#as i do any of the characters that actually. y'know. contribute to the story

[directdogman]

Heya, been watching Mr bean lately and thought I'd ask you if there's anything I should know about the bean lore

i deadass almost responded 'why are you watching mr bean' on its own, but hey. it's not every day i get an ask like this. it's actually a common fan misconception that I like Mr Bean all that much, but I'll still attempt to answer this question in good faith. first question to ask is, animated or live action?

for the live action show, I could talk about it for quite a long time, but long story short, it was created by the same creative team as Blackadder's first season (more or less), with Rowan Atkinson starring, Atkinson and Richard Curtis co-writing and Howard Goodall scoring the show. The famous chorale arrangement of the Mr Bean theme is actually real Latin too. Something people forget about Rowan Atkinson is incredibly well educated. In fact, him, Richard Curtis and Howard Goodall all met in Oxford college iirc.

The first line of the live action series theme literally translates as 'behold the man who is bean'. Beyond that, the only real surface level live action lore I can really think of, off the top of my head, is that Mr Bean has co-acted with Willem Dafoe, has destroyed priceless artwork, has been driven around downtown LA while flipping the bird at people he passed, was almost briefly named 'mr cauliflower', etc. Oh, also, Mr Bean isn't fully mute in the live action series, like in the pilot, where he speaks at length before sitting for a university math examination that he isn't prepared to take. So, yes, Mr Bean has canonically attended a university.

I do have a pretty big theory that alleges that Doug Walker's relationship with the Nostalgia Critic is more or less the same as Rowan Atkinson's with Mr Bean, but I refuse to explain Mr Bean lore if I feel it may come up later on in a trial or contribute to me ending up in a padded cell somewhere, so you'll just have to sit and wonder, I'm afraid.

OKAY, onto the cartoon series. The important thing to remember about the cartoon series is that it had two iterations. The run of the Mr Bean cartoon was aired in the early 2000's. Rowan Atkinson was apparently in the writer's room for it, and Mr Bean, like in official media, is semi-mute in it. He often just emotes using various grunts, but can utter short sentences. The animation is very fluid and the characters frequently go off model in order to appear more expressive. The episode plots were also pretty off the wall in comparison to the second iteration. You know the Citadel of Ricks in Rick and Morty, where Rick meets a whole space ship full of identical clones of himself? Yeah, it's canon to Mr Bean too, but y'know. It's the Citadel of Beans, I guess.

In case the embedded timestamp doesn't automatically work, jump to 9:02 and watch until at least 9:13. Or don't watch any of it at all. Your call. Also no, it's not a dream sequence or anything like that, it's fully canon and really happening. It also implies that Mr Bean remembers that he's an alien for the rest of the series. The scene even ends with the direct implication that the fan theory that live action Mr Bean is an alien IS correct. (Some have speculated that he was perhaps a fallen angel too.) By the way, I'm linking to a shitty fan reupload so this Mr Bean clip instead of any of the readily available public resources because fuck YOU Mr Bean, I refuse to give you your now undeserved 10th of a cent in ad revenue after your DISGRACEFUL NFT line. More on that later.

After they finished up with the early 2000's cartoon series, the show went off the air for a literal decade and then they brought it back, out of nowhere, with rigid (and decidedly cheaper to produce) digital animation. You could compare the change in animation to, say, The Simpsons or Family Guy, where the art style remains the same for every design/background that's borrowed from the older seasons, but now everything moves stiffly/robotically. Newer one-off character designs are also way flatter and less cartoonish, as if the creative juices that went into the original cartoon series are... gone.

I have to say, I haven't seen all of these episodes because they're really not very good. The writing is a lot worse. Mr Bean just constantly talks for some reason, which feels like a pretty stark abandonment of the core tenets of the character imo. Come to think of it, the other recurring characters (like his landlord, Mrs Wicket) is also strangely out of character. Long story short, they just don't care anymore.

The funny thing about the baffling Mr Bean NFT line is that, well, there's basically 4 'eras' of Mr Bean... at least, according to how I group it. Era 1 is the live action series, era 2 is made up of the 2 feature length Mr Bean movies (I group them together, despite them coming out over a decade apart as they don't really connect directly to the main Mr Bean lore and take place outside of London), era 3 is the early 2000's run of the cartoon, and the era 4 is the 2010's cartoon reboot.

Of ALL of the 4 possible places they could pull content from, only ONE iteration of Mr Bean contained digital, pre-cropped assets... The cartoon reboot, which the production company that owns the rights to the character (Tiger Aspect Productions) obviously had, leading to this really strange revisionism (more or less gaslighting) from the Mr Bean brand, like "hey, remember Mr Bean? Remember him? He has an NFT line now! Remember Mr Bean? BUY BUY BUY" Which is funny, because statistically, of all of the four eras, the shitty cartoon reboot is the only era that does not contain anything that interesting to talk about, and is the only one that doesn't contain memorable Mr Bean media, arguably.

Some people 100% remember the time Mr Bean put an armchair on TOP of his car and drove it around in the live action series. Some people remember watching the movies in the theater as a kid and some people remember the zany episodes of the early cartoon series, which aired on Nickelodeon owned channels in the early 2000's... Nobody remembers the time Mr Bean set up a pizza place called 'pizza bean'. Seriously, there's several episodes in the new animated series where the guy just starts up a get rich quick scheme, which falls apart by the end of the episode. It's like Ed, Edd 'n' Eddy, except instead of the Ed boys, you're stuck in an elevator alone with an our of character Mr Bean.

So, yeah, the company REALLY milked the final seasons of the cartoon, despite it being the worst Mr Bean content, because that way, they could produce easy content that didn't require any more work. They don't even get Rowan Atkinson in for voices most of the time they make 'new material', just using recycled clips from a Mr Bean soundboard. The entire NFT line, by the way, is just random frames from the cartoon reboot placed against re-used backgrounds from the show, or just in front of a gradient/solid colour. Pretty cheeky given that they minted these NFTS for, get this, over $100 each. I personally wouldn't even accept someone else's money in exchange for having to own a Mr Bean NFT, so I can't imagine who'd actually spend their hard earned money on such a thing.

I could keep going, but sooner or later, an Al-Qaeda sniper is gonna take me out if I keep typing, so best quit while I'm ahead. You were a FOOL to have read this

[stop-breaking-my-heart-telltale]

i watched dom the bombs reading of book 2 and saw people making really negative comments about tillie and the book, it made me feel bad seeing how far people are going to hate on tillie instead of just the book

Yeah, I saw some of his livestream. I don't really watch his content, but I have watched the videos he did about Clementine Book One. I only watched the stream for about two minutes before I had to shut it off because it was that unpleasant, and I'm not referring to the content of the book. Then when I heard through discord that he'd gotten to chapter 9, I turned it back on and watched his reaction and the rant that followed and like... I have a lot of feelings but to put it simply, I'm kinda pissed so apologies for this long post.

Here's the deal: I don't know Dom, and maybe his reactions were exaggerated for his chat, or maybe he really does feel that aggressively passionate about twdg and what these comics have done, I don't know. I jumped into the stream the first time when he was at the part where Clementine's being introduced to new cast at the party, and it's when he was reading and said, "'John is Morro's son' I don't care" that I clicked off. Why should I keep watching when you're not going to put in any effort into the story outside of just hating on it? That's the whole vibe I got and it put me right off.

He can hate them as much as he wants [and he did say that if this wasn't about Clementine, it wouldn't be that bad], that's not my issue. My biggest issue comes when he brings Tillie into it because he always does.

I think his stream had a little bit of a ripple effect that's lead to Tillie's social media. Looking through her most recent post on insta, there are a bunch of new comments with people parroting some stuff he said in his stream... as if she needed more shit. She's been getting these comments for days now.

For those unaware, Tillie Walden just had a baby on October 4th, the same day Clementine Book Two came out, and these are pieces throughout the comments section of that post sharing the news:

I'm trying so hard to put this into words because, on one hand, I get that Dom is just one person and it's not like he can force his audience to do anything. Plus, the hate was happening before his stream so it's not like it's his fault anything... but just because he throws in a "I don't condone harassment of Tillie guys" disclaimer around, that doesn't mean he isn't contributing to the problem.

