously. This is paraphrased and not my opinion but: "Oh yeah he just rambles a bunch of nonsense, I stopped after the fifth uuuuhm but he's cute, isn't he?" People simply did not have the patience to truly listen to what he was saying bc they were being told that there was no substance to it anyway. So how does this relate to other things?: Due to people quickly being accustomed to not really having to listen to what the 'cute dummy was saying', they essentially took over management's role of having to silence him. Because if they aren't listening to what Harry says anyway there's no need to tell him to not talk about things. Now this is 'helped' by the fact that Harry tends to talk in a very not-straightforward way. You really DO NEED to listen to what he says to grab what he means. Of fucking course when he says the movie is good bc it feels like a movie that's not literally what he means. This boy talks in LAYERS and yeah he rambles sometimes or puts like 5 different ideas into one sentence but that's not bad if you just listen and take the time to decode. Nowadays with social media and everything, people are even less inclined to think about things and just take everything at face value due to a multitude of reasons (mostly bc it gives them meme material). So now we have a deadly combination: - an incredibly intelligent, eloquent and well-read man that tends to talk at a slower and maybe harder to follow pace and register - the public opinion of him being dumb (not helped by the rumour that he didn't finish school, which is false) - people who know nothing about Harry but want their five minutes of twitter fame To be honest I couldn't care less about the DWD thing bc it doesn't really matter in the long run but this mentality also comes into play when he talks about incredibly complex topics such as with mp or general things about sexuality and related topics. People simply wont LISTEN to him and that's partly why he has managed to out himself like several times already and it was never a really big thing. Because they don't rust him to actually say something of importance (that he's 'just some overrated popstar' doesn't help). This is why we have these queerbating accusations, bc people take sth that he says, don't take the time to understand what he means and twist it to their liking.

I don't want to make any assumptions about how this is used against him nowadays but his team are also doing nothing to counteract it, so... Sorry this turned out so long but this topic really gets me going bc it's just so frustrating to see when people don't realise that they are compliant in a really harmful action against someone and instead use it to make fun of them. TLDR: in believing the rumour that H is dumb, people are effectively silencing him bc they don't grasp what he truly means, which is a strategy that has been used since the early 1D days to keep him in check.

[daily-fantasy-ideas-personal]

I got a couple of questions about your magic system if you wanna hear them

If the force and will of magic has the ability to speak:

a) would people who cannot vocalise their spells actually be ok with allowing it to do so for them, isn't this a loss of agency? having to rely on an external force, that may or may not have a will of its own, to cast things for you.

b) would the force and will of magic not be frustrated by being essentially constantly "spoken over" by casters who can vocalise their spells?

and if you take suggestions: it might be an interesting idea to reframe spellcasting from a vocal medium to one about conversing with magic. if a spell were a conversation between the caster and the force and will of magic then it wouldn't have to be vocal, it could be any form of conversation, from vocal conversation to hand movements to even just like, sending magic a text or letter, or making art, or playing music or basically anything that can be a conversation. it gives more agency to both people and to magic itself.

Hi thanks for the ask, this gave me a lot to think about (which is why it took so long for me to respond, and why the response is so long).

Firstly, its not quite the force and will of magic itself that is doing the speaking, it's these weird semi-physical incarnations of it that just started existing one day.

Some of these incarnations are people, some are creatures, some are plants, some are objects.

All have a voice of some kind, and most eventually grow to have their own wills and desires separate from magic's own.

A)

I didn't really think of that when coming up with the post but yeah suppose it probably would.

At the very least someone having a voice appear in their mind while they themselves cannot synthesize voices in their own mind would probably be quite unpleasant and off-putting.

Also the incarnations themselves don't have a choice in saying the words, the bizarre and incomprehensible mechanisms of magic will force them to speak.

Now a majority are eager and willing to speak, thinking of it as just helping out. But some definitely aren't, because it's effectively an involuntary reaction which mentally would most likely reduce their feeling of individuality.

And the force and will of magic itself isn't removing peoples agency or forcing it's incarnations to speak maliciously, it is just unable to comprehend how it's actions could potentially be uncomfortable or harmful.

This is because it operates like a very basic organism or an AI given the orders to achieve a goal while disregarding everything else. The goal being continuing to cause magic to occur.

B)

The force and will itself won't get mad, but I think if a incarnation of it got stuck in a piece of spell casting equipment it's possible they would get a bit peeved at not getting to say the cool magic words.

As for the conversational style of magic suggestion, that's a pretty cool idea!

I haven't actually solidly written anything out yet but there are multiple ways doing magic in my setting several of which don't involve using someone's voice, including: dancing, enchanted cards, and using a tool to carve spell symbols into air itself.

And while it's not exactly the same I've had some ideas about magical power being shared through contracts and deals with entities, which is sort of like your suggestion but its with a middleman instead of magic itself.

[prancingintheshadows]

The Troubles with the Trolley Problem

I've had this building in me for awhile now, but I need to concisely air the issues with the Trolley Problem. And let me make this clear now, it's not a problem with the concept, it's a problem with how several people use the Trolley Problem

The Problem

For those of you not in the know or need a refresher, the Trolley Problem dictates that 5 people are tied to a track and are about to be hit by a trolley. The trolley cannot be stopped. However, the trolley can be diverted to a different track where only one person is tied up. So the question is, do you actively intervene and get the one person killed or do you take no action and let the five people get killed?

And that's the thing, isn't it? What's the answer? Rather, what's the correct answer? Everyone wants to know what should be done in a scenario like this. However, that's not what the Trolley Problem is actually about. The Trolley 'Problem' isn't a problem to be solved. If we were more accurate, this is a thought experiment. It is merely a question of ethics and philosophy and the decision making process of humans. There is no right answer.

Which leads me to what's frustrating me about the Trolley Problem: The way people use it to prop up their arguments. If you're into a series with an idealistic character who wants to save everyone, you may have had the displeasure of someone using the Trolley Problem as some sort of 'gotcha' as to why idealism is bad actually and that the more cynical characters are right. And it's easy to see why people who like hard characters making hard choices like the Trolley Problem.

It's easy math. 5 deaths are more than 1. There are no outside factors to complicate things. You either pull the lever or you don't. You either reduce the amount of lives lost by sacrificing one person or you don't. Refusing to engage with the lever only ensures that 5 people die. An idealistic character simply cannot handle the Trolley Problem, ergo idealism is naïve and unreasonable.