You can't go on a rant about how Ricca is Tillie's self-insert and no one can change your mind about that, and then be like "but guys don't harass Tillie, she doesn't deserve it." THAT is what people are sending her threats over! You're just validating that self-insert idea! You are contributing to the problem!

Personally, I don't think he's saying "don't send anyone harassment" because he actually gives a shit about Tillie Walden or anyone involved in the project, he's saying it to cover his own ass so no one can point any fingers at him. I'd like to be proven wrong on that. I'd love for him to be more serious about it and say more than just "I don't condone harassment" before going on to say he's gonna bring the hammer down for his review.

And y'know what? You're right. I can't change your mind about Ricca being a self-insert because you don't want to change your mind.

Both of them having glasses isn't evidence, and "they look exactly the same!" doesn't work when Tillie's art style has same-face syndrome. Slap some glasses on Olivia and oop, Olivia must be a self-insert, too!

Like... do people still not get how stories are made? Writers tend to write what they know, they draw from their life experiences and that influences their characters, settings, and plots. You know what probably happened? Tillie wears glasses, and she probably thought about how much it would suck to wear glasses in the apocalypse, and gave that idea to one of her characters.

But does it even matter? You've already decided it's not up for debate. You're not open to discussion on it. You're set on spreading "Ricca is a self-insert" to your audience, that ripples through the fandom, and a shit ton of people are weaponizing it. "Ricca is a self-insert" is why they're going after her on a post about her newborn baby.

I know how that this works. It's happened to me where I've said something only to see some of my followers weaponizing it against other people. Shit, when I was on the subreddit the other day, I saw someone misquoting me from my first read through of Book Two post: I never said I would lose my shit if they named Olivia's baby Amos Junior, AJ 2.0. I was making a fucking joke. And do you know how many times I've come across "AJ 2.0" since? An alarming amount!

When you have a platform with any amount of followers, shit you say is going to spread and it might be used poorly. There isn't much you can do about it except think about the future shit you say and how you say it. You're never going stop everyone from being shitty; some people are just insistent on being assholes, but you can always try to reach through to more people.

There is a conversation to be had about the contents of chapter 9, and how this story is leaning toward a more romantic focus over a gritty zombie drama. There's a lot to say about Ricca as a character. There are legit criticisms of these books, and criticisms to be had of Skybound for continuing the series after the games ended... but I don't think many people are interested in actually having those conversations. I think they just want to be mad. I think they want to put all the blame on one person, and since it's Tillie's name on the books, they want to hate her.

And I don't even dislike Dom or anything. He seems like a nice guy who's passionate about the games and is disappointed the comics didn't do them justice. From the parts I watched he had good points about how Skybound were the ones who hired Tillie knowing her previous work. I see where he's coming from with his dislike of the romance angle, too.

But it's the reactionary anger that feeds and grows, which again, I don't blame him for having strong feelings or reacting. I used to stream on twitch and you do get carried away; you exaggerate, you get pissed off and so does chat and suddenly everything is heated and you're bouncing that off each other. So I get it.

I guess I just dread his actual review because I know what's going to happen. And now I'm also a little worried about my review.

I'm just upset that this is what the twdg fandom's turned into. I mean, we've always had toxicity but I don't remember it ever being this bad. There's nothing I can do about it except hope people calm down.

...I can't believe this is where my character arc has led me. I'm the Tillie Walden and, to an extent, the Clementine comics defender... Well, shit.

I don't even like the comics, I think they're bullshit too, and yet-

[woaddragoon-nadya]

Meet Nadya!

I decided to commit and start a new character to conquer my social anxiety! I also changed datacenters to see if maybe not playing on Gilgamesh might be easier. (No hate to Gilgamesh, I just am not a hardcore player and that's the culture over there) So she's on Crystal Goblin. Got her to level 30 in like...6 hours, which isn't great but I started in Gridania which I've never done before (all hail Ul'dah) and wanted to actually see the story.

Just finished joining the scions and decided to log off because it is 4AM. She's another Hyur girly just because I like their face options the best. But, I went Lancer this time so I can learn DPS.

Below the cut is the very long recap of the day. Moreso for me so I can look back lol. Also me complaining a little bit about partying.

First 10 minutes of running around a mentor actually invited me to the novice network! I never got to join with Alsephina until I got the return label this month so that's a new experience. Playing DPS is crazy because I feel like I'm not contributing at all.

The party I had for Sastasha was incredible. Our tank blazed through that whole thing. I got 3 commendations from that run alone which was very sweet. Tam Tara was okay, but our entire party were sprouts. Not a big deal, but it was clear the DPS and the Tank were like...sprout sprouts y'know? I am terrible at the game compared to most people, but I also have 150 hours. So I ended up helping to lead that one.

Then...Copperbell. I will now clarify that I wasn't mad about how it went, moreso annoyed that I didn't go to bed sooner. 10 minute wait time which I was okay with because it is so late. Everybody is FRESH Sprouts. Our Tank would not pull at all. One enemy at a time in the most inconvenient locations. Tank also wouldn't run through so the enemies would turn, which meant I somehow kept getting enmity. I'm used to playing Tank so I didn't really mind, but Lancer is obviously not built to be a tank which put pressure on our healer. Nobody had gear on that was past the first job quest. The other DPS got left on a higher level and no one would wait for her so the entire second floor took ages. Everybody is running for treasure not looking around.

Our healer ended up running in the front and taking a load of damage. Then they started the final fight with NO ONE ELSE IN THE ROOM. I sprinted over there so it was just me and her for a hot second. Tank is jumping absolutely everywhere, other DPS is still lost. I think the tank only annoyed me because I have been so nervous about tanking in a party for so long. I don't expect big pulls , because I know I struggled with that. Just at least pull into the next larger room and not on bridges or hallways. Makes DPS easier and healing easier. Normally, the way I've been approaching any partying with other humans is "whatever makes the healer's life easier." I thought that was kind of how everyone approached it, but I guess not. Same with not jumping around. Tank kept running, so I kept having to reposition, which meant the healer kept having to reposition. Then everybody ditched immediately, which made me a little sad lol. I have had very VERY few dungeons or 8mans where we didn't all say at least GG before heading out. Nobody gave commendations either, so I gave one to the healer.

I don't know, on the one hand it is less anxiety to play DPS because you have a buddy and arguably the least important job. On the other, it does make me want to give tanking with a human party another shot. I think I have not been giving myself enough credit for everything I've learned since my major meltdown for the last party I did with Alsephina. So now at least I have motivation to level both characters to see both sides. I could never be a mentor though. I kept wanting to try and correct the Tank, but I do not have enough confidence to tell somebody to play their video game differently.

[starlight-write]

🔥🧠Welcome to Braindump Central™🧠🔥

❤️ Welcome to my own personal Hell! ❤️ Here is where I store all my weird thoughts and writing projects that would have my neurodivergent ass shunned by my friends and family if revealed to the real world.

Originally, this blog was meant solely for writing tk fics (tw btw!). And while that is still our primary focus here, you can also find some regular-ass fanfics on my AO3 account, (which will be revealed soon enough) as well as sleep deprived ramblings, a shit ton of reblogs, and all sorts of other nonsensical shit.

The current annual hyperfixation that haunts my every waking moment is Hazbin Hotel, if that wasn't already obvious enough. So most of what I write will revolve around that.

Other fandoms I will write for are My Hero Academia, The Amazing Digital Circus, and The Owl House. (I live under a rock and don't know much else.)

Requests are Open and here are The Rules™!!!!

1.) Story Prompts, Character Headcannons, Character Pairings and similar ideas are all free game. (Also if you just want to talk, please I'm so lonely.)

1.5.) Requests aren't limited to fandom or tk fics! I love a good challenge so if you got a good prompt you wanna hit me with, I'm all ears!

2.) Obviously, I reserve the right to deny any requests if I can't vibe with it but don't think that means I appreciate your inputs any less!

3.) I will not write anything NSFW. (Dude, there are children here!)

4.) Requests will NOT be answered in a timely manner as I have the time management skills of a narcoleptic seahorse and run off of hyperfixation and spite alone.

5.) I'm not comfortable writing anyone's OCs for fandom fics, sorry.

6.) Keep it silly. Keep it fun. Don't be an asshole.

About the Author: (over sharing)

Here's some personal details about me that I feel like have a significant affect on my perception of reality and therefore my writing as a whole.

First things first, my irl pronouns are she/her. But let's be real, we're on Tumblr so call me whatever you want. Get creative with it.

I'm a 21y/o software engineering student diagnosed ADHD. (I keep praying to God but he's not answering) But y'know, that double homicide clearly wasn't enough and I got nerfed with a chaotic and relatively unstable living situation so if I go ghost for a hot minute that's probably why.

I identify myself as a sapphic-oriented AroAce abomination who ironically, is in a happy relationship with a man... (It was an accident I swear!) I'm just as confused as you are don't worry. So needless to say the pairings I write are going to be affected by that aroace lens but hey, if you're like me and enjoy exploring platonic dynamics a lot more then you've come to the right place!

Your girl also has a condition known as Maladaptive Daydreaming Disorder (MaDD), as if my pea-brain wasn't screwed enough already. Pretty self explanatory, basically means I have this dumbass condition where I have to disassociate into my fantasy worlds for hours and hours on end instead of actually contributing to society. Fun, right? I mention this not only to spread a little awareness but also to *cite my sources* in a way. Pretty sure it's forced me to become a better writer in a way, too. So it's not all bad ig.

If you want any more personal information out of me you either gotta hunt down my FBI agent or fill out my friendship criteria form on Github.

Now scroll and enjoy yourself.

Also if I get one more dm blasting me for the badges I probably won't do anything but IT WAS FOR THE BIT!!!!

[haleigh-sloth]

What importance do you think the last hand that wasn't disintegrated has for Shigaraki? I believe it's Nana Shimura's hand, in ch270 when each one of his family members is pushing him back and keeping him from realizing his dreams, Nana is the only one pushing him forward. It's important that he does have Nana's hand with him since it's the one reminder of who he wanted to be as Tenko, the little boy who wanted to be a hero with his sister and Nana Shimura made him believe it could be possible.

Ehhhh—I mean, yes and no. I agree and disagree.

I think it’s important to remember that Nana is both a good AND a bad force in Shigaraki’s life. She was a glimmer of hope for him, yes, but she very quickly became nothing more than just the root of all his pain, and the catalyst that started his story down the dark path it went. Because she chose heroics over family. And he knows she did, and he has no positive opinion of her.

I mean, at some point at the very end (assuming it's Nana's hand but, y'know how it goes lol) the hand can be associated with something good, but there is a lot of character development Shigaraki needs to go through before we can even touch on that hand changing into that "something good". Because right now, there is nothing Nana can do for him, not at this point in time. Not yet.

Giving her hand that much power and influence over his story—and assuming it’ll be good influence that saves him—is putting Shigaraki a lot further into his development than he actually is in canon.

So to concentrate that point into one sentence lol—that hand cannot save him. Not based on what we know about Shigaraki and this possession situation.

Butttt I need to say this because I feel like we interpreted that scene differently.

I think “pushing him to realize his dreams” is putting a very shiny coat on top of what actually happened there. His dream is destruction, well, that destruction is also destroying him. I don’t think we’re supposed to think of Nana in that moment as “encouraging him to pursue that dream”.

First, we know that that wasn’t ACTUALLY Nana saying that. That was not the vestige Nana that talks to Izuku. That was his own recollection/assumption of his family’s feelings toward him. He created that image in his head because he remembers her from that one moment:

She told him “don’t forget”, as in don't forget his family and who he was. And Shigaraki told her AND the rest of his family to stop rejecting him:

So lemme see if I can break this down because I’m kinda confusing even myself as I type this out lol.

He created those images in his mind. He created the image of Nana telling him to “not forget”. And then he rejected her and what she said. Why would he create an image of Nana encouraging him to go to AFO and then reject that? When that’s what he was doing anyway? That doesn’t…make any sense to me to view it that way. He always felt that his family rejected him entirely. And he knew she had contribution to that rejection. This was another way of showing that this is how he felt about his life with his family.

BUT moving on—

Honestly whether it’s Nana’s hand or not doesn’t really matter right now, not when it comes to actually saving him—because those hands do not symbolize anything positive for Shigaraki. They have always been shackles that held him back, and kept his traumatic stress bubbling below the surface. They were AFO’s insurance that Tenko would never properly grieve or heal from the loss of his family:

Regardless of whose hand is leftover, we know that currently they are a trigger for his trauma, and have been associated with his mental and emotional deterioration multiple times in canon:

And right as he sinks deeper into denial about how much pain and guilt he actually felt losing his family, he goes and puts the hand right back on his face. And even right before the war, puts it in his pocket. Representing the fact that he was never free.

I can get behind the positive significance of it being Nana’s hand, but that honestly just ties more into the idea of how important saving him is. As she is the only Shimura who is even capable of expressing the desire to save him. He is the last member of her family, she is the only member of his family he has the capability of communicating with (eventually), and her hand being in the world symbolizes the last hope saving him.

But---that's all it is right now, symbolism.

To Shigaraki himself? That hand is not associated with anything good in his mind. Like right now, as things are, where he is angry and hurt and deteriorating badly--finding out that it's Nana's hand (presumably) will do nothing. Like..."Okay? Great, another dead family member I've been wearing for a decade, yay me". In his current state, what will learning that do for him?

If anything, the best time to find out it's Nana's hand would be after he's already been saved and freed from AFO, that way he can view that hand differently.* (more on this at the end)

Why do I say this? Because Shigaraki is still of the belief that he murdered his family, that he wanted it to happen, that it wasn't a tragedy, that it was always meant to happen because that's what he was born for. He was born to destroy, that's it. Until that mindset he is stuck in is shaken and changed, he cannot move forward, he cannot view the hand differently, and the hand will never be anything but a shackle. Until he fully embraces the grief and pain he truly feels toward losing his family and stops believing the bullshit AFO fed him for 16 years, that hand will always be another trigger for his rage, and only make him sink further. We saw Shigaraki tell Nana he hates her too:

So I’m not sure why her hand would have so much importance on his growth. Until Shigaraki goes through that development ⬆️ first, where he lets go of his rage, the fact that it's Nana's hand will mean literally nothing.

Prediction time:

I don't see it playing a positive role in saving him. Given what we know, it's not really possible for that hand TO save him. Not before jumping through a lot of much needed character development that hasn’t happened yet. I know Spinner is holding onto that hand, and our assumption is supposed to be that Spinner wants the best for Shigaraki. But even Spinner's association with that hand is not a good one (he associates it with Shigaraki's rage--which only serves to keep Shigaraki prisoner). Nor is his idealization of Shigaraki and the blank horizon he promises because, well, that's what led to him to the situation he is in now. Idealizing a person, putting them on a pedestal and associating them with a dream they promise to bring led to him being in a very dangerous situation currently.

So as for what it'll do, well. Tbh if it is even used (cuz I have my doubts with the pacing of all of this rn), we know Spinner is holding onto it, so it'll be with whatever he does. We know Spinner will eventually turn around and try to help Shigaraki in some way. But I don't think the way Spinner is probably envisioning helping him (via the hand) will do anything good and quite possibly lead to an even angrier and more unstable Shigaraki. I say this because Spinner will do something good for his friend, but because of the circumstances associated with this panel, and WHO is saying this (which is AFO):

--I think whatever contribution Spin makes will be in the form of going against AFO's plans for Spin--where he's leading an army of mutant quirk people in AFO's favor. Instead, turn the tide in a bigger way against everyone's common enemy--AFO. Because aside from the Shigaraki stuff, the fact that Spinner has been paired off with Shouji means that he WILL have some importance in the mutant quirk peoples' eyes, and I think the big contribution he makes will be leading them to help in the bigger picture.

So on the hand, TL;DR: Right now it’s nothing but a negative. There is nothing good associated with it for Shigaraki. WE know (if it’s her hand) the positive meaning behind it, but it doesn’t matter what we know. It matters what Shigaraki knows, and he knows that Nana led to Kotaro’s pain, who led to Tomura’s pain. So, I personally don’t see how it can play an important role until the very end when Shigaraki has already broken free and reached salvation.