Yeah, that's bullshit

Math isn't easy

The idea you could weigh lives like this in flawed in two completely opposite ways. In one regard, you could say a life is priceless. If a life is priceless, that makes them have infinite value. Even if you multiply infinity by 5, it's value doesn't change. It is still infinite. Ergo, weighing one life against five other ones doesn't work since they would have the same intrinsic value.

Of course, that's a very idealistic, philosophical angle. A lot of people who use the Trolley Problem as a problem to be solved aren't approaching it from this angle, they are approaching it from an angle where lives can be weighed against each other and you can reasonably choose which one is better to sacrifice to the trolley gods. Ironically though, this way of thinking is fundamentally flawed when trying to come up with an empirical answer to the Trolley Problem too. After all, these aren't faceless NPCs that can be exchanged with one another. These would be people. They'd be diverse in age, gender, race, and job. If the 5 people were all adults and the 1 person was a child, would you still sacrifice the 1? What if the 1 was a doctor? What if the 5 were children to the 1? Attempting to weigh lives of different, varied people with just a glance is a recipe for disaster.

But okay, let's give the Trolley Problem the benefit of the doubt. Let's say... All the people were stuffed into comically oversized mascot costumes, so you can't make out their physical appearance. You just know there are 5 people on one track and 1 on the other and that pulling the lever in front of you will change tracks. Clearly, with this version giving so little information, you must pull the lever since the lives are 'equal' now, right? It unequivocally makes things better in most scenarios, right?

No Ifs, Ands, or Buts

Due to being a thought experiment, the Trolley Problem is extremely rigid in its options. You either pull the lever or you don't and pulling the lever always results in the trolley switching tracks and killing 1 person instead of 5.

Which is just completely unrealistic.

There's a runaway trolley and you're telling me I should try messing with the tracks? That trying to change tracks cannot possibly make things worse? Really? I can't accidentally flip the train and cause an even bigger mess? Pulling the lever works all the time every time?

And then on the flip side, if I can manipulate the track, why can't I attempt derail the train by messing with the railroad switcher to get it to stop and thus save everyone? Is it risky? Yes, but it's an option that I should have.

The Trolley Problem is unconcerned about mechanics and physics. You cannot make things worse. You cannot strive for a better solution. You are given a binary choice the determines everything else. And that is impart why many people use it in their arguments. There are only two absolutes in the problem: do nothing or interfere and lower the death toll by sacrificing someone. People can't argue with an option that reduces death count for no real risk. But how many scenarios, real life or fictional, gives you a binary choice? More over, how many give you a binary scenario where you know the outcome of your actions before you take them?

And that's a big reason why using the Trolley Problem as a talking point for why 'sacrifice for the greater good' and 'kill one to save ten' mindsets over 'save as many as possible' doesn't work. The default Trolley Problem isn't designed to account for anything other than the ethics of accountability. Of course not doing anything will have a higher death count, as the problem is ultimately asking if its okay to save people if you have to get your hands dirty and get someone who wasn't in harm's way killed to do so.

The Trolley Problem is a made up scenario filled with contrivances in order to answer how you view action and accountability, not prove moral superiority about how idealism is childish or treating lives as numbers to be optimized.

[free--therapy]

hii it's anon again! sorry for bothering you so many times 😭

umm so this is related to my other ask that I sent before this about me worrying about it getting as bad as it was two/three years back.

But when I think about it- what can even happen? Like back when it first started three years ago, I had many things I was worried about like COVID and such and since I didn't know what was going on with me, I had very bad health anxiety and stuff.

Now I know none of that is true and it was just thoughts. Now, I'm aware that this is just my mind and these thoughts are not facts at all. I know how to deal with it now even if I may still have problems with it but at least, I know. It's not like I'll suddenly worry about things like back then.

The only thing that can I think of that I actually am still a bit worried about are panic attacks.

But ever since my first panic attack there years ago, I've always sort of had a fear of panic attacks. For me, they always come in the form of my legs shaking and feeling weirdly warm as if my legs have slight fever and having slight stomachache like we do when we're nervous. Nothing else happens except my legs/lower body shaking a lot.

I've only had panic attacks very few times....like only a handful of times that too, mostly in the beginning when I didn't know what it was. and I haven't had one in the past two years. but since I've been so anxious about all sorts of old and new worries recently, I've been worrying about that too.

even in the last two years, there were times when I did worry about panic attacks once in a while but never had them because I would forget about the worry soon after. it used to be more of a passing thought like "what if my legs start shaking?" but I used to be like "yeah as if" and would forget about it.

But since I've been worrying so much about random worries recently, I started remembering all the things I had read on forums and watched on youtube videos about anxiety.  I think I've mentioned this before but a lot of my worries are actually just worries I picked up from seeing other people talk about it in a negative way on forums or videos. It's kinda the same with this too.

Since I've seen videos where people talk about how their anxiety made them completely withdraw from everything, how they had bad panic attacks almost everyday, etc. I've been remembering those posts/videos and worrying "since I've been anxious about so many things recently, what if that happens to me too?" The people also used to talk about how many places made them get anxious and have panic attacks when they visited those places and I started worrying "what if all my favourite places make me remember my anxious worries or start reminding me of my associations? what if it makes me start having panic attacks then too?"

I watched videos of people saying that or read it on forums and all of that two-three years ago and never saw it again but I still remember it because it was so triggering. For me, since most of anxiety is due to reading other people's symptoms that sounded scary to me and then me worrying about it and kind of mimicking those symptoms in a way, so for me mental health disorders and especially anxiety in itself is something that worries me.

So since a few days, I've been worrying about it and since for me, when I get anxious, my legs shake, so I've been so conscious of my legs. As in, I keep subconsciously focusing on my legs almost as if "waiting for it to happen anytime now" and it's so frustrating. When it did happen three years back, it used to be mostly at night only. so I'm especially conscious at night time.

I've been telling myself not to bother with it because the legs shaking themselves isn't scary at all but it makes me catastrophicize and come to all sorts of conclusions like "what if they keep shaking always or any random day?" "What if it starts happening anywhere randomly?" "What if it stops me from enjoying all the things I like?" "What if it gets so bad it makes me depressed?" "What if it makes my life miserable?" Etc. And all those thoughts make me even more worried.

Like my legs shaking isn't that scary in itself but all the what ifs like I mentioned above, they are what makes it scary.

When I did have a therapist two years back, she told me that I had a tendency to catastrophicize a lot and to come to all sorts of negative conclusions and believe them too. She said I had a habit of daydreaming and with these worries, all my free time when I used to daydream shifted to overthinking about those worries. She's right. I do come to extreme negative conclusions about all my worries and get anxious about it but how do I shift perspectives?