**At the very end, when he's free, after all is said and done, Shigaraki will be in a better place to view the hand differently. Instead of a trigger for his trauma, it can be sentimental and be the remaining chance that he has to properly grieve his family, and view it as a sentimental thing rather than something that just invokes his rage.

[rotationalsymmetry]

Some people seem to like playing AITA: fandom version and, like, ok, I guess if you find it entertaining whatever, it's really not my thing though.

I don't think judging other people (or, y'know, fictional characters) builds moral character -- most of the time. The main exception is when you judge someone and either go "fuck, wait, I've done something that was basically the same thing, and I only just realized it was wrong" or when you have the option of doing something similar in the future and can go "oh wait, I've thought about this, that would be Wrong, I will not do that and I will do this other thing instead."

But mostly what judging real/made up people does is get you in the habit of judging other people, which is usually not the best thing to do in any given circumstance. Usually it's better to go "ok, I'm not in control of anyone else's behavior, given that other people are gonna make their own choices what should I personally be doing here?"

So, let's say the Firelord is publicly humiliating and physically injuring his son and you're watching. What can you do? Well, unless you are the Firelord, not a whole heck of a lot. That's...how it is sometimes. Sometimes powerful people use their power to harm, and you can't stop them, because they're more powerful than you are. There are things you can do to make it worse. But there's not very much you can do to make it better, or even substantially less bad, and I do think facing the truth about that matters. In that an awful lot of what people do that makes things worse (like victim blaming) starts with a refusal to accept the reality of being powerless.

And irl people who are in the same family as an abuser but not the direct target, or who are subjected to systemic oppression, often do actually harm each other or refrain from doing things that would make it less bad, that's very much a common thing that happens, it's realistic. Abuse, and oppression, fuck with people, they fuck with families, they fuck with communities, they often bring out the worst in people.

It is possible to both acknowledge fully the harm caused and have compassion for people who contributed to the harm. Often even the main person causing the harm -- with Ozai for instance, we don't really see much that makes him sympathetic (which is fine, there's only so much villain-sympathy that one story has room for before things get completely off the rails) but it's reasonable to guess that the way he was raised was pretty similar to the way Azula and Zuko were raised, and if you can have some sympathy for Azula (which I think people should) it's I think possible to also recognize Ozai as being, well, very much a product of his society and his family and the way he was raised. Naming actions as reprehensible is not actually the same as declaring people who do those actions to be categorically different from people who get hurt by them.

And having sympathy or compassion for someone is not incompatible with wanting other people to be safe, protected.

[dgcatanisiri]

Look, I do genuinely try and work with ship and let ship, which genuinely is why I'm complaining about a thing here on my blog, in my space, rather than outright seeking out someone who ships the thing and complaining to their face.

I just get so TIRED. of looking up Original Trilogy fic on AO3 and seeing all this stuff with Imperial characters. Y'know, the bad guys who are fascists, AND are characters who AT BEST have their "development" being an actual on-screen NAME.

Like... Y'all have Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Lando Calrissian, Wedge Antilles, a good many more characters if you include either or both Expanded Universes... And you want to keep making content about the BAD GUYS? The ones who BARELY have names so far as anyone not hooking their veins into supplementary material knows? Characters who are lucky if Vader doesn't choke them in their introductory scene? You don't want to explore the dynamics we have? You want to just... create dynamics wholesale? Why not write your own original stuff then?

I mean, I know fandom often does this in any scenario, that often the fandom portrayal of a character and/or ship often ends up being heavily removed from canon's portrayal, but... At least those tend to BEGIN in some semblance of association to the characters to begin with.

Seriously, I find it ridiculous how rare it seems that getting a damn new Luke/Han story ends up being!

*sigh* I mean you can't even call this due to the same reason Kylo and Hux got popular over Finn/Poe, since Luke and Han are both white guys (though that probably contributes to the lack of Lando content...). This is just... I don't know what to call it, fandom nonsensity?

[aschenink]

Which wip are you working on atm? Also love you so so much💝💝💝

💖💖 Love you too!! 💖💖

Right now I’m focused entirely on The Devil Weed’s first draft, which has gone ALARMINGLY well. Like. ??. I’ve put serious thought into this for all of 15 days but the first draft is already at 25K and shows no signs of stopping, and like… I actually know what’s happening? On a first draft??? Unheard of. I love it. I am super duper optimistically planning on having this draft done on or before Halloween so that, come NaNo, I can focus on another project (The Noose of a Loving Embrace)… but my last (!!!) year of college starts next week, so we’ll see :’))

The 25K thing is true but I’m fairly certain everything that happens in it can be summed up in this brief, very very rough excerpt.

And yes this is saved as this_is_the_entire_novel.png because this truly is a complete synopsis.

Btw:  I’ve been stalking NaNo’s new site and obsessively refreshing my goal tracker there!! I’ll probably never close my NaNo tab again (at least until January) so hmu if you’re doing NaNo and/or wanna chat!!

[sophsicle]

hi! sorry if youve already answered this and no hate at all im simply curious, but what made you want to do a canon compliant ending for choices? ive always wondered why canon compliant endings are so common in jegulus & wolfstars fandom when 1 canon has many plot holes imo and 2 the ending is basically gay couples dying as if we dont have enough of that in queer media

Hello lovely!

So I wanted to make Choices canon compliant for two reasons: 1) When people talk about Jegulus usually the first thing they say is that it doesn't make any sense and I kind of took that as a challenge. I wanted to see if I could make Jegulus make sense, and in my brain, in order to do that, I had to make them make sense in a (mostly) canonical HP universe, because if it's not canon compliant really you're just showing that these two character types could work but you aren't actually showing that James Potter and Regulus Black could work. Which is not a problem, by the way, like at all, just, in my ridiculous brain, if I was going to prove people wrong about Jegulus it had to be canon compliant. 2) Those plot holes you mentioned, totally agree, but that to me was another challenge. Like I wanted to see if I could make the Marauders plot holes make sense. Stuff like the Prank, or Wolfstar falling apart in the first war - I wanted to see if I could write those plot lines in a way that made sense to me, because I'd never really read either of those things in a way that left me satisfied y'know? Same with Jegulus, when I started writing Choices I hadn't read any Jegulus that really convinced me that James and Regulus actually did make sense All that being said, your point about queer couples meeting tragic ends in media is totally a valid criticism of canon compliant Marauders fics. I think part of the problem too is that when I started writing this fic I was very much just focused on myself and the things I wanted and I wasn't really thinking about this story in any bigger way, or as, you know, contributing to any sort of discourse. Obviously on this site that has changed and it has now been involved in several discourses but like originally I was just trying to relieve some stress during finals last year :)

[a-partofthemob]

shinigami taxi: final thoughts

before getting into it all, i wanna thank @katyatalks for translating the game they have contributed so much to the mp100 fandom with the translations of the game AND of the stageplays!! i loved the second stageplay and really excited to watch the third one but onto shinigami taxi

im in love with the illustrations, the premise, the dialogue, EVERYTHING. it is a very one and done kind of thing but that's normal for games with multiple endings and stuff, it was worth it though, i'd sell my soul to get to experience it again though.

spoilers for shinigami taxi under the cut!!