About me worrying about panic attacks or my legs shaking, I know it's just a bunch of thoughts too but what do I do? I mean, since I do subconsciously end u focusing on my legs, what do I do?

What I've been trying to remind myself is it's not like just thinking about it or focusing on it is gonna make me break into panic everytime. And even if my legs do start shaking, I don't have to immediately jump to those awful conclusions even then. I mean, even if my legs shake, I can still choose to not let any thoughts related to it bother me. I can choose to keep doing whatever I'm doing, keep enjoying myself without letting any negative thoughts make me feel paralyzed by fear.

I mean, instead of thinking that I have to stop living my life because my legs are shaking or that I've been having so many intrusive or worry thoughts, I can simply continue to enjoy doing what I like and not let myself spiral into those thoughts.

In the end, all of these thoughts without any exceptions, are all simply just "thoughts" and no matter what get conscious of or how complex a thought/worry seems, in the end, it's just a worry and not real. So I don't have to wait for any thought to go away or for my legs to stop shaking (even before they start shaking to begin with), either way, I can keep continuing my life.

Because one thing I've constantly noticed is that I keep thinking of the worst case scenario for any and every worry and then try to think what I'll do if and when that happens, how I'll get over it, etc. But instead of waiting for something bad to happen or instead of waiting for the anxiety to make me feel worried about something or for me to panic again, I can simply let go.

Because I keep waiting for worse things that trigger me to happen, like waiting for things that make me most anxious to happen and thinking of them as "problems" and trying to solve them before they even happen. Even though, there's no certainty that it will happen to begin with so why bother at all? I'm just getting super worried about the uncertainty of all the worries and that's exactly what anxiety is so I know I'm fine, I'm safe and that I'll be okay.

What do you think? Did you ever have a fear of panic attacks? And if you did, how did you get over it? Like, how do I stop worrying about it before it even happens? And if it does happen, how do I deal with it? What do I tell myself?

It's like whatever I read those people struggling with on those forums and videos, I started worrying about it and recently I've been thinking about it again and worrying about things getting like back then again.

I know it can't because of many reasons. Time is different, it isn't the lockdown, I know and manage myself better, I have awareness even if I get anxious, it's just better and I know that deep down.

But still my anxiety recently and my mind not having any thing to obsessively worry about has been trying to make me feel as if it's like back then or as if it'll get like back then again.

Anon,

You are in such a better place today than you were back then. There are so many new things that you've learned since then that you didn't know back then and that alone is enough to convince yourself that things are different and won't be the same (in a good way)

As for those old youtube videos and forums (the forums especially), you have to realize that you were talking to other people with irrational thoughts too and that their irrational thoughts will only fuel yours for the worst. It's not really a healthy environment to be around others who don't know how to tame their thoughts either as they can enable one another, and it's really unhelpful in the end. Going off on your own to figure out what can work for you, away from that environment is definitely for the best. I understand the need for community though and feeling validated, so I get why they're appealing.

I do come to extreme negative conclusions about all my worries and get anxious about it but how do I shift perspectives?

In order to shift perspectives there are many ways to go about it. Thinking positively or assuming something will go right is a good way to start. I know it's hard because your mind is stuck in a negativity bias, but a lot of the time our negative assumptions and conclusions are usually wrong. I have a whole topic on assumptions if you'd like to check that out. Another way to shift perspectives is to ask other people what they think about a certain situation. Everyone assumes that everyone thinks the same way that they do or they're not even aware that other people think differently, so it helps when you get perspectives from someone else. Even just taking your first (negative) assumption and finding something positive can help. That is something I do with a lot of the patients I deal with at the clinic I work at. A lot of them are looking for help with their health and whenever I'm doing exams with them, they'll say something negative and I'll give them a more positive or realistic perspective as a way to get them thinking differently. It helps to find new people who have a more positive outlook on life because they'll help you think differently. It really makes a huge difference.

In your case with the panic attacks, you know the signs, but you also know how much power you have over your mind now and how far you've come since those days of having them. I wouldn't worry too much about them coming back around again, however if you do feel like you're going back down that road, recognize that it's happening and that you know you'll get through whatever happens. You know the signs and you know what you can do after the fact if it happens again. You can even try some self-soothing techniques or even the distress tolerance skills I mentioned in a previous ask. Deep breathing or other breathing techniques can also help to regulate your nervous system so you don't end up going into a full-fledged panic attack. There are definitely a lot of things you can try to help stop it from happening now that you know what to look for.

[ianthe-is-a-bitch-and-i-love-her]

Hi! So this is not a suggestion of wlw media (unfortunately) but a related question. I went on a rather extensive search for more wlw media about a year ago, specifically because I wanted good wlw books in my life, and very quickly got very frustrated by how many books were getting recommended (in lists, posts, videos) by people who hadn't even read them, just recommended bc they'd heard they were wlw, and I learned the long and hard way that just because a story is queer does not mean it's good. Part of this may be my particular taste, but I generally feel like in queer spaces, queer books get a lot of slack simply for "having representation", regardless of whether they actually have an interesting story, good characters or good worldbuilding (or good writing, but that's quite subjective anyway, as are, to an extent, the other aspects as well). So I spent a long time plowing through thoroughly mediocre reading experiences and getting progressively more frustrated.

All this to say, I'm wondering what your stance is on this, and whether you have specific recommendations of wlw books (aside from GtN obviously) that you personally enjoyed more than others?

(i hope this isn't too convoluted a question, your post asking for recs just sort of triggered this whole thought process and I apparently have a lot of residual frustration about this hahah it's like... yeah I want to buy every book that people tell me is "sci-fi and wlw" or "fantasy and wlw" but like... that doesn't automatically result in good media y'know?)

((second side note, I could probably recommend a LOT of wlw books that didn't work for me personally but might work for other people, but I would always want to add qualifiers to this, to explain why I didn't enjoy a given book or who I think might be a better target audience - I find it really difficult to give a recommendation that solely consists of a title and an author, if that makes sense??))

Oh, I totally get what you mean. Queer is not a genre, but there are few enough books with good representation (especially wlw) that they all seem to get lumped together sometimes without any consideration for what they're actually about.

That being said, I really like seeing myself represented in media, and I really like reading, so I've been wading through every recommendation list I can find. There are plenty on those lists I don't end up actually reading, after looking over summaries and reviews and deciding that it does really sound like what I'd enjoy. What would honestly be ideal for me would be if we could just put, like, a sticker or something on books that say "bi woman main character" or whatever, so that I could just start with my preferred genre and keep an eye out for queer books in that genre, rather than starting with "queer" and then having to filter for something with subject matter I actually like.

And I'm happy to provide some more detailed recommendations of my favorite wlw books! But I want to offer a few caveats about my personal tastes, because they are far from universal. I don't generally like books where the crux of the plot is homophobia or one of its byproducts, like a coming out narrative. I want the story to be about something else. It's a big reason I steer away from modern settings - that kind of narrative seems more common there. However, I also don't enjoy queer books that are completely free of societal pressures like homophobia either. For better or worse, prejudice has played a big part in how I've come into my own identity and how I navigate it in the real world. When that's completely absent from queer fiction, it means that I'm not going to see that aspect of my identity reflected in the characters, and that makes it less satisfying for me. I'm also partial to extremely flawed women doing the best they can and hurting a lot of people and themselves in the process. Finally, I love logistics and political maneuvering. I like stories with a lot of detailed systems and plots that depend on maneuvering through those systems elegantly.

All that being said, my favorite book series, possibly even a little ahead of TLT right now, is The Masquerade, the first book of which is The Traitor Baru Cormorant. It is heavy on politics intrigue with a focus on cultural and economic manipulations, and it follows an incredibly bright and ruthless young lesbian as she navigates the hierarchies of the nation that colonized her homeland and attempts to bring it down. It as an incredibly dark series, with a lot of tragedy, imperialism, prejudice, and extremely dark grey characters (seriously - the most sympathetic characters include several mass murderers, an anti-rebellion counter agent, a military torturer, and a professional lobotomist), but with some absolutely beautiful world building and cultures and enormous ideas about all sorts of systemic issues. It's incredibly well-written, the characters are extremely compelling, and it is astonishingly funny in some places in ways that I really enjoyed. And it's not finished yet, but the most recent book does end on a real high note.

The next one I'd recommend is The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, which is a standalone novel. It follows the life and career of a fictitious Hollywood actress in the form of a series of interviews she gives to her biographer. Again, we have a morally grey woman who hurt a lot of people in her pursuit of fame and regrets very little of it. But she's absolutely compelling, and the ways she navigates around the prejudices and power structures of her industry - sexism and homophobia and racism, abuses and betrayals, all in pursuit of glory and, eventually, happiness - is absolutely thrilling to read.

The final book I'll recommend is Ship of Smoke and Steel. This book and its sequels are true fantasy, magic system and all, but it's an unconventional take. This first book's protagonist starts as one of the morally darkest characters I've ever come to consider unambiguously good. The series as a whole follows to sisters born into incredible poverty, with the older using a life of crime to finance a more stable life for the younger. Their journeys parallel each other - one learns how to be cruel and callous in pursuit of a higher purpose, the other learns she doesn't always have to be. The magic system enables an excellent examination of the limits of individual vs systemic power, and the series as a whole is very interested in examining class as an axis of oppression, over and beyond anything else. I have glibly described the first book as, "The Maze Runner if the Maze Runner was queer and made any fucking sense."

I hope that helps, and thanks for the ask!

[bluemoondust]

My twst oc boy's birthday was only two days ago and I wanted to just do something for it. I at least want to get some stress off my back so here's just a short something for him. His name is Cosmo and this is what he looks like (the blonde one). Hope you like him!

Warning(s): Clingy Behavior, Obsessive Behavior, Slight Pain (just a strong grip on darling's wrist), Mentions of Yelling, Attempted Kidnapping to actual Kidnapping

Notes: Darling is not MC in this; just is in the same boat as them, Everyone is 18+

You knew he wasn't that air headed from the second time you encountered him. He was just as cheery and naive as the Scarabia Dorm Leader, yet something was amiss as you heard more whispers along the hallways. He was a Spellman, but that didn't mean anything to you. How would you know if this world was so new to you? What did that even mean?

He was so eager to hang around you and your fellow friends, like he was starving for this sort of interaction. He'd always compliment and playfully tease you, but sometimes those smiles didn't reach his ruby red eyes. Maybe you're just imagining things. Cosmo had never done anything to even cause this sort of unease. He may be whatever others say he is, but that's just because of a name, right?

"You won't leave me, will you?" It was initially just an act of his whiny attitude when he got all pouty because of his elder brother's backhanded insults. The two would always get into petty arguments and Cosmo would complain if his brother got away with it. It isn't fair as he puts it. Still, now that question seems more alarming as time passes.

... and everything still seemed so normal and at peace.

You didn't have time for this. All this speculation was exhausting your mind and body. Sleep was more difficult as days pass and strange dreams woke you up. They weren't the usual mirror dreams you'd get. Maybe it was a sign, but how could you tell? A yawn passes your lips as you get up for the day. Might as well pull through and possibly get a nap in between lessons so you can avoid the chance of passing out in the hallways. That'd be a sight for others... And bothersome.

You've decided to rest in the library during break, letting Grim hang out with Ace and Deuce without you. All that was needed was some time for yourself. This was one of the only places you could get that.

Cosmo was much fussier than usual. Even more clingy as well as he spotted you sitting alone. He immediately vented out his frustrations of his brothers and other students; they were all so annoying and can't let him be at peace. "Not you guys though. You're very dear to me and I know you'll never upset me." It was supposed to be something of a way to cheer himself up, telling himself he had friends in you all no matter what.

"My brother doesn't like you. Because you're magicless and still manage to attend the school." Cosmo's voice was eerily monotone as he changed the subject, immediately making you hyper aware of where you were.

He blows air out of his mouth in a huff, "I don't care though. His pride is just wounded because of all the hard work he did to get here." A smirk creeped onto his lips. "It was so satisfying to see the look on his face."

You didn't know how to respond; couldn't tell if he was being serious about this conversation or just poking fun at his brother. His arm suddenly made it's way around your shoulder and his weight leaned onto your body.

"He's foolish and a complete pompous bastard." Cosmo sounded... Playful, but there was an edge to his voice. "Do you know what he told me this morning as I left my dorm?"

"No... What did he say?"

A soft but sharp laugh answered you as Cosmo displayed a tight smile. "He said you all are a bad influence on me. Especially you." A scoff. "What does he know?"

The half hug was suddenly becoming suffocating but that didn't seem to come to the blonde's attention. He was so warped up in every negative thought he had. You believed it was time to cut this conversation short before things escalated. It wasn't something you wanted to fear to happen, but there have been other times where your safety was threatened in this school. With a quick but gentle shove, you pried Cosmo off of you. Of course this startles him a little, until he gives you those puppy dog eyes.