teru's story is nice, i like that his parents are living somewhere near unlike in canon where they're just not present at all, and that he spends time with them, he needs a parental figure for god's sake he's 14, and left to live alone at like what 11? jesus he needs to be parented. his escape from the taxi is VERY thrilling, and the art for the scene?? FANTASTIC. makes me wonder what if teru hadn't been able to escape? leaves me pondering for a while

the story from the library, it was something, didnt make me feel any particular emotions but the part where the guy got to the hospital? and the driver said that payment was not needed?? and the mom taking her last breath just in time for the guy to arrive?? AND THEN THE TAXI HAS HIS MOM IN THE BACKSEAT??? i love these types of stories

kamuro's story though. oh my god he needs therapy. the carefree yet heartbreaking mentions of his family, he's used to them not caring about him, it's sad. and the part where he comes across the taxi?? and scared shitless and having to distract himself because of his anxious and spiraling thoughts? relatable. then the door opening and my heart dropped, the soundtrack right in my ears, it made me hyperventilate god it was so scary, it made me want to pause and take a breather bc i was scared shitless for kamuro, but i didn't and kept reading to not cut myself from the experience. it had me panicking for him, the music in the background making me feel like i AM him in the situation, then the door opening sound? my heart dropped

the good ending illustration had me SCARED, downright SCARED because they were all outlined with white and were heading into the light, and it made me think, "Oh god they're all dead" but i convinced myself that no they're not dead they're just walking away, but do tell me if they are in fact actually dead because i'm still on the fence

the bad ending was devastating, the choices made to achieve it, it feels like with mob not going to reigen for the taxi and just staying in bed, it feels like he didn't Change, y'know? doing what he's told to do despite the warning bells in his mind, but i dont know if 'he didnt change' is the right phrase but yeah. being held hostage to act as fuel for the taxi? and the driver wearing the body of reigen?? poor mob

the true ending made me scared too because what if mob accidentally hurts or fatally injures reigen during the fight? but that wouldn't make sense overall so that kept me going, the illustration is IMMACULATE it feels like it was taken directly from the anime and EUGH THE EMOTIONS I FELT WHILE MOB GOES OVER 100%

i was fairly shocked to see a red button in the title screen after finishing all endings, and turns out it was the game in reigen's perspective, and it was just so in character. the script and narration was just so Him, y'know? you were seeing the story in Reigen's eyes, and the behavior, saving the client's boyfriend, telling the shinigami to go on and to not wait for Mob because he didn't want his student to get roped into the mess, him direct salt splashing the shinigami and making a run for it, only to end up being the shinigami's host.

the convenience store part in reigen's story was something i didn't pay attention to as much, i thought it was just a divergence like: What if Reigen escaped without Mob's help? but then he bought cigarettes and made me falter because reigen stopped smoking after mob became his student, maybe this would be a one time thing because of the stress? then WABAAM THE SHINIGAMI'S THERE

for the omakes, i love them so much, it made me smile and laugh, especially mezato's interview with the body improvement club, the telepathy club vs onigawara thing and inukawa looks like he couldn't be more bothered, and then kamuro and tokugawa's omake came up. tokugawa is a great friend, and does his best to help out kamuro, and kamuro not telling absolutely anyone his story with the shinigami taxi because of his reputation as the student council president? and the reactions of his family if he told them the story? it was just so heavy, the burden kamuro carries is heavy, and i'm happy that tokugawa is there to talk to him

end note:

Shinigami Taxi is very wonderful and would recommend for every mp100 fan to play it, the illustrations are immaculate, the background music chosen is very nice and makes you feel as if you're in the moment itself, the script written feels so in character, 100/10, i want to play it for the first time again

[mostlikelytofangirl]

Which MDZS characters do you have grievances with? You seem to like MY, NHS and JC, who are the most controversial members of the cast, so I'm curious.

Oh anon, why would you do this to me :')

Mine is a very unpopular opinion regarding the characters I have my things with, but that's mostly bc I'm Like That, you know?

The reason why I'm a JGY/MY stan, Nie lover and JC respecter is bc I'm weak for morally ambiguous characters. It fascinates to no end the way they can push the limits of what's wrong or right in pursue of something they personally perceive as The Correct Thing To Do, especially when they are not exactly wrong. It makes them feel like real individuals with their own codes and experiences instead of, y'know, "this is the right thing to do, and I'm a good person, so I'm gonna do it and that's it" or "this is wrong and I'm a villain so that's what I do".

That, of course it's just me.

With that in mind, I can't really say that there's any character I hate on canon alone, not even the ones who are clearly and plainly stated as the ones we must hate. Not WRH, not WC, not even JGS (surprisingly). I feel like they fuflfil their role in the story and it wouldn't have happened as it did without their actions. And since I LOVE mdzs, I appreciate their contribution.

My grievance is actually with fandom. Namely, the way it insists on grouping characters in Good Guys and Bad Guys, and thus erasing the nuance that make some see complex antagonists as villains and the protagonists and those who align with them as ppl who never did anything wrong, ever, not even a word misspoken.

Mdzs is a complex and human story about an imbalanced society and its impact on individuals, not a YA fantasy of Hero Against Evil.

Aaaaaaaand here is where my main issue comes: Inconsistent Energy.

Some characters get a pass for virtually the same things others get crucified for and the difference is solely whether they are a Good Guy or a Bad Guy according to their own simplistic interpretation.

That said, and to answer your question already lol. I'm not the biggest LWJ fan ^^;

As I said, I don't hate him. Hell, I don't even dislike him! I'm honestly indiferent towards him, and I definitely appreciate his role in the story. But for starters, he is not the kind of character I normally gravitate towards, nor find particularly interesting. But it's mostly the fact fandom would put him on a pedestal when I PERSONALLY think there are bones to pick with him at points. And that's totally ok! That's his character, that's the story. It just... frustrates me how universally accepted it is that he is perfect, and while even canon itself insists on this at points (not big on that either tbh), most fans shut down the possibility of even a friendly discussion of any flaw of his while gleefully tearing apart even the way other characters breathe orz

[hood-ex]

I don't know if you've been asked this before, so I'm sorry if this is a repeat question. How do you keep up on comics so strictly? And do you have any tips for people who are trying to becoming a lot more knowledgeable when it comes to comic books? Especially when it comes to Dick Grayson and his inner circle?

Oh, I don't lmao. I mean, new comic releases, sure. I only read older comics when I'm in the mood. There's not really any rhyme or rhythm to how I read them.

When it comes to newly released comics, I would suggest reading them on the day they come out when the hype over them is strongest. Why? Because if you see people talking about certain issues or posting certain panels, you'll probably feel most motivated to read those issues yourself so that you can get in on all the new content people are posting/talking about. Then you'll have context for everything which is nice, and you can also be part of the conversation.

Jumping in towards the start of a comic run will also help you keep up with the series more easily because you can read the issues as they come out rather than having to read #1-20 issues before you can understand the context of the newest issue coming out, y'know?

Right now is actually a good time to jump into most batfam comics since Nightwing, Robin, and Batman: Urban Legends only have a few issues under their belts each. Batman and Detective Comics might be a bit harder to get into right now. But, yeah, if you're a fan of Dick, Babs, Jason, Tim, or Damian then I'd go ahead and jump into reading the runs I listed above. (It kinda pains me to suggest reading those series though because the current characterizations are... not the best. But for the sake of keeping up with new content then, yeah, read those.) Then when new issues are released for each series, read them the day they come out so you stay up to date. (Again, like I said, you'll probably have more motivation to read new releases on the day they come out when everyone is talking about them and sharing stuff about them.)

As for Dick's inner circle, the easiest way to get to know most of them at once without sifting through each character's individual runs is probably by reading Titans comics. A lot of comic readers aren't too fond of older comics because the art and lingo feel out of date, so no one is gonna judge you if you don't want to read the first Teen Titans series with the fab five. Instead, you could always read Teen Titans: Year One which has the members of the fab five but is a much shorter run and can easily be read within a day (hell, you could prob read the whole thing in an hour). Like I've said before, Garth and Donna's characterizations in that series aren't the best. Either way, you'll be introduced to the team and get an idea of their powers, dynamics, mentors, and a taste of what they contribute to the team.

I would suggest reading The New Teen Titans Vol. 1 first (or at least some of the issues) if you want to understand who Dick's friends are. You can almost knock the first volume out in a month if you just read one issue every day. It has #40 issues so if you read two issues (or more!) on some days then you can easily have the whole thing read in a month.

I know, I know. A month sounds like a long time and you want all the comic knowledge now. Trust me, I get it. Just remember that you can always take some time on the weekend to knock out a ton of reading. Sometimes when I'm really into a series, I'll read it like a book and read 30 issues in a day.

Reading a mini-series is also a faster way to catch up on characters since the story is more contained. (Examples: Robin: Year One, Batgirl: Year One, etc.)

Reading Wiki pages about specific comic events or characters will also save you time. You'll get the gist of the story or character without having to read tons of issues about them. (I do believe knowing the context of how everything happens is important though so I'd use Wiki more as a general guide.)

Anyways, yeah, try and read new comics on the days they come out and then on other days of the week is when you're going to want to catch up reading older comics.

I hope that kiiinda helps?

[nikibogwater]

I Also wish they'd given us more Master Wizard Douxie content instead of just relegating him to being friends with a boring side-character and being a pawn for Jim's story arc.

Yeah it kind of felt like the RotT writers just....didn't really know what to do with Douxie. Which I guess makes sense, Wizards was still in production at the time, and without being able to see the finished product, they probably weren't sure exactly what Douxie is capable of as a Master Wizard. But the fact remains that if they'd let him use the full extent of his powers, at the very least the death count in the movie would've been greatly decreased, and we likely would've gotten a much better ending (no one can convince me that Douxie--the guy who very nearly destroyed his own timeline by mistake--was even the tiniest bit on board with Jim's idea).

But then again, it also seems like the RotT team was hellbent on making the movie all about Jim, so y'know....letting any of the other characters (Douxie included) display any sort of competency or agency would've diminished Jim's presence in the movie, and we just couldn't have that. It's not like you can actually have a well-balanced cast of characters who are all strong and capable and complement each other nicely while also contributing to the story in individual ways. Remember how the biggest flaw in Trollhunters was that there were other characters with motives and personal arcs besides Jim? Such a waste of time! We couldn't have that in our grand finale, no sir! *Sarcasm drips loudly onto the floor*

Sorry, sorry, I left the Bitterness tap running. I'll turn it off now, haha. Thanks for the message, Non! ✨

[luque-moreau]

y'know i think its about time ive refurbished my psychonauts headcanons/theories

what??? me??? rewriting my psychonauts headcanons in a more comprehensible and informed way???

ye

alright, i think everyone knows what im talking about, by headcanons i mean headcanon as in singular, and as singular, i mean my "raz is somewhere on the spectrum of adhd".

so lets just get into it:

what is adhd actually?

adhd by definition stands for attention deficit hyperactive/hyperfocus disorder (yes, let me get into the details in just a sec). it is a nerodevelopmental disorder that is almost completely reliant on genetic factors, however conditions during pregnancy can sometimes contribute to certain aspects of how adhd manifests itself.

long story short, people with adhd have a smaller frontal lobe, and therefore less dopamine in general (even though yes, it is more complicated than that).

theres also a little bit of "chicken or the egg first" goin on here, certain behaviors or personality tendencies can also affect how adhd is presented in one individual to the next, however its still not clear if that is because it is an accommodating for a certain thought process or if someones experiences and personality shape their symptoms of adhd entirely. its a very blurry line, and the answer is different for everybody.

hyperactive type

hyperactive type is probably the closest to most stereotypical depictions of adhd, think the 5 year old whos parents brush off their child’s hyperactivity as something that will “go with age”. however, this isn’t only present in children, adults with adhd have to deal with a constant need for stimuli to make up for the lack of dopamine their current activity is providing them. this results in someone fidgeting frequently in repetitive or predictable motions, unable to hold attention to a specific task for long periods of time, or many other of the symptoms associated with adhd.(i sadly cannot provide more information in this area, i am not knowledgeable enough to...)

hyperfocus type

hyperfocus type is a tricky one, it can look like the complete opposite of adhd in theory. hyperfocus can look similar to special interests or hyperfixation, a great deal of time and knowledge dedicated to a very particular thing (although it is important to note that even though hyperfixations and special interests are incredibly similar, special interests is a term more typically used within autistic-circles, and isnt really the best word to use if you happen to be neurotypical). Think of maybe that kid who knows all the cool animal facts and won’t shut up about them. Its because certain trains of thought or activities might release more dopamine then others, so to get more of that dopamine, someone of hyperfocus type will be mentally unable to stop thinking or doing a very specific task or topic. this results in someone seemingly always spacing out, unable to change subjects or changing subjects too fast or with little to no correlation, or being completely unable to have enough motivation to do simple things.

personally i tend to fall under the category of hyperfocus myself rather than hyperactive, however the two are not mutually exclusive, its more common to find people with both types rather than just one. even myself, i might exhibit more tendencies to place me under the label of hyperfocus, but that doesn’t mean i don’t have any symptoms of the hyperactive type. its my personality that affects my mannerisms, which then makes certain aspects of my symptoms more or less apparent. Thats because im an INTP-T, i just tend to be more to myself and constantly in a state of thinking abstractly. I have trouble communicating and even sometimes recognizing my needs, and get to a point where im unable to do the simplest of things without feeling emotionally drained. Thats just my experience though, everybodys different. 

so what the fuck does this have to do with raz then?

well lets think about it, rather than have it just be me projecting myself onto a comfort character:

raz finds issue with connecting to kids his age

lets be honest. none of the campers really like raz that much. or at least some do the bare minimum to be try and be polite. it doesn’t seem like any of the other campers besides dogen, whos also socially outcasted, are really fond of raz. lili might like him, but that can definitely be interpreted as curiosity in someone new and different from the norm. It might not be that the kids despise him, but nobodys opinionated enough to care whether he is around or not.

social isolation is one of the most damning things i had to experience from an early age and still feel even today. there is a sense of feeling that you are different among your peers, whether that is a good thing or bad thing. it feels difficult to interact with other people you are not familiar with, and can really stunt you emotionally and socially. from a really early age, theres somethin in you that knows something is very different between the experiences of your peers compared to your own, and it can feel incredibly isolating.

raz and his borderline stupidity

time to get real again. raz is a fucking idiot. at least in the sense that sometimes his decisions seem incredibly spontaneous and not really thought through. he runs from home to attend a summer camp, not really thinking about the logistics of how he will get there, how the staff will react, how long its gonna take for his parent to find him, and so on. it doesn’t seem like he over or underestimates his abilities, he just goes for it without considering. that doesnt seem like the smartest thing to do, even though we know hes incredibly intelligent when it comes to larger, abstract situations. its the little details that he misses, small minuet things that seem unimportant that he overlooks, which can sometimes make things harder for him in the end.

i think its obvious that impulsivity is one symptom of adhd. however i cannot stress how difficult it is to think at supersonic speed and still feel incredibly stupid. i mean, thinking faster doesn’t inherently mean you will have better ideas, you can always be stupider faster, but being able to realize stupid mistakes or inconsistencies in your own thought process is annoying as hell. it feels like every time you try to recognize the issue, fix it, and move forward, you only end up not paying attention to another issue that gets bigger and more annoying than the first. Its always two steps forward, one step back, constantly making the same mistakes even though you try everything in your power to avoid them or grow as a person. The simplest of facts, ideas, or just things to remember end up being forgotten, and once youre reminded of them you remember them and feel like an idiot. however, arbitrary things and complex issues are much easier to digest and remember for me, things like history and the whole blame game charade of it all, biology and how every minuet thing has a greater impact on others and intertwines with every single factor of its environment, philosophy and theorizing why we think the way we do and what can be changed. but oh shit, im a dumbass i forgot to do my laundry. shit. god fuckin dammit.

empathy over sympathy

one of the basic themes of psychonauts is empathy. simple as that. raz goes around into other peoples brains, and tries to help them as much as he can, even if his efforts are not always successful in the way he intended. he never demonizes anyone to the point of unredeemability, and can empathize and understand other peoples perspectives. hes open to new ideas and

although some studies out there theorize that empathy is impaired due to adhd, from my perspective i feel like that is simply not true. if anything, i would say the sensitivity that comes with adhd (hypersensitivity) only enhances that empathy. i could definitely see social disconnection being one of the reasons it might appear that someone with adhd is less empathetic, however i would doubt that adhd would impair a persons empathy. adhd tends to also entail heightened emotions, this doesn’t necessarily mean a more outwardly emotional person, however it definitely shifts a persons perspective of their own emotions as well as others. the concept of hypersensitivity also completely contradicts the idea of people with adhd be less empathetic.

miscommunication and disconnect

sigh, the dad thing. yup. raz has that very iffy relationship with his dad at the beginning of the game which is eventually resolved. very abruptly, might i add. but thats not what this is about, thats a topic for another day. miscommunication seemed to be the root of the issue, however we only get razs side of the story. not to mention the severity of his claims and willingness to seemingly drop everything afterwards. kinda sus, ngl.