"Oh, is it time to go already. Aw... I wanted some more time with you."

You did your best to push down the unease, mustering up your best smile. "Yeah, can't help that time flies, you know?"

Cosmo chuckles bitterly at your words. "Mhm. But... Maybe we can skip? Please? I'll make it up to you. I'll get notes from the class so we don't miss anything."

"Sorry Cosmo, but I can't afford to skip. Grim needs me there after all."

The young man blinks before pouting in defeat. "Fine, fine. You win. You're lucky that I like you~"

It doesn't mean anything. He always teases like this.

"Ah, well, I better get going. See you later." With a wave, you dash off to ensure you get to class on time. The whole conversation kept replying in your head as you felt his burning stare onto your back while your form got farther away.

"Of course."

Where the hell is this? You frantically scanned the area to see that you're nearing the woods next to the school. Everything was dark and crickets were chirping. Nighttime. How? A million thoughts raced through your head, but one excruciatingly loud one told you to head back to your room. You need a place of comfort to gather your thoughts for now—

"Aw man. I knew I shouldn't have strained my vocals too much."

"Cosmo?" Leave. Run. You had to get away. Seeing him and the desire to sprint was one thing you were sure of. Him being here was an obvious red flag. But why couldn't you move? Don't just stand there!

All you could do was listen to him hum cheerfully like you weren't absolutely terrified at this moment. "This is the farthest I've taken you out tonight. Guess singing without a water break is quite bothersome. Ugh..." He looked annoyed but he quickly shifted his expression to one of joy.

"But at least I managed to place a teensy curse on you before you could process anything! Aren't I resourceful! Vil always did tell me I should be more prepared in various situations."

You weren't listening. You wanted to scream, do anything other than be near him at this moment. Why you?

He crept closer, touching your face as he sighed in content. His forehead was then pressed against yours. "I wish we could stay like this forever... Just the two of us." Cosmo grabbed your wrists.

"Cosmo, please stop. This is wrong. We... We can talk this out. Just let me go."

He laughed at you. "Oh no, I can't do that my sweet thing." His increasing grip scared you as his smile remained but his tone shifted. "I can't afford to lose you. You're my everything. The only one who listens and cares. My brother be damned!"

It was the first time you've seen him express rage. All those pouts, whines, complaints were replaced with sneers, growls, and yelling. This might scare you a little less than his eerie calm and joyful self, but it made you flinch nonetheless. You hoped that this was all just some cruel nightmare from the lack of sleep.

"I'm so sorry... It'll be alright once you get you past that point. Then, you won't ever have a reason to leave me! You won't leave me," His voice lowered in a serene, but threatening melody, "Will you (Come To Me)?"

[ordinaryschmuck]

Why I (Want to) Love Tangled: The Series/Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure

Salutations random people on the internet who most likely won’t read this. I am an Ordinary Schmuck. I write stories and reviews and draw comics and cartoons.

When I heard Disney was making an animated series based on Tangled, acting as a continuation from the original movie, my initial thought was, "Why?"

Sure, Disney is infamous for its unnecessary sequels of the story after happily ever after, with the many, many, many failures that follow suit. Even then, though, most of these continuations were movies that kind of have the potential to tell more of a story. But what more could be said about Tangled? Sorry to spoil a movie that's over ten years old at this point, but by the end of it: Rapunzel lost her golden hair, was reunited with her parents, fell in love, and lived happily ever after. Her losing the golden hair is the most essential part of that list because how can you do a series based on a Disney princess when her most iconic feature is gone? Then I found out that the series forced a way for her hair to come back, and my new initial thought became, "Oh man. This is gonna suck, isn't it?"

Despite the hesitation, I decided to give it a chance anyway. After all, I've been pleasantly surprised before. Things like My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, The Mitchells vs. the Machines, and even The Owl House (yes, really), were shows (and a movie) that I didn't think would be that special. Only to find myself enjoying nearly every minute. So after watching Tangled: The Series/Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure, I can certainly say I was surprised...but it was entirely for the wrong reasons.

And to explain how requires spoilers. So if you haven't checked the series out yet, I highly suggest you do it to form your own opinion. Just keep in mind that it's a bit of a mess, but it can be an enjoyable mess...sometimes...let me explain.

WHAT I LIKED

The Animation/Art Style: The series swapping from 3D to 2D might have been the most brilliant decision anyone could have ever made with this series. Usually, when an animated movie gets turned into a show, the most noticeable downgrade is always the animation. Whether it’s not as detailed or not as fluid, it's always subjective that the movie is better animated than the series. But by switching up the styles, the contrast becomes objective instead. 2D and 3D animation each have their pros and cons, so deciding which one is better is nothing more than a matter of opinion. So by changing the style, Tangled: The Series/Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure avoids getting complaints of being a downgrade from the original movie. It also helps that the art style of the series is really unique.

The best way to describe how the show looks is that it's like a coloring book brought to life. At times, everything looks like it was drawn and colored in with crayons, which sounds like an insult, but in actuality, it's one of the best features of the series. As much as I love most animated shows nowadays, I will admit, they all look a little too similar at times. Then here comes Tangled: The Series/Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure, which tries to incorporate a whole new style that successfully sets it apart from most shows.

As for the animation itself, it's really well-made! It's remarkably expressive when required, while the movements are really fluid during the correct scenes. Sure the fighting can be a little floaty during some action set pieces (yes, those exist here), but the dialogue and comedic moments are really where the series shines with its animation. I may have problems with the series as a whole, but I give credit where credit is due for the perfectly executed effort that I see in every episode in terms of animation.

Rapunzel and Eugene’s relationship: This was not something I was expecting to enjoy from the series. In the movie, Rapunzel and Eugene were fine. They were the typical Disney couple that worked off of each other enough that it was always entertaining, even if it was unbelievable that they fell deeply in love with each other after, like, two days. They weren't bad, but they weren't anything to go crazy over.

But the writers for the series said, "You know what, let's make these two adorable in nearly every scene they're in." And they are!

Even though I don't believe in their relationship in the movie, I fully believe it here. Both characters have a large amount of faith in one another on top of having endless love for their partner. Like how Eugene knew Rapunzel would be fine when taking out an airship or how Rapunzel couldn't bring herself to say a bad thing about Eugene when making Cassandra a sparring dummy of him. It's legitimately pleasant to watch, to the point where I put Rapunzel and Eugene in my top ten list of favorite fictional couples. They're that good to me, and it's one of the reasons why I don't jump on the bandwagon of shipping the two main female characters together. I'm all for LGBTQA+ representation, but give Cassandra her own girlfriend. Rapunzel's taken, and most of my enjoyment of this show comes from her and her man. So, you know, keep things as they are.

Cassandra (Seasons One and Two): Seeing how I've already mentioned her, let's talk about Cassandra, shall we? Because when making a series based on a movie that had only four prominent characters, with two of them being comedic animal sidekicks, you're going to need to introduce more members to the main cast to write more potential stories. And Cassandra, in Seasons One and Two (I'll get to Season Three), is a worthy addition. She acts as a strict straight man (I know the irony) who interacts well with Rapunzel and clashes perfectly with Eugene on occasion. She was passably entertaining in Season One and developed amazingly in Season Two. Her growing frustrations with Rapunzel's actions lead to a slow build-up that made her betrayal heartbreaking but somewhat understandable. And as for the results in that betrayal...yeah, I'll get into that later. For now, I'll just say that Cassandra was a pleasant addition to the main cast, especially when she was a part of the main trio, and she's yet another good surprise that the writers supplied for the series.

The Songs: The songs are...not going to be for everyone. Most of them are passable yet kind of generic, while others sound like they belong on Disney Junior (Looking at you, "Bigger Than That"). But when Tangled: The Series/Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure makes a hit, MAN, it is a home run. Numbers like "Ready As I'll Ever Be" and "Nothing Left to Lose" are sung phenomenally, orchestrated well, and are songs I can listen to on repeat multiple times. And "Waiting in the Wings" is not only something I consider to be the best song in the series, but it's also something I'd place as high up on Disney's best due to how f**king incredible it is. "Waiting in the Wings" is a powerful ballad that manages to be both tragic yet inspiring on top of how well it sums up Cassandra as a character. The writers may not always be on top of their game when it comes to music, but songs like these prove that they know how to earn that Disney name.

And that’s all I have for the likes...Oh boy. That’s not a good thing is it?

WHAT I DISLIKED

It Peaked at Season One: It did. It really did.

Season One felt like the writers had a grip on what type of show they wanted: A slice-of-life series with Rapunzel dealing with the issues of her kingdom with a meager threat of these black rocks growing in the background. It was all cute and well-balanced for the most part, but that all disappears in Season Two. Because now it's sort of about this adventure, but because Tangled: The Series/Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure set itself as a slice-of-life series, there need to be these small-scale stories that intertwine the grand narrative being told. The issue is that the story comes to a grinding halt one too many times as fans are forced to sit through these filler episodes that, while not all of them are bad, still feel like a distraction. And by Season Three, the series does feel more focused while having some slice-of-life episodes added to the ongoing story instead of distracting us from it. But the writing isn't as strong, there are several plot holes in the narrative (how did Rapunzel's sunstone get into her dress?), and there is way too much time going back and forth on Cassandra's morality. They claim that she's a villain while arguing that there might still be some good in her, and they continue this train of thought for nine episodes when it really could have been settled in two. For me, it's a bad sign for a series when the first season is the best one. Because if it's all downhill from there, what's the point of even watching?

It Tries to be Epic: This might have been the worst decision the writers could have made.

Now, here's the thing: I don't mind grand epic tales of adventure and battles against demons. If anything, I'm all for them...when it's appropriate and fits with the tone of the series.

Tangled: The Series/Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure suffers a similar problem Frozen II has, in which the writers felt like a big, life-threatening adventure was the perfect continuation of a meager, personal story about the relationships of characters. It isn't. If anything, it's completely missing the mark about what the original story was about. And sure, sometimes writers can succeed in telling personal stories through grand adventures. Just look at The Owl House and parts of Amphibia. But with those shows, it's established within the first few episodes that action and peril will be a series staple. With Tangled, while there was some action and peril, it's all very subdued compared to how high the stakes got raised in later episodes in the show. Especially in the series finale.

And, I mean, c'mon. You're making Rapunzel an action hero?

Judy Hopps? Yes.

Moana? Maybe.

Raya? Most definitely.

But Rapunzel? The character who’s all about optimism and seeing the best of others. That's the character you're going to morph into a hero that fights against an evil demon laid dormant for years? Did you even watch the original movie? Yeah, sorry, but I just don't buy it.

If you want to tell an epic story that gets the blood pumping for fans addicted to adventure, go for it! See where the wind takes you. But make sure to set that tone as early as possible while also making sure that it fits with the characters. If not, the end result is a series that feels like it's trying to be something it’s not.

Eugene is Kind of an Idiot at Times: It should be noted that Movie-Eugene and Series-Eugene are practically two different characters. In the film, Eugene was more or less the straight man, as he often questions the wackiness in the world around him and keeping Rapunzel grounded in reality. For the series, most of that personality got transferred to Cassandra. Thus making Eugene's new role in the series act as the egotistical imbecile. Sure, he had those moments in the film, but not as frequently, and it really pains me when the writers really lean hard into a minor aspect of his personality. Sometimes there are moments when Eugene acts like his original self. But it's all small scenes that are spread apart with entire episodes where he has half a brain cell. I'm sure some people didn't mind this change to the character, but as someone who adores the movie version of Eugene, I can't help but feel disappointed.

The Villains are the Worst: Now, I don't mean the one-off villains that show up, cause some chaos for a bit, and disappear at the end of the episode. Those are characters with fun personalities, occasionally cool designs, and do their job as villains of the week. It doesn't matter if their motivations are laughably simple, as their purpose is to be enjoyable characters above anything else. So I actually enjoy those villains...it's the ones that act as season-long antagonists that really grind my gears.

The purpose behind these types of foes is to build up how evil they are throughout the season. The issue is that the writers try to give these characters, or at least two of them, a point. To be fair, this can work. Just look at Killmonger from Black Panther and sometimes Karli Morgenthau from The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. You understand and probably even sympathize with the logic and reasoning these characters have. It's just that their actions couldn't be farther from what you would do. The problem with Varian and Cassandra is that they have the motivation, but it's not written suitably for the story.