alright this ones a doosey. this, i feel, cements my theory pretty well. like i mentioned before, social disconnect and hypersensitivity are side effects of the symptoms of adhd.  this means people with adhd are highly more likely to either misinterpret someones words or actions if those in question are not completely transparent, its because they tend to overthink and interpenetrate responses with too much thinkin n such. the social disconnect makes a whole lot of it worse, it can just pile on top of already established feelings of inadequacy and isolation. and oversharing as a poor coping mechanism isnt an exclusively adhd related thing, it tends to be shared within similar neruodevelopmental disorders such as autism or even ptsd. i find it incredibly easy to disconnect myself from my own emotions at times and think critically at what i feel and how it affects me. which is a bad thing. if i dont acknowledge my emotions like they are my own for too long, everything falls apart. its not fun. but, that disconnect can make talking about certain more traumatic experiences or instances that had deep personal effects on my life and development as a person much easier to just share. and not always in an appropriate manner, comedic opportunity can be   v  e  r  y   enticing. this also explains why raz might have been able to drop everything about his dad after he apologized. he didn’t really, he probably still suffers just as much afterwards as he did before. but he probably wont realize that for awhile, since logically, the issue has been resolved. long story short, he has not had the time to cope, and to put that off he detaches himself from those feelings. w a c k

of course i have other reasons why i feel like raz could potentially have adhd, or at least be accurately represented in headcanon with adhd, some minor mentions being:

he uses his camp map as a journal to track his in-game progress, list of goals, and notes/snip-its of information. writing down information on some form of notepad or book is a common tool used by kids and even adults with adhd to help them keep track of minuet, individual tasks. its just using a planner, but with a bit more information. 

just from my personal perspective, the lengths raz goes to pursue his dream of being a psychonaut feel more like a special interest/hyper fixation sort of thing. he can jump between having genuine conversations with his fellow campers and just exploring the campground, to investing himself entirely in obtaining his goal, even when it seems almost impossible. thats some serious dedication to one very specific thing, y’know?

this one isnt as solid as the other but: m̶̖̰̯̫̍͝o̵̦͖̟͈̹̤̥̝͐̿̄̀̀̎̓ņ̶̛̭̠̐̊̆̍͝ķ̸̝͈̺̙̰̊e̶͉͚̼̅̔͗̂͐̍̕͝͝y̶̦̖̼͖̪͎̝̖̠̐̑͋̾̔̑́͐͘ ̵̢̲̘͎͉̔̀͒̄͌͊̀͌̀m̴̲̫̮̪̖̍̐͆̕͜͝ͅả̶͙͚͗n̶̗̳̩̙̘̼̦̦͇͝ ̷̡̨̡͔̗͕̘͍̥̑͒̎̐̃g̴͔̔̈̅̐̏́̌̔̈́́o̶̥̱̽̆̂͌̀͗ ̶̝̩͙͕͛́s̴̛͓̥̲̜͓͚̣̠̆̓̌͌p̶̜̹̯̦̫̯̣̎͐̽̉̾ḙ̴͇̬͑̈́̐̈́͘͠ͅȅ̶̡̗̞̩͔̫̪͈͑̓͗d̵̠͇͎̜͔͇͒̈́́̀̅̈́̒͘y̸̡̦̠̻̖̥̿ͅ. yeah, its the most generalizing reason but look, hes moving nonstop the entire game, climbing and running around the entire goddamn place wrecking havoc. a bit of imp can be found in most people with adhd if you look hard enough.

so thanks for reading this far i guess? im oversharing even right now with this, like an i d i o t but yknow what i dont want to read the great gatsby rn, so ive got nothin better to do. who knows, maybe the second game will give us more info to either support/discredit this theory? gotta wait for pn2 i guess

:^)

[supermoviemaniac]

DEFENDING...

THOR: RAGNAROK!

Okay, so yesterday I asked you guys which is your least favourite MCU movie and why. I said I'd take the most commonly disliked film and try and defend it, using my personal reasonings as well as attempting to counter what issues you had with it yourselves.

Firstly, I'm quite surprised that Ragnarok was the most hated! I was expecting Age of Ultron or Iron-Man 3 (though they weren't too far behind). To make it clear, it's okay to dislike this movie, my attempt at defending the movie is just a bit of fun, but if it lets you see and appreciate the movie in a different light then that's cool! If it doesn't then that's cool too! Here goes...

I'll start with why I personally love Ragnarok, and how it was actually my favourite MCU movie, until Infinity War inevitably took that spot.

Thor was the first character in the franchise to introduce outerspace, and the cosmic side of the cinematic universe. With Iron-Man, Hulk and Cap being restricted to Earth, Thor was key to broadening what types of stories they could tell, what sort of threats and stakes could arise etc. The first Thor movie was certainly a bold move at the time, hoping that audiences would embrace the fantastical themes that he and Asgard brought to the table. Bar Thanos, Thor and Loki are the reason sh*t's going down in the first Avengers movie, so you have them to thank for that.

Flash forward to Dark World however, at this point we've seen Asgard already, so the novelty has worn off slightly. As much as the movie expands our view of Thor's home, we still feel very restricted, as though we're only seeing through a keyhole, when we actually wanna bust the door down and see what an outerspace adventure could really offer, hence why people gravitate towards Guardians of the Galaxy so heavily, because it let loose and didn't feel like it was shying away from the sci-fi elements that made the property what it was.

So with Dark World leaving a bad taste in our mouths (even though I think it's underratedly funny, but perhaps another time), and Thor not quite standing out in Age of Ultron, we're left thinking, do we really even want another Thor movie at this point? Something had to change. The studios' take on Thor was good in ways, but wasn't gripping people as much as say Iron-Man and Cap. If Captain America could have an amazing sequel, why couldn't Thor? With the damage already done via Dark World however, Ragnarok had to be Marvel's shot at redemption and reinvigoration, and I personally think it was.

There's no arguing Ragnarok was a bold step to take Thor, though not everyone agrees it was for the better. Could the Thor we were used to still work given the correct writing and direction? Who knows, but with already 'failing' once with Dark World, it was surely less of a risk to go for something completely unexpected. We go from majestic golds and elegant architecture, to crazy, vibrant, jagged imperfections that you'd expect to see in a retro sci-fi movie. The Thor we knew and expected has lightened up a little, during his few years between Age of Ultron and now, scouring the universe for information on the Infinity Stones. No pun intended, but perhaps his absent couple of years provided some much needed soul searching. So to those that wonder why Thor is suddenly so funny and witty, he's been out and about off-screen for quite a while loosening up! That's how I like to see it at least.

In the first 10 minutes, we're given more cosmic calamity than any of the other Thor movie has provided in their joint runtimes. He's in the fiery realm of Muspelheim, kicking the crap out of hellish minions and their giant demonic flame lord, Surtur, whilst the Immigrant Song plays. Then moments later, there's a damn dragon beast that's on fire that chases him, as the coolest little synth melody twinkles in the background. That cool little action scene not only gave Mjölnir the ultimate send off, but I remember thinking just from that point, "This is what Thor movies are meant to be like! This is already my favourite MCU movie!"

I think the comedy is people's biggest issue with the film. Admittedly, the style of humour was a little jarring at first, but I soon let go of doubts and embraced what the movie was trying to do. Notice how I said 'style' of humour, and not just 'humour' as a whole, because a lot of people forget just how comedic the first two Thor movies actually are. I feel like humour allows a sort of alleviation to what could potentially be something rather odd on screen. That way, if the movie embraces it's outlandish source materials, the comedy allows us to laugh with it, rather than at it. I think people are okay with the inclusion of comedic elements - I think they just weren't expecting the amplification that it had. So as I said, you can either let that ruin the film, or you can embrace/accept it, because there is just as much heart in this film as there is humour.

I know there's people that think Hela was wasted. Having watched these movies countless times, I rarely see any issues with villains anymore. The fabled 'villain problem' springs to mind, where everyone says that they were just there as a device to make the hero save the day. But what's actually wrong with that technically speaking? And how is that any different to other movies outside of the superhero realm? I see most of these villains as stepping stones for the heroes. These movies belong to the heroes, so the way I see it, the villains are there to develop and shape the good guy into whatever the finished product may be by the time the credits roll, just like all the other characters do in the movie. To prove this point, everyone loves Thanos as a villain, but that's because Infinity War was his movie, given the amount of time spent with him. I think the only exception is Loki, but his character is so well-received because he sits within the grey area of good and bad. We've seen both sides of him now.