Cassandra is a whole can of worms I'll get to in a minute, but Varian is someone I can easily discuss for a brief time. Because while I can comprehend his pain for having his father frozen in yellow rock, I don't think turning evil is the best decision to go with that character. Because A. Everything is his fault. He blames Rapunzel for not helping him, but even if she didn't have a crisis to deal with, there was nothing she could have done to stop it. His frustrations are not only unjustified, but given the fact that this wouldn't have happened if he listened to his father in the first place, it feels like him becoming evil is too drastic of a turn. And B. Varian worked much better as a supporting character rather than a primary antagonist. He was just this hopeful, if not a clumsy scientist who wanted to prove himself, who causes minor catastrophes due to not thinking ahead. Turning a character like Varian into a villain is a bit of a misstep because if the guy acts hilariously incompetent as a good guy, it makes little sense to have him be intelligent and ten steps ahead of Rapunzel when being evil. If he were to become more serious and careful when helping the rest of the main cast, I'd consider that character progression done properly. But becoming a villain is just an overreaction.

However, none of that compares with my issues with the main antagonist of the series: Zhan Tiri. This goes back to my problems with the series making itself too epic. Because if Zhan Tiri existed in any other show, I probably wouldn't have any problem with her. She's built up well throughout all three seasons and is kind of threatening at times. But she doesn't belong in a series based on a movie that dealt with a small, personal issue where it wasn't even the character who killed the villain in the end. It was her love interest and animal sidekick. Even if Zhan Tiri works well as a character, the fact that it doesn't feel like she belongs in the show makes her too distracting to enjoy. And that's why these villains suck. If not poorly written, they don't belong in a series that should focus on small-scale issues. And if you can functionally write an antagonist that appears for only one episode but flounder with ones that show up in several, well, that's just embarrassing.

Cassandra (Season 3): OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH BOY, do I have some words to express with this character. Like with Movie-Eugene and Series-Eugene, Cassandra from Seasons One and Two is frustratingly different from the psychotic IDIOT from Season Three. Basically, just take the issues I have with Varian, multiply them by ten, add them with some bafflingly stupid decisions, and you still wouldn't get how much Season Three-Cassandra frustrates me!

First off, her motivation...what the f**k were the writers thinking? The big reason why Cassandra betrays Rapunzel and motivates all of her misdeeds was that Cassandra's mother was Mother Gothal...EXPLAIN THAT LOGIC TO ME?! Because Cassandra should know what type of woman Mother Gothal was. She should know what Mother Gothal did to Rapunzel in the first eighteen years of her life. So how is Cassandra being abandoned by Gothal the central motivator to cut ties with Rapunzel, who is probably an even bigger victim in this scenario!? Seriously, Rapunzel was cut off from the rest of the world and treated as an unknowing prisoner because she was beneficial to Gothal. Cassandra was adopted into a household with mutual love and got to actually live her life. In no way does it make sense for her to be angry at Rapunzel.

Nor does it make sense that the writers try to play it off as a good thing in the song "Crossing the Line!" Sure, it sounds nice, but thematically, it gives across the opposite feelings that the audience should have. Because if Cassandra cutting ties with Rapunzel is meant to be tragic and awful, why is the music suggesting it's the best possible thing that's ever happened for the character? If you like the song, fine, but even you have to admit that it's thematic nonsense.

But, sure. Cassandra's evil now, and she considers it a good thing. Whatever. I'll take it as long as it leads to good stories...but here's the thing: In the penultimate episode before the three-part series finale, Cassandra asks a question. A question I would have never expected her to ask, despite everything that has happened in the last season. A question that was so baffling, I had to legitimately pause the episode to process the fact that she asked something so stupid. Because Cassandra, the character who is intelligent and grounded in reality, asked, "Am I the bad guy?"

I was honestly shocked to find out she was shocked! How, in the flying, everlasting, cock-a-doodle-doodling F**K does a person like her not pick up that maybe, just maybe, she isn't the hero in this story!? Call me crazy, but endangering the lives of people you once called friends and family, dressing in black, AND HAVING A GIANT EVIL-LOOKING TOWER MADE OUT OF F**KING SPIKES aren't qualities I would give to a hero!

If Cassandra was like Thanos, a character so wrapped up in his ego that he can't even notice how evil he is, I would understand. But she doesn't have an ego. Anger, yes. But for the most part, her personality is based on having logic and reasoning. So turning her into a villain and having her unaware that she's a villain is an act of lunacy that I am incapable of understanding. I don't know who's idea this was, but whoever is to blame...you've got issues.

>Sighs<...This series isn't good, is it?

IN CONCLUSION

I like the animation and some of the characters...but that's not enough. Tangled: The Series/Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure is a mess of a show that tries to do too much for a story that should have so little. Meaning that it's a D+ for me. I want to enjoy it and give it a higher grade, especially with how much I hear people praise this series. And if you do enjoy it, all the power to you. Your opinions are valid, even if I highly disagree with them. Because for me, this is a show that I won't get myself tangled up in again in the future.

[ignitification]

at this point d.ku saving shiggy would just feel hollow. of all these 10 solo d.ku chapters he hasn't had any emotional or mental development/understanding. Like d.ku just isn't where HK's writing shines. Not giving him any tragic backstory may have seemed like good subversion at the start but rn my emotional attachment to his growth/lack of it is just at an all time low. And yass way to make another pro hero look infantile due to MC-armour. Istg as soon as any character interacts with either en.dv or d.ku they take negative infinity in power, potential and likeability. Even the vestiges went down on the likeable scale. Also, these chapters were deserved more by literally any other character.

I'd begin addressing your last point anon, and by saying that while on one hand I agree with you, on the other I really understand that on some level (except physical) these chapters are needed for two reasons. First of all, because BNHA has picked up at ‘intense pace’ which translates into a lot of stuff happening all at once (It took us 285 chapters for Bakugou to admit that he cares about Izuku, and then we got in the span of 20 chapters Touya’s reveal, Mr. Compress face reveal, Mirio is back, BJ is alive, Todoroki’s backstory, Tartarus breakout, the name of the 1st OfA User, Izuku dropping out of UA, Overhaul and Lady N - just to name a few), which consequently means that we are fast approaching the final battle (excluding the Traitor affair, the grounds for the last arc are all already in place) of AfO against Midoriya, which bring me to the second point being Izuku, as also confirmed by himself, would not be able to save Shigaraki and also destroy AfO in the shape he is (or rather was, when leaving the hospital), meaning that he needs an upgrade of his abilities, and he needs it quickly. These chapters, unfortunately, are exactly that: a boring build-up needed in order to show us Izuku’s progress in managing OfA. Therefore, while I do agree that it would be nice to have other characters (from which we haven’t heard from in ages, like Toga and Bakugou), I also sadly understand why exactly we are at a halt in terms of ‘story progress’. And this is mainly due, as you pointed out, to the fact that Izuku is definitely not where HK’s writing shines, not in the slightest. 

Izuku’s main flaw is that he does lack some sort of baseline growth which in his case should translate into less hero worshipping and more concentration into his rightful mission of wanting to change the status quo (by saving the villain). HK planted the seed, and at some point it feels like he forgot to water it, and while still holding the principle (on some level, as we saw in his fight with Muscular), it still feels very superficial for something that should be the main goal and more interesting lapel of the manga? I totally understand how someone would feel dejected when faced with this characterisation, especially if the character in question is the Main Character, the story is ending and he STILL appeals to the only thing which caused the entire problem. 

As for me personally, I am still very much attached to Izuku and the Vestiges (because nowadays they represent an interesting development in the Quirk area, in a scientific and symbolic aspect, which I’d like to be explained and explored more, but let’s be realistic - this is a shounen and fans eat this content like famished lions just because it is content, with no critical thinking whatsoever), but I do admit that sometimes I feel frustrated because my main issue with BNHA is how is actually treats its victims and the way people feel attached to toxic traditions (and in particular Izuku’s attachment to the notions of hero as represented by AM, and his will to copy him in the slightest detail). This is even more evident for Endeavour, who seems a catalysis for bad decisions and just a cluster of condoning actions which would not be accepted if done by anyone else, and a lot of crap justifications about themes like violence and abuse, and the implicit lack of consequences each of these actions have in the manga (because preoccupied with more important things, sure - but I think a line would be enough).

Nonetheless, yeah - Izuku should have shown some kind of advancement (not Quirk-wise), but instead in a way to contrast Gran Torino’s view and the example set by older heroes, but instead we get a team up with those same heroes, with Izuku as a bait (which, very much is a problem for both him because he still disregards himself, and the heroes who accept this condition voluntarily) and now that they get separated and Izuku is fighting the possibly only threat (besides the remaining villain at large - and because I really cannot define Lady Nagant as a villain, more like an anti-hero) and he is still winning? Where is the realisation that maybe, even with his Quirk - what Izuku is missing is actually the experience of the pain and grief of this world, which he should have acquired since he appositely left UA? I would agree that until Izuku reaches a level in which he can admit to himself that heroes are not what this world needs, but instead a more inclusive and less-Quirk based society (and the fun fact here, is that he himself is a victim of that and instead he just lets it happen because he is selfless that way) which does not allow loopholes in terms of bad behaviour and where villains are not villains by default when they spur on a bad action, but instead can be guided on a different path - since no such injustices exist in the first place, it would feel very superficial and forced for him to save Shigaraki. It would be seen as a duty, he is forcing himself to make because he consider himself a hero, instead of the contrary and that he is a hero because he decided to save Shigaraki. I hope this can change in the next few weeks, and a good first step would be to have Izuku being overpowered by Lady Nagant - finally showing Izuku that weaknesses are real and that he is still human, and that there is no concrete rule by which someone could be judged as weak or strong (especially if we talk Quirks), and then finally brought forward to AfO, so we can see how he reacts to a. Overhaul; b. AfO; c. ShigarAfO. 

I do not want to hope too much, but at the same time there are reasons for which I am still holding a candle for that. I hope this helps believing, even a little, that hope for a better narrative is still possible. Thank you for the question and thank you for reading.

[kisasiblings]

Hell yeah, FMA au! This is brilliant though! Let's go Kisaragi Siblings! (Also I already prefer how you write Kokoro over LINJU, thank goodness.)

Also here are some ideas for who can be who in homunculi. (This is based more on the sins then the Canon fma characters)

Pride: Utsuro (as you said)

Sloth: Iroha (she is one of the few people that have sleeping sprite and sloth also means apathy or inaction. Not doing things either because you don't want to or don't care. With her trying to get others to do things before she does anything herself)

Greed: Emma (linked with her 'Wealth' trait from Void. Greed can also be fairly selfish sin. Doing things purely for yourself. Slightly why she spend time with Kokoro, (they could of had a very nice relationship, makes me sad). Not much to say on this one though.

Lust: Akane (NOW BEFORE YOU SYA ANYTHING. Lust is not only sexual but can just be a strong desire for something ("he lusts for power"). So Lust can mean 'strong desire'. And I think Akane has probably one of the biggest willpower in this group, willing to spend four months in a school waiting for a killing game, get memory wiped, and still come out on top. Also Sora (I know they are probably different characters but-) Sora was very determined when she wanted someone, which is a sort of reflection on Akane. She makes her own choices and can get what she wants.)

Gluttony: Hajime (ironic. But gluttony also means taking too much for one's own good, as taking to much food is bad, so is taking too much of anything. He was the first person to take a life (unless you count Mikado "killing" Rei) which I would say is taking too much. Doesn't link that much to his 'Health' besides a sort of irony)

Envy: Mikado (straight up just wanted Utsuro's power and was willing to kill 15 others to have something he didn't. He wanted to be human but not in a good way. I think this fits him)

Wrath: Nikei (this dude had a gun and was going to try and shoot everyone up in a fit of rage, yeah, also linked with his need for 'Power'. I was thinking of making this Mikado but Mikado isn't as much as an angry person.)

May fit sins, but may not fits the FMA characters.

This au is really fun! Sorry if the above is unnecessary. Just wanted to share some ideas since you weren't certain. You can change things obvi.

haha, thank you!! although i wouldnt neccessarily call it writing, its more of a potrayal? how i see the character? still, kokoro deserved better than being written as an evil scientist because of her alexithymia, its so frustrating to see linuj take that route since i loved her free time events and how she was in the killing game before. chapter 0

as for the homunculi placements, i like them!! i really appreciate your input!! no worries about lust!akane as this aus interpretation of lust isnt supposed to be sexual in the slightest

i was actually considering making iroha sloth and mikado envy but all of that makes me wonder "is one of them the fuhrer of amestris? nikei doesnt fit the bill for me and neither do the others" and the answer im coming up with is that they all control the government from the shadows like in canon fma but the fuhrer is basically just some guy whos easily manipulated to do their bidding just like other higher ups in central

also from all the homunculi i think wrath!nikei would have a similar role to canon greed? as in he betrays the group and gets killed but is brought back with his memories erased. yeah i see that especially since he got punished for betraying void in sdra2 (which was so fucking bullshit tbh)

also anon theres no need to put yourself down!!! like ive said, i enjoyed reading your thoughts!! its so fun to bounce ideas off others :]