Yes, I understand that villains are a little lack luster in most of these movies, but I liked what Hela brought to the franchise. We get the shock of discovering Thor has an older sister, she manages to take over Asgard, she demolishes everything in sight, she was the reason Thor is reinvigorated via his new right eye and weapon, she forced Thor's hand, making him enact Ragnarok (even though there's no stopping Ragnarok but it was a cool twist) and destroy Asgard, she was the first main female villain at long last, and she had a giant wolf. Some films spend more time with the villain, and some sacrifice it to focus more on the hero. There's never a straight 50:50 between good and evil in their storytelling, and I imagine it's always a hard call to make when balancing and ensuring that not only do the audience care for the hero, but also everything and everyone around them. Regardless the solo hero is always the focal point. Unless you're watching Breaking Bad or American Psycho or... *Lists shows and movies told from the bad guy's perspective*

I think the underlining disapproval stems from the fresh direction that it took. His hammer goes bye-byes, his warrior friends die just like that, Thor no longer looks or acts like the Thor we're used to, and Jane moved on. People will either be okay with those things, or it'll be too much to accept. Was the film too bold? Perhaps, but Thor can conduct lightning through his body now and that fight scene on the Bifrost bridge was badass.

Jokes aside, I suppose it's up to the individual audience member to decide whether or not the change is too much. A part of me wishes that the Thor we currently have was the Thor from the get go - things would've been different, but I love the character no matter what weapon or haircut you give him. Ragnarok gave the God of Thunder the opportunity to prove why he's a badass and not just a guy that relies on a hammer. They turned the dial up on his power level, and then again in Infinity War, which is good because I feel like prior to Ragnarok, Thor was kinda just there, y'know?

Everyone has their own favourite and least favourite movie, and no one should force you to alter your personal interests and disinterests, but if I were to wrap up what I thought of the film, Thor: Ragnarok to me is a fun, crazy joyride from start to finish, that provided a lot of heart as well as light-heartedness. It introduced some new, diverse characters whilst also giving the Hulk a much-needed story arc. A bold game-changer for the character and the lore he contributes to the MCU. It's the type of change I can appreciate and most definitely get behind!

What do you guys think? Have I swayed your opinions, or do you hate the movie more now! Let me know. Thanks for reading! Shall I do more of these? Let me know that too. I'm off to buy snacks and watch Ragnarok now, no joke!

[geejaysmith]

On mobile, there are no readmores.

Ok, so maybe the key thing that pisses me off is that either way you dice it, the whole "evil Dirk" bullshit is either the distortion of a writer with a noted history of fanfics distorting characters into their most cynical form if not outright mischaracterizing them for an abuser/victim dynamic, or its commentary about an author who lets their own soapboxing overtake the willing suspension of disbelief in the characters' voices and the fabric of the world, rather than anything the character showed signs of being in the actual text. And if you're going to go "but timeskip! People change!" that's a hack move that Homestuck became far too dependent on in its later run, especially after the retcon, that cons the reader into doing the writer's job in order to try and resolve the cognitive dissonance of, say, a character who *actively did not want* to be what he's just suddenly become, and who's showing a level and flavor of asshole he never was.

Also, having a gay character, who a ton of young readers have identified with for years, suddenly turn bigoted alt-right-in-all-but-name just to make SURE you know he's the bad guy? Idk, that just strikes me as an asshole move. One of several asshole moves, like never addressing how the actions of one or several other characters contributed to his feeling guilty, especially about his sexuality when he's the one gay character whose orientation is directly discussed in the story proper, or how the character who can be reasonably assumed to have the a large hand in contributing to that guilt is never held to account, but instead victimized by Dirk with out-of-the-wild-blue-nowhere transphobic horseshit in the epilogue. In fact, would it be going out on a limb here to say that entire plot point seem to exist *only* for the sake of said out-of-character transphobic horseshit?

Sorry, I was about to say "but this is a whole different rant" but like, no, actually, this pisses me off. It *really* pisses me off how *badly* Dirk gets treated as the one prominent homosexual male character, and it has always pissed me off.

But no, really, the biggest thing pissing me off in the "oh this isn't rational to feel this way, actually, fuck it, I don't care if this is rational, these feelings aren't going away and this shit is PERSONAL now" way, is how most of what makes its way to my dash about Dirk since the epilogues dropped just comes off as uncritical about this. That even in trying to "fix" the damage done, it still tacitly admits there may be some validity to it, instead of staring it down and asking "and what the hell is your justification for that, outside of 'Hussie said so'?"

And let me take a moment to indulge in my neurotic impulse to hedge my own words and say, fine, ok, you want to explore evil!Dirk? Cool, your prerogative, we clearly find this character close to our hearts for very different reasons, whatever. But I don't and never want to see it and now it's everywhere, and people aren't taking to say, fascist Jane with the same gusto as they do to drag my favorite character, whose problems and insecurities are so close to my own he's the first work of fiction I've cried for for since childhood, through the mud.

Oh, and is it worse because this is basically just the same "Dirk is a monster" bullshit I've been fighting since the Great DirkJake Tag Discourse of 2014? Yes. Yes it is. I really do believe that Evil!Dirk - not "he has flaws as a person that result in toxic behavior", not "his actions have resulted in tangible harm and that needs to be addressed", but outright malicious intent or at least such utter disregard for the people he loves that intent is an automatic moot point - in other words, the ugly caricature being paraded around in the epilogues under the fig leaf of authorial approval, alongside the ugly caricatures of Jade and Jane, who only further expose the whole farce - in all its incarnations is and always has been an outright mischaracterization that only holds water if you push for deliberating interpreting the text in the most negative way. And I've spent *years* arguing with myself in my own head because fandom bullshit has convinced me that the only way I can hold an opinion and have a right to speak it is if I can have an airtight argument for my stance, like it's some fucking debate club, or something. And I am done. Dirk is not a monster, never was, and I am *done* screaming at myself in my own head instead of speaking out loud because "oh no, what if I'm wrong on the internet? What if randos online think I'm some dumb yaoi fangirl who's doing an abuse apologism?" Who cares? I know what I fucking read. I know the character that I saw.

You know what happens when you grow up isolated and don't have that first great "I wasn't fully cognizant of the fact that other people have thoughts and feelings like I do and acted like an ass and am now facing consequences - oh god I fucked up, I need to make this better somehow" young, when the stakes are low and you forget about it by puberty? You know how that childhood loneliness gives you a paralyzing fear of rejection that leaves you with a guarded persona, makes you agonize there's something wrong with you? How it makes you feel like you're irreparably broken, irreconcilably different?

I do.

So I'm confident that I know what I'm talking about when I say "it looks a lot like Dirk Strider." Coincidentally, it can also look a lot like Jake English. I know because I've been both. And you'll notice, pile of neuroses though I am, I am neither a victim nor am I a monster.

So. Yeah. Evil!Dirk upsets me greatly and always has and I don't want to see it. Except now it's everywhere and I once again have to tread lightly if I want to find any content of him that isn't made directly by me. A thing I loved has become something that makes me feel feelings that suck. *Again!* And I don't have the time or energy to throw into counteracting it at the moment, unlike with TLCstuck and the retcon a few years back. And yeah, this is personal and no one is responsible for my feelings and emotional wellbeing but me, yes, yes. But also this is my blog and I get to pick what goes on it and this is me telling myself "to hell with what people think when they see it, it's Tumblr, this is the house that personal emotional-fueled discourse built", and also if I didn't get this out I'd kind of end up screaming about it in my head again until all I can articulate is a high-pitched screech? I just need to fucking vent this out so I can get on with my goddamn day and it's out of my head? So maybe it'll quit coming back? It's way too fucking early for this? And oops, this post got way too long and a lot more emotional than I was expecting. Hey, crying helps relieve stress, y'know (Note: I'm not actually crying, it's the principle of the thing).

tl;dr, I have always thought Evil!Dirk was bullshit but it still hurts to see, and while I know I have no reason to bear a grudge against the people writing it as people, on principle, there's a part of me that wants to fucking punch those responsible for putting it back in the fandom consciousness in such a big way? Especially when I'm not seeing anyone pick over the horseshit done to other characters in quite the same way.

That is all. Carry on, I've vented my spleen. I'm gonna toss this post to the wind and go back to Wolf 359 shitposting.